Heads Up: Free Shipping at Great Lengths

Ok, so most of you already know that Great Lengths Shorts is not just about shorts. They're also about awesome, affordable modest clothing for all occasions, including those oh-so-important occasions that involve corsages, bow ties, and decorated school gyms. And they've got a great deal going right now. From now through Valentine's Day (actually the day after, the promotion officially ends February 15th) shipping on all formal gowns is free. So whether you're thinking ahead for prom, planning a wedding, or just wanting to wear a pretty shiny dress for no good reason, head on over to Great Lengths Shorts and check out their formal wear.

Embellishing Cheap Gloves

Awesome Pattern Alert

Hey check out this new pattern available for free on Burda.com. I think it's absolutely beautiful and the best thing about it is you can totally make it your own by choosing your own fabric, shortening, lengthening etc.



Check out this beautiful dress!

More Modest Homecoming Under $50: Vintage Style

For the second installment of homecoming under $50, I thought I'd get a little creative with my searches and find some vintage dresses for you ladies. Here are a few I found on ebay:

I'm not sure how vintage this one really is, but it has a sort of throwback to that era style. I thought it was cute anyway, and its starting bid is 23.99



What I thought when I saw this one was "Holy awesomeness!!" Wow! It's got only 4 hours left for bidding and it's going for $30.00. I wish I had somewhere to wear it!


This one makes me think of some southern belle or something. It's here on ebay, with a starting bid of 19.99 and the bidding ends Saturday.


This pretty and simple ebay item can be found here. With three hours left on the auction, it's going for just 3.99.


This vintage number from the 70's can be found here on ebay for the "buy it now" price of 39.99.


This is not vintage or period, but I found it and thought someone might appreciate a $10 homecoming dress:

This little black dress from Target is a steal at 9.99. Dress it up with pretty jewelry, maybe a slip from vintage hem, fancy hair, and you've got yourself a cheap, modest homecoming outfit.



And one more non-vintagey one. I found this one for 46.50 in the sale section of Shabby Apple's site (such cute dresses) It's a little more casual, but it's so cute:

Modest Homecoming Under $50

So, I'm still hiding from the dress, but not idly. I'm formulating ideas and things should be done soon. Meanwhile, since I noticed that many people are finding my site on a search for modest and cheap homecoming gowns, I decided to go on a little search of my own and see what I could round up for under 50 dollars. I know how incredibly frustrating it is to find a modest dress without spending a lot of money. So, I've done a little of the legwork for you and hopefully something will strike your fancy. The links will take you to the site where you can buy or bid on the dress.

The worst first:

If you're looking to really stand out at homecoming and have a little fun, you might try this eighties style dress on sale for 29.00 at cybernet plaza




Then there's this cute, sort of baby-dollish dress from PromGirl for 38.00.


Now for the ones I actually like:

This one comes from Discount Dressup, and I think it's quite cute, nice color and simple design, selling for 39.99



And if you want to go for the classic little black dress, this one from Chadwicks is on sale for 39.99. Pair it with a slip like this one from Vintage Hem and you could fancy it up a bit and make sure it's long enough.

Don't forget to try ebay for a unique dress and possibly really good deal. Here are some current auctions I found:

Someone still looking for a kimono-style dress? Well here's one going for a starting bid of 39.99 or you could skip the auction and buy it now for 49.99.


I also really love this classy formal that has a starting bid of 9.99 and two days left on the auction.



This one is probably my favorite of them all, but you're going to have to act quick. The bid closes in four hours. The going price is 39.99.



Well, hopefully these gave you some ideas of some dresses or some places to look. I wish you all success finding something that makes you feel beautiful on your special day.

Dress Update and Eliza Magazine

So, things with the dress are going well. I went to Joann's on Saturday and bought fabric for the lining and the lengthening bits, ribbon, and dye. The colors I had planned did not exactly work out - I found a much more tempting fabric in a different color - shall I give it away or surprise you all once it's done?
Sunday I made the pattern for the lining, which was time-intensive but fun when it finally worked out. So far so good.
Monday I did the actual dyeing of the dress, and I am extremely pleased with the results. I've never dyed anything before (unless you count tie-dyed t-shirts), so I was more than a little worried, but the color came out exactly as I hoped it would.
So, now it's just making the lining and putting on the finishing touches.

Also, today, I wanted to tell you guys about Eliza magazine. I think I may have mentioned it before, but I don't think I gushed enough. This is a magazine that showcases fashion and other feminine interests (forgive me if that's a little stereotyping on my part) but with a distinct focus on modesty and high standards. The fact that they exist and are doing well makes me feel good about the world we live in. Read this to learn more about them. They have an awesome blog as well as quarterly issues.

Homecoming Dresses: Sale at Great Lengths

Well, since not everyone can win a dress (sad, but true), I wanted to highlight some other sources for homecoming attire. Happily, Great Lengths Shorts is having a sale on many of their beautiful, modest semi-formal and formal dresses.

My picks:



(Though I really hate those shoes. Really hate them.)

Modest Homecoming Dress Giveaway

Note: If you don't want to read my random rambling, scroll down to the paragraph that begins "I have a brilliant idea."

Ok, so we're all depressed that school is starting again and summer is over (when I say we, read: I. I am depressed. I am pining away for scorching hot days and stifling nights. I know I am the only one who actually likes this. I am only partly deluding myself when I say we.), but there is a lot to look forward to (even for poor, little ol' depressed me).

First of all, football is back on. Maybe this is not good news for everyone, but for me it means a big fat bag of kettle corn, a feeling of camaraderie with the entire town of Provo and beyond, and up to four hours with my husband where he does not have his computer on his lap (he does not know this bugs me; mostly, I've accepted it as part of his identity, but it's still nice sometimes to get away from it). Ah, football.



But the point of this post is not football, it's what goes along with football: homecoming. Now, I did not know this, but homecoming is not technically about football - it's about welcoming back former residents and alumni; however, it's usually associated with a football game and of course, a dance. Now, that's what I've been getting at this whole time.

I have a brilliant idea. Yes, brilliant. Here's my idea: I am going to do a giveaway here on the blog (because I think it's so cool when other blogs do them, and I'm jealous of their coolness). Every week until homecoming I am going to go out and find a cheap(ish), probably used, probably d.i. dress and turn it into something amazing that would be appropriate to wear to a homecoming-type dance. I'll post pictures of the dress before; then, when it's ready (hopefully after a week), I'll post the picture of my beautiful creation. If you leave a comment on the blog requesting to be entered in the drawing, well, then you will be entered in the drawing and hopefully I will draw your name out. And you will have a cool dress made by me.

So, I went to d.i. today and got my first experiment. I am going to ask for some help on this one because, while I have some ideas of the direction I want it to go in, I'd like some suggestions on the particulars. Ok, so without further ado, here's the dress:

(Note: I put the little kitty in the corner mostly just because I could. Check out Picnik, it's way fun.)

Ok, so it has a little stain on the front that is hard to see, but I still want to do something about it. What I'm thinking (besides, of course, washing it) is that I want to dye it. Here is what I'm thinking: either black, dark chocolate brown, or possibly blue. What do you, as possible future owners of this dress, think? Please give me some ideas on this!

Also, please let others that you may know about this giveaway extravaganza. I really want this to be something useful to those out there who would like to wear a modest dress to homecoming (or any other dance, or date, or school, or out bowling, or you know, wherever you want to wear a moderately fancy dress). So please pass the word along.

Ok, this post is definitely long enough. Over and out!