Finding Christmas outfits for my girls continues.

Having several yards of brand new, adorable, FREE fabric was so much fun to play with, but reality has set back in and we’re in full Rock-What-Ya-Got mode again. And since I’ve been doing a lot of sewing, I was hoping to find some existing outfits to just tweak a bit for the holidays.

Guess what I had to work with?

Yup.

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Hand-me-down EASTER dresses.

Welcome to Pastel City. Population: 2


But if the picked-over isles at Walmart can teach us anything, it’s that every color is a Christmas color.

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And that means with a little work, every solid colored dress can pull double duty as a Christmas special.

What?!

Even those pastel numbers?

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Especially those pastel numbers. See?

And all I had to work with was ric-rac and a bunch of old poinsettia blooms. But it was enough. Those of you with more stash stuff and Christmas decorations could really go nuts.

I started on Kid #3’s pink dress and twisted some red and white ric-rac together to make my own Candy Cane trim.

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You can twist any colors together to make lots of fun looks. Make sure your iron it really well after you twist it together to help it lay flat.

And I went the total cheaters route and simply hot glued my candy cane ric-rac right along the bottom hem. If you wanted a temporary fix, just stitch in place with clear thread.

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(And yes, you can totally wash clothing with hot glued trim in cold water on the delicate cycle with a cool dryer. Works fine.)

To dress up the collar I removed the bow and glued my trim over the existing pink stuff, then pinned on a single poinsettia using a few safety pins.

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Five minutes later I had a completely different look.

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 Done and done.

Kid #6’s dress was even easier to dress up … as in I spent three minutes on hers instead of five.

The worn out bow came off with a quick snip …

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… and the flower I pulled off the fake poinsettia plant got safety pinned in place.

Add some sparkle shoes, another bloom for the hair and an already-in-the-closet sweater and voila!

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Baby Girl just decked the halls.

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So take a look in your girls’ closet.

And pull out those boxed-up spring and summer clothes.

Go dig through your ornaments, ribbons and bows.

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 Bet you have the makings of a little Christmas outfit magic, too.

Happy Easter Merry Christmas!

Linking up to:

Skip To My LouCraft-O-ManiacC.R.A.F.T. *  Stories of AtoZ, Tip JunkieSugar BeeToday’s Creative BlogSassy SitesMy Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Someday CraftsLil LunaWe Are That FamilyBlue Cricket DesignsThe Thrifty Home, * House of Hepworths, *Tidy MomWhipperberryKojo DesignsChic On A Shoestring, Momma’s Kinda Crafty, *Tatertots & Jello, Be Different Act Normal * I Heart NaptimeUnder The Table and Dreaming

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21 Comments

  1. Oh my you inspire me!! Those dresses look adorable, and with your precious little girls' in them, irresistable!!! You really have inspired me to dig deeper and repurpose what I already have this year!!!!!!

  2. Laura@Corner House

    I love that candy cane ric rac. I will have to keep that in mind.

  3. Hi Nike! Those dresses are adorable. I love the candy cane ric rac. You did an awesome job!

  4. Cheree @ The Morning Latte

    Lovin' your thrifty upcycle skilz!

  5. Rhissanna

    Ok, the woven ric rac? Pure unadulterated genius! I salute you!

  6. These turned out great! Your idea to twist the rick rack together is amazing – and with those colors it is perfect.

  7. Absolutely excellent! Such a clever idea with the ric rak – one to pinterest!

  8. I am with everyone else that the ric rac put together is pure brilliance. Not that I'm suprised–I just didn't even know it could be done, and it is adorable. Great job!

  9. I just accidently found your blog but purposely bookmarking it!! Your girls look so sweet in their holiday dresses, what a great way of thinking, you inspire me 🙂

  10. Steph @ Crafting in the Rain

    Your twisted ricrac is so cool! Great idea!

  11. JJ@SundayInTheCountry

    I love pink and red together, so of course that one is my favorite. My first thought was, "Where did she get that nice candy cane trim?", then I read further and said, "Oh now that is COOL…I have red and white ric-rac…Oh Yeah!" I also love how the red POPS against the light green of the second dress, the more I look at it the more I love it too! Oh yeah, and hot glue instead of sewing to save time…sometimes it's just gotta be done! Thanks for the washing/care tip!

  12. Christmas Dress for Baby

    I want you to know how VERY special your little Christmas outfit is!!! Any baby would look absolutely adorable in this wonderful piece. It's just stunningly unique and beautiful.

  13. You are seriously my hero. I'm sitting here staring at my computer screen with my jaw on the floor. I want to be you when I grow up!

  14. Anonymous

    Those dresses are both cute, but I was thinking… since the green one looks like snow, perhaps a giant snowflake instead of a poinsetta would have worked too? Just a thought.

    eduardoelric.livejournal.com
    (IT couldn't verify my credentials to post this message 🙁 )

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  16. Arvind Gulia

    A very well-written post. I read and liked the post and have also bookmarked you. All the best for future endeavors.
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  17. Uh-mazing! You're crazy awesome at what you do! I love the "Baby girl just decked the halls". So clever and funny! Thanks for inspiring me!

  18. Uh-mazing! You're crazy awesome at what you do! I love the "Baby girl just decked the halls". So clever and funny! Thanks for inspiring me!

  19. LethargicLass

    I have to say, this is probably the best transformation I have ever seen… I didn't think you could do it from the first photo of the dresses… but wow!