Happy New Year’s Eve!  I’ve had a really great holiday so far, celebrating with friends and family, and I hope you have, too!

Today, I’m sharing my handmade blue velvet dress that I made for Christmas Eve.  Every year we have a huge family gathering at my house for on Christmas Eve, and as the family gets bigger, so does the gathering.  This year, my nephews turned two and we celebrated my niece’s first Christmas.  It was a busy house, but full of plenty of laughs and good times.

The dress is one I designed based on a pattern from my Sew U: Home Stretch book of patterns.  Luckily it needed only a few adjustments for fit and personal preference.  While trying it on, I also realized that it could easily be dressed up or down, so I decided to style it two ways for you today!

Look 1 – Dressy

The details: blue velvet dress (handmade) // navy blue tights (Next – in Belfast) // gray clog sandals (Swedish Hasbeens via Nordstrom Rack) // silver hair clips // silver snowflake earrings (handmade) // silver bracelets // silver chunky necklace (Ann Taylor Loft)

The Swedish Hasbeens sandals are a fairly recent find, and as you may imagine, I pretty much stopped dead in my tracks when I saw them on the clearance rack in my size.  No joke, I looked around furtively to make sure no one else was going to grab them before I snatched them up and immediately tried them on!  I have been dreaming about getting a pair for years, and I have a feeling this is only the beginning of a very long love affair.

Look 2 – Casual

The details: blue velvet dress (handmade) // black leggings (Wal-Mart) // burgundy boots (JustFab) // red jingle bell earrings & necklace (handmade) // chunky bracelet (Wal-Mart)

This more casual look is what I actually wore on Christmas Eve.  I knew I was going to be chasing my nephews around the house and helping my mom play hostess, so I had a feeling that as comfortable as the Swedish Hasbeens sandals are, they wouldn’t last all night.  Plus, our family get together was a casual affair, and I wanted to be comfortable.

I hope you like my holiday creation!  If you could sew (or if you are a sewist), what dress would you dream up for the holidays?  Something elaborate and totally glam or something more practical but fun??

Thanks for reading, have a fun and safe New Year’s!