My New BFF Athena

I am pleased to introduce you to Athena.  She is the newest member of our family and my current obsession. (I'm still thinking about the dress so its a close tie between the two.)  Remember in when I told you about my love for vintage mannequins?  Well, I've been scouring the internet, craigslists, and local stores to see if I could find one for a reasonable price.  The cheapest I could find was about $189 and I figured I would wait before spending that much.  I found a DIY on how to make one yourself using duct-tape.   

I started working on it and heres what I got 

I figured I'd paper mache it to toughen it up a bit and then cover it with a cute fabric.

But then...I kinda lost my drive to do it.  The newspaper has been sitting in a bag for a week and little miss silver sat in a closet.  I guess she was upset about being stuck in the closet for so long she decided to mock me.  Look at what she did:

Soo, I began my hunt again and finally I found one!  I was so excited :)  I found her on Craigslist and contacted the seller right away.  I got this baby for $50.

 Isn't she purty?  

I was considering replacing the fabric, but I don't think I'll follow through with that plan.  

And here is Athena modeling my new houndstooth pea coat.

Can't wait to start sewing!  What should I sew first?  I had considered trying to replicate the peplum dress I want so bad but I thought maybe I'm overly ambitious.  Any suggestions?

And don't forget to check out Jen's giveaway at Slumber Designs !