Fancy, Vintage Dress Fix

Here at Refashion Co-op, I'm a little out of my league when it comes to sewing. I'm a novice, and have yet to tackle anything major; just minor updates.
I've decided that the things that make my projects "special" or just worth sharing aren't the techniques I use. It's the unique items and materials that I find to redo. Therefore, I'll spare you the details of how I mastered the skill of button adding. Here's the quick version!

There's an old rag of a dress that I got for $2 because I liked the shape and it fit really well. That bow was all ripped up and faded, and the decorative buttons were broken. Oh, and there's a big, ugly rip on the thigh area!

There's a clearer picture of it before the change. And there's the bow, four buttons, and three inches off the bottom. That's all I removed!

 And that's what I ended up with! I just patched it up and added a few details. I'm so glad that I had those gold buttons in my stash. That one near the neckline isn't sewn on--I just safety pinned it from the back, in case I want to wear a necklace instead. I admit, that gold belt (that I used to wear as part of a wrestling costume) might have been a bit much. But, New Years Eve was too cold for this dress, so I just put it on to take pictures. I didn't actually wear it anywhere.

For a more detailed (long-winded) version of my process, check out the full post on my blog,  Craft, Thrift, or Die. I'll tell you how I made that hole disappear.