Forest Maiden

Outfit submitted to the weekly reader outfits over at Effortless Anthropologie:

Rutzou "Cloak of Quills" Dress - Anthro
Simply Vera Jeans - Kohl's
Candies Sandals - Kohl's

I felt like this funky wrap dress was a little too short for my taste, so I paired it with some distressed jeans for a tunic look. I took these pictures in the woods behind my house. We've lived here for 10 years and I honestly have never explored the woods very far. I really don't have a good reason why. But after seeing how these pictures turned out I sure plan to do so! Remnants of Fall and Winter crunched under my feet as I enjoyed signs of Spring.

Before & After

Before



After

When I saw Corey Lynn Calter’s “Kimono Plumes Midi Dress” on the Anthropologie website, it was love at first sight. As usual, I waited for sale which happened right after Christmas. It was one of those awesome % off the already sale price, and I had just gotten some Christmas money. Done! With any new item of clothing, I am so excited to wear it that I try to “make it work” even if it is not season appropriate. The top was a bit blousier than I cared for so I topped it with an edgy black jacket (TJ Maxx) and some black boots. It just wasn’t right….. the length of the dress bothered me too.

Luckily, I was inspired by Molly (of Anthromollogies) post about how she altered this dress (as well as other clothes). Of course I had been to a tailor on many occasions for other things so I don’t know why I didn’t think of it for this situation. I am so glad I did! I am much happier with the dress now and it looks better as you can see in the results. Softening up the look with the brown in the belt and on the shoes is something I like too. As hard as it was to purposely cut off the lovely peacock feathers, it was necessary to the overall beauty. After all, peacocks shed their feathers every Spring, right?

Outfit, featured on this week’s Reader Outfits over at Effortless Anthropologie:

Corey Lynn Calter “Kimono Plumes Midi Dress” – Anthropologie

Apt 9 Belt – Kohl’s

Necklace – TJ Maxx

Mossimo Patricia Wedge - Target

Better late than never: jeweled tree



Even though it's April, and we are all dreaming about when and if the weather is ever going to be nice, I still wanted to share this holiday "gem" of a project I did. Heck, I saw some flurries this week so why not, right? One of my beady friends Erin is a designer for Halcraft (a brand at Michael's) and she posted some pretty cool projects back in December made with these rhinestone pieces that are typically used for jewelry. While I love the serving utensils she made, I especially fell in love with the blinged up tree she made. Finding a DIY of a super expensive item is what I live for! That's not to say this project can't add up. Here's the details of my experience:

Erin used a styrofoam cone for the core of her tree, but some after holiday shopping at TJ Maxx produced a 4 sided pyramid like tree (pictured above). Two of it's sides is a lovely silver velvet and the other two sides had a neat worded print canvas. It was $5. I didn't think the base it was on was regal enough (the thing it came off of on the left), so I also bought a mercury glass like candle pedestal for $7. As much as I loved the text print fabric, I spray painted it with some silver paint I already had so all 4 sides would be cohesive.

Using a picture of Erin's tree, I set out to Michael's to buy the rhinestone pieces I needed. I guesstimated how much I would need, and ONLY bought them when they were on sale 50% off or more. Here they are all laid out to start thinking about the design.

I cut out some paper in the same shape as the sides of the tree so that I could lay out the design before I got started. Ohhh, pretty! Since my tree did not have a styrofoam core (it's cardboard), I could not use wire to stick the pieces into it. Instead, I used hot glue which held pretty good to the fabric and dried fast so that I could just keep working away.

Here is the completed tree! I just love it's modern shape, yet vintage look! Thanks Erin for sharing these projects with the creative community!

Why bloggers are the best advertisers.

Before I begin here, I know I sound like a broken record when I say that I want to improve my blog (look, links, etc…). But honestly, I just don’t have the time to sit down and do it. I am lucky if I have the time to just do a post! I should just find someone to help me. Also, I do want to apologize for:

 

a.       The poor quality pictures in this post. If you follow any fashion bloggers in this part of the country, you will probably see the same complaint over and over again: THE WEATHER! Ugh!

b.      My roots. I am getting my hair done tomorrow. I know that ombre look is in, but only if you fully commit, right?

 

Okay, so back to my point. Bloggers are one of the best advertisers out there, and companies know this. That is why they give them incentive to advertise, review products, use special links to their sites, etc…. Again, I do not know how to do this (yet) so I am not one of these said Bloggers.

I recently made some purchases that I found through some of the Bloggers I follow. Items that I probably wouldn’t have looked twice at. They have quickly become “favorites” in my wardrobe! I figured that deserved a post!

 

First up: Kayley over at Sidewalk Ready posted about this Free People Maxi Cardi. This is a tissue thin type material, with unfinished edges, that comes in a variety of colors. You can find it right on the Free People website or on other sites like Macy’s of Shopbop for $78. Would I pay that for an item like this? No. Nordstrom Rack has them for $30. I can do that. But seriously, even on the hanger this thing does not look that appealing. It just kinda…. hangs there. But when you put it on….. OMG, softest, most comfy, like as air, feels like you are wearing nothing but are still cozy, love! Picking the peach color also goes outside of my usual, but aside from this outfit I have already found 4 other pieces in my closet I would pair it with. So it’s a total win in my book!

Here I paired it with a bird print peplum top (Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s, last year) and a necklace I made (see original post here).

Next up: Jessica over at Swish and Swoon posted about this Urban Outfitters cardigan. This pattern (whatever you want to call it: tribal, Aztec, intarsia) has been all over and I have resisted. I must have been waiting for just the right one. And boy, is this it! Jessica says she lives in this sweater, and I have found the same sentiment since owning it. Not only have I created endless outfits with it (the black and white goes great with just about every color), it’s also my “go to” for throwing on at the last minute when I am running out somewhere. To the store. To the park with Richard. It’s a workhorse in the busy Mom’s closet!

Here I am wearing it with my red consignment shop jeans, asymmetrical lime top from Matilda Jane, Anthro look-a-like wedges from Target (see post on those here), and one of my favorite necklaces I made (see original post here).

New glasses: yea or nay?

Wedding Season

This time of year signals "Wedding Season" as many brides choose the Spring/Summer/Early Fall for their nuptials. Even though I'll be married 11 years next month, weddings are definitely on my mind! I made 3 pairs of the above earrings for the bridesmaids of a friend who is getting married in June. I love the green and pearl together, and I had those green rhinestone roundels for quite some time and am happy they found a home. Luckily, I had exactly 6 of them so it worked out perfect!

Then, for the wedding I am a part of in September, us "maids" got together to help make fabric flowers! It was so fun and addictive! I cannot wait to see this wedding come together - I can totally share the "vision" that Kristen has for it. As our dresses arrive, and shoes are found, and shower planning gets underway, it is all very exciting!

C'mon Spring!

Winter has been dragging on.... Is there hope ahead for warmer days? I sincerely hope this week is the last time I wear boots for a long, long time! I submitted this for the weekly reader outfits over at Effortless Anthropologie. Here is the breakdown:

 

Tabitha "Limabird" Cardigan - Anthropologie

Layered over a top from Matilda Jane

Necklace handmade by me

Jeans & boots - JCP

Lorelei's Michaels Challenge = Bubble Statement Necklace

A few weeks ago, I joined Lorelei's challenge which was to use these resin bauble slider components from Michael's. They are a wavy shape - with 4 "baubles" on them - with holes on the top and bottom. They come in either a blue/green color, or a pink/purple combo. I bought both colors, not knowing what I was going to design, so I still have the pink/purple to play with.

I came up with a statement necklace, as they seem to be very inspiring to me lately (and are still a fashion staple). I of course love swooning over the pretties at Anthropologie, J. Crew, and the like. I tend to be a "matchy" person, so when I see something with a random color combo I am always amazed. Many of the statement necklaces do tend to be an unusual mix of colors that I would not think of combining. I started pulling whatever beads made sense to me - larger fuchsia pearls to string along the top, and then smaller jade-like rounds for the bottom accented with crystal drops. I love how it turned out!

Thanks Lorelei for coming up with this challenge with these interesting components! You can see the rest of the participants here. And, if you love this necklace as much as I do, I will be listing it for sale on Etsy!