I'm Feeling Sexy and Free, like Glitter's Raining on Me

I'm a little obsessed with Jessie J right now--for those of you who don't know who she is, here's a little preview:

Her songs are so great to dance to--especially on a Saturday afternoon, when you have absolutely nothing else to do!  Yes, I am a self-professed "mirror dancer"--I have no shame admitting this, but will you ever see me do this?--hell no! :)  I think it's every girls guilty pleasure to sing and dance in front of the mirror, and maybe even a few guys!  It's just so freeing to belt it out and get your groove on, when there is absolutely no one around to judge or make fun you!

So, on my Saturday afternoon, after doing work all morning, I decided to play a little Jessie J, rock it out in front of the mirror and create a fun outfit.  It's beautiful out right now (like 40s!!), so I decided to go a little "springy" with my clothes today.  There was no thought process whatsoever with what I put together--I knew I wanted to wear my "boyfriend" jeans, but from there, it was me combing through my closet, randomly grabbing pieces and just kind of winging it.  What I'm starting to discover is that things I never would have thought to put together, actually go great together, and I've had these pieces of clothing all along.  I used to have the tendency of always wearing the same few clothes and just repeat the same combinations over and over again.  This would cause me to end up getting rid of pieces that I really liked, but I hadn't worn them in so long, I assumed I didn't need them anymore.  I've actually found that I've been wearing a lot of pieces that I hadn't for awhile, and the ones I wore a lot haven't even been touched--I find this really weird, but great altogether.

Although not shopping this month has been a challenge, it's not the need for new clothing that I miss, it's just the distraction and hunt for a good deal that I desire.  I actually haven't at any moment during this challenge thought--"God I wish I had this to wear" or "I really need this to complete an outfit", which I think is one of the positives I'll end up taking from all of this--I have all the materials I need, I just need to create new pieces with them :)

Jacket: ecoté (Urban Outfitters)
Tank: Fossil
 Belt: vintage
Necklace: gift from Andy
Jeans: American Eagle
Cuff: Forever 21
Shoes: coconuts (Marshalls)
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Aviators

Casual Friday

Problem #5: I still feel like I have to "dress up" on Casual Fridays...
Solution: You can still be dressed up, but also be dressed down.

Does my solution sound a little confusing?  Ok, here's what I mean.  Even if your workplace has a "Casual Friday", sometimes there is still an aura around that you still need to be "dressed up".  Now, this may not mean suits or skirts, but it also doesn't mean cut-off shorts and flannel.

My suggestions for solving this problem are wearing what you might normally wear with dress pants or a skirt, but pair it with a dark-wash jean (if jeans are allowed), or white/black jeans.

Today's outfit shows how white jeans can be a perfectly wearable on Casual Fridays.  Although mine are torn (DON'T wear torn jeans--it's just the ones I wanted to wear today), you can still get the picture.  I paired it with a t-shirt that could easily be worn throughout the week with more dressier components, and a jersey cover-up that has a lace back.  This outfit is extremely comfortable, relaxed, but still looks dressy enough to wear to work.  I accessorized with some red flats (to add a little color) and layered with bracelets, and there you go!

Shirt: Victor Alfaro
Cover-up: St. Tropez West (TJ Maxx)
Jeans: American Eagle
Flats: Born
Bracelets: Kohls, Lia Sophia, Francesca's Collections (Madison, WI), Fossil

**I want to let you all in on a little secret--if you're looking for cute hair accessories or jewelry, check out Hobby Lobby!!  I know it sounds strange, but sometimes, when they're having some of their 50% off sales, you can get things for next to nothing.  I bought this hair clip (set of two) there the other day, and it came to only $2.50!!  Anywhere else, they would have been at least $10!  Always check their website for deals and see what you can find!

Mid-air 'Running Man'--haha

Sorry, short post today--have a meeting in about 40 minutes and don't want to be late!

Jenna--I hope my suggestions helped you!  I tried my best!  If anyone else has any ideas for theme weeks, please let me know, they're a lot of fun!  Next week is going to be "Vintage Week"--highlighting items I have found at vintage/goodwill stores!

Happy Friday and have a good weekend to you all :)

~Karie

DIY Crafts

Apparently it's a double-whammy of posts today...Taking a little break from the fashion side of the blog, I wanted to also show my extremely sporadic love for DIY projects.  Now, I say sporadic, because I tend to go through creative phases--there are times where I'll be feeling super creative and want to make tons of things, and then there's the other side of the spectrum, where I say it's just easier to buy it than make it.

I am not the naturally creative type, although upon seeing my first-grade teacher last year, she told me she always thought I would be an artist...I mean, I did draw a mean cat and dog back then!  I didn't quite have the heart to tell her that the only art I've created since then has been sketches of crime scenes!  But I do enjoy art, and because of my extreme, albeit undiagnosed ADD, I've become quite the doodler, moving from the basic flower (my fav), all the way up to this:

Granted, I did follow a tutorial, but even for freehand, it's not bad!

Anyways, I just wanted to share with all of you some basic DIY projects I've done over the past few months.  I've gotten all my ideas from the internet (stumbleupon.com, other blogs, etc...), so nothing here is technically original, but everything has my own special spin on it!  Oh, and all of these are super easy, since I'm a beginning crafter, so anyone (and I mean ANYONE) can do these!  Enjoy :)

DIY #1: Melted Crayon Art

This I've found on numerous websites, and was so much fun!  I don't have kids, but I could see this being a great "fun project" to do with them.

All you do is buy a box of crayons (I bought the large 72-count--to ensure maximum colorage--not a word?  Oh well, I just made it one!) and a plain cloth canvas (all from Hobby Lobby), and have a hot glue gun on hand, and you're ready to start!

 You can create whatever color combination you'd like (I decided to go rainbow Roy G. Biv-style) and grouped all like-colors together.  I lined them up first to make sure the colors I had chosen would fit on the canvas.  Once you've done this, you start hot-gluing each crayon onto the canvas.  It's a little time consuming, but it ensures the crayons stay put.

After you have glued the crayons on the canvas, now comes the fun part.  Before you start applying heat, however, make sure you place some newspaper or something underneath, just to catch any wandering wax! Now--take a blowdryer and have fun!  You'll start to notice the crayons turning "shiny", and then they start to drip.  It's great, because this is the part that makes the craft individual--you never know what pattern or direction the wax is going to drip, making it an unique work of art!

 The wax dries very quickly, but if you want a little more color, you can go back and heat up the crayons again.  My one piece of advice is to keep the blowdryer on low--when I put it on high, the wax tends to go all over the place, instead of directly down.

DIY #2: Peacock Shoes
This project is actually one that I came up with on my own, based on pictures I had seen in magazines.  I inherited these cobalt-blue heels from an old friend, and ever since then, I wanted to try and add peacock feathers to them.

I bought regular-sized, faux peacock feathers from JoAnn Fabrics, cut them down to size, and hot glued them to the heels.  After allowing the feathers to dry, I had some extra rhinestones from another project, so I added a few to the feathers (using hot glue as well).  A simple way to dress up any pair of old shoes!

DIY #3: Homemade rings
The creative bug hit me yesterday, so I decided to take a trip to Hobby Lobby and see what kind of crafting supplies I could find.  I came in the with idea that I wanted to make some rings.  I got this idea from another blog called Glitter N' Glue (http://glitternglue.com/2011/09/01/diy-button-statment-rings/), and decided I HAD to try it!

I bought a pack of 10 silver ring bases (only $3.99!), and found two pendants I thought would look good (and were flat in the back) for rings.

This DIY is super easy--you apply some Crazy Glue to both the base and the part of the pendant you wish to place the base on, put them together, and allow to dry!

And, just like that, you have a simple, yet extremely unique ring!

I created this one too!  This ring is made up of a hand-blown glass pendant, so it was a little heavier.  I just added a few extra layers of glue, just to make sure it kept.

Anyone can do this, and the best part is: you end up with a 100% unique piece of jewelry!


DIY #4: Handmade Necklaces
While browsing the jewelry aisles at Hobby Lobby yesterday, I decided I was going to make some necklaces as well.  I bought some colored leather cord, some beads, and a key pendant.  Now, mind you, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make, but I figured I'd have fun with it.

For necklace #1, I cut off some of the leather cord and braided the three colors together.  Before tying it off, I slipped the key onto the cord, and then attached the two ends.  That's as simple as this necklace was.  I wore it layers around my neck, but there are many different options (including wearing it as a bracelet).  Nothing special, but I like it!

Necklace #2 was created because I had horrible insomnia last night, and needed something to keep me occupied.  I had some leftover cord and all these beads, so I literally just started playing around with different patterns, and really just made it up as I went--at 3am, anything goes!

And here is my creation.  It's very earthy, but has great colors that could go with almost any outfit.  I am actually really proud of this necklace, I think it came out fantastic, and am starting to think I should start doing all my work late at night!


DIY #5: Striped Nails
Last one, I promise (well, for now at least!).  The idea for this came from another blog I've just discovered (Check it out, it's great: http://jimpricute.blogspot.com/2011/12/striped-nail-tutorial.html).  I've always loved to play around with different nail designs and this was one I hadn't tried before.

You start by painting your nails in a solid color (I used O.P.I.'s "Siberian Nights")--I did two coats, and allowed to dry COMPLETELY!!!!  This part is important, as when you add the tape and the other color, you don't want the bottom base to peel off!

After you let your nails completely dry, take pieces of tape and place them in whatever direction you would like the stripe to be--I went for the diagonal look.

And then you paint a contrasting color over the exposed base color (again, I did two coats, using O.P.I.'s "Parlez-Vous OPI").  Allow ample drying time, and then, just like a band-aid, rip off the tape.

Add one coat of "Top Coat", and you get this beautiful design!  

Please ignore the fact that my fingers look blue, my nails were painted blue and the polish didn't quite come all the way off--whoops!

A little time consuming, but I really like this design, and will have fun in the future mixing different colors to recreate this look!


*************************
I pose a question to anyone who's been reading my little blog:

"What DIY projects have you done or have wanted to do??"

  I'm always looking for new ideas, and would love some feedback!

LBD

Every girl should own a little black dress--no if's, and's or but's--it needs to be a part of your wardrobe, end of story.  Why might you ask?  Because it works for every occasion--day wear, work wear, night out, date night, etc...see, you get so many uses out of one piece of clothing.  And to top it all off, basic black is perfect to wear with almost every color (I'm still on the fence about brown with black...), so you can literally create an endless amount of outfits.

Problem #4: How do I change up my 'little black dress' for work, so it doesn't look like I'm always wearing the same thing?
Solution: ACCESSORIZING!!!!

Now, not everyone may have these accessories, but here are just a few options to update this classic basic:

Option #1: Pair with a light, flowy cover-up

Dress: Gap; Tights: Gap; Shoes: Franco Sarto; Jacket: Target; Necklace: BCBG

 Option #2: Instead of just wearing a jacket, zip it up, and add a chunky necklace (below)

Jacket: Gap

Necklace: Vintage (my great-grandma's)

 Option #3: Add a pastel open-faced jacket, with layered necklaces

Jacket: Gap

Necklaces: Beaded (made it myself--beads from Hobby Lobby); Pendant: Vintage (my great-grandma's)

 Option #4: Wear a blouse UNDERNEATH the dress, add a belt

Blouse: New York & Company; Belt: Banana Republic

Ring: Made by me--will show in a later blog :)

Option #5: Wear a longer cover-up, and belt it

Cover-up: Calvin Klein; Belt: Banana Republic

 This is just a handful of ideas you can do with a simple black dress.  All you need are a few cover-ups, a belt, some accessories, and you can create many new outfits!


And just to document today's outfit:

Jacket: Gap; Tank: Express; Necklace: I made it!; Jeans: Gap; Shoes: Nine West

A little detail on the watch: First, I want to make a little caveat--I am in NO WAY a "mushy-gushy" person--I am not a fan of chick-flicks...and my boyfriend and I like to play a game where we make vomit noises every time we do something all "lovey-dovey".  Now, with that said, I can explain why I like this watch so much.  Andy and I have been dating for over five years, and for the past year and a half, we've had to deal with long distance (I'm in grad school in Michigan, he's in grad school in Las Vegas)--it's not easy, but we have found ways to try and make it work.

Anyways, I found this watch online at Urban Outfitters, and I fell in love with it.  Each face can be set to it's own individual time, so you can wear two different time zones.  This is as mushy as I'm going to get, but I love the fact that I have "Michigan-time" on top, and "Vegas-time" on the bottom--makes me feel a little closer to him, even if we're still 2000 miles away.  Sometimes it's the little this that make a difference :)

 Watch: Urban Outfitters

"Work Week" Cont.

Continuing on with my attempt to help Jenna vamp up her work wardrobe--by the way, she's trying to become a teacher--I'm so proud of her and KNOW she is going to make a FANTASTIC one!  Today's outfit deals with another problem young women may have with their closet when trying to put together work outfits:

Problem #3: So many of my clothes are for "Going Out" only--how can I incorporate them into an acceptable outfit?
Solution: Take individual "going out" pieces and try to dress them down.

I still have a lot of my college outfits, which make me sad, because every time I see them, I think about going dancing and drinking at the Cactus with all my friends.  I miss the days where super short skirts or dresses and high heels were perfectly acceptable outfit options!  Such as:

Me and J (Last "College" Cactus Night)

Jenna, Chloe, and I :)

No way would these outfits (by themselves) EVER be acceptable in the workplace, but with the right additions, anything could work.

Today I took a short lace shirt, a perfect "going out" skirt, and show how you can wear it in the workplace.  Instead of wearing it with a cute little tank-top, I added an off-the-shoulder sweater (but can be worn many different ways), tights and heeled boots.  By covering up most of your skin, it takes away any inappropriate aspect the skirt may have had before, and adds a bit of class to the overall outfit.  I would also recommend wearing any short skirt you may have with a basic t and them a "grandfather cardigan"--this is what I call a slouchy sweater--think Mr. Rogers :)

Sweater: MODA International (from Victoria's Secret); Skirt: Urban Outfitters; Tights: Gap; Boots: Kohls

And, because you all know how much I love jewelry, here's what I paired with today's outfit:

I didn't want to add any necklaces or bracelets, because I wanted to keep the simplicity of the outfit.  But that doesn't mean I can't go crazy with rings!!

My Great-Grandma Larsen's ring (left); Mr. Snake--Birthday gift from Georgette (Kohls)



And two you've seen before: London ring and Mr. Tiger