Spring is Officially Here!

Top: Express
Jeans: Forever 21
Necklace: c/o Majestical Jewelry*
Shoes: Unknown

Just after I was complaining about not having any green in my wardrobe, Majestical Jewelry sent me this gorgeous necklace to feature. Perfect timing right? And even more so because it’s officially spring and I really wanted to go with a bright and colorful look to celebrate the start of this fun season.

I’ve found that cheaping out on costume jewelry sometimes means you get stuff that you can only wear once or twice before the metal plating wears off and the base metal turns your skin green, but sometimes investing in something more expensive seems unpractical in the case of more trendy jewelry that you might not wear nearly as often.

For costume jewelry, Majestical’s pieces seem to be the perfect balance. They’re at a great price point, the pieces feel like great quality, and they have a fantastic selection of very current pieces. Also they really pay attention to the little details. The packaging is great and each necklace includes a matching pair of earrings.

Here I paired the elegant green necklace with a drapey fuschia top and bright pants that are somewhere between mint and spring green (what would you call that color?), and I love the mixture of vivid colors. How are you celebrating the start of spring?

*product courtesy of Majestical Jewelry, opinions all my own

Subtle Stripes and Polka Dots

Shirt: Unknown (similar)
Sweater: Gap (similar)
Scarf: Designed by Me
Shoes: Unknown

I go through cycles of obsession with certain things, and my most recent has been my one with knitting. I’d learned how to knit almost 8 or 9 years ago, but had kind of forgotten about it until well into my college career. Since then I’ve been casually knitting and making some fun projects, and when I graduated I ended up having loads of free time to dedicate to the cause. So I made a scarf or two (you’ve seen one of them here), and then I started trying my hand at making something based on something I’d seen somewhere but didn’t have a pattern to make.

And I don’t think I did too bad! I love this scarf more than I love any of my other scarves because I put energy into figuring out how everything worked and because it’s so different and unique.

So maybe I’m a little bit of a old lady at heart, but I think knitting might be one of those obsessions that’ll stick around a little while. I’m working on my first sweater right now so we’ll see how long that’ll take.

Pink Print Mixing + Vacation Plans!

Dress: Target
Scarf: Charlotte Russe
Jacket: Unknown
Shoes: Abella (via DSW)

So by the time you read this I’ll be (hopefully) finishing up my packing for my exciting next two week vacation. Most of next week I’ll be on a boat with no internet access whatsoever, so I’ve prewritten a few posts and set them to post over the course of the week. So if everything goes as it should you should still be hearing from me a few more times this week, though it’ll be the me from the past rather than the me from the present (that sounds weird but you get the drift).

I’m cruising next week, but maybe you’re curious what I’m up to the week after? Exciting things, that I can promise you, but I’ll share more details when I get back.

It wasn’t actually cold today but I was in a snuggly kind of weather so I threw on a light scarf and jacket to round out my outfit. I love the contrast of the prints in my scarf and dress. They’re both neutral enough that they go well together, but they’re visually very distinct.

Tip: Combine prints that have one or two colors in common for a more subtle look that still pops.

Here I used the solid pink blazer to pull the look together. Since mixing prints can get a little busy looking it helps to have a solid color in there to give the eyes a break.

Graphic Tee Tutorial!

Shirt: Target
Shorts: American Eagle (similar)
Shoes: Chinese Laundry (similar)
Belt: Unknown (similar)
Sunglasses: Jessica Simpson (similar)

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been really obsessing over all of those cute graphic tees that I’ve been seeing everywhere. So I decided to make some of my own. But apparently I’m not creative enough to come up with fun quotes of my own so I borrowed inspiration from Pinterest. And it was such a fun and easy project with such great results that I wanted to share with you guys.

First you want to gather your supplies:

• a plain t-shirt (I really like these from Target)
• fabric paint in your color of choice
• a sponge paint brush (I’d recommend the kind that’s round and flat on the bottom)
• freezer paper (found in the grocery section by wax paper)
• an iron
• an exacto knife
• a cutting mat or cardboard to cut on

So first you’re going to want to design your t-shirt. If you want to make the same one as me you can use this stencil, otherwise it’s super easy to whip something up on word. Grab your roll of freezer paper and cut out a 8.5×11 sized piece. Put it into the printer so that it’ll print on the non-shiny side.

Once you have your image printed you can cut out the template. This is probably the most time consuming part, but it’s well worth it I promise. If you made your own template you might have little pieces of paper for the holes in certain letters like o p b and d, just make sure you save all those.

Once everything is cut out, lay your stencil on your shirt, I placed mine about an inch down from the neck, but that’s completely up to you of course. Now grab your iron, put it on the highest setting you can without steaming it, and carefully iron the whole paper down to your shirt. The plasticized side will stick to your shirt, and seal it so no paint will go under the stencil. This stuff is a godsend, and I’ve gotten crisp clean designs almost every single time.

Once you’re sure its ironed on completely, slip a square of freezer paper inside your shirt so no paint leaks through onto the back, and grab your sponge and paint and go crazy! Make sure to focus on covering everything evenly with paint.

When you’re done, wait for the paint to completely dry to avoid any smudging, and then peel off the stencil. And that’s it! You’ve got a customized unique shirt that all your friends will be envious of. If you have any questions about it feel free to ask! Also if you’d like to see more pictures of the stencilling process you can also refer to my last stencilling tutorial for my patriotic shorts.

St. Patty’s Day Pink?

Shirt: Express
Skirt: Forever 21
Cardigan: Forever 21 (similar)
Shoes: Abella (via DSW)

So I took these pictures late yesterday and completely forgot that today was St. Patrick’s Day so no green featured in this outfit. And also since my one green shirt was ruined at our St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday, I’m not wearing green now either, which is OK because since this is online no one can pinch me.

So here’s my loud rebellion against being required to wear green for a day (actually I really love any sort of holiday, St. Patrick’s Day included, and I especially love taking the opportunity to dress up according to a theme, but I guess I just really don’t own much green).

Also this shirt is reversible which is really awesome. I love cool details like reversible clothing, almost invisible side-seam pockets, and bright colored or printed linings in bags.

From Simple to Stylin’: Button-Up and Jeans Edition

Top: Express
Jeans: New York and Company
Shoes: Steve Madden
Watch: Michael Kors
Clutch: Neiman Marcus

We all get into style ruts when we find ourselves wearing the same things over and over, but there are always little adjustments you can make to a look to take it from something that looks simple and ordinary to something that looks chic and fashionable.

This series focuses on covering simple tips that can elevate the basic pieces that we often gravitate to.

Here I’ve just thrown on skinny jeans and a chiffon button-up. On their own they’re great pieces, and put together they make a fine outfit, but it’s rather simple.

To take this look from simple to stylin’ I made the following tweaks:

1.  I rolled up the sleeves of my button-up three quarters way up (to right below my elbows).
2. I tucked in the top so you could actually see my belt.
3. I cuffed my jeans so instead of gathering at my feet they hit a little above my ankle.
4. I switched out the flip-flops for these fun strappy shoes.
5. And I accessorized with a chunky watch and a cute clutch.

Rolling up sleeves keeps them out of the way, and makes top more appropriate for warmer weather. It’s also a great way to dress down more formal tops.

I love tucking in tops in general because it accentuates your waist and allows you to show off your belt even with a longer top. With button-ups you can do a full or a half tuck and both look equally flattering.

Here I chose to cuff my jeans specifically because the shoes I wanted to wear hit higher on my calf and I didn’t want the excess fabric at my ankles to be draw from those gorgeous shoes. When you’re wearing simple pieces like I am in this outfit it’s always a great opportunity to showcase your more interesting shoes.

I love my watch, and I’ve found that the chunky piece goes well with nearly any outfit and is a great statement piece.  Whether your favorite statement piece is a great necklace or a bold necklace, it can really add a lot to a simple look such as this one. And then I added my blue clutch for a pop of color to an otherwise neutral outfit.

And to all my blogger followers I’d love to see your take on “From Simple to Stylin'”. I know we all have out little style tricks that we use to brighten up an otherwise ordinary look. If you link to this post with your own Simple to Stylin’ post, I’ll make sure to share it with my readers as well!

Never Growing Up

Top: Target
Skirt: Japan (similar)
Belt: Anne Klein (similar)
Bag: Vintage Coach
Shoes: Soft Soles (similar)

Love how subtle this peter pan collar is. It adds just the right amount of pop without taking the outfit to super girly land. But my tights look awful here. They’re these sparkly gold tights, but with this outfit they just make my legs look like they have no blood flow whatsoever. I changed into a sheer black pair after the shoot which looked significantly better.

So I’ve been obsessing over graphic tees with text (check my DIY style board on pinterest if you’re not sure what I mean), and so I’m planning to make a few myself. Only problem is I’m not able to channel my creative writing skills to come up with anything short and fun. So I’m turning to you guys: any suggestions on what I could print on the shirts? And also would you guys be interested in a tutorial so that you could make your own?