Friday Find: DIY

 

One of my best friend's got married last weekend, and I wanted to include some personalized presents with their wedding gift.  These are small and easy ways to add a personal touch - of course Pinterest was to thank for most of these ideas!

• Wedding Invite Ornament:  I cut up their wedding invite into strips, added some glittery leaves and a heart charm, and then tied it up with the ribbon from the the invite.
• Lucky Penny Key Chains:  I found pennies in the year the couple met and the year they got married, and put each on a key chain (had the the boy drill holes in the pennies).
• Date Jar:  I wrote different date ideas on scrapbooking paper for when the old married couple runs out of things to do ;)
• Mrs & Mrs Mugs: All you need is mugs, Sharpie markers, and an oven to bake them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to hold the design/writing.

Girly in Gray

Dress (Kohls); Shirt (Gap); Belt (from another dress); Shoes (Nine West)
Dave Haas Photography

I've always been less than fond of the "blue for boys" and "pink for girls" separation.  And I don't love the fact that sports gear for women is light pink... why can't we have team colors like the boys?  And just because I'm a girl doesn't automatically mean I want the pink pie piece in Trivia Pursuit.  Maybe I'm taking this color divide a bit far... it's strange the topics that can make me emotionally overreact.  It must be the "pink" in me ;)

Fall Fur

Shirt (Gap); Tank (Loft); Faux Fur Vest (Joseph A find at Marshalls);
Jeans  & Sunglasses (Target); Hat (Tailors on Blake); Shoes (Payless)
Ryan Seidel Photography

And by Fall fur I mean my Fall furball :)  This is the time of year I love having a dog (yes yes, I love him all year round)... but fall is the best.  Walks have the most gorgeous scenery with the changing leaves, and the temperature is perfect.  Perfect for fur vests too! A fur vest really is one of most impractical items in winter (especially in Minnesota... we need those sleeves), so fall is a great time to get some use out of an item that is as fun as it is illogical :)

Pretty Plaid

Shirt (Old Navy); Skit (gifted by eShakti); Shoes (Nine West); Necklace (H&M)
Nicole Lai Photography

There was a time when I wouldn't touch a plaid shirt. I severely overused and abused them from age 12 to 14 during the lovely grunge era of the 90's.  Long gone is the Paul Bunyan plaid, and these softer colors make wearing plaid more feminine and girly.  Thankfully also long gone are those awkward middle school years where my fashion choices included my dad's oversized flannels, corduroy pants, converse sneakers, and a hair scunchie...  because my braces and glasses weren't awkward enough ;)

Friday Find: DIY

Why I've not been using food to hold food until now is beyond me...  Life should really be divided into pre-Pinterest and post-Pinterest (and pre-Pinterest just doesn't count).  The next time you have to whip up some munchies just get a bunch of veggies, and then hollow out a couple of peppers to hold the dip.   It's an easy and quick appetizer - and guaranteed to earn you points for creativity :)

Friendspiration

Dress (Carole Little find at Marshalls); Shirt (Target); Necklace (H&M);
Shoes (Nine West); Earrings (Nordstrom)
Dave Haas Photography

I owe this outfit to a good friend.  She sent me a picture from a magazine she was flipping through of a patterned dress with a tied denim shirt over and said "this looks like something you'd wear".  I love when my friends do my thinking for me :)  Tonya my lovely friend -  this post is for you!  Thanks for giving me friendspiration, I hope everyone else has a friend as fabulous as you!

Office Leather

Top (Old Navy); Skirt (mom's closet); Necklace (Limited); Shoes (Nine West)
Ryan Seidel Photography

Do you sit in a big cushy leather chair at work in your corner office where you call the shots because you are the boss?  Yeah.. me neither.  So until that day comes, I'll be sitting on my fabulous leather skirt... staring at my cubicle walls... and hoping that one day Rex will let me call the shots ;)

A Pencil & Dots

Sweater (Old Navy); Skirt (Limited); Shoes (Nine West);
Nicole Lai Photography

Its has become clear that I don't have enough polka dots in my life.  Admittedly they typically remind me of either a clown's bow tie or a 5 year old girl's birthday dress.  But polka dots have grown up and I'm falling in love with this pattern all over again. Not to mention that Polka is the Polish word for “Polish woman”. And so through polka dots I can honor my Polish roots... Grandma would be so proud :) 

Friday Find: DIY

Pumpkins (Dollar Store); Leaves & Spray paint (Michaels);

Pumpkins (Target); 

Since I'm in the midst of transitioning my wardrobe to fall fashion, I thought it was time to do the same for my home.  I wanted to updated my mantel to reflect the fall season and through a trip to Michael's, the Dollar Store, some spray paint, and repurposing some vases I already owned, I managed to create an autumn display that makes me happy :)  

Uptown Girl

Tshirt (Target); Pants (Banana Republic Outlet); Scarf (Francesca's);
Belt (Gap); Shoes (Kohls); Bag (Bueno find at Marshalls)
Dave Haas Photography

Leopard is a magical print... it can make you stand a little taller, feel like a royal, and it also has a bad ass vibe that every girl needs from time to time (that's right - don't mess with me today... I'm wearing a leopard scarf AND leopard heels).  I'm certainly no uptown girl, although this outfit makes me feel like I could play one on TV.  And I'm definitely not a downtown girl (one way streets and street parking make me beyond crazy). I'm more of a suburban girl who frequents the uptown and downtown on special occasions (and of course only when other people are driving). 

Military

Dress (Max Studio find at Marshalls); Jacket & Belt (Gap); Shoes (Nine West);
Earrings (Nordstrom); Necklace ( Helen Ficalora "S"); Bracelet (festival purchase)

Between the army green colored jacket and bullet holed looking belt, I'm classifying this look as military.  Although I don't feel especially authoritative or more in charge (I need a LBD for that type of empowerment).  This is probably since I can pull rank on literally no one.  Not even Rex.  Most of the time at the dog park I'm both throwing and retrieving the ball (he's got me trained well).  Unless I have treat... then he lets me be in charge :)