weekend sewing project...and advice

Ladies and Germs I'm going to attempt a rather daunting sewing project this weekend. Well, let me explain why I use the word "daunting"...lately I've been having trouble keeping the needle threaded and I've been having problems with the bottom threads (coming from the bobbin) bunching up. I'm not sure if I should just change my needle more or what. It sews, but it's just annoying to keep re-threading the needle every few times I go to make some stitches.

But anyway, I stumbled across a skirt tutorial on this cute, little blog I follow called Yellow Songbird.
Supposedly, this is a super easy project for beginners, so we shall see how it works. I'd love to be able to make a cute skirt (or 5) for when the weather warms up again.

In the last few days I've been browsing around, looking for fabric that I'd like to use. I want to use a print (probably a stripe or damask/medallion print) but I'm having trouble finding some that I really like. I found a few that I like from Etsy, but you have to buy large quantities of them and I'm not ready to commit to 15 yards of fabric just yet. :)

Here are the ones I like. Any suggestions as to where I can find some modern, pretty fabric? (either online or in store)





Any ideas/suggestions/advice is welcome and appreciated!

disney fashion inspiration part IV

I'm beginning to REALLY love these. Although I seem to be running out of characters to use. I welcome any suggestions. Am I neglecting your favorite character?? I will not do an outfit for Cruella De Vil...for obvious reasons. HA!

For this week's post, I've got Ariel (one of my personal favorites) from The Little Mermaid and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.

Here's Ariel as Disney portrays her...

And modern Ariel's outfit...

Here's Tiana from The Princess and the Frog

And here is Tiana's inspired modern outfit...

Ariel's Outfit Creds: Skirt (Rock Steady), Shirt (H&M), Shoes (Aldo), Ring (A.P.C.), Bag (Miu Miu).

Tiana's Outfit Creds: Dress (modcloth), Headband (Balu), Shoes (Guess), Necklace (Amazon.com), Frog Clutch (Judith Leiber)

top 5 tuesday: favorite wedding ideas

For those of you who know me personally (and not just bloggingly...yes I just invented that word) DO NOT PANIC/BE EXCITED/ETC by the title of today's post.

I absolutely love wedding stuff and I enjoy helping plan/creatively input for other people's weddings. Over the years I've seen lots of cute ideas at other people's weddings that I loved or I've come across many interesting pictures of wedding stuff while browsing on the internet. With wedding season coming up, I thought a timely Top 5 Tuesday post would be to share some of these ideas with y'all. Enjoy!

1. This un-matchy candle-and-flower-and-goblet idea!

2. This beautiful collection of all kinds of lights and candles.

3.  This bridal party picture. It's just really cute.

4. This bride and groom photo clothesline idea from my friend Beth's wedding.

5. Funny or unusual wedding cake toppers

Like this owl one...



Or this wooden owl one (look at the writing on the tree!!)



Or even these Pez dispenser toppers...

I can't really post any image credits because most of these I've had for so long in a picture folder on my computer. So...sorry.

With all of the cute ideas I've seen there've also been many, many, MANY things I did not like. Hmm...maybe another Top 5 post sometime? :)

shoes on sevens

And now for another post from my Shoes on Sevens series.

Today, I'm wearing these cute "Sable" black glitter ballet flats by Xhilaration from Target. I've had these babies FOR-EV-ER. I bust them out every once in awhile when the weather is dreary to brighten up the day.

Sorry I don't actually have a picture of me wearing them. The reason? Well, I've already taken them off because they got a little wet from the rain and I'm now in comfy socks. Chalk it up to a cold and rainy Sunday.

quick and delicious apple dip

A friend of mine brought this recipe to a get-together and it rocked my world! It's the most delicious sweet dip I've ever had and it is super-easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 8oz pkg of softened cream cheese (I used Neufchatel cheese to decrease fat content)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Heath Bar bits (I use a little less...about 1/3 of a cup)

Combine ingredients and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Serve with apple wedges (Granny Smith is best), graham crackers or vanilla wafers.

splurge vs. steal: floral pumps

I'm totally into floral prints this season and thankfully, so are many of the clothing designers and retailers that I frequent. I saw a super-cute pair of floral pumps by Jessica Simpson that I fell in love with online, but with an $89.99 price tag (which I could probably buy 2 complete outfits with) I simply cannot justify buying them.

Splurge: Jessica Simpson "Lizza" Pumps for $89.99

BUT! (and that's a big, ol' but!)

I found these adorable floral pumps from Urbanog.com and both pairs are less than $23. That's more in my price range...and these are stinkin' CUTE!

Steal: Wild Rose Kakoa Floral Peep Toe Pump $21.80

Steal: Bumper Kake Floral Ruffle Peep Toe Pump $22.60

So for those of you with floral-shoe-envy this spring, don't feel like you have to shell out major bucks to get some cute designer looks. :)

diy: hanging tissue paper balls

Decorating on the cheap is no joke. I recently made a bunch of these tissue paper flower balls to hang for party decorations and was thrilled at the result.

I remembered making a version of these in elementary school but they were flat-bottomed and had pipe cleaner "stems". The general resurgence of tissue paper flower balls can be attributed to my wonderful friend Amie who got me hooked a few months ago. Since then I've been snapping up pretty colors of tissue paper wherever I can find it. Heck, I even ironed old wrinkled paper to use for some. HA!

Interested in making some? Here's how!

Note: Cut your tissue squares in the size you want your flower ball to be. So the larger the squares, the bigger the flower ball. Smaller squares yield a tiny flower ball.

That's it! It's amazing how a simple elementary school craft can look so chic!

top 5 tuesday: crafting necessities

As of late I've been bitten by the crafting bug and wanted to spend most of my free time doing crafts, reading about crafts, blogging about crafts or reading other people's blogs about crafts. I have a lil' bit of the crafty gene, but not quite as much as I've seen from some blogs. Some people just get a whim and put together a ballgown with a shower curtain, sewing machine and glitter glue. I'm not quite that talented. So, I stick with the basic crafts that mostly anyone can do...with the right supplies.

Today's top 5 post comes from personal lessons learned about what the average crafter should keep around the house.

1. Sharpies. Enough said. Anything from monograming a cute book cover to filling in nicks and scratches on furniture.
2. Blank cardstock. You can actually purchase blank cards with blank envelopes that are pre-scored (have a fold already in them). This makes a handmade card a quick and easy project.
3. Hot glue gun. You can pretty much hot glue anything together. This goes for fabric, wood, plastic, natural materials and your fingertips...on a dare...but I digress.
4. Magazines/Stickers. I love clipping out cute pictures from magazines or letters for making cards or other crafts. Stickers are also pretty handy for when you need some quick embellishments.
5. Tissue paper. This can make beautiful decorations, be mod-podged onto frames/furniture/jars/etc, or even torn and watered down to make pulp for handmade paper. It has many, many uses!

Any of you crafties out there want to add to my list?

bucket list of places to travel

I always see pictures from other people's trips and vacations and think, "Oh, I'd really like to go there!" But, I've never actually compiled a list of places (in the US) I want to visit/see during my lifetime. So, why not do it on the blog so that I can be held accountable?

Here they are, in random order: (I've included places that I've already crossed off my list too!)

New York City
Seattle
San Diego
Grand Teton National Park
The Mississippi River
Graceland
San Antonio
Martha's Vineyard
The Florida Keys (Cape Canaveral)
Washington, D.C.
The Grand Canyon
New Orleans
Chicago
The San Diego Zoo
Alaska
Williamsburg

Where would you like to travel to in the United States that you've not been to yet? Have you visited and loved any of the places that I haven't? I'd love your feedback!

friday fashion: nude wedges

This spring, nude wedge sandals are a must-have. Why?

Well, a nude color goes with anything and wedges are the next-best-thing to heels and WAY easier to walk in. They give the lifted look and height of heels without all the back straining and foot stressing.

Here are some cuties that I really love from Urbanog.com

A word on color: by "nude" I mean fleshtone. For me, (sadly) bone, almond or off-white colored is fleshtone. So, the examples I'll be showing are in those colors. Most of these shoes are available in more...ahem...tanned tones. But, by having shoes that are close to your skin tone, it gives the appearance of longer and more shapely legs. BONUS!!

Now, I'll take my favorite pair of the bunch and show you how nude wedges can go with just about any outfit you want.

Clearly, any of these cute dresses from Modcloth go perfectly with nude wedges.

Or if you're more of a jean capris-and-a-tank type of girl, this look is for you. (Old Navy clothing)

Or if you'd rather rock a skirt than a dress or capris, this works just as well too! (Old Navy clothing)

See?!?! You literally can wear these puppies with ANYTHING.



erin go bragh!

Top of the morning to you! Oh, and a Happy St. Patrick's Day as well! While little is actually known about the life of Saint Patrick, we do know that he felt a call from God to go back and preach to Ireland. Many Irish people cite him as the source of the resurgence of Christianity in Ireland and much of Northwestern Europe.

However, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into a sort of Irish heritage celebration holiday...which is absolutely fine by me coming from Irish & Scottish descendants. St. Patrick's Day is also a celebration of my most favorite color in the whole, wide world...GREEN! I wear so much green anyway that it doesn't really take any extra effort to wear green on St. Patrick's Day.

Some people (GASP) don't like to wear green. I don't understand why!?!?! But, here are a few ideas that can help you inject a bit 'o' green into the day. Blarney!

And for those of you who decide NOT to participate and pull a Halloween Jim. Here's a little free pinch-protection for you. (Click to open larger then print, cut out and tape it to your shirt.) HA!

Erin Go Bragh!!



no pants spring - more dresses!

Earlier this month I posted about my "No Pants Spring" pledge. You can view the original post here.

I'm starting on March 21st. Browsing around for more inspiration, I found more cutie dresses that keep up the No Pants Spring momentum and you'll NEVER guess where they're from!!

First, here are the dresses...

Can you guess? Give up? They're from Wal-Mart! (Wally World, The Blue Dot Boutique, etc.) Each one is less than $20. They are adorable!

More cheers for No Pants Spring! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

top 5 tuesday: 5 impractical shoes

Everyone loves impractical shoes, right? Or is that just me... ?

For today's Top 5 Tuesday post, I'm listing my top 5 pairs of impractical shoes. These are those shoes that you see in the store and think, "Oh, I would LOVE to have them but I just don't know when I'd wear them!" Those shoes that you need the perfect outfit to go with. You see, these shoes are "impractical" because they are extraordinary, unusual or unique. "Impractical" doesn't necessarily mean expensive...because some of them were thrifted and the others came from discount stores or were gifts!

So, here they are!

Sparkly Gold Stiletto Pumps from Rack Room Shoes (X-Appeal)

L- Mustard Yellow Bow Tie Kitten Heels from Target (Xhilaration) but thrifted new with tags on from Goodwill

R- Pink Crocodile Stiletto Pumps from Burlington Coat Factory (not sure the maker...they're old)

Plaid Boat Shoes from Rue 21

Salmon Embellished Ballet Flats that my sis brought me back from Hawaii



Do you have any impractical shoes that you just HAD to have? How often do you get to wear them?

color my moment: buttercup

Call it buttercup or lemon drop or daffodil or burnt yellow. I LOVE this color.

Being blonde and fair-skinned, I really cannot wear much of this color, I'm afraid. But, I don't have to WEAR the color. I could invest in some cute potholders or this fab mixer and still incorporate some buttercup into my life.

Not only is buttercup yellow seasonally appropriate for spring, but it can also go with a wide variety of styles from the floral/vintage/boho look to the classic lines and nautical look. A pop of this color really can go with anything!

Image creds clockwise from top left: modcloth, the gap, kitchen aid, bleubird vintage blog, country living, guess, april cornell genevieve.

cirque du soleil totem

Last night I went to see the fabulous Cirque Du Soleil's Totem in Charlotte.

I must admit...as someone who is a little scared of normal circuses, I was a little freaked out (pun intended) by the idea of going to a modern-day circus. But it was so awesome that it totally didn't matter.

It was like gymnastics, a ballet, an opera and a play all wrapped up into one. Even if I wasn't able to follow the entire story, each different movement or scene was amazing. Add to that the fact that the music and vocal performances were all done live and you have a spectacular show. I encourage all of you who are in Charlotte to see it!

Image Creds: Montreal Gazette; Tapeworthy blog; Sarah Fenwick; Daniel Auclair; montrealabout.com; the star

friday fashion: no pants spring!

This spring, I'm not wearing any pants! In this case, I'm speaking literally and not figuratively. Warmer weather ushers in the ability to wear cute dresses and not freeze your booty off outside. Plus, dresses/skirts are way cooler (literally and figuratively but only figuratively if you're female) and cuter than jeans or slacks any day!

So, I'm making a pledge to wear only dresses and skirts as much as humanly possible starting March 21st (the first official day of spring). Why don't you join me? It's not hard to do, especially when places like Modcloth.com are coming out with fantastic frocks like this...

Chant it with me, "No Pants Spring! No Pants Spring!" Amen.