Bare Bellies

A few posts ago, I commented that crop tops were coming back....take note, ladies!

Looklet.com

I remember when I was younger, I would dress my Barbies up in an array of outfits...tank top & shorts for a day at the beach or a mini skirt for the hot dates with Ken (now that I think back, Ken dated all my dolls!!). After growing out of Barbies, I still wanted to dress people up and it looks like I'm not the only one.

I recently visited Looklet. It's a website that feels a lot like dressing up your Barbies, except now you're dressing them in designer clothes. It just doesn't stop there either because when you are all done with the outfit, you can add a background, effects and accessories. I had some time to kill and obviously some outfits in mind that needed to be made, so I came up with this little number. Fun!

xoxo

Sea of Shoes

Jane Aldridge is a 17 year old blogger & I'm obsessed with her blog, Sea of Shoes. The styling is great and the photographs are perfect, both qualities that I feel make it stand out in an ocean of blogs. She's been mentioned in an array of magazines and Urban Outfitters recently asked her to design a line of shoes which hit stores this summer.

Keep an eye out for her and if you haven't been to her blog, I highly recommend it. No doubt, you will be envious of her wardrobe, shoes & accessories.

Capecoat

I love capecoats so much I made one similar to this one in my final line at school. This was my original sketch, but since I was also doing dresses for my final line, I was told I couldn't do this coat & needed to make it more like a jacket (I was confused too) but now I'm finally making it. The wool has been purchased and the pattern is almost done! I'll take pictures of it when I'm done...promise!

My current goal: I have boxes and boxes of amazing fabrics and I plan to make something with each one. A teacher I had told me that fabric is NOT like fine wine. It's doesn't get better with age. Got it & noted!

Rolled Pants & Braided Hairstyles

Rolled pant hems and braided hairstyles are everywhere...in a good way.

The Sartorialist's blog is filled with rolled pant hems. I personally like the look and it's a great solution for long pants. No more hemming!


I'm also a huge fan of braided hairstyles, they are easy to do and so feminine. Also, using the braid as a headband is a great touch.

My Top 5 Favorite Things This Month

Here is a little list of my favorite things this month:
1. Pluots: When apricots and apples make babies, they make these delicious things. They are also known as dinosaur eggs...how cute is that?! 2. Boyfriend blazers: As I mentioned in my last post, I got one at my clothing swap & I love it. Two thumbs up, my friends! You can wear them with jeans, a dress, skirt or whatever else you dream up.
3. Coconut Ice Cream: This one is a love-hate relationship. I love eating it, but hate when it's gone. A pint doesn't last long in my freezer, so I would recommended stocking up & not sharing.4. Lace-up boots: Oh, I am dying for a pair & these might just be the ticket....
5. Sharpies: A few weeks ago, I accidentally put dish soap in the dishwasher & it only took minutes before soap suds were oozing from the machine. I thought that only happened in the movies (!!!), but apparently not. Thanks to a sharpie & my boyfriend it is unlikely to happen again, he nicely wrote on the top of the liquid detergent, "For dishwasher." Thanks!

Clothing Swap 2009

Why: Every few months, the frustration of not being able to close my drawers or closet hits. Although both are exploding with an array of items, the constant complaint of having nothing to wear it repeated a few times throughout the month, so I decided to do something about it....I hosted a clothing swap at my place. I got rid of things I didn't want and walked away with items I did, like an awesome boyfriend blazer (Thanks Diane!)

How: Invite a few friends, give them a week to go through their closet, get some shopping bags, & appetizers and drinks for hosting. Easy!

Tips: Tell invitees to bring stain-free or un-torn clothes, unless that's your sort of thing. & don't forget about shoes, purses, belts & jewelry (also great for swapping).

Outcome: Now, I can close my drawers with ease and picking out something to wear is fun again. No more riffling through ten shirts to get to the one I've been looking for! My one girlfriend had such a revelation with the swapping, so actually arrived in one outfit, decided she could do without and left in another. Now that's how you do it.