Tag Archives: Bloggers do it better

January 2, 2012 · 11:22 am

And the New Year Sparkled

I spent the last few hours of 2011 laughing hysterically with my friend, Autumn, drinking fine wine with my other friend, Laura, and sharing snacks with my husband. Laura invited about ten of us over to her condo near the Space Needle so we could watch the fireworks and ring in 2012.

The upcoming Bloggers do it Better challenge is sequins, so I carried my sequined purse. I added even more shine with a metallic-threaded tank top and satin blazer. A vintage slip-as-skirt rounded out the look.

Blazer: Bebe via Goodwill
Tank: Thrifted
Skirt: eBay
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik via consignment
Purse: Swapped
Cuff: Greenbelts
Necklace: eBay

Laura’s place is hip and modern. I snapped a shot of her illuminated plants and the DIY indoor smores setup.

I drank a lot of delicious bubbly and I have Autumn to thank for volunteering to be our designated driver.

Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be great!

2 Comments

Filed under Events, Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as blazer, Bloggers do it better, fashion, manolo blahnik, new years eve, Seattle, Space Needle, style, thrifty fashion

October 4, 2011 · 7:24 pm

Animal Instincts

Welcome to another Bloggers do it Better challenge courtesy of Pretty Shiny Sparkly. The challenge is a chance for real women to show how they wear a current trend. This time it’s animal prints. I love animal prints. I’ve worn my zebra top recently, and my leopard ballet flats. Today, I’m bringing out the leopard shirtdress again.

leopard print

Dress: Marshall’s
Jacket: Betsey Johnson
Belt: Forever 21
Shoes: Aerosoles
Tote: Crystalyn Kae
Ring: Fuego

I dressed this outfit down a bit by wearing a dark denim jacket with the dress. The denim says “casual” but the hue is dressier than a faded jacket.

I’ve always wanted a bright yellow belt and thought it would look good against the print. The dress is busy and it would be easy for a subtle belt to get lost. This one stands out. Yellow and purple are complementary colors so I chose deep purple shoes today.

The dark green tote bag adds a third color. Well, four if you count denim as blue. It’s a wonderful faux leather bag from Crystalyn Kae, and it’s hand-crafted right here in Seattle.

Do you wear animal prints? Did you participate in the challenge? Don’t forget to check out how others styled animal print over at http://prettyshinysparkly.com/bloggers-do-animal-print-better/

3 Comments

Filed under Fashion

Tagged as animal print, Bloggers do it better, dress, fashion, style

August 3, 2011 · 5:48 am

A Multitude of Bracelets

Welcome to another Bloggers do it Better challenge courtesy of Pretty Shiny Sparkly. Each challenge showcases real women rocking a current trend. This time it’s arm candy. I like jewelry but I usually subscribe to a less-is-more approach. Big earrings or a necklace. A cocktail ring or a bracelet. Turns out that sometimes more is more. If it weren’t for this challenge I never would have tried wearing all this bling at the same time.

T-shirt: Target
Shorts: Calvin Klein
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Ring: Old Navy

The bracelets are from all over the country. I chose them for the combination of colors but they also represent three of the last four trips I’ve taken. They are (from wrist to elbow): silver cubes, a boutique in Portland; turquoise strand, a street vendor in Santa Fe; olive glass beads, a street vendor in Pittsburgh; icy blue quartz, another vendor in Santa Fe.

My outfit was so casual but wearing an armload of bracelets made things seem a bit dressier, or at least more deliberate. I never knew that stacking bracelets would create a cuff-type effect. It’s a great way to remix and reuse the jewelry I already have.

DIY Maxi Skirt

Pretty Shiny Sparkly put out another Bloggers do it Better challenge. Each challenge showcases real women rocking a current trend. Last time, I tried neon and neutral. This time, the assignment is to style a maxi skirt.

I have a few maxi skirts in my closet, but I also have a photo of a Vivienne Westwood skirt that I’ve been lusting after and meaning to replicate. So last night, coming off a migraine that kept me from work, I pulled out the fabric I’d purchased months ago. There’s nothing like a 5 hour nap and a deadline to get creative juices flowing.

T-shirt: Old Navy
Scarf: DIY
Skirt: DIY
Belt: Steve Madden
Earrings: Shirazi, Seattle
Sandals: Payless

It’s a three-tiered skirt. I overlapped the panels and left the hems on the outside for a raw, unfinished look. The Vivienne Westwood skirt was olive green, but I have a green maxi skirt so I chose purple and navy. I’ll be able to wear this with bright t-shirts in the summer, and warmer, darker tops in the winter. It’s going to look nice with boots too.

I’m not an experienced seamstress, nor do I use patterns. Fortunately this project only required sewing straight lines. I measured, cut, pinned and sewed. I used a stretch poly blend, which ended up being slippery. I’m considering the “ruching” to be a feature, not a flaw.

If you’re looking to replicate this skirt, cut three panels for the front and three for the back. Sew the panels together lengthwise so you have one long, three-tiered back piece and one long, three-tiered front piece. Give yourself extra width; you can always sew the sides tighter. After you have the front and back sewn together you can sew the sides, flip it right side out, and you’re good to go!

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Filed under DIY, Fashion

Tagged as Bloggers do it better, DIY, fashion, maxi skirt, purple, skirt, style

June 16, 2011 · 7:08 am

Neon and Neutral

Pretty Shiny Sparkly recently started a Bloggers do it Better movement to showcase real women with real style. I missed the first few opportunities to show how I would style color blocking, all white, and prep school (respectively, not all at once; that would be a real challenge!).

But I made it this time around and I’m showing how I chose to style neon and neutral. Pairing brights with neutrals is hot on the runway, and I like the look: Neutrals are a great way to handle the intensity of brights and the combination is modern and fresh. Neon and black is very intense and more retro (not that there’s anything wrong with that).