Friday, November 29, 2013

Holiday Looks for Less




As I sit here in my office, looking at my event calendar for the month of December, I'm wondering how in the world I am going to be able to find amazing holiday outfits to fit all of these events.  Everything from an office cocktail party to a girls luncheon and a dinner dance. 

Rather than making the mistake most of us do this time of the year (run off and buy a few new outfits that we will wear one maybe two times), I decided to head to Goodwill and see what I could find.  First, I settled on a color: RED!  

Here is how I styled this amazing red dress, 3 ways to meet all of my holiday event needs.

THE RED DRESS – one holiday dress, 3ways


Holiday Gathering with friends-The first look I found a great vintage tapestry bag and made that the statement of this look.  With understated jewelery and boots the handbag pops! Since this event is a casual one, I grabbed a denim jacket to finish the look.

Dress:  Goodwill
Jacket: from my closet
Boots: won in a Facebook Contest
Handbag: Goodwill
Necklace: Stella and Dot





Office Party - Sophisticated and chic was what I was going for in this look.  I paired the red dress with a textured tight (these have a subtle stripe) and shoe-boot, a necklace with a lot of sparkle and finished the look with a scarf with some sequin detail on the ends.
Dress:  Goodwill
Scarf: Goodwill
Handbag: from my closet
Tights: from Target
Shoes: from my closet
Necklace: Stella and Dot
Bracelet: local boutique ($10)
 



Dinner Party with Dancing  - Finally, I needed something that I could wear to a dinner dance.  I changed the neutral in the outfit from black to gold.  My gold sparkly shoes are perfect for dancing.  When I added a gold statement necklace, layers of gold bangle bracelets and the vintage designer handbag...I was set!  I also threw on an amazing vintage fur jacket to finish the look.  Of course...from Goodwill!
Dress:  Goodwill
Handbag: Goodwill
Shoes: from my closet
Necklace and Bracelet: Stella and Dot


Of course to further change the look of this dress, change the belt!  In the first look try a thick black belt or a braided one.  For the second, try something with some shimmer.  And for the third try a gold chain belt.
 
STAY TUNED!
Stay tuned to this blog for some great ideas on how to add a little sparkle to your New Years outfit!


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

6 Ways to Decorate Your Home for Fall with Goodwill


This time of year is among my favorite because I just love decorating for the Fall season and for Thanksgiving with my family. Thankfully, decorating for Fall doesn't need to be expensive at all especially if you have a Goodwill Store. With a few inexpensive tools and some items from our favorite thrift shop, you will have all you need to start decorating your home for Fall.

Here are six fun ways to decorate your home for Fall using some commonly found items from the Goodwill Store! 


Make a Sweater Vase


Vases are readily available at Goodwill and there happen to be dozens upon dozens of sweaters just waiting to adorn those vases. Select a color scheme that goes along with your home and simply glue the sweater fabric to your inexpensive vase. Fill your vase with bare branches from your yard and you have a beautiful and cozy vase to decorate your mantle!

As someone who lacks the sewing gene, I totally love that this craft is a no-sew project! Check out Made From Pinterest for the scoop on this adorable craft.


Add a Fall Touch To Your Door


Making a wreath can be time-consuming and buying a wreath can be expensive. Why not decorate your door beautifully and simply with the top of a rake. I love this adorable rake adornment for the front door dressed simply with a little sprig of Fall branches that you could pick up from the craft shop. You could even spray paint this to match your front step decor. This would also be such a fun way to decorate a shed door! Visit Eclectically Vintage for some beautifully thrifted inspiration!


Make a Cozy Pumpkin Centerpiece

Sweater crafts are all the rage for Fall and I love the idea of creating a centerpiece of pumpkins that have been covered in cozy sweaters for the Fall season. On the StoneGable blog, you can find some fabulous instructions for creating a few cozy pumpkins of your own. I love that they chose this white color scheme for the pumpkins because these could remain out for Winter decor too! Be sure to look for sweaters with interesting cabling schemes and chose sweaters with different textures to really make your pumpkin centerpiece stand out! 


Give Branches a New Lease On Life

While bare branches can be beautiful, it can be fun to spruce them up and adorn them for the Fall season. Yarn is a commonly donated Goodwill item and this year I made my very own little Knitted Leaf centerpiece out of scrap yarns that I had. Leaves can be made out of just about anything though, consider cutting leaves from sweaters or book pages to create your own unique centerpiece and place them in a pretty vase from Goodwill.


Make a Pumpkin From Book Pages


Are you hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year? Consider making a unique centerpiece out of a book from Goodwill. These book page pumpkins make a beautiful place setting that could later sit on a side table, ledge, or mantle after your dinner is done. Check out Upcycled Treasures for a great tutorial on how to make these for your own Thanksgiving table. Of course, regular readers know that we are BIG fans of book page crafts over here so be sure to check out our fantastic round-up of things to do with old books!


Take a Stand with Your Decorating

Cake stands are so easy to make with just a candlestick holder and a plate. Spray paint them to create a cohesive collection and place these on your buffet table or mantle. Head to the local farmer's market or grocer to find interesting pumpkins to adorn the top of these stands. Check out this easy tutorial from Dwellings by Devore to get the scoop on how to make these for your own home!



I am wishing you the happiest of Thanksgivings this year! I hope these ideas will help you with decorating your own home for the holidays!


Friday, November 1, 2013

the thing about kids...and fashion trends





I have an 11 year old daughter who has strong opinions about her wardrobe (don't all 11 year old girls?).  Her opinion and mine are vastly different when it comes to school clothes. This back-to-school season I decided I was done arguing about her clothes every morning.  She and I went to Starbucks and had a "fashion meeting".

Truth is I want her to show her individuality in her wardrobe. I'm glad she isn't uber obsessed with fashion (I couldn't afford it!). At our "fashion meeting" I explained to her that I am concerned about things fitting properly, being age appropriate and not unisex (I insist she wear 'girls' clothing, not sports wear that are for gals and guys...at least to school). She agreed and we developed our school-clothes rules.


They are:
  • Things must fit (not too small and not too big)
  • Be cool, trendy (whatever that definition is in her 11 year old world)
  • Not look like she is wearing her old-mom's clothes.  Her clothing must be age appropriate.
  •  Must not be uni-sex.  Must be clothing for girls.


Based on our new agreement (or fashion rules), I then decided that we should choose a style for her. She got to tell me what her personality was through her clothes. She showed me things online she liked, and we went to the mall and she pointed out things in stores she thought was cool.

Some of today's trends in kids clothes make me take pause when I consider what our kids clothes are saying about their personality.  But, we as responsible parents, need to know what is fashionable (or what "all the kids are wearing") so when we have these conversations with our teens and pre-teens about wardrobe choices, we are doing so from an educated viewpoint.And of course, to show our kids that we are still cool (*wink*).

Here are 2 big trends in kids clothing this fall.  Or in other words - the stuff your kids are going to be begging for...if they haven't already!


FUR
This can be a tricky one because pieces that kids like are EXPENSIVE!  Try this: get a great hoodie, denim jacket, or puffy vest from your local Goodwill store.  Then put on your "crafty" hat and DIY!  This tutorial shows you how to get in on this trend in just 5 easy steps.








MOTIFS
Camo and skulls are still big in kids fashion.  Camo has been around a while, look for it this season in bright trendy colors.  For some of us, the camo thing can be a little much for little ones.  Consider a DIY Camo sweatshirt! 






I would love to hear how you've calmed the 'school clothes' battle in your home! Any suggestions for the rest of us?











IMAGES:
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com
www.aliexpress.com
http://pinterest.com/pin/126874914474934321/
http://pinterest.com/pin/483925922430206827/