Monday, July 30, 2012

Staple Pieces: Part Two

I'm soooo into summer right now, too bad it's over half way over!  Oh well.  I am going to get it out while I can!  Today I wanted to talk about a staple piece that is close to my heart right now which is the "little white dress".  When it comes to summer this piece of clothing is a must have.  I found this dress at the gap and LOVED it so much I didn't even mind the $60 dollar price tag:



It started out a little two short, so I added some lace to give it more length while keeping that bohemian feel.  My extender slip would not have worked with it unfortunately since this dress is more ivory than white.  I guess I need to call it my "little ivory dress" ;P.  I lucked out because it has an underskirt that I was able to easily attach the tiered lace to!

(Dress: Gap $60, Bracelet: heirloom, Shoes: Delia's $20, Necklace: Repurposed Wooden Hand-Painted Tree ornament from my grandmother ;)

I also did a remix on it to show how it can work for fall, paired with a cute textured cardigan and mocassin boots.

(Cardigan- Tabitha's Boutique $30, Shoes- Minnetonka/Gift $59)

For those that are not into the babydoll look, simply adding a belt at the smallest part of your waist takes it into a more feminine shape.  Normally I would have used a thicker belt, to give more emphasis to a larger span of waist but my span is pretty small these days ;).

(Belt: Forever21 $5)
So there it is, the remix for the "little white (or ivory) dress".  It's well worth putting a little money into so that you can have this versatile piece in your wardrobe, the possibilities are endless!

Friday, July 27, 2012

"Extender Slip" Magic

One day when wandering around on Pinterest, I came across this awesome tutorial that showed how to make an "extender slip".  I always have this problem where I find the perfect dress, it has the sleeves that I like, it's got a great neckline, the price is great... it's just a little too short!  It can get so expensive to put trim around the bottom of every skirt you own (yes, I've tried that before) so this little baby is perfect for making a lot of dresses buyable for me.

Click on the Photo so you can see it better!
(Dress: Gap $17, Earrings: Gift, Necklace: Apricot Lane Boutique $18, Braided Sash: Fred Myers, came with a random dress so kind of $0, Shoes: Urban Outfitters $8, Little Helper who put her shirt on backwards: Priceless;)

I altered her version a little by using an eyelet with a gather in it so that it had more of a petticoat effect.  I also sewed it in three layers for those skirts that are more than just a little too short.  This dress from the gap works perfectly with the extender slip.  I don't have to worry about showing too much and I can be comfortable while still looking chic! Try it out!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Does Pregnancy equal a New Wardrobe?

So...I'm pregnant!  I'm in my 19th week now and I have just recently started showing.  Remember my huge rib cage?  It loves to act as the host to all of my organs while I'm pregnant, allowing me to just look stacked instead of pregnant for almost the first four months. Who needs to have room in their lungs for breathing or their stomach for eating?...not me apparently ;P.


The question I've been posing to myself lately is "how much does my wardrobe have to change?"  I really hate a lot of my pregnancy clothing that I bought when I was pregnant with Lucy.  It's already outdated, plus I was bigger then overall so they make me look like I'm drowning in clothing.  I don't want to make that same mistake this time.  I don't want to put money into a wardrobe I may never want to touch again.  There are certain staple pieces that I can bring myself to get. These staple pieces include:
  • Belly bands (black and white)
And that's it!  That is all I need.  Belly bands or tummy sleeve (motherhood maternity sales them here) are a life savor and help so much in reviving jeans that you think may be beyond you in pregnancy. They also do well at covering up any space between your jeans and a normal shirt that may try to come up.


If you've never used one before let me give you a quick tutorial and a cool trick that my sister taught me that has saved me from buying maternity pants in the past. All you need for this is a rubber band and a tummy sleeve of sorts.


First undo the top button of your jeans. Then take a rubber band and thread it through your button hole:





Loop it through to make a knot.



Put the loop portion and put it around the button.




It works beautifully and even gives you a little stretch when you start getting even bigger. 


Then put the belly band over your jeans and "Voila!" you have your own homemade maternity pants. It's that simple!  




The belly band really helps to smooth out the top of your jeans and helps you look legitimately pregnant, instead of just "muffin topping" it. ;) 

The fact is that I WILL buy clothes while I'm pregnant but they don't have to only work for pregnancy.  There are so many styles out there that work with both pregnant and non-pregnant bodies.  For example, the baby doll shirt or dress, the maxi dress, the crop top and the empire waisted shirts and dresses.  The last example is one that never looks good on me when I am not pregnant (remember those big ribs?) but I happen to have a lot of great tops that people have given to me over the years that are that shape.  Now I can wear them and not have to feel self-conscious because it's okay to look pregnant when you are;).  I am so glad I hung onto them "just in case", now my husband can't hassle me about my clothing excesses ;P.

Now here I am in one of my normal shade shirts, showing that pregnancy doesn't mean wearing egg shaped tops and roomy jeans ;).




(Shade Shirt: forever21 $17, Tank top: Old Navy $5, Jeans: Gap $70 {yikes right?! I will talk about investing in jeans in a later post}, Flats: Urban Outfitters $8)





Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Fourth Fashion

Thought I would share my fourth of July look! I decided to have some bright color blocking with my bright turquoise shorts and blue striped shirt.  I then paired it with a red bow hair clip and my running of the bull shoes that my brother brought me from Spain.  To top it off I sported bright red lip stain, bringing in a "USO girl" look.  It sure put me in the spirit of the day!  I felt very patriotic, although the shoes were a little confused as to what country they were standing for;) 




(shirt and shorts: old navy, Hair clip: hand made {by me}, shoes: Spain somewhere;)

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Staple Pieces: Part 1

So it's been a while.  I do have an excuse though.  We just went through one of the biggest moves of our lives.  So between the packing, the moving, the unpacking and adjusting, things just sort of slipped through the cracks.  That thing called life, such a drag right?;P  Anyway, I am getting back on the horse, and to start I am doing a new segment on this blog about staple pieces.

When I think about staple pieces a lot of possibilities come to mind from a dress to a hair accessory, it's all in the versatility of the piece.  If it can be worn with several different outfits then you know you have a winner.  Sometimes this means splurging a little.  That's okay!  If it's a piece that is going to support a lot of cheaper pieces then in the end it will be worth it.

My example today is the swimsuit (if you couldn't already tell).  Your going to wear your swimsuit all summer, and fingers crossed on retaining our body sizes, probably several summers.  I used to buy cheap swimwear and it didn't pay off.  I would be uncomfortable all summer and for what?  So that I could save fifty dollars that I eventually would end up paying anyway to replace the swimsuit the following summer?  So this year I bit the bullet and went for the swimsuit I REALLY wanted.  This blue velvet beauty from Modcloth is amazing.  I love the feeling of it.  It's sturdy, thick and ultra chic.  Whoever thought of using velvet in swimsuit is my new hero.  I also love how flattering it is with the ruching at the torso. Of course the vintage feeling doesn't hurt either.




What do you do for summer?  Do you go cheap?  If you do make a goal to go big next time, you might as well get something you really want since you'll be spending the better part of your days in it or just trying not to look too awkward at the next swim party;).

 

 I am linking this post up with Mandy at Harper's Happening's Stepp'n out Saturday (when she posts it;P).  It fits because this was about how we spent our Saturday.  We were able to go out and meet my friend for some swimming at her pool.  Lucy came too so I have to show off her cute swimsuit from Target.  She also paired her chic ensamble with bright pink kitty rain boots (also from target).






What can I say, my daughter's starting early. I'm sure after this all the two year olds will wear their rain boots to the pool;P