Cardigan of the Day

What is the one article of clothing that can fix most of your clothing woes? The cardigan! Retaining water today and need to hide your tummy? What do you need? A Cardigan! Need to take that cute tank top from summer to fall? Cardigan! Want to make that questionably sexy top work appropriate? Cardigan! Meeting your boyfriend’s parents for the first time? Cardigan!

So to honor the one and only piece of clothing that is appropriate in all social situations I am starting a Cardigan of the Day post to my blog. I am not committing to posting about a cardigan every day but I will post about a cardigan whenever the mood strikes that particular day.

So without further adieu here is your first cardigan today brought to us from the always appropriate J. Crew.

Sad Stories in shoe shopping :(

Once there was this girl who loved shoes. She was at the mall one day and wandered into ALDO where she stumbled upon a pair pf paten leather peep toe pumps with a leopard print. It was love at first sight. The relationship was doomed from the beginning when the snotty sales girl informed her that they did not have her size in stock.

Slightly deflated but not completely defeated she made the purchase online from ALDO's website. She waited and waited for two days until her beloved shoes arrived via UPS Ground. To her total shock and complete dismay the shoes were incredibly small and uncomfortable. Her size was indeed printed on the bottom of the shoe and to her knowledge her feet had not grown over night.

For our heroine this was a sad sad day indeed. To add insult to injury she must pay for return shipping to the tune of $11 as ALDO will not accept an in store refund due to her paying for the shoes via Paypal.

Goodbye lovely shoes. It was nice knowing ya!

Moral of the store is that ALDO sucks and that Italian Sizing is not consistent. Just because you are a 40 in one designer does not mean that you are a 40 in every designer.

Back to the crafts!

A while back I talked about creating a craft area. There has been much work to that space.

Just as a reminder I needed a space that could be dining area as well as a space for me to do crafts.

This is the look I would love to have. Photo from Country Living.

This is what I have to work with. Photos courtesy of me.

Yes, it is a bit messy and there is an extra table top in the corner but I see potential. I think with a little creativity and some elbow grease I can make this boring space into something special. I will begin work this week. I'll keep you posted as I go.

Also I am now a Derby Girl as in Roller Derby. Try outs were yesterday and I could hardly move this morning. My muscles are so sore. I'll have to thank Aimee for this later. It was her big idea.

Impulse buy?

I own this.



Therefore I think I should also own this.



That is all. Carry on.

Etsy Gift Guide the Valentine/Felt version

Etsy has quickly become my favorite website. As a person who enjoys working with my hands and creating things I love to support fellow craftsmen. Etsy has so may categories and listings that it can sometimes be overwhelming. For your browsing pleasure here is my Valentine Gift Guide the Felt Version.


How adorable is this couple with their heart shaped faces. From Etsy seller The Cupcake Girls.



The whimsy of this little bird pin would punch up a simple jeans and cardigan outfit. From Siiri's Etsy shop.


This is a pin cushion from Smarmypants shop. I can personally vouch for the quality and the absolute cuteness of this particular item. I bought a pin cushion from this seller at Christmas and could not believe how absolutely adorable this is in person.


Cute little addition to any key ring from absolutefelt's shop.



Cute little necklaces from mynta. No Valentines Day Gift Guide would be complete without jewelry right.

Dreaming Big!

I have crafts on the brain. I have been searching online to find the best studios for inspiration and ideas. There were a couple of spaces that I would love to have. For now they will have to be put away in the "someday" file.

This is a room, or attic as the case may be, created by the one and only Martha Stewart.

This is Heather Bailey's studio. The colors and the furniture makes this something I could only dream of having.

This is the studio of another favorite blogs, Makingitlovely. She owns and operates Pink Loves Brown out of this space.

Tomorrow I may have some photos of my craft space but we'll see how motivated I get.

Inspiration

I am a crafter. My ideal life would be to stay home and make things. By “things” I mean all sorts of things. I crochet. I knit(admittedly not well). I make jewelry. I paint. I sew. Anything that strikes me as interesting I will dissect it and figure out hose to make it then give it my all. Because I have such an unfocused interest in making anything and everything I have accumulated a massive about of supplies and random craft related stuff.

Ryan is moving into my 650 square feet of space. Two people and their stuff occupying my (soon to be our) apartment calls for some serious organization. I have devised a plan of attack. I will tackle one area of the space at a time. The biggest area of concern is my dining area. It does double duty. It serves as a place for Ryan and I to eat dinner but also as a space for my crafting and craft supplies. It is out in the open so it must be attractive to the eye and organized for easy use.

Below are images that have been surfing through my mind.

From Country Living Magazine, There is something appealing about having all the chaos contained in a closet like this. As pretty as this is I don't see it as a solution for my need. I do think that the bins and baskets would look great in my dining/craft area.

From moline's photostream on Flickr. I love the colors and the mix of collections and crafting.

This is also on Flickr from nestdecorating's photostream. I have a feeling that my space will end up similar to this. I am okay with that. This is the look of creativity and a happy crafter/sewer/jewelry maker.

If I had a goal in mind for my craft area this would be it. I love the mix of vintage and new. You can see everything but it is not perfect. I could spend many happy hours in this area creating and trying new techniques.

Wardrobe upgrade part 4

Okay so this is not the brown slouchy bag that I promised. Genuinely I could not find a single one that I liked. As soon as I do find out I'll be sure to post about it.

Among many other items I am in major need of a stylish black flat shoe. I love flat shoes as an alternative to the tennis shoe. Don't get me wrong the tennis shoe has its place. But the cute flat shoe can Punch up an outfit. It can make jeans and a polo shirt acceptable in the office on Fridays. At least in my office. I have gold flats and silver flats but I am missing that go to pair of black flats.

I love the snake print. Just a little added interest but still dark and very versatile. These are on Zappos.

Zappos snapped the picture of these shoes at a very odd angle for the shoe. Check out the other views on the website. Totally adorable.

Technically these are not black but there were too cute to not mention. They are not the most affordable option. These are from J. Crew and the good thing about J. Crew is that they have sales regularly.

I am not sure what to think of pointed tow flats. I am more of a round toe girl. But I could be persuaded to make an exception for these from Banana Republic.

Wardrobe upgrade part 2

Now for the gold. This has been harder for me than the silver post. I have put off buying a good gold necklace because I thought it would be out of my price range. The more I research and find out what I am drawn to I have noticed that gold can be affordable.

This is from an Etsy seller by the name of michellechangjewelry. I love how simple this is and that it can be customized with your initials.

I love how this is a spin on the standard single pearl pendant. I think this would get a lot of use.
This is from Bluenile.

This is from another Etsy seller, ANORIGINALJEWELRY.

Next....the slouchy brown leather bag.

Wardrobe upgrade part 1

We chimed in a new year, why not start a new wardrobe or at lease upgrade your old one.

I am in the market for all kinds of new additions to my hum drum daily wear. Since one of my resolutions is to lose 20 pounds I am going to hold off on looking for cloths. Accessories always fit no matter what the scale says. Today I am in the mood for a simple silver necklace that I can wear with just about anything. I would like it to be unique but not weird. I have a few in mind.



This one is from Khristinn's shop on Etsy.



This is from James Avery. I love this jeweler. The craftsmanship insures that this is a piece you will have for the rest of your life.



No search for silver would be complete without a stop at Tiffany's. This is the famous Elsa Peretti Bean Pendant.


Decisions decisions.....


In Wardrobe Update part 2 I will explore the options for a gold necklace.