Suspended

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I somehow managed to squeeze quite a bit into my day today! I worked this morning, and since my car is in the shop, I biked to and from. Work is really close to home (about two miles or so), so the bike ride is pretty short. After work I took a shower and then a couple hours to catch up on some sleep. The nap was unintentional, but needed nonetheless. When I woke up I realized that Geoff was going to be home soon and cleaned up the bedroom and my craft area.

While cleaning I came across a hideous dress that I had thrifted and had plans to make into something adorable. Since I hadn't yet decided what my outfit for the day would be, I figured I would give this a shot. I think it turned out great. When I first started it, Geoff was questioning the end goal. I love proving him wrong!


Floral suspender romper, DIY
Pinkish woven belt, thrifted
Gold triangle necklace, Etsy
Kimchi Blue black flats, UO
Big eye sunnies, Claire’s
Lace trim bracelet, DIY
Black sleeveless cardigan, Forever 21

Fashion Challenge Day Thirty: The Shop I Most Frequent

I would love to post a photo of my favorite store, but alas, there is no photo. I go to the Village Discount Outlet on Cleveland Avenue most often. It's my favorite thrift store. It's kind of in the "bad part" of town, so it seems like I get dibbs on the good stuff (or, at least, what I consider to be the good stuff). It's fairly clean and the staff is really nice. Their prices are better than the other thrift shops around here, also. On Sundays and Mondays they have 75 cent days where they select one color tag to be 75 cents! Plus they choose two colors per day for their 50% sale.


My other favorite shop is Ohio Thrift. They have multiple locations around the Columbus area, also have 2-3 color sales per day (usually one of each 25%, 50%, and 75% off), and are really clean stores. I recommend both of these places if you're into thrift shopping!

This is my final thirty day fashion challenge entry. I got through every prompt without a hitch, so I must say that I feel a bit accomplished. At first I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it — but now that I'm finished I'm ready for my next challenge!

A Day at the Zoo

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Today I went to the zoo with mom, dad, Jen (my sis-in-law), and my nephew Baby Evan! It was a great temperature and while the zoo was busy, it wasn't over crowded. We didn't get to see the entire zoo, but were there for about five hours. Needless to say, I'm tired.

I wondered if it was too cheesy to wear this sheer leopard + tiger print vintage top to a zoo, but in the end decided to do it. It's long — almost dress length. I tied it in the front to meet the waist line of my shorts. Cute, right? It was perfectly comfy for today's outing.








The polar bear exhibit that opened last summer is absolutely amazing. We hung out and watched the four bears for quite some time. There is both an above- and below-ground viewing area.  When you're underneath the pool, you can watch the bears swim and eat fish. At ground level, they roam around and dive off of the rocks, making big splashes and swimming towards the glass. They were extremely active today and this is definitely my new favorite area of the zoo!






My nephew was so excited about the fish tanks. Apparently he loves fish. My brother and Jen have a Sea World season pass out in San Diego and they take him a lot. He squealed with excitement when we went into the aquarium. So adorable!


Vintage sheer animal print top, Mini Penny (buy it here)
BDG high rise black denim shorts, UO
Kimchi Blue black skimmers, UO
Bird necklace, Rudy’s Roundup
Knock off Chanel half-tint sunnies, Rag-O-Rama

Fashion Challenge Day Twenty-Nine: An Unworn Shirt

I made this shirt/vest a few weeks ago from a thrifted dress that wasn't selling on Etsy. I really dig it (and don't mind the wrinkles in this photo), but haven't found something quite right for it just yet. I have quite a few virgin items in my closet, so this was an easy pick!

Velvet Playsuit

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I really can't express how much I love this playsuit. Earlier I posted the DIY tutorial and decided to use it as my daily outfit today. The photos make me so happy. I must say that I'm pretty proud of myself on this one!


Black velvet playsuit, DIY
Salmon snakeskin belt, thrifted
Bird necklace, Rudy’s Roundup
Mossimo Leopard Print peep toes, Target
Lace trim bracelet, DIY

Dress to Playsuit DIY

I've been aching to do another DIY tutorial! I'm totally in love with my finished product and can't wait to share it with you. Earlier today I saw the left image on Tumblr. My first thought was "I want that romper." And of course, my second thought was "I can make that romper."

I should ask before I say anything else: can anyone tell me from where the image on the left comes? I have tried TinEye to find its origin, but no luck yet. I'd love to give credit to the company and/or photographer!

Anyway, let's continue. My mind flashed back to the velvet and mesh dress I had purchased about three weeks ago at the thrift store. It was about four or five dollars, fit me like a glove, but seemed a little too "dressy" for me too get much real use out of it. So it has been in my closet for three weeks waiting for its time to shine.

This tutorial is [most likely] applicable to any dress you find while thrifting. Whether it be long, short, or in between, you will probably be able to get a playsuit out of it. Feel free to click any of the images to see them larger.


The first thing I did was lay the dress out as flat as possible. Mine had a seam down the back of the skirt, so I made sure it was centered. I then shortened it by cutting about two or three inches off of the bottom. I'm planning on using the extra velvet to make a head wrap or two! I made sure to leave the shorts a little longer than normal because I had planned on cuffing them.


I made sure to pin around the leg cuts in order to get an even seam. You have to be careful here since you don't want your jumper to appear diaper-y!


I used a really tight zig-zag stitch and sewed the crotch up all in one take. It was super easy! Then I finished the leg openings so that they had no raw edges showing.


Once I finished up the legs I came to a horrible thought — how was I going to get my body into this thing? I face palmed and started brainstorming. I don't have any zippers immediately available, but I do have lots of buttons. I cut a tear drop shape out of the back mesh panel, taking extra time to make sure it was very, very even. Then I sat down, took a deep breath, grabbed the seam ripper and extra velvet from the bottom of the dress. It was finished with the same trim as the top, so I pulled the stitches out until I had enough to contour the back cutout. Once I had a piece long enough, it was easy to pin in place and stitch on.


I left a little bit of extra trim so I could fold it over to hide any raw edge. On one side I placed a single black button. The other, a short piece of black silky, thin rope.


This is the finished product (without the legs cuffed). I absolutely adore it! I'm excited to try it with other materials and patterns. I hope this helps some of you out and gives you an idea of what you should do with your thrifted dresses! Feel free to leave comments and links to your creations.


Oh, how could I forget? This is how it looks! The belt isn't needed for this particular playsuit, but I love the contrast. The cuffed legs give it the perfect amount of flirt and fun. I'm thinking about using this for my outfit post today. Are you as excited as I am?

Fashion Challenge Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite Accessories

Necklaces! I own lots and lots of them, I love making them, and I love thrifting them. I used to work for Claire's — you know, the kids and costume jewelry store — so I used to have a lot more than I do now. But I do think that my collection now is of high quality. I'm not talking diamonds (I strongly dislike the diamond industry) nor precious metals. I think of it highly because I do have a lot of unique pieces. My jewelry box is filled with rocks, dreamcatcher, animal, vintage, and other DIY pieces. What's your favorite accessory or jewelry pieces?

Summer Look

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I wanted to wear something with a great summery feel today, so I put this little outfit together. And then, of course, when I stepped outside, it was raining! Typical Ohio weather, right? It's supposed to storm tomorrow morning — bad news! Since my car is still in the shop, then I'm forced to bike to work tomorrow. Normally I wouldn't mind, but the storm will make it less than wonderful if that's the case...


Most of my outfit is all thrifted or DIY! I love it when they work out this way. I made the belt from a leather cord and a button. Cute, right? The shirt came connected to a sheer top I thrifted, so I chopped it off into a crop. And the shorts started off as thrifted capris!


I thrifted these loafers months ago but haven't figured out what to wear them with until now. They're perfectly comfy and have the best small gold studs!


Cutoff white tank, thrift + DIY
Cutoff high rise gingham shorts, thrift + DIY
White leather cord belt, DIY
White loafters, thrift
Faux-antique necklace, UO
Braided head wrap, Forever 21

NYX Makeup Haul and Review

Whew! It's been a hectic two weeks! I haven't been thrifting for the past couple of weekends (withdrawal!) and I've been neglecting my NYX makeup haul and review. Finally, finally, finally, here it is! I recently had an awesome discount code and purchased a decent amount of new makeup. Here's the rundown on the product and where you can purchase them.

• NYX Lip Laquer Pot in Coral-Licious. I bought this at Urban Outfitters a few months ago. You can pick it up in multiple colors both in stores or online for only $6.50! They're also available on NYX's website directly for $6. I like this color because it's a great every-day color. It's not too heavy and wears well. It is labeled as cruelty free and hypoallergenic as well.
• NYX Bronzer Powder in Bronzer #1 (Light). I also bought this at Urban Outfitters — it is on sale online for only $9.99 while still available on NYX's website for $15. I love using the shimmery top layers as an eyeshadow (which I have noted in previous outfit posts) and the brown on my cheeks and nose for a great summery appearance. Let's not forget that this thing is huge and should last me quite a while!
• NYX Round Lipstick in Penelope. I wanted a black lipstick for a while and absolutely adore it now! I really wanted to buy the "higher-end" NYX black label lip color in black, but they were sold out, so I settled for the regular round lipstick. I'm not disappointed. I've used this product also in a recent outfit post — Rose Hips!
• NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Black Berry. I bought this to pair with my black lipstick. It's a must if you're going to be going this dark with your lip color!
• NYX Super Fat Eye Marker in Carbon Black. I really love the concept of this eye liner but it seems to smudge a lot. I'm hoping that if I maybe pair it with some primer that it will stay. It goes on really smooth, so I'm hoping that I can make it work!
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa and San Paulo. Both of these are amazing! They are perfectly soft and smooth. The Addis Ababa is a really great bright pink and the San Paulo is a big deeper. They are totally fun and perfect for every day use.
• NYX Sheer Tube Gloss and Clear. I needed this basic for my makeup bag and again they were out of the higher end gloss. I had the discount code so I thought I would get this while I was at it. While I'm not a huge fan of the brush-on gloss, it will make due. It's super thick, so I recommend blotting if you're going to be applying over another color so that you avoid runny lips!
• NYX Black Label Lipstick in Citrine. Oh boy, this color is so smooth and lovely! The color I purchased is a great orange and I can't wait to try it in other shades!
• NYX Makeup Brushes in lip and small concealer. Both of these are pretty good quality for the price. I like the small concealer for my little blemish correction and I want to get in the habit of using the lip brush for my brighter lip colors!
• NYX Fabulous Lashes in Illumination. I haven't gotten the chance to use these yet, so I didn't include them in my video. They come with adhesive. I need to practice getting these on before I can confidently tell you how they are. I'm an eyelash novice!

Overall I can say that I'm very happy with my NYX products. Even though my orders took a long time to get here and come in rather huge boxes, I plan or ordering from them again in the future. My wishlist items? The Matte Lipstick (which I think is new since I was last on the site), the Black Label lipstick in black (still sold out), and the chrome loose eyeshadow in mink or java!



I've also included some lip swatches. Click the image to enlarge. These were taken with a mix of natural light and indoor light. I hope this gives you a good idea of NYX products!

Fashion Challenge Day Twenty-Seven: Favorite Dress/Skirt

Pardon the diptych (and ignore the image on the right), but this is the only photo I have of this dress at the moment. I have yet to use it for an outfit post, but I love it. I found it at the thrift store for only a few dollars and it is maxi length, dip-dyed, and velvet. It's perfectly soft and a tiny bit oversized, so I cinch it with a belt and I'm good to go! Hopefully I can't use this for a LookBook post soon!

Mellow Yellow.

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Today started as a lazy Sunday, but we became rather busy once the afternoon hit. My brother's birthday was two days ago (happy birthday, Stephen!) and my sister-in-law and baby nephew, Evan, flew from California today. We had a family meet-up at the beloved Old Spaghetti Warehouse.


My family and I have lots of memories at this place. It has a lovely atmosphere, open duct work, and even an old train car that seats customers inside. We have enjoyed many dinners here since my brother and I were very young!




Isn't my nephew a doll? He was so happy and quiet during the entire meal. We may be going to the zoo with him on Wednesday if the weather holds out.


The restaurant became very busy around the time that we left, so I wasn't able to snap an outfit photo indoors. Once my brother dropped us off at home, Geoff and I took a walk to the park we discovered recently and had used for my fringed swimsuit outfit. There were colorful picnic tables that I wanted to take advantage of. Plus the sun was starting to set and it was making lots of lovely light.

Knock off wayfarers, UO
Black braided headwrap, Forever 21
Kimchi Blue stripe and ruffle tank, UO
Red Snap cut off denim shorts, thrift + diy
Platform sandals, thrifted
Found object necklace, DIY
Lace trim bracelet, DIY

Fashion Challenge Day Twenty-Six: Your Favorite Designer

I don't really have much to write about regarding my "favorite" fashion designer(s). I've said it before in previous posts, but I rarely ever buy retail (especially as of recent), and prefer to work with what I find instead of what I'm seeking out.

With that being said I have recently come to appreciate Burberry's line of studded trenches and jackets. I first saw one of the trenches on Emma Watson and fell in love with it. I'm actually looking forward to this fall/winter so that I can create my own DIY version!

It's not that I don't appreciate fashion designers. I love designers of all forms. Sure, most of us love Alexander McQueen and the like, but I don't watch the runways as closely as other fashion bloggers. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with it — I should pay closer attention simply for the inspiration — but right now it isn't fitting into my schedule!

ComFest at Sundown

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Today was our second day at ComFest! We headed down in the afternoon and it was really busy. And of course there was some amazing people watching!


We sat around on my lovely Pendleton towel and drank some beers for a while. We saw some friends that we hadn't been able to see in a while. It was nice to sit out in the sun. I didn't think the music lineup this year was that great, but it was still bearable.







Feather earring, DIY
Amethyst Crystal Necklace, DIY
Lace Trim Bracelet, DIY
Leopard Print Bikini Top, gift from mom
ByCorpus pocket tank (cut off and tied in the back), UO
BDG Skinny velvet black belt, UO
Forever 21 purple denim cut into shorts, Thrift
Mossimo black sandals, Target
Large denim backpack, thrifted

Fashion Challenge Day Twenty-Five: Your Favorite Brand

I was dreading this post because, well, to be quite frank I'm not sure that I even have a favorite brand or label. I get so much joy out of the bizarre no-names that I find while thrifting that I really don't think about the upcoming J. Crew line or anything of the sort. I will say that consistently throughout the years, though, I regularly get excited about what Vans is doing.


When I saw these leopard print lo-pros on Urban Outfitters's website a few months ago I was exstatic. I waited until my next paycheck, logged back onto the website, and they were already sold out. My heart was so broken. After a few days of searching, they finally popped up on KarmaLoop and I made them mine. I wanted them badly enough that I didn't even wait to find out if Urban was going to get them back in stock (for those of you who don't know, I work for Urban so the discount would have knocked a few bucks off).


Can you see my excitement? If you follow me you may have noticed that I find much comfort in my leopard print items. I consider myself to be a connoisseur of leopard print — and that it can be done tastefully, terribly, or ironically trashy. To each their own!


Recently these floral flannel Vans were brought to my attention and I adore them. I feel like Vans has their cuts on lockdown. Keep in mind that I don't wear sneakers terribly often, but I have found a niche in this company that I really adore. I actually own many, many pairs of Vans — not to mention that my boyfriend's collection is larger than mine.


I recently saw this pair of Vans in person. They are the new Urban Outfitters exclusive shoe. I don't often enjoy flag-printed apparel, but I think that these are executed nicely. I've been trying to hint at Geoffrey to add these to his collection!


I would say that aside from my leopard lo pros, my Wingtip Eras are my other favorite pair. They were part of the Vans Vault line in 2009. It took me a long time to find them in my size (a men's 5/women's 7), but eventually I snagged them on eBay. Cute, right?

In the end, I'm not sure what originally drew me to this shoe. I've been buying them for a while (well, since junior high/high school) and have always followed them quite closely. Part of me enjoys the shoes for their quality and variety, and another part of me adores the artistic atmosphere that the company itself promotes.