Barefoot Days

Happy Father's Day!  I always make Aaron pose for a pic before we trade spots, so this photo is for Aaron's doodah, Happy Father's Day, David!!!  We love you, and miss you bunches and bunches!!

Now for my outfit.  I did some light gardening, and then hung out at my grandparent's.  It was overcast most of today, which made for perfect spring weather.  Not hot and humid, or cold and rainy.  This outfit is great for a relaxing day outdoors.  

Top -- hand-me-down from my mom

Tank Top -- H & M

Capri Jeans -- Kohl's

Shoes -- Dirty Laundry with DIY pizzazz

Bracelet -- made by me

This top was my mother's when she was a bit younger than I am now!  I love the girlie sleeves, and the embroidered eyelets.  I don't own any white tops, but I cherish every fiber in this shirt.  It's too thin not to be worn with a top under it, and I like to wear this super bright pink, or any bright color really.  This outfit is a perfect spring look for me.  I could wear variations of this everyday.  I'm not big on open toed shoes, but it is necessary to wear a light weight shoe and sock in the summer.  Honestly, I'd rather just be barefoot all day.  My pup thinks anytime I put on shoes means we are going for a walk.  Wouldn't it be nice to lead a barefoot life?  

I know I haven't been good at posting any DIY tutorials this month, but I did make this awesome bracelet recently.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out, so I forgot to take any step by step photos, so I'll have to make another one to share with ya'll how I did it.  I'm really proud of how this turned out.  I didn't follow any instructions off of someone's blog, or a tutorial from a book.  I made this up all on my own.  :)  I want to make more in different colors.  Maybe add some beads.  Experiment with different clasps.  All sorts of ideas for this new technique I made up.  

Hope ya'll had a lovely weekend, and happy DIYing, chris.

Lazy Hot Days

Happy Sunday!  It's been super hot here.  I think it reached ninety today, and the humidity was high.  I felt like we were swimming though the neighborhood during our evening walk around six-thirty/seven.  Even Moose was okay with only going for a half walk, instead of making it around the whole outer circle of the neighborhood.  I was going to venture to a different picture place other than my backyard again, but it was just to darn stinkin' hot.    This is what I wore today ...

Dress -- vintage thrifted

Belt -- hand-me-down from my Grandparent's basement

Shoes -- Dirty Laundry DIY lace-ups

I recently took in an inch on each side of the top half of this dress.  It fits just like a glove now.  Before I had way too much room in the chest area, and my already small boobs looked ti-ny!  I also fixed the bottom of the zipper in the back.  It had come loose, and left a gapping hole at the top of my bottom, so I'm glad that's all closed up now.  :)  I love this dress a ton.  I bought it at a great vintage/thrift store in Shoreditch, London. The print, and cut of the dress are perfect for me.   Great for throwing on, and getting things done.  I usually don't wear red, but I love the little red pipping on the pockets, and across the top.  The pockets are super useful.  I end up with loads of random things in them.  At one point today, I had my 75mm lens in one of my pockets!  I love how the blue and white pattern on my belt work with the pattern on the dress, they complement each other well.  I've been wearing either this pair, or my black pair of Dirty Laundry shoes everywhere these days.  I'm not one for flip flops, and these are the most comfortable pair of shoes I have for all these hot humid walks I keep taking Moose on.  

I mostly finished an awesome bracelet I crafted together, but I need to buy a toggle clasp to finish it off.  That's what I spent most of my day working on, and hanging out in the sunshine, trying not to spend the entire day hiding indoors.  Now that the sun is setting, I'm hiding out dreaming of eating popsicles, and watching Lie To Me.  I hope ya'll are keeping cool where ever you're reading this from, and happy DIYing, chris!  

Warm Days in the Garden

For today's Saturday Blogger Love I want to highlight Annika over on The Pineneedle Collective.  She has a lovely sense of style. Bright colors, fun tights, cute shoes, and colorful hair.  Anyone who mixes prints and brilliant colors wins my vote.  Then add in some fun hair dye, and I'm sold!  To top it all off she also sews, and has some great fashion related DIYs.  All around great blog, definitely check her out!  Plus, she turned me on to Chictopia, Annika posted that she was awarded May Style Icon.  Congratulations to her!  

So since I haven't done an outfit post in weeks.  Without any further ado ...

This was the perfect outfit for some light gardening, and a long walk with the dogmander and mister. 

These are my three favorite accessories.  I'm in love with my rock necklace, and I love wearing a clock with it.  The two necklace lengths worked perfectly.  My stepdad gave me the bracelet, it was his mother's.  This is my favorite bracelet, and I compare all other's to it. 

Tank Top -- Target

Shorts --  Kohl's

Shoes -- Dirty Laundry

Watch Necklace -- Urban Outfitters

Rock Necklace -- DIY handmade

Bracelet -- hand-me-down from my Step-Grandmother

I love mixing patterns and colors together.  Sometimes Aaron and I go a little overboard, but I'd rather majorly clash than wear all beige.  

I've noticed when scanning through the hoards of photos on Chictopia, my eye automatically zones in on these three things first.  

#1. an in-focus, well framed, and posed photograph

#2. BRIGHT COLORS!

#3. a great blend of patterns and colors.  Including how the background works with the outfit.  

Most of my outfit photos are in green spaces.  Though I do live in suburbia, and a hop skip and a jump from philadelphia, or other city-like places.  I guess I could include some actual cement in some of my pics.  Actually, when I drive to schools in the city I see AMAZING graffiti, which I'm a big fan of.  I love graffiti.  As long as the person spraying his or her mark on the wall is actually trying to make something beautiful, I think it's beautifying the concrete jungle.  My favorite graffiti tends to be in the worst neighborhoods though.  I might feel extra awkward posing in front of some awesome graffiti, while my husband takes pictures of me.  I think I'll try out somewhere In my neighborhood first.  I think I might have some ideas ...

That's enough rambling, hope you had a good saturday, and happy DIYing, chris.  

A little green for the holiday ...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I'm not Irish or Catholic, so I don't do much for this holiday, but I do enjoy an excuse to wear bright green!  So I have another outfit post for today.  I know I've been doing a lot of post about myself lately, and not so much on the DIY front.  I guess I've just been inspired by the bloggers I've been following.  

Here are two more blogs I started following this week.  I found Diversions over on Elycia's blog.  I love Stef's style, great combination of colors and patterns!  Plus she always seems to have her nails painted and super cute rings on.  The other blog is Fine & Feathered, and I found Josie on craftgawker with her post about covering your lappy with contact paper.  She executed it perfectly, so I decided to poke around her blog some more, and I really enjoyed her other posts!  She has cute style, more muted colors and patterns than I usually go for, but she's so pretty and her photos are inspiring, and she has fun DIYs!  I'm excited to see what these two ladies put out there in the future.  

My Outfit:

headband -- from Target

sunglasses -- from Urban Outfitters

necklace -- from Urban Outfitters

sweater -- from T.J. Maxx

yellow & grey tank top -- from ModCloth

peach tank top -- H&M

pants -- Delia's

socks -- Target

shoes -- DIYed Dirty Laundry

Most of the photos my husband took, except for the close-ups I took those.  Hope ya'll enjoyed, and are being safe this holiday.  There is no rule that says you have to drink until you're green (or at all for that matter)!  Until tomorrow, happy DIYing, chris.

Happy Spring!

With all these sunny beautiful days I had to try another outfit post.  I also got my Wacom tablet working!  Turns out it was just the pen that wasn't working.  Well I'm still not able to use photoshop, but Gimp isn't so bad.  

I love this dress.  I bought it when I was studying abroad in London back in 2005.  I found it in this amazing vintage shop in Shoreditch.  I'm pretty sure it's handmade.  

The blue jacket is from Heritage 1981, and I love how soft and comfortable it is.  The little red sweater is from H&M.  The yellow bracelet I inherited from my step-grandmother.  

This is definitely my favorite yoga pose, and my outfit looks pretty cute in this shot!  My stockings I got for Christmas, so I'm not positive where they're from.  The shoes are a pair of Dirty Laundry shoes I DIYed.  My hair bow was a free gift (with purchase) from ModCloth, they give the best gifts.  Their lil' presents just encourage me to buy more things, to see what I'll get for free!  

Happy Spring Everyone!!!  Hope ya'll are enjoying some sunny weather too!  Happy DIYing, chris.