(Shan) WEARs: Leather and Layers

It's fall! Yay!  That means scarves, layers, boots, sweaters and.... LEATHER!  Or, vegan leather as I prefer.  I am a huge fan this season.  I've found that Target has an insane selection of vegan leather styles that are super cute and super affordable.  Perfect combination!

To soak in the perfect fall weather, I spent the day Sunday having fun, indulging in deliciousness and prancing around town.  We had brunch at Park Bruges. (Amazing!  If you're in the Pittsburgh area sometime, you must stop by!)  After brunch my sweet tooth decided to flare up, so we swung by Gaby et Jules... the most amazing, delicious slice of heaven that ever graced Pittsburgh.  Holy macrons.  As you can see from the photo below, I take my sweets shopping very seriously.  

The day concluded with an accidental 3 hour nap.  Whoops.  It was meant to be only 20 minutes.  Oh well.  Fortunately, I had nothing pressing needing to be accomplished, so I felt absolutely no guilt whatsoever about sleeping half of my day away.  

I have also decided that brunch is my favorite thing on Sundays.  I don't know exactly why, I just know it makes me insanely happy.  Maybe it's because mimosa's are always a part of it??

Outfit Details:
Booties: Ecote Mixed Slouch Ankle Boot via Urban Outfitters
Pants: Zella 'Live In' Leggings via Nordstrom
Baseball Tee: HM
Blazer: Mossimo via Target
Scarf: Nordstrom Rack
Crossbody: Kate Spade (2 years ago)
Sunnies: Elizabeth & James via Nordstrom

Fall Felt Series: DIY Needle Felted & Hand Beaded Shoulder Embellishments

It's Day 4 of our Annual Fall Felt Series! Yay!  It's bittersweet, though.  So far, this is my favorite series of ours and I'm sad to see it coming to an end.

I'm super excited about this DIY!  It seems overwhelming, I know... but, trust me, it's worth the patience you'll invest in it!  This DIY Needle Felted and Hand Beaded Shoulder Embellishment is the most amazing addition to any boring, plain sweater you might have laying around.  

What you'll need:

A sweater

Felt

Thread

Seed Beads

Needle felting tool

Needle felting brush

For my felt, I used For this project I used Michael Levine's Classic Navy 100% Wool Felt.

This is the before.. boring, plain... BLAH.  It needs a little something extra, I thought.

I measured the length of the shoulder seam, from collar to sleeve.  I made my triangle exactly that long and half that wide.

Next, pin it in place and then try on your sweater to make sure you like where your embellishment lies.

Once you've settled on placement, starting punching away with your needle felting tool and brush.  Remove pins one at a time as you go along needle felting to make sure the felt stays in place.  When you get both felt pieces needle felted on, you can start your beading!  I just made up my design as I went.  I used tiny little copper colored seed beads and black thread.  There's really no technique to this other than exercising A LOT of patience!!  You just need to keep reminding yourself how amazing the outcome is going to be!

For the record, I am totally digging black and navy together right now!

Total outfit details: Sweater and Pants - HM, Shoes - Kenneth Cole New York, Necklace - Rosewood

Don't forget to check out LowPriceFabrics.com and grab the discount code from our sidebar!  We are so incredibly excited to have them sponsoring this series.  Seriously, their deals are to die for!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

(Shan) WEARs: LBD with a Flash of Neon

This LBD (long black dress) is one of those things that's been sitting in my closet for years, and I decided to finally put it to use again.  It's so comfy that I felt like I was wearing a nightgown to work.  Most maxi dresses are too long for me to feel comfortable in... this one just happens to be the perfect length.  I bought this dress so long ago, though, that I don't even think dresses this length are sold anymore.  (Perhaps Jen could muster up a sweet little calf-length maxi pattern for us...?  **wink wink**)   

Details:
Dress - Kenneth Cole
Denim Jacket - Charlotte Russe (about 12 years ago!)
Peep Toes - Tahari
Belt - Ann Taylor
Timepiece - Vince Camuto via Nordstrom
Bracelets - No idea!
Necklace - Freedom by Topshop via Nordstrom
Lipstick - Party Proof Matte Lipstick by Model Co in Peony
Nails - Ciate Corrupted Neon Manicure in Electronica

MAKE: Para Cord & Vintage Scarf Ring Necklace

Last month we shared this tutorial over at Whipperberry as our first post as part of the Whipperberry Creative Team.  (so exciting!)  We absolutely love working with Heather and are so grateful for the opportunity she's given us.

Of course, you all know how much we love going to estate sales and finding forgotten treasures. You see our photos on FB almost every weekend!  (We did a whole series about our strategies here.)  So, naturally, many many projects come from our compulsive saling.  Today I'm showing you how to make a necklace using para cord from the hardware store and a vintage scarf ring that I got for 25 cents at an estate sale. Yay!

As you can see, my cord got a little tangled.  It took me a good 15 minutes to even find the ends to begin untangling it. 

For my necklace I used 6 strands that were 6' long each, folded in half, with a tie around the middle.  That gives 12 - 36" strands to braid.

I braided 3 groups of 4 strands to get a thick, sturdy braid.  Once the braid is complete, tie some cord around the end and use a hot glue gun to secure the ends together.

Next, slide your scarf ring on.

The hard part is fixing the 2 ends together.  I used the tie that held the looped ends together and joined the 2 ends.  Use hot glue to secure any pieces you think may come loose.

Slide the scarf ring over the joint to hide it.  I made sure it wouldn't move by putting some glue inside the ring, then wrapping 5 loops of cord on either side of the ring. 

 

I actually love this necklace so much that it gets worn at least once a week. I'm actually wearing it right now!  You could even get fancy and change the shape of the necklace by using some copper piping elbow joints... I whipped one up, but forgot to take photos. I'll have to share those at another time.

Jen and I wish you guys a Happy Independence Day!  Have a blast partying and watching the fireworks! 

(Shan) WEARs: Purple & Black

 

I've been wanting to do more style posts lately, so I figured now was as good a time to start as any!  Doing posts like this really help challenge my creativity with my wardrobe.  I have a lot of clothes.  A LOT.  But, I tend to wear the same things over and over again.  I'm really trying to break that habit!  Once a week I try to wear something I haven't worn in more than 6 months.  

Today, it was these shoes.  I love these shoes!  Why don't I wear them more? I have no idea.

I love the intricacy of the back of this top.  It was what drew me to it.  It's so fun and different!

 

Detes:
Top:  ASTR via Nordstrom
Tank: Marshalls
Skirt: H&M
Scarf: American Apparel
Shoes: ShoeDazzle (a few years ago)
Bracelets: No idea!!

It's going to take some getting used to taking and posting photos of myself when it comes to outfits.  It makes me feel narcissistic and I don't like that very much.  I'm not doing this to show myself off, but to help inspire some fun and creativity in your own outfits!  It's not hard to mix things up with what you already have... this can be an adventure we have together!  xoxo