Black & Brown :: Faux Leather Skirt & Blue Sweater

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning everyone! Friday has finally arrived. I could just squeal with excitement! This weekend we're getting our engagement pictures done by Angelica Criscuolo Photography. While researching photographers, I saw her New York engagement photos all over the internet! She was perfect for the shots we wanted for our photos. As luck would have it, she had one open spot in October. So we booked her for October 19th. 

We're going to have our pictures taken at two iconic places in New York; Grand Central Station (my favorite place in New York) and Central Park (Matt's favorite place in New York). Matt and I had our final dress rehearsal a few nights ago and we're going to keep it formal and simple. Looking forward to sharing with everyone!

Hope you enjoyed today's outfit. This sweater is one of my favorite from Banana. I've had it for three years and I never get tired of wearing it during the fall. The blue and black lace went well with the brown faux leather skirt from Zara. I'd loved to wear something like this to work, but I think this outfit is more appropriate for woman who work in more female dominated workplaces. Men really don't understand the new trend with leather. 

Have a great weekend.

Places to wear this outfit :: casual work environment, meet friends for dinner, engagement party, birthday party

Sweater :: Banana Republic old (love this J.Crew sweater)

Skirt :: Zara 

Heels :: Valentino

Bag :: Fendi

Necklace :: DIY necklace found on Glitter 'N Glue

Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudgens

DIY :: Chalkboard Wine Glasses

 

 

 

 

 

 Looking forward to finally post this DIY! A few weeks ago I hosted a wine & cheese blogger event. While looking through several Pinterest ideas, I stumbled upon DIY chalkboard wine glasses. I was in love! The project looked easy and I'm always up for a quick DIY project.

We had extra chalkboard paint from the accent wall I painted in our room and picked up a set of wine glasses from TJ Maxx for $14.99. I dug through my craft supplies and found a sponge brush and masking tape. The project took 2 hour from beginning to end.

Steps

1. Wash & dry wine glasses

2. Tape glasses 1 inch above base

3. Paint first coat & let dry for 15mins 

4. Paint second coat & let dry for 15mins

Tips

I'd recommend dipping the glasses if I were to do over again, check out video tutorial here

Use a drop cloth prior to painting

Wait 24 hours prior to writing on chalkboard

Hope you enjoy the tutorial. Anyone who loves "DIY" projects I'd recommend having a can of chalkboard paint in you house. There are so many great ideas on how to use throughout your home.

orange pants by olivia j.

Last week I met Matt for lunch downtown San Francisco.  On our lunch date I wore my new orange pants.  These pants have been in the making for a few weeks.  I'd work on them, put them away, work on them, get frustrated, put them away and finally I finished them! They are a little big, as you can see.  I'm not a big fan of the outfit, but I think overall the pants turned out great.  What do you think about orange pants? Rosie rocked them! I'm working on that. I didn't want to look like Halloween, so I didn't wear black...oh yes, nor did I want to look like an SF Giant's fan.  As I rode the bus downtown, everyone had black and orange on.  They probably thought I was the biggest fan. Little do they know ;) 

My next project is navy pants with white piping down the side! Wish me luck.  J. Crew is my inspiration. 

diy jeans with pearls

 

This DIY was inspired by 7 For All Mankind Denim Jacket with Pearls.  I've seen a few bloggers with similar pieces, so I thought I'd fix up my favorite pair of citizens and see how they turned out! This project only took 10 minutes to complete.  It's a great way to make a plain pair of jeans a little more dainty. 

Material

- jeans

- plastic 5mm pearls (100 ct)

- Gem-Tac

Step 1- get your favorite pair of jeans, pearls, and Gem Tac

Step 2- put small drops of glue on the pants

Step 3- place drops of glue on pants, more pearls at top and fewer at bottom. Wait 24 hours to dry and they are ready to wear! The glue is really strong.

diy dress to skirt

This project was inspired by one of my favorite dresses.  I haven't been worn this dress in several years, but I kept it...just in case it came back in style! The best thing about keeping your old clothes that you LOVE is that you can always transform it into a beautiful new piece for your collection.

Material: 

- scissors

- elastic 2/4 inch 

- pins 

- measuring tape

- safety pin

Step 1: measure your waist and measure the width of elastic

Step 2: turn skirt inside out & make markings about 1 inch above original waistline

Step 3: make markings along waistline and draw a line to connect dots

Step 4: cut along line

Step 5: fold over the top of the waistline to the bottom with wrong sides together, pin in place

Step 6: sew 3/4 along waistline, leaving opening for elastic 

Step 7: pin safety pin at end of elastic

Step 8: feed elastic through top of skirt

Step 9: sew close opening of skirt

diy stud bracelet

Material: 

- studs (purchased from esty)

- thick thready with elastic 

- scissors

This project is relatively easy.  The hardest part about this project is finding the studs.  I'd highly recommend purchasing from the link provided.  The lady I worked with in China was fast and efficient.  Happy DIYing!

Step 1: tie a small knot at end of thread

Step 2: thread the studs, measure what length fits you best

Step 3: tie several knots to tie the bracelet. I'd recommend leaving some slack, this way the studs will lay correctly.

 

diy lace skirt

The skirt before it got a makeover!

You'll need an old skirt, lace fabric, scissor, seam ripper, pins, ruler

Step 1: Steam rip sides of skirt.

Seams are ripped on each side.

Step 2: Lay lace over skirt.  Make sure the lace is longer than the skirt.  Cut lace to fit skirt.

Step 3: Pin lace to skirt.

Step 4: Sew lace to both sides of skirts.

Step 5: Trim ends of lace.  Do not cut lace at top of skirt.

Step 6: Cut lace along zipper. You will have raw edges. Use a zigzag stitch along zipper to secure. The top of lace, iron and sew along top of skirt.

 

Hope you enjoy the tutorial.  Lace is one of the most popular trends for spring.  This is an easy way to incorporate lace in your wardrobe for $15! My khaki skirt is from Banana Republic.  I was going to sell it online, but I figured I could revamp the skirt.  The lace was purchased at Joann's.  Make sure you take the skirt with you, so you can measure how much lace you'll need for your project.