30 for 30 Remix

Starting tomorrow, February 1st, I am taking part in a wardrobe 30 day remix.   It is called the "30 for 30 Remix" and was started by Kendi of Kendi Everyday.  She started it in order to spend less on clothes and work with what she already had in her closet. 


What does the Remix mean for me?  It means that I only get 30 articles of clothing for 30 days {pajamas, etc excluded}.    And no shopping. {This will be a hard one, but will be good for me since I am on a budget.}


What does this Remix mean for you?  You will get to see my outfits for 30 days in a row.  Lucky you...I hope to not bore you guys too much!


I have followed Kendi's past remixes and loved the outfits she is able to pull together with such a limited supply.


I am hoping this Remix teaches me to stop buying aimlessly and work new outfits out of what I already own.


These are the 30 items I chose:

{Some photos by me, the professional ones done by: CLE Clothing Co., Target, Gap, Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s, Old Navy, Urban Outfitters, Rocket Dog, and Toms}

First of all, I wear waaaaay too much black!  Second - if you counted the above, I am short by two items.  These two items will be a plaid jacket and another pair of jeans. 

Much Love Monday - The King's Speech + Sequins

It is still Sunday here, but I have a busy week, so I am posting this early :).


My husband and I went to see The King’s Speech this weekend and loved it.


I am not usually a huge fan of "feel good" movies because they can be so cheesy, but this one was not cheesy at all.  It was so well done.  From the script, to the amazing acting, to the costumes, to the cinematography, it was fantastic.

I have loved Colin Firth for years.  He rarely disappoints and absolutely excelled in this movie.

The King's Speech is the most Oscar worthy movie I have seen all year.  Go see it!

Other than that, I am also really loving sequins lately and have an insatiable urge to buy something covered in them.  Something such as a sequined dress from Modcloth or sequined shoes from Lulu*s.

Not sure where I would wear any of these, but I cannot stop thinking about them.


I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

What do you love today?  Blog about it and link up at Much Love Monday.

This week I am grateful for..my husband

About eight months ago, I cried every Sunday night because I didn't want to go to my job the next day. 


I was miserable.  And moody.  And hated every detail of Monday through Friday.


All I wanted to do was build my business full time, but I didn't think we would be able to survive off little to no income from me if I got the business going.

One day my husband said to me "I would rather be poor than see you so miserable."  That got me thinking.  I crunched numbers and realized we wouldn't be poor if I never made a cent, but we would have a lot less extra money.  My full intention is to make my business extremely profitable, but it takes time.


Since I quit my job in November, I have been making a little money and we are fine.


We do have less extra money for...I don't even know what for.  I don't even know where all that extra money went because I am wanting for nothing.


I wake up every morning happy and spend every day doing what I love.


I wish this life for everyone and I know it wouldn't be possible without my husband.  He works hard.  He deals with major stress and he makes my life and my business possible.

He definitely has a tendency to be dramatic and crazy and a bit emotionally unstable at times {he is Irish after all} but he has an amazing strength that he doesn't even realize.


His employees love him.  His friends and family love him.  He will do anything for those he loves.  He might moan about it for a minute, but at the end of the day he is there. 


I know he wishes with all his heart that he was the one building a company and I was the one slaving away in corporate America, but he sacrifices for me.  It is honestly the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.


What are you grateful for this week?  Write about it and link up over at Maxabella’s Blog.

Dog Dinosaur

This is slightly off topic for my blog, but I had to share.  My husband calls Gordita {our older, but smaller dog} a "dinosaur" because of the crazy noises she makes. 

Here's a video example {Note - Finn, our younger, but larger, dog is completely silent throughout this.  All the noise is coming from Gorditasaurus.}

Acute Jewelry Line

One of my "30 things I will do when I am 30" goals was to expand my jewelry line. 

I am happy to report that this has happened and I have more many designs in my head just waiting to be created {most of them to do with vintage lace..stay tuned}.


You can now find lots of earrings in my shop, including these very popular rosebud earrings {currently available in cream, pale pink, and brown}:

And these flower and leaf combos are also popular:

I made these black lace earrings last week, which sparked the vintage lace necklace idea {see above}.  They are super lightweight and a nice touch of drama to any look:

Another earring addition has been these tiny vintage hearts.  They're so cute and perfect for the upcoming holiday:

These large flower rings currently come in jade green and teal, but more colors will be added over the next few months. The rings are adjustable, yet durable and the over-sized flowers are fun to wear:

Finally, if you read this blog, you will know about my love of birds, so when I saw this vintage lovebird cameo, I knew it would make the sweetest necklace.  The design is simple and can easily be worn every day:

New Fashion Find - Threadsence

Last week, a friend of mine introduced me to the site Threadsence. 


It is an online, affordable, indie clothing store. 


Perfect combo.


I would love one of each of the following....

Brown Dress

Black Dress

Ruffled Black Tank

Gray Cardi

Gray Skirt

Sequined Mini Skirt

Brown Boots

Gray Boots

Weekend Wear - Comfy Cute

This is my kind of look.  Comfortable, laid back, but not sloppy.  Well, my husband did say I should have brushed my hair but I ignored his comments...

A few things I noticed while editing these pictures:

1. I could live in Tom's and these look a bit too lived in.  I think it's time for a new pair.

2. I guess I really prefer my left side. Who knew?

 

3. Despite what my husband says, I think my hair looks better un-brushed.  I know there will be a day when I will have to dye and brush my hair. Until then, I am just going to be low maintenance.

Sweater - Urban Outfitters {bought a few years ago for about $45}

Black tank top - Old Navy {probably paid about $8}

Skirt - American Apparel {bought on sale at Loehmann’s for $2}

Leggings - Target {probably about $6}

Shoes - Toms {$44 and worth.every.penny.}



DIY Jewelry and Accessory Organization

The other day, I shared an embarrassingly messy picture of my jewelry box and my desire to make it look...better. {Read all about it here.}


The jewelry box was the first thing to tackle, but then I realized I had lots of hair accessories that needed a home.


My first thought was to get a large frame from the thrift store, possibly paint it, hang wire across it {and maybe some hooks} and voila - jewelry problem solved.


At the thrift store, I was unimpressed by the frames.  Instead, I found this round silver tray.

It was all sorts of tarnished, so I used a box of jewelry cleaning cloths and polished it.  Now it is shiny.  I had some wire for jewelry making that I strung across it in two different sections.

This was so much easier and quicker than the paint slash picture frame thing.


In order to keep my spending down and use what I have, I grabbed two display pieces {which I normally store in the garage and pull out just for craft fairs} and used one for hair accessories and the other for necklaces.

Last, I have a slight obsession with buying pretty antique and vintage dishes, so I used two of the smaller ones to create a home for bobby pins and rings.

It is all so nice and organized now and I found so many pieces that had been long forgotten. 

Beyond the organization, the second best thing about this project is that it cost me only $3.99 {silver tray}!  Everything else I had around the house.  I love inexpensive makeovers.

Much Love Monday - Ricky Gervais

Last weekend, Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes and got all sorts of negative feedback. He was too harsh, he was crude, he was mean to the Hollywood Foreign Press....who cares?  The American media can be so sensitive sometimes. 

I didn't love every single one of his jokes, but overall, he did a great job.  Celebs expect a few jabs from these types of comedians. 

As Joan Rivers said in response to Ricky's performance: "The smart ones get it..."

I couldn't agree more.

Ricky was on the new Piers Morgan show and the interview was fantastic.  If you're a fan, I highly recommend finding it online.

Other things I am loving this Monday:

-adorable vintage heart earrings {now for sale in my shop}

-simple homemade ravioli - get the recipe here

What do you love today?  Blog about it and link up over at Much Love Monday.

Have a wonderful week!

Jewelry Organizer

Right now my jewelry box looks like this:

I would like it to look like this:

So, I plan to make something similar.  Wish me luck.


DIY details to follow....

{Neat jewelry photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens}

This week I am grateful for...Sunny Weather

Even though I miss living in Ohio, I sure don't miss the winter weather. Snow and I are opposites.  Opposites that do not attract.


I will make it a point to not move back to the Midwest during the winter months.  Cold weather scares me.


The fact that most of the country is covered in snow and/or freezing makes me grateful for the extra warm temps and sunny skies we have had all week in Southern California.


It is true that I miss my friends and family, but I am so happy to be sitting in the warm sun.

{It could either be like this...taken 5 years ago at my parent's house.}

{Or like this...taken today.  I will take the sunshine for as long as I can get it!}

What are you grateful for this week?  Blog about it and link up over at Maxabella’s blog.

The Talmadge Line

A few months ago, I got a little lost walking my puppy around our new-ish neighborhood {we moved here last August}.  As I walked, I noticed that many of the streets have female first names. 

Really pretty names.  I loved it.

I did a Wikipedia search on the neighborhood and found out that our new 'hood, Talmadge, is named after the three Talmadge Sisters - Natalie, Constance, and Norma.  The sisters were silent film stars in the 1920s and they bought this land and made a real estate development.  Pretty cool.

{Constance Talmadge}

{Natalie Talmadge}

{Norma Talmadge}

The Talmadge sisters are my inspiration for the new line.  All the pieces are named after streets in the neighborhood and each is designed with a 1920s feel.


There are currently six styles in my shop and more will be added in the next week.

Dressed Up Weekend Wear

This weekend I had a party to go to, so I put on a party dress and had too good of a time.  Yes, it's possible to have too good of a time.  Trust me.

Dress - Chupi {bought on sale in Dublin for about $27}

Necklace - {bought in Ireland for about $45}

Leggings -  Lauren Conrad for Kohl's {bought on sale for $1.99}

Valentines and such

I was at Rite Aide Saturday buying beer {yes, I get beer at Rite Aide....don't laugh, it's super cheap} and the line was snaked through the seasonal aisle.  I stood there; arms weighed down by Heineken, staring at all the adorable Valentine's Day Cards. 


I had memories of my elementary school days and picking out which cards I would get for the party at school. 

Then I remembered the year my mom gave me a Make-Your-Own-Valentine's Kit...that was the best year.


The kit was full of heart stickers, doilies, cupids, etc.  I wish I still had it. 

I tried to find something similar online and failed.  They just don't make stuff like that anymore {or I am lazy and don't feel like looking very hard}.


Instead, I found these cards....I guarantee that all of them are cuter than the ones I made when I was 10.

{Monkey Mind Design}

{Rifle Paper Co.}

{A Punkin Card Company}

{Avie Designs}

{Lucky Bee Press}