Monogram Frenzy

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So, if you love monograms, which I do, you will love this post. I have been using this site for a few years, and thought I would share my little secret with you. It's called Printable Monograms, and it is the best thing to happen to every woman on earth. Basically its a vault of adorable, customizable, printable monograms. Can you say thank you Jesus? Because I know we all, well at least I, have a craving for monograms but can never find any cute ones, or they cost too much money. Check out how I DIY-ed my own monogram on a tumbler and sunnies for less $$  --> (click on picture)

               

When you want to download something however, there is a catch. It used to be that you could save them and change your monogram on your own computer, but I found that with their update, it is best to change the monogram on the site when it pulls up the PDF, and print it straight from there. This prevents and font mess ups downloading it to your computer can cause. Some of them you need to type in special characters for the third letter, but they have instructions on the page for that, just make sure to read them otherwise you will get very frustrated because it won't turn out like you want it. 

They have added a bunch this spring and I am in love! Here are some of my favorites, click on the picture to go straight to the page where you can download it. To go to their full website, click here.

So there it is ladies! My little monogram cuteness secret. Have fun going through all their stuff! (Btw, the first one on the last row: the yellow spots are lemons! I have serious lemon obsession right now)

Maxi Skirt (Day to Night)

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Well lovelies, it's here . . . maxi-skirt season!! And I couldn't be happier. Maxi skirts are such a versatile piece that can be dressed up or down. Today I did two styles, one as a day wear and the other for night (or for me, date night!). 

This maxi I found at T.J.Maxx last season on sale for $15, so naturally I had to snag it. The chambray shirt I got from Gap a couple of years ago but now it is too small and so I normally do not wear it, but in this look I wanted a shirt I could knot up and so it worked out perfectly. I feel like J.Crew Factory is my dirty little secret, because lately I am constantly on their site, stalking their clothes. So here are some other options for a chambray shirt from JCF --> Short Sleeve | Dotted | Two Pocket | Light Wash | Light Wash Pop Over  

For my day look, I knotted my chambray shirt, pulled my hair into a loose braid, and slapped on some gladiator sandals to run some errands. Kept the accessories pretty simple, because I mean who wants to run errands with a million things on their wrists. And knotting shirts (or anything really) is my new favorite thing. It turns a piece that you already have into a fun and cool look for the warm spring weather.

For my night look, I wanted to wear the exact same thing to show that you don't have to bring a whole other pair of clothes if you are wanting to go out in the evenings. All the jewelry and clothing is the same, I just let my hair down, pulled out my wallet which doubles as a clutch, knotted my skirt, and put on some amazing heels. Voilá! Now you can go out and have some fun! So the only extra thing you have to pack is a nice pair of wedges or heels.

The shoes I got yesterday at our local Shoe Show (because it's really the only place to get cheap shoes in our small town) for Bogo 50%off. They ended up being about $15, while the other pair was the same shoe only in black. I felt like this was the perfect edgy spring wedge, plus it was super comfortable.

Now for how to knot the maxi. I would never thought of this idea, except I had an awesome revelation one day. I was in school up in North Carolina, I was headed to our heaven Super Target, and while I was getting out of the car, I found myself admiring this lady with her adorable baby and glamorous maxi skirt. For one, the baby was so so cute, and two, she was a fit and stylish mom, which I aspire to be one day. But as she was walking inside, her skirt was getting in the way, so she put the toddler down, reached down, and knotted her maxi skirt right there! I was like, "Waaahh?!" Never had I before seen a knotted skirt, and never would I have thought that it would be so cute! So from then on, I have knotted my maxi skirts. It was one of my biggest fashion Ah-ha moments ever.

Hope this helps you rethink your wardrobe! Even if you think maxi skirts aren't meant for you, give them a try! They are so easy to slip on if you don't want to wear shorts or long pants (or just don't want to shave). Show me how you wear your maxi!

Mothers Day 2014

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Happy (late) Mothers Day! I just wanted to take a minute to tell you how amazing my mother is. She does so much for me without being recognized and is so great at encouraging me to be the best I can be. So a big thank you goes out to my mother (and Grandmother) and all the other moms out there for being so amazing! And in this shot, we are all so much taller than we appear. I'm 5' 8" and am wearing probably 4" wedges, which makes me just a tad taller than my grandmother. And my mom is like supermodel tall in those awesome navy wedges! Needless to say, we don't lack hight in this family.

(Grandmother, Me, Mother)

So for Mothers Day, me and my family usually go to the 1818 Club to eat brunch with the rest of my family. Sidenote: it is the best food I eat all year long. I wore this sheath dress (Feral Outfitters: 60% off $65) to the club with my white wedges (Payless BOGO $10 last spring). Because this dress was so beautiful and a busy print, I paired it with dainty accessories and my clustered pearl necklace (also from Feral). I really wish I had some funky purple heels to go with this dress, but my wallet is slowly catching up with my style. I recycled my bracelet from a gaudy gemstone bracelet with the ugliest gold I had ever seen, and just tore off the gems and sprayed it gold and it turned out beautifully.

So this is a funny story. There are a million carpenter bees under this deck for some reason, and today was especially hot so they were swarming about. And in between shots, one flew into my hair. This is my worst nightmare, because I mean, look at how much hair I have. And it is five times thicker than it actually looks so I was worried that I would never find it. And when I get stung, I swell up like none other. So needless to say, that was an interesting shoot.

So Happy Mothers Day to all those wonderful women out there who are mothers! Make sure to let your mom know that she is appreciated.

Cinco de Mayo

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Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Otherwise known as the fifth of may. This is a holiday that celebrates Mexico's unlikely victory over Napoleon's army at the Battle of Puebla. (I like history) But if you ask most Americans, they will say it's just another holiday to party;) 

This wonderfully springy dress that I got from Dress Up Boutique a few years ago was the lightest and brightest that I had in my closet. And these wedges just made my day when I pulled them out of the "Spring Clothes" box. And can we talk about this fringe purse? I mean, it was almost a giveaway a year ago, but I'm so thankful that I kept it, because it is awesome. It was from the best and most affordable purse store ever. . . Target! I also put a spin on it by tucking in the strap and carrying it as a clutch!

I love to take something that I have already (and either don't like anymore or don't wear), and turn it into something that I love. And that's what I did with this necklace. I had some old beads in a drawer and put some together with a tassel on the end and it turned out great. 

I just wanted to give you a shot of these beautiful earrings from the one and only Target. The killer wedges I got from Payless' spring line last year, coupled with an awesome pair of flats for BOGO! So they ended up being about $10! And they are surprisingly super comfortable. Having a big sturdy platform is much easier to walk in than you think. It is actually more comfortable than wearing a thin stiletto that you have to balance on your tip toes. 

DIY Lilly Letter

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Have you ever had those things around your house that you can't seem to get rid of? Because for some reason, every time spring cleaning comes around, you make a reason to keep it. Well. . . I had one of those moments. And it was with a wooden letter that I have had in my room for ages. I got it when I was probably in second grade, and I have always loved it (monogramming starts at a young age ladies). But seeing as I am about to turn 20, I wanted to revamp the color scheme and pattern a bit. The first go around didn't pan out quite like I wanted it to. I painted it a solid pinkish color with polka dots, but just wasn't satisfied. So then I had the grand idea to paint a Lilly Pulitzer pattern on it! I then decided on my all time favorite pattern, "First Impressions," which is always a classic. Here's a before/after shot:

Side-note: I don't want this blog to be like so many others in that I just put pictures up and you watch me live my life. I want this blog to be relatable and helpful, wether it be in stirring your creative or fashion juices.

 If you don't have the artistic gene, don't let this scare you! This pattern looks complicated, but it is truly not. So if you want to paint something with this pattern (or anything else for that matter), give it a shot! Heres how I did mine:

What you'll need:

- Whatever you're painting

- Paints

-Brushes

1. I started by painting my E white because I didn't want to paint it blue a million times. It took about 3 coats to get it as white as I wanted. 

2. Next, I painted the base light aqua. This layer took more coats than the others because it was a light color, plus I'm a little impatient. 

3. Now to start painting the flowers. This is a very important step and probably the most daunting. First, I pulled up my Lilly Pattern that I wanted on my iPhone so that I would have a guide. (Just Google "Lilly First Impressions" and a million pop up) 

Let's paint the base flower layer. You're thinking, "How am I supposed to do this?". But here's the low down: for this pattern, you want it to be kind of messy and whimsical. See, the first layer I did looks nothing like the finished product. So just start drawing some squiggly circles and you're on the right track. Remember, it is called "First Impressions" for a reason, it's not supposed to look perfect.

4. Now let's get to layering! This part is easy, so don't get bogged down if it's not looking like you want it to (because honestly, I was getting worried it was gonna look awful). You're gonna start mixing the red/white or pink/white to get the lighter shades. This was the first layer I did, just brick laying squiggly lines in a circular motion.

5. Now layer like you mean it! Keep mixing lighter and lighter shades until it is almost white. At this point, it still does not look like the real deal. But just keep putting those lighter layers in the squiggly motion getting slightly smaller as you move to the white shade. 

This is also where I started the leaves. In a leaf like shape I painted the first layer in the lightest lime green shade.

6. Now I know this is a big jump, but I got so caught up in my layering, that I forgot to take pictures in between. Butttt, you get the idea. Make sure to fill in the white layers, because that is the one that makes the rose really pop.

Also, put the finishing touches on the leaves, just adding some shadows and veins.

Voilá! A refurbished wooden Lilly Letter! It turned out better than I expected for my first Lilly pattern. I put it on my door inside my DIY-ed burlapped wreath for a springy feel. Good luck! Show me your projects and comment with any questions!