A Little Detour

By now, we all have figured out that I love fashion.  Big surprise, huh???  So, today, I want to take a mini detour to share a new-found love.  The new love of sewing and crafting! 

When I was a kid, my mom made ALL of our clothes, right down to matching blue corduroy overalls for her and me!  There is photographic evidence somewhere!  She sewed all of my baton recital outfits.  Also a ton of photographic evidence!  She could do anything with her machine.  She tried, at various times, to pass that along to me.  Sometimes I was interested, sometimes, not so much. 

Last year, my Christmas present (which I bought myself!!) was a Singer sewing machine, on sale at Target.  Oh wait.  By last year, I mean 2010!  Guess where that machine has been ever since?  Yep, sealed up in the box in our basement.  It makes a great Barbie house or pool or whatever the girls use it for!  But, at the inspiration of my dear friend, Hilani at www.hilanimade.com, the machine made an appearance about two months ago. 

She convinced me that I could make these Starboard skirts.  So, my sewing odyssey began.  Simple Simon & Co. Starboard Skirt Tutorial 

My first lesson was very professional.  I learned all about tension, length and threading the bobbin.  I learned about needle size and how important it is to buy good thread.  Hilani is a great teacher!  On my first day, I made this:

Since, then I have made these for the girls:

They love them.  They are comfortable and they get to pick out their own fabric!  It has become a great bonding activity.  The skirts take me about an hour to whip up!  Not bad for around $7 (for one yard of the fabric).  Yay for frugal me!

But, that wasn't enough.  I wanted more and more and more!  And so the Style U scarves were born!  Style U scarves are my baby!  I am addicted to finding new fabrics with fun colors and great patterns.  I promise to update all the new fabrics this week!  My husband now lovingly refers to our dining room as "The Sweat Shop".  We may need to finish the basement soon so that I can give the dining room back to the family. 

But, why stop at sewing?  I have taken up dying jean jackets to freshen them up and give them a new life!  Don't get rid of that 80's jacket you have been hanging on to!  Dye it!!  I used this tutorial to dye an old jean jacket for a friend. Dye your jeans or jacket.  Here are the before and after photos:
Before:

After: 

Also, with the help of the sewing goddess, Hilani, I figured out how to put the original hem onto jeans.  What used to cost me anywhere from $20-$30 now takes me about a half hour and the cost of a little bit of thred.  Yay me!  It isn't perfect on this first attempt, but I will get better!

Now, we can't mention crafting without mentioning the best, most creative, funnest (is that a word??) website ever created, Pinterest.  I love Pinterest so much!  Anything and everything you could ever think of is on that website.  I mean, check out my boards!  I have My Men (view at your own risk). I have my trip to Ireland. I have all my fashion stuff.  I mean, name it and you can find it on there! 

It also inspired a really fun girls' night for me and some of my friends.  Hilani blogs about it here.  I look so forward to these nights.  The rules are that you have to make a craft that you found on Pinterest and you have to bring a food item that you also found on Pinterest.  It really is a great time!

Here are some of the craftier things that I made with the inspiration from Pinterest: Nutter Butter Pirate cookies

A hanging "chandelier" centerpiece for Christmas:

I never thought I would be a "crafter".  But, it has become my therapy.  I have a mind that never stops.  Ever.  But when I am sewing, my mind is quiet.  I have to concentrate on other things and it is great.  Oh, also watching all four seasons of Mad Men helped too! 

Explore Pinterest and find some fun, easy things to do.  There are a ton of kid-friendly crafts, too!  Spring Break is here so find some fun stuff to do with the kiddos.  We are making this for dessert tonight: Peanut Butter Ball

Yum!!!!!!!!!

P.O.C.

Ahhh, my favorite acronym of the season!  It is music to my ears.  Oh, you don't know what it stands for?  Come on, my fashionistas! 

POP OF COLOR

You could say this is all Brad Goreski's fault!  Brad's show is where I first heard pop of color.  His pop was his socks.  Fabulous for the men in your life, but I am not wearing socks all that often lately!  So, how can you add a pop of color into your wardrobe this spring or summer?  The possibilities are endless.

Even if your wardrobe consists mostly of neutrals and you don't normally wear a lot of color, it is easy.  Don't be afraid of the color.  This is where you can be very creative without it being too overpowering.  Color is fresh, color is fun and color is easy!

So, where do you begin?  Begin with something easy.  Belts.  Right now, skinny belts are really in!  You can pair them with a great pair of capris and a little white t-shirt.  You can wear one with a short sleeved cardigan.  They really are very versatile.
Pastels:

Animal:

Beautiful colors:

Let's talk my favorite, shoes!  Shoes!  Shoes!  With shoes, the possibilities are endless.  Flip flop, wedges, peep toe pumps, ballet flats. And don't be afraid to mix your beautiful pop of color shoes with a top of a different color!  Because if one pop of color is good, two is great! Go wild! 

Last but certainly not least, we will once again discuss scarves!  Yay!!!!!  I love scarves.  I love scarves so much that soon, very soon, I will be launching a line of Style U Scarves, all handmade and all with a pop of color!  Stay tuned for my scarves, but until then, use scarves as a super easy pop of color!  You can wear them in a ponytail, as a belt, on your purse, and a million different ways around your lovely neck!

Now, let me add that there are other ways to add that great pop of color.  The most obvious, and maybe the easiest, is in your jewelry.  Bright bangles, big earrings, a fun necklace.  Instant color and an easy thing to mix up and change.  Purses are a fun way to add color.  Don't worry about "matching" your purse to your shoes or any other fashion "rule"!  I have a great blue bag that I use in the spring and this year I plan on using purse scarves to help dress it up.  A purse scarf is also going to renew my old standby, my black Coach purse.

On that note, as I've alluded to, I have been a sewing machine (no pun intended), thanks to my great pal, Hilani of Handmade by Hilani.  She taught me how to use my sewing machine and I have been spending every waking minute sewing a plethora of products for all of you to buy to add your pop of color to any wardrobe!  When I say every waking minute, I mean it!  My children have no clean clothes, my husband very carefully just asked me "Honey, can I help you with dinner?" and the house looks like a bomb went off, but I am doing it all for you!  So, the products will be up in my new online store soon.  Very soon!  Just as soon as I figure out how to get a good picture of the products. 

Thanks everyone!  Remember, don't be afraid to find your style!

Scarves......They're Not Just For Winter Anymore!

Ahhhhh, the scarf.  There is nothing better on a cold, winter day than throwing on your favorite sweater and wrapping your neck in a fabulous scarf.  Nice and warm.  Warm.  This is how most of us think of scarves.  But, as you know I love to do, let's step outside the box and think of another word to associate with the scarf!  Summer!!!!!!!!


The scarf has made a comback.  The scarf has been turned back into a major fashion accessory.  I love the pictures from the 50's and 60's of women with their hair wrapped so beautifully in a scarf.  Grace Kelly was the epitome of beauty in her scarves!

But at some point, the scarf turned from an accessory to a necessity for warmth.  My first scarf, and  still my favorite, was a Burberry plaid!  My Burberry scarf will forever be in my wardrobe but it is definitely a warm scarf!  But, I love scarves!  Love them! I want to wear them all.the.time. So, it has been so fun the last couple of years to see the popularity of lighter weight scarves.  They are everywhere!  And now they are showing up for summer. 


Summer?  Yes, I said it!  Summer.  Or Spring, if you prefer.  But the scarf is not just for warmth anymore!  The lightweight scarves are everywhere: Dressing up tank tops...

Mixing it up with patterns......

In DIY tutorials......

And one of my favs, in the hair.....

There are so many ways to wear the scarf!  Don't get into the rut of just wearing them one way.  Depending on your outfit or the temperature outside, you can mix up the way you wear your scarf. 

Don't be afraid to just wrap it around and try some different things.  I use my Stella & Dot brooches to do this one a lot!  Nothing wrong with adding a little bling to your scarf:

Now, eventually you will run into a major problem with your scarves.  Where do you put them all?  Oh, the problems we fashionistas have to deal with.  It's a hard life!  I have tried a few different things.  I put hooks on the inside of our coat closet door to hang them on.  All fine and dandy until I started getting more and more scarves.  This is my latest way to organize them, a simple 5-tier trouser hanger:

This one is great if you have some space behind a door.  A few tension shower rods and you have instant organization:

 And if you have some extra hangers and some shower rings, this one is simple and easy!

Some final tips for adding scarves to your wardrobe: Use them to add a pop of color to any outfit.  Use them to dress up a simple t-shirt or tank top.  Use them as an easy way to mix prints.  Need a belt?  Wrap one through your belt loops!  Be fearless in your scarves.  Check out my Pinterest Scarf Board and my Pinterest Styling Board for more great ideas on how to wear scarves any time of the year!

Closet Shopping

Now that I have embarked on this fun new adventure (and it is FUN!!), people ask me what I do.  I finally get to say "Oh, I do personal styling by doing Closet Shopping."  Everyone looks at me with a wonderfully quizzical, naive look!  "What is that?" is usually the response I get.  So, I thought it would be a great idea to walk you through a Closet Shop! 


Have I mentioned this is fun?  Well, it is!  O.K., so my first question to a client is "What is your style?"  That is a really hard question.  A lot of us know what we like but we don't really have a name for our style.  Boho Chic, Classic, Rocker, Biker, a mix of all, a cross between a few.  It is a tough question.  You certainly don't have to name your style, but it is sometimes helpful in letting me get some insight into what a client likes.  Probably a more direct question would be "What do you WANT your style to be?"  Some of us are stuck in jeans and t-shirts but we know that inner fashionista is in there somewhere!  Some of us are stuck in the 80's or 90's (I could totally still rock my big hair!) and we just need a little nudge to get into a current style.  Whatever the issue, we all could use another set of eyes on our closet.  Our clothes say a lot about who we are and how we feel about ourselves.  My goal is to make clients feel comfortable and beautiful and like they actually want to get dressed every morning!


I will go through a closet looking for a few classic pieces.  Can I tell you, I am beaming with pride this week!  A client had this fabulous soft grey velvet jacket.  I pulled it out and she immediately said "I only wear that about once a year, out to dinner and only with this one top."  Ahhh, just what I am looking for!  I rolled up the sleeves, paired it with some jeans and encouraged her that it could be an Everyday piece!  It was seriously gorgeous.  So, to my own amazement, this is what I saw the very next day when I ran into her at our kids' school:

She was rockin' that jacket with a beautiful scarf (that she immediately had gone out and bought after I left her closet!) and her Stella & Dot layered bracelets.  A star pupil!  Now, isn't that jacket so fabulous!  I am still smiling ear to ear!


Those few classic pieces can be added to to make so many great outfits.  Another client I worked with had a ton of those great little jackets that she loved but could never quite figure out how to wear them.  She also had a ton of printed t-shirts in great colors that still all had the tags on them!  Oh the horror!!!!  She loved the prints but then felt that she "stuck out" too much while wearing them, so she never put them on.  Not once!  Simple solution:

 This particular client came away with nine, count 'em, NINE outfits our of her closet that she said she would never have put together!  Here are a couple of the other great things she had laying around just waiting to be worn:

Notice how those super fabulous red striped wedges can be put with just about any casual outfit for a little pop of color!!  I love them!

Notice the fabulous jacket that we paired up with some trouser jeans and a dressier top for a night out.  The same jacket is in this picture, but paired with a bright color and some capris for a summer evening of fun:

Another common issue I run across is that most women think scarves are only for fall/winter.  No!  The lightweight scarves can add so much in the summer time.  Pair a bright scarf up with a white tank and some great capris and you are ready to go!  My client loved this skirt but it was sort of old and she thought she had to wear it in winter with tights.  Summer, here she comes!

 All of this great stuff was in her closet.  Some of it she wore but most of it still had tags on it.  All in all, we probably "shopped" about $200 worth of new outfits and she didn't spend a penny!


Most women have the makings of a great wardrobe.  Some just need a few things to pop into the new season.  For all my clients this spring, I am recommending little pops of bright colors!  Flip flops, skinny belts, scarves!  A few brightly colored camis or tank tops can make all the difference.  Pair up with a cute white, button-down shirt and you have a whole new outfit for very little money. 


Like I tell my clients, put an outfit on!  Just looking at stuff in your closet doesn't work.  Take two things that you would NEVER think to put together and put them on!  It might work, it might not.  But you don't know until you try.  You bought your clothes for a reason.  You liked them.  Try looking at them with a different eye and see what you might find!  That fashionista is in there!