rhinestones are a girl's budget friendly best friend

I have a bunch of weddings still coming up and I am so tempted to go a little more glam with my accessories to liven up a few of my old dresses. How cute is this Art Deco hair clip? I would love to add one to my vintage rhinestone collection. (Found on ebay.)

sparkly things

Why hello there, little sparkly bracelet. Welcome to my jewelry box!

I dropped by one of my favorite antique stores, Antiquarian's Delight, today for some supplies and this little beauty caught my eye and I just couldn't resist. I think this is going to be a perfect addition to the jewelry I have picked out for a wedding I am going to this weekend. I love the little rhinestones on the clasp!

leather and silver

I have been eyeing up some great leather bracelets lately and I am feeling the need to start piling different styles on my arm, possibly mixed in with some of my silver bangles. Here are some styles I love:I love this bracelet for the multiple beaded rows that make a bigger impact on your wrist.
I love this bracelet for the way it could easily be combined with silver bangles.
I love this bracelet for it's simplicity.

warm weather scarves

Who said scarves are just for winter?! As a lover of scarves, as soon as the temperature dips below 75 degrees, I start pulling out the winter scarves. So it's not a surprise that I am loving the trend and availability of warm weather scarves lately. This scarf from Anthropologie is on my must-have list for the season. With it's bright pop of summery color and it's thin open knit, this seems perfect to carry me through a season of chilly air-conditioning.

a little pick me up

Woke up this morning feeling a little less than spectacular with very little time to make myself all pretty. I decided to wear a head scarf a la 1940s swimsuit pin-up, like the photo above, with my curls pinned back into a messy bun. Just a little something to make my day a teensy bit more fun.

snow white

28.5" of snow later, things are starting to move again in Philadelphia (just in time to prepare for another Nor'easter on it's way to us Tuesday evening). This weekend's storm was surreal... it looked like a snowglobe outside. Everything just stopped and was so quiet. Quite remarkable for the city! Here was the view from our house's stoop, mid-storm...I love snow (despite the fact that it seems to keep ruining my weekend plans this year). I feel like a little kid when I am out in the snow, and I can't help but smile. It makes me want to dress all cozy in winter whites! Here are a few things I would love to be wearing in this snowy weather......all of which were found on etsy... even better! (Slouchy knit hat by katazyna, cowl knit scarf by minggusandmoob, and fingerless knit mittens by morava.)

Crossing my fingers for a snow day on Wednesday!!!

happy new years!

Now, I am not a go-all-out kind of New Years Eve girl but this year I have been dying for an excuse to wear sequins and sparkles, and what better day to do that than New Years Eve. Here's the outfit I am putting together for our low-key house party:I purchased a similar top from Old Navy in a tank version but this top is equally inexpensive (and on sale) at Ann Taylor Loft. I would also love to pair it with a similar necklace as shown... maybe some layers of long sterling chains. The rhinestone bracelet from Anthropologie has been on my wish list for awhile and I feel like I now have an excuse to buy it (especially with the gift card I received that is burning a hole in my wallet!). I am going to let the bracelet be the statement accessory and plan to pair it with simple diamond stud earrings and an understated sequined double headband. Not a crazy sparkly outfit by any means, but for someone who barely steps out in anything but solid earth tones and black, this is quite the departure!

Happy New Year! See you in 2010!

embracing my girlier side

Growing up, I was never what people called "girly." I never played princess, I never decorated with hearts, and I NEVER wore pink unless against my will. I grumbled about being dressed up in dresses by my mother and, when I was old enough to choose my own ensembles, I wore men's t-shirts and jeans for most of my adolescence. Even now, I wouldn't call myself "girly," persay. I still don't wear pink. But I am starting to embrace those feminine touches that make someone not traditionally "girly" feel a little more so without breaking their comfort level boundaries... number one example, ruffles. I love them! And lucky for me, they seem to be everywhere lately.

I am totally obsessed with the idea of manipulating one of my old scarves with some elastic thread and seeing how the ruffles will transform a basic scarf into a major accessory statement with feminine edge, like this lovely, but rather expensive, cashmere version:

accessory fun

The Italian Vogue Accessory magazine is here!!! I will be entertained for hours.

a walk in Philadelphia

I was walking around Center City this weekend and some cute accessories two girls were wearing caught my eye. I am often inspired by what people are wearing around me. I feel like my eye is always looking out for something new. It is also a test on what your mind remembers... it would be a fun experiment to glimpse something quickly, make a replication from memory, and then look back at the original and see what you took away from it. I am sure the designs would vary greatly but would hold some similar key points! So here they are... one cute black bow headband and chain link earrings:I am headed off to Seattle tomorrow for work for a few days and I plan to be chock full of inspiration when I get back! I'll share photos as soon as I can!

titanic... I love it... so shoot me!

After watching Revolutionary Road, I had a slight desire to rewatch Titanic. It had been quite awhile since I had last seen this movie in entirety, but I decided to make the 3 hour commitment this past weekend. And once again, I wasn't disappointed (and I am not ashamed to admit it!). The look of this film is breathtaking... the set design, the costumes! I am a huge fan of Kate Winslet and the history behind the Titanic, but even if you are not an avid fan of either, this movie is still wonderful eye candy. This movie was a huge inspiration to me when I was younger... it started me on my path to recreating era hairstyles and sparked my collection of vintage hair combs. And after watching it once again, I feel like re-introducing into my life some of the 1910 styles I adopted when I was younger.

knitting update

So, over the last few weeks, I have been practicing my knitting techniques. There is something about repetitive tasks and trying to make something as neat and consistent as possible that I love...

Despite my love for mastering a technique, I have to admit my desire for instant gratification is overpowering. But I am determined to stick with it to complete my dream hoodie scarf in the end...

an adventure into applique!

My work held another lunchtime "how-to" session this afternoon and of course I couldn't resist attending another one. Fellow Urban Inc. employee and crafter extraordinaire, Kayte Terry (http://www.thisisloveforever.com/ ), taught us how to applique. I have tested my hand at embroidery before but it was exciting to finally experiment with this technique. It was hard to get my perfectionist side in check since I only had an hour to learn and complete the project, but it was so much fun. Here's the result:

fabric flowers and soft details

You may have noticed already the rise in fabric being used within jewelry lately. I have been experimenting with it myself for a little bit now and I am loving the contrast between soft and hard materials. Here is one sample:Fabric flowers seem to be adorning the necks of women everywhere (or at least they will be soon!). And I am currently obsessed with searching the internet to find ways to make different flowers out of fabric. I am in love with this necklace from Anthropologie as a twist on fabric ranunculus (and, again, I am loving the mix of soft and hard materials):This is quite the statement piece but when worn right can really make an outfit. If you are not quite ready to make the plunge into such an extreme necklace, I recommend the scarf/ soft necklace hybrid. I fell in love with the etsy designer, Necklush, about a year ago and immediately bought two scarves in one shot. Love 'em! (Check them out at http://www.necklush.etsy.com/).

dangerous territory!

I took a knitting class over lunch this afternoon and absolutely loved it. I have attempted to teach myself to knit in the past but could never quite troubleshoot some steps on my own or from the illustrated instruction booklets I purchased. When my company offered a free "learn how to knit" class, I jumped at the opportunity and signed up. Heather Dixon, knitter extraordinaire, came from NYC to teach the class (check out her blog at: http://armyofknitters.blogspot.com/). The hour long session went by in a flash but during that time I was able to push through and overcome the problems I was having before. Needless to say, I raced home this evening from work to continue working on my knitting techniques. A new craft is dangerous territory for me! I may just have to run out tomorrow to a craft store and load up on some new supplies!!!

flower headbands and family

This past weekend, my husband and I went to visit family in New Jersey and I made a gift for my little cousin, Kleio. I just got this wonderful picture of her modeling the headband I made for her...I wear a lot of headbands, hair combs, scarves, etc. in my hair (I am obsessed with creating hairstyles a la Jane Austen with my curly hair) so naturally I started exploring making hair accessories myself, just like with jewelry. (Kleio makes a much cuter model for my stuff though!) I am working on different designs and different flower patterns but the one Kleio is wearing is one of my favorites.

Speaking of family... I need to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big brother, Rick! He is such an amazing person and a great source of inspiration to me. Check out his blog site: http://ricksflickspicks.animationblogspot.com/.