Thrifting Video!

I have uploaded my first "thrifting haul video" to youtube, thanks to the suggestion of Goodwill Huntingg!  This video documents my thrifting finds from my favorite local Salvation Army store in Eastgate, OH.  There is always an abundance of awesomeness at that particular S.A.....and by awesomeness, I mean super oldie pieces that even Goodwill doesn't have the likes of.  I always find a few gems when I shop there and this time was no different!  Check out the (bad quality) vid!  Some of the pieces I got will end up on here re-vamped on a Thrifting Tuesday in the very near future!  The prints on the first outfit and the Oscar top are amazing, it's just hard to tell from the video really....


Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=harcRKqyXWw

Fashionably Friday, February 25, 2011

Today, instead of doing my usual Fashionably Friday, since it is my birthday, I wanted to let you guys in on some secrets.  Ok, not really secrets, but more like truths that I have learned in my 24 years.  I am not quite excited to be 24, not that it is an extremely old age or anything but just that I had imagined a whole lot more to be accomplished in my life by this time.  The fact that I am turning 24 kind of is a slap in the face, making me realize all the things that have not gone the way I planned them.  I of course am a whole lot happier now than I was at this time last year, and especially happier than I was 6 or even 3 months ago.  But, like it or not I am now 24 and I have learned some things along the way...

Number 1 is that your family, whether you think so right now or not, is the most important thing in your life. Treat it that way.  You may not agree right now, but no matter how many friends and crappy situations you go through over the years your family and significant other will be right there behind you, supporting you, so take time to appreciate them.


Which brings me to number 2:  Crappy things happen.  It's true, and unfortunate.  I have definitely learned this lesson myself.  Things do not always go the way you imagined they would, and probably never will.  It's good to have high hopes about situations but if it does not turn out the way you wanted it to, do not get discouraged.  This is probably the hardest lesson I have had to learn, and is why I now value Number 1.


Number 3:  Have high hopes and dreams.  This is what will get you through the crappy times.  No matter how many times things go differently than planned, do not give up on your hopes or dreams. 
Set high goals for yourself, it is the only way you will stay motivated to meet them.


Number 4:  Do things that make you happy, even if it seems trivial.  If there is something in your life that you look forward to that makes you happy and gives you hope, do it.  It will help you to stay focused on Number 3 when Number 2 happens.


Number 5:  Smile at the little things.  Gorgeous weather, how adorable your cat looks curled up asleep on your lap, the taste of a delicious meal that you have cooked yourself.  Little moments of joy in each day cannot be overlooked.  They will help you to maintain a grasp on happiness in your life every day.


Number 6:  Always have time for your friends.  If you are constantly busy with work or other things step back and schedule time with a friend or two, especially if it has been a long time since you have seen each other.  It's always refreshing to catch up and have a laugh with people who know you well and can make you smile.


Number 7: (ties in with Number 6)  If you have someone in your life who does not treat you like a true friend, does not support you in your endeavors, or constantly causes drama for you or aggravates you, let them go.  Keep yourself surrounded with people who make your time worthwhile, not who bring you down.  It may feel hard to let go at first but I guarantee if you do, you will be happier in the end.


Number 8:  Have no regrets.  This has been another hard lesson for me to learn, and sometimes I still struggle with it, but I know it to be true.  The past is history, it has already happened, and there is nothing you can do to change it.  Things in the past may hurt or you may wish you had done things differently....get over it.  Live in the here and now, you and only you can control the choices you make today to ensure that you will be happy for the rest of your life.


Number 9:  Stay creative, stay curious.  Keep observing the world around you, and keep learning from it.  Be creative in each and every day.  Put your own mark on the world in whatever way you can, and never stop finding something new to enjoy or someone new to learn from, this will keep you moving onward and upward in life.


Number 10, and the most important, is: You can make mistakes.  And you will.  No one is perfect, no matter how hard you try to be or want yourself to be.  But the most important lesson is to learn from those mistakes and keep constantly improving yourself.  If you make a mistake, great!  Now you know what not to do the next time around.  Keep that in mind and it is true that you will go far.  Maybe not right away, because things take time, but if every day you are learning and growing it will not be long before you have arrived at your ultimate goal, and if along the way you have kept the rest of these lessons in mind, you will undoubtedly be healthy, happy, and satisfied with everything in your life, and have wonderful people around you to share it with.


Have a great weekend.  :)

Time for a little Spring Cleaning?

I have so much jewelry, and by making a new piece every day I am literally running out of places to store it.  I have jewelry boxes, I have those hanging closet jewelry pouch things, but it is for sure not enough.  I am at a point where my jewelry is getting lost or even worse, broken, because I just randomly take off whatever necklace or jewelry I wore that day and stash it wherever it fits...my car cup holders, in random handbags, even in yankee candle jars!  It has gotten pretty out of control, and my house has little to no storage as it is.  So the other day I got a random idea....why not store all my jewelry in my vanity/desk in my room?  I do not really use my vanity to get ready every day, it is more of just for 'looks' rather than actual use.  (It is my desk from elementary school, repainted silver instead of bubble gum pink)

And up until this point it was stuffed with random, mostly useless junk that I couldn't find another place for.  So I emptied it out and filled it with my 'jewels'!  The only problem now is what to do with the stuff that I took out of the desk, and I also need lots of drawer organizer things to keep the jewelry from getting tangled or something.  But that will come in time.  For now I am just happy to have one cohesive place to store it all.  And, after photographing these pictures of the filled drawers I started a hunt around my house for even more jewelry that was stashed around, and found even more pieces that are not shown in the pics!  And this is only necklaces and some bracelets.....my earrings are another story....hehe.  :)

Thrifting Tuesday, February 22, 2011

This piece today was originally created from a Christian Dior (Yes, Dior, people!) Vintage nightgown that I bought at Salvation army for a whole $2.

There was a giant gaping hole in the back, and a slight stain at the bottom hemline.

But  I knew when I saw it that this old piece of ripped up lingerie would make a great top, definitely in line with the romantic, lacy, lingerie-as-outerwear trend that I am loving.  (Check out Last Friday's Post for more details.)  The whole gown is so sheer and soft, it almost feels like it was woven with air.  A perfect compliment to spring, in my opinion.

I shortened the hem, mostly to get rid of the stained area, but also to make the gown feel less like pajamas and more like something that could be worn day to day.

I also had to hand stitch the hole in the back, because it was a pain in the butt when I tried to stitch it with the machine but I am happy to say it is all gone! 

After a slight change and paired with skinny jeans, some gorgeous long necklaces  (two of which I made, one is shown here ,) and a sweater to fight the chill that is still in the air, this nightgown is ready to see some daylight!!  Enjoy!

My new gauz-y american eagle cardi!

I wore a faux leather motorcycle jacket with the top to class that day that I snagged for less than $1

look who joined me on the porch!!....Zoeykitty <3

A Christmas Gift

I made earrings for one of my friends, Farah, for Christmas.  They are wire wrapped marble teardrop shapes, with green colored copper wiring and vintage crystal glass beads.  I, of course, got the marble teardrops from Fire Mountain Gems.  And I forgot, as usual, to photograph these earrings before I gave them to her, so I was so surprised and excited when last week she texted me a picture of herself wearing them at work!  It made me so happy!  And now you can see them and get an idea of what they looked like, though not up close.  Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday so far, and getting excited for my super-awesome Thrifting Tuesday post I have prepared for tomorrow.  (Spoiler alert:  if you by chance saw me on Friday, I was wearing the shirt that I will be posting tomorrow, and the compliments abounded!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.)

Thank you again Farah for sharing your photo with me!!!

Belated Valentine's Day Necklace

Yes, I realize that I was supposed to update this necklace almost a week ago, but with being sick I really had no energy or motivation to work on it....stupid flu!  But after getting caught up with all my homework and everything I am prepared to debut this very sparkly, red glass bead necklace!  If you remember, I sketched about this necklace with the post from Saturday February 12.




 Here is the original sketch:

And here is the final outcome!  Enjoy!  The pictures do not do the red beads justice, they are so clear and firey in real life!

Saturday Sketches

Today I wanted to share with you a sketch I had for a necklace that came to me almost in a dream.  I woke up extra early one morning recently, and I couldn't seem to fall back to sleep.  As I lay there in bed trying to force myself to go back to bed for a couple hours the necklace image just almost appeared to me.  I knew I had to make it.  It is a necklace inspired by morning, with the sun rising to brighten the sky.  The colors fade from night blues and violets to sunny oranges and yellows.  This necklace will take me some time, but will definitely be a lot of fun once created.

Enjoy!

Fashionably Friday, February 18, 2011

For today's Fashionably Friday, I wanted to focus on this spring and an element of fashion that has been around for awhile but is making an appearance again this season and that is the trend of lingerie as streetwear.  No, I don't mean people wearing their underwear out on the streets but rather the influence of lacy, romantic, and soft details to clothing.  We know that lace also a huge trend for Spring 2011, and can be found in stores everywhere.  My personal favorite lace item that I am coveting right now is the lace tiered skirt, shown here.  I need that skirt!  It is so delicate and romantic, I can't even stand it.  The vintage, lingerie, romantic look is everywhere in stores like goodwill also. Every time I visit the thrift stores around me I find myself with armloads of vintage, delicately detailed pieces.  Of course, I do not have an unlimited budget, so usually not everything I find comes home with me, but that is definitely one trend that has a hold on me right now.  I especially love this image of lingerie inspired lace that I found on this blog :  I think it really shows the intricate, delicate, romantic look I am in love with right now.  There is a special reason I posted this particular Fashionably Friday, but, you will have to wait until the next Thrifting Tuesday to find out!  :)  Suspense!.....

I am alive!

Just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that, yes, I am still alive.  hehe.  I apologize for the lack of posts this week, but I unexpectedly got the flu on Valentine's Day, and I spent the last few days recovering from that and catching up on my mounds of homework that I did not do while I was sick.  Of course, that left me little time to work on my blog, much less make actual jewelry.  But I assure you, New posts are coming!  I had some time today between reading for my english class and studying for my Statistics test tonight to re-organize all my jewelry and to make a new top from a vintage Christian Dior nightgown.....sound interesting?  Well, it definitely is!  I can't wait to show you!  I am also still working on the necklace I promised for Valentine's Day, being sick I did not have the energy to make it, but I assure you it will be posted ASAP!  (If things go well, hopefully after Statistics tonight).  All in all, exciting things are coming...

And I can't stress enough how much I am LOVING the almost 70 degree temps and sunshine of the last few days!  I have actually been able to shut my heat off and open all the windows, and let the breezes flow through the house!  It feels so good.  I also washed all the icky salt grime off of my car yesterday, and it looks so shiny and gorgeous!  Isn't funny how much weather can affect your mood??

Saturday Sketches

Today's sketch is an idea for a Valentine's Day necklace that came to me recently.  Valentine's Day, as you know, is Monday, and normally my boyfriend and I don't do much for Valentine's Day really but I still like the idea of the holiday itself:  to show people that you love them.  My necklace idea came from red beads that I bought on clearance for $1.  There are so many of them that I had no idea what to do with them, that is, until Snow.  I really want to create an almost bib-like necklace out of the beads, held together in the middle by a heart.  I plan on making this necklace for V-day, so look forward to Monday's post and I plan on posting the finished result for you to see then.  Until then, have a great Saturday!

Sorry about the sideways view, I can't get the image to flip after being scanned for some reason....

Fashionably Friday, February 11th, 2011

Today I could tell that the weather was starting to make a change.  It was not exactly warm by any means, but the sun was so bright and pretty today, you could almost feel the warm spring air starting to filter in.  They say it will get to 60 sometime in the coming week, not sure if I believe that at this point but I certainly would love it!  I am ready to put away the boots, hats, and gloves of winter and ready to don the lightweight trenches, crops, and bright colors of spring!  For Southwest Ohio, this winter has been pretty harsh.  I mean, I did live in Kent for 4 winters, and compared to the NE Ohio standard, Cincinnati winters are relatively mild.  Usually it stays around 30-40 degrees during the day in the winter, and rarely if ever snows.  This year it seems like it has been one day of 15 degree temps after the next with snow storm followed by heavier snow storm.  Especially compared to last year, this winter seems like it has gone on forever, and I know it is not over yet....

However, with fashion, we are always permitted to get excited about the coming season before it is actually upon us, knowing in advance what the predicted runway trends will be and having a chance to play with different pieces and colors and mix them with our current wardrobes.  To me, this makes the coming seasons all the more exciting, and makes it harder for me to wait for their arrival, since some clothes for certain seasons are kind of impractical for the season at hand.  I mean, lets face it, a pair of strappy gladiator sandals would be inappropriate for winter's cold chill the same way a warm wool sweater would not feel good in mid-August's 80 degrees.  I tend to pick things up when I find them, whether that be during a thrifting trip or on clearance at my local department stores, and they may not be things I can wear at that moment but rather have to save until just the right weather arises.  This is the case with a lot of my spring wardrobe.  I can't wait until the temperatures rise so that I can debut some of my exciting finds to the world! 

Happy Friday everyone, and here's hoping the Groundhog day prediction over a week ago was right, that spring is right around the corner!

Orange you glad I made a pendant?

Lame, I know....but I just couldn't resist!  Today's pendant was made from a vintage orange piece that my aunt gave to me, along with beads I purchased from Fire Mountain.  I used a flat round feldspar bead, as well as peach glass beads and brown goldstone  chips.  I love the glittery sparkle that goldstone has.  I can never get enough of it.  It's sad that those beads are so expensive, or I would buy them all the time!  Maybe that's a good thing, though.  This necklace is so bright and sunny for spring!....Anyway, here's the necklace, hope you enjoy!

Wire Wrapped Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Ahh, Wednesday yet again.....One step closer to Friday!

For today's wire-wrapped post, I have created a wire wrapped piece from a stone bead that I got in a random miscellaneous bead bag from Fire Mountain Gems.  I have no idea what type of stone it is, but I really thought the dark gray tones meshed well with the tortoise shell patterning on these vintage beads.  These tortoise shell beads are from yet another necklace that my aunt gave me in my bag of vintage goodies.  I have yet to run out of interesting pieces to use in jewelry I make, and it seems like I use pieces from her almost everyday!  I still have much more to come, too!  I am saving some very special beads and pieces for later!  I really liked the way the copper wire looked bright against the dark gray of the stone, and the copper created more of a connection between the stone and the tortoise-patterned beads, bringing the whole necklace together.

Thrifting Tuesday, February 8, 2011

For today's post, I have created a piece that can most definitely be worn when going "out on the town,"  whether that be dinner with friends or a night out partying.  This top is sparkly, sparkly, and oh, did I mention sparkly?  I used the rest of the top that first debuted in this Headband DIY Post from early January.  To make this sheer, glittery going out top, I removed the rest of the sleeve I used to make the head band along with the other sleeve, and removed all the black fabric that was lining the top.  Without the black fabric lining, I was left with just a sheer, sparkling party piece, ready to be worn with skinny jeans and heels and a black tank underneath.  Of course, this top speaks volumes in itself, so no jewelry is really necessary with this outfit, and to minimize the 80's vibe, wear it with modern, sleek pants and shoes so as not to appear too dated. 

Original top:

 Goodbye Sleeves!

 

And, the finished look!  Ready for a date night or girl's night out!  I also wore a skinny belt around it as well.

Monday Rocks....

Well, not really....hehe.  But today's necklace is made of rocks, Jungle Jasper to be exact, that I bought from Fire Mountain.  I really like the different patterning in the stones, and how even though they are roughly the same size, each individual stone is carved in a unique way.  I love the simplicity of this necklace, and it would be great to wear with a blazer for a business casual look, or at the same time with a fun bohemian print dress.  The colors are, well, gray and black, so they go with a lot of things and make this necklace very versatile!  Hope you all have had a great Monday, more to come tomorrow....Wait until you see the re-vamped vintage top coming up!

Saturday Sketches

Today's sketch is brought to you by my art history professor....well, her necklace inspired the piece because I need to own her necklace!  It is made of gigantic transparent, faceted, lozenge-shaped beads that were navy in color.  Probably plastic.  But I'm serious, each bead was like 2 inches wide...they were so shiny!  I wanted to ask her where she got it and I never got a chance.  If she ever wears it again, I definitely will, because I need to own one like it!  If I ever find beads that big and shiny, I will make it myself.  But until then, all I have is this sketch to inspire me:

Fashionably Friday, February 4, 2011

Well, we have done it, we have reached yet another Friday!  Everyone rejoice!  :)   Although this particular Friday is not the best Friday for me, I do have a test in one of my classes today! Ugh!  Hopefully it will be easy, and over with quickly!

Today, in the Fashionably Friday segment, I want to feature an amazing blog that I found while browsing jewelry blogs: The Carrot Box.   This blogger constantly scours the internet to find interesting rings to post and display.  Some of the rings she posts on this blog are just absolutely amazing design finds, and so unique in every way.  I never even would have dreamed some of these designs up! 

For an example, here are some pictures from her post from February 2:
This is a ring called the "memoring" and it is a USB!  from the original website Gung

 

And here are just a few others of the amazing (I cannot stress this enough) rings that she has found.  She gives links to all the original websites that she found the rings on to, so you can buy them if you want!  Go check The Carrot Box out!  You will not be disappointed!

Rose Quartz Chips

I have had two baggies of Rose Quartz chip beads that I bought from Fire Mountain back in December, and I have not even opened either of them until now.  I think I only intended to buy one of them, but in my bead-buying frenzy at the time I must have ended up with two in my cart...but they are so pretty, and of course, you can never have too many pretty things!  I wanted to use them finally for something, and I thought what better than to combine the chip stones with a vintage chain and a vintage brass bird pendant, and create a pendant with a warm, springlike feel.....Yes, I know a lot of my posts lately have been in relation to spring, because I am desperate for it to arrive!  Usually after part of a season has gone by I am bored with what I get to choose from to wear everyday and cannot wait to create new outfits by combining in pieces and accessories for the next season.  Winter has passed that point.  I am now pretty much all about spring!  Bring it on!  :)  Let the warm weather and sunshine abound!

Wire Wrapped Wednesday, February 2, 2011

First of all, Happy Groundhog Day to everyone!  Hope you had a good one!  I had a pretty good day today, actually, first thing to start off the day on my way out the door to school I found on my doorstep my brand new beads and gemstones from Fire Mountain Gems that I ordered about a week ago!  What a great start to the day!  Then, after classes my sister and I went on a thrifting adventure to Salvation Army....we found so many rediculously awesome things!  And, to top it off, it was 50% off day!  I even got shoes for $1! 

For today's Wire Wrapped post, I am posting pictures of a pendant that I made awhile ago and did not know what to do with.  I ended up deciding to put it on a simple chain.  Because the main bead is clear lucite, I decided to use my green wire, and accentuate the green color further by dangling a faceted glass green bead from the pendant that I bought last spring at a bead show.  I love the intensity of the green colored wire, and enjoy the sparkle of the piece from the faceted glass bead and the crystal clear lucite.  Hope you enjoy!

Thrifting Tuesday, February 1, 2011

For today's post I have been planning to put up an embellished T-shirt for awhile.  The shirt was old, plain, and boring, but the color was great!  I could not get rid of the shirt because I loved the color, but I find myself never wearing it any more.  So the plan was to embellish it with beads to spruce it up a bit, but I learned along the way that that is not as easy as it seems!!!  I was unaware of the time it would take me to complete it and kept putting it off, and then today, when I started to work on it, it took me hours to complete the amount I did (well, I guess I was watching TV too, haha).  I still felt like posting my "progress" on the top even though I am not done, just so I didn't have no post at all for today, because there is no way I will finish it in time to post the completed shirt today as of right now.  Today's post is kind of lame, but I would rather post something than nothing.  So anyway, here is what I have done, you can kind of get an idea of where I was going with it from the inspiration: 

I was inspired by this dress in Instyle magazine:

 

so here is my "progress":

 here is the shirt before:

 

anddd....here is all I have gotten done....it's hard work sewing all those little seed beads on!  I will have to post an update when (or if) I ever finish it! haha!