Wear It // Valentine's Day and Beyond

How do you do Valentine's Day? Do you dress up for the day? Do you plan an elaborate night out-- with either your girlfriends or significant other? Or do you get in your comfy clothes and call it a night?

I've done a combination of things over the years. I've done the wearing all-black and going out with my girlfriends when I was single. That was actually a lot of fun! We've done the prix fixe meal thing where a trendy restaurant tries to squeeze in as many couples into a space as possible. So really, your date has turned into a group meal with strangers. We don't do that anymore. And lately, we just skip the day altogether and go out to a nice dinner, sans kids on a less crazy, less busy night. Man, we're practical! 

I'm not sure what we're doing for V-Day just yet, but I'm betting that I'll be dressed something like comfy-girl.

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Noteworthy // 1.17.2014

I'm not sure what happened to this week. I worked on a few projects, handled a few duties for school,  and suddenly it's Friday again. It's one of those weeks where I've been productive, and yet, I have nothing to show for it. So you'll have to trust me when I say that there will be some new projects up on the blog next week.

One of the projects that I'm working on is for an exciting new craft product that will be launching at the end of the month. I'm not going to give away too much (boo! I know…) but I'm pretty sure it'll catch your fancy. Watch out for the post next week.

I've also put together the boys' Valentine's Day cards. Like last year's versions, they're candy-free and fun. I'm still tweaking things here and there, but I'll be sharing them next week as well. 

In the meantime, here are a few things that caught my eye this week...

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Fashion // Fall Flair 2013

What do you think of this year's Fall trends? I'm not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but Fall is my favorite season and I usually find myself crushing on the fashions that come along with falling leaves, cooling temps and darker color palettes.  Here are just a few fall pretties that caught my eye.

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Beauty // Drugstore Favorites

I admit it, I'm a girl who likes her beauty supplies. And I'm pretty sure it started when I was in 7th grade and subscribed to my first teen magazine (does anyone remember YM?) My friends and I would take our weekly allowance and walk, possibly skip, to the nearest shopping center to explore the colorful and transformative world of drugstore cosmetics. Fast forward a decade or three.... As I get older and become more freaked-out about aging, I'm back to trying out new products. But this time, instead of experimenting with brightly colored lipsticks and eyeshadow, I'm more focused on trying to preserve and maintain.

I posted my anti-aging skincare routine earlier this year, but I wanted to share a few more favorites. The best part is that all of these items can be found at your local drugstore.

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Make // Mod Melts Shoe Clips

Earlier this month I was given the opportunity to try out Mod Melts, the newest product line from Mod Podge. Finally-- An easy way to DIY your own embellishments! If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen me tinkering around with ideas for this post. Well, today's the day to share my project!

There are currently two types of Mod Melts; A white Milk Glass and a translucent Sea Glass. I used Milk Glass and was really happy with the outcome. I painted my embellishments for this project, but I also like how clean and simple they look in their original unaltered form.

There are also several Mod Molds available. I currently have the Royal Icons mold, but I've a feeling that the Nature and Flowers molds will soon be finding their way into my craft room. I have a weak spot for owls, butterflies and flowers.  :)

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Inspired By // S-S-S-ummer!

It's May and we're still in the thick of Spring. It should not be 100 degrees. Nope. Don't like it. To quote the wilting Daisy Buchanan "...it's so hot"... "and everything's so confused." Yep, Daisy and I both don't do well in heat-- Perhaps the only thing we have in common.  :)

Here are a few things that get me inspired for the hot and carefree days of summer...

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Beauty // The War Against Aging

I've always felt like a young person. Then, while pregnant with child #2, I was tagged "advanced maternal age". Ouch! Well, child #2 is almost five years old. What does that make me now? Middle aged.  Nooooo!

I've always told myself that, barring invasive surgery, I would do whatever I needed to do to maintain and preserve my skin. I'm lucky to have genetics on my side (my Grandmother had beautiful, smooth skin until she passed unexpectedly at the young age of 96). However, my Grandmother stayed out of the sun and covered-up whenever she was outside. I, unfortunately, did the opposite. If only I had known better!  I've been pretty good to my skin the last 15 years or so-- sunscreen, good moisturizers, removing make-up at night, eating relatively well, etc. But it's time to up the ante.

After a bit of trial and error, I think I finally found the perfect "preserve & protect" program for my skin. I still need to find a good vitamin C eye cream to tame the under eye circles though. I never had those before and they definitely add to the tired/old look that I'm trying to avoid.

My skin's main issues-- sensitive, usually on the dry side (t-zone in warm weather), melasma (aka skin discoloration leftover from crazy pregnancy hormones and sun exposure).

I use some of the same products in the morning and at night. You may have noticed that I don't use too many "corrective" creams... In the past I've had bad reactions to prescription and over-the-counter products to correct skin discoloration. They made my skin look worse-- dry, flaky and irritated. So the current battle plan is to keep my skin moisturized and protected from the elements.

Believe it or not, although there are many layers of product going on, I don't spend a ton of time "pampering" myself-- 15 minute max in the morning, which includes applying make-up; and 5 minutes during the evening, which usually includes brushing and flossing my teeth. I guess I've become efficient in my middle age. Ha!

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Make // Faux Batik Circle Scarf

I'm blogging over at SEI Lifestyle this week. There's also a giveaway going on right now.  Stop by and say hello! Here's one of the tutorials that I'm sharing...

While I love to make things, I don't have the kind of space where I can make huge messes-- no cement floors in my home, my laundry room is the size of a postage stamp and the garage is the Hub's domain...  So a "batik" type project was out of question until I stumbled upon an easy & mess-free method.

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[Etsy Love] Spring 2013

Since Etsy makes my heart swoon, and since I can't be buying all the things that I'm swooning for, I thought I'd share them here. Makes me feel better.  :)

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[Happy Friday] 2.22.13

[Make] J.Crew-esque Heart Top

I usual shy away from DIY-ing my clothes, but I've been wanting a top with a big wonky heart on it for a while. Something between J Crew's Heart Me Sweater and the more casual heart tops by Wildfox Couture.

I knew that I wouldn't get that much use out if it (I'll probably be hearted-out by Feb 15th), so instead of making a purchase, I decided to DIY it.

In true DIY/Upcycle fashion, I used a top that I already had. Call it my guinea pig top-- comfy, but almost ready for the donate pile since I hardly wear it. The blah color and the baggy, not-so-figure-flattering fit are detractors. So basically I chose something that I wouldn't be too upset about if I messed up.  :)

In hindsight, the heart should have been a bit higher... or bigger.
 And look at me trying to pose. Har-har!

BTW, if you can't find Freezer Paper, I found a good alternative.

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[Tried // True] Winter 2013

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[Make] Wood Gum Ball Necklace

I've been wanting to make one of these colorful wood "gum ball" necklaces for a while now.  I'm not sure if anyone calls them that, but they look like gum balls to me!

I've seen them in various forms-- half painted, plain, neon, personalized, polka dotted... Since I recently stocked up on a bunch of plain navy, white and black tees for my summer uniform, I decided that a colorful necklace would be a fun wardrobe addition.

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[Summer 2012] Floral Pants

Floral State of Mind...

Smooch!

They're Here! TOMS Ballet Flats

I've been waiting for these pretty little ballet flats to arrive-- and finally they're here! Now that I spend most days on the run, I'm always on the lookout for comfortable, pretty and unique shoes. And with TOMS charitable One for One Movement, these ones really fit the bill. My old comfy Born flats were retired last summer, so I ordered the colorful Lina flats and can't wait to see them in person.  

When I purchase online, I always look for Free Shipping and additional savings. I found a few savings options for the TOMS Ballet Flats--

The TOMS ballet flats are available at Nordstroms (ships Feb 18th) with free shipping.

an additional 6% back with mr. rebates

or 5% back with Ebates

They're also available at TOMS 

code: ShareToms or NewBalletFlats for $5 off  

and an additional 5% back with Ebates 

or 6% off with mr. rebates

Have you joined Mr. Rebates or Ebates? They're a great source of savings if you shop online-- And yes, you really get the money back.  And if you sign-up friends, your friends and you get an additional referral fee (Ebates) or a 20% cut of their earned rebates (Mr. Rebates). I linked my referral code, but if you don't want to use it you can head directly to their site and sign-up.

Since my boys are allergic to shopping, I do most of my purchasing online-- with coupon codes and free shipping, sometimes it's a better deal than going to a brick & mortar. Anyhow, this is NOT an advertisement, just thought I'd share a few ways to save!

BTW, I ordered them from Nordstroms since I wasn't sure on the size (they supposedly run a 1/2 size big) and, if necessary, I can return it at the store or free via mail.

I'm a bad influence.  Sorry.  :)

[Inspired by] Bright Colors

[Inspired by] Geometrics

Geometric patterns have been popular the last few years-- chevron anyone?  Their popularity continues, with bright colors and hexagons in the forefront.  Here are a few that grabbed my attention...

[Inspired by] Knit & Crochet

It wasn't long ago that I thought knitting and crocheting were for "lil' ol' ladies". That's definitely not the case anymore-- I really like it when trends from the past become hip again. When knitting became "cool" a few years back, I didn't follow the trend. But now... I sure wish I had learned how!  I probably wouldn't knit sweaters of scarves, but a pillow cover? or a cover for a wood stool? I'd do that in a heartbeat. Here are a few knitted and crocheted creations that have recently caught my eye--

clockwise from top left:  knitted stools via martha stewart; ceramic sweater vase via crate + barrel; trellis knit pillow via west elm, hand-crocheted mini dress via anthropologie; crocheted toms via nordstrom (they're back!), crochet necklace via lucky brand @ macys, wire crocheted earrings via yoola on etsy

So what do you think?  Yarn creations in decor and fashion... yay or nay?