she still couldn't fly

I love shopping for great winter wear when it all goes on sale. I found a couple of great sweaters and dresses (including this one) at H&M recently for $10-$15 dollars. It's not as fun as thrifting, but you can end up with some great staples for mere dollars.

Today is the first day I achieved a decent wing with my liquid eyeliner and I am soooooo excited! For some reason I have a real problem with liquid liner because most times I can't get a perfect wing or I end up trying to fix one because it doesn't look the same as the other...I think the solution is just to not worry too much. Accept imperfection. Seriously, even though they ended up a little mismatched I still was happy. I was so happy that I wore the makeup all day, even when I was at home in my sweats. This has been a good lesson for me and I may be inspired to get out the liner and try it more often now that I'm not married to the idea of the "perfect" look.

dress - H&M ; boots - Kohl's ; scarf - DIY'd ; tights - Target ; belt - thrifted

DIY shoelaces

When my boyfriend and I were in downtown Milwaukee the other day, we stopped in American Apparel. I fell in love with their large variety of bodysuits, leotards, and velvet pieces, but alas, all were too much for my small little wallet. Before leaving, however, we did stumble upon a bucket of pretty ribbon-y shoe laces. They were lovely and I immediately knew the shoes I had to put them in. Plus they were only $8, so I figured they were worth it.

My tips for a shoelace makeover:

1) Take a picture of the way your old laces are laced on the shoes before you take them out! Even if you have no intention of keeping them laced the same way, it's nice to have a reference.

2) Before lacing, measure the original laces against your new material - you want to make sure you have enough! Also, if you are using a material that is likely to fray (like yarn), add a couple inches to the length in case you need to trim the edges once you are done lacing your shoes.

Okay, so this post isn't SO much of a DIY because I used laces that were already meant to be shoelaces - but using them has inspired me to pursue the literally endless possibilities of matierial to use for laces. Yarn, ribbon, ric-rac...my canvas sneakers are just screaming for a shoelace makeover!

shoes - Report ; laces - American Apparel

familiar with candle, with book, and with bell

 I was soooo psyched to find this vintage Cats tee at a thrift store.  I absolutely love musical souvenir shirts so this one was a welcome addition to my small collection.  (Also, in other news...we finally got SNOW!  This really is Wisconsin after all!)

skirt, thrifted ; shirt - vintage ; sweater, hat, shoes - H&M ; necklace - DIY'd ; tights - Worthingon

feels like a new box of crayons smells

This dress turned out to be more of a orange-y brown rather than a true brown. (Kind of like the crayon you'd pull out of the box thinking it was brown but after you'd started coloring realized that it's like "burnt sienna" or something - which, any crayon color-er knows is NOT REALLY BROWN!) But, I actually like it - it's a nice change from constant neutrals.

dress - H&M ; scarf - DIY'd ; hat - vintage ; purse - vintage Coach ; shoes - Kohl's ; belt - thrifted ; tights - Worthington

DIY tarot card wall art

Buying my first deck of Tarot cards was exciting - there were so many different kinds to choose from, one more beautiful than the next. I have always been fascinated with divination, especially Tarot, so I wanted my first deck to be perfect. I ended up picking a deck with the original Rider Waite illustrations - it seemed like the classic choice for a first set.

When I took the deck up to the counter to buy, I asked the woman behind the counter for any tips on Tarot readings. She suggested that prior to researching the usual "meaning" for each card that I should go through the deck and write down how each card made me feel - what sense I got from it. This is the best advice ever and I would definitely recommend this same technique for anyone pursuing an interest in Tarot. Instead of drawing a card and flipping to the cookie cutter meaning, try to find your own meaning within each one. People are not all the same - why should each card mean the same for everyone every time? Even the same card can have a different meaning at different points in time.

I was trying to figure out a way to display my beautiful cards and I came up with this "bunting." I can hang cards from readings, cards that inspire me on a certain day, or just ones that have the prettiest illustrations. This wall art is wonderful!

I found these mini clothespins at a local craft store. One of the best non-clothing thrifts I've ever had was a bunch of half used rolls of chain - the kind you'd buy by the foot at a jewelry store. That's where I got my chain, although something like it could easily be purchased at a craft or jewelry store. The clothespins make it so easy to change what's hanging up - I love this idea for buntings of all kinds!

girl with a green hat

  Wearing lots of black is always lots of fun.  It's easy (what matches with black?  black!) and it makes me feel confident and a wee bit mysterious.  I couldn't resist topping it off with my green hat...the unexpected color made it a welcome addition.

 

dress, hat, jewelry - vintage ; sweater - H&M ; purse - vintage Coach ; boots - Target ; belt - thrifted

and every campus, a playground

These might be the greatest jeans I have ever purchased! My boyfriend and I were thrifting the other day and as we were about to go, I started rifling through the jeans (a section I rarely visit at any store), looking for any ones worthy of turning into cutoffs next summer. I was shortly stopped in my tracks. These (you can call them "mom jeans" if you want) are the epitome of vintage jeans and they fit me perfectly (a gamble I took when I bought them without trying them on first). When I start my classes again in the fall, this is the outfit I will probably be coming back to again and again.

jeans - vintage Lee ; sweater - Target ; hat - H&M ; shoes - Report ; purse - vintage Coach ; jewelry - gifted