Saturday, December 22, 2012

12 more ModCloth heels

Yesterday I shared 12 ModCloth heels, today I am sharing 12 more.

NEW members to ModCloth can get $15 off their purchase using this link:
http://sharethelove.modcloth.com/a/clk/3fzxFp


"Dainty Dramatist" heels (in mint)


"Dainty Dramatist" heels (in black)


"Kudos Were the Days" heels


"Walk and Roll" wedges


"That's How I Stroll" heels


"Stylista Strut" wedges


"Patent Trending" heels


"Neon Light Up" heels


"Glad You Collared" heels


"Notch Your Step" heels


"Azureas Fate" heels


"Rules of the Bowed" wedge (in plum)

Friday, December 21, 2012

12 ModCloth heels

I love ModCloth, who doesn't? Below are a dozen of some of my favorite ModCloth heels; tomorrow I will be sharing a dozen more.

NEW members to ModCloth can get $15 off their purchase using this link:
http://sharethelove.modcloth.com/a/clk/3fzxFp


"Heart of Bold" heels


"Heart Work and Dedication" heels


"Dance Instead of Walking" heels


"Cameo So Cute" wedges


"Fourth Wall" heels


"Cafe Con Leche" heels


"Pane and Simple" wedges


"Head Over" heels


"Slice Knowing You" booties


"The To-Toes" heels


"Glamour Galore" heels


"Closed Carriage Chic" heels

Thursday, December 20, 2012

New Years Eve pin-up look


*****All photos and links to Windy City pin-up have been removed from
my blog as I can no longer recommend working with the photographer.*****


I am pretty excited about New Years Eve this year. As I mentioned in a blog post last month, my boyfriend Timmy and I will be spending New Year's Eve at a J.D. McPherson concert. Last year Timmy and I went to a Speakeasy themed NYE party at a bar. My NYE look last year was mostly about warmth and comfort; this year, I decided to throw warmth and comfort out the window, and aim for smokin'.

Originally I had planned to wear this black and white peplum dress; unfortunately when I ordered the next size up, it was loose in the top, and still too tight on the bottom. In the end I am glad that it didn't work out because I found the even more amazing dress below at Torrid.


Unfortunately the two sizes I ordered were both too large. The smaller size fit like I would like a normal dress to fit, however, since this is essentially a "wiggle" dress, it should fit snugger. I ordered the next smaller size; I really hope it fits because it is the smallest size Torrid carries (they are a plus size store), and I won't have time to buy anything else.

I really cannot say enough nice things about this dress. The material is a little thicker than I expected, almost like a canvas; the beauty of that is that you can wear the dress without shapewear and not have to worry about every dimple showing. The fabric is still soft so it feels nice against the skin, and it is pretty stretchy so it can hug all the curves. The peplum is in just the right spot (at least for my height/torso length) that it covers/conceals my stomach without making me look wider.


I plan to do my hair and makeup in a similar look to the one below that I learned in the pin-up hair and makeup workshop that I attended in July ran by the ladies of Windy City Pin-up. (Photo by Ashlee of WCP, hair/makeup instruction by Laura of WCP, hair/makeup done by me with lots of help by Laura on the hair.)

[photo removed]

Victory rolls are really tough, or at least they were for me; so, I don't think I'll be able to do them without the awesome assist of Laura, but I am sure going to try! I thought up a technique for the victory rolls that I think may help me with my lack of coordination, so, wish me luck! I'll probably end up just going with curly hair when I fail at the victory rolls though, haha.


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Vintage inspired dress patterns

Timmy bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. Never mind how I already know when it is not Christmas yet :).

This week I went crazy buying patterns. Six patterns may not seem like a lot, but for me, with my usual lack of follow through for craft projects, that is a little ridiculous; especially when you consider that I already have a few projects in mind that I plan to make my own pattern for, and some projects from free patterns/tutorials I have found on-line.

The two patterns I bought that I am most excited about are Butterick dress patterns 5748 and 5605; I love the vintage look to them, and the full skirt that is begging for me to wear my petticoat under.


B5748












B5605












I don't think that Butterick's product image for the 5605 showcases the pattern very well. When I did an image search for dresses other people made with the pattern, I didn't find many dresses that I loved from it either. I felt that the prints on the fabric that most people chose overwhelmed the style of the dress. When/if I make a dress using that pattern, I am going to either use a small print fabric, solid color fabric, or at least a printed fabric with more "white space."

The 5748, on the other hand, seems to do well with flashy printed fabric. I already have several fun fabrics in mind for 5748.


You can find both of these patterns for purchase on Buttericks web-site, however, I found these patterns cheaper on Ebay and Amazon.


Monday, December 3, 2012

Thoughts on loss

Recently one of my coworkers, Ivan, passed away. Ivan was an amazing person. What I admired most about Ivan was his ability to be friends with so many different types of people. I do not know one person that disliked him, and considering the drama present in my workplace, this was especially miraculous.

While I have experienced several deaths throughout my life, this is the first death I had experienced where I was acutely aware of just how much the way people choose to grieve affects others.

Ivan died when he was hit by a drunk driver who fled the scene of the accident. When I was at Ivan's funeral, I heard screeching tires several times outside the funeral home. Each time I fought back tears when the sound caused me to picture the accident that killed him. I thought to myself, "If only those people knew about this wonderful man inside that died young because of someone driving recklessly, maybe they would drive a little safer." I recently became aware that the screeching tires was something done intentionally by people in "honor" of Ivan. I have been racking my brain trying to understand it, but I can't. How does one makes sense of people driving unsafely to "honor" someone who was killed in a car accident? When something tragic happens, the only solace one can usually find is in what people will learn from it; when nothing is learned, where does one find comfort?

Friday, November 30, 2012

Pattern mixing for women



Wednesday I posted about Pattern mixing for men. Today I am sharing photo inspiration for pattern mixing for women.

As I mentioned in the Wednesday post, I feel that there are two keys to successful pattern mixing: 1) That one of the patterns is bolder than the other, and 2) The contrasting patterns have similar color schemes, or one of the patterns is in a neutral color scheme.


On with the inspiration!