fashion

Butterfly Birthday Shirt

Andrea — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:03:32 -0500

Since I made Paxton a birthday shirt this year, I didn't want Ayla to feel left out. She picked "butterflies" as her party theme, so we took a good old Garanimals t-shirt and turned it into a butterfly party shirt with a reverse applique design and some scrap fabric (actually, I think they were hankerchiefs)!

Glad I could get this smiley picture of her. She was in a silly face mood yesterday:

My Little Secret - a $3 French Manicure

Andrea — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:11:26 -0500

I walked into a spa in Auburn last week and was complimented on my nails by the receptionist. At a SPA...where they DO manicures.

I was a little sheepish to report where I got them done and how much they cost.

I spend $6 a pack at Wal-Mart for Broadway "Real Life" Nails and I get two sets of nails out of each pack. One set that fits perfectly and one I have to file and adjust a smidge. But for $3 a set and only about 10 minutes of labor -- it's SO worth it. They last about 5 days and don't ruin your nailbed underneath. And I get compliments ALL the time.

Try them...they're awesome.

Spring Fashion

Andrea — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:56:15 -0600

Well, now that I've been working at Maurices for a few weeks, I can honestly say, I've been affected. Suddenly I *need* a whole lot more than I thought I did! Well, maybe not need, but I do really like a lot of what they have in the store...which makes it a lot of fun to sell!

Here are a few of my favorites from the spring line of clothes...might just have to pick a few of these up the next time I'm working....maybe (okay, so I already bought the jeans & khakis).

Then of course, there's this and this and this that I think are really cute too. :)

So far so good with this new retail job. I really enjoy it, the hours fly by and I get to visit with lots of women in the area. Plus it's been fun to be a little more fashion conscious than my typical yoga pants & tank top!

DIY Jewelry Organizer

Andrea — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:51:15 -0600

My new retail job requires rather excessive accessorizing (for me anyway), so it was a good excuse for me to organize the jumbled mess that my jewelry box had become.

I took everything out, got rid of a couple of things, and put the smaller pieces (rings, small earrings & bracelets) back into the jewelry box on my dresser.

Then...I needed a visually accessible (and jumble-free) solution for my larger earrings & necklaces. And of course I wanted it NOW, so I looked for stuff I had on hand. After a trip to the garage and digging through my craft stash of stuff, here's what I ended up with:

My solution: an old frame, some scrap fabric, black wire, duct tape and a few nails! It was about a 15 minute project.

Find a wooden frame with a mat-board backing.
Remove the glass and set it aside (surely there will be a need for it some day!)
Wrap the mat-board backing with fabric, attaching with duct tape to the back of the mat-board.
Spiral wrap the fabric-covered mat-board with wire (I used heavier wire to be sure that it would hold up well).
Twist the wire to itself on the backside to secure it and put a strip of duct tape over it to keep it in place.
Insert the mat-board back into the frame.
Add nails to the wooden frame at the top & middle of the sides (for neclaces).
Find a convenient place to hang it up & add your jewelry!

I put mine in my closet, next to the full length mirror.

Sentimental Jewelry

Andrea — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:02:24 -0600

Oooh. I just had to share:

SimpleMom.net is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard jewelry designs. I love coming across handmade crafty things that I love, but can't make on my own. If I win the gift certificate (hey, why not me, right?)...I'd love a necklace like this to wear everyday with Paxton & Ayla's intiials on it:

or maybe this with all our names:

or perhaps this design with "family" on the little circle and Ben, Andrea, Ayla, Paxton written around the circle:

Husbands...keep this in mind for mother's day, birthdays & Christmas. Your wives will love it!

Ben---this is not a direct hint to you, (truly) but you know...if you're stumped....well, you can't say I didn't help.

Go Bears!

Andrea — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:37:23 -0600

My friend Kortney made this cute skirt to match the Bears shirt I made for Ayla. She sells them on Etsy and does custom orders if you've got a little girl to shop for!

Etsy Shirts at Aldi Prices

Andrea — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:29:57 -0500

Earlier this week I was admiring some screen-printed tank tops at an Etsy shop, wishing I could buy them. But, seeing as I wear them primarily to yoga classes and I have about 15 ribbed tank tops already, $27 seemed a little steep. So imagine my delight when I ran across these at Aldi today for only $4.99:

Granted, they're not *quite* as cool as the Etsy shop version (and the model is missing the *so cool* tattooed arm band), but a $4.99 shirt satisfies my desire for a new shirt...for now! :)