fashion friday- fall at the beach

Fall has arrived here at the beach, it is crisp, cool and foggy in the mornings and I am soaking up every last minute of it!

My fall essentials- a big bold blanket scarf   wide brim wool fedora   my trusty hunter rubber boots

fashion friday- what i wore

sweater- Forever 21, beanie- 99 cent store, jeans- Old Navy, Shoes- Ugg

p.s. I am obsessed with Old Navy Rockstar Skinny Jeans- they are affordable, super comfy (stretchy) and make a mid rise fit which means they actually sit at your waist (instead of falling off). I was NOT paid by Old Navy- I'm just excited I finally found some comfy and affordable skinny jeans that work for me!

fashion friday- marbleized bangles

There are so many ways to turn a plain wooden bangle into something really unique- one of my favorite ways it marbleizing with spray paint. 

I like to start by painting the bracelets a solid color- this color will be the background for the marble effect.

I shared THIS marbleizing with spray paint technique a couple years ago and it works great on a variety of surfaces:

Start with a bucket of water.

Lightly spray the top of the water with spray paint- I've found that a light mist works best.

Let colors blend and swirl together.

Next, lightly skim the surface with the bracelet. The surface of the bracelet will pick up spray paint.

Repeat until the entire surface is filled.

TIPS:

Spray paint dries fast, even in water so you have to work quickly.

I have found that different brands and colors work a little different so you might need to do a few tests before diving in. I like working with Rust-Oleum spray paint and metallic colors are the most forgiving.

fashion friday- leather fold over clutch

A girl can never have too many clutch purses. Recently I created a simple fold over clutch from scrap leather.

I started with a piece of scrap leather. (You can actually purchase scraps of leather from a variety of craft stores or can hunt for untreated leather jackets or purses at thrift stores that can be cut up and used). 

Next I cut the leather to size- for my clutch I used a large rectangle that I folded in half and then folded again.

I used my wood burning tool to add a floral pattern to the portion of the clutch that folds over. And yes, wood burning tools or a pyrography tool will work on leather. I actually used the backside of my piece of leather. 

Keep in mind that using vegetable-tanned leather or suede with an unfinished surface is best.

The last step was to sew the clutch. I simply sewed up both sides and them turned it right side out.

And there you have it... a simple little boho clutch!

fashion friday- transition a maxi dress into fall

During the summer I practically live in maxi dresses- they are cool, flowy and SO comfy! Just because fall is coming doesn't mean I pack away my dresses. Instead I like to find ways to transition them for cooler weather. 

I like to layer a fitted sweater or long sleeve t-shirt over the top of my dresses, throw on a knitted beanie, some boots and a maxi dress can work for fall!

maxi dress: Ross last year, long sleeve shirt: thifted, bag: Billabong, boots: Frye, jacket: Hurley

fashion friday- studio style

When you work for yourself and by yourself, (and on the occasions when you do work with others- it's your mom and husband) it is really tempting to spend all day every day in pajamas. I love fashion but many mornings I have to talk myself into getting dressed. I do it anyway and always end up feeling so much better and like a regular working girl. 

While everyday is different for me- somedays I am painting in the studio, other days I am sewing, then I'm out and about taking photos, then back home for DIY projects, then back to the studio to paint- I try to at least pull some kind of outfit together. They are not always the most stylish but I figure when you are self employed and an artist you don't have to follow any rules- pattern mixing, paint covered pants, bare feet and hats are all welcome in my work place. As long as I am not wearing pajamas in public I am a happy gal!

for the love of overalls

Apparently overalls are back in style and to be honest, I'm surprised because I never knew they went out of style! I've been wearing overalls since high school (thats over 20 years) and have about 5 or 6 pairs, all thrifted. They aren't for everyone but for a gal who goes to work everyday to paint, they might just be one of my favorite things to wear!

fashion friday- tribal painted sandals

It's no secret that I love to paint shoes and lately I've had a hankering for some black and white tribal print sandals so I got busy making my own!

Just about any type of shoe can be painted. I started with a pair of faux suede sandals so I used Tulip Fabric Paint which works great on any fabric.

I painted directly over the straps- first a layer of black paint. 

Once the black paint was dry I used white to paint my designs.

Looking for more inspiration to alter your shoes? Check out more of my shoes tutorials-

bleach painted shoes
altered baby shoes
polka dot statement flats
thread wrapped sandals
altered flip flops
my painted wedge sandals

fashion friday- my summer uniform

My summer uniform- all day everyday is a comfy maxi dress (I've got too many to count!), my trusty denim shirt, a fedora hat and a big pair of black sunnies! 

fashion friday- birkenstocks 3 ways

I'm not sure if you got the memo but Birkenstocks are back in style! I actually never knew they were out of style because I've been a Birkenstock customer since I was fifteen.

While they aren't the prettiest of shoes- I just don't care! As a gal who's feet and back are destroyed from years of wearing heels, Birkenstocks are some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. Today I am sharing three different ways that I style my Birkenstocks-

hat: swell.com,  kimono: forever21, t-shirt: from Disneyland, jean shorts: thrifted from WAYYY back in high school

Birkenstocks work really well with causal boho outfits. I love wearing them with my favorite cutoff jean shorts, a comfy tee and a flowy kimono.

slip dress: forever 21

During summer months I love wearing my Birkenstocks with slip dresses. Paired with colorful accessories you have the perfect outfit for a warm summer evening!

jean jacket: Old Navy, white button up shirt: Target, cropped pants: Target, necklace: PolishedTwo

Once in a while I throw together a casual but polished (and less boho) outfit when I have errands to run or have business engagements and my Birks are the perfect shoe for heading out and about.

fashion friday- coiled rope pouches

When you make craft and DIY projects for a living, you end up with all kinds of excess and projects fails! Back when I made coil rope baskets (you can check out the post HERE) I had to experiment A LOT with different sizes and shapes and I ended up with lots of castaways and scraps. Being someone who can't seem to throw stuff out, I held onto all those scraps and recently had the bright idea to turn those scraps into little purses and pouches!

I used my castaway baskets (they were quite large) and cut them up, like you would a piece of fabric. If you would like to see how I coiled and sewed the rope, you'll have to check out my post on making the rope baskets to see how I coiled and sewed the rope.

Next, I sewed those pieces into simple purses and pouches. I created a cross body bag by sewing up the sides and the bottom of two rectangles and then added rope!

Note- I used cut up baskets but you could also coil that rope FLAT instead of turning it into a basket and then sew with it.

I even used zippers to create really simple pouches out of my little scraps.

Note- the stitched rope is way too rigid to sew things on the inside and then turn them right side out so I stitched everything on the outside.

happy 4th of july

The 4th of July....where men, women and children gather for one day to eat and set things on fire! For those readers in the States who celebrate the 4th of July I hope you have a safe holiday filled with lots of fun, family and JOY! See you next week!