Saturday, June 28, 2014

Steal vs splurge & updates

Today I was returning something to Kohl's and as I was walking out I spotted these shorts that look SUPER similar to a pair that is now sold out on J-crew. 


The Kohl's shorts are $30 on sale BUT remember to use your Kohl's coupon to save ever more off. These shorts are less money then the J-crew ones plus the J-crew are not sold online anymore. The Kohl's shorts are a great quality in comparison to the J-crew ones!

Summer Rundown #4- June 27th 
* PASSED my road test!!!!
* Went for ice cream to celebrate
* Worked on sewing a dress I am making
Salted Carmel fro-yo (yum!) with a melon green tea 



Summer Rundown #5- June 28th (nothing interesting) 
* Worked
* Packed for trip 

Update: On that note I wanted to let you know my post might be a bit sporadic the next few days.  I am leaving tomorrow at 4:30 in the morning (it's 11:00 and I need to get some sleep) to go to Nashville,TN for a school competition. Then I leave the next day for a family vacation to Michigan when I get back. I will try to post as much a possible but if I get busy you know where I am!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

OOTD: Boho necklace and wedges

OOTD: I love the simple and boho feel of this look. I tried to take some different shots then my usual and I had a lot of fun doing it! It makes me want to spend more time on my photos and make them more "artsy" because a blog revolves around pictures. It also inspires me to take photos at different locations. I am definitely going to experiment with this now that I have more time to take pictures with it being the summer. 












1. T-shirt: Aerie
2. Jean shorts: Target (similar)
3. Beaded necklace: Charming Charlie (similar)
4. Bracelet: made it
5. Sunnies: Ray-ban
6. Cross body bag: Francesca's (similar) (similar) 
7. Wedges: Toms

On my summer bucket list I had wrote I wanted to blog everyday! So my plan is still to do my regular fashion, DIY and baking posts but I am also going to do a Daily rundown of things I do each day! 

Note to self: Take more pictures of the things I do through out my day to make the daily summer rundowns more interesting! 

Summer Rundown #2- June 25th 
* Worked out 
* Got a gel manicure with friends and then went for dessert 

Summer Rundown #3- June 26th 
* Went for breakfast at Panera 
* Tried the new Starbucks blackberry mojito tea lemonade and LOVED it 

* Worked on sewing a seersucker dress with my sister 
* Practiced parallel parking (my driving test is tomorrow 😬)
* Took blog pics
* Going to a friends bonfire

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Summer bucket list 2014

It's my first official day of summer!!!! So I thought I would share with you my summer bucket list. Last year my sister made a poster of all of the things she wanted to do over the summer. None of the stuff was major, just little things here and there. We got done about 90% of everything and had a fun time doing it. I can honestly say last summer was one of the best summers ever and I think it was due in part to the list my sister made. We all go on vacation but that is normally for only a week. Now I love the summer but some times I can get board when I am not doing anything everyday. But this summer bucket list last year made me appreciate everyday of summer and enjoy the fun little things we did! So I thought this year I would make my own because I luv making list and summer! 

This post is going to be the kink off of a summer blogging extravaganza! I am going to (try) to blog everyday documenting what I do this summer while keeping to my usually posts as well! I hope you come along on this awesome summer adventure with me. Oh an one more thing, Do you have a cool name for what I can call my summer blog a day series? Let me know if you do. 

Now here are some of the things I want to do this summer: 

Template for list 


Monday, June 23, 2014

Graduation OOTD

Over the weekend I went to my sister's 8th grade graduation/moving up ceremony. I loved the outfit I wore because it was not to fancy but it was a step up from just shorts and a T-shirt. I hope everyone had a good weekend! The weather was nice but I did not do too much. I had dinner with my family on Saturday and Sunday, I watched the movie about time and STUDIED. My last exam (chem.) is tomorrow and then it's officially SUMMER (the caps don't even begging to show how excited I am)!!!








1. Top- Marshall's (similar- LUV)
2. Floral shorts- JCP
3. Sandals- American Eagle- yes I am aware I ware these to much
4. Cross body bag- Francesca's (similar) (similar)
5. Cross bracelet- Kohl's (similar)
6. Starfish bracelet- Boutique in Savannah,GA (similar)
7. M bracelet- made myself
8. Leaf earrings- Charming Charlie's (similar)
9. Sunglasses- Ray-ban

Technology can be so beeping annoying, it took me twice as long to get my pictures uploaded! Any way good night and see you tomorrow for a fun summer post!


Friday, June 20, 2014

DIY fabric bow bracelet

Today I am going to show you how to make a fabric bow bracelet!! But before we hop into this project I need to make a little disclaimer. I did not come up with this idea, I saw a bunch like this on Etsy. With that said I am not trying to take away business from any sellers. I simply thought it would be fun to make my own (with the help of my sister). If you do not want to make one you can purchases one from sellers Here and Here! Finally I did not have any pattern, I just winged it so if you have another way of doing some of these steps then buy all means do that! Ok now lets have some fun......


This is the finished product!

Materials: 
* Fabric (I bought a fat quarter at Joann which was more than enough). A tip when picking the fabric is to look for a pattern with a design that when you cut it out you can still tell what it was. This whole bracelet is made with fabric so with is the most important part.
* Scissors 
* Fabric glue 
* Ruler 
* Fabric marker 
* Pins 
*Sewing machine- you could hand sew it but it would take longer
* Needle
* Thread- I used cream on all 3 but you could change it every time to match the fabric 
* Ribbon end jewelry crimp- found them at Joann with the jewelry claps 
* 2 jump rings  (came in a pack with the crimps) 
* 1 clasp (came in a pack with the crimps)  
* Flat nose pliers 


Making the Band: 
Step 1: Draw out with a fabric marker a 15 1/2 cm by 2 1/2 cm rectangle on the fabric. You can make the length longer or shorter depending on your wrist size but remember to leave room for the clasp. 

Step 2: Cut out the fabric making sure to leave extra on all side because we are going to fold it over. The cutting dose NOT have to be perfect. 

Step 3: Using fabric glue fold over the fabric to the line you drew and glue it down to the non patterned side. Do this for a 4 sides. 

Step 4: Let the glue dry for a little bit. 
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 again so that you have two fabric bands. 
Step 6: Pin the 2 pieces together with the glue side facing in so you won't see it. 
I forgot to get a picture until after I had already sewed it so just disregard the stitching!  
Step 7: Sew the pieces together right along the edge.  

Making the bow: 

Step 1: Trace out an 11 by 11 cm square  with a fabric marker on the fabric. You can make the square smaller or bigger depending on how big/small you want your bow.

Step 2: Cut out the pieces right on the line 

Step 3: Repeat steps 1-2 so that you have two square pieces. 
Step 4: Pin the pieces together with the pattern side facing in. 

Step 5: Sew the pieces together leaving a little whole to pull the fabric threw. 


Step 6: Hand sew the whole using an invisible stitch (tutorial here)

Note: I chose to do the bow so that the switching would not show however if you wanted it to you could always follow the same steps as we did for the band. Also if you do not what the switching seen on the band then follow the steps used for making the bow! 

Assembling: 

Step 1: Accordion pin the square fabric together

Step 2: Cut a strip of fabric to wrap around the bow. I did not really measured it, I just eye bulled it. You can make the band as thick or as think as you want. I chose to use the glue and sew method but you could do the invisible stitch or just leave it after you cut it. It's all up to you.  

Step 3: Take the pin out and glue the strip to the bow as you wrap it around using the fabric glue.

Step 4: Sew the bow to the fabric band but it dose NOT have to be perfect because you won't see it when you wear it. 

Step 5 (optional): Take a straightening iron and iron out the wrinkles.  
Step 6: Clamp down the jewelry clasp to both sides and add the clasp and jump ring. To do this use a pair of flat nose pliers. 



DONE!!!! 


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Get to know me- the basics

My baby pic

I thought it would be fun to get to know me better! I took some questions from various blogs and came up with some on my own! I hope you enjoy if you are nosey like me :) 

The basics: 
My name: Melanie 
Nicknames: Mel I Guess? Don't really have one 
Birthday: August 1st 
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Hair Colour: Brown
Hair Length: Below the shoulders 
Eye color: green 
Height: 5ft 4"
Braces: I had them from 8th grade to the summer of 10th grade :(
Glasses: yes
Piercing: Ears
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Any siblings: Yes, one younger sister 

MY Favorites: 
Movie: It is hard to pick just one but if I have to it would be The Blind Side. I just wended a watched the trailer again and I have to admit I started tearing up.  
TV Show: Lets see well The middle, Modern Family, The Bachelor  Master chef, Giuliana and Bill and the list just goes on! 
Colors: Neon pink, aqua/mint and navy 
Song: I don't have a favorite song, way to hard
Book: I love Emily Giffard books and Jenny Han. The book has to be interesting right away
Magazine: People style watch
Season: Summer all the way! No school, warm weather and vacations what more can you ask for! 
Dessert: I really good chocolate cake or fun cupcake. 
Animal: While my family has two cats my favorite animal is a Samoyed dog! 
 Quotes: "Faith is not the belief that god will do what you want. It's the belief that god will do what is right" 
"In the end we only regret the chances we did not take" 
"Enjoy the little things"
 Scents: Something sweet and girly but my all time favorite right now is Taylor by Taylor Swift. 

The Future:
Want Children?: Yes but I also might want to adopt as well 
Want to be Married?: Yes 
Careers in Mind: An event planner or something in fashion or hospitality! 
Where do you want to live?: North Carolina or South Carolina. Every year my family goes to Hilton Head and I LOVE it there. But I also love Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Charleston, Asheville and Chapel Hill! I have not visited all these places but would love to live in one of these areas!   

Have you ever:
Broken a bone: Never
Got an X-ray: Yes
Cried When Someone Died: Yes
Cried At School: Yes, in 4th grade 


Ever had Sugery: Had my adenoids taken out a while ago

Do You Believe In:
God: Yes 
Miracles: Yes
Love At First sight: ?
Ghosts: No
Aliens: No
Soul Mates: Yes
Heaven: Yes
Hell: No
Yourself: most of the time


More Questions: 
Where do I want to visit?: Well I want to visit all the major/well know cities. From Baltimore, Chicago, California, Nashville, Dallas, ext. Though there are many places out side the United States I want to visit. From Italy, Paris and theTropics! 

Phobias?: I HATTTE clusters of seeds like in peppers and cantilope. I know trust me its wearied but my sister is the same way. 
Allergic to anything?: Yes tree nuts (not peanuts) and tons of stuff outside. I also have IBS so I can't eat things like dairy products, coffee or sodas.
Wearied facts: I can not blow up a ballon, I have never been stung by a bee and I can't whistle. 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

J-crew steal or splurge

I just wanted to hop on here really quick and tell you about the JCP top that was in my last blog post. I realized once I bought it that it is similar to this top. I realize that they are not in anyway identical. However the colors are pretty much identical and both tops still have the same peasant/bobo ish look. Plus the JCP is a little less money if you are looking to spend less on this type of top!

Steal
Splurge

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Weekend rundown- OOTD, Father's Day, Endless Love and more!

Hi, I am back! I have been busy this past few days with being sick with a cold last week and 4 final exams this week that I have needed to study for. So needless to say that my outfits have been lacking lately. However over the weekend I was busy, had some fun and looked cute while doing it! So I thought I would share with you what I wore and did this past weekend. I was going to post this yesterday but I just had no time (sorry about that).

Friday: I had no exams on Friday which was nice. I practiced driving for my road test next week in the morning. Then me and my grandma took a trip to JCP. I normally do not find much there but I love the Joe Fresh brand they sell. I feel in love with this brand after I visited a store in Toronto a few years ago. I ended the day with a quick DIY project. Then dinner with the fam and ice cream with a friend!

OOTD
Dress: J-crew factory
Shoes:  Payless (similar)
Earrings: Local store (similar)
 
JCP items:
Top 
Shorts

The DIY project is made with clay and a mold. Want a post on the steps?  
Forgot to take a pic of mine, but hey this still makes me hungry!
Sorry bad with remembering pics 
Saturday: This was a pretty chill day for me. I studied, went to work, hung out and painted my nails. But the thing that made this day was watching the movie Endless love. I have to admit I was not that excited for the movie when I first saw the trailer. Plus when I looked the movie up online it got bad review :( Though my sister rented it before I got home so I decided to watch it. I ended up LOVING the movie. I think it's safe to say that it's one of my favorite  romance movies. I love the plot and it's way better than I expected. I think that the trailer is a poor representation of what the movie is really about! There is more to the plot then what it shows. From my understanding this is a remake of an older movie which I did not know until reading reviews online which is partly why people I think are against it. Now I have never seen the original movie so I can't speak from that aspect. Not only do I love the plot but also the acting, style/outfits of Jade (main girl), and the music. Yes I do look at the outfits don't judge;) The music selection in my opinion makes a movie even better. I loved all the songs from pumpin blooddon't find another loveall our endless lovecrickets peaches,  and ends of the earth ! Have you seen this movie?   




Sunday: Sunday was Father's day and my grandparents came over for dinner. We had shrimp pasta, rolls and veggies. My sister even made a dairy free chocolate raspberry cheese cake (recipe?) which was amazing.

OOTD
Tank: Kohl's
Navy Skirt: Target (similar)
Sandals: American Eagle