26 Days to Go: Mercura NYC Copycat

Just because summer is technically over as of today doesn't mean we can't still channel those summer vibes!  I found these amazing Mercura NYC shades in an issue of Marie Claire a bunch of months back and I knew I had to recreate!

Beachy shades come fall?  Totally bring it.

I began with a pair of plastic Wayfarer-esque shades I picked up at SXSW when I was there in March.  Free shades courtesy of YouTube are now becoming the main component of this copycat!

I popped out the lenses to avoid getting paint on the frames when I begin to change their color...

...gathered my sealife beads...

...and started crafting!

To match the metallic nature of the original shades, I grabbed some Krylon Brushed Metallic Spray Paint in Caramel Latté and sprayed the starfish, the tiny dolphins, and the glasses frames themselves!

I wanted to give the shades some color texture, so I sprayed the shell beads with Krylon's Metallic Spray Paint in Copper Metallic just to adjust the metallic color palette.

With my beads all sprayed...

...I let them dry and thought about placement on the frames.

I popped the lenses back in the glasses...

...grabbed my E6000 glue...

...and started to affix beads to the frames!  I took some creative liberties with these.  Aside from painting the frames gold instead of painting them black, I didn't want to completely cover all the open space on the frames.  I thought for my taste and style, keeping the bead-work solely at the top of the shades would work best.

I added my starfish, dolphins, and shells, let the frames dry, and then took them for a test drive!

I LOVE these glasses!!

Chic without going overboard, no pun intended :)

With a little bit of spray paint, some plastic shades, and cheap plastic beads, I have a fun pair of sunnies that rival the $425 inspiration pair!

Happy Weekend Friends!

27 Days to Go: $1 Remake

I found today's lovely piece at Goodwill!  It came home with me from my trip to Charlotte!

The floral fabric was totally fun, but look at that collar!  I love the idea, but this was an organza material that was flying all around as I walked!

Also, check out how sheer it is!

Let's make this cute!

I started off by taking off the collar!  With my seam ripper, I removed the seams holding the collar down on both sides of the neckline.

I was left with two of these that are going into my fabric stash as we speak!

I followed the strings at the neck and trimmed them off of the neck.

I'm going to use these as new straps!

Now, the body of the dress was big on me, so I measured myself and began to pin the sides of the dress to mark my lines for sewing.

Ultimately, I'm going to cut the sleeves off of the piece to make this sleeveless - you can cut them now or cut them after you sew (which is what I did).

Once the pins were set, I cut the top of the dress in a horizontal line.  I'm going the same route as the one I would take if I was going to make this strapless.  I'm cutting and pinning everything under to prep to sew down.  I'll add the straps when the sewing machine comes out!

I sewed the body, the top of the dress, and attached the straps in place!  After my time with the sewing machine, I trimmed off the sleeves...

...and did a little pinch and cinch action at the bust to give the dress a little more romanticism!  Remember how sheer it was?  I decided to wear a half slip that went to a little above my knees along with a black bandeau top.  It's super feminine, no longer see-through, and I totally love it!

The top of the dress feels like an old ballet leotard that I had in my rotation with skinny straps and a little bust pinch!

It worked for daytime...

...and transitioned into the evening with the addition of my denim jacket and a pair of forest green heels!!  I was back at my alma mater (USC!) tonight for a mentor gathering/dinner.  What fun to be back on campus...it was like I was 18 again, except it wasn't raining like crazy (I rained like cats and dogs when I was there for El Niño), and there have been way more buildings constructed (I tried going a 'usual' route until I realized there was a construction site in my way).

I got to hang with students - including my lovely mentee - and alums alike, nibble on awesome Mexican food from El Cholo, and reconnect with some old school pals, which is always awesome!  Oh, and taking a pic in the parking structure gets thrown in the mix too.  I brought my camera around with me everywhere when I was in school and many nights started and ended with parking structure pics.  Had to recreate for good measure...

28 Days to Go: Wednesday Giveaway

It's already Wednesday!  Do the mid-week hustle! I just picked up a new Burt Bees gloss for myself at Whole Foods so I thought to myself, one for me, one for you!  Along with the gloss, I'm giving away a pair of gold costume earrings with dangling black beads.  Shimmer on the lips, shimmer on the ears!

To enter, leave a comment below of your favorite lip care products.  What shades/styles/brands do you love wearing?  I'm addicted to MAC's lip glass just for the goopy, glossy feeling on my lips which I love.  I have multiple little plastic Vaseline containers too for those super duper dry days.  Also, I love Vaseline to put on my dry skin (elbows especially when I'm working on the floor!!) because it's a miracle worker.  You know who else loves Vaseline?

(Best video EVER!)  I just might have to bedazz a Vaseline container soon for another giveaway... "Your wildest dreams have come true!!!!!"

A winner will get randomly chosen next week!  Speaking of winners, congrats to Amanda Greer (Trina clutch), Margo Slaby (Braced-lets), and Taysha (orange bracelet)!  I know there are a few of you still waiting for won loot...fear not, everything is getting shipped out shortly!