style inspiration -- first aid kit

My latest obsession and inspiration comes from Swedish singer/songwriter sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg, aka: First Aid Kit. Their earthy, indie-folk sound and style is beautiful and their lyrics are haunting.

Their style has an aura of this time of year and the recent scents that are emerging from the earth... fresh flowers, greenery, honeysuckles. This is the perfect prep for the upcoming earth-centered holiday known from different traditions as Beltane, May Day, or Walpurgis Night. 

My favorite song by them: 

So beautiful, and a bit nostalgic.

Also, Beltane is my birthday! <3

crafty weekend

This has been the first weekend in a WHILE that I haven't been super busy... So how did I spend my lazy weekend? :) 

-I went on bike rides and jogging adventures around town (saw lots of wildlife, including turtles in a pond I was jogging past, a crane flying over the water, and evil mocking birds attacking each other). 
-Watched lots of Misfits episodes. 
-Took a nap. 
-Cleaned my entire apartment.

-... and... this is how I dirtied it up again! :)

Strawberry Shortcake Waffles (on whole wheat waffles) for brunch! Yummm! :)

perfect lil brunch for two

Made a clutch based off of this tutorial. I'm going to make 4 total, for my 3 bridesmaids and my flower girl! :) 

I used some old fabric for the outside, and then bought the zippers, thread to match the fabric I already had, some fusible interfacing and some heavier quilting fabric than what was called for on the tutorial (because I liked the look and feel of it better, and figured it would make the clutch have more shape). All of the supplies to make about 6 clutches cost me about $25! (I was looking to buy something similar off of etsy for them before at about $32 apiece! All in all, I saved about $100! -- now that's what I call being thrifty!)

Newspaper print nails! They're not the best ever, BUT I was proud of myself since this was my first time trying to do something cool with my nails. Inspired by my friend Ricklie, who is the queen of fancy nails. 

 After I finished the bag! So excited! :) 

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! :) Time to get back into the swing of things... 

busy at work!

I've been gone for a little while; I needed a little time to get settled into life... So what have I been up to lately?? ...

1. Classes

2. Work at the costume shop & doing independent alterations

3. Researching and preparing my resume/portfolio/life to start applying for internships

4. Planning my wedding

5. ETC!!! :) so on and so forth!

I figured I'd give you a glimpse into what I do at work, since this blog is based on fashion and I work as a seamstress.

The shop is so colorful! :) Pins!!!

(I turn into a little bit of a pinning-freak when it comes to heavy gathers.)

Skirt and apron I worked on a little while back: 

There's a funny story behind this red fabric...  The two girls I work with and I were all sewing things out of this particular fabric for a few days straight. At the end of those few days, we noticed that at least 2 of the sewing machines and the big pressing table had turned a light shade of pink. I also realized that my purple fingernail polish had turned pink over the course of those few days too! I've never seen a fabric bleed so easily. Hopefully the actors don't sweat too much on stage when the play opens this week -- they just might turn pink too! ;-) Break a leg, Fuenteovejuna cast!

I just happened to have my camera with me at work that day -- I'll try to document the costumes I make more often!!

Working on an alteration for a British woman who claimed her mother grew up in a castle (if you look closely, you can see the pink faded on the table underneath the big green skirt): 

Most of the shoe stock: 

Here's a fraction of the costume stock: 

My Valentine's Day story this year: 

My fiance and I live about 2,500 miles apart, so we couldn't be physically together for Valentine's day. My life was going a little crazy and I had almost forgotten that it was 14 February until I got to work. My boss lady pointed to the table telling me there was something waiting for me. Apparently, Eric had gotten in touch with my boss and they put this little arrangement together for me. Tulips, chocolate, dessert plates with our initials on them, and a little letter. <3 <3 <3

Okay, that's all for today! Goodbye! 

by the american river

I flew out to California to visit my fiance about a week and a half ago to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah with him!

This was the lunch he made for us today: 

Fancy grilled cheese with brie, granny smith apples, and fig preserves on sourdough bread (served with vegetables on the side) yummm! ... the bread was bought fresh last night from a bakery that uses authentic Sourdough! None of that fake stuff you get in Georgia! ;-) I had to buy a loaf to try the real thing!

Then we went exploring through the woods until we found a trail near the American River!

Check out his awesome, colorful thrifted shirt! :)

My fossil purse Eric got me for Christmas!! Eeeep!

Shirtdress: Free People

Shoes: thrifted

Belt: gift

Leggings: Target

Bye for now!

inspiration

Different cultures and their clothing inspires me. There's something so natural and honest about these images, however staged they may be. There's something magical about cultures -- the ways in which we were raised, and the ways that we couldn't even imagine in our wildest dreams. The way people bring the natural and mix it with creativity is inspiring. I love seeing images of the bright colored powder that is thrown on people in celebration of the Indian Holi festival, the Polynesian face paint, the animal fur and skin, etc.  

season's trends

I seem to turn into a bit of a cartoon character when it comes to my clothing. I think it's probably a combination of comfort and being a college student. I find something that has just the right amout of comfort and cuteness, and I tend to wear it over and over insessantly. This little brown dress (that is smocked underneath the belt) + mustard sweater is one of my all time favorite "lazy day" outfits because it requires almost no effort, and the fit of the dress is so light and easy. I based this particular look below around the yellow sweater and the brown/grey dress, playing off of different shades of the neutral tone, and allowing my accent color to be the yellow.

a little more about my style

Here's a little bit about my own style. This is an example of a casual "Out and About" or "On the Go" look for me. Again, this look displays an effortless style as something that is good to wear while riding my bike around campus, running around and doing errands, or going out for lunch with some friends. Worn with skinny jeans, a simple t-shirt with a plaid shirt worn over it, and a pair of vans. I showed my favorite little boho bookbag in the background. This is a perfect look for an autumn day like today!