Lifestyles of the Thrifty and Shameless

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Trendy Tuesday: N(e)on Goodness

Happy Tuesday my loves!

Once again it's cloudy and dreary in my area so I had to peel myself out of the bed to come to work. However, my productivity rate is feeling like a little less than 0 today! I honestly just want to catch up on my weekly reading because I'm slowly but surely falling behind. Is it crazy that I find myself wanting to blog more than I want to work these days-even though blogging nets me ZERO dollars!!

(okay, maybe it's just me)

I'm excited and non-excited for a number of reasons on this Trendy Tuesday.

Let me share the excitement first:

I actually remembered that it was time for the Everybody,Everywear link up, which happens on the second Tuesday of each month. This month the trend of discussion is-N(E)ON. Sooooo, the non-excitement (I swear I love making up words) set in when I looked through my closet and realized that I own little to no neon items to create an outfit with.

Oh how I wish that I could open my closet and make these things appear:

Neon Essentials... by sherockwell featuring an enamel bangle

However, since I'm non-fortunate, thrifty, and shameless, and would never in a million years spend thousands of dollars for the above listed merchandise here's what I have to work with...

Skinny Biker Pants-Platos

The lighting totally killed the color of my n(e)on green tunic but you get the gist. I really wanted to keep everything else neutral. I added the red purse for an unexpected dose of excitement, otherwise the outfit would have been a little dry.

See...

So let's add the purse and the jacket again...

Purse-NY&Co

The shoe...

Shoe-Thrifted (Steve Madden)

The accessories...

Bracelet-Platos/Two Finger Ring-Icing/Knuckle Ring-Local Festival

And the n(e)on shirt...

Shirt-NY&Co

And you end up with this...

Jacket-NY&Co

N(e)on Goodness...

What do you think about the n(e)on trend this season?

Did I do okay or should I have added more n(e)on?

Thanks for reading.

XOXOXOXO

I can't wait to see how Everybody,Everywear else rocks their n(e)ons today.

You may click here to visit or link up for yourself.

Also linked to:

Monday, June 11, 2012

Savin' Maven Monday: DIY Dip Dye

Happy Monday dolls.

How was every one's weekend? I hope it was jammed packed with fun and excitement. Though I spent most of my weekend studying for upcoming exams, I did manage to spend some quality time with family, friends, and the dude! I also tried to finish up some of my DIY projects. I have so many ideas lined up that it's a bit hard to keep track of whether I'm coming or going.

Anyhow, today's DIY was brought about by this inspiration board. I've always wanted to try my hand at dying fabric just to see how it would turn out but I never really had much time to do so up until now. So, I tried it and I loved it.

Here's what you will need:

* 1 multipurpose bucket-preferably one that you already use for housecleaning

* 1 gallon of Bleach-I used the scented kind to mask the smell a bit

* shears

* 1 package of fabric dye-I used the 'teal' color RIT brand (not pictured-whoopsie!!)

* old clothing that you don't mind upcycling

*1 pair of latex gloves (not pictured)

That's it. You're ready to begin.

STEP 1: I began my project with the Old Navy jeans pictured above. I really wanted some cut off shorts so I decided to revamp these. I love the drawstring and the fact that Old Navy's jeans stretch with prolonged wear so I felt these would be perfect. I wanted the sides rounded so I folded the jeans laterally and cut them in a 'half-moon' formation. They turned out like this...

STEP 2: Pour your gallon of bleach into the multi-purpose bucket. YES, the whole gallon. We all know that bleach has a tendency to eat a hole right through the strongest of fabrics so I diluted mine with about two cups of water so the bleach wouldn't be so strong. Place your items one by one into the bucket making sure to only submerge the item as far as you want it to be bleached. I submerged all of my pieces halfway.

Then wait....and wait....and wait. At first glance it may seem as if the bleach is not working. But it will-very slowly. I let my pieces sit for approximately 3-4 hours. The timing will vary depending on the original wash of your item.

STEP 4: After I was happy with the bleached items, I hung them out to dry so that the bleach could settle. Once they were dry, I put all of the items in the washer to get rid of the smell and to make sure that all of the chemical was washed out before wear. Here are the items after they were washed.

(DIY to be continued in a later post)

STEP 5: To give the pieces an ombre effect, I used 'teal' dye. The steps for this method are the same as with the bleaching method.

I wasn't particularly happy about how light the teal color turned out but I will work with it. I can't wait to style these pieces and try different colors.

There you have it-super easy and super cheap. Most of the materials were already located at my house so I only ended up spending a total of approximately $5 for the gloves and the dye.

What are your thoughts on dip-dyeing?

Will you try it-Yay or Nay?

Thanks for reading.

XOXOXOXOXO

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Hit or Miss...

Well hello Wednesday!

I hope each and every one of you have started your day off wonderfully! It's beautiful in my area today so that makes me very happy.

I feel like I haven't done an outfit post in forever so here goes.

First off, I hardly ever wear skirts-even though I absolutely love the way they look-I just feel more comfortable in pants and/or jeans. But when the mood strikes to dress myself in one here's what it looks like.

Skirt-Thrifted (Delia's)

When I first saw the skirt in Goodwill, I immediately fell in love with it. I had no idea what I would wear with it but I loved the colors and the pattern. Being that it had a green tag on it (indicating that it was 50% off of $4.99) coupled with the fact that it had pockets-it was a no brainer that it went into my basket with the quickness.

Belt & Pearls-NY&Co

It took me forever to decide on pairing this royal blue number with the solid pink button up. I thought of pairing it with yellow but I couldn't find a yellow shirt in my closet that would execute the look like I wanted so I went with another bold solid.

Shirt-Thrifted (Express)

I chose classically neutral accessories so as to not overdo it.

I hate those days when I wake up and it takes me forever and a day to find something to wear. Because I still have things strewn all around my bedroom it took me much longer than usual to piece this outfit together.

What do you think?

Shoes-Thrifted

Is it a hit or miss?

Thanks for reading!

XOXOXOXOXO

Linked to:

Work It Wednesday
Simply Sarah
Fashion Friday
Thrifters Anonymous
Rolled Up Pretty
The Pleated Poppy
Casual Friday

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Trendy Tuesday: Make A Statement

Happy Tuesday loves!

I hope your day is going well thus far. The clouds and scattered showers almost forced me to stay in my bed this morning but I made the decision of a responsible adult and willed myself out of my comatose state.

It's time for yet another edition of Trendy Tuesday. I love this feature so much because it allows me to show several different versions of a single trend at once. Each week it gets harder and harder for me to decide which trend to highlight because there are soooo many gorgeous things that catch my eye.

This week I made the unanimous decision to highlight statement necklaces. They are ever present in today's fashion world and lately I'm finding myself leaning more towards purchasing neutral pieces coupled with a killer statement necklace to make the outfit 'pop' so to speak. They also make for a very inexpensive way to add life to monotone palettes.

Pair them with cocktail dresses, plain white tees, turtlenecks, or even collared shirts for the supreme effect.

Make A Statement... by sherockwell featuring a chain necklace

What are your thoughts on statement necklaces?

Any tips on how to wear them?
Do share...

XOXOXOXO

If you missed any of my other Trendy Tuesday features check them out here.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Savin' Maven Monday: Buy 1, Get What FREE!?

Happy Monday loves!

I hope all of you had a great weekend. Mine was splendid. I went on a date with my babes, spent some time with one of my girlfriends, and got started on some cool DIY projects that I will be featuring on the blog next week. View my inspiration boards here and here for a clue as to what those DIY projects may be.

Over Memorial Day weekend I visited a new store in one of my area's local malls. My niece had been telling me about it for some time now. She explained how it was very much like a combination of H&M and Forever 21. Then I thought to myself...'self if there's already both an H&M and a Forever 21 in this mall, what purpose does the new store serve?' I was so confused until I went in.

The name of the store is Love Culture and IT.WAS.GORGEOUS!! My jaws literally dropped when I stepped foot in there. Of course these pictures don't do it a bit of justice but I loved the layout.

Much like Forever 21, the amount of merchandise is entirely overwhelming but the overall architecture of the store was breathtaking nonetheless.

My favorite part was the dressing rooms. Look at the entrance. Fit for a queen!

I felt like I had found

Of course I couldn't leave without purchasing something. Most of their items were a bit on the pricey side but when I made my way to the back of the store to find their Buy 1, Get 1 FREE items I knew I had hit the jackpot! I left with 4 items-2 of them being FREE-but only 3 of them are pictured because one of the items that I picked was way too small. I hate trying on clothes so needless to say that item went in my 'to sale' pile!

Without further ado, here is my swag.

Oxfords-$18.99 (FREE after sale)

I love the detailing and the neutral color. I can't wait to pair them with some cut off shorts and a fedora hat!

Wedges-$19.99

Red is my all time favorite color and as I was going through all of my shoes I noticed that I don't have any red shoes for the summer. In my eyes red is a neutral color so I pair it with everything-but maybe that's just me being biased! LOL

Faux Fur Vest-$7.99 (FREE after sale)

This last item is thee best one of the haul. I've been searching for a fairly inexpensive faux fur vest since last season so I died two times when I saw this hanging on the rack. It was the hugest steal of the entire trip. The original price was $34.80. If you all know anything about me by now then you know that I'm not doing $34.80-I don't care how cute it is. I wait for sales. The first markdown was $24.99, then $14.99, then $7.99 but I got it for $FREE.99 because I purchased it with the pair of $8.99 shorts that are not pictured. Since the higher price prevailed, I got this lovely vest free of charge. I'm so in love.

For less than $30, I scored some great items. I'm truly happy about each and every one of them and I can't wait to style them.

How do you feel about Buy 1, Get 1 FREE sales? Do you really feel like you save money or do you think they are a total rip off?

Do share.

XOXOXOXO

PS: I would love for you to know more about me and what's going on with the blog. Be sure to go to my sidebar under the 'Let's Be Cool' tab and follow me at my other spaces as well!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday Favorites...Vol. #14

Finally Friday!!! YESSS!

I hope everyone has had a more than amazing week. I'm so excited that Friday is here-I have a jam packed weekend.

Just wanted to take a moment to share some of my favorite things from this week.

Here goes...

2 books that I have read in the past week-Low Down and Dirty by Vickie M. Stringer and Natural Born Hustler by Nikki Turner. I'm a sucker for good literature. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has them.

This pink and orange combination that I found in the June issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine. Believe it or not there's some really good information in that magazine.

The magazines that fill my mailbox on a weekly/monthly basis. I'm swamped with mags and I'm not sure how I will ever catch up! Does anyone else have that problem?