Who doesn't love a good deal?

So I just recently discovered DSW. I mean I knew about it, but just always walked passed it at the mall. I know what you are thinking, how did a girl who once dropped $800+ in a Guess store (I wonder if they work on commission?) never venture into a shoe warehouse?!! And all I can say is... I HAVE NO IDEA, pure irresponsibility on my part!

But back to the point....

I have already found some amazing deals there; black knee high boots for $30 (SCORE!) and my Roxy tennis shoes for $9.61 (Double SCORE!) but this next purchase takes the cake...

Two days ago I popped into DSW to find some suitable heels for a wedding I am standing up in. I was putting a lot of pressure on these shoes; must have a good heel, must let me comfortably walk down the aisle (without gripping whichever groomsmen I am paired with) and must get me through dinner & sober dancing... oh and did I mention I didn't want to spend a lot, because the chances of me wearing said heels again, were slim... WHEW... high expectations!!!

LUCKY me... I had totally found a few pairs that met all qualifications when I spotted these little monsters on clearance... Not the most dazzling of the bunch, but cozy. Not the highest heel, but cozy. Not the prettiest of bows, but... well you get the picture.

So why, you ask did I chose these when they weren't my absolute favorite? Well this I have an amazing answer for... because they were SIX dollars & EIGHTY-SEVEN cents... again, you say?!

$6.87!!!

I mean can you even pass up anything for that amount? It's less than a tanning session, less than my lunch bill today, less than what I spend on coffee a week!!!! Less than just about everything!!!

Pure madness... I even text messaged Tequila who said "How is that even possible?!"

It's possible because these sweet little Nina heels were originally $80, but only $56 at DSW... then you add the 70% off clearance and my handy dandy $10 off coupon..... and you have yourselves a deal my friends.

A deal that had the sales clerk gasping... GO ME!!

xoxox

Opening Day Kicks... The Tutorial :)

I always feel pretty crafty when I go up north to visit my parents... maybe it's because Andrea is so creative & crafty, or because she has her very own craft room & an abundance of supplies or just because I have loads of free time.

So even though I was only visiting for a day, I decided it was time to accomplish one of my very first Pinterest projects! You can find my inspiration here, unfortunately I have googled and can't find the artist to give proper credit... but they did an excellent job on their finished product! 

First I started with a pair of canvas Roxy's which I found on sale (SCORE) at DSW!! 

Once I had decided on my two designs, I printed each from the computer in a size that fit on the front of each shoe. I chose the Old English D and a Detroit Tiger's logo. 

Andrea recommended that I use tracing paper, which required me to transfer the Tiger's logo onto transparent paper by tracing the printed logo. Once I had transferred the logo (see below); I then secured the tracing paper (dark side down) onto the shoe with the transparent logo face up with a few pins.

NOTE: I did not find the tracing paper to be helpful at all. In the future, I will trace the outline of the computer print out straight to the shoe, like I did for the Old English D (photo below). I ended up free handing the inside of the Tiger's logo because I could not see the tracing marks. 

Computer logo transferred to transparent paper for tracing onto the shoe

I found this way to be much easier; printed logo pinned straight to shoe

Traced Old English D ready for paint

Once my shoes were ready, I used acrylic paints to color in the logos. I did researched and found that some people choose to outline with paint markers first, but I decided to drive right in with a small bristle paint brush & acrylic paint! 

The shoes only required one coat of paint

Here you can see how the tracing paper worked on the baseball shape

The paint took only a few minutes to dry between color blocks. Once most of the color was complete, I decided to outline each logo in black. I definitely think outlining them was a plus and adds to the color pop.

I still need to spray them with a treatment

I also hand painted baseball laces on the back of the heels

I painted on a large piece of parchment paper for easy clean up

LOVE!

I am happy that I decided to give this project a try! It took about two hours, from tracing to finish. It was super relaxing and fun! I showed our Director of Costuming (who taught me how to sew my Halloween costume) and she thought they were a little plain for me :) but once I explained my whole outfit, she then agreed that they didn't need any bling... although I'm thinking of adding a few quarter size baseballs on the sides, we'll see though  :)

xoxox

PS My co-worker Jas really wants me to start a separate blog about my DIY projects & fashion statements. However since I have a hard enough time updating here, I told her in this case, two is not better than one :) She did though, come up with some awesome names for blog #2; so from here forward, I will tag any & all of my creative projects with "The Pink Apron" :) Thanks Jazzy Jas!! :)

Ultimate Grand Supreme Detroit

Are you ready...

For the BIG reveal of my Halloween costume?!

The one that I made all by myself? ... That started off as 5 yards of organza, 6 yards of tulle, 1lbs of rhinestones, 6 princess necklaces, 1 pair of ruffle socks, 3 bows, 1 pair of $3.60 thrifted shoes, 1 premade hair accessory from Hobby Lobby (which I might add is one of the most fantastic stores in existence), lots of patience from our costume director (on teaching me how to cut out patterns & sew on the machines) and lots of blood (sort of), sweat & tears (of joy) ....

And our 2011 Halloween Ultimate Grand Supreme is....


Here she comes... Miss America :)

Seriously should move South & make a living on pageant hair!

My Momager Katie & I

OVer the primping... give me my sucker!

No costume is complete without glitzy shoes!



Me, James & Lindsay



Al, Marilena & Tequila

Pout face :o



YIKES! Thats what a night of prancing & dancing does...

xoxox



Toddlers & Tiaras

I've officially decided on my Halloween costume... sadly it's not Lava Girl (I'm still looking for my Shark Boy) but it might be 10 times better!!

TODDLERS & TIARAS!!



WOO!! WOO!!

xoxox

Chameleon

Growing up I was super preppy... I only believed in Tommy Hilfiger (in 6th grade I even wore little boy jeans in TH until he came out with Tommy Girl), Ralph Lauren & Calvin Klein... I remember crying in the fitting room at Hudson's begging my mother to buy me a $52 pair of CK's!! I was only in elementary school :)

A lot has changed over the years and I find myself quite the chameleon. Long gone is the brand whore, the Nordstrom credit card and the 'those are from where?!' attitude!! I find myself switching my style on a daily basis... as my new (and still in production) bedroom closet will show (in a future post)... I have a country wardrobe where just about everything goes with my fav BCBG bronzed cowboy boots, a special occasion dress section where glitz meets glamour for a memorable night out, some punk rock tee's with neon track jackets when my dub step dancing takes over, my casual go to of long shirts or dresses with my legging obsession, and any other must haves that catch my eye. 

Any excuse to switch up my style is welcomed and this weekend I have a few :)

This weekend in Detroit is the WYCD's Downtown Hoedown and one of my longtime friends (our lockers were next to each other from 6th to senior year) Amanda and her band Annabelle Road take the stage on Sunday to rock Hart Plaza!! I plan to head downtown around Noon to check out the scene, meet up with friends, enjoy some draft beer all while stomping around in my cowboy boots & extra big hair!! Closing out the night is a performance by Jason Aldean whose album "My Kinda Party" has been on repeat in the Jeep, so I am really looking forward to the day. 

Flash forward...Chameleon... Fist pumps.... It's not just in my big hair & bronzed skin... Sunday night, after I kick off my boots & southern flower messenger purse I will be putting on my leopard jammies and neon headband for the Season 3 premiere of Jerseylicious... one of my fav reality shows!! 

I am so excited to watch Olivia, Gigi & Tracy, the drama, the fashion unfold... I totally love Olivia's style (I'm sure some of you reading this are currently cringing hard) but she does wear a lot of cool pieces!! One of my favs is this scarf, by Two Whistles, below... I definitely will be getting a custom one before the summer is over!!



AND then while I was cruising her FB page for the scarf link, I totally fell in love with these Nike heel tennies... can I pull them off?!! IDK but I might try :)


Long story short, I have come to pride myself on my chameleon style... as out there as it might be one day and muted the next... it's who I am and a whole lot of fun!! 

I think John Fairchild said it best "Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style.” I hope that one day, looking back, even if I am embarrassed by an outfit or two, I know that I stuck to who I am, what I am comfortable in and didn't change for anyone, but myself :) and I hope one day to pass that same confidence onto my children... because we each deserve to feel comfortable in our own skin.

xoxox

Fashionably Late

I am a little late to this blog party, but that's just the sorority girl in me... I like to make an entrance!!

At a recent dinner with friends, I joked that I would start my blog the day I met my future husband, just so I could entitle it "Today I met the boy I am going to marry..." (see my inspiration here) however when one of my BFF's husband remarked "what if you don't know it's him" I had an epiphany!! Although I have complete faith that in my fairytale, I will just know. I realized that if I wait around for Mr. Right, I am going to miss out on capturing my history & all the special moments that make me... me :)

So here I am ... with my big hair, green eyes & faux bronze ready to take on the world... one adventure at a time! :) I am very excited to share it with my family, friends, strangers and (one day Andrea I promise) my children. 

Your invitation has arrived... so grab your dancing shoes & lip gloss... and welcome to my party :)

xoxox