What I Wore Wednesday: Independence Day (Sister Style)

Last week Rachel made her first dress!  We picked out similar fabrics and made dresses for a backyard BBQ/Independence Day party that we were going to on Monday.  (...Yes, I cut my hair, and it was sort-of unplanned.  We'll save the full story for another day.)


Details: Mendocino dress pattern made up in a "homespun" buffalo check from Jo Ann Fabrics, polka-dot Payless wedges on me, Target flip-flops on Rachel, bandana headband (mini-tutorial tomorrow), Target sunglasses on me, Old Navy sunglasses on her.


It's so much fun to put together a themed outfit.  Rachel and I may be 18 years apart, but we've always had this in common: we love a good costume.

I painted my nails in red, white and blue stripes, which made me smile every time I looked at them.  (First I painted a white stripe down the middle and let it dry.  Then I added red and blue on either side.  I'm sure there are more precise ways to do it, but my time was limited, and I loved the results regardless!)



I'm also completely in love with appliqué right now.  Why haven't I done more of this?  I can feel an appliqué bender coming on...

I found these hemp wedges at Payless -- cute heels to give me a little height, but the hemp keeps it down-to-earth enough to wear it to a family-style party.





It's been such a privilege to get a chance to spend time with Rachel, and work on projects together.  I love my beautiful sisters!!

What I Wore Wednesday: Secret Agent

(Even if you don't usually read these style posts, please scroll to the end to vote in a quick little poll imbedded in this blog. Click through to the actual blog post if you're reading through a feed aggregator or email!)




Black camisole, Target ~ V-neck T-shirt, OldNavy ~ Black tuxedo-stripe skinny jeans, OldNavy ~ Knee-high leather boots, Born (from Zappos.com) ~ Bracelet, Cocktail Ring, Sparkly Fascinator Headband, all gifts from a friend ~ Austrian Crystal Lariat Necklace, unknown.

Have you ever watched those action movies with the sleekly dressed female assassin/secret agent who can shoot poison darts with a ballpoint-pen, has a hidden camera in her cleverly designed necklace, and can run down the enemy spy with a pair of killer heels?



I figure that if a Super Awesome Secret Agent can do that, I can at least chase down a toddler with a pair of knee-high boots.



And with all of this bling, there's NO way anyone would ever see me coming.  Or pick me out of a crowd.  So sneaky.  I even have a scar next to my right eye.  That TOTALLY makes me bad-ass.  Scar-Faced-Faith.  That's my Bad Guy name.  Wait -- I forgot that I was supposed to be the good guy in this story.  Whoops!



In reality, I probably COULD run down an assassin...because he would fall over laughing at my inefficient running style....which is what happens even when I'm in my track shoes.  I love making people smile.  ("They're not laughing AT me, just WITH me...")  A girl can dream.

A note on make-up:
I used my favorite Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Silk palette in Sapphire Siren, and Rimmel Vinyl Lip Gloss in Crystal Clear.  The key to a really intense eye like this is to fearlessly apply color, layering until you have the intensity you want, then very carefully blend each color into the next, finishing with blending out any harsh edges on the outside of the lid.  I apply my shadow with brushes, but then use my fingertips for blending, because I think that works better than Q-tips or cotton balls or brushes.


Alright my friends, I've been doing this weekly style feature for about 2-1/2 months now, and I've enjoyed it, but what about you?  For me, this blog has always been about whatever it is that I'm interested in.  I figure, if I start to write about things that don't interest you, as the reader you have the power to click away to more stimulating subjects.  However, this style section has run a little far-afield from the initial goal -- to give myself a place to talk about the creative and crafty parts of my life along with a good dose of life-as-a-mother, and the occasional recipe.  While I personally feel very creative when putting together outfits, how does that make you feel?  Should we keep it?

What I Wore Wednesday: Butterfly Leprechaun

There's not much to say about this outfit...

VS Siren Legging Jean ~ long-sleeved slub-knit shirt from Old Navy ~ Frye Women's Dara Honeycomb Sandal ~ handspun, handknit Beachwater Bolero ~ Gothic cross necklace, unknown ~ green butterfly hairclips (sizes Large and Medium), Sprinkles and Frosting.

Except to say that I really like green. Really. A lot.

Although most likely I'm not actually a leprechaun...mostly just because of the shoes.

Because otherwise, I'd be a total doppelgänger. 

Lavella also has a butterfly outfit of her own today:

Dress from my brother Jonathan for her birthday.

Golden Monarch butterfly hairclip also from Sprinkles and Frosting.

We've been very into hair-clips lately.  I've been thinking about Top Hat Fascinators lately...

What is your favorite color?  Do you also like to wear it?  When you look at your wardrobe, do you tend to see a whole lot of the same color, or do you like to mix it up?

What I Wore Wednesday: Roller Derby (and a group date)

(Even if you don't usually read our weekly style posts, note that after the "fashion shoot" are pictures from a fun night out with some very dear friends that have never before been seen on this blog.)

Over the weekend, Greg and I went on a group date with friends to see a roller derby bout.  We love watching those TXRD girls racing around the track, throwing punches and making a scene.  So much fun!  Sometimes just watching the crowd is even more entertaining than the girls themselves; quite a variety of people show up.  Of course, for me, roller derby is also an excuse to style fun and wild outfits as my "costume" for the night.

 
Black and green t-shirt, Old Navy ~ cut-off denim skirt, Old Navy (modified by me) ~ black fishnets, unknown ~ Steve Madden Hondd black booties ~ Black/brown leather vest, vintage ~ chain necklace, unknown (originally a wallet chain, modified by me).


 


 


 

I used Maybelline EyeStudio Color Plush Silk Eyeshadow to create a dramatic eye (winged out on the sides), and Black Honey Clinique Almost Lipstick for a sheer wash of red on my lips.

And now for the night itself!

We carpooled with a bunch of our friends, and grabbed seats together right in the front to watch the action:

 
(Greg likes to make a horrified "candid" face for shots like these.  So wonderful.)  From left top row: Empty chair that Jason was sitting in, Alicia, Greg, Me, Unknown Guy and Lady. 
From left bottom row: Alison, Josh, Chris, Becca, Brittany, Rachel (also in bottom row but not pictured: Dennis, Jenny, Ron)


 
With two of my dear friends, Brittany and Becca

(Sorry, no pictures of the Derby Girls -- they speed by so quickly, it's hard to get a non-smeary picture, but you can see plenty on their site.)

Usually, we stay for the entirety of the derby, but this time we decided to leave at halftime for dinner at Austin restaurant Malaga.  The better to talk about everything we'd just seen!

 
At Malaga, table for 13 (!)
  
The food at the restaurant was super delicious.  Greg complained later that there wasn't enough seafood, and the vibe wasn't very "Spanish", but I LOVED it.  Also, eating out with this crew was entertaining enough in itself to make this dinner a memorable one.  I definitely plan to go back.


My friend Jenny and I are known for our animated conversations that always include VERY WIDE EYES, so we attempted to get some action shots...

 
Red-wine-afterglow shamelessly air-brushed out of our faces

As it turns out, it's nearly impossible to keep your eyes open wide while laughing wildly.

 


 
Chris and Becca


 
Dennis and Rachel


 
Ron and Jenny

 


 
My gorgeous girlfriends -- from left: Alicia, Alison, Rachel, Becca, Jenny, me, Brittany.

I love these friends like crazy!  Having people like these in my life here have made Texas feel like it's truly home for us.

What I Wore Wednesday: Concrete Minerals

Today, instead of an outfit, I've dressed my face!  That only sort-of made sense.  Right.  Moving on.  I've been trying out six different shades from Concrete Minerals this past week (using L'Oreal De-Crease primer on my eyelids first, to help the eyeshadow to last), experimenting with different combinations, and have photographed my look each day.  (Please excuse the differing shades of natural light -- these were taken at different times every day.)


 

First, a very subtle look.  This is Vegas on the lid, Ruse in the crease.  Brown pencil eyeliner on the outside edge of top and bottom.


 


 

Smokey eyes.  I used Swamped as a liner all the way around, Vegas on the lid.  Black gel eyeliner on top, black pencil on bottom.

 


 

This one is the wildest of the bunch.  Longtime readers will remember my distaste for orange, so I have an announcement for you: ORANGE is back!  I am totally in love.  This is certainly not an "everyday" look, but I love it for it's punch and vigor.  I could have done a little better with the liquid eyeliner though (macro-zoom = yikes!)

Napalm on the lid and crease, Vegas on the inner corner, black liquid eyeliner.

 


 

This is my favorite combination: Temptress in the outer half, Croma on the inner half.  Black gel eyeliner on the top only.

 


 

Greg's favorite.  Swamped on the outer half, Ruse on the inner.  Black gel liner on the top, black pencil on the bottom.

 


WOW that was a lot of freckles.  Also, I totally tweezed my eyebrows with Photo Shop.  Because I rock like that.

Overall impression of Concrete Minerals: this is pure color with no parabens, fragrances, dyes, talc, and other bad stuff.  It goes on smoothly, and the jars have little shaker tops so that you can dispense a small amount of product at a time, rather than risking a full spill of your new favorite shade.  How can I not love it?  Now I'm just dreaming of which shades I'll try next...

Introducing...What I Wore Wednesday

Since a year ago, February 2010, I have lost 20 pounds.  It had a lot to do with the fact that I had just weaned Jonah, and for the first time in 7 years was not nursing or pregnant, but I also joined a gym and worked out with varying degrees of intensity, and also started paying attention to what my body really needed to eat (rather than all of the extra calories I was accustomed to consuming to account for always having to also nourish another tiny human).

As the weight started to come off, and all of the pregnancy/nursing hormones started to subside, I began to feel something I hadn't felt in a very long time: I began to feel like myself.  As I started to become comfortable in my own skin again, I finally felt like I might want to cut my hair again, dye it fun colors, wear occasionally dramatic make-up just for fun, wear skinny jeans, put on a pair of great heels, explore my closet for long forgotten vintage finds...

I still don't fit into everything -- when I first became pregnant with Andrew I was 22, and I'm almost 31 now, so my body has changed a little, and, while I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight, a few pounds may have settled slightly differently than they started.  But overall, I am feeling more confidant in who I am and what I look like than I have in a very long time, and that makes me excited about playing dress-up on date nights and experimenting with make-up -- dabbling in working my own style like I did before the children.

Recently, I've been reading some style blogs, and as I've played around with putting my own outfits together, the thought has crossed my mind: I kind of want to blog about this.  So here we are with a new blog feature "What I Wore Wednesday".

This new feature is intended to be a fun little diversion from the crafty/cooking/mommy posts that we usually have around here.  If you do the same on your blog, please leave a link so that we can all check it out! I love to see how other people put clothes and accessories together.  It's inspiring!



 
"Going To The Rock Show"


 
New hair color: Garnier Nutrisse "Hot Tamale"


 
VS Kiss Capri in Foil print, Steve Madden Hondd booties, long-sleeved black pocket-T from Old Navy.


 
Smokey grey and black eye shadow with black gel liner and black mascara.


 
(For a DIY version of these jeans, use metallic fabric spray paint on a well fitted pair of your own jeans)


 
(Sorry that the heel was hidden in the grass!  It's not easy to take a picture of your own foot...)

Let me know what you think about What I Wore Wednesday; it just might stick around for a while!