Friday fashion talk

Well so much for my 'no-buy' goal. My mom and I (famous for our shopping sprees) managed to keep it light, but we did shop every single day that Josh was gone.

We started it off Monday, with a trip to TJ Maxx not long after they arrived. (We certainly didn't waste any time.) My mom picked up some Coach tennis shoes, a shirt or two (I tried convincing her to buy a black version of the Michael Kors shirt I got, but she wasn't having it), and some houseware stuff. I got some face stuff off the clearance rack (Elizabeth Arden face mask, some crazy organic moisturizer, I forget the brand, and some nail polish), a hot pink Michael Kors shirt (see below) and a Max Studio maxi.

 (sorry about the blurry one, but it's the closest to showing the true color)

Tuesday we went to ReStore; she had brought like a huge box + 3 or 4 large bags of stuff, and I had 3 large bags. It filled up the entire back of her Escape, so it was a hefty load. Then we went in and shopped. She found a nice scarf with the tags still on it, and I got two shirts. I don't really intend to wear either as-is, but the black/gold one is so pretty, and detailed (and brand new, it had tags on it), that I am going to hold off on cutting into it until I have a solid plan.

Wednesday we headed to the mall, my mom wanted to get her hair cut, but we still managed to squeeze some store time in before and after. I picked up a pair of striped leggings (how on-trend am I, y'all?!), and an absolutely gorgeous navy blue ruffly Cremieux skirt I found on a clearance rack at Dillards. My mom got a few shirts and a hi/low (mermaid hem?) dress in oxblood (also off the clearance rack, they were packed with awesome stuff!) 

Thursday we stuck to the bookstore, my mom got a bunch of books but I didn't. I picked one out but decided to buy it on my Kindle instead. :)

Today, after my parents left, Josh and I went back and I found another Michael Kors shirt (nautical! perfection!) so that just sort of happened, but I really think it was worth it. It's beautiful, and dressier than a lot of things I own, so it will be a little more versatile.

Also included, for your consideration, two things I had mentioned but hadn't shared pictures of: the grey maxi skirt from last time we were at TJ Maxx (it's Max Studio) and my newest addition to my Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses collection. (Stars!)

Ok, well we're off for a night of fun and adventure, I'll catch up with you cats later and write more about the week, and our very exciting (not so much) travel plans for either next week, or the week after. Intrigue! (Or just poor planning, who knows.)

Fall dye time

Let me just preface this by saying that I have a lot of clothes. Not like shop-a-holic level of a lot, just...above average. Probably. I don't really go around measuring other peoples wardrobes for comparison or anything. But, because of that, I have a lot of clothes that last from year to year; favorites that I'm careful with, or just pieces that sometimes get forgotten or not worn as much because I have so many choices. (And because I spend most of my days at home in pajamas so my 'nice' clothes get a lot less wear & tear than my 'home' clothes.)

Sometimes, though, even though they're still in good condition, things fade. And no one wants to wear faded clothes! So twice a year, right around the time that I switch my spring/summer and fall/winter wardrobes around, I dye things. Usually it's just the blacks, because those are the most prone to fading, and the most obvious (and because I wear a lot of black) but I have been known to do grey or blue as well. It's a simple way to keep clothes from last year (or the year before, even) looking sharp, and a lot cheaper than replacing staples (like leggings, turtlenecks, tanks to wear other stuff, etc.) that don't really change styles from year to year. I mean, I don't know about you, but I prefer to spend my money buying new boots rather than replacing the leggings I'm going to wear them over!

So today I dyed three pieces:

A turtleneck that I've actually had for...3 years this winter, a tee that I got in February of this year, and one pair of leggings. (The other pair has a hole, so they are getting replaced.)

Here's a close-up so you can see the difference in the amounts of fade:

See how even though the turtleneck is the oldest it's also the blackest? And I think, honestly, this will be the first time I've dyed that! It's one of those things that I take really good care of because I really love it. It's got just the slightest bit of ruching down the neck, sides, on the wrists, and around the arms, making it almost puffy sleeves. The tee is just a cheap one from Sears, but it's thin enough that it's great for layering, and other than a bit of fading, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. And since it's less than a year old, I'm giving it a face-lift to get it through at least one more season before I let it go.

Another tip for keeping blacks black (and any clothes from fading, really) is to hang them to dry instead of tossing them in the dryer (I actually plaster mine all over the bedroom and leave the fan on high while they're drying) or, if you must put them in the dryer, use a lower setting. (Delicate, low heat, whatever it may be on your dryer.)

Anyway. Just thought I'd share this, in case anyone needed some ideas on how to breathe new life into a favorite outfit that has begun to lose it's luster! Other than this, I'm still working on getting the house in tip-top shape. I've gotten both bathrooms sparkling clean, and organized the craft room, for the most part. Just need to go over it once more with the vacuum and clear off my desk. I'm waiting to do the kitchen last because it's the easiest to dirty up again. We have a huge counter that easily becomes a catch-all for pretty much everything. Ok. Time to get back to it! Hope everyone has a great week!

Being productive

Woke up feeling much happier today, and ready to tackle a few things! First off, here are the galaxy shirts I made. Mine is the tank, Joshs is the tee, and they're just waiting to hit their 72 hour mark so I can wash them and we can wear them!

These I made for us today...we bought a 4 pack of Hanes shirts for me to make Josh the galaxy shirt, and this is how I used up two more of them...

cut them in half...

sewed them back together...

and we have matching shirts! Well, sorta. The one on the right is mine, and I'm going to make some adjustments to it, I think (cut off the collar, and stitch up the sides a little because it's very long on me).

This is what I'm working on next...updating these converse that I've had for...oh, 7 years now. I think it's time for them to glow...and sparkle. :)