DIY Extravaganza

When I got back from New York, I had a few weeks before I had to be back at school. I filled my days with quality time with friends and family and LOTS AND LOTS of crafts! My mom is also really into crafting and DIYs, so it's something we enjoy doing together. She even has a pinterest now! Here are some of the projects we worked on (all from pinterest):

Supplies: fabric, flower pots, modpodge
This project didn't actually turn out as well as I expected. The first pot pictured here turned out best, but some of the others were lumpy and the fabric didn't lay quite right. Inspired by this.

Supplies: wine glasses from dollar store, chalk paint
I love how these turned out! This project was SUPER easy and now I have wine glasses that can be customized depending on my mood. The only drawback is they are not machine washable. Inspired by this.

Supplies: more glasses from the dollar store, vitrea glass paint.
Another easy project! All you do is paint the glass, wait a day, and then bake them to seal the color. And these ARE machine washable! Yay! Inspired by this.

Supplies: ribbon, beads
No DIY extravaganza is complete without a little handmade jewelry. The only hard part about these was getting the ribbon to go through the small bead holes; we used wire from another project to help push the ribbon through. I couldn't be happier with how these turned out! Inspired by this.

I also made some tissue paper pom poms and painted clothespins for another project, which I'll be showing you in tomorrow's post on my new apartment!

Back In Black

What I'm wearing: J.Crew cardigan, J.Crew outlet circle scarf, J.Crew painter tee, Gap Always Skinny jeans, Ciao Bella boots via DSW, Handmade bracelet

It's been rough transitioning back to cold weather after the amazing temps we had last week. So here I am, in all black once again, taking indoor pictures. I've been feeling rather uninspired this week, so this was the best I could muster. A little bit boring (and a whole lot of J.Crew), but I wanted to get more use out of this cowl scarf before it gets warm for good. Plus, I wanted to give my handmade bracelet it's first "test drive". I've got a few little kinks to figure out, but other than that, I love it! I definitely plan on making it in more colors.

Official Etsy Shop Launch Date

I've been talking about starting an Etsy shop for what feels like forever now, and I'm determined to make it happen. So I've decided to set the launch date; I find that the best way to get motivated is to set goals and have deadlines. So here it is folks: my Etsy shop will be launching on March 21, 2011! The pictures above are just a small preview of what's to come. I can't wait!

An Unlikely Combination

What I'm wearing: Gap cardigan, J.Crew painter tee, Old Navy skinny jeans, Old Navy short cowboy boots, Pearl necklace (made by me!), Forever 21 belt

I went through a phase in high school where the only jewelry I would wear was pearls. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, you name it. I thought that wearing pearls made me "classy". Now I hardly ever wear them because they seem much too obvious and stuffy. But today I was looking for the right finishing touch for this outfit, and I reached into my jewelry box and pulled out this strand of light pink pearls that I strung together a few years back. I liked that they weren't an obvious choice; I normally wouldn't pair cowboy boots with pearls, but I really like how it turned out. I'm not sure how I feel about blogging in the morning like this, but with a crazy busy week of midterms ahead, I'm not sure if I have a choice. Only four weeks until Spring break, which means the launch of my Etsy shop! I can't wait!

Simple Math

What I'm wearing: Loft sweater, Polo RL outlet tee, Loft Outlet jeans, Ciao Bella boots via DSW, Handmade necklace

The equation I'm living by right now: Nasty weather+ bitter cold= warmth and comfort are first priority. Its ridiculously cold here; I'm already mentally prepping myself for the long walk to my evening class tonight. I was hoping classes would get canceled today, but no such luck. I miss the days when I lived at home and drove everywhere. Living on a big campus is great for getting exercise, but it really has its downside in the winter. Today I layered up with the thickest sweater I could find in my closet. A pretty boring outfit, but I tried to liven it up a little with one of my handmade necklaces. I made this one over winter break, but today is the first time I've actually worn it. Here is a closeup of it (taken for my Etsy shop, which unfortunately is still nonexistent):

On a positive note, although my Etsy shop isn't up and running yet, I HAVE been consistently making things for it. I love cozying up on the weekends when its too cold to leave the house and just crafting my little heart out while watching a movie. My latest venture? A bracelet that's a hodgepodge of buttons and bows. I can't wait to share it with you guys :)

Handmade By Yours Truly

What I'm wearing: Forever 21 slouchy top, J.Crew outlet long cardigan, Gap Always Skinny jeans, Aldo boots, Handmade necklace (by yours truly)

The past few days, I've been gravitating towards looser, more comfortable clothing. I think its partially because of post-holiday pudge and partially because I like to be comfy while running around doing all the things I want to finish before I head back to school. I wore this yesterday for a day of working on necklaces for my Etsy shop (coming in 2011!) and for dinner with some girlfriends from high school. It was only a small portion of our big group, but it was really nice to catch up with everyone who was there. I purposely chose an outfit that could showcase my new necklace. On Monday, I found these beads at JoAnn Fabrics, and I fell in love. I used to make a lot of beaded jewelry, but it's an expensive hobby. But these beads were on sale, so I gave in and bought them. I really like how it turned out, and you can look forward to seeing more necklaces like this one in my Etsy shop. Here is a little sneak peek of what else I've been working on for the shop:

I had so much fun at JoAnn's picking out different color combinations of fabric and buttons. I love black and white things, so a black and white necklace was a given. I'm excited to launch my shop in the next week or two, and I hope you are too! Stay tuned for Best Foot Forward's first Etsy giveaway :)

Day 23- Pulled From the Archives

What I'm wearing: Uniqlo wrap sweater, Forever 21 printed top, J.Crew outlet jeans, J.Crew flats, Forever 21 belt, Necklace handmade by me

Day 23. Goodness gracious, I feel like I've been doing this challenge for forever. I think most of the others are finished at this point, but I got a slow start because of my class and work schedule. Tomorrow, I think I am going to do a big post on outfits I wore earlier in the challenge but never had a chance to take pictures of. Before the challenge started, while I was picking my items, I put together a few items that I thought would work nicely together and snapped some photos to remember them. Because I've been feeling particularly lazy lately with winter break and everything, this outfit was pulled from that archive. I wanted to accessorize this outfit up but had no silver necklaces that looked right. I also realized I don't have a single colorful necklace (excluding the one I wore yesterday). And then I remembered the box in the closet with all the jewelry I used to make. I discovered this necklace, which matched PERFECTLY and ta-da...today's outfit! I had completely forgotten about all of the beaded necklaces and bracelets I made a few years back, but after looking through them, some are actually really cute. They might just make into the Etsy shop as well (which I will be setting up after all the Christmas madness is over)!