Vintage Adele Simpson Dress. Need I say more? 

 I got this dress from the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. I always have a great time there. I love the thrill of the hunt AND I love the chats with the women who volunteer there. They love being there and it shows...also they are very knowledgable about all the vintage clothing. I highly recommend donating items to an ACS Discovery Shop and/or regularly shopping there. All proceeds go toward fighting cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. 

Now back to the dress...Gorgeous colors! Gorgeous detail! Look at that gold embroidery! Ugh, instant dress crush. It's a few sizes too big for me but I couldn't pass it up. (soooo many pins are in the back for these pics. haha!) The great thing about vintage clothes is that as long as it's in good condition, it holds it's resale value. It's usually a win/win with vintage, buy a decent priced quality made item, wear it a bit and then you can always resell.

Be sure to check out all the local Ohio Discovery Shop locations!

I've been *trying* to transition away from wearing bright colors all the time. It's hard...but fun mixing things up. The base of this outfit is black and white, including a bold stripe tank to create interest. To tone down the 2 color graphic look, I threw on a sleeveless pastel pink top that has neon yellow accents. I love the mix. My favorite part, of course, is the rhinestone lip Lulu Frost necklace. It's the perfect funky accent piece.

Sunglasses: Spitfire (from nastygal.com)  ///  Necklace: Lulufrost - Jcrew  ///  Earrings: AC Design  ///  Stripe Tank: The Limited  ///  Sleeveless Button-up: Gibson & Latimer  ///  Zipper Leggings: Zara  ///  White Pumps: ASOS

Ya know those expensive stainless steel letter magnets from Pottery Barn? I've been wanting them for years...but c'mon, not paying that high price for magnets. Silly. 

I found and purchased a big bag of vintage colorful kids magnets from Bombshelter, I figured these would look awesome spray painted with some metallic Krylon Chrome paint. I know, I know, these magnets were already cute in their original state when I bought them but the colors and look doesn't go with my house...had to give it a punch of glam. This is seriously the most easy project and the results are high style. 

WOW this outfit! WOW this field! It was a beautiful time. "Meet me at the edge of the world" is a new album Over The Rhine is coming out with soon. I just saw them play and they talked about their home and land in Cincinnati, Nowhere Farm...twirling around this field reminded me of this and their beautiful music. (I love Karin and Linford)
This outfit was perfect for the surrounding scenery. It's simple elegance with lush fabrics and oversized fit has made it my new fave...and it's great to twirl and dance in. I got the lovey vintage copper skirt and  Oscar de la Renta kimonoish piece from a fashion event at NOTO, a small boutique in downtown Akron. The black top is a silk, raw edge tee from Banana Republic. The trendy rose gold sandals are a cute and surprisingly comfy pair from Forever 21.

How could you not love a gorgeous pink bird with awkward long legs? Since my beach trip last month, (where I picked up the lawn ornament in the top pic) I've been slightly obsessing over them...especially in fashion. ASOS has a lot of cute flamingo patterned clothing and most of it is on sale. I've just been sticking with little accessories to show my pink bird love. When I saw the the pink rhinestone earrings at Franchescas, I gasped loudly and I believe I even hugged them. Hey, I get excited, ok? The gold flamingo keychain was on sale at JCrew, I added the little nuggets of beaded fun. 

Now is the perfect time to snag some summer deals!

original photos found here:  1  ///  2  ///  3  ///  4

Ladies, it's time...bold up your brows. If you're anywhere near my age, you've probably grown up over tweezing your brows and skinny was the trend. That was the thing to do in the late 90's and early 2000's...that was long long ago and let's break this habit. Honestly I haven't been paying too much attention to them, until now. They've kept their tweezed shape all these years and I just kinda forgot about them. BUT bold and thick is the way to go. I been seeing this look everywhere and have been dismissing it...afraid to change my ways. Honestly, (don't kill me) keeping them skinny and over tweezed is one of the biggest ways to look dated and um...er...well...old!

Where to start? I asked Thresa Venables, stylist at the salon Sheer Professionals for great brow tips (she rocks!) It's pretty simple. Grab an angled brush and a neutral eyeshadow. I've just been using a pressed powder shadow I already have. This works great to give a softer look. Just because we want a bold look doesn't mean we have to use harsh lines from an eyebrow pencil. Just brush in the color where you want it. You can even apply a little to get started while getting used to the look. Give it a try!

Want some fashionable artsy feet this summer without paying the high price? Jazz up a pair of sandals you already have. Anytime I can experiment and customize a piece, you know I'm all over it. These sandals have been sitting around unworn collecting dust...I'm really into statement footwear right now so these in their original state were pretty plain and blah for my taste. Instead of letting them sit there alone crying, I decided to invest my love into their poor soles (heh). I kept the Sam Edelman line in the back of my mind while giving these an update...attention to detail, patterns, mix of colors were all key thoughts. AND whenever I create anything the goal is to make it look high end. If it looks "crafty" it's getting thrown in the trash (crafty = pet peeve!). 

For the Strap: I used rhinestone chain of top and wrapped a cute black and white thick woven string around the strap, between each rhinestone. Just glue your string to the bottom of the strap to secure it.

Tassel: I cut several pieces of string and leather, folded them in half, and glued them into a jewelry end cap. (You can find these at a craft store) To secure it to the sandal, I just tied the tassel with an extra piece of leather.

Feel free to ask any questions of share how you've updated your summer sandals!