6.13.12 - Inspiration from Lookbook.nu's Top Looks

http://lookbook.nu/

One of My Recent Videos:

Song of the Week:

Rita Ora - How We Do (clean)



-Diane <3

Yes, I Do Go Thrifting in My Own Garage.

The Ultimate Thrift Haul video! Sorry it's so long. I had a lot of subjects to cover (and I talk too much). I wanted to show you-all all of my thrifted items before I started my DIYs on the them.



-Diane <3

Randomness.

I failed to come up with a good subject to speak about, so I'm just going to fill your little heads with random bits of inspiration. I hope you don't mind.

-Diane <3

I've Been Doing Sew Much

I started taking sewing classes a few months ago. Finally! I've wanted to take sewing classes for years now; I've always wanted to bring my ideas to life. The classes really annoyed me at first. After a long, boring, long, annoying, and did I mention long? day of school, sewing was the last thing I wanted to do. On top of that, I'm sort of a perfectionist, and when you're learning something new, being a perfectionist really doesn't help. It took me forever to do everything! My slowness really annoyed me, and even though she has never really said anything about it, I'm pretty sure it annoyed my teacher too. Now that I have a little bit of experience and I've been practicing more at home, my sewing has gotten much better and faster. If I keep this up, I might be a pro (or something close to that) by the time I graduate. No, scratch that. I'm not going to be a pro at sewing by the time I graduate, not even close. If I keep this up, I'll be pretty good at it by the time I graduate.
Here are some sewing projects for beginners that I've completed so far:

• Sewing Bag (large bag) and Notions Bag (small bag)







 The rope I bought was a little bit too big, so the bags are kind of hard to open. I spent my own money on both the fabric and the ropes though, so I don't plan on throwing the ropes out to buy new ones. I'm keeping both of these bags on my wall; they're the first things I've ever sewn from scratch, so I want to cherish them forever, and I don't want them to get messed up.


• Shoulder Tie Purse




My inner-hippie made me immediately fall in love with the fabric on the outside of this purse. My teacher said I also had to get a contrasting fabric (it needed to match the outside of the purse in some way) to go on the inside. I couldn't find anything else, so that's where the tacky, inner-fabric came from. I'm waiting until summer vacation before I wear this bag because I think it'll look best with summer attire (swimsuits, shorts, sandals, etc.).


• Cloth Napkin







I made this cloth napkin at home using the big ol' ugly roll of fabric my dad got from one of his construction job sites. I'm probably going to use this cheap, tablecloth-lookin' roll of fabric to sew like...everything I make at home. I'm too poor to buy any new fabric to mess around with! haha

-Diane <3

How To: Wear Maxi Dresses (or Skirts) in Fall and Winter

It's starting to get cold, and if you're like me you probably don't want to put all your summer clothes away just yet. Maxi dresses and skirts have been a really big trend this year, and luckily, they are very easy to wear during the colder months.

The easiest way to wear this trend during the fall/winter is to pair a tee-shirt underneath and/or top it with a cardigan/blazer. Since people usually wear neutrals during the winter, if you have a bright-colored maxi try pairing it with a neutral-colored coat/jacket and accessories to tone it down.

Pairing maxi skirts or dresses with slick-punk rock jackets would work great for fall. (Marie Claire - June 2011, V. 18, Issue 6)

If you have a maxi dress with long or 3/4 sleeves you're in luck because you can wear it through the fall as it is.

You're probably going to be layering a lot on top of your maxi dress/skirt to keep warm. Most of your body will probably be covered, so make your outfit a little more sexy with some killer accessories. Put on your highest heels, and it'll add a whole 'nother type of layer to your winter-ready outfit!

Diane's Fashion Obsessions: Printed/Patterned Shoes

Patterned shoes are a must-have! They easily give an outfit more "interest".

I love Doc Martens. A print makes them less edgy and a lot more sweet.

Menswear is really popular now. Oxfords are a men's style shoe, but a print gives them a dose of femininity.

Heels/platforms are always sexy, but a print gives them some extra spark!

Prints make an ordinary sneaker look a lot less ordinary.

Printed flats look a bit dressier, so you can pair them with your favorite party dress. You'll be able to bring more excitment into your outfit while staying formal, and without killing your feet!