Fashionable Browns and What's New This Week

Brown and Animal Prints are Very In Style Right Now, Why Not Try it Yourself? Here's How!

This week I've got some great things for you on the blog, but first I'm going to start something that I've wanted to do for a while - style posts. I love fashion (I do make jewelry after all, so I suppose it's to be expected!). Sure, I may wear yoga pants and t-shirts at home when I'm running around like an idiot, but when I have any excuse, I like to dress nicely. I pour over fashion magazines, stalk the stylish online stores, and think of how the latest trends match with my (pretty conservative-classic) style.

Now I really want to share with you some ideas for how to wear the current trends, how to style jewelry with them, how to match trends with safe-for-work-wear, and how to go from day-to-night in a jiffy. And please give me your feedback on what you want to see and any questions you have!

See that pin board up there? These are a few trends that are very apparent now, but are still classic enough to wear for years. Recently, the Duchess of Cambridge was seen wearing a beautiful brown and tan shirt-dress style that has everyone talking up a storm (in a very good way!). Of course, hers was printed with birds, and was well tailored and probably cost a fortune, but there is no reason that "the rest of us" can't look just as good at a quarter of the price! Now, first-off, one of the biggest keys to looking good is tailoring. No one has the same measurements for every off-the-rack garment. Take an item of clothing, from jeans to an expensive dress, have it tailored or hemmed (anywhere from $10-$200, depending on what you need done) and see how magically your wardrobe is transformed from nice to WOW! Keep that in mind when trying on items. If it is a little loose in one area, take it to a tailor and get it fixed. You'll look and feel like a million bucks :)

Back to fashion! Browns and animal prints are very in style right now. Though I am not normally an animal print person, this dress "Tucker Slim Fit Shirt Dress" from Bloomingdale's (http://www.bloomingdales.com/) is very nice. The animal print isn't too wild and bold, so you could easily wear this to work with a few modifications and still look professional. The key is to not tie the waist tie too tightly, and not have the buttons all undone. Maybe one at most, should be undone, to show a very nice necklace underneath, or have it on top of your dress (see below for necklace ideas). For day time office-wear, perhaps add a dark, single color cardigan, and put your hair in a simple bun. To finish, do a simple berry lip, and understated eyes. Accent either eyes or lips, not both (you'll look like a clown, not the best thing when wanting a raise!). For night, let your hair down, maybe unbutton just 2 buttons, and put just a bit more lipstick on. You want to darken your makeup a bit more, but not too much (we ARE ladies after all, and want to look feminine and still respectable!)

Catherine was also seen wearing booties similar to the ones on the pin board as well, though these probably aren't the same. These "Brown Lumiati Maddy Booties" are considerably more affordable, and yet very stylish, from 6PM.com (http://www.6pm.com/). She also paired the outfit with dark brown opaque tights, which is perfect for those of us still knee-deep in snow (don't worry, I'm hoping the snow will disappear soon too!). If you're looking for something a little lighter, go for nude hose. BUT ALWAYS WEAR SOME SORT OF HOSIERY! Nothing screams "Unprofessional!" like nekkid legs. Seriously. Don't do it! For the office, I'd probably go with brown flats (save your feet for the killer heels when you go out later that night!)

To add your own personal style, add some pretty, yet not too flashy jewelry. The Cleopatra's Blue Goddess Necklace (http://www.etsy.com/listing/91033798/cleopatras-blue-goddess-necklace) is displaying some of the most popular trends right now - turquoise, gold, blue, green, amber, and multiple strands, to name a few. It is demur enough for the office, yet will easily transition to night. Pair it with the matching Cleopatra's Blue Goddess Bracelet (http://www.etsy.com/listing/93540180/cleopatras-blue-goddess-bracelet) and you have a surefire win in your hands. You'll look put-together, polished and professional, while not looking like another cookie-cutter office zombie.

What do you think? What is your style?

Coming up this week: Tuesday has new earrings you won't want to miss, on Wednesday Arwen gets serious about doggy health, Thursday shows a beautiful Treasury of Etsy items to usher in spring, there will be a fantastic feature on Friday of a very talented photographer, and another seriously cute Saturday Squee animal to start your weekend off right.

See you tomorrow!

Treasury Thursdays

I thought that today, instead of showing you all a treasury that I had made, I would show you some treasuries that my Etsy friends have made in the last week or so, that just so happen to feature yours truly ;-) Please note that you can click on any of the images above and it will take you to the item directly, for your shopping pleasure! Or, you can click on the title of the treasury (above is "It Was a Wondrous Day...") and it will take you to the treasury page, where everything is larger and easier to view.

The first treasury is one that shows the volunteers for my Etsy for Animals team on Etsy. I love the colors and how soft everything is. I'm the Yahoo administrator for this group, so I was lucky to be featured too :)

  This treasury is from a woman in my Plurk team. If you don't know what Plurk is, see the left column of the blog...just a bit lower, and check it out. It is like Twitter, but better! Joy created this treasury with items from a few of her Plurk buddies :)

This treasury was created by another fellow Etsy for Animals member, in the vein of hoping for spring (aren't we all hoping for spring at this point!). It has some really stunning paintings and prints in it...I've added a few things from this list to my wishlist for sure!

This is another treasury from an Etsy for Animals member (boy are we active, or what??). With a variety of items, ranging from dog harnesses to catnip toys to ceramic mosaic, there is something for everyone on your gift-giving lists (Mother's Day is coming up soon, you know) :) Have a great day, be sure to come back tomorrow for a fantastic featured artist you won't want to miss!

In the Garden: Go Ahead, Laugh

It is that time of year again. Time for me to fight off the invading hordes of mosquitoes, no-see-um's, midges, blackflies and more. Time for gardeners everywhere to get back into the garden and restart the war on weeds. The crocuses are gone, so are most tulips and daffodils. The weather is more consistently nice, mild, and when it is breezy, the bugs don't make you want to run yourself off of a cliff.

I was going to post this photo first, but the Poet's Daffodils, top photo, are so pretty (they date from the 1500's originally), and so much less scary than me in all my bug-fighting glory. You see, I taste like Skittles to bugs. I am a gourmet feast. While others may be standing about, enjoying the weather and remarking how nice it is to be drinking and eating outside finally, how nice the weather is and lack of bugs are great, I am the one being feasted upon by every flying, biting insect out there, and then swelling up afterwards (and NO! I don't scratch them either, they just swell, it is SO unfair *stomps foot*). So I take precautions, frightened dogs and good looks be damned.

I end up having to wear a t shirt, sweater, bug jacket, light colored pants (my fat legs love that, ew), plenty of bug spray, shoes, and long gloves that can be unrolled up to my elbows if thorns threaten to tear my precious bug jacket. Still, I get bitten. Anywhere the mesh rests on my skin, they bite through. Heck, they even bite through my pants, and occasionally my sweater as well. So I dress like it is below freezing, even though it is short-shorts weather. And I WIN! Mwahahahaha! I only got about 3 bites in 45 minutes on Saturday when FINALLY getting into my gardens for the first time all year. I saw that my bleeding hearts (or dancing ladies, I really like that name much more) are doing very well (see above photo), and I even had a hummingbird around them (didn't have my camera for that one, and I'm still kicking my self for that!).

The weather has been warm, but totally rainy so it has been impossible to get into the yard for anything more than untangling doggies who insist on getting their leashes caught on things in the middle of the yard. In 45 minutes on Saturday I managed to get the dead branches out of one of the front gardens, and start the war on the weeds and grasses that insist on lodging in my gardens. The wheelbarrow was full, the deadwood gone, and I knew that was all I'd be able to manage for that day. I know it looks terrible to leave the dead stalks all winter, but the birds really enjoy the seed heads over the winter, in fact, you can often see them hiding behind the stalks during snowstorms, or eating the seeds all throughout the winter, so I leave the deadwood for them and remove it during spring, though I am sure it would be easier in the fall.

Here's the garden, beside the wheelbarrow. Yeah, I know, the garden still looks awful, but that is because the crocuses, tulips and yellow daffodils have all come and gone, and I'm still waiting for the balloon flowers, veronica, bee-balm and lilys to bloom yet. I think I need some more late-spring flowers to hold the garden over until the next flowering. I'm still learning all of this stuff, so if you have suggestions, I'd be more than happy to hear them! I also need to put down more soil and more mulch. And on that vein, what do I do with the old mulch? Do I mix it in with the new soil? Throw it in the compost pile? Mix it in with the new mulch? So many things to learn, and I'm researching SEO and Analytics, and so much more, all at the same time, oh my!

Friday Favorites, May 20 Spring Vessels

'Friday Favorites May 19 Spring Vessels' by LittleStudioJewels

A collection of my favorite vessels - anything that holds something - all in spring colors of greens and pinks. Enjoy!

Delila Bag - Garden Mum... annyandme $68.00	Lace Heart Ring Holder ... LennyMud $10.00
Personal teapot Hodakapottery $100.00	Kawaii Cinderella Fabri... blota $24.00
Printable Posh Dots Bal... ThePoshEvent $3.50	Damask Floral Pitcher -... JosiesPotShop $150.00
Michelle Bag handmade w... aggieray $57.50	Anxiously Awaiting Spri... PoFu $55.00
Fill me up Butter cup Eclecticclaywo... $52.00	iPad Tablet Case with P... BearStitches $50.00
Hand Painted Wine Glass... decouverre $75.00	Ready to ship...Sweet a... bayousalvage $54.00
Pillow Shaped treasure ... Creativewithcl... $48.00	The Versailles Collecti... CarolynPayne $80.00
Big Toile Travel Bowl doggydetail $12.00	One 16 oz Personalized ... TwistedRiverCl... $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

So I am rather redfaced to realize that I dated my latest treasury incorrectly. It SHOULD read May 20, but I typed May 19. Doh! Anyway, these are a few of my favorites in spring colors, but only things that hold other things, you know, vessels :) I love the beautiful ceramics, the wonderfully patterned fabrics, and the incredible talent that went into making each and every item.

Here is the link, just in case the image above doesn't link properly: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dd5b86bb3396d911559e311/friday-favorites-may-19-spring-vessels

Please comment and click on the items to give them some love. See you tomorrow for some Squee of Etsy!

Friday's Favorites: Spring is Coming

Top, from left to right: Golden Faceted Amethyst Ring from Kyleannemetals, Wicker Fruit Basket from Johntoftbasketry, Sea Grass Organic Baby Quilt from Organicquiltcompany

Happy Friday everyone! The weather is warming here and it is showing signs of wanting to be spring (we've had torrential rains for almost 2 days straight, and my sump pump is going off ever 3-5 minutes right now!). In honor of the warmer weather, I thought I'd show you a few of my favorite Etsy items right now that remind me of spring and warmer days. Enjoy!

Bottom row, from left to right: Vinyl Wall Sticker from Expressingyou, Floral Tea Party Dress from Priscilladawn, I Am A Cow Painting from Becca26

Also, I am working on getting healthy, as I said in my last post, so I have been rather remiss in keeping my Etsy store up to date over the last few months. I am working on that, as well as the new website and new blog layout (baby steps!), and I am also currently writing a fictional survival story, which I will be publishing in pieces here. I'll only put up a few paragraphs once a week, but I would LOVE to get your feedback on it. I've never really written anything before, so be nice, but I am very excited to share my little story with you all. Keep your eyes open for that next week!

I hope you all have a great weekend, try to stay dry for those of you getting weather like mine, and I hope to see you very soon. Oh, Arwen also says hi :)

Take care,

The Great Spring Shed 2010, Day 2

Okay, it isn't Day 2 per se, she's been shedding for about a week already, but this was the second day of MAJOR fur loss - this was after only one side of her had been brushed, and I am having to Swiffer the house twice per day to keep it from having little tumble-furs every where (like tumble weed, but her fur). I'm getting about this much fur from my daily Swiffering as well. It is Nuts!

One thing I find interesting is that Arwen gets more sleepy and more hungry than usual during this time - perhaps the stress of shedding out one coat and growing a new one? I don't know, but I try to give her a little extra food without making her fat, and I always try to give her some fresh veggies or eggs or canned tuna juice to help her. Of course, it could also be that she is now spending a few hours per day outside in the warmer weather chasing squirrels and barking at the pheasants that come to our bird feeders (yes, we have 4 pheasants that come to our feeders, it is hilarious).

Until tomorrow, unless I've been covered in a sea of shiny black fur....
and Arwen

Monday's Methods: Making a Furry Dog (Slightly) Less Furry

It is me, Arwen the Wonder Dog blogging today as mommy is busy with her job. Today we will start to examine why the sun, plus warmer weather, plus a VERY fuzzy dog (me) equals fur going everywhere! In mommy's clothes, on the furniture, in her mouth, EVERYWHERE! I love getting brushed (I will relax until I start to drool, and have even started to fall asleep standing up, only to jerk myself awake when I start to fall over) and I love the treats at the end even more! Here we prepare with horse grooming brushes (dog grooming brushes are laughable with my fur), and I've taken off my collar. I am trying to give my coy look...
Here mommy is brushing my side. I decided to lie down for this photo as I was tired from running around chasing, I mean, looking at the squirrels in the back yard.
Here is some of the fur that mommy got out in about 3 minutes. The dots are water as I am very static-y right now. Mommy will have to continue brushing me every day for about 2 weeks (and sweeping the floors twice per day) until all of my winter coat is out. Believe it or not, by the time I am done shedding, I will have lost over 1 POUND of fur! Every year it is the same thing, mommy brushes me and swears that THIS will be the year that she makes a coat out of my winter furs, but she never does. It is good though, my furs are one of a kind and should NOT be replicated ;-)
Here I'm getting my treat as a well-earned reward for being so good while mommy brushed me. We wanted to also show you me getting my teeth brushed, but mommy says she needs both hands to hold onto the tooth brush and keep me from swallowing it (I LOVE beef flavored toothpaste for doggys). Sorry, but for now, this will have to do :)

Hugs and nose taps,

and Arwen

Thoughtful Thursday - My Own Neighborhood

~What's That You See Arwen??~

~Oooh a Hungry Robin Running through the Yard!~

~And a 2-Egger By the Look of That Belly!~

It was a nice day today, so I thought I would take Arwen for our first dry-ish walk of the year (we haven't been able to go out during the winter as the snow makes the roads too narrow to not get hit by other cars, and the spring makes the roads ridiculously muddy). It was beautiful, just before sunset....the birds were chirping....the frogs were croaking in the swamps....the shoulders were covered in garbage! I couldn't believe it! The day after earth day and I was standing on my country road, surrounded by nature that is covered by trash! I was appalled to say the least. So, I have decided to go out tomorrow on our walk and bring a garbage bag and rubber gloves to pick up as much as I am able to. I think I may do better to bring a wheelbarrow, but I'll do what I can.
Is there anything you can do to beautify your neighborhood? Arwen has decided (well, I have decided for her) that she will not chase the robins anymore!
Cheers

Thankful Thursday - It's SPRING!

I spent a delightful hour in the garden yesterday, clearing away the old to get ready for the new and I have to say it was absolutely blissful: the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the dog was eating grass and vomiting (well, that wasn't so nice, but she seemed to enjoy it). Then I came in for a glass of water and realized how messy my house was. So I spent the rest of the day doing housework, when I found this beautiful bracelet I forgot to show last week after I made it!
This is made with a sterling silver chain with beautiful rainbow fluorite beads dangling like a charm bracelet evenly around the chain. I finished it with a custom sterling silver clasp and lots of love. I hope you like it!

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming!

~My Niece Violet in Her Custom Tiara~

I am SO sorry for the unexpected absence the last few days - we were up at my in-laws visiting family (and my 5 month old niece, above, for the first time) and though I had blog posts planned, I never got around to doing them :(
However, the visit was fantastic, the drive much faster than usual (3-1/2 hours instead of 4-1/2), and the weather just divine.
I made my niece a custom tiara to fit her little head (it will fit an infant as a headband, but will fit anyone as a mini tiara very nicely). I used a gold-plate headband, Swarovski crystal pearls in white and rose pink and attached them with 14karat gold filled wire. It was a hit, everyone loved it, including Violet!
I hope you have a great day, with warmth, happiness and sunshine.