7 Ways to Wear It!

Today I am blogging over at Second Hand Solace! 

Don't miss out on the post! 

And make sure you read her guest post on my blog it's all about thrifting!

Have a nice evening!  

Thrifty Tips from Second Hand Solace {A Guest Post}

Hello everyone- today I'd like to introduce to you Brittany of Second Hand Solace. I am really excited to have her share with you some amazing thrifty tips. Definitely stop by her blog she has so many wonderful posts (Not only on thrifting but a ton of other great things too- including primal recipes!) Enjoy the post!

Hello i like boring things readers!  My name is Brittany and I blog over at Second Hand Solace.  I originally started SHS in May 2012 as a means of sharing my journey as I only buy second hand {thrifted} clothing.   Since then, Second Hand Solace has expanded to include posts on music, primal/paleo lifestyles, fashion and college life.   I'm super excited to be guest posting today on Danielle's blog today! I thought I'd go back to SHS's roots and share some thrifty tips and tricks.

More often than not, after telling somebody that I thrifted the outfit I'm wearing, I get this response: "I never find anything good when I go thrifting".  Not every thrifting trip will be a success, but I thought I'd share some of my favorite tips to hopefully help make your next trip a good one.


THRIFTY TIP # 1:

A thrift store is a direct reflection of the area in which it is located.

I think that the location of the thrift store is often overlooked by thrifters, yet it plays an important role in your success.  For example, the area where I go to school is very rural.  The closest malls are 30 minutes or more away and even those are very limited.  Back home, I live in a suburban area where there are an abundance of shopping malls, including one of the biggest on the East Coast. I am also in close proximity to a major city where I'll also do some thrifting.  The difference between the thrift stores in each of these areas is very noticeable.  Many thrift stores in the suburban areas focus on buying gently used, brand name clothing.  The thrift stores where I go to school accept older donated clothing.   

The Indian dress pictured to the right is originally from  Anthropologie but I found it at a thrift store back home at a greatly reduced price.  If you are into brand names, pick a store and location that best reflect the brand you are searching for. If there's no Urban Outfitters within 50 miles of you, don't walk into your local thrift store and expect to find all UO brands.  Don't be afraid to travel more than you normally would if you're on the hunt for a specific item or brand.

What Would A Nerd Wear?

Tribute Post: 

Almost 2 years ago I began blogging, and one of the very first blogs I began to follow was What Would a Nerd Wear. The blog was started by a grad student documenting her outfits as a way to inspire more creative and professional dress... clearly that is right up my ally! Well I just read a post today announcing that she would no longer be continuing the blog- it's a really sad moment to learn that one of your favorite inspiration blogs is saying goodbye... Check out her Goodbye Post. I know it might seem silly to say I will miss someone I don't know- but reading a blog really connects you. I will miss reading the posts a lot. So check out a few photos- and visit her blog for some great fashion inspiration before it is no longer. 

 

And probably the most helpful post ever: 

World's Easiest Skirt 

My version of the skirt:

See the post here 

Take some time and check out her blog- it's basically amazing! 

**I do not claim to own any of the pictures except the last ;)**

The Wear-Drobe: Rock the Frock!

The weather has been so nice lately basically all I have been wearing is dresses! (I don't have access to pictures of all the dresses I wore over spring break yet- a whole bunch of pictures are trapped on my sisters camera!) I did manage to get a hold of one of the pictures of my outfit to go see Into the Woods! 

I went to the show with Ryan, and we had dinner beforehand and Gabby was so great and the rest of the cast was really entertaining!

 I just recently got this dress at a thrift store for a few dollars it's so comfy and a lovely color for springtime. 

Tomorrow seems like another good dress day! 

Fashion Tip: Shop second hand if you are going to shop! It is so much cheaper, you can find more unique styles and it's kind of fun giving a dress a new life in your closet! 

 

The Wear-Drobe: Meine skirt ist Grün!

Today- was all about Song Literature, and studying for my midterm exam... hence the dorky title reference: (5 pts to the person who can name the correct title and composer!) What I have above means... my skirt is green... and today it is!

This morning I woke up and the sun was shining, but not a deceptive sort of shine, one that actually brought warmth to Northern PA! It was 60 degrees here, which meant I absolutely had to dress for spring today! I decided once again to challenge myself to wear things I hadn't yet this semester. I tried a few things on but nothing looked right. Then I saw this green skirt-I bought it awhile ago for a dollar or two at a thrift store, but I never had wore it. I think it's because at that time I was a little skinnier and the skirt fit more on my hips and less on my waist- (I am more comfortable with high waisted skirts!). Well a few pounds later this skirt sat up a little higher on my waist and I was feeling better about trying it out! I felt that not only was the bright green color perfect for the sunny day, but the flowing cut of the skirt really made it feel like spring. I wasn't really sure what to pair with it, but I came across this floral scarf my brother got me as a present awhile ago and it just so happened to have the same green color as the skirt. I then picked out a plain black shirt to pair with the busy patterned scarf and bright colored skirt- didn't want to overload anyone! I paired it all with a bright coral bag, and black kitten heels (which I hear are "in" this spring)!

The nice thing about this outfit is I used 3 things that I don't normally wear altogether to make a nice outfit I felt comfortable in... The skirt used to be a little big, but now fits loosely at  right below my waist, which was an excellent pair for the black shirt, which is a little too tight for me to want to wear it with just jeans. And the scarf really just tied it all together.

Tip: if you have an shirt that's a little tight, try pairing it with a flowing skirt, or tucked into high waisted pants. If you have an article of clothing that's a little big, look for something fitted to contrast it with- it will make you feel "less fat".

Don't know what I mean when I say Wear-Drobe??? Don't worry you can read the first post!

The Wear Drobe: Don't be afraid of color!

As the days seem to be getting sunnier my fashion sense shifts from winter warmth to springtime fun! All I want to do is wear dresses and sunglasses, and have picnics. Lately however the sun has been deceptive! So I wanted to bring some springtime cheer into a winter weather weighted outfit. All of the fashion magazines are saying that this spring brights are back in- and leading the way are orange tones! So today I decided to pull out a coral shirt from way back when and pair it with a new bright blue scarf!

You might think this contrasting color combo is only for the brave of heart- but it's really not that scary, and we see it all over in our lives:

 Like orange accents in a blue room, to spice it up!

 On the fingernails of every girl who is getting ready for spring!

 In cute purses that I would love to tote around!

 Even in wallpaper on an accent wall!

Don't be afraid of color this spring embrace it!  

TIP: Mix and match things in your wardrobe that you used to think could only be paired with a neutral- you will fit right into the spring fashion trends! (and it will give you a refreshing take on your clothes!)

The Wear-drobe

I recently have realized the massive amount of clothing and other accessories I own... Right now at school I manage to fill 2 entire closets, and still have to keep sweaters and several shoes in other storage places. I might do a tally of all the things I own- it would indeed be informative. Earlier this year I decided that I should attempt to wear my entire wardrobe, what good is a closet full of clothing if I never wear it all? Here are some pictures to help better understand what I have available to me- and how I organize it all! Recently I started organizing my clothes differently to help me know what I have worn. (I wish I had started taking pictures of all the outfits- but alas I did not) However, it's never too late to start- I might make a series called "the wear-drobe" containing different outfits from my closet! 

Wooden closet: Contains all tops (excluding sweaters and blazers), most of my shoes, jeans, shorts/capris and other casual pants.

Hangers: Not only color coded for easy retrieval, but now the direction the hanger faces tells me if it has been worn yet! 

Dress-up Closet: This closet contains all my dresses, dress pants, blazers, skirts, tights, underwear, bras, socks, pajamas, purses, hats, belts, and light weight scarves. I don't do the hanger method in this closet because I have an easier time remembering which ones I wore/didn't wear

Where do I keep the things that won't fit in my closet? Sometimes I move out of season clothes to a bin- where I usually keep winter coats. My sweaters hang out in a comfy three drawer organizer in the hallway near a basket of winter scarves, a full length mirror, and a small whiteboard that I keep the weather for the week on! My overflow shoes found their way under my bed into a closet shoe organizer tipped sideways.

All of these things, help me stay semi-organized, and are assisting in helping me complete my goal of wearing all the stuff in my closet, so I can turn my wear-drobe into a wore-drobe!

announcing: Ugly Sweater Week

Dear Readers,

Remember how Floral week happened awhile ago? Well I have been pretty slack on doing any other type of theme week... So I am going to plan ahead this time. Based off of a very successful good will trip with my mom I would like to announce: Ugly Sweater week! This will take place Nov 27th until Dec 3 (The week after Thanksgiving). I would make it sooner but I want people to have the chance to collect sweaters and also I would like Christmas sweaters to be acceptable during that week. Now it's true that you will see me sporting a different ugly sweater everyday- however I don't want to find myself alone in this endeavor! So all of you at Mansfield- or readers everywhere bust out those festive sweaters! (hit the thrift shops or raid grandma's closet). Even if you don't have enough to celebrate all week join me in the fun any day you can!

Also plan on taking photos of your efforts that week and send them to me- they will definitely end up on my blog :) I would also like to have a prize for the photo submission that readers vote is the ugliest!

I am exploring the option of ending the week with an Ugly Sweater Party too!

Stay tuned for more info.. but in the mean time here is some inspiration :)

Happy Planning :)

Floral Week

 

Last week I celebrated "Floral Week!" I really love floral prints, and with fall rapidly approaching you will see these spring-like patterns less and less, so in order to celebrate I decided to display flowers all week long proudly. From Sunday all the way to Saturday I wore at least one item with flower print on it each day. By the end of the week I even got some other classmates at my school participating!

Sunday: 

OK, so you probably recognize this picture from my post about making a skirt.

Well surprise... this skirt started my floral week! 

I wore it to dinner after work one night, then took some pictures. 

Cited: Skirt (homemade),Shirt (Old Navy), 

Pearl Bracelet (Primark), Shoes ( Thrifted)

Monday: 

The rain started on Monday- and didn't stop.

I decided the best way to rock my floral was on my feet! 

Cited: Rain Boots (Target)

Tuesday: 

This day felt like fall! 

I bundled up with a scarf and rocked my primary colors.

Cited: Skirt (Handmade), Turtle Neck Shirt (Old Navy), 

Belt and Scarf (Primark), Bag (Forever21), Flats (Payless)

Wednesday: 

Another really rainy day (most of the surrounding areas flooded).

It was so rainy I couldn't take a picture outside this day. 

Cited: Pants (Urban Outfitters), Top (too old- don't remember),

Flats (Payless), Ring (Antique)

Thursday: 

We had the first half of our day cancelled for flood warnings- it ended up being sunny. 

I decided to wear a skirt :)

 (which was actually a dress folded down to look like a skirt)

Cited: Skirt/Dress (Thrifted), Top (Urban Outfitters),

Bracelet and Flats (Primark), Hat (Vintage)

Friday: 

I actually had an entirely different outfit planned for this day

-but it was much warmer than I anticipated!

Cited: Sweater (Thrifted), Dress (Thrifted), 

Locket (Grandma's old locket), Sandals (Payless).

Saturday: 

This day was jam-packed full of things like choir retreat, walmart trips, 

and an epic night of scrapbooking (I did 15 pages in one sitting). 

I apologize for the tired state I am in for this next shot!

Cited: Top (Express), Shorts (Forever21)

*By the end of the week I was getting lots of people around me involved- Thursday and Friday I had a lot of people participate with me at school! (My sister even did at home)

Pictured above: (Top Left) Beth, Sara, Katie, Abby, Liana, Erika, Kim

(Top Right) Sarah Dennis

(Bottom Left) Beth Bentley 

(Bottom Right) Sarah, Katie, Erika, Me, Sara, Lindsay

Thanks everyone for your awesome support of floral week! 

I encourage you all to plan one for yourself with your favorite pattern or accessory! (It's pretty fun!) 

Sol- a needle pulling thread

In my last post I mentioned a few fall goals of mine, playing the Ukulele, creating some artwork, making my own clothing. Well this past labor day weekend I decided to finally tackle my goal of making a skirt! All summer I bought fabrics and patterns and materials for dresses or skirts, but was too chicken to just sit down and try it- the patterns seemed like they had so many parts to them- I was freaking out about being in too deep. So amidst my blog reading a particular skirt caught my eye on What Would a Nerd Wear. I checked where the skirt was from and saw "homemade" listed... and lucky me- Tania provided the link to a diy tutorial! It was sort of funny because I remember noticing this skirt in previous pictures on her blog- and even being directed to the tutorial before- so I decided I was just gonna try it. I had some fabric that I purchased for $1 at a thrift store this summer- (it was actually a curtain)- and decided to make it into this skirt! Not gonna lie I sorta felt like Maria from the sound of music turning curtains into clothes--- anyhow...Here is my finished product below!

(I even made pockets!)

Special thanks to Josh for taking the pictures for me! :)

If you are wanting to tackle making your own clothes I totally recommend this DIY skirt! All you need is a sewing machine and some common sense!

Back to School

Welcome back to school everyone! 

Fall is my absolute favorite season, and part of that is because of the back to school hype. As a child one of my favorite pastimes was back-to-school shopping with my mom. Now, in my last year of undergrad I still participate in the back-to-school shopping, but find myself buying housewares and textbooks! I still do buy a few notebooks or folders for old times sake- this year I even bought ones with cute designs. 

In honor of my favorite time of year I wanted to share the joy with some wonderful fall/back to school ideas! 

#1 challenge of my year- eating. Healthy- cheap- yummy- food seems to not exist! But I found an article this morning with 40 healthy school lunch ideas! 

(Sure they are meant for children- but I certainly am still a child at heart!)

Although food and meal planning is important nothing is quite as nice as some back to school shopping for my favorite items! 

My biggest-most thought out-researched buy is always my planner. Generally I go to at least 5 stores before I find anything that could be deemed as suitable. This year I started in the place I ended last year- Barnes and Noble. :) My planner is great- one week in and I am totally loving the nifty layout and convenient stickers that came with it!

Once the planner is purchased it is always a good idea to beef up your desk and office supplies! I would look around online for some inspiring ideas- and then find it cheaper or make it yourself!

Now with every change of the season I like to redo/reorganize/ and rethink my space, life, wardrobe, etc. 

Storage space is always an issue and I have just recently reorganized a lot of my room! 

1 nifty idea I came up with** I had a hanging shoe rack that clips to a bar of a closet- holds about 11 pairs or so, it took up too much space that I needed to hang dresses/coats etc. The width of the cloth rack I found fit exactly under the side of my bed between the poles of the bed frame... TADA! lift up the bed skirt and you have 11 pairs of organized shoes... already at foot level! 

I found an article on book storage under the stairs and thought the idea was wonderful! Check it out and be inspired!

After reorganize- why not be inspired with some fall fashions/essentials? Check out Ruche <3 one of my favorite online stores! They even have a cute Chalkboard Basics section!

Reorganize/Redo/Rethink! 

Rethinking your lifestyle is a good thing to do every now and then! I found a cool site with tons of green back to school ideas- everything from practical/material changes to theoretical changes! They even have a whole section of ideas for college students and professors- and if you happen to be a teacher there is a section for that too!

Last but not least I think with every season you should strive to create, to try something new, and do something you love. For me my fall goals are to create a piece of art, sew myself a skirt, and learn how to play the Ukulele!

 

A great idea for some new art work with a back to school feel...

 Find out how easy this project is here!

Happy fall everyone I hope I have inspired some of you and at least made you smile!