What I wore today: 09/12/2013 (Not Over Neon)

I wore this last night to work our store's fashion show. We were instructed to wear our best Anthro, so I chose this superstar skirt from last summer. Though it's a bold color, I've found this skirt to be surprisingly versatile. I've worn in with chambray and black and white in the past, but decided to pair it with a simple white peplum top this time, accessorizing with a poppy neon necklace I painted with neon nail polish (tutorial here).

I don't know about you, but I'm not over neon yet. It feels especially appropriate in these last hot death-rattle days of summer, since I know all brights with give way to deep fall colors soon. 

Neon lace skirt - Anthropologie

White peplum top - Anthropologie

Vintage jellies - thrifted

Neon satchel - Target

Neon necklace - DIY
Dinosaur bone rib-cage cuff bracelet - nOir Jewelry

The Liebster Award

Paulette of Rorschach, Coffee, and 1963 has nominated me for a Liebster award. Thanks, Paulette! The Liebster Award is given to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

Apparentely, "liebster" is German and can translate to "dearest" or "beloved."

The rules of the award:
1. Link back to those who nominate you.
2. Answer the 10 questions the nominator has for you.
3. Nominate 5-11 bloggers with less than 200 followers.
4. Create 10 questions for your nominees.
5. Be sure to notify your nominees.

* * *

THE QUESTIONS PAULETTE ASKED ME:

1. What, or who, inspires you to blog?

My blog is 100% the product of my life, so life is my biggest inspiration. That said, my life and blog are definitely inspired and influenced by other bloggers and artists. Listing all my inspiration sources would be impossible, though, because I'm inspired by about 100 different things every day.

2. Which three songs are at the top of your playlist?

My top three most-played songs are all ones that comfort me when I've had a bad day or am really stressed out: "The Dress Looks Nice On You" by Sufjan Stevens, "Baobabs" by Regina Spektor, and "Gotta Have You" by The Weepies. I think all three of them achieved their most-played status during one particularly stressful quarter of my sophomore year of college. It's been six years since then, but nothing else can touch them in terms of play counts, possibly because nowadays I change up what I'm listening to more often and don't get so stuck on a few songs. 

3. If you could go back in time and be someone else, who would it be, and why?

I'd only do it as a temporary experiment; I definitely wouldn't want to leave my life. But the first thing that comes to mind is that I'd like to live for a week as Marie Antoinette to experience what life at Versailles was really like. Of course, that life would get really tiresome after more than a week, and I'd definitely want to skip out on the whole guillotine thing.

4. Which era of fashion do you feel most inspired by?

Definitely the 1920s, followed closely by the 1960s. They were both periods of breakout feminism and sexual revolution, which was very influential to the fashions of the time. I've written more extensively about it here.

5. What was your most awkward moment?

I honestly can't think of a great moment for this. It's not that I don't get embarrassed, but I usually don't dwell on embarrassing moments, so I end up forgetting them. 

6. What is your favorite movie, and why?

My all-time favorite movie is Amélie, because it is inspiring in every way that a movie can be inspiring. It's visually incredible, and it makes you want to be more open to serendipity and connections with the people all around you. Also, Amélie is a total fictional fashion icon. I wrote about her style here.

7. If you could have the vacation of your dreams, where would you go, and who would you take with you?

Ryan and I would vacation to Paris and it would be like a five-year long vacation. And we'd stay in an apartment, not a hotel. So, basically, we would just live in Paris for five years. 

8. What are the three beauty products you can't live without?

Moisturizer, perfume, and lip balm 

9. What is your favorite day of the week, and why? 

Saturday. I like to wake up a little later than I do on weekdays (but still pretty early) and walk down to the coffee shop. I love my neighborhood on Saturday mornings. Then, I usually either have a lazy afternoon or a productive afternoon (depending on what I'm more in need of that week) and I spend the evening socializing with family or friends over a delicious meal and a few drinks.

10. What was your favorite subject in school?

I loved school, and I had a lot of favorite subjects including fiction writing, biological anthropologie, U.S. womens history, and Shakespeare. 

MY NOMINEES:

THE QUESTIONS FOR MY NOMINEES:

1. Which super power would you choose between flying and invisibility? Why?

2. What's the most memorable outfit you've ever worn?

3. Who are your favorite fictional characters?

4. What's one food that's always best homemade and one food that's always best from the store?

5. If you could only wear one pair of shoes for the rest of your life, which would they be?

6. What is your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate?

7. What's the best theme party you've ever been to, and what theme party would you like to throw?

8. If you opened a food truck, what kind of food would you serve and what would your menu look like?

9. What's the best vacation you've even gone on?

10. What magazines would you subscribe to if money was no object?

My Fall Wish List

01. H&M; 02. Jung ee eun, Boticca; 03. Sisters of the Moon; 04. J.Crew; 05. Frye, Urban Outfitters; 06. Mociun; 07. Tattly

As fall approaches, I long for good leather boots, sweaters and sweatshirts with a touch of sparkle, and long quartz necklaces. What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?

Featured in IFB's Links à la Mode

Thank you, IFB for featuring a post of mine again this week!

What is Fashion Blogging anyway?

Are we supposed to want to go to fashion week? It's in our blood to want to know the latest and greatest fashion trends. Do we muse about high fashion or stay grounded in everyday style? Fashion blogging covers a vast array of topics all relating to that essential need to get dressed. Whether you're in the trenches at fashion week, following from home, or couldn't care less, we're all still fashion bloggers to the core. Anyway... We had a GREAT round of submissions this week. Hey, summer's over, today's the first official day of 'Fashion Month' so we're all back to work. Fall fashion starts to hit the streets and our computer screens, so it's all exciting stuff!

Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup

• Bohemian Like You: We Don't Need to be at New York Fashion Week
• Cats and Milk: Icon // Alek Wek
• Cheap 'n Chic Living: Why BB cream could fail & the best sun protection routine
• Corals + Cognacs: Inside Edition: The Tents at Lincoln Center
• Fashion is Evolution: 6 Tricks for Beautiful Skin in Your 20s and Beyond
• Just Having a Giraffe: The Four Faces of Lady Gaga
• Kiri Yanchenko: Create Your Own Runway Look With Ease
• Lollie Shopping: Sunglasses Are Not Headbands
• Metallic Paws: How to wear Crop Tops- and feel comfortable and confident!
• Momtrends: Mad for Plaid
• Real Girl Glam: J.Crew-Inspired DIY Jeweled Baseball Cap
• Rose & Pine: The ONLY Denim Guide You'll Need This Fall!
• Simply Fabulous: Not to miss: Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition
• Skint in the City: Would You Wear Clothes then Return as 'Unused'?
• Stilettos & Tequila: Does Fashion Blogging Only Mean Outfit Posts?
• Style Context: 5 Pinterest Strategies for Your Blog
• The Curatorial: Nike Pro Tattoo Tech: Tattoos, Ritual and Appropriation
• The Neon Blonde: Say Cheese! How To Take Better Instagram Pictures
• Two Kids NYC: 7 Tip on How to Thrift
• Youth Savage: Dapper Humanitarians

DI(fr)Yday: How to Embroider Absolutely Any Image You Want

Embroidery was my favorite craft when I was a kid, probably because I was totally American-Girl-obsessed, but I hadn't embroidered for years when I went to TxSC last month and became newly inspired.

The first thing that inspired me was a workshop where I learned that you can use carbon paper to transfer images from magazines and books onto fabric. No more Hobby-Lobby-kit cottages in the woods or kittens playing with yarn! (Not that I don't love a good cottage or a kitten, but the possibilities when you buy patterns are pretty limited.)

The next thing that inspired me was seeing my friend Chloe's embroidery that she sells on Etsy. Her pieces are so colorful and humorous, and they reminded me how much I used to love embroidery.

Before my surge of inspiration, the last thing I'd embroidered was the cross-stich pattern seen here. But lately, I'd been wanting to do something with more detail, a portrait maybe. And, since I'm not the best portrait drawer, carbon paper was going to be my saving grace.

I developed a technique of my own for making complicated images like photos into basic line-drawings that can be transferred with carbon paper onto fabric and stitched over.

Here's how I created this totally awesome embroidered portrait of Edgar Allan Poe (and how you can create a piece of embroidery out of absolutely any image you want).

You will need:
Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
a digital pad or tablet like this one
carbon paper
fabric
embroidery floss
embroidery hoop
a needle

01. Open the image you want to embroider in Photoshop. Create a new file and drag the image into that file.
02. Create a new layer and, using the digital drawing pad, trace the important features of the image using a contrasting color. I used red on a black-and-white image. If your image isn't black and white, it helps to convert it to black and white and then trace using a bright color.
03. Delete the image layer. Print.
04. Layer your drawing on top of the carbon paper, which is on top of the fabric (carbon-side down), and trace all the lines of your drawing with a pen, using enough pressure to transfer the carbon.
05. Embroider over your pattern, taking care not to brush your hand against the carbon pattern too much because it smudges easily.