this season's best accessory

Thanks to a friend that lets me tag along to CosmoProf to get salon pricing, this summer I have been able to keep my wardrobe entertained with the best accessory of the season.

Nail Polish.

Here are my summer hues:

VENIQUE side walk surfer/ ESSIE e-nuf is e-nuf/ OPI need sunglasses?

Here are my spring + summer hues combined:

added CHINA GLAZE pink voltage (neon)/ OPI y'all come back now ya hear?

How cool would it be to be the person that names the nail polish colors?


Savanna Sunshine. Defiance De-lime. Piper picked pink. Indiana Ink. (OK, maybe I wouldn't be very good at it.)

Nail polish is cheap and it is available in virtually any color possible. What makes this even more fun is the fact that it is WAY in style to not-match-at-all. My inner perfectionist is a bit shy to this non-matching concept, but I have been trying my best to comply. Also, it works out well when you are too lazy to change your nail polish. Who cares, it's cool not to match your outfit!

I'm pretty sure every color is "in style", so go find your favorite color and paint those naked and boring nails, OK?

Additionally, I'm proud to announce that Better Homes and Gardens and I are telepathically connected.... (you knew this had to get weird somehow.)

My seasonal colors have been featured on the cover of the August issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  Looks familiar... (The photo looks more blue, but in person the blue reads more teal like my "side walk surfer". just believe me.)

And I was flipping through the Crate and Barrel catalog and noticed some more similarities... (how did they know? hehe)

Wouldn't that be cool if I matched my kitchenware and my outdoor furniture? Hip Wifey? Maybe not. 


What's your favorite nail polish color this season?

XO

90's flashback

I know I have been majorly slacking here in the blog-o-sphere.

It isn't because I don't have tons of stories and projects to share. (examples: spider co-pilot, stinky lessons, spray painting, yard-scaping and cash bonanza). Mainly, the reason for lack-o-writing has been because the weather has been great and I can't seem to focus when the outdoors in calling my name.

But, today I decided to try both. I am blogging and enjoying the outdoors. It's a little windy, but the perfect temperature and I have a nice fruity drink by my side.

And yes, the drink stirrer is a sword. I can thank Ian for that Pottery Barn clearance purchase. Not quite my taste, but you win some and you lose some...

Well, I better start writing again or I'm afraid I might forget all the important things I need to over share! So, if this blogging outside thing pans out, then plan on a whole-lot-o-fun here on the soapbox this summer.

Now for the post topic: 90's flashback

When I was doing some trend research for work this week, I ran into this web home page at Urban Outfitters.

I had already been feeling the 90's love with the floral pants post here. But, it appears that was only a taste of what we have to look forward to.

(I'm loving the color-blocked back pack and the little hot pink crossbody purse.)

These images had an intense emotional affect on me. I traveled back to a time of youth, confusion, and pink ruffled socks with tennis shoes.

That green tank reminds me of the ones my dad used to wear on the weekends. And really, I can't think of anything more appropriate than the Simpsons to really take me back. Yes, we were that family that watched the Simpsons every night after dinner. Don't judge my parents. We all turned out ok, I think?

When I think back to the early 90's, (when I was in elementary school), here are a few of my favorite memories:

- bright geometric and floral patterns on clothing
- short bangs, long bangs and curled bangs and bangs standing straight up
- shoulder pads
- cutting my brothers hair without permission
- cutting my barbies hair without permission
- not quite understanding why my friend's sister liked a group of boys with funny hair cuts (New Kids on The Block)
- climbing trees and singing made-up songs as loud as I could
- begging my mom to go to McDonald's for months
- watching a neighbor boy dismember by barbies
- calling 911 because I was mad that my mom wouldn't take me to McDonald's
- getting a surprise kiss by a classmate on the school bus
- same thing happened in music class. Must have been a irresistible.
- by special permission from my choir teacher, two friends and I dressed up like the Bangles and sang "Walk Like an Egyptian" for the class, with dance moves.
- my brother getting chased around our house by a garden snake
- the one winter my dad helped us make a huge igloo and how ironic it felt for a house made of snow/ice to feel warm
- getting yelled at for reminding my teacher we had lunch when the lunch bell rang. um, hello, I waited at least 10 minutes and I was starving.
- going to the principle because I was standing near a fight on the playground at school. What did they expect, I jump in there and get MY butt kicked? um, no. I waited by my mailbox for months worried the principle would send a note home!!!!

And lastly, I owe you the reason I am afraid of the dark. I promised the story here, and now I am ready to deliver. It is only appropriate considering this happened around this same time frame.

I'm not quite sure how old I was, but I'm guessing based on my undiminished fear of the dark it had to be young.  Let's go with first grade....

My parents tucked me into bed.
We sang our usual "night-night" prayer.
They each gave me a kiss and I closed my eyes.

Next thing I remember is my closet door sliding open and both of my parents jumping out of my closet yelling "BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!".

In their defense, they were maybe only 30 or 31 years old, and they probably weren't planning on scarring me my whole life?


For the rest of my life living at home, a door was left open to let the light in...and I still always check my closet before I go to bed....and I check all the house locks. . . 


Forever scarred!  XO

asymmetry

I like asymmetry in clothing. It's sexy and well...sexy.

It's been around for a while now in this form:

{image from here}

But what I am really digging these days is the asymmetry in this form:

{image from April 2nd US weekly magazine}

Asymmetric cut and sew with sheer polka dots. (Hello, wonderful!)

1 - Polka dots have been around forever and are timeless (duh)
2 - Sheer polka dots have been back in the spotlight since this past fall.
3 - But sheer polka dots combined with sexy-but-modest, stunning-for-all-ages cut and sew?
Can you say, LOVE at first site?

I happened to see that my sassy & hip younger cousin Allie was struttin' a version of this out in London recently (she studied abroad this past winter/spring and just got back!)

{image from facebook}


Allie, where did you get that and how much did it cost?!
Update: Allie got this from Primark for 10 pounds ~ $15.00. aka not in the states and I checked and there is no online store. sad.

I also saw this cut and sew asymmetry all over the media too.
I hate it.


{image from here}

Poor Leann Rimes. Her body image is awful and her taste in clothes is even more horrible. I'm hoping some other designer can take this trend to the next.... better level.

That was a downer. Let's get back polka dots, they make me so happy (well almost as happy as buying a pair of $7.99 orange jeans discussed here).

Hop on the polka dot train... [it's taking off!]... I have to remind you about these polka dot jeans from Anthropologie that I talked about here. These are $218. Not happening.

I am still on the hunt for a cheaper pair if anyone knows of a place? [Still no TJ MAXX siting!]



{image from here}

I'm thinking about turning one of my colored jeans into polka dot jeans in early May!

Can't buy it? Make it! Anybody have any advise on what type of bleach or clothing paint to use???

polka pants! xo

hairful what you wish for

Circa Summer 2010, while watching the show 90210, I became obsessed with Annie's (aka Shenae Grimes) hair.

Such magnificent color.

From light to dark.

From dark to light.

 Annie your hair is so beautiful. 

As I have gotten older, I have been on the conservative side when it comes to my hair.

I spent about 5 years of my earlier life as a blonde (crazy, right!?)
Here is a sort-of-blonde picture of me from New Years 2006. (I'm on the left)

But for a very long time now, I have been a very boring 1-color-brunette, like this below. (Here is my hair getting beautified for my wedding. A photo my good friend Lucy Hewett took.)

When I moved to Defiance, and found a hair dresser (the same one Ian goes to, but let's not go there), I decided to try and mimic "Annie" and got some very contrasting blonde highlights on the underneath part of my hair. Then with wedding planning in full swing, I chickened out and opted for solid brunette to and through the wedding. 

Once the wedding was over... and the fall faded into winter... I was ready to beat those winter blues with a party (in my hair)!!!

I joined Pinterest and my obsession with this hair color trend continued....let's call it "ombre" for easy reference.

This past December, my hair stylist and I talked through this ombre look again, and she attempted this look based on a photo I brought her. She had not been trained on this technique yet.
(Scary, right? I'm so brave.)

It worked out pretty well, but because the undertones of my brunette hair were red, the "ombre" turned out to be blackish-brown to golden (orange). I didn't love it, but it was headed in the right direction. We could have stayed longer and worked on it some more, but I don't prefer to be at the salon for a bazillion hours. She left it open for me to come back and work on it some more if I wanted, so I decided I needed to sleep on it (no pun intended :) hehe).

Well, I decided to sleep on it for a couple months, until my next appointment. I wore my hair straight a lot and really the "ombre" wasn't very noticeable.

At my next appointment in February, my hairdresser still hadn't been trained on this technique specifically, but she said this look was a "buzz" around the salon. Instead of doing anything dramatic, we decided to just "go with it" and pull some blonde through the bottom to add some more depth.

It actually turned out pretty cool!

It might not be your thing. But it's kind of fun to try something new! There are many versions of this "ombre" out there right now.

If you are interested in some version of this "ombre," my friend at work, who is a licensed hair dresser (Hi Leslie!) told me she did research she found the technique to be called "melting".

I went to a hair appointment last week, and my hairdresser said that they taught this technique at her week long training event (for Rusk) in Chicago after my last appointment!!!
(Of course! My timing is impeccable.).

(I actually plan on trying to do an allover lighter version of this in May. So last week I didn't get any color put on. I'm going to let my dark fade some more. But I did let her try some new "circle cut" she learned in Chicago. It's basically a bunch of long and short layers under my hair to add volume and it added some pizazz to my already colored hair. The photos below are my new cut and curls with a clip less curling iron) 

Now for inquiring minds...yes, Piper copied off of me. (OK, I copied off of her.)

happy hair! xo

PS. My blog post title really doesn't go with the post. I just "went with it"! :)

fancy pants

My first trend alert!!!

Actually, it's not an alert. I'm about 3 - 4 months behind on this. But hello, I just started blogging!

This spring is all about bright colors. They are everywhere!!!


I've incorporated into my nail polish collection. . . and other accessories.

But most exciting of all, this season is about colorful denim on those hot legs! Three months ago began the excitement around bright denim, and now the focus is shifting to pastels for the summer.


















You can get this pair of jeans for a measly $125 from J.Crew.

OR you can shop smart like I do and have a whole closet full of colorful denim for less than $90.

    (from right to left)

1. Teal purchased from Forever 21 in 2010 (I'm so ahead of the trends, it isn't funny :).
    Cost: I can't remember, but probably less than $30.

2. Burgundy purchased from Kohl's in Fall 2011.
    Cost: crap. I can't remember exactly, but I think it was less than $30, on sale & with a coupon.

3. Blue purchased from TJ MAXX in January 2012.
    Cost: $19.99.

4. Orange purchased from TJ MAXX on clearance in January 2012.
    Cost: $7.99.

J.Crew quality might "out-wear" these, but that's not a concern of mine because I doubt the trend will last long enough. OR I'll be on to another color palette by next Spring!

Now, for the fun part of this leg trend! 

Please welcome back, Kelly. She will re-introduce us to floral jeans!

 this guy beat me to this trend and posted about it in February. (Gr. I'm so behind!)

Here is Jenna Dewan wearing them in that article:


If you are nervous about how to wear these, don't worry, Cosmo is offering some advice here.



Now, where can you pick up a pair? Looking at Polyvore, it seems only the high-end brands have them right now. I haven't seen these beauties in TJ MAXX yet. (I'll let you know the second I do!) Have you seen them anywhere for less than $50?!


Don't like the flowers? Anthropologie has polka-dot denim here!


If the denim part of this trend scares you, it looks like stretch cotton pants in all sorts of flowers and patterns are here for the summer too. H&M has a pair for $14.95! Stella McCartney has a silk pair for only $1,165.00. Hurry, though they are running low on inventory! :)

shop smart! xo

i make things

Fashion and trends have been important to me.
For as long as I can remember actually...

Like in 2nd grade when I wore a head-to-toe orange fruit outfit. (Be nice, it was the 90's.)

Or here in third grade when I wore a sequin floral dress. (Open your eyes Savanna! you look gorgeous!)

And just a typical Sunday at grandmas, playing dress up with my brother and cousins! (Do I look too old to be playing dress-up?)

Back to fashion and trends, this is related to what I do and have done now for almost 5 years. (A job that I drive 100 miles everyday to do!)

What I do is never an easy explanation for some reason.

My answer usually is, "well I make things" (ok, maybe not that. well maybe once. i'm so awkward).

I think I usually say, "I'm a merchandiser. I make hats and accessories. Well I don't make them, but we work with designers to create them, and we source them for well known brands."

Then I receive a nod (of confusion) and a look like this...


(hi kelly!)

(pssst. kelly is will be featured in my first trend alert post, coming soon)

My mom didn't "get it" either until after two years on the job, I finally took her into a Dick's Sporting Goods (my last company) and handed her a hat and said... 

Me: "I did this."

Mom: "You did this?"

Me: "Yes, mom... and this one, and this one and this one.

I am a merchandiser (aka product developer/account manager) of hats and coldweather accessories. 

I am a behind the scenes in the retail industry, a dynamic industry that is very fast paced, very analytical, (exhausting at times), creative, and yes, we are mind readers. Here is a quick lesson for you:

Retail Merchandising 101:
1: Products don't magically appear in the store. We work almost a year or more in advance, using past related sales information, and the mind reading skills of designers trend and color projections to create products.
2: Then once products are created, they need to be sourced. Pricing is negotiated with suppliers and suppliers are chosen.
3: At the same time, before the total quantities are ordered, buyers and planners come up with the budget based on (that's right!) more analysis. They also decide what the initial price will be, tentatively plan what/when the sale or marked down price will be (this is flexible depending on sales trends once the goods hit the store).
4: Next, there is lots of work and coordination to get the product produced right, and within compliance guidelines. Once complete, goods are shipped and transported to a distribution center.
5: Once at the distribution center, analysts send products to each stores in specific quantities based on.... analysis. (i know, sorry)
6: Before the goods even get to the store, a whole different team of people already decided where the goods are placed in the store and the signage next to it. (also, based on analysis & some creative minds)
7: Once product is at the store, inventory and sales are analyzed very frequently and decisions are made around on whether to make the price lower,  move it somewhere else in the store, update signage, ect.

That's a lot isn't it!? I've been on the buying side in apparel, but my first job role and my current job fits into points 1, 2 and 4.

I haven't really put much thought into how I ended up in retail merchandising as a career until my aunt Heidi reminded me that I used to coordinate outfits for my cousins and I during family vacations. . .

And maybe I'm so good at retail math because when I was younger, if I wanted my mom to buy me something in a store, I had to correctly calculate (without a calculator) the final price with the discount. (ok, it's really not that hard, but at tween age it was just a tad bit annoying!)

I may not appear 100% put-together-trendy all the time, because in the balance of life, how i look isn't always the priority. And if I could wear the brands I really wanted to wear all the time, I would need a very large pay increase. So, when there's room for me in the budget, I spend quite a significant amount of that money at TJ Maxx hunting for great deals for our home, discounted brand-name shoes/bags, and cheap, but trendy "no-brand" apparel (that will last as long as the trend will last.)

My goal in future posts related to is to share trends, and where to get them for a steal! Stay tuned!