August 30, 2013

DIY Friday: watercolor notecards


I must admit these were one of the funnest DIY's to make! They are just what I wanted. I've always wanted to try painting watercolor, but never have had the chance, this rendition of watercolor. :) 

These remind me of some plates I bought at anthropologie a few years ago. They are paint by numbers but then water colored over it. (If that makes sense) They are still my favorite plates. 

But I love hands-on projects because they're just so much fun! And I don't mind getting my hands dirty. (My favorite subject in school was science because it was hands-on! Just and FYI!)  


This DIY is so easy, so artsy and so fancy, you may not want to write a note on it, but give a whole set to a friend or hostess at a party or frame them and hang them on your wall. The great thing is you get to change! 


Disclaimer: I am not saying I'm an watercolor artist at all! I just really like art in all forms.


Here is how you make them-

What you'll need: 
Paper plate
Glass of water
A pack of blank cards in brown paper or white. (I bought mine at hobby lobby for $4.99, but probably got it on sale for 50% off)
Watercolor paints
Art Brushes


1. Grab your art board or in this case, a priority box! Hah!  

2. And these are the cards I used.

3. I've had this set for forever! Some of the colors were even hardened : (

4. Grab a glass and fill it with water. The paint won't adhere to the glass. 

5. The paintbrushes I used. My favorite was the horsehair. It gave it a dry brush look.

6. Put your desired colors on your plate. 

7. Then dip your paintbrush in the water, then in the paint and then on the card.



8. Then paint whatever you you desire! That's the fun of it all, you can imagine it and paint it! 


Have fun with this project! I know I did! : )
Happy Friday & I hope you have a lovely Labor Day weekend! ( and if you or someone you know who served in the military is reading this, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to you! You have impacted my life, and protected it too! For that I am so grateful! Thank you again!) 



Love you all! -Ryn


August 28, 2013

Style Fyle: Camo love...

Style Fyle: Camo love...


So, Camo & military are super popular right now. It's probably one of my favorite trends that I will jump on board with. It is pretty easy to do so with all the smaller items you can infuse into you wardrobe. 


Or you can choose pants, tees or even jackets to emerge your self in. And look effortlessly chic doing so. 


Treat Camo like a neutral. You should know not to pair Camo with Camo. You don't want matchy matchy. But what you can do is pair Camo with floral, stripes or dots. To Balance out the masculine of the Camo with the feminine of the pattern. You could also pair Camo or military with chiffon or crepe de chine type fabrics. 


My favorite way to come up with outfits is to go on Pinterest and search Camo outfits and save the ones I really like on my phone or iPad, so that I have it, and I can have these looks at all times. 


What outfits would would look cute: 

Military jacket, a few inches above the knee chiffon Aline skirt, with a tank and ballet flats. 


Camo pants, white tee, dark blazer and wedges.


Camo pants, converse shoes, tee. 


Flare jeans, Camo tee, dark blazer. 


Black skinny jeans, Camo tee & a gold cable knit sweater. 


Don't forget to accessorize! You can totally Frost yourself (thank you, how to lose a guy in 10 days!) Why not accessorize yourself with classier pieces. Think about a cute crystal necklace or big gold hoops. Not to mention, your really cute gold or silver Nixon watch or Michele watch. Oh and gold midi rings are perfect too! And why not tear drop earrings? (Crystal or cubic zirconia is fine) j.crew has amazing jewelry pieces!!! www.jcrew.com


I think the Camo trend is coming back because of duck dynasty & America! I love my country & I love the Robertson clan! 


I hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment if you did! Love y'all! - Ryn 




Miss Selfridge jacket
missselfridge.com

TOMS camo flat
$65 - asos.com

Camo handbag
shopbop.com

Nixon watch
nordstrom.com

Jack Spade tech accessory
saksfifthavenue.com

August 23, 2013

DIY Friday: distressed & studded sweatshirt

So I'm liking the rocker feel lately... And this is the perfect example too.  It's edgy but you can balance it by pairing it with feminine items. Say, a flowy skirt or wideleg floral pants or printed haram-esque pants. Also a body con pencil skirt would work too! 

This is the perfect DIY if, you too like the Edgy look.

What you'll need:
Studs (I bought mine at hobby lobby in the leather making area)
Raglan sleeve Sweatshirt (again I bought this at H&M in the men's section)
Sandpaper 
Scissors 

1. (This was me trying to lay the sweatshirt out flat. Thank you Graycie!)
You'll want to lay the sweatshirt out flat. Minus the dog.


2. Lay you studs out.


3. Grab one of the shoulders of the sweatshirt & grab one stud. And place the stud over the the raglan seam on shoulder on the front of shoulder.


4. Poke the stud the through the sweatshirt. Once it's gone through, use your scissors to bends the tines, as if the stud & tines are hugging the sweatshirt.



5. Repeat this process until you reach the armpit seam. (I did not run it around the whole arm, just the front.) 


Then repeat to the out her side: 

6.Next, use your scissors to cut holes in the ribbing on the hip, arm cuffs & neckline. Sizes of holes should vary. Start stretching the holes. 


7. Use your sandpaper on the holes you just cut. 

8. Stretch out the ribbing and sweatshirt as much as possible. You want a worn in feel. 

9. Then I slit the hip ribbing on sides and stretched those aswell. Then I sandpapered them. 

10. I Will warn you, once you use the sandpaper, the sandpaper will great holes, so don't freak out if you have more holes. It just adds more character to your sweatshirt. 

Now for the styling: I see a black bodycon pencil skirt, with an off-white chiffon collared shirt, this navy sweatshirt and black pointy toed flats or heels & a brightly colored cross body bag in pink or highlighter yellow. 

So, here ya are! I hope you try this DIY! Happy Friday! -Ryn

August 21, 2013

Style Fyle: NM LIST

As you may or may not know, Ken Downing, the fashion director for Neiman Marcus always includes a "what's in" list to each Neiman Marcus THE BOOK (their catalog) every season. It's one of my favorites to receive. They are always so on point to the trends going on for the season. 

The awesome thing about style is you can create whatever look you want, while you follow the whats on the IN list. You get to determine how you look.
Imagine yourself as a canvas, you being the painter, you get to choose what you'd like to paint(wear). Be precise, creative & carefree. Choose colors that will flatter the end result of the painting. Don't choose colors(or sizes) that could mess the entire look. If you have a vision of what you want the painting to look like, paint it. But trust me to tell you this, don't give up. You've got this! 
(Ken Downing)

And onto what IN this season: 
P.S. I gathered all of the pictures to give you examples.

Rocker Chic
Fashion tunes in
I like to look at Demi's style(at some point I'd love to style for her) she's very edgy but yet she still looks so chic! I think it would look weird if she wore another genre of clothing. I also love how she rocks her curves! Power to the curves! 

Violet femmes
From lavender to eggplant, purple reigns.
These shoes are gorgeous! I want THEM! They are just so adorable. I see many outfits paired with this pair of shoes! www.shopplasticland.com


Boys Town
A dash of habdashery, a touch of tomboy



I couldn't pick just one! All three looks are great! Rashida Jones definitely looks great in the "grandpa sweater. And I like jeans rolled up, gives the outfit more texture. And the Oxford shoes are well placed. 
The bowtie is so cute! I know a girl named Taylor, who can pretty much wear anything and make it look good. Paper bag even! And she wore a bowtie, a suit like the bottom picture and pointy toed shoes and knocked it out of the park! I like how in the first pic, the shirt doesn't look ironed. And the boyfriend jeans are a must in every wardrobe.
And lastly the bottom outfit. I like this look! First the pastel is in for fall, secondly if you were to do a suit like this, you have got to show your ankle if you plan to wear oxfords, it'll look too masculine if you don't.


The Pointed Toe
Looks sharp on everything, from pumps to boots

I am such a sucker for pointed ballet flats from madewell, it isn't even funny! A pointy toe is such an elongating trick you can use for your legs to appear miles long! And if you already long legs, then watch out, y'all! They are going to appear longer! They're perfect! I adore the bottom pic!!


Lace Noir
Fade to black

The lace outfits, should be dark. The lace noir is very deep. Very sensual. Very classy & feminine. Imagine what the mad men cast would wear and go for it! It's very elegant.

Red, The New Neutral
Has us all fired up

I like using red as an accent color, not necessarily as a whole ensemble or a large amount of my outfit! But I'm coming around to the color! And since its a neutral, I should treat it like one and start by using it in my outfits more often! If you're weary about it too, try a red lip or nail polish. If you're a bit more bold, shoes or bag... It'll help ease you into full on outfit of red.




Animal Magnetism
We're wild for spots and stripes

I am ALL about the leopard print! It super feminine & fierce. And it can be styled so easily! I even like the bottom pic of the two different prints of leopard in one outfit! It works well!



Scaled-Down Handbags
Mini dimensions, Major impact
As we see here with this red Celine purse as a cross body. It's perfect for the season. And Let's face it ladies, we don't need to bring everything but the kitchen sink with us! We need a break sometimes... It's nice to scale down on handbags...



The Fall Face
Toned Down Gets Turned Up

I wear neutral makeup everyday, so this isn't a stretch for me to do. But the first pic, that would be a very big stretch for me! So maybe ill have my makeup artist sister give me some tips & tricks.  I will be wearing my MAC Rebel lipstick this fall though! : ) 



Multifaceted Necklaces
Gem-Cut stones add a flash of brilliance
I really like this necklace. It would be great for fall. Just the colors alone are perfect for autumn.


And that concludes the list! Hope you enjoyed it! Give some or all of these suggestions a shot, try them out sometime... Before the next list comes out at least!!!

Love y'all! Have a great Wednesday! -Ryn

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