DIY: Put a Tassel on It

I loved the �global chic� trend this summer and especially loved all the tasseled sandals on the market as the result of the trend.  I did not, however, want to buy a new pair of sandals that I knew I wouldn�t get much use out of.  As much as I love �global chic� it�s not exactly my daily aesthetic and I didn�t think the cost-per-wear would be low enough to justify new sandals.  Instead, I decided to put a tassel on some sandals I already own� leading to my very first DIY!

 

I�m going to show you how to turn these:

 

 

Into these:

First, you need some sandals.  I chose my Jeffery Campbell pair because they already have a sort of casual/boho feel to them.  And the t-strap is the perfect place to put some tassels:

 

For tassels, I purchased some faux-leather ones on Etsy at Bohemian Findings for less than $5.00.  I was able to message the vendor requesting two of each color and specifying the colors I wanted.  In addition to tassels, you will also need small (3/4� or 7/8�) gold-tone safety pins:

 

 You will need three tassels and four safety pins per shoe.
 

Step 1 � Put one safety pin on each tassel.

 

 

Step 2 � Attach the first tassel to the sandal.

Step 3 � Attach the rest of the tassels to the shoe.
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As you can see, instead of attaching my tassels to a buckle, I attached them to a cross-strap so they�d hang where I wanted them.  But, you can certainly attach them to a buckle or other hardware.

 

Step 4 � Repeat on the other shoe.

 

Step 5 (Optional) � Once all three tassels are on, attach the fourth pin crosswise, so they�re grouped together.

 

 

Step 6 � You�re done.  Wear your newly tasseled shoes as you see fit.

I wore mine with all-white for yesterday's Two Birds' Inspiration Monday.

 

Note: I chose to put my tassels on the front of my shoes, but they�d look equally cute hanging from the ankle.

 

And there you have it, my very first DIY.  As you can see, it�s both cheap and easy! 

 

Happy Tuesday, All!

 

Gracey

Inspiration Monday: Olivia Palermo

Today, I�m joining up with Two Birds and countless others for Inspiration Monday.  Our inspiration today is Olivia Palermo:

 

 

I have to admit that I don�t really understand who she is or why she�s famous.  Is she famous?  I don�t think she has a sex tape, so probably not.  Anyway, what I do know about her is that she can definitely dress.  She always looks on trend without looking like she�s a slave to trends.  Take the above outfit as an example; she�s doing the �global chic� thing, but she�s doing it her way.

 

And here I am, doing it my way:

 

 

 I almost didn�t participate today because I don�t have a white dress (not for lack of trying though; I just canNOT find one I like).  And then I remembered that I have a white skirt (Ann Taylor) and a white shirt (Gap) so I wore those in lieu of a dress. 

 

I finished the look with some layered necklaces and some self-tasseled sandals (Jeffrey Campbell via Nordstrom):

 

 

 

I STILL want a white dress, dammit, but I think this�ll do in a pinch.

 

Happy Monday, All!

 

Gracey

Getting Dressed Can Be Fun

Sometimes I can�t find anything to wear.  Or, perhaps I should say that I can�t find anything that I want to wear.  This has been the case for the past couple weeks.  Sure, I get dressed, but I�ve mostly just been phoning it in with uninspired color combinations and my usual half-assed accessorizing.  When this happens, I try to wear something that helps remind me that getting dressed can be fun.  Today�s outfit is just such a reminder:

This outfit is fun:

 

It�s plaid (men�s vintage golf pants) and houndstooth (vintage via Vintage by the Pound) together.  As they were meant to be.  And it�s layers of bracelets and big, chunky necklaces.  The red necklace is made from vintage African beads & brass (gifted) and the other is a silver & turquoise squash blossom necklace (vintage via Lil� Gypsy Vintage).

 

They are very heavy together, just in case you were curious.

But, they are also awesome together.  And they are awesome with the houndstooth and the houndstooth is awesome with the plaid.  And it�s basically an outfit made of awesome:

The best part, though, is that it combines two of my current trend obsessions.  Printed suits (yes, I know it�s not a suit, but I feel like we can all pretend it is and still sleep at night) and global/boho chic.  Really, the only thing I�d change is the shoes.  I love these sandals (old Banana Republic �Natalie�) but I think this outfit could take a bolder shoe.  I was afraid a different shoe would be too much, but now I don�t think so.  I�ll definitely try something different next time.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you get in style ruts?  What do you do to remind yourself that getting dressed can be fun?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Pompoms and Lace

I have been eyeballing the FRANKIE necklaces from Etsy vendor, NestoftheBluebirds, for a couple of months now and finally pulled the trigger on this one:

And I love it.  Really, the only reason it took me so long to order is because it comes in quite a few color combinations and I didn�t know which one to choose.  I�m very happy with my choice though; the two neon poms  at the ends clenched it for me. 

I especially like the scale of it.  I like that it has pompoms, not POMPOMS.  It�s a good way for me to incorporate a little of the �global chic� trend into my wardrobe in a manner that compliments my style as opposed to overpowering it. 

Today I paired the necklace with a simple, cream lace sweatshirt (Macys) and burgundy cords (Banana Republic).  This lets the necklace be the star.  I also added blue leopard flats (Nine West �Naughty�) because 1) I love burgundy and blue and 2) it picks up the blue from the necklace tying the whole look together.   

That�s right, not all of my outfits are happy accidents; sometimes I actually think things through!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

NestoftheBluebird FRANKIE necklaces

Lace front sweatshirt

Similar burgundy cords

Blue leopard flats (here, here, here)

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