I’m a bracelet hound. I wear too many at once. But I love them all. Sometimes I want something really sweet and simple, so I came up with this sweet trio.

I used a cream colored string for all of them. For the first one I got one of these S shaped hooks. Hook it on one end then tie a knot to connect the string. You want it fairly fitted to your wrist.

Done. How easy is that?

For the second one, I got some silver glass beads and put them on the string and tied a knot at each end.

Then make two slip knots on the back side so you can adjust it to get it on and off.

For the third one I used my Chan Luu inspired tutorial to in the same beads and string.

There you have it!

Whew! What a great group of creative women!

The first theme was a back to school outfit. Now, my kids wear uniforms so I had to use  my imagination on this one. I kept two things in mind for this back to school outfit. 1. My kids are always mismatched- stripes on polkadots with all sorts of off colors and prints. It’s what I love about them. So  I wanted this outfit to reflect that sort of childish combination. 2. I don’t know about you, but whne my kids start school, it’s still warm, actually probably our warmest months. So I didn’t want to make an outfit too fall weathered, I wanted it to be more transitional pieces. That being said, here’s how we do back to school.

The top has a pleated bodice and goes to a V in the back with several small pleats to create some movement towards the bottom. For the bodice top I made small pleats or you can use a pleater board.  I baste them together then just proceed with your top as you want. I attached the bottom half of the top then the back and added straps.  I’d have Bel wear this over a long sleeve shirt in the winter.

For the shorts, I did a brown linen in a sort of paige boy style with oversized pockets and tabs at the  leg band. The pink buttons feminize it. We happen to love shorts and tights in the winter, maybe paired with some boots, so I knew the brown would transition great into the Fall and Winter months. For the shorts, I cut it from my only other pattern then the Sienna Dress, this Oliver + S  one. I do all my own variations, but  I love the basic shape of this short.  Then to top it off, a frivolous headband.

(headband tutorial coming soon, and I’ve been informed the oliver + s pattern is out of print. I will do a post on how to make these shorts soon)

Don’t forget to accessorize with the perfect dotting of summer freckles.

I love it with the leopard flats. One more print thrown in the mix.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed my back to school look! I’m so thrilled to be a part of project run and play. Head on over to cast your vote for your favorite look. The other women did such great jobs!

I had a cozy, lounging sweater that was on it’s last life. It was too oversized and kept falling off. But I couldn’t let go of it.

In comes two sources of inspiration.

One- This sweater I saw on pinterest. I just loved it.

via middlechildcomplex.tumblr.com

Second- this bondage trend I saw in Elle this month.

So here’s what I did with my sweater. I cut the back into a deep v. Then I sewed it wround the opening so it wouldn’t fray.

Then I just added three leather straps to the back.

(ps- do you know this is me? I think a lot of people think the blonde that I have modeling all the time for me is Lex. But it’s actually my sister. She is living close by in San Francisco so she can’t model at my disposal anymore. I have to do it myself a little now. yikes!)

I love the edginess of it.  To do it over, I wouldn’t have cut it so low. But it stretched FAR more than I thought it would, so keep that in mind if you try it.

I love the ease  of oversized sweaters.  They’re so versatile because you can wear them as loungewear or style them up a bit for an “I-don’t-care” kind of look.

Hope you all like this one!

And don’t forget my fall line of scarves is 25% off for a bit longer. 

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I sewed it then slipped it on my bottle. Then I used the rhinestone kit that MJ Trimming sent me. I started glueing the rhinestones down the center in straight lines. I was going for high impact glam.

I just kept on gluing them until I got one solid, sparkly strip!

How great is this water bottle cover?!

I’m keeping this one in mind for gifts. I think it would be a great one!

(Recipe adapted from The Simple Dollar)

What you will need:

1 bar of soap ( For best results use a bar with pure and natural ingredients)

1 c. of washing soda (This is NOT baking soda. If you can’t find it, look online to order it. You’ll use it for tons of other things.)

1/2 c. borax (I also tried oxyclean and this works much better)

Water

A couple dashes of your favorite Essential Oil

Container ( I use an old laundry detergent container. It’s just easier to me. You can use a large bucket and lid, as well.)

Next step, grate your soap. I love this part. It’s just so funny grating soap.

Boil it in about 4 cups of water until it all dissolves and is nice and soapy.

Once it is dissolved, turn the heat off. Then add your borax, washing soda and essential oils to this. Make sure it is all dissolved.

I  carefully pour this into my container.  Then I fill it up with water. If you are using a bucket, fill the bucket up with about 6 Liters of water. Mix it up well. Let it sit overnight before using it. I shake mine periodically to mix it up well. Sometimes it gets a little thick and I just shake it in my container. That’s one of the reasons why i really like having it in the laundry detergent jug.

Honestly, this is SO easy and SUCH a great money saver. And if you are questioning if it works as well as the other junk, trust me, it does. It is just as effective and the best part is it’s safe for the environment and YOU!