diy: seasoned necklace

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!  i had a very merry Christmas, and i know i am going to have an even better new year!  i can't wait!  

i have the kutest gold bauble necklace that I found on the streets of nyc for about $4 bucks.  me and this necklace have gone through some great times, seemingly so, as it was so tarnished that i barely recognized it when i pulled it from the archives.  i love this necklace so much, i couldn't just get rid of it, so i decided to bring it back to life.  since the tarnished gold looked like a derivative of black, i thought "why not spray paint it black? matte black!"  

diy time!!

what you will need:

• seasoned necklace
• spray paint
• gloves
• news paper
• hanger

how you will diy:

• make sure your necklace is free of debris.  you want the surface of your necklace to be free of obstruction, so that the spray paint will go on smoothly.   

• lay the necklace flat on the newspaper, or you could suspend the necklace by tying the ends to a hanger, and hanging it on a tree branch :) [don't spray paint the tree]

• hold the spray paint can about 6 - 8 inches from the object.  start at the top of the necklace, lightly spray in a smooth and back and forth horizontal motion, moving downward toward the bottom of the necklace.  a few light coats are better than one heavy one!

• allow your first spray painted coat to dry for at least 5 mins.  repeat steps #3 & #4 until you have a nice even coat.

• allow the necklace to dry for at least 24 hours.  

voila!  you have a new and improved piece to add to your collection.

"dream home"

a couple weeks ago i had the pleasure of visiting the washington design studio's exhibit "dream home".  the washington design center partnered with the smithsonian american art museum's renwick gallery, in honor of the 40th anniversary, of the renwick exhibit of American craft by top young artists, 40 under 40: craft futures.  the washington design studio asked eight of washington's best and young emerging designers to choose a piece from the renwick exhibit to inspire their room design.  the outcome?... 8 gorgeous rooms with not one detailed spared.  each room flowed perfectly from its art inspiration to practical function.  I was definitely inspired.  check it out! oh! and please excuse the cell phone pics :)

•   modern study - miriam dillon, inspired by hulahoop

•   bedroom - william mcgovern, inspired by momentosof a doomed construct

•   dining room - catherine hailey, inspired by cyclonelounger

•   modern lounge - jeff akseizer & jamie brown, inspired by between 1 and 0

•   breakfast room - christine philp, inspired by softglass basket

•   drawing room - kori keyser, inspired by spinningwheel

•   living room (my fav room!) - scott cooke, inspired by dulce

blind @ 29's fav gifts from target + neiman marcus holiday collection

i love, love, LOVE luxury brand collaborations!!  it gives me a chance to indulge in purchasing limited edition [slightly :)] luxury brand items, that i wouldn't be able to afford otherwise.  some of my favorite past collaborations... 

• h&m x lanvin
• h&m x maison martin margiela
• missoni for target

awesome stuff!  

the newest collaboration on the block, target + neiman marcus holiday collection!! :)  in honor of the 50th anniversary of the cfda, target and neiman marcus teamed together with today's brightest designers to bring us a luxury filled gift collection, just in time for the holidays, launching december 1st 2012.  i've put together my favorite pieces from the collection.

• tracy reese - plates w/ pizzazz
• rag & bone - men's or women's cardi and industrial shot glasses
• proenza schouler - original graphic artwork plush sweatshirt
• marc jacobs - leather metallic pouches
• philip crangi - brass picture frame and trinket box
• altuzarra - 18k gold hand-painted tumblers and shaker

view the entire collection here!  

will you be in line tomorrow?!  i will!

diy: thrifted high-low dress

let me start by saying, I LOVE floral prints.  i love floral prints in the winter, spring, summer and especially in the FALL!  needless to say when i thrift shop, my eye is always open for garments with great floral patterns, they are always an inspiration.  sometimes i keep my thrifted garments in their original splendor, but most times I reconstruct my pieces  to give them a more up-to-date look.

while shopping at one of my favorite local thrift shops I spotted this amazing floral fabric that SCREAMED freepeople or allsaints.  the only hitch was that this fabric was made into an old maids dress :/... but I saw its potential!  why not get rid of that dated lace eyelet, drop that neckline and funk up the bottom by turning it into a high-low hem?!  me like how that sounds!

what you will need:

• awesome thrifted dress
• seam ripper
• pins
• pair of scissors
• needle & thread
• iron

how you will DIY:

• try on your dress and mark how low you would like your neckline.  also mark where you want the "high"/shortest part of the skirt, to begin; leave a little wiggle room so adjustments can be made later, if need be.
• use your seam ripper to remove any unwanted accoutrements on your garment, in my case it was the lace eyelet and the non functional buttons.

• next, use your seem ripper to remove the seem in your neckline, until you reach your mark.  turn the garment inside out.  fold the neckline fabric back into a 'v' shape, pin it in place.
• fold the dress in half, making sure that the fold is in the middle of the dress and your mark is visible.

• place the folded dress on the floor, cut a semi circle in the front of the dress, an inch away from your mark - this is how you create the high-low effect.

• fold your newly cut hem onto your mark and pin it in place, rounding out the edges as you go.  also, try on the dress again to make sure your high and low lengths are to your liking.  
• iron both the pinned neckline and skirt hem.

• sew a small stitch along the neckline and the hem of the skirt.  

• iron both the pinned neckline and skirt hem.
• walla magic! :D  *lil' scrappy voice* you now have a kute, completely re-vamped thrifted dress and you did it all by yourself!!! 

awesome reconstructed thrifted dress, gap belt, bebe moto leather jacket, enzo boots

happy thanksgiving

i have so much to be thankful for, i am truly blessed.  three weeks into my 29th year and i am ECSTATIC!!!

new outlook on life.  new career path.  new blog ;).  AND i'm back in dc!  i love all things dc, from the monument to mumbo sauce.  dc, the city I will ALWAYS call home and i always rep the home team.  what better way to show my pride than with my inaugural post.  i will say that when it comes to football, washington is divided, divided between my beloved redskins and "them" bamma a$$ dallas cowboys.  today, thanksgiving day, is the much anticipated game between the two rivals.  my ode to the home team! #HTTR

| fit |  Redskins fitted cap, vintage Redskins letterman jacket, bebe denim bustier, zara boyfriend jeans, grey leather chucks

blind @ 29 is meant to be a creative outlet for me.  indulging in my creativity, joys and... whatever else comes to mind!  i'm walking into this blind, seeing where it goes :D

"i don't do this just for the recognition, i do it for the children." LOL!! a line from a scene, with two of my favorite washingtonian comedians, tommy davidson & martin lawrence.  HILARIOUS! skip to 1:21 mark to get the reference :)