Etsy Love: New York, NY

Posted on October 28, 2008 by Diana

In honor of my trip to New York (which goes from 10-30 to 11-4) I decided to find some New York themed Etsy items.

I love the classic kitschyness of I *heart* NY t-shirts. This pendant from PiecesOfMePendants captures that beautifully.

Continuing with the theme of pendants, I love this one from ItsAllAboutThePrint that features a map of NYC.

The Chrysler Building is one of my favorite landmarks in NYC. I love the playful way that this print from AquaVelvet captures it.

While I don’t often buy it, I love fine art photography. Since the place I’ll be staying at is near the Brooklyn Bridge, I decided to feature a beautiful photo of it by DarrylGlade. I would love to have this hanging in my studio.

This is my last post before my trip. Expect a re-cap of my fun adventures in one of the most exciting cities in the world when I get back. Bon Voyage!

Daily Outfit – Neck scarf love

Posted on October 27, 2008 by Diana

I have longed to wear neck scarves for a long time, but I could never figure out how to pull it off. Then it finally clicked – I was tying my neck scarves too tight, making it look like I was choking. With this outfit, I tied it more loosely and it worked!

I really like the combination of dark purple and bright green. This outfit would have been too dark and dull without a nice bright accent.

Shirt – Target

Skirt – Ann Taylor Loft (via thrift store)

Scarf – thrift store (several years ago)

Bangle – thrift store

Purse – Easy Spirit

Shoes – Naturalizer

Daily Outfit – Fall is for layers

Posted on October 22, 2008 by Diana

Fall is in the air (finally)! The tree in my backyard is full of beautiful blossoms; the air is turning crisp and cool (well, in the 60′s, but that counts here); everything is starting to feel like fall. And nothing like fall weather makes you want to curl up in cozy, comfy layers. That was the inspiration for this outfit.

Blouse – Apt 9 (via Kohls)
Scarf – Kohls
Dress – Apostrophe (via Thrift store)
Shoes -Naturalizer
Bag – Chateau (via consignment shop)

This outfit came together so nicely. I just bought the dress at one of my favorite local thrift shops, so I was itching to wear it. Being sleeveless, it would have been a bit too chilly for most of the day, so I layered a cozy black long sleeve shirt over it and added a soft red scarf to bring out the color. The shoes look nice and dressy but are also very comfy, and my lovely brown suede bag went perfectly with the look.

I also took a picture without the long sleeve top so you can see the rest of the dress. So pretty! (And it was only $15!)

Etsy Love: Simple Silver Necklaces

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Diana

After seeing several stylish women with simple, classic silver necklaces, I have been craving one myself. Most of my necklaces involve colorful pendants or stones. This is just fine when I want jewelry to be the accent of an outfit, but sometimes, I just want simple jewelry that will let other parts of my outift shine.

Here’s my criteria:

16-18 inch silver, sterling silver, or silver tone chain

Simple “accent” (ie. silver pendant)

Simple gemstones, if any (I don’t want bright, bold, colors. This should go with everything)

I’ve been looking through some of my favorite jewelry sellers on Etsy this morning, and these are some of the necklaces I found.

First is the Lucky Link necklace from DeniseJamesDesigns. Nice, simple, silver accent. Simple chain. Affordable.

The Fall Necklace from JuneDesigns is one of my favorites. I have a feeling that it twinkles in the light and makes a shimmering sound. She has a lot of jewelry that fits my simple, classic aesthetic.

The Single Leaf necklace from ShereDesign goes along with my love of nature themed jewelry that I talked about last week. She also has matching earrings and a lot of other beautiful pieces.

The Lemon Drop necklace from VintageInspirations is a lovely gemstone necklace. I love how it has two “layers” to it. The pale yellow stones are neutral enough to go with anything. The image makes the chain look gold toned, but the listing said it is silver toned.

The Moonstone Pendant and silver chain from MarcusBerkner Jewelry is almost too pretty to not be the focal point of an outfit. It’s neutral enough to go with everything and it would work well dressed up or down. He also has this pendant with several other stones, including amethyst, garnet and jade.

Which necklace is your favorite? Any other Etsy sellers I should check out?

Daily Outfit – Perfect Day for a dress

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Diana

Here in Florida, we really don’t get authentic “seasons”. However, with a slight breeze today, and temperatures in the 70s, it felt kind of like fall. Thus, it was the perfect day for a fall colored dress.

Dress: Homemade (fabric from Joanns)
Shoes: Nine West
Earrings: Target
Bracelet: thrift store
Bag: Consignment shop

I made this dress a few years ago. I started with a halter top pattern, and then extended it to become an a-line dress. I was worried that this outfit was a bit mono-chromatic, having so much burgundy, so I added the pink bracelet, white earrings and brown bag to spice things up (I thought about wearing some white wedges with it, but I had to walk a lot today, so flat shoes worked better).

This outfit proves that homemade and thrifted purchases can make an awesome outfit. The shoes are the most expensive part of the outfit, and they were no more than $50. I really need to sew more dresses.

Etsy Love: Nature Jewelry

Posted on October 13, 2008 by Diana

I’m trying to spice up my blog beyond crafitness to include my fashion and style musings. With that will come some regular “category” posts that I will make from time to time. These will include Etsy Love, where I talk about items I’ve found on Etsy, and Daily Outfit, where I talk about an outfit I put together.

For the first installment of Etsy Love, I’m going to look at nature themed items that have caught my eye lately.

Note: If I have used your image and you would like it removed, please let me know and I will take it down.

Just about everything from Stratus Silver is beautifully nature-inspired.

I’m particularly loving their twig bangles, which come in a variety of sizes