DIY Denim Cutoffs - Sequin Party Shorts

          The final pair of denim shorts I made this summer took the longest to make. I must have spent at least 12 hours sewing each individual strand of sequins on one side...then again on the other side.

          Needless to say, I did not tackle this project all in one day! I spent a few hours a day on my bedroom floor stitching sequins and listening to a Pandora station of The Weeknd, Trey Songz, Drake and Miguel. The perfect music, of course, to listen to while embellishing what I have deemed my Party Shorts. Since sequins aren't a typical, everyday adornment, I designed these for special occasions and nights of dancing. I discovered they look best with a simple tee to offset the sparkle and low heels so as not to look too "club-y."

DIY: Valentino SS14 Embellished Leather Headband

        One of my favorite Spring 2014 collections as a whole was Valentino. It had all the cornerstones of my spring wardrobe -- lace, crisp collared shirts, bohemian prints, suede and strappy sandals. But what really finished every look was the red headband atop each model's head, embellished with studs. The studs reminded me of some gold crest buttons I had and I immediately decided to recreate the Valentino headband.

Photo credit: Style.com

        You can create your own embellished headband by following my DIY "how-to" below. To start, you will need a plain thick headband, red suede or leather fabric, fabric glue, a sewing needle, thread, fabric scissors, and gold buttons.

Step 1: Cut the leather fabric into a rounded strip that will cover the headband.

Step 2: Position the fabric on the headband and tack it in place with glue on just a couple edges. 

Step 3: Sew each button onto the fabric, matching the Valentino pattern. The number of buttons you use is up to you, depending on how closely you space them. Make sure they are sewn securely. 

Step 4: Once all of the buttons are sewn, glue the rest of the fabric edges to the headband. Pull the fabric taut as you glue to ensure everything will stay in place. 

Step 5: This is an additional step, so you may not find it necessary. The buttons I used are a bit bulky so they moved around and jingled on top of my head. Since I'd rather not sound like a Christmas caroler, I tacked each button in place with fabric glue.

       Once I finished my headband, it was time for a photoshoot! I put on my most Valentino-esque outfit -- a sleeveless oxford, a new patterned maxi dress and t-strap pointy toe heels. I figured I couldn't go this far without the ear-covering, low ponytail, so I sprayed back any flyaways and completed the look. Thanks to my talented brother for the photos!

Photographs courtesy of J. Ortakales Photography

My Photoshoot with Tricia Cromwell from Trust in Tricia

 

          This fall, I won a contest that Tricia Cromwell posted on her Facebook. The prompt was to showcase an outfit incorporating fall trends, so I submitted the outfit I wore to the MFA a couple months ago (leather skirt and sneaker wedges). She picked my outfit and I won her Total Makeover prize, complete with a day of shopping, hair and makeup, and a photoshoot styled by Tricia!

          I didn't have much money to spend due to my Christmas shopping budget, but we had a fun time window shopping. She introduced me to some stores and boutiques in Hingham, Mass. and I gathered a bunch of DIY ideas for my clothes and jewelry.

           The best discovery of our day was this amazing top made out of can tabs, by Waleska. I've never worn a shirt made entirely out of metal, so I had to try it on of course!

            After our shopping trip, we headed to Cloutier Photography's studio to start our photoshoot. We took some "before" pictures with a plain tee and then I got my hair and makeup done. It felt good to be pampered for a change, since I'm usually the one styling the model. They curled my hair and gave me a rosy, smokey eye. It was such a pretty, daytime take on a typically nighttime style. 

            Tricia styled me with my own clothes and accessories that I brought, along with some of her own jewelry from her spectacular case full of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. She put together four looks for me to model. Then came the pictures! Take a look at them below!

Thank you to everyone who made my photoshoot so much fun, including Tricia, Lauren, Maryjo, and Stephanie!

Apple Picking

         Fall is one of the upsides to living in rural New Hampshire. The leaves are beautiful when I'm driving around, the air smells crisp, my family stokes up the wood stove, and of course, we go apple picking! An annual family tradition, I always look forward to the pretty apple trees and eating apple cider donuts. However, I leave the actual picking to the rest of my family. After 15 plus years, I've found that it's much more fun to walk around and test each variety while my dad and brother are climbing the trees to grab the best apples. This year, I figured the time I spent wandering around would be a great chance to do a photoshoot. The orchard had a beautiful view of the mountains and a cute, little farmhouse sitting on the top of the hill.

hat - T.J.Maxx // scarf - gift // leather jacket -T.J.Maxx

 jeans - Charlotte Russe // ankle boots - Cole Haan

 

 

Photography courtesy of Jeff Ortakales. 

To see more of his talented work, visit his webpage at

 www.jortakalesphotography.com and like his Facebook page. 

Makeup: 

mascara - Diorshow by Dior 

eyeliner - e.l.f. Glitter Eyeshadow in "Night Owl"

lip color - Estee Lauder Lip Pencil in "Apple Cordial"

lip gloss - Victoria's Secret Minty Kiss

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