My newest love. Kelly Moore is fabulous. She is taking camera bags to a whole new level. It’s about time. But look. It’s multifunctional.
Posts Tagged ‘fashion’
Initialed Felt Hair Clips Tutorial
In Crafts, Tutorials on December 28, 2009 at 9:00 amGiving my girls the initialed felt hair clips and some of the other patterns went well Christmas morning. Kaye loved having a hair clip with “K” on it just for her. The best thing about it was I made it in one sitting within minutes. I used scraps laying around in my craft closet.
Supplies:
- hair clips
- fleece or felt (I actually used fleece in this tutorial)
- paper or cardstock
- pencil
- scissors
- glue gun
- embroidery floss
- large eye needle
1. I reused some of my old hair clips that were functional, just worn. So I cleaned them first.
2. Draw patters you want on paper or cardstock. Make sure the hair clip will fit in your pattern. For the circle, I found a vitamin cap that was large enough and traced it. I freehand the rest.
3. Get your felt or fleece. Fold it over so you can cut out 2 of the pattern at the same time.
4. Take one of the felt/fleece, fold in half and measure the clip in the center. Cut 4 tiny slits. This will hold the clip in place. See step 7.
5. Take the top circle and embroider the initial.
6. Hand stitch around the circle to enclose the front and back pieces.
7. Slip your clip into the slits previously cut in step 4.
8. Use glue gun to glue to clip to the felt/fleece where it touches. Remember don’t get glue in the center piece of the clip.
Initialed Felt Hair Clips
In Crafts on December 24, 2009 at 9:01 amI was making Kaye and Elle some hair clips for their stockings. I figured I would make some extras for some of their friends. I had some used hair clips that were worn, but still functional. I washed them and reused them with some scrap felt. I think they turned out pretty well. OK, maybe not the picture. I could have used a different background and made it look nicer. But we are all sick around here. I am trying to finish up some last minute things and go to bed by 9 p.m. The good news is I’ll have a tutorial for this coming next week. Hope you have a great Christmas!
Poloppo Giveaway
In Events, Giveaway on December 10, 2009 at 9:00 am**This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced Dec. 24.**
Remember when I featured Poloppo as one of my intriguing sites a couple months ago? Now they are here as a Winter Days Giveaways sponsor! How nice are they? Poloppo is a company that promotes creativity and imagination in children. Their custom design t-shirts is a fun way for kids to express themselves and create personal wearable art.
What they do is simple. You purchase a t-me kit that contains 10 mini-markers, square paper, a catalog of t-shirts and a pre-paid envelope. Have your child draw their design. Mail it back in with the pre-paid envelopes. And Poloppo will send your child their shirt they designed. Done. Great way for your child to display his art other than on your refrigerator.
Poloppo is giving away ONE newly released long sleeve t-me kit that includes everything mentioned above. Whoo hoo! This giveaway includes all my international readers. Poloppo is willing to ship out-of-country if you win.
To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.
- Leave a comment below and tell me how do you display your children’s art. No children, that’s OK. How do you display your art?
- Go to Poloppo and tell me what you like about their site or products.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
- ‘Share’ this giveaway by doing one of the ‘Share’ options below (Twitter, Facebook, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or Email).
- Subscribe to Simply Modern Mom by RSS, email or Twitter. All ready subscribing? Just tell me in a separate comment.
This giveaway will close Thursday, Dec. 17 at 10 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Thursday, Dec. 24. To see a list of other giveaways going on now for the Winter Days Giveaways, click on the image below or see the list at the top right bar.
And don’t forget about your surprise. Each entry you do for any of these sponsored giveaways during The Winter Days Giveaways will automatically enter you to win a set of my fake mustaches on a stick! So the more entries you do, the better chance you have of winning the sponsor’s prize as well as a set of fake mustaches. Enter away and good luck!
Recessionista Giveaway
In Events, Giveaway on December 9, 2009 at 9:00 am**This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced Dec. 23.**
Recessionista (n.): A Recessionista is one who, despite an economic downturn, evokes the creative power and continues to look like a million bucks while only spending a few. She can endure burden and misfortune that accompany a poor economy. Refusing to go without, she searches the sales, frequents the discount stores and always leaves with her head held high and a smile across her face, knowing she found some incredible deals.
If recessionista describes you or someone you know, you must learn more about how you can throw one of their parties or shop at their online store. They have brand name handbags, accessories, clothing, shoes and more at largely discounted prices. And when you throw a party, in your home or online, you get hosting benefits. Not only that, Recessionista is constantly doing giveaways and weekly specials on their products.
Recessionista is giving away prizes to TWO winners. The first winner will receive a scarf and a long sleeve burnt out tee. The second winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to their online store. Both winners will be able to select styles and colors from what is available on their site at the time. This giveaway is only for those residing in the U.S. or Canada.
To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.
- Leave a comment below and tell me how do you stay fashionable on a budget.
- Go to Recessionista’s online store and tell me your favorite product.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
- ‘Share’ this giveaway by doing one of the ‘Share’ options below (Twitter, Facebook, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or Email).
- Subscribe to Simply Modern Mom by RSS, email or Twitter. All ready subscribing? Just tell me in a separate comment.
- Subscribe to Recessionista’s blog and get an extra entry.
This giveaway will close Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 23. To see a list of other giveaways going on now for the Winter Days Giveaways, click on the image below or see the list at the top right bar.
And don’t forget about your surprise. Each entry you do for any of these sponsored giveaways during The Winter Days Giveaways will automatically enter you to win a set of my fake mustaches on a stick! So the more entries you do, the better chance you have of winning the sponsor’s prize as well as a set of fake mustaches. Enter away and good luck!
Allora Handmade Giveaway
In Events, Giveaway on December 7, 2009 at 9:00 am**This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced Dec. 21.**
Jessica of Allora Handmade has one of those shops where I want one of everything in her store. I would keep them all to myself… maybe give a couple away to my friends. She makes gorgeous hair and jewelry accessories for women. Jessica also has a blog where she updates all her Allora fans on new products and deals.
Like many other moms, Jessica needed a creative outlet. And that was when she gradually found a niche in Allora Handmade. One of her favorite things is to be able to gift something one of a kind and unique. And now she is sharing it with you. Jessica is giving away an Allora Handmade $30 gift certificate to ONE winner. This giveaway includes all my international readers. Resa is willing to ship out-of-country if you win.
That’s not all. Jessica is also giving everyone a 10% discount at her store until Monday, Dec. 14! Just mention SMM in your note to seller when you check out.
To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.
- Leave a comment below and tell me what is your favorite gift to give.
- Go to Allora Handmade and tell me what you would get if you won.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
- ‘Share’ this giveaway by doing one of the ‘Share’ options below (Twitter, Facebook, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or Email).
- Subscribe to Simply Modern Mom by RSS, email or Twitter. All ready subscribing? Just tell me in a separate comment.
This giveaway will close Monday, Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Monday, Dec. 21. To see a list of other giveaways going on now for the Winter Days Giveaways, click on the image below or see the list at the top right bar.
And don’t forget about your surprise. Each entry you do for any of these sponsored giveaways during The Winter Days Giveaways will automatically enter you to win a set of my fake mustaches on a stick! So the more entries you do, the better chance you have of winning the sponsor’s prize as well as a set of fake mustaches. Enter away and good luck!
Hope for Women Giveaway
In Events, Giveaway on December 3, 2009 at 9:00 am**This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced Dec. 17.**
I featured Hope for Women on SMM back in August when I first discovered the Tagua bracelets. Oh, how lovely. And the more I learned about Hope for Women, the more I am amazed by what they do for women around the world.
Here’s an excerpt from their site:
Hope For Women brings premium quality, Fair Trade products created by women artisans to the mainstream marketplace. We are a socially responsible organization committed to providing sustainable employment for economically disadvantaged women worldwide. We offer products exclusively made by women so they can take control of their lives and their futures. Hope For Women is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation. Every woman is paid a fair, livable wage under safe and healthy working conditions. We aim to have the highest environmental standards in all aspects of our business, and incorporate our “green” ethic into our products, packaging, and every decision we make.
And check out their home products. I think the vase above would look great in our guest room.
Hope for Women’s giveaway will have TWO winners. The first winner will receive ONE Tagua bracelet. The second winner will receive ONE set of 4 greeting cards from the India Collection. The Tagua jewelry is made from nuts found within the seed pods of the Ivory Nut Palm, a native species of the Colombian rainforest. And the greeting cards are made of handmade “tree-free” paper faced with real pressed wild flowers and native plantings from the foothills of the Himalayas. This giveaway is only for U.S. residents.
Each bracelet is made by economically disadvantaged women artisans and their families. You can feel proud wearing this bracelet knowing it is changing and improving lives. Money collected from the bracelets also help provide incentive to protect and maintain the rainforest.
To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.
- Leave a comment below and tell me a service someone has done for you this holiday season or what you plan on doing for someone.
- Go to Hope for Women and tell me your favorite product.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
- ‘Share’ this giveaway by doing one of the ‘Share’ options below (Twitter, Facebook, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or Email).
- Subscribe to Simply Modern Mom by RSS, email or Twitter. All ready subscribing? Just tell me in a separate comment.
This giveaway will close Thursday, Dec. 10 at 10 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 17. To see a list of other giveaways going on now for the Winter Days Giveaways, click on the image below or see the list at the top right bar.
And don’t forget about your surprise. Each entry you do for any of these sponsored giveaways during The Winter Days Giveaways will automatically enter you to win a set of my fake mustaches on a stick! So the more entries you do, the better chance you have of winning the sponsor’s prize as well as a set of fake mustaches. Enter away and good luck!
Shoe Accessories by Dekkori
In Products on November 20, 2009 at 9:00 amShoe lovers beware. This is the latest in shoes that I have fallen in love with, Dekkori. Take your pumps or other shoes and add Dekkori’s footwear styling pieces and you got a whole new look. The ones above are my favorites from the fall/winter ‘09 line. The ones below are the newest from their holiday ‘09 line. And if you have seen Fergie lately, you have probably seen her wear it. Thank you Stephanie Kim, founder of Dekkori, for taking the shoe to a new level of fashion.
In Search of a Holiday Dress
In Inspirations, Products on November 16, 2009 at 12:01 pm
This time of the year we’re so busy thinking about what to get everyone else we tend to forget about ourselves. I’m in search of some elegant holiday dresses and other fabulous finds for you. Go ahead, spoil yourself just a little this year. Have you found your holiday dress yet? Comment and link to your holiday dress or dresses you are eyeing this season.
Future Fashion Designer
In Inspirations on November 5, 2009 at 10:00 amThis is my Kaye. She is 3. She is all girl… to the max. Even worst than her mother. Pink is her color. Polka dots are plastered everywhere. Disney princesses are her best friends. She raids mom’s closet for heels and pumps. She can cry on demand. She walks better in high heels than flip flops. She wants to wear mom’s makeup, but mean dad won’t let her. She loves candles and anything that smells pretty. And when people tell her she is cute, she replies, “Babies are cute. I am beautiful.” No idea where she got that.
Anyway, yesterday she noticed she was out of skirts. We were in a rush to get out the door and over to the library story time. I usually let Kaye pick out her clothes. It is a battle I’d rather not fight, especially with her who has a 3-year-old opinion about everything she fashions. But since we were in a hurry, she was forced to pick out pants so we could get out the door. Uh, as I was backing out of the driveway, I realized I missed library story time by a day. Yeah, I’m doing too many things all at once and sometimes I just space. We went anyway because I needed to return books that day.
When we got back from the library and a few other places she decided she needed to change. She went up stairs to her room, flipped through the clothes in her drawers and came out looking like this. It didn’t surprise me that she was in a different outfit because she changes her clothes several times a day. But she was wearing a skirt I didn’t recognize. Then it caught my eyes… the sleeves dangling from the sides. Aaahhh… she’s wearing a 3/4 sleeve white shirt upside down as a skirt. And since it was a bit drafty to be wearing skirts bare legged, she put on her leg warmers.
Yeah, I can see fashion design in her future. If the sleeves weren’t dangling down, it would be a cute bubble skirt. Hum… that’s an idea. I’ll have to draft that in my notebook. In the picture, she’s a bit embarrassed when I discovered she was wearing a shirt as a skirt. But she kept it on the whole rest of the day.
P.S. Please excuse the work-in-progress in the background. And my craft glues on the floor. That was Elle’s work.
Stella McCartney’s GapKids
In Inspirations on November 3, 2009 at 9:28 amShow and Tell
In Random on October 30, 2009 at 3:16 pmI am showing and telling (well, there’s not much to tell) all about my apron from earlier this week. It’s over at Amy Lou Who. Thought you might wanna know.
And yours truly was featured on V and Co. this week for my bandana skirts that I made eons ago. You know, the one that Kaye wouldn’t take off because she said it looked like Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Beast. I had to hide that thing now that it’s too cold and much too short for her to wear.
It’s a fabulous Friday all right. I also scored 11 pairs of shoes for myself and my girls today over at Payless. I know, I went overboard. But you’re talking to a shoe girl here. I warned Nathan that he shouldn’t let me go into ANY shoe store alone, even if it is Payless. He didn’t listen. So I bought one of everything. Only because I had a 50 percent off everything in the store coupon. I tried to remember the last time I bought shoes from Payless… it was middle school.
Happy Halloween!
Reversible Aprons
In Crafts on October 27, 2009 at 9:00 am

I recently took a sewing class my friend Emily taught. I kind of roped her into teaching it, only because she’s an amazing seamstress. We have really bonded with our crazy sewing ideas. And I love learning from her since she’s really good at what she does.
Emily showed us how to make these super adorable reversible aprons. But of course, I couldn’t just follow instructions exactly. I had to revamp mine and change it up a bit to complicate things with my silly ideas. The apron Emily made had a neckband and a neck casing with ties in the top strap. I went without the casing and made my neck band two pieces so it ties at the neck. I also adjusted my measurements then readjusted it again. Hence the different widths between the pink and the brown.
I made the brown/blue one for my mom’s birthday. So happy early birthday, mom! She’s in Taiwan right now and won’t be back until after her birthday. Sad. We’ll celebrate when she’s back home again.
Halloween Costume Ideas
In Holidays on October 21, 2009 at 9:00 am
This year, Kaye wanted to be a fairy princess. I made her a pink and white tutu. She’ll have wings and I’m debating a magic wand. Elle, well, she’s going to be a chicken. A friend of mine handed down a chicken costume that I just couldn’t resist. Even though it’s a 0-3 month costume, I’m squeezing her into it. She’s normally wears 9-12 months. It is also fitting since my dad raises chickens. He’ll love the costume. I’ll post pictures next week.
If you are in need of costume ideas, here are a few simple ones you can make at home. Click on photos for details. Although it’s children in the pictures, you can tailor the costume for adults too.
Glass Pendant Necklaces Tutorial
In Crafts, Tutorials on October 13, 2009 at 9:00 am
Easy. Cheap. Adorable. How can you pass up something like this? I found places online where they sold the tutorials on how to make these glass pendant necklaces. Here’s mine for free.
Supplies:
- paper
- exacto knife
- ruler
- cutting board
- glass tiles* (rectangular, circular, or square shapes available)
- bails* (I used aanraku small size)
- clear glue (I used Diamond Glaze
. Mod Podge will work too, just not as well.)
- super glue or E6000
- toothpick
- wax paper
- ball chains, ribbons, necklaces
- paper towels
*glass pendants and bails can be found pretty much anywhere online… Amazon, Etsy supplies, etc. I have also found bails at craft stores.
1. Using the exacto knife, cutting board, and ruler, cut your papers to the size of your glass tiles. I prefer to cut my papers slightly smaller than the tiles (about 1mm shorter all the way around). I had squared tiles, so I rounded the corners of my paper a bit to fit the tiles better. You can use just about any kind of paper, although tissue paper may be to thin and transparent. Suggestions: magazine pages, scrapbook paper, origami paper, cardstock.
2. Clean the glass tiles with a slightly damped paper towel or cloth. Allow to dry completely.
3. Lay a sheet of wax paper over your work space, the glue doesn’t stick to it. If your glass tile has a frosted side, you will want the paper to glue to the frosted side. Apply a layer of Diamond Glaze or Mod Podge to the frosted side of the glass tile. Gently place the paper onto the glue with the designs facing down. (The polka dots in the picture below is the back side of my pendant. The design is on the other side of paper.)
4. Quickly wipe off excess glue with toothpick and dry paper towels. Turn the tile over and press down on the glass tile hard to allow the layer of glaze to even out. Allow to dry completely, approximately 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Working on the back side of the pendant again, put another layer of glaze over the back of the paper to seal it. If you are using the Diamond Glaze, you will only have to do this once. If you are using Mod Podge, you will need to use a brush and do a few coats allowing drying time between coats. I also applied glaze on the sides of the paper to protect the edges. Use a toothpick and paper towel to wipe off excess glaze or glue. Also use the toothpick to pop any air bubbles in the glaze. Let it completely dry, approximately 5-6 hours or longer.
6. Once it dried, clean off any excess glue anywhere on the glass tile with a lightly damped paper towel or carefully scratch it off with finger nails.
7. Glue bails to the back of the pendants at the top. Make sure you check your designs and note which side you would like to have as the top of the pendant. If you use super glue, apply a small amount of the glue to the back of the tile and the bail. Work quickly as it dries fast. You will also need to get it right the upon first contact because super glue doesn’t allow much time for adjustments. If you use E6000, squeeze a pea size onto wax paper. Then use a toothpick to apply a small amount of it to the back of the tile and on the bail.
8. Let it dry for about 30 minutes to an hour. Then put on ball chains, ribbons, or necklaces.
Featuring Thea, my model…
Baby Doll Shirt w/ Ruffles
In Crafts on September 24, 2009 at 9:00 amI tried it and it didn’t work on me. I worked on repurposing a men’s dress shirt into a shirt for me. It turned out OK. The pictures are of the shirt I used as a rough draft. But since this style of shirt didn’t flatter my body, I’m not modeling it for you. And I am not proceeding to make another one for the tutorial as previously planned. So I’m posting my rough draft in case this style of baby doll shirt works for you. If enough people are interested in making it, maybe I will do an actual photo tutorial later. Let me know.
Remember, this was my very rough draft. I used an XL men’s dress shirt. This shirt is supposed to be long and hang below the rear. Cute to wear with skinny jeans.
- Cut off the collars and long sleeves.
- Cut the V neck to just right above a button. Hem the V neck.
- Make the arm holes smaller to be more fitting and add the sleeves. I gathered the sleeves a bit where it is attached the the rest of the shirt.
- Make casting at the end of the sleeve for the elastic.
- Measure elastic around your upper torso, just below the bust. Then zigzag stitch the elastic onto the shirt all the way around while pulling the elastic to fit the shirt so it will scrunch. Don’t sew elastic over the button front.
Last of Fashion Week
In Events on September 21, 2009 at 9:00 amFashion Week saved some of the best for last.
InStyle
In Products on September 20, 2009 at 5:53 pmI thought about it and I just had to do it. I couldn’t resist. I ordered my year of InStyle Magazine from Amazon because it’s on sale 90 percent off the cover price. A year subscription for only $5! Now you have to do it because it’s such a steal for such a wonderful magazine. Offer is only good until Sept. 26. Go here
for the deal.
Fashion Week Faves
In Events on September 17, 2009 at 9:00 amI would love to attend Fashion Week one day. Here are some of my favorites thus far from the Spring 2010 collection. Some of my favorite designers have their shows today. I’ll be checking them later. I loved Tadashi Shoji, Donna Karan, and Chado Ralph Rucci’s entire collection. Oh, how I love beautiful clothes…
Simple Shoes
In Crafts on July 30, 2009 at 9:00 amMy dad loves shoes. He can’t even keep track of how many pairs of shoes he owns, definitely more pairs than what’s in my closet. A while ago, he purchased this pair of Simple shoes. It’s a kit to make your own shoes. The shoe on the left is the final product. The pieces to the right of that are parts.
Although the kit came with instructions on a DVD, my dad wasn’t able to match up the holes. So he asked me for assistance.
Super comfortable and environmentally friendly shoes. Visit Simple’s shoes website to learn more about it.
Crochet Hair Clips
In Crafts on July 2, 2009 at 8:00 amDipping my toes into crocheting, I learned I love crocheting cute flowers. It was so easy to make and only takes a few minutes… if it’s uninterrupted minutes. I attached the flowers onto alligator clips for my girlies. Then I made matching pink and white ones for Kaye and Elle’s matching Easter dresses back in April. Elle thinks they are great chew toys.






























































































































