Diva DIY - Quick & Easy Storage Caddy

I know I haven't shown many pictures or done a tour yet of my closet project, but I PROMISE I'm gonna!! I'd say one of the biggest challenges with that is keeping it tidy enough until I finally get a window of time photograph/film. Sounds simple, but when I'm in and out of there 80% of the week, it's super easy for it to suddenly look like a cyclone has come through. It also doesn't help that the access to the attic is in there, so my recent roof repair efforts required some moving and disassembling of my set up. I'd say that's actually the most frustrating of all, because I'm forced to keep things "a mess" until all the repairs are done.

But I digress....

So even though I'd say that the majority of my closet is complete, I'm still working on minor aspects - adding pictures and other decorative details, and especially storage options. That area has its own design element centered on white, gold and pink. So I like everything to compliment that theme as best as possible. 

I recently managed to move my small white dresser chest out of my bedroom and into my closet. It holds all of my lingerie, some foldable clothing pieces and layering tees. But I found that I wasn't thrilled with the look of the functional storage on top. Replacing it required that it still be functional (obviously), that it blended with the decor and that it was cheap.

Here's what I used:
Target Dollar Spot Storage Caddy ($3)
Target Gold Heart Stickers ($2)
(2) Acrylic Containers (part of a larger acrylic beauty set found at Marshall's)
(2) Cardboard sleeves (I used old boxes from beauty products)
X-Acto knife

Cute and easy peasy, right?!

I do have to say that the day after uploading this video I felt compelled to make some minor tweaks to the finished product, I removed the stickers from the top area and lined the inside front storage compartments, I just liked that finished look a little better...

I'm thinking of sharing more of my fashion and home projects in the future, I'd love to hear about any DIYs you'd be interested in!

Life Lately...

Hello, world!

So the hubbub of the holiday festivities is all over and we're back to the hustle and bustle of every day life. There's pros and cons to both, no? On one hand, it's a good thing to have all the hectic chaos behind you and the stress of guests, housecleaning and gift buying over and done. But at the same time, there is something to be missed...the glitter, the warm, fuzzy feelings that comes with the holidays and the joys of being around your family laughing and relaxing.

Today I'm sharing some bits and pieces of my world. If you follow me on Instagram you may have already been privy to some of these. And if you don't, now is a good a time as any!

 

The Christmas gift from my bestie included the Mac X RiRi lipstick that I'd been stalking. It's frosty orange is super intimidating at first swipe, but it can be made into the perfect sexy nude lip. Loves it.

 

 

At Christmastime even penguins and leopards live harmoniously... 

 

These lips will look all the way live in 2014. The entire Maybelline Colorsensational Vivids collection is proof positive that I've become obsessed with lipstick.

 

Another recent obsession: fur. We'll chat more on this subject later. *wink* 

 

"...with a borderline obsession for leopard print, polka dots, bows and pink things!"

See, I totally wasn't lying on my 'About Me' page.

 

 

Super excited with the progress I'm making on my walk in closet! Can't wait until I can share the finished product with all of you. 

 

Planning a future style file post for this entire outfit. It was the total embodiment of girly girlness.

In other goings on, both Toonchie and I will be headed back to school this week. I'm sure there will be a brief adjustment period, specifically for me, but that can also be exciting too. I always have a little anxiety before I start a new course. It's the uncertainty of the coursework, workload and wondering if the class will be a weekly, three hour life drain.

Well, I'm off, lovies! I hope you have a fabulous week ahead of you and we'll chat again soon!

Kidecals.com - A Review & Promo Code!

Hello, ladies!

I'm sure you all are prepping for the holidays, unless you're one of the lucky girls who's all done! As I finish out my mad and frazzled dash this last week, I decided to take a moment to review one of the online retailers I'd suggested in my very first holiday gift guide: Kidecals.com.

I will preface my review by stating that this is a sponsored post, so I did receive free items from Kidecals, but the opinions stated here are purely my own.

I'm all about being able to customize things to your taste and have long been a fan of wall decals, I use them regularly throughout my home when decorating. My initial thought of the Kidecals.com site was that it looked colorful and inviting, so I was excited to dive in.

I headed straight for the keycals (keyboard decals), since I'm on my laptop a lot and thought jazzing up the keys would be really cute. I was super disappointed to find out that it would only fit the keyboards of Mac products *sad panda*. So I perused around a bit, sure I'd find something else.

And perused some more...took a break....came back and tried again.

Ok, so it took a while. But not because they didn't have other things, but because a lot of the products were geared towards kids or parents. Which doesn't apply to my life directly, though I certainly thought to grab some labels for my nieces. However, I was certain my mom wouldn't appreciate finding them adhered to her walls or dining room table, so I nixed that idea.

Ultimately I settled on some chalkboard labels and two universal use labels. My order arrived quickly in some very fun looking packaging.

You get several chalkboard labels, in two different sizes. But they are kind of small, so don't write big (as I do). I plan to "fake" the whole chalkboard look and just use a white Sharpie instead of chalk. I have yet to decide what I'm going to label yet, but probably some jars for the kitchen.

I am an avid Pinner (you can follow me here), so it's a total truth that most times I'd rather be pinning. Especially being that I even do it while waiting in the doctor's office. I'm thinking this label will likely end up on the back of my laptop, which is just basic black. But I'm curious about the removal or permanency...which is why it isn't on there yet.

The final label totally jumped out at me because in my "real life" I'm what people refer to as an IT geek, (I've worked in the technology field for about 13 years). The home décor project I'm currently working has been to make over my closet, to make it a really personal space. I've been working on it for a few months and plan to finish up over the holidays (and share with all of you). Anyway, I opted to stick this label to a small sheet of paper and frame it, in order to add it to my gallery wall in there. I thought it would be a nice quirky addition.

I think I'll color in that piece of "tape" with a gold Sharpie....
y'know, since I'm a Chic Geek lol

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Kidecals a 6. Their shipping was prompt and fast, checkout was easy (we like people who use PayPal) and the items that arrived were great quality. I would just suggest that they widen their selection of offerings if they want to attract another section of consumers.


Why don't you try Kidecals out for yourself and get 15% off your order by using the coupon code 'FASHION' at check out.

Gettin' Artsy Craftsy

Ok, so I'm taking a major detour from my usual type of post, but stick with me for the ride because it's still about fashionable things...

As I mentioned a few posts back, I've been really busy planning a birthday party for my mom, which was held this past weekend. Thank goodness that's over! But everyone had a great time, especially the guest of honor, so it was all in the name of love. But I'm still glad it's over....

I'm big on making things look pretty and fashionable and this party was all about being chic and stylish, but we had to jump through a few hoops to bring the vision to fruition - which all involved the decor for the tables.

One such item on my list was black and white striped candles. Pretty basic, right? Ok, well maybe not as basic as plain candles, but it wasn't like I was talking purple candles with orange stripes. Either way, I might as well had been, because after scouring the net and stalking the store aisles, I came up empty handed. Did I happen to mention they also had to be affordable?

Well, they say that necessity is the mother of invention...so what's a diva to do? Make her own! Because sometimes even we non-crafters have to get a little crafty.

I headed to the local Michael's Craft Store and grabbed a few rolls of black sparkling ribbon and two packs of stick pins with pearl heads.

Toss in sixteen plain white pillar candles and a box of glue dots, and I was a striped candle making machine.

Tah-dah!!

Not bad at all, huh? I have to say I was kinda proud of the way it all came together.

And in case any of you are a little curious here are a couple final images from the party:






I also sparkled up a couple plain pieces of wood to make that 'S' at the top of the cupcake tower,
because I couldn't find a more affordable one that I liked.

 

The framed images on the tables were throwback photos I enlarged from her modeling days. See, back when I was a wee little diva, my mom had a modeling troupe that would put on fashion shows and whatnot around the city. So the central theme of the party was all about celebrating the fabulosity of my icon.

Missoni for Target

The blogosphere is alive with the announcement of a collaboration between the Italian fashion house of Missoni, and our fav budget friendly, fashion retailer Target!  

Missoni is famous for their knitwear in lively colors with printed stripes and geometric shapes. Their beautiful clothes can often found adorning the bodies of various celebrities, and now - the ever important, every day working girl too!



Rihanna




Leighton Meister




Margherita Missoni and Joy Bryant

 The house of Missoni currently offers apparel for men, women and children and home decor, and the collaboration is expected to follow suit with a collection that is anticipated to be the largest to date, with four hundred pieces!

The collection will be available September 13th.

This launch just made the excitement of my birthday month even better!!

Cheating on Fashion, with Furniture!!

Decorating your home is definitely another way of expressing your personal style. And nothing says a need to redecorate like a new, affordable and fabulous diffusion line from Target! Because I personally love Target, I'm super psyched about the new home and clothing collaboration launching May 1st: Calypso St. Barth from Target.

This brand is all about bringing the design aesthetic of exotic locales, like Bali and Marrakesh, closer to home, making them more accessible to fashionable ladies with Madison Avenue budgets. With this Target collaboration, they are now making a bit of their luxury lifestyle even more accessible (and affordable) for small town, mid city every day divas like you and me! Expect breezy bohemian resort wear and elegantly eclectic, colorful home decor with this launch.

I'm sure that the pieces can be intermingled with current items you own and used as a way to liven up a living room with candle holders or to a bedroom with throw pillows or go all out and remake your bathroom into a sexy sanctuary, where a diva goes to decompress after a long day. Either way, if you're looking to add a little spice to your current decor, this just might be for you!