hand applique elbow patches...

i love valentine's day! 

hearts, flowers, glitter, pink, lips... what girl wouldn't love this holiday?!

so i wanted to put together some diy projects just for valentine's day.

one trend that i have been seeing all over pinterest is the diy elbow patch.

and in honor of this special holiday, i thought that it would be perfect to make some heart patches.

i didn't have to spend a dime on this project because i already had all of the supplies.

but if you don't have a shirt that you want to alter with patches- just stop by a thrift store and i'm sure that you can find plenty that will work.

i also luckily had some gold sparkly fabric on hand for my patches.

but if you don't have any fabric either, you can look at a thrift store for any clothing items made out of cute glittery fabric or any other type that you may want to cut up and use... {or just hit up your nearest fabric store!}

 ok, so here we go...

what you will need:

1.shirt

2. fabric for patches

3. iron and ironing board

4. paper

5. straight pins

6. needle

7. thread

8. freezer paper

9. scissors

10. pen

first, you are going to take the freezer paper {and i will explain why this is used later}, and make your heart template.

pin your template onto the fabric and cut around it. 

the fabric that i used unravels easily so i left about a half inch of extra fabric around the heart.

freezer paper will lightly stick to the fabric, making it much easier to iron the edges down.

if you are using a fabric that will unravel, it is important to iron the edges to prevent unraveling.

mark your shirt where your elbow patch should go.

slip your paper into the sleeve so that you can pin and stitch without catching the bottom fabric.

pin all around the heart.

start stitching!

if you aren't sure how to hand stitch- there are lots of tutorials on youtube.

i used a very small stitch to prevent unraveling.

but feel free to use a larger stitch if you are using more heavy duty fabric.

{this took me a while but i just turned on gossip girl and it was actually really relaxing.}

and you're done! 

faux fur...

does anyone else love this purse???

i found it at h&m before christmas and it was on clearance!

i could not say no.

anything made of faux fur kills me.

that is another style staple that i hope doesn't go away anytime soon! 

along with my leather leggings.

ohh my gosh i practically live in them! 

i try to limit myself to wearing them once a week.

how bad is that?!

seriously, they are my absolute favorite.

and i got them at a thrift store!

i have never been able to find a pair that i love more than these.

if anyone knows of a good affordable brand though- let me know because i'm definitely in need of some new leather! 

top: rue21

faux leather leggings: miley cyrus {thrifted}

shoes: mossimo {thrifted}

hat: forever21

purse: h&m

bracelet: charming charlie

boho love...

the boho chic headband is seriously one of my favorite things ever!!

i desperately hope that they don't go out of style anytime soon. 

one of my favorite places to get the pretty bejeweled styles is francesca's.

they have so many to choose from it's almost impossible to just pick one! 

i put together five hairstyles to go along with the boho chic headband. 

you can achieve so many different looks which is what i love! 

~~~

hello, 2014...

well happy 2014 everyone!

i decided that this super girly, sparkly, and leopard print outfit was perfect for the new year. 

i got these bottoms {as a christmas gift} from charming charlie.

and i discovered that leopard leggings are extremely hard to pull off when you are short and curvy! 

i completely wish that it was still as stylish as it used to be to wear skirts over leggings. 

a large oversized sweater would have been perfect but of course i don't have one!

i really should have one- everyone has one and they are so cute. 

so i had to get creative and go shopping in my own closet.

and i have to tell you- just about every single item i own was on my floor! 

it took me so long to find a top that went well with the leggings and was still flattering. 

so anyways, this is what i came up with! 

overly feminine outfits are the best- don't you think?

oh, and also- this scarf is from wal mart!

it's really hard to tell from the pictures but there are little gold sequins scattered all over it. 

i absolutely love it.

all of the scarves at wal mart were really cute actually.

sometimes that store can surprise me! 

pink top: petticoat alley via t.j. maxx

underneath top: collective concepts via nordstrom rack

leggings: charming charlie

boots: soda via t.j. maxx

headband: monroe & harlow {here}

scarf: wal mart 

necklace: charming charlie

have a wonderful first week of 2014!!

typography and midnight blue...

ok, so i have to start off by talking about my favorite piece in this outfit- the crossbody bag!

i have been dying over this marc jacobs bag for so long.

so when i saw the one in my pictures on sale at h&m for less than $10- i could not resist!

it looks so much like the marc jacobs bag that i have been drooling over.

so naturally, i like to pretend that my h&m bag is actually marc jacobs.

obviously...

but really- when i was at h&m last weekend they had so many cute, cute bags that were on sale.

seriously, go there. 

and this blouse i also got from h&m for $6! 

and these pants were from rue21 for less than $10 also.

and these steve madden shoes that i've worn in a couple of posts already i got at a garage sale for less than $5.

so this entire outfit was less than $30!

bargain shopping is the absolute best... 

top: h&m

pants: rue21

shoes: steve madden 

bag: h&m

and just a side story-

and looong story short....

we took our little dog with us while we took these pictures.

we left him in the car with it running and he stepped on the lock button and locked us out!

our cell phones were in the car and it was a sunday so businesses weren't open to let us use their phones!

we also don't have a spare key to this particular car.

oh and it was below freezing out and we weren't dressed appropriately. 

luckily, we found a hispanic mini mart that was open and they actually came to the rescue and drove to our car and helped us open one of the doors without having to call a locksmith. 

it was a crazy adventure!

we were so beyond grateful that they were willing to take their time to come out in the cold and help us.

being kind goes soo far...

so these pictures were taken after all of that happened and i was just about frozen.

a lot of the pictures were actually blurry because i couldn't stop shaking! 

so yeah- don't ever leave your dog in the car while it's running without your phones or a spare key! 

have a good week- it's almost christmas! 

affordable christmas wish list...

1. forever21 // street-chic lovely sweatshirt // $19.80
2. charming charlie // emerald city necklace // $20.00
3. charming charlie // carmel crossbody wristlet // $19.00
4. forever21 // i need lipstick midsize cosmetic bag // $8.80
5. urban outfitters // embellished-cuff beanie // $34.00
6. h&m // fake fur waistcoat // $34.00
7. urban outfitters // quay kittie cat-eye sunglasses  // $40.00
8. h&m jersey skirt // $21.00
9. francesca's // portico trinket dish // $14.00
10. francesca's // denver sequin scarf // $24.00
11. francesca's // hi! & bye! convertible gloves // $18.00
12. charming charlie // crystal bauble satchel  //$39.00

this year i wanted to put together a very affordable christmas list.
because...
i am getting my very own puppy this christmas!
i am going to be adopting her from a shelter in about two weeks.
i am so excited!!
but i am also so thrilled to get other small, pretty items as gifts this year.
my list includes a few of my favorite local stores.
we just got a charming charlie.
does anyone else love this store??
everything inside is just adorable!
i also included some things from francesca's because there is nothing there that i don't want.
and also h&m, forever21, and urban outfitters.
i am loving anything this season with jewels or glitter.
i am also loving emerald green!
and fur, and blush pink, and on and on.
i hope that you all are enjoying your christmas shopping!

xo

december style...

 ok, so first off i just want to say that if anyone happened to be on my blog over the last few days and clicked on any links or pictures and were redirected to spam websites- i'm sorry, it's because i was hacked.

having your blog hacked is a horrible feeling.

so i just wanted to let everyone know who has a blogger account and isn't using the google 2-step verification yet- get it now!

seriously. 

it's so easy and so fast.

but ok- on to better things...
i have been dying to wear red and gold for the christmas season.
i found these shoes at a thrift store last weekend and they are a half size too small but i don't even care!
they are so chrsitmasy...
i love them.
and i thought that this shirt was perfect as well.
i found it at rue21 for only $6!
i have been wearing rue21 a lot lately because it's the only store in my town and so, so cheap.
and i'm really starting to love the place.
and if you are looking for an extra holiday touch- this headband from monroe & harlow is just perfect! 

 top: rue21

pants: fragile via t.j. maxx

shoes: merona (thrifted)

belt: calvin klein via marshalls

headband: monroe & harlow here

purse: marc jacobs via nordstrom rack

enjoy the rest of your week!