sparkly headbands? yes, please!

When you have girls that need to look like they fixed their hair every morning, you do what it takes. The ponytails, the braids, the hats (when a brush won't even do)... and the hairbands. They pretty up any coif! Well, I've been making some lately for them.

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, right? And since I'm pretty crafty and have nothing better to do lately -- sans job-- I created these.

I had dabbled in hairbands before and actually crocheted a few that were a hit with the tween scene. (I'll find them and post some pics soon.). Anyway... What do you think? Should I post them on etsy and see what happens?

british invasion: new stuff at charlotte russe

Black, greys, whites and stripes... all my favorite style elements! Here's a look at some new items from the London Beat line at CR.

I love.

However... I cannot wear these pieces as seen here. I mean, I am not 22! (or twentyanything for that matter) But, come on, I can rock the stripes, and the b/w!!! Don't I always. All I'm missing is RED. I never do red.  It so works-- what am I afraid of?

Are you going to tune in some London beat? You can see more pics here.

viva von furstenberg

Diane Von Furstenberg was featured in the September issue of InStyle magazine and when I saw her library at her Connecticut home, Cloudwalk, I just about died! As a lover of books, my wish is to have a grand, beautiful library... be surrounded by bounds and bounds of books!

As I was looking for more pictures of her home, I came across her other abodes. Her Paris apartment is très fabulous and what does she have all around? Books!

 I found this image of her New York City place and, again, more books.  Besides being the queen of the wrap dress and overall style diva, DVF is one cool bookworm (assuming she actually reads, lol).

For more fantastic libraries and fabulous bookshelves, check out isuwannee.com. She keeps a lovely list of killer book spaces with her Bookcase of the Day.

ring(s) of the day

This is my latest favorite ring. Isn't it fabulous? The best part is that it was a bargain. Don't remember how much I bought it for, but it's from Charlotte Russe so it was definitely less than $10... happiness.

I do, however, appreciate quality and craftsmanship. This amazing ring with Swarovski ruby crystal is a work of art. The band is made from the a floral stainless steel spoon stem! It's created and designed in New Zealand by Closet Gothic.

The whole steampunk look would be right up my alley if I was still in high school, but alas... I definitely can don these! I want. I also want this and this.

i [heart] my scarf!

When I first went to Paris, I was in college and very impressionable. Totally a good thing to be when visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world. One thing I picked up, besides rolling up your own cigarettes, was le carré, the scarf. Before France, I only recalled scarves being used by old women to keep their mane under control. But once there, I saw how useful, decorative and stylish they could be!

Hermés, world-renowned French purveyor of fine accessories and such, has launched scarves to a whole new realm. And with their wonderful site called j'aime mon carré (I love my scarf) we can all learn all about the modern woman and her scarf– or scarves.

The site is beautifully designed with wonderful photography and detailed how-to's on various knotting styles. Visit the site now and be inspired! C'est magnifique!

fabulous find friday

(ok so it's Saturday, whatev)

(image via beautystylewatch.com)

Have you heard of Lauren Luke? Most everyone has by now, I think. She's the self-made YouTube star that teaches the world about make-up application and techniques. I first came across her channel when I was looking into how-to's. I don't wear tons of make-up. But it's not because I don't like it. I just can never really get it to look right on me! Eyes are the big thing for me. It's my favorite feature and I wanted to accentuate them properly, so.... along came Lauren.

Lauren started in 2006 or so in England, where she is from, but just recently has really hit it big time. She has a make-up line, books, a Nintendo DS game, and she's touring America as we speak.

Check out this sample vid. She is quite charming and just a girl-next-door (albeit with a cute British accent) but she is great to watch!

You can find out more about her here and check out her make-up line on Sephora.com.

sandals with socks?!

On the runways for Spring/Summer 2010, they were everywhere. Now doesn't this girl (at the Dior show) look cute with her little sockies? I just haven't been able to embrace the whole trend. Weren't we told time and again that it was a major faux pas? Socks with sandals = tacky tourist?!

But soon the sweltering summer heat will be gone and the cool fall air will be chilling my tootsies. I *think* I'm just gonna have to try this look out. If they look like just part of the shoe (like pseudo bootie) I think it will work nicely. You think I can rock the socks look? Can you?

I found some yummy ones here and here.

antique-ing or just looking at old stuff?

I went to the local antique mall to see what eye-candy and other inspiring things I could find. The place I checked out is called The Ohio Valley Antique Mall. It is huge. Well to me it is at least. Anything that takes me a couple hours to peruse is big to me. Anyway, there was definitely a lot of antiquities, but some things were fairly modern, i.e. 1990s?!? Like this chandelier. It was gorge, but not an antique. And for $25 not worth it, personally.

 

This steamer trunk was a bit more fascinating. I mean, look at it. I can fit my three kids, their clothes in each of the drawers, and bon voyage! I wish the airlines didn't charge so much for baggage. Though not sure who would lug this luggage. Soooo heavy!

 

This little doggy (fox?) was adorable and I'm sure not more than, oh, 15 years old. But it was a work of [crochet] art! It's amigurumi before amigurumi was popular. Gonna try making one of these soon.

marni plastic

I love these gorgeous bags from Marni. They are the result of a collaboration with French artist Claude Caillol for a range of bags called the Plastic Collection. Featuring Caillol's freehand drawings.The idea came when Caillol was invited to the Marni workshop and he proceeded to sketch on regular shopping bags! Love it!
[via vogue uk]

back to s*cool

With school starting up, there are tons of fab supplies all over the place. These Japanese erasers have been popular for a while, but I can't help drool (pun intended) all over them! You can find them here and here.

alernative crafter

Love Boo Davis' attitude. Her quilting is anything but boring and traditional. You can find her cool stuff on her site, Quiltrÿche. You can also read NYT's feature of her here.