Forever 21 find time

Remember a while ago when I blogged my "That's so Rachel" post? Well a couple of weeks ago I stopped at my Forever 21 and found one of the dresses I included in the post.

I actually ended up getting this dress because it was so cute and flattering on. It's a little hard to see but it ties at the neck which I love.

Is it just me or is it so exciting when you can actually find something you saw online at the Forever 21 store?!

xoxo,
Amanda

DIY-Lace pumps tutorial

Lace is everywhere this season. It's versatility can transform it from romantic to sexy easily with just a simple outfit change. Lace accessories can also be a perfect accent to an outfit which is why after lace dresses, lace pumps were a huge hit on the runways for Fall/Winter 2011. They were such a huge hit I was inspired to create my own pair.

Supplies-
Suede or fabric pumps
Lace
Tacky Glue
Old paint brush

First cut out a piece of lace that will cover the main part of the shoe. We will cut out a piece to cover the heel later.

Start gluing the lace onto the shoe starting at the toe. The tacky glue does not need a ton of it to work so a medium thickness layer with work fine. We'll seal it better later.

Next move up and glue the sides of the shoes. I do this one side at a time so I can work with it to make the lace lay flat. This is where it gets a little tricky though. Sometimes the lace doesn't want to lay perfectly flat. I know the glue would probably still hold it if there was a small bubble in it but I prefer to have it flat so the lace doesn't want to pull off the shoe.

In order to alleviate this issue I spent time pulling the lace to see which way it laid best, it does take a little work. If it was giving me a problem in one area I made small snips in the excess hanging over the sides which seemed to help.

At the back where the side pieces of lace meet I cut both sides along the back seam so that when I glued it down the two pieces met perfectly and ended up looking like one continuous piece. Honestly you can't even really tell where the two pieces came together. The lace kind of camouflages the seam.

Once the shoe is completed you can go around and cut the lace more perfectly.

After the main portion of the shoe is glued I went and snipped off the excess around the bottom and up the sides to the heel, leaving it for later.

In the middle I made a slice down the center and cut the lace close to the sides leaving about a 1/4 of an inch excess. Then I ran a bead of glue along the inside and folded over the excess to give the top a finished look. Right around the toe I had to make a lot of snips so that the lace folded neatly around the curve.

Now we need to finish the toe and the heel.

The lace puckers around the toe so we need to glue it flat.

Finishing the toe requires a little work. I finish it in steps so that I can get the lace to lay as flat as possible. This is where the lace puckers the most because of the curve so some snipping here can help. It also helps to tug gently on the lace when your gluing it down.

I also place a piece of tape on the excess lace around the toe to help it stay down while the glue dries. Continue gluing the toe until it is completed and dried and then clip the excess off around the bottom.

If you enlarge the image you can see the snips I made in the excess lace.

To cover the heel first cut a piece of lace large enough to cover it. I started by gluing down one side of the heel. Because the heel is curved and tapered this is another spot where you need to work with the lace to make it lay flat. It also really helps to snip the excess like before.

Then move to the next side and do exactly the same thing. I did not wrap the lace around to cover the inside. I just didn't see the need to and I don't feel my shoe is missing anything because I didn't. If you want though you could totally wrap the entire heel, it's up to you.

The white spots on the heel are where the glue isn't completely dried.

After the heel is dry go around and snip off the excess. For the part on the back where the heel meets the main part of the shoe I cut the excess lace following the original seam of where the heel was attached. This way the lace blends together nicely. Then I ran a small bead of glue where the back and heel met just to be sure the two pieces are glued down.

After the excess lace is all removed, go around and cut the lace more precisely, a small pair of craft scissors would really help at this point. After that if nothing else needs glued go ahead and give the shoes a coat of spray sealer. I chose to use a decoupage sealer because it gives better flexibility than standard sealer. This is important for shoes because you need them to bend and flex as you walk.

Voila! Go enjoy your fabulous new lace pumps now!

xoxo,

Amanda

I'm linking up with these awesome parties!

Glee-ful notebooks

I know I posted about all my awesome Glee office supplies a while ago but I snagged something else pretty cool a few weeks ago.

How fun is this notebook?! I think I missed it last time because it's in the office supply section and not in the back to school area.

I'm glad I spotted this cause this notebook is so cute.

xoxo,
Amanda

Inspiration: Fall's obsession with lace

As seen in Harper's Bazaar September 2011 and just about every other September issue:

Dolce and Gabbana Chantilly Lace Pump

xoxo,
Amanda

Jewel encrusted headbands DIY

Supplies:
Jewels which are sold already in a setting. The kind I used were by Darice but if you can't find these, rhinestones would work as well.
1 inch or thicker headband. I think satin and matte both work great for this project and can give it a different feel.
Jewel-it glue


I began by just placing jewels together in groupings that I liked. I tended to put them in groups of three cause that looked the best. When I glued them on the headband I also tried spacing them out so the gaps between gems are small and pretty uniform across the whole headband.

This project is honestly all about personal preference. You can cover the entire headband or you can place them in clusters like I did. You can do all one color gem or you can do a combination of a few. Whatever you like best! Have fun with it!

After the glue dries you are all ready to go-Voila!

Styling-wise, I think these headbands look great with messy/undone hair. A messy low bun would also look fantastic with these.

xoxo,
Amanda

D&G inspired sequin and gem covered pumps.

So aside from moving, another reason I've been kinda MIA was because of the last DIY I was working on. It seriously took all of the spare time I had when I wasn't packing or moving. I saw an awesome DIY for these over at lovemaegan.com and I seriously fell in love with the idea. I knew it was going to be a very time intensive DIY but I had to try it.

After about 3 weeks they are finally completed and I LOVE THEM!

Honestly at some points these shoes became a giant pain to work on. Even now that they are done, there are still parts I feel aren't completely perfect that I want to fix. Overall though I think these shoes are drop dead gorgeous/fantastic. These definitely go on the list of my favorite DIY's.

xoxo,
Amanda

Lea Michele in Harper's Bazaar September 2011

Has everyone seen Lea Michele on the cover of Harper's this month? I was so happy to find out she landed the September cover because since it is the most important issue of the year it's a huge honor but also because I knew it would be gorgeous. The cover is flawless and her layout inside is gorgeous. Even if I didn't love Lea, I would love this editorial because it's stunning.

I didn't see this one in the issue but it's equally as gorgeous as her other photos.

All images from Harper'sBazaar.com

I love how romantic these photos are, the styling is so dramatic and it really works wonderfully with the garden setting. Lea and this shoot definitely raised the bar for the other September issues.

xoxo,
Amanda

Inspiration: Nina Ricci jeweled headbands

Nina Ricci's Fall 2011 show was comprised of garments which held that particular Parisian ease and also a romantic lady-like charm. The clothes weren't the only stand-out pieces from the collection though. Peter Copping also sent out ornate jeweled headbands reminiscent of European crown jewels.

Harper's Bazaar September 2011

I think these are just stunning. With a simple outfit I feel like these could make such a gorgeous statement.

xoxo,
Amanda

New nail color

Hey everyone! I haven't been on in a while but now that things have calmed down I have my time back to devote to this blog. In honor of that I decided to go back to my amanda-psu.blogspot.com name. I promise that will be the last move!

I also decided to change up my nail polish. Lately around my area the weather has taken a pretty fall-like turn. It's finally starting to rain normally and the temperature has taken a serious drop. It's honestly feeling a lot like fall to me. So I decided to choose a fall-ish color to indulge my desires, because I want it be fall so bad now. I can't wait to start wearing sweaters and tights again.

I used Sally Hansen's Grey Area (2 coats) and although it's actually a purple-gray I really love the color.  I just grabbed this at CVS one day cause the color caught my eye but this was a great polish. First it went on smoothly and second, it was cheap, only about $3.00.

I really like this color. It's very fall-like and it's also kinda edgy since it's pretty dark. The purple tone does give it a softer edge though. I love it for fall. Plus with all the moving and unpacking it has held up surprisingly well.

Since the moving chaos has seemed to calm down I have finally had some time to start reading my September issues, and I am seriously in heaven. I love when they come out; I get my pen and post-its and I plan everything for my fall wardrobe and DIY ideas. It makes me so happy. Be prepared for a bunch of fall fashion posts to come.

xoxo,
Amanda

I'm a bad blogger.

I'm really sorry guys. I have been seriously neglecting this blog lately but I do have a very valid reason.

I just moved out of my apartment so since the last time I posted I have been in moving/packing hell.

Although I was officially out today I still have a lot more sorting and unpacking to do so this mini-hiatus may continue on. However, I have tons of new ideas and stuff to post about when I get back so stay tuned.

xoxo,
Amanda

Blog news!

Hi all!

The change has happened. I am no longer amanda-psu.blogspot.com, I've changed over to carry-on-carry-on.blogspot.com.

Make sure and change over your bookmarks and stuff!

xoxo,
Amanda