Wedding Recap: The Clothes

Now that I finally have wedding photos, I can write about my day and share how I saved money and still managed to throw (what I think was) a pretty nice wedding.  Rather than write a novel, I'm going to split this into two posts and first cover the clothes: 

The Bride
My dress was called Brookelyn by Maggie Sottero.  I didn't think I wanted a strapless dress at all, but once I tried it on I felt very bride-ey and called it a day.  Because this style is not from this year's collection, I was able to purchase a sample dress from a store in Dallas that serves as the outlet for a couple of high end stores.  (Check out A Bridal Closet at Willow Bend Mall if you're local) and paid $399 for what used to be a fairly expensive dress.  I learned that most new wedding gowns under $800 (my self-imposed limit, including tax and alterations) felt cheap and were poorly constructed, so I was happy to sacrifice newness for quality.

My shoes were called Prissy from Naturalizer and adorned with (borrowed) shoe clips and the jewelry was a mix of other borrowed and family pieces.  I purchased my jeweled headband from Etsy (the Claire series by Prim and Posies).

The Guys
N and I both agreed that proper tuxedos were not important to us, especially for a daytime wedding.  Rather than ask his friends to spend money on a rental, they took advantage of a buy one get one free suit sale at Mens Wearhouse and all ordered the same black wool blend suit.  As suits go, it was already on the cheap side and each guy ended up paying for half of one and then got to keep it.  We bought them all the same tie as part of their gift and they wore their own black shoes.  If this isn't the exact suit, it's very similar.  The sale is BOGO $100 right now, but keep watching for the free promotion.

The Girls
I found the bridesmaid dresses on the same day I found my gown in a streak of shopping luck.  My cousin and I walked into The Limited and there they were on the sale rack.  I bought every one they had in store and order a couple more online.  The dresses ended up being $55 and each girl was really excited to have something that's actually re-wearable.  I also purchased silver circle necklaces from Kohl's as part of the bridesmaid gifts, which I gave inside of a makeup bag in these monogrammed totes. (I got teal and navy because I liked them best with a white monogram)

Baby gift du jour: Muji's City in a Bag

Since every third person I know is expecting a child or raising a baby, I've paid a lot of attention to baby gift options this year.  I don't like buying things that will quickly get outgrown and tend to shy away from anything emblazoned with movie characters.  Also, I can't spend much on everyone but feel compelled to buy presents for every little person entering the world.  Enter this great $14 gift:

Muji sells these great block sets featuring landmarks in London, Paris, and Tokyo.  I know that babies can't play with the blocks yet and might swallow the tiny trees, but these sets come in little drawstring bags and can be safely displayed up high until Junior is old enough not to eat them. 

And I'm not gonna lie... I want the London set for myself.  ;-)

Design book for gawkers like me

I love looking at other people's houses.  That's part of why I love home design blogs - the inspiration seems more relevant than in books featuring professionally arranged spaces that don't seem like they're meant for everyday living.  Last weekend N and I were running really early for a move (It's Kind of a Funny Story is fabulous - go see it!) and spent about 30 minutes killing time in Barnes & Noble.  I ended up in the "home reference" section and found an awesome book compiled by the folks at Apartment Therapy in 2008:

Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions  

There are a few hundred pages of photos of other people's houses - heaven!  The styles ran the gamut from minimalist to thrift store color explosion and it's interesting to see how real people spent their budget and planned each space.

Oh hells yes. Another fantastic BSC blog.

If you were happy to see my Where are they now? post about the Baby Sitter's Club, you better sit down.  In addition to the fantastic What Claudia Wore, there is another blog devoted to Baby Sitter's Club fashion.  This one is called Entropificus and the blog focuses on gorgeous artwork, especially illustrating Claudia Kishi's outfits as described in literary gems such as Baby Sitter's Club #2: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls

In the book, Claudia describes one of her outfits: "Today, for instance, I'm wearing purple pants that stop just below my knees and are held up with suspenders, white tights with clocks on them, a purple plaid shirt with a matching hat, my high-top sneakers, and lobster earrings."

And Phi, the illustrator, created this:

  Perfection.  And there's more where this came from, so check it out!

The best of Ikea (Fall 2010)

I love living near an Ikea.  The prices and modern style are right up my alley, but there's so much stuff to see in store that it can get overwhelming.  I was browsing in the store last week and saw a few things that I think would integrate well into homes without a Scandi theme.  Here's what I want this Christmas:

Ikea Stockholm Rand Rug
I want this for my home office, and as soon as I have $179 extra dollars, it will be mine.  It's of higher quality than the other Ikea rugs, but still affordable for that size (6x8).

Ikea Stockholm Pillows
I already have the checked pillow (in my cube at work) and will be picking up the white one for my sofa.

Salong Vases
These come in teal, red and white and are very heavy and made of glass.  I have a teal one and would love more to fill my many, many shelves.

Kajsa Blad Duvet Cover
I think this gray and white duvet cover is begging to be made into a set of curtains

Olunda Pictures
My favorites are the alphabet and Picasso drawings in black frames.  I'd like them for my office or a future child's room one day.

DIY Cubicle Makeover

Last week my company moved to a new office.  It's a big change from our previous office, which was fun and colorful with art all over, and is mostly beige and covered in unfortunate doctor's office-esque textured wallpaper despite being built a few years ago.  I know we'll whip it into shape very soon, but I needed quick results.  Needless to say, this was not an adequate workspace for me:

I knew the walls of beige needed to go, so I headed down the street to Ikea in search of some affordable fabric and straight pins.  There were tons of options under $8 per yard and I was about to cut my fabric when I saw a sale sign next to a display of curtain panels that were about 5'x8' and made of thick cotton with silver grommets.  At two for $19.99, I knew I would not find a better deal.  I chose these (big surprise considering my teal obsession)

And 25 minutes later, I had this:

I began pinning one of the curtains to the top of the panels behind my computer and then cut off the excess from beneath the desk and secured it to the panels under the overhead bins.  The second curtain covered the wall to the right of the chair (most of it is a dry erase board, so another set of panels would be needed if you have an entire fabric wall)  and the wall next to where I stood taking the photo.   I also picked up the graphic black and white pillow at Ikea for $12.99 and will be adding a fun 4x6 rug as soon as I find something cheap enough.

What else could I do that's both cheap and temporary?  I'm thinking some kind of fabric cover for the overhead bins (they're plastic).  I'll share an update if I add more to the space, but until then I'll be assisting my coworkers with their own curtain makeovers.

The homemade Halloween costume you'll wear again (in pieces)

I like Halloween as much as the next girl, but I don't have enough extra money to invest in a costume that I'll never wear again.  The past few years, I've half assed it and assembled a look that's definitely costume, but made of pieces I can wear again in the future.  In case some of you aren't hard core Halloween partiers, but still want to partake, here's an idea for something you can wear that's made of pieces you may already have in your closet.  If I end up at a party on Halloween weekend, I'll be wearing something like this.

The theme is goth, with a chic twist.  I'll start with black leggings (or tights or jeggings, whatever you have already own) and layer a short black dress or long shirt on top.  I have a black strapless dress from Express that's far too short for any other day of the year, but you can look at Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe for cheap options.  The point is to create a sexy base layer that's comfortable enough that you won't be pulling at it all night.  Then, add some killer heels or black lace up boots if you have some in your closet.  Everything shown below is from Forever 21 and under $35.  You'll be able to wear them all again separately.

Next, the fun starts with jewelry.  Find dark, gothic, heavy pieces with studs and skulls and blood red stones.  Hot Topic and Forever 21 are good places to start.  I once wore a black studded dog collar from Petco because it was only $9.99 and less than any of the necklaces I found in store.  You can wear these again later (one at a time!) so get things you like.

Now, if you really want to get a reaction, find some high end fake tattoos for your collarbone area.  The one below is only $2!

Next, head over to Ulta or Sally Beauty and get some clip in hair streaks in a color totally opposite of your own.  I like these red and platinum blonde ones from Hot Topic because they're under $10 and you can easily cut them to blend with your hairstyle.

Now that you're got clothes, jewelry and hair, the last step is makeup.  This is where you're going to get the most reaction for very little money.  I like to get a new felt tip black eyeliner and practice along with Lauren Luke tutorials on YouTube.  Add some (blood) red shiny gloss from the drugstore and you're all set.

Hopefully this helps someone solve the "what do I wear on Halloween?" question.  What are you going to be this year?