Fashion Friday 04.18.14

Happy Good Friday!

Last weekend, I went out with some friends for a Mommy's Night Out and I wanted to look cute, so surfed Pinterest until I found something I could put together with items from my closet. The pieces aren't fancy, but once you get the outfit on, it really looks put together.

The blouse is from (no need to guess) Target. I went there about a month ago just to see what they had, and I was pleasantly surprised. The top isn't a color I would normally choose, but neutrals are in right now and it can go with a bunch of different outfits. The belt is also from Target and I bought it this past week. The accessories were buy one, get one 50% off. Blouse and Belt

The jeans are from Kohl's and I believe Sonoma might be a Kohl's brand. I'm not exactly a fan of skinny jeans or low rise jeans, but that seems to be all that's out there now. I am a curvy girl. I have an athletic build, my thighs are muscular, and I have a healthy backside, so I don't like jeans that fit like leggings. It's just uncomfortable. I tried so hard to find a decent pair of white jeans that didn't cost a fortune, and it was definitely a hunt. The jeans fit the bill and the price was pretty nice :) Jeans

The shoes and necklace were purchased last year when we went to see Justin Timberlake. Charlotte Russe has tons of these types of shoes, and I had to admit, I was a little intimidated. They are relatively comfortable because of the platform, but I wouldn't recommend walking around for too long in them. We had to walk a few blocks from our hotel to Amway Center for the concert and it was killer. I couldn't find them online in blue, but they are available in mint, black and nude. I was at the mall over the weekend and they are still available in store. Quite frankly, you could use any pop of color since the outfit is neutral. Here are the Shoes and a similar necklace. Forever 21 has a few different styles of necklace that could work.

The bangles were purchased in 2010 when I was pregnant with the twins and I can't remember where I bought them. Here ar some bangles that look similar.

The clutch was featured in last week's fashion blog, and this was the first time I used it. So roomy and oh, so cute! 

There you have it! Jeans, blouse, belt, shoes and a couple of jewels. Easy peasy!

Let me know what you think! Have a great Easter weekend!

always,
astreia

Fashion Friday 04.11.14

Week 2: Same concept as week one, with a twist. Jean vest, white tank, red maxi. 

The tank top is the same one from last week:tank

The denim vest is from Target. I couldn't find the link, but I found it in the juniors section. Here is one similar: vest

Maxi skirt is from Body Central: maxi

Same shoes last week: Sandals

The purse is from Nine West Outlet, but I bought it on clearance about year and a half ago. Here is another super cute clutch that I bought that would go perfect with this outfit. The white one reminded me more of summer, and since it's neutral, it goes with everything. Straw Clutch

It's a bit of a repeat performance, but during the week as you get busy, you need something quick and easy to throw on without having to think about it. When you know what to reach for, it saves time and looks effortless.

Something I have been struggling with lately is my hair. It's natural... no chemicals or dyes, and I'm finding it's much more tedious to take care of. I will have to explore some quick and easy hairstyles to go with these quick and easy outfits. I've just been throwing it up in a top-knot-type Afro puff with a cute scarf or headband.

As far as make up goes, I don't wear makeup unless I'm going out with my husband or having a girls night out. Typically, I wash my face with an Oil of Olay face cloth, use the old fashioned oil of Olay pink moisturizer, lip gloss and go. I've been blessed with skin that doesn't get break outs unless it's that "time of the month" so my skincare regimen is pretty simple. Perhaps that's something we can look into in the future. Yay for future projects!

If there is anything you would like to see, or have questions, please enter it in the comments section below. Thank you guys so much for following me, and I hope you have a great weekend!

always,
astreia

Exploring the wilderness

My kids love adventures, regardless if they are real or made up. I have to admit, I love making up adventures. Whether it's a scavenger hunt in the house, or nature walks, I like coming up with creative activities to keep the kids (and myself) entertained.

Late last year, I thought about getting a tee pee for the kids. Not for any real reason other than tee pees are just fun. When I looked online, I was shocked at the prices! If you are the kind of mom that doesn't mind spending a little extra money, here are two of the tee pees I liked the most. They didn't fit in our budget at the time:

Ibiza Tee Pee

A Tee Pee to Call Your Own

We have a friend that lives down the road who is known in our neighborhood to be pretty handy. He is affectionately known as Uncle Bob. I sent him and Aunt Donna a text and asked if they could construct the frame of the tee pee and I would find fabric to cover it. Uncle Bob loves projects and he was more than happy to help. It only took him a day or so, and once he was finished, it was a beast of a tee pee! Almost 8 feet tall! It was made from scraps of wood in his garage and some twine. Genius! I was in awe, and so were the kids.

I wanted to find cute fabric with bright colors to make the cover, but because of it's size, I would have had to spend a fortune. Always looking to save a buck, I bought two $12 blankets from Wal-Mart, loaded my professional staple gun, and got to work.

The kids play for hours in that thing! I have played in it too. So comfy and safe :) I like the idea of having something cool that didn't come from a store. Custom toys without the custom price.

The tee pee currently lives upstairs. As much as I would like for the kids to play with it outside, it's tough to lug it up and down the stairs. It's nice to use it for story time before bed and sometimes at snack time.

In January when we had a few warmer days, I ventured to take the tee pee outside for a little wilderness adventure. The kids pretended to be pirate explorers searching for treasure!
The pictures are worth a thousand words. Feel free to pin these to your Pinterest boards :)

Enjoy!

always,
astreia

the bauer tee pee

modern day compasses

i see you, Matey!

First Fashion Friday!

Hey ya'll! Here is the first installment of my fashion project! So here goes:

I got this idea on my last "day off" from the kids. I didn't have any major plans, just walking the mall and window shopping. When I stopped for lunch, I ate outside and people-watched. Lots of ladies were looking cute in their skinny jeans and heels, but the women with their kids was a bit of a different story. So I wondered, why don't moms take the time for themselves when they get ready to go out? I'm sure their reasons are the same reasons I have: Too tired. Not enough time. Dealing with the kids. Nothing fits. Who cares what I'm wearing?

That day, I made a decision to take some time to focus on myself and try a little harder to spruce up my wardrobe. Guess what? You get to come along on the journey! I'm not doing this for anyone else; not my husband, and not my kids. When I look good, I feel good. Regardless of the fact that I have two to three kids with me almost everywhere I go, I'm not going to use that as an excuse not to be presentable.

The first look is something I will be rocking A LOT this spring. It's so easy and you can change it up in so many different ways. Three pieces: a tank, a jacket, and a maxi skirt. Who loves a maxi skirt? This girl! Didn't have time to shave your legs? Throw on a maxi skirt. Most of them are pretty flattering and they are so popular right now. Throw on a cute necklace and you're done!

The maxi skirt is from Body Central. I don't make it a habit to shop there, but lately, I have been pleasantly surprised with their selections. In the past, I have felt that some of the clothes aren't age appropriate for me. But there are some things I'm comfortable with, like belts, tanks, maxi dresses and skirts and inexpensive jewelry Maxi Skirt

The jacket is from Old Navy, and I think I bought it about 2 years ago. And it's still kicking! I'm pretty sure I bought it on sale. Old Navy has awesome deals. Denim Jacket shoes are from DSW. These are new and oh so comfortable. The color is something I normally would have picked, but it's a cool neutral and I like how it looks with my skin tone. Shoes

The tank top is from Target. (I'm in love with Target) Tank

The necklace is from Banana Republic Outlet and I think it was $8. The bag was from Nine West Outlet and was $13. No website for them, but jewelry is so easy to find these days. My favorite stores for inexpensive jewels are Forever 21 and Body Central. It won't last forever, but it's cute for the season! 

I live about 15 minutes from an outlet mall and I find a lot of great bargains for myself and the kiddos there. In an attempt to save money, I signed up for DSW rewards program. You earn points when you shop and they turn them into reward certificates. I did same thing with Old Navy. 

I know this isn't exactly rocket science, but I hope I will be able to help someone who might not know what to wear or not sure what goes with what when putting an outfit together. I try to find pieces that are easy, comfortable and affordable for moms-on-the-go. 

A new feature that was just added to the blog is the ability to pin anything you see to your Pinterest boards. Hover your mouse over any photo and the Pinterest logo will appear. Click to pin it!

I would love some feedback on what you see! Hope you guys have a good night and a good weekend!

always,

astreia

New project for Fridays!!!

I love fashion. I love clothes. I love shoes. My major in college was Fashion Merchandising and I had huge plans for a long career working with top name designers and plans to be in the front row at Fashion Week every year. However, we write our plans in pencil and God writes them in pen. I didn't take the assistant buyer position in NYC 14 years ago, so my fashion career never left the ground, but my love and passion for fashion has never faded. 

Now that I'm a stay at home mom, I don't think I should have to sacrifice style because I don't work a traditional job. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to dress to the nines to go to Wal-Mart or to pick up my husband's prescriptions, but if I'm going out with my girlfriends, running errands or if my son has an event at school, I will dress accordingly. We can still dress cute, comfortably and feminine, even when we have kids in tow.

Do you remember the show "What Not to Wear" with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly? That would have been my dream job. Celebrities have the money to pay a stylist or personal shopper, but most of us are on our own. This is my attempt to help moms who wants to be stylish, but are also on a budget. That being said, for the next few months, I'm going to try something new. Each Friday, I will post an outfit with details of where I purchased each piece (if they still available). Spring is here, I'm ready to break out the bright colors and cute sandals! 

I would love any feedback or ideas that you might have on what you see! It's going to be so fun!

always,
astreia

Furniture Makeover - Part 2

Hello everyone! Sorry to leave you hanging with the makeovers. Our Internet service hasn't been stellar  this past week, so it was tough to upload photos. But all is well now, and I'm back!

Here is the second dresser I re purposed. This one was also from Craig's List, but it was a steal! $75 for the mirror and dresser. The only problem was.... the sellers were in Tampa. Luckily, my husband was in the area for work, so I sweet-talked him into picking it up for me. It had clearly been in storage for a while and had tons of cobwebs and a couple critters inside. After we blew it out and gave it a good scrubbing, it was ready to be made over.

I used the same process as the 1st dresser, but with a few differences. I tried a spray on primer for this one and in hindsight, I wish I hadn't. It left drip marks that I couldn't buff out. They aren't noticeable, but I know they're there. I used the same spray paint for the handles that was used on the last dresser. (Rustoleum in Oil Rubbed Bronze. Click here for the link)

6 drawer dresser with dovetail handles

After it's been cleaned

I was looking for a color that would really "pop" in a room, so I chose a paint and primer combination from Behr. 

It's called Clear Vista. I actually prefer hand painting because I like seeing the brush strokes. Not everyone is a fan of it, but  it makes a piece more special to me if it's been hand painted.

After the first coat of paint

Waiting for the protective sealer to dry

Finished!

I am so thrilled with the results! The dresser now resides in my son's room and it's perfect for his blue and grey color scheme. I just recently bought a desk (from Craig's List, of course) for my daughter's room. That will be my next project! Have a great night!

always,

astreia

Furniture Makeover - Part 1

I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. On one hand, it inspires me and sparks creativity that I might not have had. On the other hand, there are so many tips, tricks, crafts and projects, my head spins trying to find the time to do them. The twins only nap for 45 minutes each day (an hour, tops), and I'm usually so exhausted, all I want to do is nap during that time. I've started to be more proactive and planning times to complete projects. Can't say I've gotten far this year, but I will!

Last year, I completed a few projects, and there are two that I'm pretty darn proud of: my two dresser finds from Craig's List. Someday, when I have more free time, I might parlay this into a business venture, but right now, it's just for fun. Quite frankly, when I found these, I wanted to sell them to earn a few extra dollars, but they were so pretty, I kept them for myself.

The first one I found on Craig's List and she had already done a distressed paint job on it. It wasn't exactly my style, but I loved the piece, so I bought. I found a link on Pinterest and it took me about four days to finish. Coral Dresser Update

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which is a rare find in my area. Only 1 store sells it here and it's a little pricey, but after I mixed the colors, it was totally worth it! The pictures above are before the project.

                       It wasn't hard to do, just time consuming. Sanding the old paint off, removing and spray painting the hardware. Waiting for everything to dry..... but the end result was so much better than I imagined. 

Ta-dah!

Tell me what you think! 

What furniture projects have you tackled lately? 

Please share! Tomorrow, I'll share the other dresser! Stay tuned!

always,

astreia