Friday Faves Vol. 19

 

This amazing sequin biker jacket!

This mouthwatering lemon feta dip!

These adorable nesting doll flats!

Friday Faves Vol. 15

These rainbow platforms from Dolls Kill!

This "Chewing in Venice" public art installation of giant bubblegum!

This ouija board jacket from Modcloth!

This series of Stranger Things 2 posters inspired by 80s films!

This gorgeous hunter green bathtub!

These swatches of the My Little Pony x Colourpop collection!

This list of 15 things we learned hanging out with Nathan Fielder!

This handmade blueberry keychain!

This batwing bowtie!

This video of an oil painting losing 200 years of grime!

What cool stuff have you seen lately?

Top 10 Fall Boots Under $100 (Some WAY Under!)

What is it about fall that makes me want to shop like no other season?! True, I’m down to hunt the Marshall’s aisles like a jungle cat at almost any moment, but fall tends to be my major purchase season. I love all the comfy knits and cozy layering, and the laid back feel of wearing leggings and boots basically every day. 

The switch over from my Birkenstock sandals to my fall boots is almost like a sacred ritual at this point. The changing of the guard, if you will. I need my boots to be cute, obviously, but I also want them to be comfortable (see above mention of my summer of Birkenstocks) and affordable.

In my window shopping haze for fall boots, I’m sharing with you my top ten picks for cute fall boots under $100 (some much under!).

1 » Lucky Brand, $99.99  •  2 » Torrid, $57.67  •  3 » ASOS, $56.00  •  4 » Soda, $24.74  •  5 » Clarks, $89.99  •  6 » Rocket Dog, $49.95  •  7 » American Eagle, $59.95  •  8 » BP., $79.90  •  9 » Journee Collection, $49.99  •  10 » Softwalk, $59.90

What are your dream fall boots? 
Are you eyeing any of these for your closet?

Friday Faves Vol. 2

Here's some fun stuff that's catching my eye lately:

These cool magnetic pineapple plant holders from etsy.

This cool (and surprisingly simple) DIY for beaded shoes with an eye motif.

Actress Sarah Ramos found a rom-com she wrote when she was 12, so she decided to actually make it - now we have the wonderful strangeness of City Girl.

This amazing makeup look from @nickeilgenesis - umm, those BROWS!

This beautiful work of art is actually an edible cake!

This DIY moon phase wall hanging would be super easy to make!

This map that shows what Pangea would look like with current national borders. Weird to imagine I'd be just a hop, skip & a jump away from Morocco!

This collection of gumball machine prizes from the 1970s! I'd want the little teeth.

This digital art by Markos Kay that imagines the human body as only blood vessels.

This behind-the-scenes photo of Sarah from Jeopardy's 'Clue Crew' getting ready before a shoot. I'm genuinely shocked that she does her own hair and makeup!

Have you seen any cool stuff lately?

ETC: My Christmas Wish List

1. Eau De Perfume Bag

2. 'Michelle' Name Plate Necklace

3. Smashbox 'For 25 Years Our Lips Have Been Sealed: Be Legendary Lipstick Palette'

4. Winking Eye Set of Embroidered Patches

5. Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette

6. Ronnie Spector Scoop Neck Tee

7. Kat Von D Saint Perfume (Limited Re-Release!)

8. Set of Silicone Baking Mats

9. Mint Green & White Geometric Earrings

10. Seinfeld Puffy Shirt Enamel Pin

11. Adidas Monochrome Yellow Superstar Sneakers

12. Murder She Wrote T-Shirt

13. Library Card Socks

14. Morphe 35S Eyeshadow Palette

15. 90210 Peach Pit After Dark Keychain

16. ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips in Succulent, Ultra Matte Lips in Dr. M, Blush in Never Been Kissed, Highlighter in Spoon & Pressed Pigment in Fantasy

What's on your wish list this year? Are you feeling the week-before-Christmas rush yet? What cool DIY gifts are you giving this year?

DIY: Shoe Clips Tutorial

One thing I've noticed about myself as I get older is that I've become practically obsessed with wearing only comfortable shoes. Like, I have actual opinions about arch support! This is a newer development, as I used to be the kind of person who bought shoes because they were cute and cost less than $20. I once wore a pair of studded pointy toe flats that were two sizes too big for me because they were $5 and "cool." I wore them once, and part of that evening involved dancing cheek to cheek with the pavement when I tripped over the cumbersome shoe tip and fell into the street. Who was I?

Now, I live for well crafted shoes that are comfortable, support my high arches, and won't fall apart after one season, which also means I have way fewer shoes because that stuff is expensive! It also means that sometimes my footwear is not the cutest option available. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of cute, supportive shoes, but a lot of what I see (and am willing to pay for) are kind of plain, like these very comfy, but very beige strappy sandals:

The plus side: they feel like clouds, they have mini-wedges and every strap is adjustable! The negative: they kind of look like they were a 60th birthday gift. That is to say, they're a little mature. Or maybe I'm a little immature. Oh, wait - I'm about to show you how to stick plastic daisies on your shoes, so that's probably it!

Even if your shoes aren't plain, you might want to customize them or just generally snazz them up a bit. I think everyone could stand to have a few more options, am I right? Here's how to make some fun shoe clips for when you just want to get cutesy.

WHAT YOU NEED

Shoe Clips or Clip-On Earrings {with a flat side}

Strong Glue, like E6000

Flowers, Buttons & Other Baubles

Wire Cutters {optional}

HOW TO MAKE IT

Sometimes you can buy actual shoe clip bases at the craft store, but I definitely struck out on that mission this time around. Instead, I opted for these blank clip-on earrings. You'll probably find several kinds of clip-ons, but these ones with the flat side will work best here.

To prep your decorations, you might need to first tweak them so that the backs are as flat as possible, ensuring a more secure bond to your clip-ons. For me, this meant using some wire cutters to snip off the stems of these artificial flowers and the backs of these daisy buttons.

Kind of a lot of daisies, to be honest.

Next, you just pop some super strong glue on your clip-on and press it against your decoration. 

Hold it for about 30 seconds and leave it to dry.

It's best to leave the hinge open while they dry to avoid getting glue on it.

Now all you gotta do is clip these decorative lil' bad boys on your shoes! I added some purple daisies to my ankle strap, and then swapped them out for bright blue buttons before popping on a set of white daisies. You literally never have to decide on one look, and what is better news than never having to make a decision? Literally nothing.

This project is so simple, you can whip up a pile of shoe clips in less than 15 minutes! Any random little baubles you have around but never had a use for will now be right at home on your feet. This is also a great way to reuse old jewelry, and you could even just put actual clip-on earrings here instead of doing any DIY, but I think you know that just isn't my style.

Would you ever customize your shoes? Do you wear heels even though they hurt? What are your feelings on arch support?

STYLE: Minna Parikka Shoes

Minna Parikka loves bunnies. Or at least that's the impression I get, based on many of her shoe designs. Recently, I came across this photo on instagram and got so excited that I would've spit out my drink, had I been drinking one:

Um, what? Mint green heels with bunny ears and a poofy cotton tail?! Yes, this pleases me in all facets. I did some investigating (okay, I read the poster's caption) and found the designer's website where I saw that there is a veritable treasure trove of rabbit-inspired goodies in her collection, from the more cartoonish to the somewhat subtle, perhaps for the more subdued bunny shoe lover. Then I realized this was not the first time I'd seen her shoes, and had even featured them here before!

Some are very literal - did you see the curled ears above? - while others feature just a fluffy cotton tail on the toe, or the winky use of the finger peace sign (aka BUNNY EARS). Cheeky, Minna, very cheeky. Here are some of my favorites:

Sources: 1   /   2   /   3

 4   /   5

 6   /   7   /   8

9   /   10

Would you ever wear bunny shoes? What animal would you like to see in shoe form? Don't you kind of feel like you could sneak bunny ears, like #4 or #5, into an office ensemble if you tried?

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STYLE: Fun Flats

I love few things more than the ease of slipping on a pair of shoes without using my hands. I mean, I know it's a simple thing, and maybe doesn't seem worthy of such acclaim, but almost every day I can put my shoes on my feet in a nanosecond (a slight exaggeration) while simultaneously walking to the door and slinging my purse across my shoulder. I almost never have to bend at the waist or put any thought into my shoe-putting-on. Life's little pleasures! When summer winds down, often the hardest part for me is adjusting to the more elaborate fall footwear and the socks that go with it. It becomes such a process! Sitting, lacing, the whole nine. WHO HAS THE TIME? I'm keeping the foot freedom going with a never-ending parade of flats, and these fun printed, studded and animal-adorned numbers are totally crush worthy. Don't you agree?

1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //  5  //  6  //  7

 Don't you kind of want to become a kindergarten teacher just so you can show up in those pencil flats on your first day and be all "oh, these old things?" while everyone nods gently because they know that you are the best kindergarten teacher to ever wield a pack of washable Crayolas? Me too!

8  //  9  //  10  //  11

Those yellow numbers above are HANDMADE on Etsy, and are suddenly making me feel inadequate for not making my own shoes.

12  //  13  //  14  //  15  //  16  //  17  //  18  //  19  //  20  //  21  //  22  //  23

I just cannot deal with boots yet and I kind of never want to wear a heel again lately. Flats forever! Are you switching up your seasonal footwear? Are you one of those crazy ladies that "feels better" in stilettos? Are you just dying to get some foxes or bunny ears all up on your feet?

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OBSESSED: Hologram

It seems like hologram clothing and accessories are EVERYWHERE lately and I can't seem to get enough. It reminds me of something I would have been (read: totally was) into when I was in, like, sixth grade. I love seeing it on runways because I think hologram fabric is inherently cheap and kiddish looking, but somehow designers make it look much more expensive. I guess they don't just make it look more expensive, but also make it actually more expensive - BUT - there are plenty of less expensive versions available in stores and online, which I've featured below, along with one seriously cool DIY project. Shine on, you crazy hologram. 

Runway Inspiration

Blumarine Fall 2012 RTW  //  source

Hugo Boss SS 2013  //  source 

Jonathan Saunders Spring 2013 RTW  //  source

DIY Hologram Clutch!

Sources: 1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //  5  //  6  //  7  //  8  //  9  //  10

Do you like the hologram trend or is it just a little too ridiculous for you? Is all of this hologram talk making anyone else think of Tupac?

xoxo,
Michelle