Moodboard – Orange (for $60 or less)

Nothing says Halloween more than orange and black. I'm sure you have plenty of black in your closet so here are some great orange items to set you up for the holiday. And even better, all of these items are under $60.

Clockwise from top left:
Dress  //  Heels  //  Necklace  //  Tshirt  //  Earrings  //  Jeans  //  Tank  //  Lipstick  //  Cuff  //  Scarf

Related:

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Fashion posts

Pretty Clothes on Pinterest

Falling into Autumn on Pinterest

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Moodboard – Fall Colors

When making my Fall Sewing Plans, I realized that a few colors kept reoccurring in my inspiration – orange, mustard, maroon and teal. These four deep, rich jewel tones look great together and are perfect for the Fall season. Here are a few of my favorite pieces using these colors. What are your favorite colors for Fall?

Clockwise from top left:

Orange Parka //  Maroon Dress  //  Teal Jeans  //  Brown Dolman Cardi  //  Orange Pants  //
Green Coat  //  Mustard Sweater  //  Maroon Toggle Coat  //  Leather Clutch

Related:

Moodboard posts

Fashion posts

Pretty Clothes on Pinterest

Falling into Autumn on Pinterest

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How to DIY a Fluffy Cardigan

Yesterday I showed you some sweater weather inspiration. So today, I'm veering from my usual sewing DIY inspiration to explore knitting. I don't do as much knitting as I used to partly because it's so warm all year round in LA and partly because sewing is so much quicker. But every once in a while I dig out the needles and get clicking.

Fall Sewing No. 2 – Refashioned Skirt

My favorite thing about refashioning garments is how much time it can save. I mean who doesn't love saving time, right? This skirt started out as a 1980s-era dress with large pearl-like buttons all the way up the front. I had plans to make the dress into a skirt over a year ago but never finished. Lately, I've been trying to clean up my closets and finish abandoned projects. When I pulled this one out of the bin, I had a flash of inspiration that I could add a black knit waistband and finish this one off.

Fall Wardrobe Sewing Plans

Can I just take a minute and say how did it already become Fall? I feel like the year is going so quickly. I've loved doing these seasonal sewing goals so I'm going to do it again for Fall. Unlike Spring, I'm not thinking as much about what my wardrobe needs as I am about how to use the fabric in my stash. I've chosen a few fabrics in a fall-ish color palette of orange, teal, brown and cream. I'm only planning on four pieces for Fall so I can get them done a little more quickly and then jump into Winter.

Moodboard – Back To School

Can you believe that September is already here? Where did the summer go? It seems like the 4th of July was just a couple of weeks ago. Of course I feel that way every year. Another summer, slipped away and I didn't spend nearly enough time doing completely frivolous things. Regardless of my emotional drama, the kids are heading back to school and that always sets one in the mood for paper and pencils and backpacks. If I were going back to school, I'd choose some classic neutrals mixed with cool geometric print clothes and accessories. Here are a few of my favorites. What would you wear to go back to school?

Clockwise from top left:
Backpack  //  Raglan Top  //  Sneakers  //  Printed Skirt  //  Lip Balm  //  Printed Scarf  //  Cable Sweater  //  Notebook  //  Pens


Related:
Moodboard posts

Fashion posts
Pretty Clothes on Pinterest

Pen and Paper on Pinterest

Falling into Autumn on Pinterest

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Moodboard - Cocoon Coats

So you might be wondering what exactly is a cocoon coat? Well it's an oversized coat usually with dropped shoulders and large sleeves that envelopes the body like a cocoon. Here are a few of my favorites. If you need a little more fashion inspiration, check out my Pretty Clothes pin board on pinterest.

1. A Detacher Chuu Cocoon Coat from La Garconne
2. Kenzo Grey Oversize Knit Wool Coat from SSense
3. Neil Barrett Leather Sleeves Coat
4. Jil Sander Fire Red Oversized Wool Coat from ShopBop
5. Vanessa Bruno Athe Oversized Wool-Blend Coat from Net-A-Porter
6. Petite Check Cocoon Coat from Topshop

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Thursday Thriftday – Blouses

I bought a couple of blouses at my corner thrift store earlier this month planning to do some basic refashions to make the fit a little more well, fitted. Well, I haven't finished the refashioning part so I thought today I'd show you the before's and hopefully I'll have the after's to share this weekend.

The top above is a loose fitting polyester with buttons on the front and the back (see below). I'm planning cut off some of the shoulder fabric, just moving the sleeves in more towards the shoulder.

The second shirt I'm planning to refashion is a classic plaid men's shirt. I'm working on slimming down the silhouette, again moving the shoulder line closer to the collar. I'm also thinking about the hem line, maybe doing a high-low hem.

Moodboard – Chunky Cardigans

I just love a big, chunky cardigan with long sleeves and big pockets. I wear the sweater like it's a jacket and fill the pockets with everything I need to carry around during the day. Cardigans are ideal for fluctuating temperatures – so easy to take on and off, you know.

Here are some cozy looking cardigans to get you into the Fall season. If you need more knitted inspiration, check out my Cozy Knits pinboard on Pinterest.

1. FarFar Cardigan from Anthropologie
2. Cacharel Sweater Coat from Nordstrom
3. Textured Car Coat by Vince
4. Halston Heritage Textured Cardigan Coat at ShopBop

Moodboard – Fall Fashion Plaid

As I think I proved the other day in this post, plaid can be super chic and fashionable. Check out these lovely picks from around the web for a happy, plaid-y Fall season.

1. Maison Scotch Shirt from ShopBop
2. Buffalo Plaid Scarf from The Gap
3. Max & Mia Plaid Jacket from Nordstrom
4. Polo Match Plaid Clutch from Ruche
5. Shrunken Retro Plaid Boyshirt from Madewell
6. Stadium Cloth Car Coat from J.Crew (Check out the little girl's version too. It's adorable.)

Need more visual inspiration? Follow me on pinterest.

Mini DIY Tutorial – How to add Tweed Elbow Patches

Nothing says Fall more than tweed, denim and elbow patches (well, maybe leaves and pumpkins but we're talking fabric here, ok?). These are really simple to add to any shirt or jacket that needs repair or just a little extra flair.

Supplies:

Shirt, sweater or jacket

Material for patches

Steam a Seam Double Stick Fusible or similar product

Thread

Embroidery floss

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut 2 patches and finish edges with an overcast stitch (by machine or hand).

Step 2: Adhere patches to Steam a Seam. Trim any excess fusible.

Step 3: Determine placement of patches on sleeves. Fuse in place.

Step 4: Using embroidery floss, make a blanket stitch around edges of patch. Add embroidery as desired.

This is a fun and easy project to refashion any old shirt. It would look great to add suede or micro-suede patches to the elbows of an old tweed jacket. I'm thinking about adding more embroidery around the collar or pocket of this shirt. What do you think? Does it need something more? For more elbow patch inspiration check out this pin. And for more DIY inspiration see my DIY fashion pinboard.

How to Make a Plaid Shirt Chic

The 90's gave plaid shirts a bad rap. But this photo proves that plaid can be utterly chic. (Just a little side note, I found the photo on pinterest and sadly can't find the original source. UPDATE: I found the source of the photo here on Happily Grey.) The photo is so gorgeous; it just slays me. If we could see the rest of her outfit, I think it would be dark, close fitting jeans and a leather handbag.

How to do it:

1. Get thee a plaid shirt. This men's shirt (by Gant Rugger at Barney's New York) matches our photo quite nicely. You should probably wash it about 50 times and get it nice and faded.

2. Put a chunky gold watch on that wrist.

3. Then add some femininity with a sweet little gold bracelet like this one by etsy shop fildee.

4. Finally, shade those eyes with dramatic, tortoise shell sunglasses like these by Steve Madden.

For more fall inspiration check out my Falling Into Autumn pinterest board.

Moodboard – Chambray

I love, love, love chambray. And it's super popular right now. Here are some of my favorite picks for chambray this fall.

1. Blue Velvet Chambray Button Down from Free People
2. Chambray Shirtdress from Gap
3. Chambray Pants by 10 Crosby Derek Lam from Shopbop
4. Asics Rotation 77 Chambray Sneaker from Urban Outfitters
5. Perfect Chambray Ex-Boyfriend Shirt from Madewell
6. Pindot Chambray Shirt from Anthropologie

Meal In Progress - Quick "Baked" Apple

Apples are practically synonymous with fall. So crisp and sweet raw or soothingly delicious when cooked. Here's a super quick and easy way to make a baked apple. It takes less than ten minutes. Seriously!

Quick "Baked" Apple

Ingredients
1 apple
2 T brown sugar
cinnamon
splash of lemon juice
walnuts and raisins (optional)

Instructions
Using a knife, core out center of apple. Fill with walnuts, raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add a splash of lemon juice. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until tender. Enjoy!

That's it. It's so easy right? I chopped up my baked apple and stirred it into my morning oatmeal. It would also be great over pancakes or waffles or as a quick evening dessert.