Mission Possible: Organization

This week my project was all about organization. 

Monday it started with scheduling the interns. Because space and machines are limited at work, we needed a better system so no one was wasting time waiting on someone else to be done doing something. (Surprisingly, this happened quite often) So I started with to-do lists, figuring what everyone had left to do on each of their projects.  Once that was finished, I made everyone deadlines. Once the deadlines were set, I made a schedule based on who needed what space and when. It took me about the whole day, but it helped us out so much! 

And I finished the week by organizing the fabric in the studio. We have a lot of fabric in the studio. And it takes up A LOT of space. We are all in the production phase of the collection and need all the room we can get! So I tackled the project that was the fabric wall. Unfortunately there is no before picture. But trust me, it looks a lot better now. Plus, now we can find what we are looking for!

How To: Make Your Own Floral Arrangement

Making your own floral arrangement is E-A-S-Y!  Why pay for high (over) priced arrangements from an online or over the phone company? Now that I know how to make them, I never pay for pre-made arrangements. Plus, it is so easy to get fresh cut flowers from your local grocer when they are usually sold for about $3-$4 a bunch. And because you've made them yourself,  it is much more personal than that typed out "personal message" card they stuff in the bouquet. 

Here is what you'll need:

- a vase (filled 1/4 of the way)

- a pair os scissors (kitchen scissors are best)

- a few packets of flower food

- a bundle of at least 2 stems of Lilys

- a bundle of at least 6 stems of Daisies

- a bundle of smaller flowers

- a bundle of baby's breath for filler

- a few stems of leather leaf

Things to remember:

*Always cut the flowers at an angle before placing them

*When using Lillies, cut the pollen from the flower before placing them, or it will fall off and stain everything around it

*Cool water is best for freshly cut flowers

Step One:

Place the leather leaf in the vase, fanning them out equally apart.

Step Two:

Place the more prominent flowers around the vase, close to the level of the lip. The place one taller one in the center of those flowers.

Step Three:

Fill in the remainder of the flowers, alternating heights and colors as you place them.

Step Four:

Fill in the empty spaces with the baby's breath. 

Step Five:

Clean up and enjoy!

xoxo,

C.L.B

The Look for Less: Fabulous Friday Fashion

Fabulous Friday Fashion Turned Look for Less!

This past Friday I looked "hot", according to my fellow interns, so I thought I'd show you my outfit and how you can get it for less! 

Here's how I got my look! From head to perfectly manicured toes! 

My headband came from Charming Charlie. I absolutely LOVE this store! It is the best place to go for inexpensive jewelry and accessories. They have such a variety of things, you could spend an entire afternoon sifting through their stock! Plus, it is all organized by color, so if you know what you are looking for, you can find so easily. This headband was $10, and that is pretty standard for their price point. 

The grey top, black tank top, and necklace came from American Eagle Outfitters. I got the grey top on a super sweet clearance sale! I love to comb through the racks at this store. They always put out the next seasons items really early, and that means marking down the current seasons items and putting them on the clearance racks. So you get a super sweet deal and you don't have to wait until the end of the season to get it! Because of my awesome find, I only spent $15 on it. And their tank tops are priced at $15 too, and they always have a ton of colors and various styles. I love to layer them under just about anything, or layer two of them together! The necklace was $19.

My leggings and belt came from Express. I paid about $15 for them because they had a BOGO (buy one, get one) sale. They usually go for about $30 there. They have a variety of styles and colors. My belt was $30, and most of the skinny belts cost that much. The bigger the belt, the more it costs!

The shoes made this outfit! They are Seychelles. I got mine from a fantastic shoe boutique, Heels Boutique, located in Wildwood, Missouri. I could write a whole post about how much I love this store. First off all, they carry brands that you won't find in the department stores. Most of them are brands you'll see in celebrity magazines but cost nothing near what celebrities pay for it! Next, they also sell a variety of accessories to match your new shoe purchase. Also, they have a small selection of apparel, including embellished jeans!! Finally, they are the perfect place to find the perfect gift! My shoes cost me $95, but they are worth every penny. 

Here is how you get my look for less!




I found this headband that is similar to mine at Claire's for $7.50. I have a link to it here! 

It is an elastic band, just like mine, with the embellishments on the side, just like mine. They have storefronts in most malls and you can find the locations on their website! But you can also purchase the headband online! I also found a similar necklace at Claire's for $11. It has keys, just like mine, but they are multiple colors. 


Here is why I love Wal-mart shopping. The apparel selection has improved in quality and style in the last few years and has become much more fashion forward! Plus, it is still Wal-mart priced! I found a similar top to mine at Wal-mart for $6! I love the textural print!  Wal-mart also had a wide selection of leggings ranging in price from $6-$8, but I like them because they had such a great variety of fit options!


As for the shoes, I found a pair at DSW for under $50 that look exactly the same. You can find them here! I am so excited about these, if I didn't already have a pair these would be in my closet!


So there ya have it! The look for less!


xoxo,
C.L.B

Recycle-Mainia!

Ever wonder what to do with your recyclables?  Why not create an outfit?  Thats what I did for a campus event. The challenge, create a garment using only recyclable  materials.  I used Red Bull cans...

The dress was made from used wrapping paper and trash bags. I used the Red Bull cans as fringe, and the box as embellishment and for a matching bag!  I braided a belt out of foil. And yes, those are mini cans in her hair.

Here are more pictures of my model, Heidi, strutting her stuff on the runway. 

Oh yeah, and I got first place in the competition! No big..  :)

xoxo

C.L.B

Custom Costume

A few weeks ago I began a project for a friend of mine. She asked me to make her a dress because she found that finding exactly what she wanted in stores was a little challenging. I accepted the project immediately when she asked and I am so excited about how far I have come. It is still a work in progress, but thats okay!

The design of the dress is a basic tent dress with 3/4 length sleeves. It has a sweetheart neckline, with a V-shaped placket. There will be either a ruffle or piping on the edge of the placket.

 I love the colors for this dress! It is perfect for fall, with a splash of warm and bright. The body of the dress is the maroon/plum, and I love it. The placket is the floral print, and it so chic. It is girly, but modern at the same time and completely perfect for my friend. 

Here is a view of some of the pattern work of the dress. 

Busy Bee

This weekend was crazy busy but probably one of the best weekends I've had!

Friday was the video shoot at work. We worked hard all day to get the samples ready for the shoot and held it that evening. It was so exciting! The models were great and looked awesome in the collection. Jeremy wrote the music for the video and it was great, I think everyone was dancing at one point!  I'll have pictures for you all to look at as soon as I get them off John's camera.. promise!  In the meantime, check out Elsie's blog for the sneak peak/behind the scenes look at the collection here. Mallory also has a little sneak peak on her blog too, check it out here if you'd like.

This weekend John came to visit me as well. He arrived Friday and stayed for the video shoot. It was so great to have him see what I have been working so hard on all summer. I felt accomplished and I can't wait for you all to see it too. He left on Monday which was so sad for me because I miss him terribly when he and I are apart. However, I have learned to cherish the time we spend together so much more now.

John and I also did some touristy things over the weekend. We went and visited Fantastic Caverns, Dickerson Park Zoo, and painted pottery at Firehouse Pottery.

The cave was awesome, and cool, which was nice because it was over 100 degrees outside. The tours are driven, which means you can ride through on a tram! And since walking in a cave isn't really "my thing" I enjoyed it a lot! Now, I will say for a college student, it was an expensive adventure. It was almost $50 for the both of us. But like I said, it was over 100 degrees outside and we were looking for something nice and cool. They do offer discounts for groups and children under 5 are FREE so it is a good idea for families and groups, incase you are wondering.

Look at that tongue!

We went to the Zoo in the middle of the day, and boy was it warm! But since the fair was in town, it wasn't super crowded, plus John printed off a coupon which gave us $1 off admission! You can find that coupon here: admission coupon. It may not seem like much, but it is worth it!   Oh yeah, and for $2, you can feed the giraffes, which is awesome!

John feeding a very hungry giraffe!

A word of advice for the zoo goer, go early when it is hot outside. They open up the indoor "houses" for the animals when it gets hot, and you may not see the animals if they go inside. We had pretty good luck this past weekend despite the heat, but some of the animals were pretty tired and motionless. And my favorite animal, the otter, was inside so I didn't get to see him play like I usually do. :(

I love to paint pottery. Absolutely looooove it!!! It is so much fun, and the girls over at Firehouse make it so easy to do. I provided the link to the website above, check it out. Plus, if you are on a budget, they always have a printable coupon their website (found here: 1/2 Off Paint Time Coup). John and I used it this weekend, and it saved us a bunch of money because we tend to take our time when painting. I'll post more about our firehouse trip later once the piece of fired and finished so you can see exactly why I love it so much!

So maybe I was a little busy bee this weekend, but I don't mind being busy when it is this much fun!

xoxo,
C.L.B

Heya! Hello There! Howdy!

Welcome to my blog! My life "tracker".  My stories of life as a Fashion Major. Here you'll find out all about my experiences in the industry, projects I am working on, How-To's, and whatever else I feel like writing about each day. Hopefully you enjoy what's in store!