Be Inspired|Get Creative

I had two projects to share with you this week, but it didn't work out to get them posted. I got home late on Monday then we had family home evening, Tuesday was parent-teacher conferences, Wednesday I worked all night filling Yellow Blackbird orders, and Thursday night I had a horrible headache and went to bed at 8:30. At least I have been working on this for the last month so it was ready to post. It doesn't have as many links but I am looking at that in a positive light that maybe (maybe!) I spent less time on the Internet. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to share those projects soon! It's now time for the February edition of Be Inspired|Get Creative!

DIY & Crafts:

Numbers are fun to craft with. This video is full of cute ideas!

I don't have a smart phone, and have therefore never used Instagram, but if you do, here's a whole bunch of ideas for crafting with those photos.

Lately on Brassy Apple there have been a lot of fun jewelry tutorials. Just scroll on down through the first few pages of posts to find them.

Style:

It's still winter! Check out this video with tips on how to layer like a pro to stay warm.

Check out You Look Fab for more pattern mixing tips.

Already Pretty explains how to get out of your comfort zone.

The Tiny Twig did a whole series called the "No-Brainer Wardrobe." It got me to make another Pin board (last thing I really needed right?) to post looks I love, instead of just those I want to try to recreate with what I have in my closet already.

Photography:

Look at this post for tips on how to get rid of blur in your photos.

Please comment below if you find anything useful in these links. Should I keep doing this feature every month?

Now, go and create!

I know that you already know that Google Friend Connect is going away... just as I reach 500 followers! I think it's going totally away... or will I still be able to use it since I have a blogspot? Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on Facebook to keep up with Yellow Blackbird. (See my post about my fav blog reading app to help you with this.)

What I Wore

Ross shirt and cardigan, New York & Co. pants, Forever Young flats, traded belt, Charlotte Russe necklace

WHEN: Tuesday, January 31

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: As you know, I *heart* my red pants, but I was getting sick of wearing them with black. I like what I came up with.

Hand-me-down shirt, Walmart skirt and tights, Cold Water Creek coat, Target heels

WHEN: Sunday, January 29

WHERE: Church

GETTING CREATIVE: What's black and white and red all over? I really loved this outfit... mixed prints, a pop of color, oh yeah.

Express shirt, Cold Water Creek blazer, Gap skinnies, Payless boots, Walmart belt

WHEN: Monday, January 30

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: Today I channeled my inner Kate Middleton. Do you agree? I loved it!!

Ross dress, Steve Madden boots, Local boutique cardi and belt, Yellow Blackbird necklace.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 1

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: I wore this exact outfit last year but this time I added the Lanvin knock off necklace I made (tutorial here). It was the first time I had worn it, even though I made it a few months ago.

I wore one other outfit this week that I really liked. I wore a jacket that I hadn't worn in about 2 years. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo. BUT I didn't rip off any Pinterest outfits this week.... not that there's anything wrong with that. : )

Does anyone have any tips on how I can get my pictures to look clearer? I take them on an SLR camera at the highest settings. The resolution is about 500 pixels per inch according to Photoshop. On my computer prior to uploading they look fine, but get a little fuzzy when published on the blog. Do I need a higher resolution? Anyone know? Thanks!

These are a Few of My Favorite Pins

Source: breakfastatyurmans.tumblr.com via Aubree on Pinterest

What a stunning color combo! What fun, bright colors. In the middle of dreary winter this is just nice to look at.

Source: fashionsgreatesthits.blogspot.com via Aubree on Pinterest

The picture might not look like much, but the article is full of tips for girls with thin hair. I heard that!

Source: nymag.com via Aubree on Pinterest

I have seen so many pairs of yellow pants on people (on the Internet) lately. Now I've gotta get me a pair! Anyone know where there are some for sale?

Source: honey.hubpages.com via Aubree on Pinterest

I've been looking at pictures of short blond hair. For fun or for reals, I haven't yet decided, but this is such a great cut regardless.

All my pin boards can be found here.
Next Friday will be the February edition of Be Inspired|Get Creative. Happy weekend!

Favorite Blog Reading App

I haven't posted much lately. I just haven't really been crafting for awhile; I have had many other things on the brain. The last "project" I did was to make a paper flower after posting some fun tutorials that I found. But I always stay caught up on my blog reading. It's nice to take a few minutes during the day and get a quick dose of creativity. I like to read blogs on my iPad, so today I thought I would share my favorite blog reading app.


It's called simply MobileRSS. It's free and connects with your Google account. What I like about it, is that you can add any RSS feed to it and don't have to worry about Google Friend Connect or Word Press or any other host site. It all works (with the exception of 2 blogs I like that I still have to visit their sites). It's so easy to flip between posts, see which blogs have new content, and they download really fast. The only downside is that you can't make comments unless you click further and are actually taken to the web browser. This does allow you to click on any link the blogger posts, which is good.

So anyway, if you use a mobile device (not sure if it comes on other platforms besides Apple), MobileRSS is a slick way to read your blogs at home or on the go. Just be sure to add Yellow Blackbird to your feed!

This is most definitely not a paid advertisement, just an app I really like and thought could be useful to my readers.

Wanna Advertise Here?

January, aka winter death month, is over! It actually wasn't too bad. Very mild weather and all... That means it's time for new sponsor spots to become available!



This is a great opportunity for small blogs/Etsy shops, etc. to get a little more exposure.

Yellow Blackbird is still small but is growing bigger literally every day. I currently have almost 500 followers (check the side bar for the most current number) and receive between 8,000-10,000 visitors per month.

I post at least 3-4 times per week and link to many blog parties, including "What I Wore" at Pleated Poppy which brings a lot of traffic to my blog.

I am offering ad space for February for only $5 per month. What a deal! This price also includes 1 GROUP blog post about your blog/shop/etc. sometime during the month.

Maximum ad space is 185 X 185 pixels. Email me if you are interested! aubreelarsen@gmail.com Your ad will go live as soon as I get it! (Paypal address is aubreelarsen@hotmail.com)

I will only be accepting family friendly, G rated ads!

IDK Refinery

This month my fabulous sponsor was Christina from IDK Refinery. It is her personal blog where she writes about life: I am a very random blogger and am not customized to one genre or focused on a set thing, there is so much going on. I am being refined by fire, daily, and ya know what it sucks, it hurts and I cry. But I know that I am not alone and neither are you. I am embracing who I am. Please go over and give Christina a big hello and some love!

Become a sponsor for Yellow Blackbird yourself!

What I Wore

I am really excited to see that we are almost up to 500 friends here at Yellow Blackbird. I have been worried about this little blog lately because there has been a severe lack of comments. But lots and lots of my stuff is being pinned and you all continue to join so I must be doing okay!

H&M shirt, Walmart blazer, Gap skinnies (cuffed), Steve Madden wedges, Target necklace (gift), F21 bracelet

WHEN: Thursday, January 26

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: I love blazers, but don't wear them often.... also I have been loving the cropped pants look lately so though I would cuff my pants and try it. While I think it's cute, my ankles were FREEZING all day, so this look won't be back for a few more months.

Target dress, Forever 21 sweater, Old Navy scarf, Forever Young boots

WHEN: Saturday, January 16

WHERE: Women's conference at church

GETTING CREATIVE: Whenever I need to get dressed in a dress quickly, this is one of my go-to pieces. I have noticed that I have pinned a lot of blue and yellow outfits lately so I used that color scheme. With the long sweater and the tall boots I thought a long scarf was in order.

These are a Few of My Favorite Pins

I didn't do a ton of pinning this week, so I only have a few fun finds to share.

Source: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com via Aubree on Pinterest

Isn't this the cutest rainy day look you have ever seen? I have red rain boots so I i was immediately drawn to it. I also love the necklace.

Source: purplechocolathome.blogspot.com via Aubree on Pinterest

I haven't yet clicked over the blog to see the recipe yet, but I do love Pizza Factory bread ticks!!

Source: lemontreecreations.blogspot.com via Aubree on Pinterest

I think pallet art such as this is so pretty. I would love to do a piece like this for my living room.

Have a great weekend! See you tomorrow for What I Wore!

One Maxi, Six Ways

One of my favorite purchases from 2011 was this gorgeous maxi dress that I got at Ross for only about $14. I really love the maxi trend for the modest lengths that the dresses offer. They can be really immodest up top but with a little layering that problem is easily solved for all seasons. Below are 6 different ways I have styled this dress since late last summer. I think I have definitely got my money's worth out of it!

ONE: For summer, I wore a cropped cardigan for sleeves and coverage, while still remaining cool. Open toed shoes were a must. Wearing a heel can add height if the dress is a little too long for you. You might not want it dragging on the ground! I layered a few gold necklaces to fancy it up!

TWO: In very early fall I can't wait to get out the fall wardrobe. I love the colors in the dress for that very reason! I added a little bid more sleeve and length to the cardigan to look a little more "fall-ish" but still was kept cool by the lightweight fabric and open toed shoes. This time I went with a necklace that matched the dress. I thought it worked especially nice because of the neutral cardigan.


THREE: Fully into fall, I wore a mustard cardigan to pull out the beautiful yellow tones in the dress. Nothing since fall or warmth like a cozy scarf. I swapped out the shoes for boots. These boots have a heel to make it a little dressier. I buttoned one button of the sweater to define my waist a little bit since I didn't wear a belt.

FOUR: This was the cozy, comfy, casual styling of the dress. I buttoned the cardigan up all the way so it now looks like a skirt rather than a dress. Layering the necklaces added visual interest while the flat boots kept it comfy. (I wore this on Thanksgiving.)


FIVE: I don't think the colors photographed as well as they looked IRL. I really loved wearing this with the orange sweater, and pulling out all those gorgeous tones (orange is one of my favorite colors).I wore a belt for waist definition again, and a different gold necklace than I had worn before.

SIX: I have also styled this dress for winter (even though there hasn't been much snow, January is still winter!). Layering the dress with a thick sweater makes it appropriate for the cold. I love how all the colors in the dress make it easy to mix black and brown.

I wore this dress today actually, too. I wore the blue sweater again with the belt from looks 5 and 6. I didn't get a photo since husband Spencer was working late.

There are so many ways to style maxi dresses! Off the top of my head I can think of so many other tops in my closet I could remix with this dress: brown jacket, short sleeved brown jacket, purple blazer, brown blazer, brown long sleeved cropped cardigan, black cardigan,. What about a maroon "leather" jacket? Or I wonder how gray would look? I have a lot of gray layering pieces.

Do you like maxi dresses? What is your favorite way to style them?

Thanks for reading!

Book Page Valentines

I don't really have any plans this year to make Valentine's Day crafts. It doesn't fit into my plans for the holiday (which are epic, just not heart themed). So instead I am sharing all the book page crafts I made last year, in case you forgot about them or are new here. Enjoy! : )

Book Page Flowers

Book Page Pinwheel Valentine Garland

Book Page Hearts 1...

... and Book Page Hearts 2