What I Wore

I can't believe it's time for "What I Wore" again. Time sure flies by! School has ended and I am a free bird! Just doing what I want all the time. Not sure if that means better outfits or not. I am free from restrictions and can wear whatever I want in my closet, but I don't always have somewhere to go so I don't dress up a lot.

This is my rule breaking outfit for the week. I bought this sparkly new top on clearance (it's much better than the picture shows) but the white cardi in my closet didn't really go with it, you know? I had one in my DI pile, but it had a hole in it. I figured I could wear some kind of brooch to cover it up, but didn't have anything. Instead, I put two of the shoe clips that I just made in the hole and wore them on the sweater. It's really hard to see the pics, sorry! But I thought it was quite clever of me!

We had "free dress days" at the end of the school year so I whipped out the denim shorts, even though it wasn't quite warm enough yet. This time wearing the red and white stripes, a kid told me that I looked like a sailor! Finally! That is way better than the 4th of July! And... did you see... I got Toms!!!

When I was in 9th grade I wore all my good, favorite outfits the last two weeks of school. When the last day of school rolled around I had nothing left to wear. I was SO not going to wear something that I had worn the last two weeks so I ended up wearing a sweatshirt that was not that cute and WAY too hot. I wasn't very modest underneath that sweatshirt so I couldn't take it off. From then on I have really tried to put for some effort for the last day of school so I dressed up a little bit today. I wore tall shoes when I was suffering from intense shin pain. I wore cargo shorts which are normally not allowed, and paired them with the feminine lace. I like juxtaposing different styles in an outfit. My necklace and watch have some animal prints on them.

I wore something very similar last week, I know. But I had to wear my new dress/skirt to church and unfortunately it was cold and I had to wear a sweater. I wanted to wear it with different shoes but had to wear these because they don't have a side to push against the injury on my foot (funny story- maybe later). Hard to see, but I got this fun camera charm necklace on my weekend shopping spree (same place I got the injury).

I am going to be having a fun giveaway soon... stay tuned!

Quick and Simple: Charms (Mother's Day Gifts)

This is a bit late in posting, but for Mother's Day this year I made these charms for all the mom's in my life. I put beads on headpins, attached them to a metal ring and attached the ring to a lobster clasp. Now she can put it on whatever necklace she wants. My mom got the pink bird one and wore it with some other charms and it was super cute. I made each charm around the personality and/or favorite colors of the receiver.

This is a great idea for a simple gift that you can make right out of your bead stash!

I wrapped them very simply by putting them in clear jewelry bags with handmade paper roses (find the tutorial here) as an alternative to a bow.

The End of the Year

The end of the school year has been really hard for me this year. I have had the privilege and blessing of working with some really amazing kids this year both in my student council, and the other kids in the school. Many of the kids that I really love are leaving to go onto high school next year and I have been with them for three years. It's really hard to let them go.

We had our first ever 9th grade dinner dance a few weeks ago. It was amazing. The kids put on a fabulous party. It was so cool to see that every single student was participating. No one was on the sidelines or crying in the bathroom. They all dressed modestly without having to be reminded. They didn't dance too close to each other. There were no discipline issues. I broke down and had to go out in the hall and just bawl my eyes out. Then, when some of the 8th graders who were there to be workers got emotional about their 9th grade friends leaving, I cried again. At the very end, the student body president told everyone thanks for coming and recognized all of the hard work that I had put into the dance. It was really touching and I bawled again.

On Wednesday night we had the 9th grade graduation. I did really well until the end when all the teachers came up on stage to shake hands with the kids as they received their certificates. I lost it when A. gave me a big hug, because I hadn't taught her since 8th grade and didn't know she still cared that much for me. Then when M. came through I was not okay. She is this really amazing girl in the student body presidency. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Today was the last day of school. I think my tears were all dried up because I didn't cry at school- and neither did too many other people. It was sad, but I have come to terms with the fact that I have to let them go- even S. who skipped 8th grade and robbed me of a year of teaching her.

But when I got home and read what the kids wrote in my yearbook I was brought to tears again. Students that I didn't even know liked me that much wrote that I was their favorite teacher or "I (heart) U" and all sorts of nice things. Here are a few of my favorites:

"This year has been so amazing. I am excited for next year. You really are like family."

"Mrs. Larsen my all time favorite! Thanx for being the best of the best!!! Your my fav. Thanx again!!! I love you!" (I didn't really know that this girl liked me that much. I am so humbled that I get to work with her in student council next year.)

"Your so cool. I've never met a teacher who loved her students so much. You've changed the way we learn. You did everything right. I promise I will see you everyday next year. I love ya tons." (This is the one that made me cry first. This girl will be at the school next year, but not in my class.)

"Thank you for being a great teacher and putting up with me for 3 years! Your classes are inspiring. Thanks again." (This was touching because we had had some conflict this year.)

"Mrs L- Always remember that boy who changed your life for the better!!" (And he really did.)


Those are just a few of my favorites. Aren't they sweet? Although we really need to work on the difference between "your" and "you're"...

Well, I am going to pick myself up out of this sadness, take a relaxing bath, and head out on a fun night with my friend who is a teacher at the same school!

I'll leave you with these two messages from my yearbook:

"...Your such a great teacher, and lets not forget how pretty you are..."

AND

"Mrs. Larsen I want your wardrobe so bad!"

What I Wore

This is my rule breaking outfit. I wore a dress as a skirt. I have never done that before. I got this fabulous new dress on clearance at Target for $6. I have been wanting a striped skirt so it was perfect. I wore it with the belt I got there for $4 and the t-shirt I made (tutorial here), and $6 wedges. I really really really love this look! And I am super proud of its cheapness.

It's so sad that I have to wear a long sleeved shirt in May. But I remixed it pretty good by pairing it with the cream ruffle shirt. I haven't done that before. I paired it with my $2 Old Navy crop pants and sandals for work.

Eek! Don't mind the mess! This outfit was inspired by one I saw in a local store. I really liked it but didn't know if I could do it since I only had a long sleeved blue cardigan. Then I realized I could roll up the sleeves and make it appropriate for spring. I need to wear it with white capris and a gold nautical necklace to match the store completely so when it's a bit warmer I will try that. Can you tell that I like my new belt?

Okay, this outfit may be a little out there. I asked husband to pick a color. He chose blue so I used this shirt. Then I matched it to a skirt because I knew I didn't want to wear pants. I had to wear boots because it's cold. The gray sweater wasn't too bad, but maybe I should have stopped before I added the yellow belt? Oh well, it was a gloomy day at school, everyone it seemed was wearing gray and black so I brought some color to the world.

This is my last post of "work clothes." Today was the last day that I have to wear work appropriate wear again until August. School is out in just a few days and we get "free dress" for the rest of the week.

I think I am the only one who is depressed that school is ending. My amazing 9th grade student council kids are leaving me. I will go from interacting with 100+ people a day to sitting alone in my basement craft room. It's cold outside. I have a lot to do still this week for school and church. And worst of all, my best friend is moving far far away soon.

Look! I did my hair!

I only ever wear my hair down either straight or curly. Sometimes if my bangs are bugging me, I pull them up. But I have been reading the blog My Yellow Sandbox lately and have seem some amazing hair ideas. Abby is wearing 30 different hairstyles in 30 days. I tried the bohemian twist. It was surprisingly easy. I even went out in public with it, which I never do with my hair. I don't know what it is, I just like wearing my hair the same most of the time. And when it's the least bit chilly I hate to pull it up because then my ears and neck get cold. But maybe Abby can change my mind!

Shoe Clip Ideas (Video)

This is a great video with lots of fun ideas to jazz up your shoes. I have a few pairs that should be getting a makeover this summer. Enjoy!

More thoughts on "Why Create?"

If you have clicked over there ------> on the "Why Create?" button then you know why I create. (If you haven't, then click there now!)

My friend Ashley wrote a great post on this same topic and has a video of the talk that inspired me on her blog if you want to check it out. Click here.

What I Wore

I have a lot of outfits because I didn't post last week... enjoy!

I wore this outfit last fall and have been waiting for it to get warm again so I could wear it again. After noticing the color scheme I couldn't help but throw on the giraffe print necklace to show you how it matched. : )

Okay I LOVE this dress! I wish the photo was better so that you could see it. I felt so pretty with my new dress, curly hair, and hydrangea bib necklace! My mom took me shopping and got this dress for me. I wore it with the blazer to make it a little more sharp (and warm), but I think it looks pretty without too.

If you like the necklace, you can buy yours here. I have one left!

I kind of forgot about this jacket. I think this was the first time I wore it this school year. But it's kind of cute, eh?

I don't have much to say about this. Not very exciting.

I have learned not to buy many black shirts. I like to wear black with jeans, but can't wear jeans to work, so therefore I don't wear black much. I was trying to get some use out of this top. It's not very exciting, but I like the juxtaposition of the metals and the floral.

Aren't these shoes just cute? My grandpa bought them for me! I am so glad for spring so that I can wear them again. This was an el cheap-o outfit. The shirt was $3 at Walmart and the pants $2.50 at Old Navy. Gotta love it!

I love my orange dress! And guess what I found?! These nude colored platform wedges were in my closet! I totally forgot about them. They were in the pile of "I don't wear anymore but can't get rid of yet" shoes. I saved them from the last time they were in style. Thank goodness!

More spring clothes! Yay!

Too many shadows in the photos... Another remix for the handmade skirt. See some other ways it has been worn here, here, and here.

How could I not mention wearing this dress this week? I dressed as Cinderella for a friend's daughter's birthday party. The little girls were all about 4 years old and darling! They were in such awe of me. One of the girls said that this was the best day of her life!

Refashion #12 Flower Shoe Clips

I bought these sandals on clearance at Walmart, but thought they needed a little dressing up. I purchased a little bit of extra fabric when I made the gray wedding jewelry because I thought it might match and I could make some shoe clips.

I started by cutting a whole bunch of circles out of the fabric. I used 4 of each material for each shoe clip. I just use a cardstock pattern and do my best. They don't have to be perfect.

You will want to melt the edge of each circle using a candle to prevent fraying.

Fold one circle into fourths and put the needle and thread through it.

Continue adding circles until it gets full enough to make you happy! : ) Like I said, I used 8.

Stitch it a few times to secure it, then sew the flower onto the shoe clip (I bought mine at this Etsy shop).

Ta da! You have a beautiful flower!

I made two clips for each shoe to fill up the space.

Much better, don't you think?

Happy Monday! I only have one more Monday left until summer break!!!

Wedding Jewelry

Hey, it's been awhile. Sorry, I just needed a break. I was blogging too much. Well, not actually writing my blog, but looking at everyone else's blogs too much. It was kind of nice to take a week off. But now I am back and I get to show you the beautiful wedding jewelry I made for my friend Emily.

Emily and I used to be really close, but then I did some really dumb stuff that messed up our friendship. It was so great to connect with her again and be able to do something for her.

Her wedding colors are pink and gray and she wanted all gray accessories for her white wedding dress. First, I made this cuff. Can you tell that it's made out of a paper towel holder? I got the idea from Paige over at Pink Lemonade. I covered it with fabric, then used felt to cover up the raw edges on the back. I tried and tried to sew them but it didn't work out so I went with the felt option. I made the flower by cutting a lot of circles from gray tulle and some other kind of light fabric. I folded each circle into fourths and stitched them all together. I added some beads to the center and two long ribbons to tie it on her wrist.

These bracelets are simple, but together I think they make a big impact. I love the colors.

The wedding dress came with a gray belt but we thought it needed something more. I made a flower (just like the ones on my blooming sash belts) and put a pin on the back of it so she could attach it to the dress.


I am really happy with how it all turned out. I hope Emily likes it too!

What I Wore: matchy-matchy

When I have time I like to go through the links over at the Pleated Poppy to see what inspiration I can gain from what others are wearing. I hope you can find some inspiration here!

I love this dress! I have never worn it with white before so I tried that out and liked it. You can't see them well, but I made these shoe clips. The tutorial will be coming soon so check back!

It's great when you can pull something old out of your closet (purple blazer) and remix it for a whole new look! If you have never done it, try it!

I made this belt for my brother's wedding and hadn't worn it since. It's so pretty and needed to come out into the world again!

There would be many a fashion blogger who would shake their head at my matchy-matchy shoes and sweater but it's what worked for me! It's still okay to match!

I have worn a very similar outfit before. Here is the tutorial for this Anthro Knock-Off necklace if you are new here.

Friday is school t-shirt day. I don't usually wear mine but thought I would join in this week. I paired it with the jersey necklace that I just made. Oh no! More matching shoes! Gasp!

Last but not least... I love this outfit! I have had this skirt for years and years and haven't worn it with anything but a brown top. I mixed it up with white and brown and gold accessories (that all match!)

I totally know it's the style to mismatch right now. I actually like it a lot. There's a lot more freedom in dressing. I am just joking above, but it does seem that it can be taken to the extreme. Matching is nice and conservative and there are occasions where it is appropriate to dress in that nice and conservative way (business, church, etc).

Thoughts?