Category: accessories

2020, accessories, bedroom, cosmetics, makeup, organizing, Uncategorized

The Shameful Shame, part 3

by casadeberry2 Comments on The Shameful Shame, part 3

My closet is pretty and functional again. I am very happy with the results and wanted to share the last of the process here. The sources are listed at the end of this post. I tried to repurpose items I already had to minimize waste, but did need a few things.

Taking everything out was the easy part.

Putting things back in an organized way and being honest about items that needed to be purged or put away somewhere else or in storage was what took the longest time.

Also, I couldn’t put anything back on the center counter area until I got the wall decals I had ordered. Originally I wanted a dark floral wallpaper, but then I decided it would make the closet feel like a cave, so I switched to a light floral design, and since I only wanted the center area covered, I decided on these beautiful decals, which I could position however I wanted.

They were so easy to put up – I cut them out first and mapped out how I wanted them with poster putty, and then I peeled them off the backing and stuck them to the wall.

I had these pretty trays that I decided to use for my nail polish and perfumes. I used to have so much nail polish in every color of the rainbow but I hadn’t used them in years, so I only kept the nudes and top coats. Manicures that I do myself don’t last a day, and I hate having chipped polish, so clear polish or colors super closed to my nail color are all I use now. My lifestyle is becoming more pared down and if I want colorful nails, I have no shame in using the press-on kind. They have come a long way from the crap I used to wear (for ten minutes) in the 80s.

My perfume collection is courtesy of my beloved husband except for the two perfumes I got in Italy a couple of years ago. I am not a “signature scent” kind of girl but I do prefer the Warm/Spicy type. Much to my personal shame I do remember stealing my mom’s Giorgio back in the 80s, anyone remember that scent? Oh my dog, it was as strong and bold as the yellow-striped box it came in.

That necklace is one I made for my wedding day. I have only worn it one other time to another wedding, but I love seeing it every day.

Makeup is not a particular fascination of mine, to be honest I just do the basics to look polished. I do like to be able to close my closet door and be able to put my makeup on so I don’t wake up my husband since he leaves for work after I do (he also gets home considerably later than I do). This mirror lights up in three different settings and is great for what I need.

The moment I saw these jewelry trays, I knew I wanted them. I originally wanted to buy just one but I do have a few special pieces of jewelry and I didn’t want to cram everything I am keeping onto one of these. They look kind of steampunky and I really like them.

All the jewelry pieces shown here were bought locally – I believe in supporting local businesses, small businesses, BIPOC-owned businesses. I am also working on switching all my makeup, skincare, and scents to cruelty-free and I love recommendations, so please send those my way.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this project, I am certainly very happy with the results. And now it’s on to . . . the medicine cabinet!

Sources:

Peony wall decals from Simple Shapes

Vanity mirror from Amazon

Peru watercolor map from Poppy & Pinecones

Paris photographs from Georgianna Lane

Gold tray (perfume) and mirrored tray (nail polish) from Michaels

Terrace tray jewelry organizers from The Container Store

Rolling stool from Amazon

Naked manicure set from Zoya

2015, accessories, bags, blue, burgundy, clothing, fall, fashion, Uncategorized, wisconsin

Fall wish list

by casadeberryLeave a Comment on Fall wish list

I’m really trying NOT to rush the whole fall thing because two years ago my BFF and I decorated our houses for fall on the first week of August and it was November and we were still sweating in ninety-degree weather. But, I figure I’m not actually buying anything, just, ya know, talking about it, so hopefully I won’t jinx things too much.

The key for me is to know what suits me and what does not, because as much as I love this dress, that salmon color looks like ass with my coloring. And this shirt looks super cute on the model, but I have D-cups, and button downs are the bugbears of my wardrobe.

After all that ado, here are a few pieces in a coveting:

2015 august

Parka – Snow Boots – Blazer – Tee – Tote – Top – Necklace

2014, accessories, books, chocolate, cosmetics, gifts, green, jewelry, nails

40th Birthday Swag Bag Blog Hop

by casadeberry2 Comments on 40th Birthday Swag Bag Blog Hop

My sweet friend – and Brit lit author – Pauline, contacted me about joining a blog hop and, considering my love of putting things together, I had to say yes! The idea is that you’re gifting a few items to your best friend, sister, etc. and money is no object. That sounds right up my alley 😀

The categories are: book, beauty product, snack food, music album, and “my choice.”

Book – It would have to be Outlander, the first in a brilliant series by author Diana Gabaldon. I gave away a copy a few months ago, and if you’ve been thinking of reading it or need something new to read, I urge you to give it a try, especially because Starz will be airing the miniseries starting on August 9! Here are the protagonists of the series, as portrayed by Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.

Beauty Product – I have been completely won over by Nail Butter, a nail and cuticle enhancer that has turned my nasty, dry, cracked cuticles into soft and smooth skin. Love this stuff, love the gardenia smell, and it’s all natural and cruelty-free, which is also a great thing. Here’s the gross before, and I apologize in advance:

And the lovely after:

Snack Food – Being the complete Hershey bar-loving peasant that I am, I cannot possibly suggest something like Pauline’s choice of Hotel Chocolat’s Chocolate Dipping Adventure, but I do have something from England – McVitie’s digestives.

Of course, being me, I prefer the ones with milk chocolate. They are wonderfully filling and during my first trip to England, often kept me fed and happy during long days of sightseeing.

Music Album – Hmmm. This one is kind of tough. I like all sorts of music, from Classical to Country, and what I listen to often depends on my mood. I absolutely love the voice of one Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, aka Lorde, so I will suggest her smash album Pure Heroine.

My Choice – Hmmm, trip to Paris? That would always be my choice, but if I had to pick a thing instead of an experience, I would choose something beautiful and endlessly versatile:

The Sutton Necklace in green.

2014, accessories, boys, clothing, jewelry, kids

Unexpected dinner date

by casadeberryLeave a Comment on Unexpected dinner date

The thing with autism is, the unexpected becomes routine.

We were thinking of going to an Italian restaurant for dinner last night, the boys both love filled pastas and we’d gone there before and had a good time, but nope, Alexander wouldn’t have it. So it became my husband staying home with him and me and Aidan going out to dinner and bringing food back for the troops.

Dinner date

Thanks to this super cute and comfy dress from Old Navy and my trusted Sutton necklace, I was dolled up in five minutes, ready for a dinner date with my sweet son. We had a good time and actually worked out a solution to store his assortment of Nerf guns. He loved the pictures I showed him from Pinterest (if you look up Nerf gun storage you’ll see many ideas using pegboard) so I think that might be a project that is tackled soon. He inhaled his adult-sized portion and then we drove home.

As a busy mom, I value pieces that let me get dressed and feel like I am put together without a lot of fuss. Steve picked out the dress for me, and I got it in the gray as shown and in a stripe as well. When I call him my own personal Tim Gunn, I am not kidding 😀

It was an unexpected chance to spend some one-on-one with Aidan and I loved it. Hope your week is a wonderful one!

2014, accessories, green, jewelry

Styling the Sutton, part 2

by casadeberry2 Comments on Styling the Sutton, part 2

Last time I showed you a few ways in which you can style Stella & Dot’s Sutton necklace. This time I will show you a few ways the removable green strand can complement a variety of outfits.

Sutton single strand

As you might guess, the whole Sutton necklace makes for a bigger impact than one single strand, but these sweet green stones pack plenty of punch on their own. Added to neutral pieces like grey and white dresses and tops, it adds a pop of color. Added to a piece in an analogous color (a color next to it in the color wheel), like the pale blue top, it makes for a cohesive look. The only color I would recommend you avoid is, you guessed it, green. If it matches exactly, it becomes a little twee; if it clashes, it can be jarring. And this green strand deserves to be showcased.

Now, to style the Sutton WITHOUT the green strand:

Styling the Sutton 3

I would use the multi-strand Sutton (without the green piece) for a bigger impact, wither with some stronger color pieces or with items, like the dress, that have a pattern that can stand up to it. The shirt at bottom left is not a dark color, but it is a saturated color, it can handle not only the multi-strands but the variations in color. Same with the dark blue pieces. Whereas I would pair the single green strand with more delicate colors, I would add the multi-strands to darker colors that will not be overwhelmed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these looks, I will be showcasing some other pieces from Stella & Dot in future posts. I am absolutely loving being a stylist and the vibrant, fun pieces in the current collection.

2014, accessories, jewelry, organizing

A Raskog for Stella

by casadeberry1 Comment on A Raskog for Stella

Like hundreds (thousands?) of bloggers, and many muggles, I took one look at the Raskog cart that IKEA released a few seasons ago and immediately knew I wanted it. A couple of months ago, I got it. And it’s been sitting in my trunk the whole time. I knew it could serve a good purpose, but the truth is, we have A LOT of storage already.

Bar? Nope, we already have one.

Nightstand? We have two.

Books, school supplies, office stuff, craft items, underwater woven baskets? Nope, we had places for everything.

And then I started my new venture. And I needed a place to keep my samples, literature, display items, planner, etc. together.

It’s pretty damn perfect.





I love having all my business items contained in one place, instead of scattered throughout the house!

2014, about me, accessories, glam, health

One announcement Two

by casadeberry5 Comments on One announcement Two

First of all, how is it almost April? Good grief. This year is so getting away from me. I am in planning mode for a party next month, plus I wanted to share some news with y’all. So far I’ve come up with Red Wedding Cupcakes for the Game of Thrones station 😀

Ok, onto the news: I’m happy to tell you guys that I am a new Stella & Dot stylist! WOOT!!! I am super excited about this new venture. I love putting looks together and playing with sparkly pretties, so hey, I am already having a lot of fun with this.

Some of you who know me a little bit more will remember that I used to make jewelry. I had a pretty successful business back in the ’00s and still play around with beads and things. However, and I guess this is kind of an announcement in the sense that I haven’t talked about it before, but mostly it’s because I just don’t keep much to myself. I’ve mentioned my youngest son’s autism, my hysterectomy, etc. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I take Paxil, but ha, I just did. I am super happy and love my life — there’s always that pesky 5% of the time when I want to throw someone out the window — but I have accepted that my brain needs some extra goodness in order not to be on a continuous emotional rollercoaster. Nothing wrong with that. However, what I actually wanted to mention today is that I was making some jewelry last weekend after going through my craft tower, and it’s just become a fact that arthritis is taking its toll on my hands. Which is why I haven’t crocheted in a while, and why I am glad that project is an afghan for the FALL. Both my parents had/have it pretty badly, my darling dad had to have surgery on his knee because the arthritis was making his life miserable with severe pain, and my mom has constant pain on her limbs. I do plan on seeing my doctor to see what they can do for me, as well as adapting my diet.

Point is, I don’t think I can make jewelry on a constant basis in order to make it a business, but I CAN sell beautiful, on trend, colorful jewelry that can make an outfit. Like so:

Aren’t they gorgeous???

Anyway, you’ll probably see me sporting some of the Stella & Dot beauties around town and I’m wishing for a lot of fun and some good opportunities! Hope Monday treated you well!

2014, accessories, clothes, clothing, fashion

Refreshing the school run

by casadeberry2 Comments on Refreshing the school run

I can’t tell you the difference it makes to have my clothes set out the night before. I don’t have to think about it, I don’t question the top going with the pants going with the scarf, etc. because all the thinking has been done.

Here are four options I can put together, using the items I posted yesterday, to take the boys to school:

2014 Spring - the school run

I’ve added a couple of options to each outfit to include other items you might have in your closet, such as a black cardigan or a denim jacket. Here we go:

Top left: The leopard print top works equally well with a warm yellow topper as with a basic black cardie. Shoes are my Skechers GoWalk, which I wear almost every day, but I am trying not to. Animal print and red are a gorgeous combination which is why I’ve added the scarf. Cute fox earrings add a finishing touch.

Top right: My boys love Marvel Superheroes and hello, I know a few mamas who have no problem watching 2 hours of Thor or Captain America. I wear my Marvel shirt with jeans and red booties for a pop of color, Either the cardie or the jacket would look good, and I must admit I squealed when I saw this ring at Forever 21. I call it my Loki ring because it looks like the headpiece he wears. I’m a Loki girl!

Bottom left: I got this turquoise top at Target 2 years ago and love it. It goes very well with the neutral pants and either cardigan. The leopard print flats and link bracelet add interest.

Bottom right: A neutral print top pairs with gray pants and either the yellow cardie or the denim jacket. Simple pearl studs and my reliable Skechers round out the look.

Next, I’ll be posting some dressier looks!!

2014, accessories, colors, purple

Radiant Orchid – are you game?

by casadeberry2 Comments on Radiant Orchid – are you game?

Pantone’s color of the year for 2014 is Radiant Orchid, a vibrant color that is surprisingly easy to incorporate to your wardrobe or makeup routine.

Sephora is partnering with Pantone and has released a signature lipstick in Radiant Rush (1). This color is bright and attention-getting. If you’re not quite sure about it, you can try a beautiful gloss like Illamasqua’s Tantrum (2). After all, I love my Givenchy Velvet Purple gloss, which my darling husband gifted me.

If you want to try this lovely shade on your eyes, check out the innovative way makeup goddess katosu wears it under her lower lashes (3). Isn’t her work stunning?

Old Navy has a plain v-neck shirt (4) that would be a welcome spot of brightness this winter, or you could go for a scarf (5) from Nordstrom, or even a pair of pumps (6) for the office.

The ways you can incorporate Radiant Orchid to your look are endless. I’m going to check out my Old Navy because you can never have too many v-neck t-shirts. At least I can’t. When you’re 5’1″ and have big boobs, v-necks are your friends. I will totally admit to being smitten with Lenny Kravitz as Cinna in The Hunger Games and buying a gold eyeliner, so a Radiant Orchid-esque eyeliner is in my future.

Are you game for adding some of this lovely shade to your life?