Sometimes I just need to remind myself to seize the day and enjoy life. I get very wrapped up in my goals that I often forget.
So here’s my reminder:
Carpe diem
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Author Archives: Suze
My shopping ban is OVER!
Today is a good day. First, it’s my anniversary with Joe. Holy crap guys, we’ve been married for three years and together for almost eight! That’s so crazy to me.
Second, do you remember when I started a shopping ban in November? Seems like it was just yesterday, right? Well, today marks the end of my six month shopping ban. I can hardly believe it. I’m almost ready to give it six MORE months. But I’m not going to do that. I learned a lot from not shopping and from not blogging my outfits these past six months. Although, I probably should’ve blogged outfits, because it would’ve been interesting to see what I wore for six months without buying anything new. But, alas, I did not.
Did I learn anything? Yes. I am much happier NOT blogging my outfits. I also don’t really enjoy shopping. I like finding inspiration, but find that I am much more comfortable in jeans and t-shirts (my uniform for the past six months!). There is a lot I can talk about that I learned because I stopped shopping or because I stopped outfit blogging, but it’s more in-depth than I want to get in this post. I’ll probably write about it in a few days/weeks, when I’ve really had time to digest/think about things, and can give a really good write-up about if I go online shopping crazy, or if I still hold off a bit.
And yes, I did celebrate the end of my shopping ban with a purchase.
Brand new running shoes! I’m a little crazy, but I signed up for a 5k in July. My friend Emily wanted to do it, so I bit the bullet and signed up. I don’t have to run it, I can walk, cart-wheel or crab-walk (according to the website), which makes me happy. I’m not really a runner, but I have started to take up activities that make me happy and running around Ann Arbor while getting doused in colored powder is one of those things. I can’t wait. My sister is also joining us, and I’m trying to convince her to wear a tutu during the run/walk because it will be funny. We’ll see!
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Why I’m growing out my bangs
I recently dyed my hair back to blonde. For those of you who don’t know, I’m naturally blonde, but enjoy moonlighting as a redhead. For other reasons, I’ve also taken to wearing glasses again (too many eye infections).
I looked in the mirror earlier this week and realized I needed to grow out my bangs, because I looked too much like Garth from Wayne’s World to feel comfortable anymore:
At least it’s a built-in Halloween costume.
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The Hunger Games: Beanie Babies Edition
I finally saw The Hunger Games last night. I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s watch this instead:
From The Online Musical.
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Land’s End rips off belt design
If you’ve been a reader of mine since the Modcloth scandal of 2010, you know me as someone who will talk about problems I see within the fashion world, even if it leads to an employee leaving me cryptic messages (thanks IP tracking!). Because of that post, Modcloth removed the listing of one of those dresses, and also recognized me and my readers (as well as readers of The Gloss and others who profiled the problem) as a force to be reckoned with.
Recently, it has come to my attention that another company is doing something more devious than just pricing their poly-blend products at astronomical prices.
Land’s End has allegedly taken Kiel James Patrick’s belt design and is selling it as its own design, for about half as much. Here are the two designs, side-by-side:
A little too similar to be a coincidence, right? They’re even laid out the same way, photographs taken in front of grey backgrounds.
Design stealing is, sadly, nothing new in the fashion world. I found this blog post about LL Bean stealing Eliza B sandal designs (quite brazenly, I might add). Last year, a similar controversy cropped up with US state necklaces and Urban Outfitters. In that case, Urban Outfitters removed the necklace from their site, but as April from Regretsy pointed out, there were many other sellers on Etsy with similar products, so who’s really the originator of the product?
In Kiel James Patrick’s (KJP) case, according to the statement he sent to Ivy Style, he’s not claiming to be the originator of a nautical belt, but created a hand-crafted, high-quality belt that took months to perfect. KJP also says that his designs are not sold to corporations, such as Land’s End, so their seemingly identical design was not created by him, nor is he receiving any payment for it.
We can argue if this is something that we think should go on in the fashion world or if we think it’s right/wrong, but that’s not where I’m taking this discussion. I want to call out Land’s End for their blatant rip-off of a small company (20 employees!), and I want them to remove the belt from their shelves.
As it’s noted on the Ivy Style site, designs cannot be copyrighted. But, most designers (indie or well-known) aren’t going to rip someone else off, because it can be traced, and everyone wants to be original. There is a difference between seeing someone else’s design, being inspired, and creating something you deem as better. Wouldn’t you want to have something better than someone else, not a blatant copy? (Again, I don’t want to argue about fast-fashion and all that - that is not the point of this post.)
Let’s make some waves. KJP already tried to comment on the Land’s End Facebook and Twitter, and Land’s End hasn’t responded. If you take a look at Land’s End’s website, you can leave comments and reviews for products. I suggest we all jump over there and leave comments on the belt, bringing the star (boat) value down to one. Tell them the design is stolen from a small business In Rhode Island. Let’s make Land’s End give us an answer. If they didn’t “steal” the design, there would be no reason for the silence, in my opinion.
By bringing the star value of the product down, and making sure others are aware that the design isn’t original to Land’s End, hopefully Land’s End will be forced to do something about the product (e.g. pull it from the shelves!).
Please head over to the Land’s End website and help KJP get the answers they deserve.
Conversation Pieces wants list
I have a problem. I’m almost a month away from the end of my shopping ban, and I can already feel myself gearing up to add items to my already huge wardrobe. (I’m working on culling it down- more on that later).
One such place that has my attention is Conversation Pieces, who, lucky for you (not me), is offering free shipping through Sunday on any order.
While you’re placing your order, may I suggest a few things that I’d love to add to my closet that you can feel free to send me?
1. Castaway Dress
2. Apple of my Eye Dress, Navy
3. Fresh Appeal Dress
4. Polka Dot Affair Blouse, Coral
5. Morning Sunrise Blouse
Tell me if you buy something so I can live vicariously through you, OK?
(No, Conversation Pieces does not sponsor my blog, I just like their selection.)
This has been YEARS in the making
It sounds crazy, I know. But I have been waiting forever, or at least since texting became a “thing” when I was 19, for someone to incorrectly text me, just so I could mess with them.
Finally, it happened.
I was sitting at my desk when my phone lit up. “Whats carlos number?” Immediatly, my heart started racing. Realizing I knew no one named Carlos, I knew this was it. I stared at my friend Carrie with this twisted grin on my face. She stared back at me and asked “what’s up, Joker-face?”
“I have been waiting forever for someone to incorrectly text me when they’re trying to get someone else. And it FINALLY HAPPENED!” At this point, I stood up and started singing Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This.” Carrie choose that moment to leave (good choice, I must say).
I was ready. I thought about it for a minute, before responding. Here’s our entire conversation. I’ll discuss it below the image. (They’re the white, I’m the green).
If you’ll notice, my second attempt to get them to realize that I’m not who they thought they were texting, I mention that Carlos peed on me on Halloween (no, this is NOT from experience). They don’t even respond to that. It’s like that’s Carlos’s thing. It’s like it’s normal for him to go around peeing on people on Halloween. What madness have I stepped into that THIS isn’t even noticed?!
After this engaging exchange, I thought we were done. I laughed, Carrie laughed, my twitter friends laughed, and I was done with it.
An hour later, they responded again. I gave them one last attempt to realize that I have no effing clue who Carlos is, and I’m most certainly not giving them his number.
(The “totes” is in there because I had a Facebook friend complaining about the usage of that word. But that’s another story for another time).
Finally, I think they got it.
It’s been suggested that I wait a month, then text them back asking for Carlos’s number. *evil grin*
So, there you go. That’s my years-in-the-making-epic-tale-to-tell-the-kids. I don’t think they’ll believe me about texting not being a “thing” until I was 19 though.
If you ever find Carlos, let me know. I’m sure this person is dying to get a hold of him.
DIY necklace obsession
I saw a DIY over on Jen Loves Kev for a necklace I’ve been obsessed with for a while. It seemed really simple, just oven-baked clay beads, strategic stringing, and a proper mix and usage of color.
The creative part of me thought, “hey, I can do this!” So, I took a trip to Joann’s, bought some clay and got started. Check Jen’s blog for the DIY, but I’ll give you a heads up, it’s pretty simple!
I ended up using one block of white, one block of pearl, and one section of emerald (there are four sections per block). I used every single bit of my mix of clay in my necklace, so keep that in mind if you make one- it does take a bit of clay. I also grabbed some round, clear beads to use as spacers.
As you can see in the above photo, there are needles that beads can be baked on, insuring they’re not flattened when baked. I used the needles and some mini loaf pans for my beads.
Finished product:
I can’t wait to wear it! Thanks for the inspiration, Jen!
Ps- I also purchased some sealer gloss that you paint on the beads after they’re cooked and cooled, which gives them a glossy sheen. I don’t know if you need to do it, but I felt it would help protect the clay.
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Problems with Pinterest?
*Let me start this by saying I still have a Pinterest account, and still have my pins visible. My research did not cause me to remove anything I had pinned.
Lately there has been a lot of talk on the internet about Pinterest and copyright violations. By now, most of us have read this article about a Photographer who looked at the terms of service, and promptly deleted all her boards. Today I see that Flickr has given users an opt in/out to allow their images to be pinned or not. In the article, it points to a link on Flickr’s forum where users were discussing Pinterest and the use of the opt-out button. Many of the commenters were for the opt-out button, and happy their work wouldn’t be taken and pinned to Pinterest without their consent. Although, as one commenter pointed out, if they post an image to a blog (or elsewhere online), it can still be pinned from that location, which is a risk we all take when posting things on the internet. My friend, Carrie, says, “I like that Flickr is going that route. People SHOULD be able to choose whether or not their stuff is pinable by others. That being said, I (mostly) agree with the person in the article who thinks it’s bizarre that people would view Pinterest as such a huge copyright issue.”
As a blogger, I see the need to protect your intellectual property, and wanting to make sure that you get credit for images you create and that they aren’t used for things without your consent. But as a user of Pinterest who has been inspired by images and who loves finding new things, I find myself torn. I have had my images pinned to Pinterest, and find it flattering that someone wants to pin an image of what I’m wearing, or a DIY I did last year. I don’t feel like people are saving my image to use it maliciously, but because they think “oh great idea, come back to it later.”
That’s what I feel Pinterest is, at its core; a great big inspiration board of stuff you like, with links back to the source. But, it appears that even though that might be the thought behind the uber popular website, it’s not something everyone is comfortable with. I reached out to a few bloggers, a photographer, a store owner, and a general user of Pinterest to get their opinions on pinterest and how they feel about this controversy.
Kara, from Unusual Form, says, “As a personal-style blogger, I’m always incredibly flattered when someone pins one of my outfits. It means that I’ve put together an outfit that someone has found interesting or inspiring. One of the reasons that I post my outfits each day is so that I can be an inspiration to my readers. I find a lot of my own inspiration from other blogs as well, so you’ll see that my pin boards are filled with photos of other bloggers. Isn’t that what blogging is all about? Sharing?”
Kara is one of the Pinterest users I follow, and I’m always quick to repin something she posts that I find inspiring, and I’ve noticed she does the same to things I post. That, in its essence, is what Pinterest is about.
Another person I’m constantly repining is Neeka, owner of AnikaBurke.com. Since Neeka is a frequent user of Pinterest, pinning her deal of the day, lookbook images and inspiration, I thought she would have an interesting point of view on the use of Pinterest. She says she “loves seeing organic pins of [anikaburke.com merchandise and images] on Pinterest.”
When asked if she feels Pinterest is beneficial to her business, driving traffic to her shop, or helping get her store name out there, Neeka says yes. “I find it very beneficial to my business. We are getting more linkbacks to our site without having to pay for them. Pinterest is the second largest traffic generator [for us]. I love Pinterest and can’t wait to see where it goes.”
Interestingly enough, I found many other business on Pinterest, including Karen Kane, Modcloth, Kate Spade and more. Anthropologie has an account, and while they’re following over 4,000 people, they have yet to pin anything themselves. It appears that many businesses are jointing Pinterest, most likely for the same reason Neeka did- free marketing and inspiration.
While all these businesses are fashion-based, I wondered what a different business, such as a photographer would have to say. I found this image from Procopio Photography on Pinterest, and immediately pinned it on one of my own boards.
(Source: Procopio Photography- used with permission!)
Curiously, I followed it back to the website it’s linked to, which then links to the photographer’s website. I contacted them, to ask how they feel about Pinterest. Cicely says they haven’t “quite formed an opinion about Pinterest yet. It’s funny that you are emailing me about it, because our most recent blog post was the first time we added watermarks. We did that so when pinned, more of our images would be tracked back to us.” You’ll notice that the image I fell in love with was posted prior to their inclusion of watermarks, and can only be traced back to the source by clicking through.
Cicely goes on to say she “loves that [Pinterest] is a new source that people can find us, but I don’t like when images are improperly linked, or not at all, to the source.” Well, therein lies the problem that most people seem to have with Pinterest. The problem seems to be less about Pinterest itself, but more about the link backs, or lack thereof.
Much like the writer of the first post, I found myself perusing Pinterest’s terms of service to see what I got out of it. Boy, you’re not going to like it.
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Best hair day ever
I had a fantastic hair day. 
