7

The Color Run – Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti

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Yesterday I took part in The Color Run in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti (It was really in Ypsilanti, but they wanted it to be in Ann Arbor, but it couldn’t because of the art fair. Whatever.) It’s a 5k ‘fun run,’ so it’s untimed and you get doused with powdered color (it’s dyed corn-starch). My BFF Emily and my sister Cher and I all did it together. We’ve never done it before and weren’t sure what to expect.

We started out like this:

And ended up COVERED!

It was so much fun. I brought a camera, but had it wrapped in plastic to protect it from the fine powder, so some photos are a little blurry because plastic was in the way!

Rather than give a big write-up about the event, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. If you want more info about the color run, check out their webpage: www.thecolorrun.com. It’s really fun and I can’t wait to do it again!








14

DIY: Corkboard

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Hello everyone, my sister, Cher, is a DIY-er who loves to try new things. Last time she was here, you saw this earring holder she made. This time she put together a really cool corkboard using a frame and wine corks and I wanted to share it with all of you! So, here it is! (And just in time for Sherry‘s Pinterest Challenge!)

Ung Drill. You heard me right. I have an Ung Drill. It may sound like I’m sporting a large tumor on my face or a wacky haircut, but no. Ung Drill is that ubiquitous snazzy frame from IKEA. You know the one…

I got one… and it sat around for MONTHS. I kept thinking to myself “What the heck am I gonna do with this?” Half a year of dreaming and scheming went by before I decided on framing a giant-sized photo from my brother’s Jamaican wedding….

Which didn’t work at all because the frame was OVAL. No matter which photo, none of them “fit” without some serious (and detrimental) Photoshopping, which totally killed the look I was going for. So then I looked on Pinterest for Pinspiration and found this:

And knew what I had to do. And here’s how I did it. Including massive mistakes and a little breakage.

Step 1: Gather corks. You can either drink 140 bottles of wine (hey, alkie, let’s be BFFs, kay?) and save the corks, or you can wait for your sister to purchase $25 worth of corks online, never use them, give up on a cork project, and you’ll inherit them.

Corks cost: Free! (Thanks to my eBay-loving sis)

Step 2: Lay out your pattern. This was the second-hardest step (see below for the hardest step) because the options are limitless and also because I’m an idiot who picked an oval frame. I knew there would either be some cutting of corks involved or areas where the cork didn’t cover. I settled on a chevron/herringbone/what-the-eff-this-is-below pattern. I still wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with the edges (you can see that the corks overlap the frame below.) but in my usual thorough and OCD-level of planning, I just rushed ahead and assumed I would figure it out as I went or screw up in an incredible manner. Luckily, I managed to do both.

Cost of frame: Free! (b-day gift from sister.)

Step 3. Prepare the frame for painting. I needed to remove the glass from the frame so I could paint without getting the glass all painty. My idea was to attach the corks directly to the glass, in order to have something really sturdy holding them up. The glass was wedged in really tight, so I was really careful to ease it out so I didn’t scratch it…

..or worse. Sh<bleep>t Yeah, that’s the glass, evenly broken in two.

NEW Step 3. Fu¢k Fu¢k Sh<bleep>t. Carefully dispose of broken glass shards.

Step 4. Figure out how to create a sturdy back for the corks now that you’ve broken the glass. Luckily, I’d been on a cleaning spree at work and we had piles (PILES!) of used foam core waiting to be tossed. One of the pieces was used on one side, but in good condition, so I used the cardboard that came with the frame to trace the shape of the fame and cut it to fit. I decided to keep the cardboard on the front of the foam core so when the corks were attached, you wouldn’t see bright white behind them.

Step 5. Prime the frame. I have never painted with spray paint, and had no idea what to use. Luckily, I’m a regular reader of Young House Love, which had just happened to cover spray priming and painting with the “the perfect yellow color.” I like yellow, and I love directions that include pictures, so yeah, let’s roll with that one.

I took the frame outside and used Rust-oleum Universal Satin Paint & Primer in white.  I did three thin coats, spraying constantly from about a foot away. Then, because it was going to rain, I took the frame inside to my bathroom and closed the door and turned the fan on high to remove the STRONG smell and also the off-gassing. I don’t recommend doing this unless you know -like I did- that the fan takes the air outside, instead of recirculating it like some bathroom fans do.

Cost of Primer: $7

Step 6. Paint the frame. This is pretty much the same as the priming, except you can end up looking like a featherless Big Bird if you’re not careful with where you point the nozzle. I used Rust-oleum Paint Plus 2X Ultra Cover Gloss in Sun Yellow. Why? Because it said RIGHT ON THE LABEL that it “Also Bonds to PLASTIC!” and I was really concerned nothing would stay on the frame. Seriously, it was so slippery, I was pretty sure this project would be a major scew-up and I’d have to toss everything (which it pretty much was, but for glass-shattering reasons, not paint reasons. Go figure.).

So I took the frame back outside (it was like 2 days later. I had been busy at work and also forgot that the frame was in my bathroom until I went to take a shower at 6am. Delightful.

Painted three thin and even coats on the frame, various surrounding rocks, and parts of some outdoor furniture that my landlord isn’t really fond of, then toted the frame back inside for its timeout in the bathroom.

Cost of paint: $4

Step 7. Glue corks. I used hot glue because It seemed like a good idea, and I had it on hand. I liked that it hardened quickly, removing the part of the equation where I accidentally kick half of the corks off the frame while they are drying.

I had laid out some of the corks beforehand, simply to ensure the corks made a pattern that was level and too screwy (because when I’m DIYing, there is always some level of screwiness.

Just keep gluing. Just keep gluing. Just keep gluing, gluing, gluing…

I ended up cutting a few corks to fit around the edges. Most were pretty big spaces, at least half a cork’s worth or more. Some of the smaller spaces I left empty.

Step 8. Hang that sucker high and wide! No, that’s curtains. Hang it however you want. Me? I went for the oldie but goodie hanging style of “level.”

To hang, I swore a lot and used anchors since this thing is actually pretty heavy. It’s been up for 3 months now, and is one of my most favorite projects (maybe I like the bell jar more…) to date!

Costs: 
Ung Drill Frame: free! (but would run $29.99 via IKEA)
Corks: free! (but cost Suze $25 on eBay)
Spray primer: $7
Spray paint: $4
Total: $11! (or $65.99)

7

The twisty crown

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Today’s hairstyle came about due to the heat (hello 100 degrees!). Carrie requested I do a cool looking braided updo that would’ve required me waking up earlier than I did this morning. We all knew that wasn’t going to happen, so instead I went to my fall-back hairstyle which takes about three minutes to do.

I started with this:
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And ended with this:
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I haven’t found any specific examples of this online before, although I’m sure they exist. I put together a quick photo how-to below, in case you’re curious how this works. My motto is to just twist, keep twisting and pin until it looks OK. It’s a pretty fool-proof hairstyle, although it might take a few tries to figure out where you want to pin the twists.

Here are the side and back views:
IMG_0075 copy
IMG_0077 copy
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hair how to

8

Twisty fishtail hairstyle

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I’ve been experimenting with hairstyles lately, mostly because I’m trying to grow out my bangs and they’re not quite long enough to tuck behind my ears, yet too long to wear as “normal” bangs. Therefore, I’ve been trying to find alternatives to wearing my hair in a ponytail every. single. day. Because that’s what I was doing up until a few weeks ago. Now, thanks to some inspiration pinned on Pinterest and a bucket full of bobby pins, I’m giving my hairstyles an upgrade.

Today’s came from this tutorial.

IMG_0046 copy

I watched the video, realized she doesn’t have bangs, and altered it to fit my own hair. My twist is tighter and I used a bobby pin near the top of the twist, and two near the bottom to secure everything.

My only wish is that my braid was a tad thinner. After leaving for work and wearing it for most of the day I realized I would’ve liked a little more hair in-between the braid and my face, but that’s just personal preference.

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For those interested, my shirt is from Target, necklace was a gift from my sister, and my poor posture is from my father.

This is what I do when I’m playing with me camera:
making faces

And if you weren’t aware, I’m naturally blonde, went back to my roots (pun unintended) and I no longer wear contacts. You’re pretty much up to speed now.

16

My shopping ban is OVER!

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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!

3

Why I’m growing out my bangs

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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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4

Land’s End rips off belt design

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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:
belts

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.

3

Conversation Pieces wants list

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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.)