Random Friday

Owl jewelry is what I'm liking right now. As it is so different and unique.




Owl Carry You Necklace - $4.80 (Forever 21)

   Owl Jewelry Set - $6.80 (Forever 21)

Rhinestone Owl Pin - $4.80 (Forever 21)

Silvertone and Blue (Spaghetti Arms) Owl Pendant - $15 (Etsy)

 

 

 

Tiny little Owl Earrings - $36 (Etsy)

Snow Owl Ring - $25.99 (Etsy)

8 Ways You Can Wear a Sweater Dress

Sweater dresses are cute and comfy! Though, you have to be careful in the fit. As it took me awhile to find one that wasn't form fitting, or too short for my taste. But I finally found one while I was on vacation. It was at the Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet, and it was on clearance.

Once I was back from vacation, I experiment with accessories and was able to come up with eight ways to wear a sweater dress. Here are my results.

Plain Basic Sweater Dress

Wearing  this type of dress plain doesn't look the greatest. It can make you look unflattering. And who wants to look like that? Not me! I want something that will look flattering on me! So on to the accessories!

Look One (Cowgirl)

Jean Jacket - J.C.Penny's

Cameo Necklace - Portobello Road Market, London

Black Fashion Boots - Bass Shoe Outlet

Look Two

White Button Down Bloue - IZOD

Black Patent Leather Belt - Borrowed from another dress

Layered Necklace - Kohl's

Black Fashion Boots - Bass Shoe Outlet

Black Satin Headband - Kohl's

Look Three (1950s inspired)

Black Scarf - Target

Black Vintage Broach - Antique Mall

Black Patent Leather Belt - Borrowed from another dress

Black Flats - Payless

Black Patterned Knee-highs - Kohl's

Black Fashion Ring - J.C.Penny's

Black Satin Headband - Kohl's 

Fourth Look

Black Patent Leather Belt - Borrowed from another dress

Black Flats - Payless

Black Patterned Knee-highs - Kohl's

Layered necklace - Bass Shoe Outlet

Red Headband - Wall-mart

Fifth Look

Black Blazer - J.C.Penny's

 Vintage Broach - Antique Mall

Statement Necklace - Bass Shoe Outlet

Red Headband - Wall-Mart

Black Flats - Payless

Black Patterned Knee-highs - Kohl's

Sixth Look

Same as above. Just add a belt and leave the jacket open for a different look.

Seventh Look

Statement Necklace - Bass Shoe Outlet

Red Headband - Wall-Mart

Black Flats - Payless

Black Patterned Knee-highs - Kohl's

Black Fashion Ring - J.C.Penny's

Eighth and Final Look

This is a simplified version of one I already did. :-)

Black Blazer - J.C.Penny's

Vintage Black Broach - Antique Mall

Black Fashion Ring - J.C.Penny's

Red Headband - Wall-Mart

Black Flats - Payless

Black Patterned Knee-highs - Kohl's

There are probably more options on ways you can wear a sweater dress, ones that I didn't think of.  Just experiment with different things to come up with a fun, and fashionable outfit all your own style!

Ideas on Where you can find a Sweater Dresses

 




Mossimo Supply Co. Juniors Turtleneck Sweater Dress - Gazelle Brown - $24.99

Merona Collection Womens Merino Wool Turtleneck Sweater Dress - Teal - $59.99

 

Mossimo Black Women's Belted Cowl Neck Sweater Dress - Deep Love - $29.99

You can also look at Target, J.C.Penny's, Delia, ModCloth, Anthropologie, Kohl's, Anne Taylor, Macy's, and other stores. Right now many of these sweater dresses are on the clearance racks, making them more affordable. Of course, the only problem is finding one you like.

What We Are Wearing - Ashley & Gabrielle

Hello everyone! We are back after our little break for Christmas and New Years. Did you miss us? :D Our first post back will be a what we are wearing post. Enjoy!

~Ashley~

~What I'm Wearing~

Black Vest w/white blouse dickey - Kohls

White Linen skirt - Made by me!

Black Knee High Socks - Kohls

Black Moccasins w/ black velvet bow - Naturalizers  

Pink Headband - Made by me!

~Gabrielle~

~What I'm Wearing~

Brown Sweater - Kohls

White Cami - Kohls

Jean Skirt - Coldwater Creek

Nature Necklace - Kohls or J.C.Penny's

Brown Moccasins - Payless 

~Ashley & Gabrielle

Welcome to 2010

Hey everyone! It's been too long since I last updated. I hope you all had a great start to the new year. Me and hubby huddled together for the New Year countdown at a local mall this year. "Huddled" and hugged because it was cold on New Year's Eve. We didn't plan anything spectacular before or after the countdown, in fact we were almost late driving to the countdown becasue hubby didn't get off work until very late. Later on we just went home after the clock hits 2010 and the big crowd dispersed. I did not take any photos to mark the event, but here's a video of this year's countdown at Taipei 101:

Cartoon

A Cartoon Picture - Something a Little More Behind the Fun
By Kiev Lintz


A cartoon picture can portray anything from something funny, all the way to something starkingly serious. The way the picture is drawn and colored can great affect the feel that is given off, much like with any other artistic form. While cartoons have long been thought to be an immature art form, the fact is that it is maturing all of the time. New styles are always coming up, as well as subject matter. The kiddy cartoons of years past are being replaced with more mature and artfully drawn mediums.

Not many would have given a cartoon picture even a second glance a few decades ago. There were not many out that were especially visually appealing as the medium was rather new, and the technology available at the time didn't lend any help to cartoon artists. Around the mid 1990's Japanese animation started to really boom in the United States, which brought a whole new level of awareness of cartoons in general.


Before the Japanese animation boom, American animation had been crude at best. Japanese animation at the time was leagues above what was being made in other parts of the world. The lines were generally very crisp, colors were very vivid, and the art style was distinctly unique. This boom gave way to a whole new wave of cartoon fans, and opened the doors to a whole new way to draw and perceive any cartoon picture.







While animation and cartoon styles in general were going through their maturing in the 1990's, computer animation and design was also growing. Using computers, cartoon artists could draw, tweak, and color their work easily without a need for ink or extensive linework. This helped with animation as well, as each frame could be drawn and dealth with on the computer, eliminating the need to individually draw and scan each individual frame. This not only made it much easier to animate, but also made it less expensive and take far less time. Features that would have taken several months or a couple of years before were suddenly finished in a few months or weeks. It was quite a big jump.

Today's cartoon stills, comics, and full-motion cartoon films are much easier to make and are more visually stunning than ever before. This is because of many reasons, though the main two are the Japanese animation influence as well as the maturing of graphic design technology. These two factors have changed the face of cartoons and animation forever.


The differences between cartoons 20 years ago and those today can make it difficult for anyone to go back and look at a cartoon picture from the past. At this rate, cartooning is looking to be one of the bigger entertainment and art mediums of this century.

Cartoon

Cartoon Me - Draw Cartoon Faces
By Carmeline Calvistacro

If you are an aspiring artist, you certainly know how difficult it is to draw a cartoon avatar of someone or yourself. Drawing caricatures is not easy and takes a lot of meticulous practice and patience. It can literally take years of practice to get the process down right.

When I first started trying to draw a cartoon me avatar, I discovered it was far more challenging than I was lead to believe. I am told that even professional artists sometimes have a difficult time making the cartoon resemble the person they are drawing. I always wondered if there was a short cut or an easy way to learn this.

I thought enrolling in art classes would solve the problem. Little did I know that drawing a cartoon avatar was a lot more than enrolling in some art class at the local community college. I found that drawing something so complicated was more natural talent than a learned skill.

I would say the main reason that is not easy to draw a cartoon me avatar is because most of it comes down to natural talent. There is only so much you can learn. It is almost like singing, where you either have it or you do not. There is no amount of practice that one can do to improve once they reach a certain point. Basically it comes down to ones natural artistic gift.

Sometimes when I just tried to draw a person, it actually turned out they looked more like a cartoon anyways. This was unintentional but due more to my lack of natural artistic ability. Although I can draw a cartoon avatar, it is not nearly as good as some people can.

The hardest part of drawing a cartoon me avatar is definitely coloring the eyes. The eyes bring the face to life and are what make the drawing unique and real. There was nothing that challenged me more than bringing a cartoon face to life by perfectly drawing the eyes.

The newest way to actually draw a decent cartoon face is to find a computer program to help you do the hard work. There are many computer programs online that will actually assist you in turning a photo of yourself into a cartoon avatar.

If you are determined to become a great artist, it takes natural talent, skill and patience. By balancing all of things with plenty of practice, you should be able to draw a cartoon me avatar in a few months.

~Ruffles and Stuff~ Giveaway!

~Ruffles and Stuff~ is hosting a wonderful giveaway! Head over to Disney's blog for all the details. Hurry the winner will be drawn on the 6th! 

http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/01/just-pick-somethin-giveaway.html