Everybody say LOVE!

Hey there!

I had originally planned on doing an outfit of the day post today, but the Tennessee weather just wasn't having it. Instead of that, I'm going to talk about some things that I'm absolutely loving right now!

I'm going to start out my "what I'm loving" series with Lane Bryant, which is usually a staple in any plus size girl's wardrobe. They seem like they're trying to get a little edgier, which I enjoy, but it is definitely hit or miss. Also, I'm going to be real with you: I HATED the majority of the Isabel Toledo line. I've seen some fierce stuff out of her, and she had this whole speech about how she felt it was her duty to make more fashionable clothes for bigger ladies. (That show actually had a few fierce things in it. Why weren't they in stores? Lane Bryant, did you choose the stuff to order? If so, I'm going to need you to start surveying us or something. No ma'am.) I honestly hoped for more from her. Another new line from Lane Bryant is 6th & Lane, which is supposed to be "runway inspired"... Which, isn't that what Isabel Toledo's is supposed to be? Anyways, it's okay. Pretty standard plus size designs. I'm going to withhold most of my judgement for 6th & Lane until I can actually see it in person and try some of it on.

Despite all of that ranting, there is definitely some stuff that I'm super in love with right now!

GET IT HERE

I'll start with this. I LOVE THIS DRESS. This dress has become a major staple in my wardrobe this summer. People praise it every time I step out of the house in it.  It's super easy to dress up or down. It's a wonderful length on me, so it might be a little short on some of you tall ladies. Regardless, it's great. Promise. You'll probably be seeing more of this dress soon!

GET IT HERE

I really like the looks of this 6th & Lane skirt. The drapes make it interesting, and I feel like they would really enhance the curves. A fitted top, this skirt, maybe a belt to cinch in the waist? Yes. Do want. I'll be keeping an eye out for this in stores.

GET IT HERE

I AM DYING TO HAVE THIS SWEATER. I'm not a sweatshirt kind of girl normally, but I'm crazy in love with this one. It's the trees. I have a thing for "creepy" trees, which seem to be making a pretty major feature in some of the new arrivals to the site. I'm hesitant to order it online without trying it on, because someone has already made a comment about it being small and kind of stiff, and I only wear huge sweaters... We'll see. Do any of you have this sweater yet? If you do, let me know what you think about it!

GET IT HERE

This sweater is going to be mine so soon. An easy way to attract me to something: black lace. If it's contrasting on white, even better. I already own a dress and cardigan that look very similar to this. Is that going to stop me from getting it? Nope.

GET IT HERE

Leather, leather, leather, leather. That little tuxedo stripe of leather is making me crazy over this leggings. I think my aunt bought a pair very similar to these recently, so I'm going to have to see if I can steal those first before I actually go and buy them myself, though. ;D

Those are just a few of the things I'm loving right now. What's tickling your fancy right now? Do you own/want to own anything I listed today? Let me know what you're thinking, and I'll see you all again soon!

World's Worst Blogger/Blog Revamp

Well, hello there, stranger!

It's settled. I am one of the world's worst bloggers without a doubt. I sat here for nearly two years with my poor little blog button nestled in my bookmarks bar, completely forgotten in plain sight. My poor youtube covers channel sits around in much the same fashion. (if you're curious about that for some reason, feel free to click here.) Going into my senior year, though, I would really like something I can look back on when I'm out of school. This is definitely going to be one of the most pivotal years in my career. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is yet to be determined.

This is leading me to rebrand my dear little blog. Instead of being a craft blog, which I fully acknowledge I probably don't have enough time/funds to truly dedicate my attentions to, this is going to be a life blog with a good emphasis on makeup, fashion (especially plus size fashion), and how my treks into the theatrical world are going.

Things I hope to include on the revamp of the blog:

• "Outfit of the day" pictures. One of my best friends is now my roommate, so I could totally bug her to take pictures of me every one in a while. Of course, they'll be cell phone pictures unless I occasionally rope my photographer friends in....
• "Face of the day" pictures. Yep. My face. And makeup. And things like that. I'll try not to bore you with my face too often, promise.
• "Stuff I love/hate" posts. This will probably range from fashion items to makeup products with occasional food items thrown in there. There will most definitely end up being a few posts about musicals I'm obsessed with at the moment. It's a given.
• "What I'm working on" posts. By this I mean shows I'm in, costumes I'm designing or making, freelance makeup work I'm doing, and occasionally some craftsperson work I'm doing. I'll do my best to keep it interesting!

I'm pretty excited to start working on this. I've got some ideas about what might be coming tomorrow because I just can't contain myself, you guys. Get excited! (Or terrified. This is also acceptable, I suppose. ;D) In the mean time, any opinions about the new look of the blog? I have very mixed feelings about it, so who knows what will happen with that.

See you all again so soon!

Hiiiiiiiii

Hey there, everybody!


So, I kinda failed at keeping up with everything during the play... I apologize! However, I start fall break tomorrow! So, expect some decent little crafty blogs. I know there will be at least one, if not more than that. :D

On a bittersweet note, my school's run of Barrel Full of Pennies ended today. I'm going to miss it, but I'm definitely going to enjoy sleeping a little more. :D

Photo taken by Zac Calvert

Such an exciting show! I was thrilled to be a part of it. :)

ALSO: I GOT A NEW LAPTOP! This was extraordinarily exciting for me. I got entirely too excited for it, but it's gorgeous and red. So, yeah. I'm a happy Caitie! :3

I believe that's all I have for you at the moment! I'll be updating soon with a craft of some sort! See you all soon!

Whoops...

Hey there, everybody!


Whoops, I did it again, didn't I? I definitely meant to blog Thursday night, but time completely got away from me. I apologize! As I edge towards the middle of the semester and the opening of the play, my schedule gets crazier and crazier, so I'm generally lucky if I have time to stop and breath... But I am determined not to neglect this blog!

This week is going to be a teensy Pinterest post since I'm in such a hurry! (In all honesty, I should definitely be studying for my EDU 150 test right now... EH, IT CAN WAIT!) It's a complete mix up of stuff, so enjoy!

• http://pinterest.com/pin/164944405073656809/
• How cute would this be for a Harry Potter themed room? (or any room if you're like me...)

• http://pinterest.com/pin/164944405073567562/
• I am suddenly obsessed with maps. I can't help but find this adorable!

• http://pinterest.com/pin/164944405073580225/
• More maps, only this time, in rings! :D

That's just a few of the things I'm totally gaga over right now! I'm sorry for the short post, but it just can't be helped this week. :( I promise to try to make up for it soon!

Speaking of soon, I've got a couple of things lined up for the next few weeks, if I can get the time. My play opens in a little less than two weeks! I'm so excited! :D

Well, with that, I'm off to study for that darn test... See you guys soon! I hope all is going well with you!

Painted Shirts

Hey there, everybody!


So sorry I missed my promised Thursday update! Life got extra crazy for a little bit there.

BUT I'M BACK NOW! AND, I'm bringing along what is basically my favorite basic DIY thing in the entire world: painting shirts.

I love love love to paint shirts! When you paint your own shirts, you know you have something that is completely original. No one else will have to same shirt as you, even if they use the same design. SOMETHING about the shirt is bound to be different!

So, needless to say, anytime I spot a plain shirt in my closet(or my aunt's... or my grandma's... or mom's... you get the point. xD) that no one will miss, I pull out my paint stash and scurry away to plain my mischief gorgeous new shirt. >:3

Today I'm going to teach you the basics of how I do them through a shirt that is super simple(probably entirely too simple for a tutorial): a faux peter pan collared shirt! :D

Yes, that is an Avengers ruler. You should be jealous.

First, gather the materials you're going to need. For paint, I generally use acrylic paint mixed with a textile medium like Anita's Textile Medium. (You could always buy fabric paint specifically, but I really enjoy being able to use whatever color I already have in my acrylic paint collection. :D) You will also need whatever you're going to be painting. Decide what you want to paint on it. If you want to paint something intricate, you might want to create a stencil unless you are comfortable freehanding it. (I make my stencils by drawing out what I want on the shirt onto an empty coke box, then carefully cut out my design with an X-acto knife.) For this shirt, I decided to spice up this gray shirt with a painted on peter pan collar, which I didn't need a stencil for. However, I did need a ruler so I could make sure that it would be decently centered. I also had a pencil to mark my center point.

I fussed with my shirt until it was flat enough for my to measure out the middle, used my ruler to find
the center, then marked it with my pencil. If you want your faux peter pan collar to be perfectly symmetrical, take a piece of printer paper, lay it over the collar of your shirt, trace the curve of the neckline, and then draw out the shape you want your collar to take(You can make it rounded like mine is or pointed or scalloped... Anything you want!). Cut that piece out, use a small paintbrush with a tiny little bit of your fabric paint or acrylic/medium mix and trace it out carefully, then flip the piece of paper over, lay it down on the otherside, and repeat the tracing. Then you will have a symmetrical collar. I didn't go down that road, though. I just kinda... guesstimated after I got my center point.

Before you start painting, let my advise you to put some sort of cardboard inside your shirt so that the paint doesn't leak through to the other side of your shirt. Then, begin to fill in your outline. If it isn't filling in the way you would like it to, you can always do a second coat. Make sure to let it dry completely before you start moving it around. After letting it dry, hang it up for a day or so, then wash it. The part of the shirt you painted might be still until you wash it, which is very uncomfortable... Believe me.

Whoops, it was a little lopsided... I fixed it, though!

AND, DONE! TADA! Super cute, right?

A little paint can spice up anything! ALSO: Fabric Spray Paint is fabulous, if you have the patience to work with it. To create a design with fabric spray paint, I highly recommend creating a stencil, spraying it with a bit of spray craft bond(I use Elmer's Spray Craft Bond), sticking the stencil to your shirt, covering any area of the shirt you don't want accidentally hit with the fabric spray paint, THEN spraying the shirt with the paint(with cardboard inside shirt to prevent bleed through). Carefully. Outside. Believe me on this one. It's a bit messy. Really neat effect, but messy. I made this shirt with the fabric spray paint:

Do you see the stag inside the dementor? You'd be surprised how many people completely miss it!

Creating the stencil for dementor/stag almost killed my hand. Just a forewarning that loopy stuff and X-acto knives are a mixture for hands that want to go on strike. The writing was not stenciled. My hand definitely would have protested at having to stencil out my overly loopy handwriting. Haha.

But yes! I believe that's all I have for you today! I will be seeing you on Thursday to show you the costumes for the play that I totally scored this weekend at Goodwill! :D See you then!

A Barrel Full of Pennies

Hey there, everybody!

So, today I'll be writing a bit about the play I'm currently involved with: A Barrel Full of Pennies! You're probably going to be hearing a good little bit about it through the next couple weeks. (I'll try my best not to bore you with it, though! Promise!)

"In the household of Adonis Samaritan, cab driver and lover of mankind, all homeless creatures, dogs, lame ducks and people—are welcome, much to the distress of daughter Alicia, who wishes she didn't have to be embarrassed at the thought of inviting her elegant boyfriend, Milton, to dinner. But plans are made, only to be jeopardized by the arrival of still another "stray," a self-proclaimed folk singer named Alvin, whom Adonis brings home to join "Cousin" Lu, "Uncle" Nemo, and the assorted animals quartered in the cellar. Despite the best intentions of Adonis and his wife, Mina, to have things go smoothly, they go, as luck would have it, quite the opposite, and the complications multiply hilariously." (Dramatists Play Service, Inc.) 

I'm playing Mina in my university's production of A Barrel Full of Pennies! Mina is the snarky, but loving, big momma of the household. She is constantly on her feet, racing around to make sure that everyone else is taken care of to the best of her ability, which is a challenging thing when her husband keeps bringing home more and more strays(of the animal and people categories).

I am so excited about this production! I get to work with a fantastic cast, crew, and director, which is, well... fantastic! :D

Also:

I GET TO HAVE AN ACCENT!

...Well, one that isn't my new natural southern twang that just won't go away. (Stop laughing. Stop laughing right now. I'm onto you...)

Regardless, this is a sort of bittersweet thing. I adore accents, but I'm not going to claim that they are my forte. It'll be interesting to see what I eventually end up with. Good thing I enjoy a challenge! :D Perhaps I'll make a video of it once I'm decent enough at it!

A couple of other things that are likely to be happening in the near future:

• an old age makeup tutorial (for stage, obviously. :D)
• a pinterest and polyvore post
• costume construction (for both Halloween and this production)

If there is anything you'd like to see me do/attempt to do, let me know! I'd be more than happy to give it a shot for you! Talk to you guys soon!

Oh, hey there!

Hey there, everybody!


Let me start by grovelling apologizing for disappearing after one post! It really wasn't my intention. Time just has a way of sneaking up on me. However, can anyone guess why I disappeared?

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That's right! I'm back in school! That meant packing up, then unpacking, decorating, moving everything around constantly until I was finally happy with it, auditioning for this semester's plays, and trying to get myself into the swing of my new schedule.

On a familiar note, my room and its decorations are coming along quite nicely!

 I'm quite fond of it. :3 (Recognize anything that ended up on my door instead of my wall? xD)

So, I hope you will forgive me? There may be some virtual puppy dog eyes happening over here. :D I'm slowly going to try to work myself into a schedule that lets me pay equal attention to everything. At the moment, blog updates will probably happen on Thursdays, since I have the least amount of classes then.

Next time I blog, I will be giving you details about the play I'm currently in! In the meantime, what are some of your favorite plays or musicals? Let me know! :D