DIY: Pencil Skirts (and here's that new haircut I mentioned!)

Having found a love for pencil skirts and their versatility for creating a professional look while still lending themselves to be colorful, young, and vibrant, I decided it was time to purchase a pattern and start making my own (or, if I'm being honest, putting my mom to work).

The pattern I chose has six different styles of pencil skirts in varying lengths and with a few options of embellishments. The pattern showing the yellow skirt is almost identical to the purple pencil skirt I purchased from J. Crew--it has the same seams, cut, and fit. We used the fabric on the left to create a J. Crew style skirt that I absolutely love. I've worn this skirt with my mustard cardigan and both brown and black tights. 

We used the ruched pencil skirt pattern (middle right) with the fabric shown on the right. It is a silky fabric designed by April Johnston from Project Runway. I decided to actually use this fabric inside out as the pink tone is actually very bright, bordering on neon but the reverse side is perfectly magenta. Paired with grey tights, black wedges, and a black top the skirt is fun and edgy. Thanks mom!

DIY: Daily Calendar (and have an awesome rest of your school year)

This is a Pinterest-inspired gift I made this holiday season for some of my coworkers, my sister, my mom, and also for our house. I love the idea of taking a moment each day to write down something that happened that day whether it be some momentous occasion or just something you're grateful for that day.

Source: designspongeonline.com via Debra on Pinterest

As 2012 drew to a close I realized that I have so much to be thankful for and I know that I don't recognize enough the blessings in my life from the people I'm lucky enough to call friends and family, to my beautiful home, stable job, and my awesome cat! I'd like to take a moment to find the good moments that each day holds ("Everyday may not be good but there is good in every day." Thank you Jen!) and record it. I hope it will serve as a daily reminder to be thankful and to find awesomeness in each day.

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True Story." Barney Stinson

I couldn't find any of the berry baskets used in the inspiration pin (original directions here) but found some small white boxes at Michael's that fit 3 inch cards perfectly. I purchased 4x6 ruled index cards and stole the paper cutter from school one night, ok, I actually asked permission, otherwise it would've taken an eternity to cut all those cards by hand with a pair of scissors. In total I made 6 of these sets so here comes so math:

6 sets x 366 days = 2196 cards needed

2196/2 = 1098 cards needed (each large index card was cut in half)

So I purchased 12 packages of 100-cards (extras just in case)

Instead of vintage postcards I purchased scrap-booking paper and card stock. I used spray glue to adhere the paper to the card stock, then cut those on the paper cutter too.

Top Left: Supplies (Aleen's Tacky Spray Glue and Diet Coke were absolutely necessary items)
Top Right: Divider cards made with scrap book paper, spray glue, and card stock
Bottom: Finished product

The last and longest step was to add the dates to all the cards. I decided to purchase metallic pens and hand-write the dates instead of using a stamper. In all I think it probably took close to two hours to create each complete set.

Have an awesome return to school for all the teachers out there! And if your school day is lame, just stop letting it be lame and be awesome instead...

Christmas Gifts 2012

Christmas Gifts 2012 by dlanum featuring ann taylor

These are some of the wonderful gifts I received this year. I also unwrapped some beautiful and fun tank tops from my sister but I couldn't find pictures of them online. I am, however, sure you'll be seeing them in the coming weeks in pictures of outfits!