ETC: Summer Road Trip Playlist

My boyfriend and I make new road trip soundtracks every summer for our drive to the lake and instead of our usual setup where I make a mix CD (yes, CD) and he makes one, we had the genius idea last year to make 2 CDs by alternating our picks track by track - his song, my song and so on. Very simple idea, but it was revolutionary for us! Now neither of us needs to wait more than a song length to hear our pick. It also gives my voice a rest, as I can't help but sing along to songs in the car. :)

Here's a sampling of our vacation soundtrack for 2012, including both of our picks. Listen while imagining me lakeside, hopefully sunburn-free. I hope you're on (or going on) vacation too!

Summer Road Trip from NeonRattail on 8tracks.

TRACK LIST
1. Beach Boys: Breakaway
2. Bikini Kill: Rah! Rah! Replica
3. Little Teeth: Japanese Candy
4. Best Coast: Let's Go Home
5. Cap'n Jazz: Oh Messy Life
6. Freda Payne: Band of Gold
7. Carole King: It Might As Well Rain Until September
8. Jenny Lewis: You Are What You Love
9. Sleigh Bells: Born to Lose
10. The Stokes: Under Cover of Darkness
11. Mariah Carey feat. ODB: Fantasy 
12. Love: My Little Red Book
13. The Ettes: Crown of Age
14. Santogold: You'll Find a Way
15. Go Sailor: Fine Day for Sailing
16. Buddy Holly: Everyday
17. Outkast: Hey Ya!
18. The Oohlas: Small Parts
19. Violent Femmes: Kiss Off

20. Japandroids: The House That Heaven Built

xoxo,
Michelle

STYLE: OOTD Stripes & Brights

I just never get tired of a black and white stripe. It's timeless - classic and modern at the same time. As simple as it is, this kind of pattern always catches my eye, either in stores or on people. Love it, especially with bright pops of color!

Dress: Dots

Belt: Dots

Cardigan: Target

Leggings: Forever 21

Purse: Target

Wedge Flip Flops: Old Navy

Oversize Bow Ring: Craft Fair

Hair Daisy: Claire's

xoxo,
Michelle

DIY: Nail Polish Jewelry

I'm always looking for fun new kinds of jewelry to experiment with and when I found this cool new technique I just had to share! I bought a bunch of jewelry making supplies online - mostly materials I'd never worked with that I couldn't find at my local craft stores. Among them were these clear glass flat-back beads with a magnifying effect. 

They remind me of those glass beads that everybody thought looked
SO classy in a vase with fake flowers in the 90s.

You can see the magnifying effect here.

Because of the magnified appearance, putting images or decoration behind/under the bead creates a cool look. I tried mine with some nail polish for a fun gemstone-esque look. Here's how you can do the same:

What You Need

Magnifying Bead & Bezel Pendant Kit 

(I bought mine online here, but I'm sure you can get them tons of other places)

Glitter Nail Polish

Color Nail Polish

Strong Glue (I used E-6000)

How To Do It

1. Paint your bead with your glitter polish until you reach your desired glittery-ness. Mine took 3 coats. Make sure to let it dry completely between each coat. I used Queen of Beauty from Sinful Colors.

2. Paint your second color over the glitter coat until it's opaque. Mine took 2 coats. I used Hazard from Sinful Colors.

3. When completely dry, apply a thin layer of glue over the entire back of the bead and press it into the necklace base (bezel) and press for 30 seconds. Let it dry upside down to avoid air bubbles.

I've also made some earrings with smaller beads and rings with larger ones. I'm thinking of making a million of these to wear and to add to my Etsy shop because they are so fun! Here are a few that I made without glitter, just capturing some especially shimmery and holographic polishes. 

Canadian Star from Nicole

Teal of Fortune from Wet n Wild

Fuchsia Rage from Nina Ultra Pro & Pacific Blue from Sally Hansen with Make U Smile from Nicole on top

They look even more sparkly in person and when they catch the light they're incredible - it's distracting having it on my hand! You could try this with paint too or other thin materials like confetti, printed images or pieces of maps or book pages. The magnifying effect makes whatever you add really shine!


xoxo,
Michelle

STYLE: OOTD Americaaahh Edition

Happy (belated) Independence Day fellow Americans! I took it upon myself to celebrate in style, opting to dress as literally as possible in red, white and blue for no good reason except to be the weirdo at the party. It totally worked! I'm really into maxi dresses for the first time ever and now I want approximately one million of them in my closet. I've never found one that wasn't massively long on my short legs, but this one shrunk right up to the best length. I would have been willing to hem it, but the dryer did all of the heavy lifting, which was much appreciated. How have I been missing out on these wonder dresses?!

Hands on my hips in every shot because I'm a one-trick pony.

Striiiiiipes as far as the eye can see & a gratuitous hair shot because it is finally getting longer!

 I also kept it 'Merican on my nails, using these products and tools:

Dress: Old Navy

Cardigan: Target

Belt: Dots

Wedge Flip Flops: Old Navy

Pretzel Ring: DIY by me (another available here)

Any fellow theme dressers out there?

xoxo,
Michelle

ROUNDUP: Week in Photos

I can't believe today is July already - bring on the summer sun! Here's what I've been up to this week:

1. Homemade popsicles with fresh raspberries from the farmers market!

2. Working on new pieces for my shop

3. Got a new overnight bag for vacation later this month

4. Growing scallions from discarded roots is SO EASY! Disregard the red cups... 

5. First attempt at ombre nails...tutorial coming soon!

6. New cotton candy and ice cream hair pieces for either myself or my shop...

7. Treated myself to a Betsey Johnson wallet from T.J. Maxx for surviving a very busy week

 8. My boyfriend just got his very first cell phone - at age 27!

9. This awesome vintage planter is now my coffee table caddy

How is your week going?

xoxo,

Michelle