5-Minute DIY Trendy Statement Necklaces

I've found that a great solution to the "I have nothing to wear" complex is adding the right accessories. And the quickest and cheapest way to do that is to repurpose something I already have on hand.

Back around 2005 we were all wearing long beaded necklaces that hung down to our belly buttons. Nowadays, the cycle of accessory fashion has rotated back around to short and chunky. Trendy statement necklaces are layered and rest above the breastbone.

For this quickest of projects I repurposed those long necklaces from the previous decade into trendy statement necklaces. And here's the best part, I did it non-destructively and it took less than five minutes!

I started with a long beaded necklace, a roll of ribbon, and fabric scissors. Using fabric scissors on ribbon is important if you want to prevent fraying. Dull scissors will leave you with jagged cuts.

Thrift Store Fashion for the Fourth

Unlike last year, I'm not playing host this 4th of July, so my thrifting focus lately has been on fashion. This post is inspired by Lindsay Turner at Thrift & Shout. She always finds the cutest and trendiest clothes at the thrift store, so I had to show off a few of mine.

First up, a halter dress I've had for about a year, snagged for $8 at Goodwill. It may be hard to see, but the pattern is small red dots on white. I love the vintage pin-up silhouette of this dress.

West Elm Inspired DIY Part 3: Red Lacquer Tray

I'm serious when I say I'm a perpetual DIYer. So perpetual, in fact, that sometimes there just isn't time to share everything here! I'm playing catch-up on projects that have fallen through the cracks, starting with this third installment of my series of DIY projects inspired by West Elm. (Part 2 a.k.a. Rope Lamps was just featured on Copycat Crafts! Yay!)

In addition to my love of lamps, I also love trays. It must be the neat freak in me (or as my friends would say, the Monica Geller in me) that is obsessed with the organizational possibilities of a tray. With a tray you can carry breakfast to the bedroom without spilling! With a tray, you can turn an ottoman into a coffee table! Truly delightful, aren't they?

No surprise, I've been drooling over West Elm's colorful lacquer trays ever since I first saw them.

The Magic of Varnish: Thrift Store Table Makeover

One of my favorite things about thrift store hunting is finding the unexpected. The other day when I was searching for a vase, I found this delicate and simple end table.

I tend to wander through all the departments of a thrift store, even when I'm searching for something in particular. On a clothing mission I'll check out furniture, on a knick-knack mission I'll poke through the shoes, and I usually check out the the lamps (I have a lamp problem). By doing this I expose myself to extra temptation, but when the price is right, I'll give in.

This table was only $4, a small enough dent in my wallet that I took it home.

Polo Shirts into Geometric Throw Pillows

It has been a long time since I posted regularly, so I'm playing catch-up on a few posts that I started at the end of the summer. My roommates and I have moved to a new house since then (more on that later) so most of the photos in this post were taken at the old place. I'll be showing you more of the new house as it comes together. In the meantime, here's a project with a little summer color to brighten up your winter days.

This past summer I found myself adoring the brightly colored and geometric pillows I saw in catalogs, blogs, and stores. And though I love the classic, baroque pattern of the throw pillows on our couch, they are a little heavy and dark looking for the warmer months.

Wrap Your Gifts With Thrift

Though the holidays are behind us, I thought I'd share with you a project that was well received this past season of cheer. With all the time and money that we put into finding the perfect gifts for our loved ones, we naturally want to present those gifts in wrap worthy of their purpose. But after all that shopping, who wants to spend another fortune on gift wrap?

If that sounds like a sales pitch, I'm starting to view sharing advice about thrifty living as a pitch for better living. You just might be able to have your cake and eat it too.

Don't worry, I'm not going to suggest something like wrapping your gifts in newsprint and fastening it with staples (I had a friend who wrapped gifts intended for his girlfriend this way). Instead, I'll describe my strategy for finding quality and creative gift wrap supplies for cheap at the thrift store.

Thifty Find: Clutch Purses

Fashion trends tend to repeat themselves. What's in fashion now is probably going to fashionable again down the road, whether fifteen, thirty, or fifty years from now. I think this is one reason bargain-hunters like me get so addicted to thrift store shopping. If it was popular ten-plus years ago, chances are you can find it in a thrift store.

Right now, popular fashion strikes me as a whole mess of later 20th century revivals. We've got some Mod style from the 60s, maxi dresses and sky-high platforms from the 70s, skinny jeans and high waisted shorts from the 80s, and flannel shirts and floral prints from the 90s.

I'm also seeing a lot of clutch purses.

The clutch purse first appeared as a fashion item in the 1920s and 1930s, but the ones I've been seeing in all the trendy shops like H&M seem very 1980s.

To me that means bold colors, boxy shapes, and fun textures. A few minutes of searching the purse rack at the thrift store and I found two!