My Latest Addiction: Gilt

"Gilt Groupe is the premier members-only website for fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. We provide access, by invitation only, to coveted brands for women, men, children and luxury living. Each sale lasts 36 hours and we have new designer sales every day. Our buyers hand-select every piece of merchandise we sell. Shopping on Gilt Groupe is a rush. Get addicted."

Yeah, thanks a lot Gilt, I'm officially addicted when it comes to shopping for baby stuff! I literally plan my schedule around their sales and I'm refreshing like a mad woman minutes before the sale starts. Hmm just writing this, I sound like I need to join a shopaholics anonymous group lol. I've always had a love for fashion and just quality products in general but I also love a good deal.

How it works is that once you receive an invite link, you register (no charge) on their website and then you can see what sales are coming up. Right now Maclaren and Crate & Levi products, among other things, are on sale. Each sale only lasts for 36 hours so if you really want something from a specific company you need to act fast before they sell out.

Here is an invite link: http://www.gilt.com/invite/mylink24588

In honor of full disclosure, I get $25 for every first purchase made but once you sign up you can send out your own invitation link and get the same deal. Here is my recent loot from Gilt that I got awesome deals on:

Petunia Pickle Bottom Organic Sling

Maclaren Volo Buggy
Crate & Levi Frog Puppet

Goodbye Heels, Hello Flats

I'm quickly learning that my beloved heels are not very pregnancy friendly, so I'm on the search for some cute flats. I love colorful and unique shoes but I don't want something super expensive because summer is just around the corner here in Arizona and I'll soon be on a sandal search. Any suggestions?

Alfani Shoes - Shirley Flats

Blowfish Shoes - Sitano

Merona Shoes - Madalena Suede Flats
Chinese Laundry Shoes - Sweet Caroline

Fabulous Find: Yellow Winter Coat

Oh how I wish I lived in a colder climate so I could justify purchasing this gorgeous mustard-yellow coat! I know I shouldn't be complaining about our perfect winter weather here in Arizona but I would happily trade our 65 degree weather for this coat!

Yellow Winter Coat by MaionFashionDesign

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away!

I love rainy days, especially because they are so rare here in sunny Arizona. It has strangely been raining non-stop for the past week and I'm tempted to buy a pair of cute rain boots or at least a fun umbrella, but I know this won't last and I will just end up looking ridiculous in this. Maybe I should move to Seattle, WA just so I can pull off these cute accessories!

Tiny Umbrella by Artocrat

Fashion Inspired: Glee

Because I'm suffering from serious Glee withdrawals and the next show doesn't air until November 11th, I thought I would post a little Rachel Berry inspired fashion - Etsy style of course! For those of you who haven't seen Glee (what are you waiting for?), Rachel is a member of the show choir and an extreme perfectionist who knows she will be a star someday. She's overconfident to a fault but still endearing and her fashion reflects that.

Yellow Cabled Granny Cardigan from good grace

Plaid Circle Skirt from leolucaescobar
Preppy Red Loafers from DejaBlonde
Gold Star Necklace from Sparkle Thots

Check out my Emma inspired fashion finds HERE.

Glee

Does anyone else adore this show? If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can watch full episodes here. Go. Now. I literally laugh out loud at every single episode and I make Mr. Designs by Vanessa (who also secretly loves it...well maybe love is an overstatement but he does like it) watch the song scenes over and over again. I'm not sure if I should admit this but I actually like Emma's (the guidance counselor) outfits. She is obsessively put together but her outfits are obnoxiously bright and cheery...I love it!


With a little inspiration taken from Emma, here are my fabulous finds...

Vintage Green Paisley from Dogwood Flower Designs


Vintage Vera Ferragamo from Regal Vintage


The Julie by Dana LeBlanc

How-To: Shirt Full of Posies

After taking some inspiration from Pretty in Pink (the parts where Andie, aka Molly Ringwald, refurbishes old/ordinary clothes into something new and fabulous), I decided to make my own ruffle/corsage shirt. So without further adieu, I give you my very first (but not my last) tutorial!

You'll need to get 2 shirts- same style/color. Buy the 1st shirt in your size and the 2nd shirt in the largest size available. You'll be cutting up the 2nd shirt and the larger the size, the more fabric you will have. I bought these 2 shirts at target on sale for $4 each, a grand total of $8 for this project!


For your posies, you will need 3 different sizes of circles. I used what I could find for my stencils- a spool of ribbon, a spool of jewelry wire and a container top. Just use whatever you can find or just eyeball it, the sizes are completely up to you.


I used a fabric pencil to trace my "stencils" onto my 2nd shirt. If you don't have a fabric pencil handy, you can always trace your circles onto paper, pin the paper to fabric and cut away.


Now start cutting out your circles. I found it easiest to layer my fabric and cut out 3 circles at a time.



Keep cutting until you have your desired amount of posies. 1 Small, 1 medium, 1 large circle makes up 1 flower. It is completely up to you how many you want to make and how "full" you want your shirt to look. I wanted a really full and ruffly look so I made around 18 posies. Don't worry about your circles being perfect.



Next, sew your posies to your shirt. You can either machine stitch (3 stitches front and 3 stitched back) or hand sew them on. Pinch the flower before sewing to get the bunchy look. I started out on my sewing machine but I quickly moved to hand sewing because I found that it was much easier to bunch and pinch the layers. This doesn't need to be perfect- the messier the bunching, the better.


Bunch the posies close together. I staggered mine a little, still bunched in tight, in a zigzag pattern. You can see that my circles are already looking like posies after only 3 have been sewn on. I could have stopped here for a different look.


Keep sewing until you have a shirt full of posies- super cute and very affordable!



If you try this tutorial, please add your photos to the Designs by Vanessa Tutorial Flickr Group so we can all see your shirt! Don't be afraid to try this, it was actually very simple to accomplish.

Summer Lovin'

I'm drooling over this new etsy shop that I stumbled upon today. Tortilla Girl is feminine, breezy, summery and absolutely lovely. I'll let you drool with me...

Chaumont Sleeveless Linen Dress

Impressionist Ink Linen Skirt

Soft French Lace Bag


Promenade Dress

Summer Loves

My Summer Loves:

the smell of sunscreen
reading a good book by the pool
outdoor concerts
pedicures
girly sundresses
flip flops
my birthday in July
summer vacations
gelato
strappy sandals
fireworks
outdoor photography
walking around barefoot
margaritas
travel
watermelon
cherries
not having to wear a coat
picnics
sunglasses
summer nights
trips to the zoo
weekend trips
swimming

What are your summer loves?

The Dolly Dress by 3ampoems

White Strapless Bubble Dress by larimeloom

White As Snow Dress by sarahseven

Wordless Wednesday: Fashion Police

The Fashion Police by Sarah Ridgley


Fashion Violation by Sarah Ridgley

Retail Therapy

I got in some much needed retail therapy today. I got this new top and the puff sleeve cardigan (mine is in mustard) by Chelsea & Violet. If you love frilly and feminine but still love bold colors you will love Chelsea & Violet!

By the way, I'm trying out new blog layouts so bare with me until I find one that "fits" ;-)

Hello, my name is Vanessa, and I’m a shoe-a-holic!

I fully intended to walk into the shoe store today to buy a pair of running shoes to replace my old ones. As I walked into the store I was faced with a fork in the road- to the left were boring running shoes and to the right were beautiful pumps and sandals. What is a girl to do? My feet pulled me to the left but I was "just looking" because I was on a strict running shoe mission. I was so proud of myself for "just looking" as I admired how great the rows of pumps would look on my feet but not even stopping to try them on...that was until I saw these...

It was love at first sight! I thought, "I'll just try them on, no harm in trying them on". Needless to say, I now own some very cute Nina Doll shoes and no new running shoes.

My hubby: "Let's see your running shoes"

Me: "Did I say I was getting running shoes? Well I guess I could run in these if I had to"