DIY - Scarf Flower Pin: Guest Blogging for DCGF

I'm on the mend and today I'm guest blogging over at the DC Goodwill Fashionista's blog.  I did a fun new DIY using a scarf from Goodwill, some thread and a pin/brooch blank.  Using those simple supplies, I created a fabric flower pin.

The finished pin

You all know I love changing up items I've found at Goodwill.  I snagged this scarf for a steal and with some very simple sewing (even for those of you who never sew) created a fun flower pin.

Check out all of the details over at the DCGF blog.

Frugal Fashion Friday Guest Post - Intimate Budget DC Wedding Venues

Today I'm going to ask your forgiveness for straying from fashion but we are still being frugal. I'm thrilled that guest blogging today here on RGR is my friend, Bree of Washington, DC wedding blog, Capitol Romance. I've met some amazing people through blogging and Bree is one of the best. She writes a fantastic blog that I enjoy reading (even before I was wedding planning) and she's a super cool person. I'm sure you'll enjoy this post and when you're done be sure to run over and check out Capitol Romance.  Here's Bree!

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome for small-budget weddings in Washington, DC, is finding a venue to accommodate a smaller, intimate wedding with a lower price tag too! Unfortunately Google tends to return not much help in that department – and the more well known venues in DC {the ballrooms, the hotels, the historic buildings, etc} tend to run pricey AND are better suited for larger weddings.

Fortunately for you, I have done some research, digging to find smaller, offbeat wedding venues in Washington, DC. I’ve featured a few smaller weddings on my blog that have been able to scour our city’s venues and find the ones that are more appropriate for smaller/intimate weddings!

1)  The Articulate Gallery 

Located just blocks from the White House – this gallery is one of my favorite low-budget, intimate wedding venues in DC! It has a bright modern feel to it – and art galleries are always good options for low-budget brides, as they are already decorated! Check out more pictures and information on the rental space here.    

Check out Jack and Liz’s wedding at the Articulate Gallery here.

2)  The Human Rights Campaign – Equality Center 

Located in Logan Circle, there is a modern building called The Human Rights Campaign – inside is a center, awesomely named, the Equality Center, and you can rent it for events! There is so much that I love about the name/history of this place and what it stands for. I even considered this as my own wedding venue because I loved the idea of getting married in a place that fought for human rights and equality for all!    

  

3)  Fathom Gallery 

Another art gallery option for DC area couples, searching for that small, intimate wedding venue – without the sky-high prices. Plus, like I mentioned with #1, art galleries rule for low-budget weddings because no additional decor [or at least not a ton of it] is really needed! 

4)  The Parks House  

The Parks House is in Georgetown, on “Embassy Row” and it has “historic Washington, DC” written all over it. There are multiple rooms and a gorgeous garden (a garden ceremony? In love with the idea!) and would make for an ideal intimate venue in DC proper. 

5)  The Tabard Inn 

The Tabard Inn is actually a boutique hotel in Dupont Circle. But it is available to rent as an event space for smaller events. The banquet halls are the perfect mixture of traditional and offbeat – as you can see here with the crown molding, but lime green paint.

 

Check out a real wedding at the Tabard Inn here. 

6)  The Cranford House  - The Cranford House is home to the American News Woman’s Club and is an architectural treasure! It’s a historic, 4-story townhouse outside Dupont Circle in Embassy Row. Perfect if you want the elegance of a French revival home, for a more intimate setting for your wedding.

Click here for a real wedding at the Cranford House.

Thanks Bree, for helping me keep my sanity and giving me great venue suggestions! Don't forget to check out Washington DC wedding blog, Capitol Romance.

Happy Friday Real Girls!

DIY - Duck Tape Clutch

Hi friends!  As you all know I did a DIY clutch recently for my friend Kati over at Secondhand Fantasy Land. It was so much fun and I loved doing it.  I'm glad I get to share the details with all of you as well as Kati's readers.Click on the link below and check out the post.  Let me know what you think.

Real Girl DIY Guest Post!

Pretty Woman - Guest Post from Kati of Secondhand Fantasy Land

Today I'm hosting Kati from Secondhand Fantasy Land. She has a fantastic blog and the coolest thrift store style.  I've asked her to give us some of her best thrifting tips. I'll be doing a little DIY tutorial on her blog of my DIY Duck Tape clutch on her blog soon. When you finish reading Kati's tips, run over and check out her blog. You'll love it!

Hey Real Girl Runway readers! I’m Kati from Secondhand Fantasy Land and I’m so excited to be guest blogging for Deb today. She’s one of my favorite bloggers, I'm always steal amazing DIY ideas from her. I can totally relate to her experience as a “real girl” obsessed with clothes and style who finds ways around dropping the big bucks on designer goods. That’s where my thrift store addiction comes in handy! Combing through those bloated racks and collecting armfuls of odd yet appealing fabrics is like a drug to me, but it wasn’t always such an effortless endeavor. It can be overwhelming to walk into a secondhand store for the first time. And I’m not talking about those “vintage boutiques” which charge way extra to basically do all the hard work of sifting through the crap for you; I’m talking “Goodwill,” “Value Village,” “Salvation Army” and the like. These places are like infinite abysses of chaos, with magical awesomeness weaved in. The challenge is learning how to find the needles within the haystack, if you will; the diamonds in the rough. Never fear though, I have some fool-proof tips to get you through it.

●     Know Your Closet: This is probably true for all types of shopping, but it’s a really important tip. We all know nothing is worse than coming home with a haul of skirts when you already have a million skirts and what you really need are shirts to go with those skirts (learned that one the hard way). The best thing about thrift stores is that they have a lot of everything, so half the battle is really just knowing what to look for.

●     The Planning Lap: All thrift stores are laid out differently, but they all have some sort of organizational system. When you first get to the store, walk around and take everything in before you start digging through the racks. This way you’ll be able to figure out the sections of the store you want to focus on and which ones you can skip. Most thrift stores simply classify each rack as a type of clothing for a specific gender. The breakdown can be very specific or more broad depending on the store, but either way a preliminary lap can be a great way to make the entire experience seem less overwhelming

●     Branch Out Size-Wise: Clothing sizes are really annoying in general, but the great thing about thrift stores is that they literally mean nothing. That’s kind of already true in mainstream stores, but even more so when you’re shopping secondhand. Many times thrift stores will sub-organize their racks by size, but seriously, don’t pay attention to that. I’ve found some of my all time favorite purchases in the maternity section and I ain’t even mad.

●     Follow Your Instincts: The great thing about thrifting is that you’re not going to hate yourself and hurt your wallet with each purchase. Sure, there’s the potential to go nuts and get waaayyy too much stuff (been there), but generally speaking thrifting is pretty much guilt-free. Do you really like that dress but you’re afraid it’s too long? Get it and hack off the bottom later! Is that fabric to-die-for but the cut is unflattering? Get it and use it for a fun DIY project. The point is that this is supposed to be fun and if you see something you like, trust yourself and at least entertain it. I know when I’m shopping at Urban or the mall or something, every piece I pick up automatically goes through a checklist in my brain: Will it look good on me? How much is it? Do I need it? Will I wear it more than once? Will it go with the stuff I already have? It’s enough to make me just want to go home and forget the whole ordeal. With thrifting, you have the chance to turn that voice off and just let yourself pick the things that appeal to you. Eventually the annoying naggy voice will be replaced with a much mellower whisper.

●     Have Fun!: This is the most important tip I could give any new thrifter. If you don't have fun when you're secondhand shopping, then you're definitely doing it wrong. That's literally the only way you could thrift “wrong.” Whether you leave the store with your arms barely able to carry the weight of your awesome purchases or go out totally empty handed is beside the point. The great thing about thrifting is the opportunity to make clothes fun again; to play dress up and to laugh! Don't get discouraged by all the ridiculous clothes that you would never wear, enjoy them. And someone please figure out how to bring big puffy eighties sleeves back in style because my local Goodwill is teeming with them!

Here I am wearing my “Pretty Woman Dress,” one of my favorite thrift store purchases ever! The shoes, belt and necklace were also thrifted. The dress was the most expensive purchase at $7.50, the shoes were $4 and the belt and the necklace were both $1.99. The sweater, in the last shot, is my boyfriend Xander's.

 

 Don't you just love Kati?!  Thanks so much to her for guest blogging today.  

Flats fit for Weddings

I'm thrilled to have Bree of Capitol Romance guest blogging today! As you all know I'm wedding planning and have been looking for some flats to change into later in the evening. Bree's blog is full of fantastic ways to make your wedding unique and special. I'll be guest blogging on Capitol Romance next week.  When you finish reading Bree's post, be sure to pop over and check out her blog, including pictures of her own wedding. Bree and her husband Andy are two of the coolest people you'd ever hope to meet.  I promise, you'll love her blog, even if you aren't planning a wedding.

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When it came time to find my shoes for my wedding this past November, I really only had one thing in mind: comfy flats. I have never been much of a heels girl (how do you walk in them ... let alone DANCE in them?) and I was always big on having all the attire and accessories in my wedding be reusable and able to be worn again. My bridesmaids got to wear whatever LBD they wanted and the groomsmen bought some sweet grey Volcom suits to match their black chucks, of course.

All the wedding attire was falling into place, but I had yet to find my shoes! I began my search while images of my sister's lonely white heels, lying in my parent’s spare bedroom for the past 3+ years started swimming into my mind. This only confirmed my notion that I wanted flats in a color and style that I knew I would wear again.

For the non-heeled brides like me, I figured it might help to find some inspiration pictures and other flat suggestions for my fellow flat-shoed friends to use in their search for the perfect wedding flats!

1. DC Bicycle Built For Two

One day I happened to be sale shopping (the only sort of shopping I do) at Free People and South Moon Under and found THE PAIR! Finally, the most adorable, satin-y flats for my own wedding! Behold, BC's Bicycle Built For Two. (ps- how adorable is that shoe name ... and pps- is it sad that sometimes I buy shoes for their names? Case in point, I bought a pair mainly because they were named ‘Breeann’ – my name...) They were PERFECT! Another bonus is that they also come in even more adorable shades of: purple, teal, or black.

2. Green Anthropologie Flats

Love me some Anthropologie flats in the most adorable shade of green. How perfect would these be if your flowers were sunflowers? They would match to a "T".

3. Multi-colored and varied patterns with a fantastic price!
Wedding-appropriate flats at DSW with a great price tag? Say no more:

4. Toms!!
And the bride wore ....TOMS! (and her bridesmaids did too!). Photo courtesy of Natalie Gibbs Photography. For more pictures of this awesome wedding & the Toms, see our feature here.

5. Something Blue

Check out these beautiful blue flats! (via Roman Grinev Photography)

Or some extra sparkly blue flats, courtesy of James Reyes Photography

6. They Call Me Mellow Yellow
These yellow flats are adorable, perfect, and look so comfortable! The entire wedding is also something you most definitely want to take a look at, courtesy of Leo Druker Photography.

7. Pretty in Pink ~ Madeline Brand Flats
I love Madeline brand shoes – I own a few myself (super comfy) and actually made my bridesmaids buy these awesome hot pink Madeline shoes (they were heels … but they were all ok with that!).  How adorable are these “Wonderful Day” practically-flats which are also available in Navy! Love.

8. Blowfish is code for COMFORT
If you don’t own a pair of Blowfish shoes – then you are missing out. They are seriously some of the comfiest shoes I have ever owned. Here are some of my fav flats from them:

Skass

Scoodle

Skarla

And finally ~ these nautically themed flats (Sandbox) would look amazing on a boat wedding!!

9. Polka Dots
I must admit that I searched for HOURS for polka dot flats for my own wedding before I found my satiny grey beauties mentioned earlier. I gave up after never finding any that fit what I was looking for or my budget. Now as I search for this post, I have found PERFECT polka dot flats for a wedding. How amazing are these by way of Rocket Dog??

10. Vintage meets Budget
This incredibly gorgeous vintage bride (and wedding!) went with flats from Charlotte Russe! See – you don’t need to spend a fortune on your shoes to look good. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs and shot by Rebekah J Murray.

Hope you all enjoyed my ideas and inspirations for wearing flats for your wedding day!  Be comfortable all day on your big day, but still be stylin’!

Thanks so much to Deb for letting me guest post on her awesome blog! Best, Bree of Capitol Romance

Guest Post - Women Who've Influenced My Style, Jean of All Trades

I'm thrilled to be swapping blogs for the day with Jean of Jean of All Trades.  She has great style and I love her blog!

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I’m Jean White of Jean of all Trades and I’m honored to be a guest blogger here at Real Girl Runway. This guest exchange is part of the Feminist Fashion Bloggers group posts that we coordinate every month. You can see Real Girl Runway’s post on my site.

If you ask me about women who’ve influenced me, I might rattle off names of feminists, authors, and other high-profile people like Margaret Atwood, Amelia Earhart, and Qiu Jin. It’s true that I admire these women and I’ve learned a lot from them, but some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned are from women a bit closer to home.

My mother and grandmother (Mom and Oma, as I call them) were—and still are—big influences on me. So, with Mother’s Day still in recent memory, I thought it would be fitting to share with you things I’ve learned from them.

I learned to think for myself, to form my own opinions, and to speak my mind without caring about what other people might say. I learned I can do anything I put my mind to and that earning my own money is important. I also learned about style.

Style isn’t trivial! The way I dress reflects the way I feel about myself. It’s artistic and creative. I won’t make it something it isn’t, but it is fun.

From my Oma: Going blonde can be great—but don’t get in a rut. Oma was blonde for most of her life, but I have a few great photos of her as a brunette. And later in life, when she decided that going natural was more convenient, she rocked a great silvery ‘do.

Wide-legged trousers are your friend. They’re classic, timeless (with the exception of a few years in the 80s at least), and comfortable.

Heels are elegant. Wear them with pants or dresses, but make sure they fit comfortably and that you can still walk in them.

Get noticed. Experiment with color, textures and patterns. Gold lamé has its place. So do Pucci prints, velour, and python patterns. Oma wore a zebra print wrap dress when she married her second husband. Go Oma!

My mother on the other hand, rebelled against the prim and proper 40s and 50s sentimentality that shaped Oma’s sense of style. In the 60s she learned a few things, some of which are still applicable:

Miniskirts are fun! Wear them. If you are shy about that idea, then make a mini your bathing suit cover-up or try one with tights in winter. If fitted isn’t your style, try an A-line.

Giant sunglasses are a great way to look chic, are great when you don’t want to wear makeup, and—because they help prevent squinting—are a super way to avoid the premature signs of aging.

Comfort counts. You can’t be yourself if you’re wearing a girdle and 5” heels (if you can, more power to you). My mom couldn’t and didn’t. She looked groovy in everything from Birkenstocks to Beatle boots. Sometimes she wore bellbottoms and other time pedal-pushers. She looked good, and more importantly, she felt good. And when you feel good, you can have fun!

Both my Mom and Oma weren’t afraid to alter a garment to make it fit better. I’ve learned that trick too. And I’ve inherited their combined styles (which are a bit contradictory at times). I enjoy heels, but wear flats too. I love tailored pieces, but enjoy unstructured and relaxed silhouettes. I definitely like colors and patterns. Fishnets are always in style – and they’re durable.

The three of us didn’t always agree on fashion, but we always had fun experimenting. We all influenced each other’s choices. Oma had to convince me that wide-legged pants were a good choice. But in exchange, she added leggings to her wardrobe.

Who are your style influencers? Did you inherit your mom’s fashion sense or are you blazing your own trail?

Frugal Fashion Friday - Guest Blogging on DCGF

Hi Friends,  it's the ultimate in Frugal Fashion Friday. I'm guest blogging today over at the DC Goodwill Fashionista! Thanks so much to DC's Goodwill Fashionista for hosting me today on her blog.  You should all sign up to follow it via email or make it a regular stop on your blog tour.

I'm so excited to be over there sharing my DIY tips and projects. Grab your favorites shoes, do a couple of stretches and run on over to check out my post. CLICK HERE or on the picture below.

Happy Friday Real Girls!

     

Friday's Fancies - DC Fundraising Chic

I did a little contributing post on GalTime.com today.  There is a weekly post titled Friday's Fancices.  It is the brain child of fellow blogger, {av} of {long distance loving}. The idea is to create a Friday outfit with a limitless budget. It's exciting to pick items just because you love you them and not think about the cost.

Well you know I couldn't just leave it at that. I love a challenge. I recreated the outfit, RGR style.  I got the same look for just a few dollars more than the cost of the blouse in the original outfit! I even threw in some neutrals from the Spring Picks list.

Here is my Frugal Edition.

Friday's Fancies Frugal Edition Political Fundraiser by Real Girl Runway featuring a sequin skirt

Now click over to GalTime.com and check out the original outfit with Balmain, Alexander McQueen, diamonds, and Christian Louboutin.

DC is a Fashion Town - 2011 Disctrict Sample Sale

Last night I had the opportunity to cover the 10th District Sample Sale for GalTime.com, Deacon Does DC and my little ol' blog too.  My fellow blogger friend McLean Robbins of Deacon Does DC usually covers the event. She had to be out of town on business and I took the fashion bullet for her, which is made out of faux fur and satin by the way.

Check out the coverage on Deacon Does DC and GalTime. Below is a slideshow of event photos.





I'm sure you all want to know if I got any bargains. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly in the smaller size range of many of the boutiques. I however, was undaunted by that fact and went in search of awesome shoes and accessories.  I got an amazing pair of shoes by Coclico from Simply Soles for 80% off!  Yes, that's right 80% off! I also got some killer jewelry from Mona Assemi and a beautiful illustration from Yanique. You can see her illustrations in the slide show above.

Here is a little net sneak peak of my awesome shoes. I'll be wearing them in an upcoming post.

Now rush on over to Deacon Does DC and read my coverage of the District Sample Sale!