How to Wear a Vintage Rock T-Shirt

Lucky for me I saved many of my old concert t-shirts. I have some dating back to my earliest concert days.  One of my favorites is my U2 t-shirt from 1985.  I also have t-shirts from Duran Duran, AC/DC, and others. I frankly wished I'd saved more of them. If you didn't save your favorite concert t-shirt or you weren't even alive when the band was still together, you're in luck. There are reproductions everywhere.  But please, if you decide to wear a band's t-shirt (repro or original) at least know the band and their music. If you're wearing a Ramones t-shirt and you don't know who Joey Ramone is and have never heard the songs  "Blitzkrieg Bop" or "Rock n' Roll High School", I will insist that you wear another shirt. Don't disrespect the band (the Ramones or any band). Better yet, get a rock education and buy their songs on iTunes.  Rock tees are more than just fashion. That's the music lover in me talking.

There is so much great street style for inspiration.

I love the way that people are styling rock tees in all sorts of outfits.  They aren't just for jeans and sneakers anymore. A couple of ideas for styling your favorite rock t-shirt.

Add a tuxedo jacket to your favorite pair of printed jeans. Grab a fancy clutch and some shiny or sparkly shoes. I love my mirror, silver oxfords. You could also do heels. And you're ready for an evening out.

I love the contrast of the rock t-shirt with girlie pieces.  Adding strappy heels, a flowy skirt and a ladylike bag is a cool change for your casual t-shirt.

How do you wear your favorite concert t-shirt?

Keep an eye out, a few blogger friends and I are going to do a concert tee styling day soon.

DIY - Some of my favorites

I've spent the last few days getting things ready for our big wedding DIY weekend. I realized late last night that I didn't have a blog post for today.  Instead of not posting, I decided to give you all a post showing you some of my personal favorite DIY projects. 

Chain Detail Jacket - I love that just some craft store chain can elevate a jacket.  It was one of my early DIY projects and one of my favorites. I wear this jacket often.

Duck Tape Clutch - The reason I love this DIY is because you can use any color or style of duct tape you like.  You can make it your own.

Rock Lyric Tee - Inexpensive t-shirt, stick on letters, spray paint, and your favorite rock lyric are all you need to create this t-shirt. It's a fun and cool addition to your casual wardrobe.

Silver Oxfords - If you have a pair of old oxfords or can grab a pair at the thrift store, you can create these shoes in just a few hours. I used silver but you could use any color you like. Neon pink would be fantastic.

Minty Shades - Nail polish as paint? Yes! The mint green polish elevated these shades from boring to wow and this entire project was finished in about an hour.

Safety Pin Necklace - I love DIY because I can create a designer style necklace for $900 less than the original.  Maybe it's my life long love of punk rock looks but safety pins as jewelry are fantastic.

Metallic Skull - Home decor DIYs are the best.  I get bored easily and love changing up the accents in our home.  A $1 plastic Halloween skull becomes a cool home accent with a little spray paint.

I hope these favorites of mine inspire you to get creative.  I'd love to hear about any projects you create.

DIY Inspiration - feathers, tulle and skulls OH MY!

I warned you it was a DIY week. I'm always collecting DIY inspiration. I pull images from magazines, save photos on my phone and pin ideas on Pinterest. Creativity is always running through my veins and my head. It's impossible to turn it off. Lately I've been inspired by all sorts of things.

 An easy and amazing way to update vintage clip earrings.  The soft fabric gives already dramatic earrings even more pop.

 Because we are using lots of peacock feathers in our wedding, I've been collecting ideas for boutonnieres and bouquets. Curling the feathers makes them even more striking, if that's possible.  I found this tutorial with tips on curling feathers.

A fun, easy and inexpensive sweatshirt idea.  I just need a cheap sweatshirt, stencil or a stamp and some paint.  You know I'm obsessed with skulls.

We're incorporating lots of music and rock n' roll touches into our wedding.  I've been collecting lyrics to incorporate into the wedding decor.

A tulle skirt has been on my list for ages.  I definitely need to make one immediately.  This post by Cotton and Curls even has a pattern! Now I have no excuses, except time.

As part of my new year, new exercise, I've started taking yoga classes.  This upcycled yoga mat carrier is genius.  I definitely have both of the things I need for this project!  I need to get rid of my old bras anyway.

Have you had any creative inspirations lately?

Mumbles on a Monday

I got up this morning and was in a huge rush. I had a client meeting and had to leave on time.  Then of course, because we live in DC and this is a way of life, traffic was not on my side.  I had to rush to get to my meeting and luckily I was on time. The rushing didn't start my day off well and I felt off kilter the rest of the day.  I'm sure that it doesn't help that my evil ADD is rearing it's head.  I need to narrow down my thoughts and ideas regarding wedding planning. We've found a venue and a photographer. Now I have to deal with sorting through the nightmare of catering.  I thought I'd share some of the things that are inspiring our rock n' roll style influenced wedding. Lots of these ideas are on Pinterest. I have even more and you can check them out on my boards.

Black chandeliers over the dance floor.  DIY, mercury glass, candle holders for the tables. Blue lighting and possibly black table coverings.  Peacock feathers and colors for decor and other items. A wedding dessert and candy bar displayed on mismatched, thrift store, cake stands and platters. Vinyl records as a backdrop for the photo booth. DIY table number, candle holders. Black beaded lace on the bodice of my dress. Glitter on the bottom of my shoes instead of all over glitter or crystals. Fancy shoes are mandatory! Save the Date announcements using custom concert tickets and a vintage rock poster/flyer.

We are going for a classy rock n' roll vibe for the evening.  I picture candles, mood lighting, and a lounge like club vibe. Since I can't find any photos of exactly what I have in mind, I've started making sketches to focus my thoughts.  I pulled out my sketch pad and my art pencils.

Thanks for indulging me, my friends.  If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.  I really appreciate all of the well wishes and support you are showing to me. The fabric suggestions you sent earlier were great! Keep them coming.

Have a great Monday (what's left of it).

Rock n' Roll Saturday Night

We went out to dinner on Saturday night and I had to sport my new t-shirt. It was a fun outfit to wear and comfy too. These pictures make it hard to read the wording on the t-shirt.  Make sure to check out yesterday's post for all of the DIY details.

Tuxedo Jacket - Gianfranco Ferre via Saks Off 5th, T-shirt - DIY, Jeans - NYDJ via Nordstrom Rack, Shoes - Taryn Rose via Nordstrom Rack, Bracelets - vintage and Premier Jewelry, Ring - DIY, Watch - gift, Earrings - Shecky's Girl Night Out, Lipstick - Maybelline Fifth Ave. Fuchsia, Nails - Revlon ColorStay in Rich Raspberry

DIY - Rock Graphic Tee

There are lots of great rock tees available but I'm always looking for the ones that speak to me personally. What if you could take your favorite lyric and turn it into a one of a kind shirt?  All you need are just four simple supplies and a song lyric you love.

Just a few simple supplies were needed.

SUPPLIES
t-shirt.                      $7
spray paint               $4 already owned (from my neon jewelry DIY)
stick on letters          $3 already owned       .
newspaper               ______________
                                $7 (not counting the items I already owned)            

I chose a few lines from a song I love and one I could turn into a great design. The line is from "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band. "Sweet like candy to my soul. Sweet you rock and Sweet you roll.". Because sweet comes before each line I could create a design with that single word.

I stretched the shirt over the newspaper. Then applied the stick on letters. I didn't worry about them being straight and even. Imperfection would add to the cool rock vibe. 

Then I sprayed the paint across the letters in a swash. I wanted it to look accidental.

I let the paint dry completely. Then I removed the letters. The best part of this DIY is that it is completely customizable. Choose any song lyric, t-shirt, color of spray paint, and letter style to make it your own.