Prepare for the 4th of July

 

 All images above via Pinterest

Our little city is doing its fireworks tonight. Whether you're scrambling for something to wear last minute, or you are looking for ideas for this Wednesday, there are so many fun options floating around! I think I may like that last look the best. Simple white dress, and lots of red and white accessories.
 

Sweet Sugar Belle has a great diy tutorial for making your own candy buttons! I would want to make these in some bright funky colors (neon pink and blue anyone?!?!?) but, for the holiday and all.... 

this would work perfectly. All you need is freezer paper and icing! 

There is even a link to a recipe for quick icing, and directions on making the cute packaging. 

Cake pops for the 4th of July

Get started on your baking for this weekend and Wednesday a little bit early!
Cake balls are still popular, and since they're bite sized, they're perfect for your 4th of July activities.

Bring em to a bbq, carry a container to munch on during the fireworks, or put them on sticks for real "pops"!

Cake pops from MyJuiceCup

I can't bake. Yeah, I just can't do it. I'm terrible at it. If it involves flour, theres a 95% chance I WILL mess it up. This may mean there is a shortage of treats in our house. That's probably good, right? The less in the house, the less you eat, and the fatter you don't get? hahahah. Well, since I can't bake, I won't be making these. I will gladly accept gifts though. They look delicious. ;-)

Outfit 6/28 Floral shorts and Vintage necklace

 

 

 

 Yellow floral shorts: Rue21

White button down: Aeropostale

White beaded flats: Steve Madden

Yellow bead necklace: Vintage

The only way to get used to posing for the camera is to practice right?

One of these days I'll get over my camera fright.

Until then, you can have some awkward photos of me. 

As I climb the pecan tree in the front yard. 

What do you do to feel more comfortable in front of the camera lens?

DIY your way through Denim

Quick! Before it gets too hot out to wear long denim!
(what am I saying? It was 109 here today. I think we've already hit that mark) 

Stamp your own geometric shapes on Studs.and.Pearls

 

Ombre jeans with dye and a spray bottle at  Stripes.and.Sequins

 

American Flag jeans for Fourth of July? Yes! Check out N-Stitches for directions how.

Instagram Roundup

I haven't had too much time to update the past few days. So you can see what I've been up to!

1. Iced coffee. Cupcake. The cupcake was fantastic- bacon, beer, and creamcheese. Yeah.

2. The boyfriends band played. The Minor Prophets.

3. My parents fat cat, Batman. (yes, there is a Robin in the house too!)

4. Gouda and wine for dinner Friday evening.

5+6. Me trying to be artsy. bahahaha

7. A very good friend is in town from LA. Her and her pink hair!

8. Me, and two very fun boys.

9. The coolest tattoo a biker could get? Possibly yes.

10. Terry Allen Band. Well, 2 of them. My bff Tayler on drums Saturday night. 

Cleaning the Closet Part 4 - dresses

This is an ongoing war between me and the attempt to simplify my wardrobe. 

Todays battle was with skirts, dresses, and pajamas.

 

Confused? Yeah, you should be. Any and everything I've worn as pajamas for a few years now. 

Yes, indeed, those are penguin pants. Annnnd matching shorts. Yoga pants that are town out. 

Soccer shorts... and lets not talk about how old those are. (I played soccer in Jr High!)

HUUUGE polkadot pants. I could probably fit 4 of me in those. bahah.

This is what I ended up putting in the "give" pile.

 

Soffe shorts added. Tinkerbell pants. 

Things that adults probably shouldn't wear. ;-)

 

Left, short skirts. Middle, long skirts. Right, dresses.

That grey flower skirt? It's been in my closet since 9th grade. 2000. hahah.
The gold skirt is Simply Vera, vera wang. I love it. Loooove it. I need to find someone who can sew to shorten it for me though. It's a very awkward just-under-knee length. And shiny. Very shiny!

What I got rid of. Not much, but a start.
Denim skirt is too big. Zebra print, oy. Other things that just look bad, or don't fit.

My pile to giveaway keeps getting larger. I probably should finish this up soon, as the pile is in the dining room and someone will probably start to notice it soon. "Hunny, is there a reason why your closet now includes the dining room floor?" hmm... well...

Miss any updates?
Part 1

Part 2 - Shoes

Part 3 - Bags and Belts

Music Monday - Dan Tedesco and Colossus of Rhodes

I wrote this yesterday. Apparently, I hit save instead of publish.
So this is music Monday, as seen on Tuesday. heheh
A small taste of who I saw live this past Friday.

Colossus of Rhodes
A little bit of a funny story. While these guys were performing, they mentioned that "The Minor Prophets cd has been in my car since they came to town and I got it". The minor prophets is the band my boyfriend is in, and they played with these guys in Lubbock, TX a few weeks ago. While at that show, me and Chuck (the bf) picked up a copy of CORs cd. Funny enough, their cd hasn't left my car cd player since then.
I like good metal. I really like good local metal.
This is the only cover song I've heard them do, but they do it like a boss!
What's better than a good cover song? One with a video of zombies... fast zombies.
Find them on facebook and give a few songs a listen on reverbnation.

Dan Tedesco
I had no idea this guy was opening Friday night up until a just a few hours prior to the show. It's a little folk rockish. I was wondering how well that would fit with the other band. Also, I wondered if it would bore me. Lets face it, most slow moving guitar stuff like this just isn't high energy enough for me while at a pub. I want to move around and get up and dance, not cry into my beer, which a lot of similar music feels like.
I went in with my doubts, and they were turned over quite quickly.
 I was highly impressed.
This guy is am absolutely amazing guitar player, and has a fantastic voice. I loved all his originals, but I must say this above video I found was the best cover he did. I even had to grab a Tshirt before leaving. He was that good! If you like lighter rock, check him out. Especially if you're in his hometown area of Chicago, IL.
Find him on facebook, twitter, as well as his own website.

Go Purple or Go Home

 

The Fabulous Stains 

 

buy at GypsyTreasureCove

 

buy at Rocktopolis

Fontina Blackberry Basil Smash Grilled Cheese per Pinterest(dead link)

Pinterest (dead link)

 

Pinterest (dead link)

 

Queen in Heels

 

Polyvore set

Instagram Roundup

1. The start of a new DIY
2. Afternoon drive
3. Tilapia, mixed veggis, and sourdough with tomato and feta
4. Posted at the top of a house downtown
5. See photo #1
6. To get through the last workday of the week.

Follow me @alterdelenda

Craft It - Give old shoes a Neon Pop DIY

 In one of my 'cleaning out my closet' posts, I mentioned a pair of shoes that weren't worth keeping in the condition they were in, but were too perfectly good to throw away. The best thing to do in that case?
DIY it!

This pair of shoes has been fantastic. Honestly, i've only worn them a small handful of times. 

I tend to wear more blacks than I do browns. Somehow while tucked away somewhere this lovely pair started to discolor in the front rubber piece. The color difference is enough that you can tell from pretty far away that one shoe is much more faded than the other.

Can you tell how dark the right one is compared to the left?

Things you need to fix this:
Nail polish

That's it! I could use paint, but I wanted something I already had on hand. You could use spray paint, but it would take a bit longer since you'd have to tape off the rest of the shoe. Most acrylics aren't as shiny as nail polish, and I wanted this pair to really POP by the time I was done with them.

The nail polish is a clearanced bottle from Hottopic. I need to remind myself why they clearance things sometimes... this stuff really isn't a long lasting nail polish. (plus, it's a little goopy. Ick).

I went around the top and outside of one shoe, then the other... then went back for the other side and back. This gave one side a little bit extra time to dry. I would recommend this as I learned the hard way, and rested a shoe on my leg as I was painting the other side. Ooops! 

This was a pretty thick coverage polish, so I only used two coats. Grab a few Q-tips and soak them in nail polish remover before you start so that you can quickly remove any mistakes or drips from other areas.

I finished mine off with a coat of bright yellow from a paint marker on the outside edges. 

Get creative. You can go with one color, or use a mix of a few different ones.
Try different shades of the same color for a nice ombre effect.

 

Spring Peaches and Gunmetal

American Vintage layering tee, £45
Floral jeans, $30
Charlotte Olympia clutch handbag, €597
Rustic Heart Leather Bracelet, $24
Moss Green and Black Necklace, $41
Gray Pebbles Earrings with Bow, $24

I've been busy on Polyvore this afternoon! I love playing with colors.  This particular set was inspired by the three pieces of jewelry pictured.  All come from the same handmade jewelry shop.

ChelseaGirlDesigns



The owner of the online boutique, Julie, uses many mediums to get an almost bohemian rustic feel in her pieces. Gemstones, mixed metals, colors, vintage beads, charms, and tons of textures.
These darker pieces would be great on top of white and peach. All very affordable too! 
(ok, all except maybe that clutch I included in the mix. We can dream though.)

Perfect for a punch of texture and color on top of any outfit.

Outfit 6/13 A Hint of Pink

 

 

 

Transition: "can you see down this shirt?" to  "Did you just take a photo of me looking down my shirt?!"

Pink tank: Rue 21

White/Black tank: Candies from Kohls

Capris: Rue 21 ($12)
White heels: Deb. (not sure of the brand, labels wore off, they were cheap though. $15 maybe?)
Purse: XOXO from Ross

Pink chain anklet DIY-- White bead necklace: vintage--assortment of bracelets
Nails: Ice brand, orange color