diy | vintage button bracelet

So, I have this gigantic jar of buttons that I've been collecting, not really knowing what the heck I'm going to do with them. I was looking through them last night and discovered some pretty awesome Victorian buttons that I'd totally forgotten about. Score! I figured I'd bust 'em out and try to make some kind of cool bracelet with them... the possibilities are endless, really, but this is what I came up with last night!

First, you'll need leather for your bracelet strap (I just used a piece of scrap leather from a gigantic thrifted skirt that cost me $2.00), a rotary cutter (or fabric scissors), leather lacing (found at most craft stores), your choice of vintage buttons, and an exact-o knife.

Cut the leather to your desired width. I cut mine about half an inch wide. Then, cut the lenth to about 12 inches long, creating points at each end.

diy | the frayed flower

After making so many alterations to tops, dresses, pants, and whatever else, it's easy to start racking up on extra scraps of fabric... which is great--don't get me wrong! It's just a matter of putting those scraps to use. With this tutorial, you'll learn how to make cute little frayed flowers out of any old extra fabric! They're perfect to wear as broaches or hair accessories, and they make amazing gifts and decorations! The best part about making these is that they're super easy and only take about 5 to 10 minutes.

Okay, so here's what you'll need to start: fabric of your choice, scissors, needle and thread, and a button.

For the flower in this tutorial, I'm using one of Adam's pant legs from an old pair of jeans--personally, I like how the denim ones turn out in the end. I've also used old curtain fabric, flannel, and linen--try some different fabrics out and see what you might like best.

Next, you'll cut about an inch and a half wide of fabric, about 15 to 20 inches long. If you use a pant leg like I'm using, you'll want to cut off the hard edges so you have a long, smooth piece to work with. Then, fray the edges to your liking by roughing up the edges.

caught with my khakis down

I know... the name is a little scandalous, but you can't deny that this greenish, khaki color called "Caught With My Khakis Down" by OPI is simply amazing! I just bought it from Sephora a few days ago in need of a new autumn color, and needless to say, I'm in love! Now, I'm also a lifelong fan of OPI's grayish color called "You Don't Know Jacques!"... there's something about it that just screams "class" to me. Anyway, now that fall has finally arrived, I think you should all treat yourself to these OPI beauties to help you celebrate. :)

new vintage items for sale!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I certainly did... I was supposed to go to Washington D.C. this weekend, so I took Friday off of work, but my plans fell through and I ended up using my extra day off for a little "staycation". It's funny, though, three days somehow still wasn't enough of a break for me. :P 

Anyway, it's super late so I'm gonna make this short and sweet. I spent a little time taking some pictures of some new items I'm putting up for sale in my Etsy store, Veruca Salt Vintage! Here's a peak at just a few of the items:

Vintage 70s Burnt Orange Sweater

Vintage 70s Maroon Paisley Blouse

Vintage 80s Denim Vest w/ Black Velvet Collar

Vintage 70s Floral Blouse

Vintage 60s/70s Floral Blouse

Lots of cute clothes! I have so many more fall items to share, and I'm working on getting some of those things posted for you guys this week. I'll also be putting up a fun little DIY tutorial tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled!

Cheers to a new week!

free people love

Ugh, I love Free People... with a deep passion. I'm on lunch break and figured I'd post some of the amazing looks that I'm lusting over right now on their website. I just ordered a couple sweaters... I just couldn't contain myself. But anyway, since I can't afford most of what I want, it's at least some inspiration for fall fashion.

big things poppin'

Things have been hectic as usual for me, but I love it. Although my schedule has deterred me from getting to post as much, it's given me a little time to think about which direction I want to head with this blog and my Etsy store in the meantime.

First off, I've been keeping up with thrifting and have had some really great finds! I think my biggest issue has been getting good pictures of the items for my store... but I just got Photoshop tonight (eeeee! I'm so excited to learn the ins and outs of it!) and I just bought a dress form! I'm seriously so super happy. Here's a picture of the skirt I made the other night, paired with a vintage silk checkered blouse modeled by my new dress form.

Cute, huh? Please disregard the amateur Photoshop job as I did it in just a few minutes (thanks to the extremely helpful tips from my man!). But you get the idea: super cute homemade skirt, vintage blouse soon to be posted for sale, awesome dress form and new model for Veruca Salt Vintage, and Photoshop. Things are still coming along, I'd say!

So anyway, I'm excited to learn more about Photoshop so that when I get my new camera (hopefully by Christmas!) I'll be pro at this whole photo-taking/editing thing. I've always been into photography, but I've never invested in the hobby like I've wanted to--until now! I'm pretty stoked about it. And speaking of new hobbies, I also just recently learned how to make block prints! I was asking Adam if there was any way to make my own stamp (for my Etsy store logo) and he bought me a little linoleum block so that I could carve whatever I wanted into it! We went out and bought some tools, and I carved away--here's the final product:

 

I'm really happy with the final product! I'll probably work out a few kinks here and there, but overall, I love it. It's just so much fun doing all of these things yourself rather than buying everything already made. Plus, it's more meaningful that the final product is yours and only yours! 

On that note, I really want to start posting more clothing DIY ideas... I think that's the main focus I'd like to have with Veruca Salt. I mean, I have a zillion things that I want to try, and I think you guys will have just as much fun making and altering your own clothing as I do! I'll probably still update here and there with other fashion, health, and beauty ideas, but probably not as often as the DIY ideas and tutorials.

Well, that's it for now! I just wanted to give everyone an update so that no one thought I left little Veruca Salt high and dry. I've got some good stuff planned, but one step at a time. :)

cleaner skin with clarisonic

Are any of you familiar with the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System? I purchased one of these brushes a few months ago, and I'm in love! My dermatologist recommended it for me since I was taking medication that was drying out my skin super badly... it was disgusting. We all know that flaky skin can be the worst... sometimes gobbing lotion on it doesn't make it go away, makeup over top of flaky skin looks horrible, and sometimes if you scrub too hard you end up with "raw" spots. I've been there 'n had it all.

Anyway, I listened to my dermatologist and invested in one of these puppies. It's a little pricey, mind you, with the regular-sized Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System selling for about $225.00, but there is also a travel-size brush called the Clarisonic Mia, which only costs about half the price including the products. I ended up shelling out the money for the regular one (seeing as how Sephora sells it and I had a coupon for 20% off) and overall, I'm really happy with it!

I usually just use it once a day (or every other day) in the shower. I'm not sure about the Mia, but mine actually came with two different brush heads: one for the face, and a larger one for the body. After my first use of the brush on my face, my skin felt significantly softer... it was pretty awesome! Especially since, as I mentioned before, I was struggling with flaky skin. It seemed to do a pretty awesome job with stripping the dead skin cells without leaving my face looking like a tomato. I even used it on my lips and you could tell a difference! But, it could be easy to overdo it with this thing, so it's important to see  how it works with your skin and limit your daily use.

But, the benefits of this thing really go beyond exfoliation--at least according to the claims of the website.

Supposedly, sonic cleansing is 2x as effective as manual cleansing, removes 6x more makeup than manual cleansing, and there is 61% greater absorption of vitamin c (and other skincare products) after use. As opposed to manual cleansing, the Clarisonic brush uses a sonic frequeny of over 300 movements per second to clean the skin. It sounds a lot like the sonic toothbrushes that are everywhere, doesn't it? Apparently, the primary inventor of the Sonicare toothbrush helped create this skin cleansing system.

So, it's really up to you to decide if it's worth it--whether you think this brush will really make a difference in your daily routine or not. Personally, my skincare regimen before didn't seem to be as effective as I would've liked, so the Clarisonic brush has been a Godsend. But, because it is so pricey, it might be worthwhile look into a cheaper alternative (like the Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System) and maybe read other reviews before investing. If you want to look into it more, visit this FAQ page on the Clarisonic site... it seems pretty informative about everything you might want to know.

That's it for now! I hope you're all enjoying a fresh start to your week!