New website/blog love...

Lovelies! I found some NEW places online that I love to go to in order to waste time and daydream about fashion (as if I needed more reasons)...

First up - SPOOL NO.72 Clothing Company! Not only is the name just super-cool and throwback-sounding, but the site has lovely photography and unique, cozy, beautiful pieces that could really add something special to your basics. Sweaters, unique jewelry, floaty tops, ahhhhh...

Second - Sex and Coffee, the addictive fashion blog by young-California-transplant-now-living-in-Boston Melissa.

Not only does she weirdly remind me of my little (ultra-fashionable and pseudo-stylist) sister, but she puts together outfits and makeup looks that manage to be trendy, edgy, beautiful and feminine all at once. This is the main reason I am now obsessed with finding blue suede pumps.

Yes, I am jealous. Leave me alone to pore over her quirky self-styling so that I can try and emulate her. You should do it too.

What happened to Blossom?

If you are around my age, you watched the plethora of 1990's sitcoms that overtook the only networks that were on television at the time. Undoubtedly, you watched Mayim Bialik as Blossom, the quirky, independent, funny girl that dealt with the pre-teen angst we all felt growing up, complete with all the worst parts of '90's accessories. And remember her friend Six? Ridiculous...

So, to my surprise, my favorite friggin' show in the whole world, TLC'S What Not To Wear, tackled poor Ms. Bialik on the streets of NYC to make her extreme shapelessness over into stylish Mom-ishness.

Even bigger shocker? She's got 2 kids and a Ph.D. in NEUROSCIENCE. Child star turned Mom turned Ph.D. turned fashion victim. Reality TV just doesn't get better than this, does it?

Speaking of "The Fashion Show..."

...alas, 'tis a poor substitute for "Project Runway." Although I respect Isaac Mizrahi as a designer, he is no match for the hilarious and constructive Tim Gunn and, let's face it - Kelly Rowland vs. Heidi Klum? Not happening, lovelies. Heidi definitely wins in that smackdown, don't you think?

That does NOT, however, keep me from watching a reality/competition show about fashion my dearies! While suffering through most of the first episodes of Bravo's newest fashion reality show, I was sucked into the T.V. shameless marketing and money-making machine for just a moment when designer Daniella won Week 2 and after I heard you can buy the winning looks from each week (see what I mean about the machine?).

Sans the scary sheer bomber jacket thing, Daniella's Short Bustier Jumpsuit is sexy, stylish and has an interesting shape all at one time. I really like the exaggerated neckline and the not-too-short shorts. Love love love it with dark tights but could see it working just as well with a pair of bare legs and wedges. And at just $119 through BravoShop, it's at a pretty decent price for designer clothing, no?

Do I click "Buy Now" or not? Still deciding on whether it's a worthy addition to the already overpacked and underused wardrobe...

Sexy-Crafty with GiannyL...

So, if you're like me and you are interested in fashion and DIY, you may already know about Instructables.com, an excellent online community "where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others." It's a great site for ideas and how-to's for anything from technology to music to crafts.

For myself, I love to to check out what people are up to in revamping and reconstructing old clothing - a great way to be original and to recycle at the same time!

One creative gal who always stands out is GiannyL from Paraguay, an impossibly bouncy and beautiful DIY'er who makes fun, quick videos of great projects that anyone can do. Her amazing skills range from making a bikini out of an old t-shirt to converting a tired, old sweater into a super-cute dress.

Watch this video of her making a t-shirt into a swimsuit cover-up - so easy! Now if I could just figure out how to look as good as she does in a bikini...

For more info on GiannyL, visit her Instructables page or her website, GiannyL.com and get sexy-crafty!

How To Make A Bikini Cover Up - video powered by Metacafe

I HEART these sites...

etsy.com

If you haven't already discovered this awesome site, visit it immediately!

Etsy.com is a sweet site for handmade and custom-made accessories, clothes, gifts & so much else! It's a community of artists, crafters and others who buy and sell all things handmade. It's a friendly place and I have found some really great shops here for everything from jewelry to custom clothing.

Plus, the site has a really creative way of displaying and filtering what you're looking for. You can keep an eye on your favorite shops & favorite items. Here are just some of mine:

* sarahseven (her "Lemon Drop Dress" is pictured above)
* emilyryan
* Ureshii
* UNEARTHED
* ao3designs
* BabyWhiteElephant

Seriously, check them out.

polyvore.com
Mix and match images from anywhere on the web, to create outfits, interior designs, or any kind of collage. Browse and shop thousands of looks created by a community of stylish people.

Basically, you can enter in an article of clothing that you want to get ideas of what wear with it. It then comes up with all these "outfits" that other people have come up with, complete with links to online stores. GREAT for ideas!!

In my case, I bought a pair of gray scrunchy booties simply because they were gorgeous, but I had the classic dilemma of not having anything to wear with them :)

Really love it. Go! Now.

Current shoe obsession...

I simply cannot get the idea of natural color patent leather shoes out of my head - picture them with black tights right now and with bare feet and legs in the spring.

They fit nicely into the vision I have of stylish and elegant vs. simply trendy. These are my 2 contenders right now:

BCBGirls "Amonia" Platform Pump (at Macy's)

Theory "Mariel" Peep-Toe Pump (at Piperlime)