Do thrift- Accessories

Bag Life

Accessories! Accessories!!  Accessories!!! So, it's time to talk about these clothing items that all women own. Bags and purses are very essential to any outfit. Some women love bags, some like jewelry and some like shoes and others just like all of them. Christian women should know that no importance or value should really be attached to these things because they are all physical or material items. Our most valuable accessory should be our bible. However, we still need these things for their basic function.

So, if you have been reading this blog  for some time you would have noticed by now that I do not pay much attention to bags and jewelry as accessories. Well, I decided recently to step up my accessory game and rather than paying hundreds of dollars on those designer brands, I took to good old thrifting.

There is this large thrift/consignment/vintage store in a little mall in my neighborhood and I have been in there before to purchase jackets but they recently remodeled the store and had a huge clearance sale. On the first day of the sale, the store was full of people and stylists who ran around trying to pick items for customers. There were also beautifully styled mannequins everywhere to give inspiration to those who needed it. I am not a fashion stylist or expert but also didn't need the assistance of one so I went straight to the accessories department and at the end of the day, these are the items I got.

I got some colorful vintage messenger bags for $6.00 a piece and also some cute purses and clutches. All the items were only slightly worn but I did give them a good wiping down with a soft cloth dipped in sanitizer when I got home. I also keep my essential knick-knacks in ziplock bags before putting them into my purses whether new or old to keep everything in place, clean and organized.

Isn't this green messenger bag  just so cute! The little speck you see at the back of the bag is just a speck of light

Grey color Rossetti messenger bag

This Steve Madden silver Clutch was $12

                                                                               This gold sequin clutch is so lovely.

 I really like the hardware on this cute red clutch below. The two vintage belts below cost $3.99 a piece and they really look cool. Now, I have got very cute colorful bags to dress up my outfits. Thrifting is definitely implied in the definition of a virtuous woman in the bible (Proverbs 31: 10-31) and I would want you ladies to try it out sometime. Look around in your neighborhood; there might just be a thrift or Cosignment store around the corner. Also, there is no need to splurge on high ends all the time. Remember the parable of the ten talents in the bible? (Matthew 25: 14-30). God wants us to be very wise on where and how we spend our money as christians. I know it is very important for christians to look good and well put together because the way we dress can be a way or means of sharing the goodness of Jesus Christ. As a christian woman, you can always have that very cute fashion statement at all times which make other ladies come up to you to ask; "where did you get that?" Such question can be a great conversation starter and can begin the process of giving out that invitation to come to a bible study or church meeting. The purpose of looking good as christians is not to look conceited or proud but to reflect the beauty and glory of being blessed by God. For me, this statement piece has always been shoes but now I feel like I want to start expanding my bag and jewelry collection.

So, you see, my colorful purses really didn't cost a bunch at the end of the day because they are thrift items. These might not be the bags to take to the office or that board meeting but they are bags you can take to a casual outing. You can slip your bible, phone and wallet into one and be on your way to church. Look out for these items on the blog…:-). I'm going to wear them out!!





                                                                           Vintage Jewelry

This necklace here is kind of very unique; It's magnetic because it has no closure or hooks. It just folds around your neck and the great thing about it too is that it can be also be used as a bracelet.

Belts

Thanks so much for stopping by

Beauty Ojo

Scarves Sale at Charlotte Russe

I'm back again with another post in less than 24 hours but I really wanted to share this scarf sale currently going on at Charlotte Russe. They are all so, so pretty and less than $20.00. I just wish I could have them all. I must say scarves are my number one accessory especially in the cold seasons and I have been searching for an affordable and stylish leopard print scarf for a while now. I went on Polyvore and did an extensive search and there were so many cute options including all the over priced designer ones…:-); these affordable lovely ones at Charlotte Russe however caught my eye. It was my first time shopping on this website and I must say I liked the experience. I bought a pretty brown tiger print scarf for $1.99 too! I went back to order a second pair a few hours later and saw that it had sold out. I would showcase the scarf on the blog when I get it. $1.99 is the cheapest I ever paid for any scarf. Win! Win!! Situation.

                                          Enjoy the rest of the week, God bless and see you soon.


                                                             Thanks for stopping by

                                                                    Beauty Ojo

My First Summer DIY Project

Hi Friends, I hope the week is going great. The summer is almost coming to an end. Can you believe it? How time flies when you are busy. Well, I have been trying my hands on some DIY projects here and there and the animal prints clutch in the picture above is actually  my first summer DIY. Animal prints clutches have been on the scene for a while now but I did not own any until I had the inspiration to change one of my old clutches. The clutch I used is the one featured below in the pics which I bought from Target last summer. I found some yards of this cool woolen animal fabric in my fabric pile at home; as you might know, I used to visit the fabric store to buy fabrics and sewing knick knacks although I do not know how to sew; with a sewing machine, that is. I forgot to take pictures while doing the project but it was pretty easy. I used a measuring tape to measure around the old fold-over clutch while it was all straightened out, then cut out the pattern on the animal prints fabric with a pair of scissors. I put the wrong sides of the cut fabric together; a needle, a spool of black thread and thirty-five minutes later, I was done sewing a pouch. I turned the fabric around and slipped the original black clutch into the new pouch I made and used glue to attach them together.

The outfit above is what I wore to my friend's Mickey mouse themed birthday party. I wanted to put on something colorful and the denim shirt and orange pant is as colorful as you can get. I'll put more pictures up later. Do you see the Buddha  statue with a "welcome sign" above his head behind me on the neighbor's front porch that photo bombed my pic? It brought a smile to my face…:-). I pray that your week be full of happy moments and for joy like a river to overflow in your heart the whole month through in Jesus name; Amen.

                                                                                   See Post here

Romans 15:13 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-joy-20-uplifting-scripture-quotes/#ixzz39ZTtw0A5

Thanks so much for stopping by

Beauty Ojo

The Blue Tribal..

Hi Friends, I hope the new week and the month of August is going great so far. My mini break from blogging is over and I'm back….:-). It's all about custom made these days. I wore this blue tribal dress yesterday and I have had this dress for so long that I was surprised that I didn't showcase it on the blog before now. I made it years ago when the high-low dress was really on trend. I bought the fabric from a fabric store on line and got the appliqués from one of the local stores, drew a sketch and my seamstress brought it to life. The good thing about custom made clothes is that they are original and unique. I decided to go without jewelry because I thought the dress had enough bling on it already with the stone appliqués.

The last time I wore this same dress before I wore it yesterday, was in January on the day of my baby dedication; just days after my baby boy was born. I chose the dress because I wanted to wear something blue and it was the first item that jumped on my mind when I got in my closet. I remember I had done a collage on a high-low dress on Polyvore and I blogged about it here showing how I would style this dress. This charcoal canvas pointed toe shoe is a recent addition and I wore the coral color here.

Dress: Custom made
Purse: T.J Maxx
Shoes: Victoriassecret

The picture below is one of the pics that was taken on the day of the baby dedication in church and that is my friend Naya holding my newborn son Zion. Naya is one stylish and beautiful lady and I loved her dress too. It was also custom made and she had on this cute teal jacket and a pair of fabulous sparkly heels. I hope I'll be able to showcase Naya on the blog again sometime.

It's amazing how time flies. It's hard to believe that it's almost eight months that I had my baby. The only evidence is that I'm still chubby but I'm not in a hurry to get on the treadmill just yet because I'm still nursing. Okay, let me not bore you with all the baby gist…:-). Does anyone like custom made clothes like I do? It's good to channel your inner creativity sometimes.

'Wishing you all a great week. Take charge of the week and remember that "with God, all things are possible."

Thanks so much for stopping by

Beauty Ojo

Flora Fauna Designs

Hi friends, for my recent love of everything custom, I want to share with you this UK based Ghanian designer called Flora Fauna and you can find her here. I stumbled on her website last summer and spent some time perusing her beautiful collections. The lace dress above was the one I fell in love with the first time I saw her collections and it is what I imitated in the custom made dress I wore in my last blog post. Most of her  clothes are made with tribal prints fabric and very beautiful die-cut lace fabric. Below are some of my favorite designs from her Sika summer collections.

Below is my version or copy of the  black lace dress :-). People say imitation is a subtle form of complement or flattery…:-). Now, I have to go and get my church outfit for tomorrow ready. I'm not quite sure what I would wear yet but I'm leaning towards a dress. Hey, its summer!

                                                                     Thanks so much for stopping by

                                                                         
                                                                                   Beauty Ojo