Giant Vintage Sunglasses Giveaway

Hi! As you all probably know by now, I am kind of in love with Giant Vintage Sunglasses! From the moment I opened the sweet box (that even came with some tasty tootsie rolls!), I was in love. They originally sent me four pairs to review- a pair of cat eyes, red heart sunglasses, white heart sunglasses and a pair of classic black sunglasses (which I'm wearing above) with a pair of strawberry sunglasses on the way. The quality of the sunglasses as well as the style had me falling head over heels. Needless to say, I've been wearing my Giant Vintage Sunglasses almost all the time. Now, I am delighted to bring a Giant Vintage Sunglasses giveaway to my lovely followers! Rachel from Giant Vintage has kindly offered the prize of a $50 credit to Giant Vintage Sunglasses to one lucky reader. All you have to do is follow my blog with GFC and leave a comment telling me your favorite pair of Giant Vintage Sunglasses. For an additional entry, you can "like" Giant Vintage on facebook. All entries are collected through the rafflecopter app below. What are you waiting for? Enter away! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nautical Love

Hi! Today, I wore a vintage dress handed down to me by grandmother that I recreated to suit my own style and size. Originally it was a size 18 so I took it in to fit my size 6 frame. After that, I shortened it and chopped off the sleeves. I must say that I love the results! I paired my reconstructed, nautical dress with some fun, white heart sunglasses, my favorite DIY flower crown and tan flatforms.

Daisy crown: DIY

Nautical dress: Vintage reconstructed

Heart sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage Sunglasses

Flatforms: Steve Madden

Antique Parasol

Hi! Today, I chose to wear my new pastel pink dress courtesy of Oasap. I love the delicate pleats, feminine crochet detailing and pretty summer color. I paired it with my favorite flatforms by Steve Madden and an antique parasol to play up the whimsicality of this lovely dress.


Dress: c/o Oasap
Parasol: antique
Flatforms: Steve Madden

Links A la Mode

Summer starts here!

 Hi! One of my posts was selected for this week on IFB's Links A La Mode. You should definitely check these other posts out there!

Edited by: Emily of Sugar & Spice

My first week editing Links a la Mode and so many amazing posts to choose only 20 from! Today marks the first day of summer for the northern hemisphere and judging by my choice below, I am willing summer to start in earnest in the UK! In the meantime, there’s tips on keeping stylish in the rain. One of the things I love about the fashion blogging community is the creativeness that it breeds and this week is no exception with a few brilliant and on-trend DIYs for your to try at home. If DIY-ing isn’t your thing but you still like to save your pennies there are posts for splurging or saving too.

LINKS À LA MODE: THE IFB WEEKLY ROUND UP: JUNE 21ST

• Capital Fashion: The fashionista’s bucket list


• Citizen Rosebud: 5 Quick Questions for Ari Seth Cohen


• Fashion Pastiche: how to wear hot pink this summer


• Fashion, Trends and More: how to dress stylishly on a dime


• Fashionopolis: dressing stylishly in the rain


• Kaaty McDonald: DIY your own skull and spike statement necklace


• Law Moda: Ikat: a history of this summer’s print


• Lazy cat style: collages for this summer’s trends


• Life.style.flash: working forgotten pieces into your outfits


• Lifestyles of the Thrifty and Shameless: on why the only way to make a statement this season is via a statement necklace


• Lovelee: Summer’s nail palette


• Mia Moore: Asymmetric skirt DIY


• My Vintage Curves: summer of love


• Oranges and Apples: on whether or not we’re out-growing blogging


• Pink Chai Style: Top tips for picking your prefect red lipstick


• She like ruffles, he like ruffles: splurge or save on this season’s most wanted maxi dress


• The Chic Street: some accessory inspiration for brightening your day


• The Closet Coach: When to save and when to splurge on your wardrobe


• The Simply Luxurious Life: Style Commandments to live by


• WWelcome to my Closet: on saying goodbye to an old favourite

SPONSOR:
New Bags Shopbop: Ferragamo, Gucci, YSL, Totes, Addition, Chloe, M. Williamson, Valenentino Bags, Rachel Comey, Tucker, Hindmarch & Margiela Bags

If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

DIY Lace Trimmed Cardigan

Hi! Recently, I have been inspired by wonderful, ethereal, fairytale-esque fashion. If you don't believe me, check out my pinterest style board! Being that school is now out, I have also had more time on my hands. I decided to get crafty and DIY some of my old sweaters and cardigans for this upcoming fall. I have already posted my DIY letterman sweater. Haven't checked it out yet? View it HERE. Now it is time for my DIY lace trimmed cardigan!

Level of difficulty: Easy- Medium. However, this DIY is very time consuming if you hand sew like I did.  

Supplies: Cardigan, two different types of lace, girly/vintage buttons, seam ripper, pins, sewing machine (optional) needle & thread, scissors and patience!

Cost: This DIY cost me nothing; I used an old cardigan that I swapped at a clothing exchange a while back and lace and buttons that I had left over from another project. I would recommend that you use an old sweater or that you thrift one in order to keep the cost of this DIY low. Lace and buttons can be purchased at craft stores like Ben Franklin or Michael's for under $10. 

Steps: 

1. Gather supplies.

2. Decide whether you want your cardigan to keep its buttons or not. I chose to use my seam ripper to take off the buttons. However, everyone has different aesthetic tastes and you should do what suits you. 

3. Cut lace the length of the sweater. Cut two pieces of each thing of lace (one for each side of the cardigan).

5. Pin lace down.

6. Sew lace down either using a sewing machine or needle & thread. Mine was hand sewn down because I like to hand sew. However, this took a while and if you would prefer using the sewing machine, go for it! Take out pins as you go.

7. Now that your lace is sewn down, decide where you want your buttons and how many buttons you would like to use. I recommend using different buttons (I used 4 different types) to give a shabby-chic, Anthropologie feel to the sweater. 

8. Sew down buttons.

9. Voila! You have a new sweater perfect for this upcoming fall.

Remember, if anyone tries this DIY, I would be thrilled to see your results! Just let me know via an email or blog post comment. 

The Cat's Meow

Hi! I must brag on my new flatform sandals. While out shopping with my mom earlier this week, I spotted these must have summer shoes in Rugged Warehouse. I mean a flatform wedge, a neutral color and affordable? They were a dream come true! The cost you may ask? A modest $10!

Also, I would like to thank everyone who voted and favorited my Chictopia Magic Mirror entry; I won first place! My prize pack consisted of goodies valued at $475 including a $300 visa gift card. I plan to take my mom out to eat at the Melting Pot and my sister out to Dairy Queen. The rest of the money will most likely be spent on shoes and at Urban Outfitters :)

Denim jacket: Vintage Ralph Lauren
Shoes: Top Moda
Shorts: Boho Fairytale
Blouse: Vintage
Sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage Sunglasses
Watch: Vintage

DIY Letterman Sweater

DIY Letterman Sweater Inspiration by toriraddayyahoocom featuring leather varsity jackets

Recently, I have been lusting after letterman sweaters and jackets. Although school just got out, my mind is already on fall fashion. Since letterman sweaters and jackets are usually expensive, think upwards of $50, I decided that I would try to DIY my own. My main inspiration came from the movie, Grease. By far one of my favorite movies!

Level of difficulty: Easy 

Supplies: Sweater- preferably a cardigan but a pullover sweater also works, needle, thread, scissors and letterman patch (I used a letterman patch that my school had given me but if you don't have one you can buy one on etsy for between $10-$20 or on ebay for between $4-$10). No sewing machine required! 

Cost: This DIY cost me nothing; I used an old sweater and a letterman patch given to me by my school. I would suggest that you also use an old sweater so that the cost of this DIY remains low. If you do buy a sweater, I would recommend thrifting one so that this DIY costs less. My guess would be that you can DIY this sweater for between $4 and $20. 

Steps: 

1. Gather supplies.

2. If you are using a pullover sweater, cut it down the middle like I did. If you are using a cardigan sweater, ignore this step.

3. Decide placement of letterman patch. I placed mine on the left side in the middle but feel free to place yours wherever. 

5. Pin letterman patch down.

6. Thread needle and sew the patch down! 

7. Voila! A chic, new item to add to your fall wardrobe. 

*If the patch you are using is iron-on, ignore steps 5 and 6 and just iron the patch on where you want it!

Hope you all liked this DIY! If anyone uses this DIY and posts about it, let me know! I love to see how my readers' DIYs turn out :)

Cute on a Dime 2

 Hi! This is what I wore for my last day of junior year; a trendy star printed dress, lace up boots, red heart sunglasses, a faux fur leopard print bag and pearl earrings. I love the fun print/color combo of this look. Today, I also purchased ad space on two blogs. Yay for more exposure! A blogger and a etsy shop owner both purchased ad space on my blog a while back and I used the money they paid to pay for my new ads. Want to sponsor my blog for as low as $3 a month? Check THIS page out.

Cute on a dime tip #2: Take advantage of the online rewards programs! I received this dress as a Chictopia reward and didn't pay a dime even though this dress retails at about $60. By just using their site, I earn points which I can spend in their Chictopia Rewards section. In the past, I have redeemed a bracelet, a $50 visa gift card, a maxi skirt and this dress. You can check out Chictopia HERE. I also love Swagbucks. Swagbucks is an online search engine that will give you "swagbucks" for using their search engine instead of google or bing. You can redeem those "swagbucks" in the Swag Store for items such as gift cards and magazine subscriptions. I know that I have received many Amazon gift cards by using Swagbucks as my search engine. If interested, you can sign up HERE. Any other online rewards programs that you love? I'd love for you to share them in the comments below!

Dress: Chictopia rewards via ShopCalico
Boots: Charlotte Russe
Bag: Christmas gift
Earrings: Charming Charlie
Sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage Sunglasses

Glinda the Good Witch

Hi! I felt like Glinda the good witch from The Wizard of Oz in my new Romwe tutu skirt! I am much more pleased with my latest Romwe purchase than I was with my last one. I ordered this skirt and a double finger ring. While the skirt is a little costume-y, it suits my spring/summer style quite nicely! I mean pastel and a tutu silhouette? You can't get much better than that! The package also arrived in a timely fashion which made me a happy customer :) As for the ring I ordered, I was not so lucky. When I opened the package, the ring was broken in half! It's a shame but I'm not too upset because it will look great in a DIY. I actually just won another credit to Romwe earlier this month for $50 on Born to Bother You; how exciting! I just spent it a few minutes ago and a pretty, bird-print blouse and octopus ear clip should be arriving in my mailbox within a few weeks as should the backless dress and secret gift that I also won! Anyone else win any good giveaways lately?

 Skirt: Romwe
Flatforms: Steve Madden
Top: Vintage
Bag & daisy crown: DIY

P.S. Don't forget the BohoFairytale giveaway ends Friday!

Cute on a Dime

Hi! I am starting a new segment on my blog- Cute on a Dime. It will show how to look cute for a minimal amount of money. Today’s tip: Don’t be afraid to dig! Yardsales often have large bins of clothing with prices ranging from 25 cents to $1. They can be intimidating and many people are not willing to search through the piles. However, if you do you could find your next favorite top or shorts! I thrifted this Diane Von Furstenburg (yes- the designer credited with the success of the wrap dress!) from the bottom of a stack of blouses at a large church yard sale. The price? Only 50 cents! Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Star Spangled

Hi! This is actually what I wore yesterday. For some reason, blogger wasn't allowing me to post yesterday. I kept getting an error message; did anyone else have the same problem? Anyways, I chose to wear my recently redeemed Chictopia reward! I redeemed this lovely, star printed dress for 5850 points from ShopCalico. I must say I adore it! If you aren't a part of Chictopia yet, you should totally join! The members are beyond nice and the site has some pretty cool features- like Chic Rewards. And really, who doesn't like getting free stuff?

Dress: c/o Chictopia Rewards via ShopCalico
Flatforms: Steve Madden
Sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage
Belt: Vintage

eShakti Review

Hi! This is actually what I wore yesterday to take the SAT. You might not have noticed but my blogging schedule has been a little off this week and I keep posting outfits late! Anyways, eShakti sent me this fabulous dress to review. I must say that I'm in love with it! eShakti sells skirts, dresses and tops with the added option of getting it customized to fit you perfectly. I had my dress customized to fit me which is great because I knew that it would fit me before I even tried it on. The service at eShakti is also quite wonderful: good customer service and speedy shipping. Now onto the review of the dress itself. The color and style of this dress really attracted me to it. The bold color is perfect for summer as is the breezy shape and airy material. The quality of the dress is pretty good. The dress has two layers of fabric: a silky one underneath and a stretchy, mesh-like fabric on top. I liked this double layer because I had no worries about having to wear a slip underneath. My only complaint would be that the second layer of fabric was not hemmed (didn't have a finished edge). However, this isn't really a big deal. In fact, you barely notice it. As for the customization, I just have one word to describe it: perfect. I would definitely recommend eShakti! Whether you are looking for a pretty, summer dress or need a special occasion dress that can be customized inexpensively, you should definitely check eShakti out!

Flatforms: Steve Madden
Dress: c/o eShakti
Bag: DIY
Collar: c/o Oasap

Mixing Styles & Giveaway Winner!

Hi! This is what I wore yesterday. I mixed a sweet, pastel skirt with an edgy skull tank for a look different from my pastel, pastel, pastel looks. Oh and I have the giveaway winner for the Pink Cheetah Vintage tie dye tote bag! And that winner is..... Agi Bako-Lafave! Congrats! I am sending you an email right now. Disappointed that you didn't win? Try your luck in my BohoFairytale shorts giveaway!

Also, would anyone be interested in doing an ad swap with me? I am trying to expand my pageviews. You would receive a 200x100 button on my blog. Please email me at tori@fashiontrendsmore.com even if you are the slightest bit interested. I don't care how many followers you have, I just want to support your blog and grow mine!:)

Skirt & socks: Romwe
Tank: c/o Punkalife
Heels: Naturalizer
Headband: DIY
Sunglasses: Christmas gift from last year

Strawberry Lemonade

Hi! I actually wore this outfit a few days ago. I mixed vintage pastels together for an ideal spring look. I just can’t get enough of pastels this season. Louis Vuittons’ spring/summer runway show still has me swooning!

I hope you all have been having a good week. I started my week off with strep throat but am feeling much better now. Tomorrow, I have to take the SAT. Loads of fun! This will be my second time taking the SAT. The first time I took the SAT was in January and my scores well pretty decent. They are good enough get me into the schools that I want to go to (either VCU if I go in state or Philadelphia University if I choose to go out of state) but I think that they will be slightly better when I take them tomorrow. I just have to make it through the SAT, the last two weeks of school and exams and it will finally be summer! Summer is so close that I can practically taste it. And speaking of summer, as I will have more time and energy to focus on my blog I want to get back into writing more fashion article type posts instead of just photos of what I am wearing. Since I write this blog for my followers (and myself!), I would love to take suggestions for posts. What do you want to see more of on my blog? DIY posts, trend posts, current fashion issue posts, etc. Also, ideas for specific posts that you would like to see are also welcomed with open arms! For example a post about Toms or the harmful effects of tanning. I am also thinking of doing a little FAQ post about myself with questions submitted by readers. You can submit questions or post suggestions by either emailing me at tori@fashiontrendsmore.com or leaving a comment.

Shorts and tops: Vintage
Flower crown: DIY
Sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage Sunglasses