I am continuing this week's pink Valentine theme with three more outfits featuring blush pink tops and a new set of paper bead bracelets...plus a cute animal photo at the very end!
Previous posts:
My first outfit has a soft pink + olive color scheme that I really like wearing. I was eager to pair my new dusky rose pants with a blush pink top, as they are a good tonal match...by which I mean that the blush pink looks like a lighter version of the rose. I had worn these pants with a wine/blush checkerboard top twice already, so wearing a solid pale blush T seemed an obvious next step.
Next I added this thrifted floral scarf that has a pale blush pink background to match the top. The brighter pink flowers are a warmer pink than the rose pants, but it coordinated well enough to my eye. Using the Road Map Styling technique, I chose my olive sweater vest to pick up the soft green tones from the scarf.
My DIY bracelet stack includes three glass or stone bead bracelets plus two new paper bead bracelets in a navy/olive/pink/silver color palette.
For the top bracelet, I started with this pink/green palm print bedding image from a Lands End catalog. Because the print is somewhat large scale by paper bead standards, I decided to make 0.5" wide bicone beads [tutorial] instead of 0.5" tube beads [tutorial].
The strips (above) looked a little weak in color and had some beige areas that weren't part of my color palette, so I added metallic acrylic paint in coordinating green and pink to one end of each strip. I like using metallic acrylics when I want extra sheen and/or some transparency to the paint. I was able to paint over the palm print without completely obscuring it, which worked well for these beads. I strung 11 paper beads and some silver spacers to make a stretch elastic bracelet [tutorial].
The lower bracelet started life as another page from a Lands End catalog, this time with the navy striped top and the olive green leaves in the background matching the navy/olive/pink color scheme. I cut the strips to make 1" wide bicone beads.
As with the palm print strips, there were both colors I wanted that were lacking and colors that I didn't want that were present, so I doctored these strips with color as well. I used permanent markers in olive, pink, and navy along the edges of the strips, covering the woman's face and adding more color to the white-ish areas (including the white stripes on her top, which I turned pink). The finished beads were perfect for my desired color scheme, and I added silver open work spacers to create the bracelet.
I wore simple light pink bead earrings and a pink DIY 5-braid t-shirt headband for a low-contrast look.
My beloved cheetah Oxfords added a fun, low-key print mix to the look. A print scarf or top + animal print shoes is probably the easiest way to get started with print mixing. Having that visual distance between the two print pieces makes the combination more relaxing for the eyes.
Shocker, the rabbit sweater is back in rotation for my second outfit! I have shown this sweater + burgundy skirt combination in another outfit this winter, but this is the first time I have topped the two pieces with the long blush pink quilted vest. This sweater and vest go together just right for a winter "modern twin set" look. This big vest is well-suited for pairing with a skinny silhouette on the bottom, such as this knit pencil skirt.
I chose an ombré paisley scarf in white/ivory and grey to match the rabbits on the sweater (white with light grey stitching). At first I was going to wear the scarf very short, above the rabbits, but I decided to use Method #4 Loop to the Front with Ends Loose from this post for a tie that is above the rabbits in the middle but frames them and edges the opening of the vest down the sides.
My daily bracelet stack is based on one of my earliest DIY paper bead sets that I made specifically to match this sweater. (I now have three DIY sets to match it!) I added the DIY dusky pink quartz bracelet and purchased silver bead bracelet that I usually wear with this set. However, I think this is the first time I've worn it with the two DIY burgundy garnet bead bracelets (chosen to pick up the burgundy of the skirt). I liked how it turned out. The burgundy beads definitely pick up the darker pinks in both papers.
I love the rose motif on the top tube bead bracelet, which were made using a catalog image of the Rose Garden Hooded Top from Coldwater Creek. (Here you see the other finished bracelet in the set, which I tested against the colors of this image in designing the set.) Clothing catalog images often have really great small scale prints that show up well on beads. I cut the hoodie image down the center so I had two pieces of paper with the blush pink background and darker pink/green embroidery. I glued those pieces to the end of a full page of paper and cut the long rectangular strips from that. It's a good technique for getting tube beads from a small image.
I know some people are very set on wearing tights that match the color of their skirt/dress hemline (and some require the skirt, tights, and shoes/boots to all match) to look as tall and thin as possible. You do you, but it's totally not necessary! I don't wear a lot of really bright or outrageous tights, but I like wearing neutral/semi-neutral tights with skirts of all different colors. In this outfit, I chose dark grey tights and boots to bookend the grey scarf. These boots currently stand at 40 wears with a $2.50 cost per wear.
My third outfit (from last spring) is a weekend look in which I dressed down my floral blouse just a bit with a quilted vest and dark wash trouser jeans. But I think this outfit would be just fine in a lot of business casual work environments, too.
I've discussed before how much I like the "matching scarf" color formula to add subtle interest to outfits by matching the scarf to the color of the top (shirt, pullover sweater, blouse, T) or topper (cardigan, jacket, vest) so you are layering the same/similar color over itself. Both this solid scarf and my blue/grey sloth scarf (under Method #4 here) work very well as a "matching scarf" to this soft blue quilted vest.
I am once again wearing my "icy" DIY bracelet set that I made specifically to wear with this blouse. I added the silver/light blue bracelet (from a CJ Banks set) to coordinate with the soft blue of the scarf and vest.
I have made several 5-braid t-shirt headbands, and this oatmeal colored one is definitely the one I wear most often. It's my go-to "neutral headband to wear with silver metals." I have a (purchased from Amazon) gold headband I wear with gold metals that almost disappears into my hair, but I don't think silver would work well with my hair color at all! So I wear this one instead.
In a recent email, Jodie shared this video of a baby hippo that she describes her friend/blog model Lesley as "obsessed" with...and I knew that she had to be talking about the amazing Fiona of the Cincinnati Zoo! In January 2017, Fiona was born 6 weeks premature, and she was so small that she couldn't stand and nurse from her mom. (She was born at 29 pounds, about 25 pounds less than the lowest previous recorded birth weight for the species!) It wasn't clear that she would be able to survive. But with a lot of help from the zoo staff, especially during those first 6 months when they did 100% of her care, she was reunited with her parents in July 2017. She is now 6 years old, thriving...and still famous!
I actually had the chance to see Fiona in person when I visited the Cincinnati Zoo in October 2017. Fiona was 9 months old at the time. Here is Fiona in the pool with a parent (I don't know if it's mom or dad)...and yes, with my reflection in the glass. I like to say that this is my photo of me with the world's most famous hippos!
Do you like wearing "tonal" matched items? Would you wear a matching scarf with an outfit? Would you wear a print scarf with animal print shoes? How do you pick what color of tights to wear...or do you avoid tights at all costs?
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