Jan 20, 2015 | DIY
I love love love organized drawers. When you open them, every item in its proper place, catalogued and corralled, and I just can’t help but smile. Who wouldn’t love to be able to find everything you need, right at your fingertips? And don’t get me started on the kind of heaven that The Container Store is for me. Yup, I love organized drawers – but doing so can be kind of pricey if you spring for brand-new containers and liners and the like. With a little bit of planning ahead, you can clean up all your dirty secrets – for around $5. Here’s how:
Before: Quelle horreur!
You Need:
clear adhesive Con-Tact Shelf Liner
* / your favorite wrapping paper* / measuring tape / double-sided tape / scissors / pen / extra jewelry boxes, shipping boxes, or other small boxes
How To:
*You could always skip using these two items and just purchase a 2-for-1 like Chic Shelf Paper. They have a lot of great designs, plus they have a waterproof option for the linings of bathroom or kitchen cabinets, which need to withstand moisture on a daily basis. It is a little pricey, so I went with some wrapping paper I liked (which affords you endless possibilities) from Target (Spritz, in teal chevron) and Con-Tact paper, which is cheaper.
1. Remove all your stuff from the drawers and lay it out. Purge ruthlessly! Pile stuff into a pile of things you need every day and need immediately at hand.
2. Clean out the drawer by wiping it down of debris and dust. Makeup remover and nailpolish remover can be godsends to get crusty makeup spills out of the bottom.
3. Measure inside of drawer and cut a piece of wrapping paper the size to fit.
4. Peel the backing off the Con-Tact paper and place it sticky side up on a flat surface. Adhere the wrapping paper piece to it carefully by turning it upside down, so the patterned side is stuck to the sticky side of the Con-Tact paper. Smooth out any bubbles.
5. Trim the Con-Tact paper to the same size as the wrapping paper piece.
6. Place in the drawer, securing with double-stick tape to the inside of the drawer.
7. Try your jewelry boxes (and lids!) in different configurations until you find something you like. You could optionally spray paint the insides a contrasting color (or add some glitter – woohoo!) but I preferred the white.
8. Use double-stick tape to secure each box down to the Con-Tact sheet, and to each other (where needed). I decided to let some spaces in between the boxes so I could see the Con-Tact paper showing through.
9. Re-fill your now sectioned and organized drawer, paying attention to how you use it and what you need to grab immediately (which would go in the front or top – the easiest-to-reach places).
You’re done! Revel in your newly-organized drawer, and breathe a sigh of happiness every time you open it.
From the above…
To THIS!!
And one more time, a side-by-side Before and After…
Happy Organizing!
xo
Carly
Did you like my $5 Budget tip? Leave your ideas for another one you’d like to see DIY’d in the comments!
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Jan 13, 2015 | Fashion
Connected rhinestone ear cuff (
lots of similar here), Chain and rhinestone necklace: Forever 21.
Classic Long-Sleeve Tee with Pocket: T by Alexander Wang.
Zipper Lapel Blazer: c/o
Lookbook Store.
Solitaire Ring in Rose Gold: Shashi. Other rings: Gorjana, mocha, various. Ruffled Bag: Steve Madden (similar
here). 13-button standard-issue U.S. Navy Pants: vintage.
I’ve been out of commission over the weekend because I gave myself a concussion trying to move a desk downstairs and falling down the stairs into a wall. My right temple and the wall became good friends, to the tune of a 4″ dent in the wall, a goose egg on my temple, and a 1″ cut on my forehead. That was fun. But made me a little too fuzzy to even think about posting anything. Now I’m back to my old self again, and back to work. Before I fell down the stairs I wore this outfit to work, of vintage-meets-tomboy, motorcycle-meets-soft. I kind of like it.
Of course, I’m using the camera on the self-timer, and most of my shots turned out blurry. C’est la vie.
I love these pants dearly, and always get a ton of questions when I wear them. If you’re looking for your own pair, you can find them in navy boiled wool (what I’m wearing; the U.S. Navy winter weight version), or black wool twill (summer weight version) on eBay. Once upon a time, you could buy them from the Army & Navy Surplus for $1. Boy, those were the days. (Sometimes you can still find them at surplus stores – if you’re lucky!)
Lookbook Store sent me this jacket to review along with the sweater they sent, and it’s just awesome. Cropped, cute, pieced – it really should cost a lot more, given it’s lined well, has zip pockets, and is put together expertly with all of that piecing and shaping. Gorgeous – and I’m thinking of pairing it with a tulle skirt of some sort, to play off the tomboyish, hard edge of the motorcycle style. Hmmm…
So ear climbers and ear cuffs are a trend, and I’m tired of the ones with a regular post and then a little clip that goes under your ear cartilage. They never stay on! This one does, because it uses the unique innovation of a super-long ear-post that goes through your piercing hole and sits snug up against the curve of your ear on the back-side. Look for these ones, people!
I have a stylish DIY coming up soon…so stay tuned!
Hope everyone’s having a great start to their weeks:-)
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent a jacket from Lookbook Store to review. I have not been compensated in any other way. The above opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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Jan 6, 2015 | Fashion
Gold Hoop Earrings: Claire’s.
Light Grey Turtleneck Sweater: c/o
Lookbook Store.
Python Crossbody Bag [not actually made of pythons]: Pour La Victoire.
Skinny Jeans in Rub a Dub Dub: Blank Denim NYC.
Gabby Perforated Booties: Carvela Kurt Geiger.
It was my birthday…oh, a couple weeks ago…and I wore this then. Right before Christmas, when the weather was trying to decide whether it was going to get super-cold…or just stay damp and foggy.
My bestie Lex Casciato (A.K.A. the artist and musician Little Warrior) and I went to a local tearoom [hooray for English scones with clotted cream!] for afternoon tea since that was the only time our schedules sync’ed up during the holiday season. Plus, I’m more of an afternoon-outing-type of person, rather than a party all night til the cows come home type. You know. 
So Lex has a FABULOUS new album out called Fight with Your Heart and you all have to download.right.now. Seriously! I have “Over” and “Little Airplanes” on repeat since I got my hands on a copy. LOVE.
Lex was most obliging and took a few shots of me as we left the tearoom – the sun came out very briefly and then gave way to fog again, fading into sunset – and then the streetlamp came on…so the photos looked a little strange.
Lookbook Store sent me this sweater to review…and okay, truth time now…I’ve been LIVING in it since. I want to cuddle it and hold it and kiss it and stroke it and put it on a leash and call it Bob. It’s so fluffy, so poufy, so warm, so fuzzy – it is THE perfect sweater to wear out and about – yes, WITHOUT a Winter coat, folks, so you look fashionable and chic lwithout being bulky ike all those girls on “Winter Fashion” Pinterest boards do. I call it my potato-sack sweater, but in a good way. 
And no they didn’t pay me to write that and I actually bought a second sweater exactly the same in beige from Lookbook Store out of my own pocket (currently on sale for $39 too!!) because when you have found your sweater BFF…you have to strike while the iron’s hot. Or while the swaeter’s unpilled. Or so to speak.
And so I turned 36.
35 was the worst it could ever have been, but maybe I can just crawl back into my sweater/snuggie-in-a-pinch and at least celebrate that 36 couldn’t possibly, possibly be any worse than the past year has been. I hope I don’t speak too soon and jinx it all.
Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent a sweater from Lookbook Store to review. I have not been compensated in any other way. The above opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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Jan 5, 2015 | Fashion, Media
So I feel completely shamefaced to say that I neglected to share my last video project with you guys!
I founded the video and media production company Uncommon Era in April, and have been working here and there producing fashionably awesome online videos, commercials, promotional videos, corporate videos, animations, and crowdfunding videos for a variety of clients.
The latest one we produced for Coveroo: this really neat interchangeable phone/tech cases company that does custom-printing on just about any surface imaginable. (And, incidentally, good friends with Modify Watches, our very first video production client ever!)
Coveroo wanted a video that showed the versatility of the Coveroo cases and appealed to a young, fashion-oriented audience: something fun, youthful, and beautiful.
So, did we do it? What do you think of the video? (Now featured on Coveroo’s website.)
Thanks so much to the Coveroo team, who were just awesome to work with. I’m so glad we were able to make it even more awesome together!
Producers: Kevin Brown and Carly J. Cais, Uncommon Era
Director: Kevin Brown
Director of Photography: Phil Anderson
1st AC: Patrick Blevins
Grip/Electric, 2nd AC: Justen Hundley
Art Direction and Set: Clif Chandler
Styling: Carly J. Cais
Hair/Makeup: Patty Harding
Model: Natasha Ward
Shot in Portland, Oregon.
If you’re a brand or small business looking to get your fun, fashionable story out there on your website, YouTube, or any other online channel – reach out to us so we can craft your awesome together. We only need YOU to make it happen.
xo
Carly
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Jan 4, 2015 | Fashion, Life
Gold Hoop Earrings: Claire’s.
Hi-Lo Sweater Knit in Gosh Garnet: Old Navy, c/o Clorox. Quartz and Epoxy Gold Leaf Necklace: Handmade by me.
Edison Cardigan
: BB Dakota. Tabbed Clutch: Lagunamoon (Japanese; old).
Solitaire Ring in Rose Gold: Shashi.
Skinny Jeans in Rub a Dub Dub: Blank Denim NYC. Quebec Zippered High Heel Booties: Sam Edelman (hard to find now,
available on eBay or
here or
here in a similar style).
I’m trying out Marsala, PANTONE’s 2015 Color of the Year, and I have to admit, it’s not too bad. 
I can get into a rich, deep burgundy when paired with overall neutrals, like my favorite soft greys and blacks. Add a bit of impact with a similar lip color, dark around the eyes, and it works. It still reads Fall/Winter to me, so time will have to tell if I can incorporate this into a more Spring-y ensemble. Like an Iron Chef Fashion Challenge. Except with…kidneys.
Even if you’re not ready to jump on the Marsala bandwagon yet, I’m sure you still have dark, rich colors in your wardrobe that you want to keep looking dark and rich all year round, wash after wash. (For me it would be my beloved charcoals, blacks, and navies that I’m most concerned about.)
Laundry photo by Ryan McGuire.
[Tweet “Faded clothing = definitely not in fashion. #fashiontip #clorox2”]
That’s why Clorox has developed Clorox® 2 Darks & Denim, formulated with 2x the color boosting power and removes 4x more stains than are removed with pre-treating. Plus it won’t cause fading of your beloved darks.
HOW TO REMOVE DEODORANT STAINS FROM DARK CLOTHING
I don’t know about you, but I’m always getting white deodorant residue on my dark tops when I put them on – which leaves me scrubbing furiously in the morning with a pair of pantyhose to try and remove the most visible. But when it comes time to wash you want to remove every last trace of deodorant lest it start to build up on your fabrics (yuck!). You can apply liquid Clorox® 2 Darks & Denim directly to the deodorant stain and rub in. Wait 3-5 minutes (don’t let it dry on the fabric), then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and additional Clorox® 2 Darks & Denim based on your load size.
HOW TO REMOVE OTHER TOUGH STAINS FROM DARK CLOTHING
For tough stains, like wine coffee and grass, be sure to pre-treat. First, remove the garment: do not treat clothing while wearing it. Remove all loose dirt from the fabric and blot wet stains with a clean absorbent cloth. Apply liquid Clorox® 2 Darks & Denim and rub it in. Wait several minutes – don’t let it dry – then wash with like colors.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR DARK DENIMS FROM FADING
I love me some dark denim, but sometimes the faded look is not what I’m going for. Though I wash my dark jeans much less than my light, faded jeans, when it comes time to wash I will bundle them all together to save water, and use Clorox® 2 Darks & Denim for the load. Plus I don’t dry my dark jeans in the dryer; they are all air-dried, and come out of the wash looking just the same as when they went it (especially important for brand-new jeans where the dye runs!)
Hope that gives you some pointers on how to keep your dark colors – including the controversial Marsala – just as deep as the day you got them! Do you guys have any tips for keeping your darkest darks perfect?
Do share in the comments!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent an Old Navy top from Clorox to incorporate into a post. I have not been compensated in any other way. The above opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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