New Career: Professional Mod Podger

How I made Grammy's old magazine rack come alive again!

MATERIALS 

• Screwdriver
• Sandpaper
• Scissors
• Sponge brush
• Mod Podge
• Scrapbooking paper
• Spray paint
• Polyurethane

First I took my screwdriver and unscrewed all the pieces.

After taking all the screws out, I took the two ends off. 

Then, I took my piece of sandpaper and scratched up the wood a bit to make it easier for the paper to stick to.

At first I had envisioned using pieces of fabric to cover the rack, but after speaking to a woman in Jo-Ann Fabric, I decided against it. She told me that fabric has a hard time sticking to wood without rising and bubbling. So, instead I used scrapbooking paper.  Other than the fact that paper tends to stick better than fabric, it's also less expensive and has a larger variety.

Then, I decided to go to Michaels craft store. They have more paper options in comparison to Jo-Ann Fabric. I went slightly overboard with multiple different patterns, however, you can choose as few as you wish.

These are some of the patterns I used...

I cut the papers into different shapes and sizes and prepared them to be glued on the board (with the Mod Podge).

I took my sponge brush and covered the back of each paper and placed it where I wanted it on the board. Once it was stuck where I wanted it, I covered the front with Mod Podge as well.  

Don’t be afraid to overlap! Mod Podging is very similar to collaging!

I repeated the Mod Podging steps for all the portions I wanted covered.

Then, I decided to spray paint the body of the rack. I spray painted the wood with a white spray first so it would have a nice base coat. Then, I spray painted it purple to match most of the Mod Podge patterns I had chosen.  

The next day, after I finished Mod Podging, I went to Home Depot to get new screws for the rack.  They have quite a variety of screws to choose from at an affordable price.  The original screws were rusty and worn out, so I decided to get new ones for even more shine! 

Next, I took my screwdriver and positioned the new screws in replace of the old ones. 

What a difference!!

Lastly, I sprayed the final product with Polyurethane to ensure that everything would stick together nicely and provide it with an outer gloss.

I am mesmerized by what the new piece looks like in comparison to the old one! 

BEFORE

AFTER

Birds-eye-view

Close-ups!

Full image

And there ya go! Grammy's old magazine rack is now incredibly stylin' and brings a smile to my face whenever I walk in the room! :)

Is there something old and worn out in your room that could be amazingly transformed with a little bit of Mod Podge?? 

My name is Erica, and I'm a Marshinista

Def: 

n. a fashionista and compulsive buyer of Marshalls merchandise 

I attended the Fabulous Found Fashion Tour in Boston yesterday. For those of you who have never heard of it, it was one of the stops on Marshall’s six-city tour in the U.S.  The purpose of the tour is to showcase great designer fashion that customers can purchase at a Marshalls location at a much lower price than at a department store. The event included a fashion show, a virtual dressing room, and a game called “Name that Price.”  

                   

The Virtual Dressing Room was a unique way to display fabulous finds and great savings at Marshalls.  The user gets to select a top, bottoms, a dress, a pair of shoes, and either a hat or a handbag.  At the end, the screen displays how much money was saved on each item in comparison to at a department store, as well as the overall amount of savings.  They awarded everyone who participated in the Virtual Dressing Room with a five-dollar gift card for posting their picture on either Twitter or Facebook. 

Now you can all laugh at my virtual outfit!! 

I saved $218!! Designer brands, for MUCH less.

“Name That Price” was a game they offered the crowd to participate in...it was very interactive and exciting!  They picked different merchandise (shoes, handbags, wallets, sunglasses, etc) and displayed them on a table with a label including only the designer and the retail price.  Whoever was closest to guessing the Marshall’s price for the particular item won a prize. I was lucky enough to win this FABULOUS Michael Kors wallet. Guess working for the company is a giant plus!

(if you're wondering... the correct price was $39.99!)

The last and most exciting part of the event was the Fashion Show!  They had eight different looks made up of all Marshalls merchandise.

From the Fashion show, I was able to learn several different on trend items for the season!

1. “Fifty Shades of Purple”

           

Purple is HUGE this season—all different shades of it. This season mixing purples such as eggplant, burgundy, mauve, plum, and violet are all very on trend!

The model is wearing 4 different shades of purple in one outfit!

2. Animal Prints

We have been seeing animal print a lot in previous seasons, but this season is all about SNAKESKIN. Whether it’s a clutch, a pair of paints, a blouse, a skirt, a pair of shoes, whatever it may be… this print is currently very trendy.

 The model is wearing a snakeskin pencil skirt.

3. Life in Technicolor

Neon/Bright colors are very in right now.  However, if you don’t think you can pull off a pair of neon pants or a florescent shirt, try colorful accessories or shoes!  Dress up a plain outfit with a splash of color by wearing neon earrings or brightly colored pumps! There’s no such thing as black and white this season, have fun with it! Life is art, live yours in COLOR!

Model is wearing bright yellow pants.

4. Dare to Jean

Jean-on-Jean is very stylish right now! Washed out denim shirts and a pair of darker designer jeans make the perfect outfit day or night. Amy Levin, founder of College Fashinista and one of the hosts at the event, wore a button-up denim shirt, dark denim jeans, and a white shirt underneath. The whole "You're-not-allowed-to-wear-white-after-Labor-Day-and-I'm-90-years-old" saying doesn't exist anymore--well atleast not this season... "Winter White" is currently happening.  To knock the outfit out of the park she added some watermelon florescent pumps (as mentioned in number 3).

5. That’s so CLUTCH

Large, flat, colorful, and textured clutches are a must have this season! It’s the perfect way to complete an outfit! Accessories are KEY statement pieces... and the clutches this season do NOT disappoint!

The model is holding a flat & textured clutch.

After attending this event, I could not help but buy these things at work the following day!

Denim button-up 

Marshalls Price= $16.99

 An everyday "Winter White" blouse

Marshalls Price= $14.99

Snakeskin pants 

Marshalls Price= $19.99

 Never pay full price for fabulous!!

Toddler Vogue??

In the past couple years the media has paid very close attention to the fashion and style of celebrity children--Suri Cruise being a prime example.  The child wears designer coats, has custom made purses, and more importantly is reported to have a $160,000 shoe collection.   Suri has better fashion taste than most adults I know. Heck, she even has a style blog dedicated to her clothing.

Designer clothing for children seems to be the way to go! One good example would be Diane von Furstenberg's exclusive line with Gap Kids which was launched in mid March. The main portion of Furstenberg's collection features the Wrap Dress (seeing as she is the creator and all). She wanted to incorporate her famous design for children to wear as well! The use of bright colors and bold patterns are a perfect way to capture fashion on a young child. 

 The infamous Wrap Dress!

Another Wrap Dress!

Bold DVF pants 

See, DVF even throw's shoes into her collection!

As a child, I used to dress my Barbie in the most expensive and most fashionable clothing. Sometimes it would take hours to choose an outfit for her to "go to the movies" in for approximately 5 minutes. I didnt care how long it would take to dress her, she wasn't going until she was perfect. That's how I kind of see children's fashion nowadays. Celebrities who never wanted their children in the limelight before are now craving it. They are using their child as their "Barbie"... wanting immediate attention on their child and, of course, recognition for their impeccable fashion sense. 

At work I have noticed a high increase of designer clothes in the Infant/Toddlers section and in the Little Girls section as well (particularly in the shoe department). Children grow out of shoes so quickly, yet parents still buy them at approximately $15-$40 a pair (knowing that they may only fit the child for a few months). Some of the designers that I noticed in the store were Michael Kors, Juicy Couture, and Cole Haan.  

 The Juicy Couture display I made at work

 Michael Kors boots on top left and sparkly pink flats in bottom left, 

Cole Haan infant red moccasins, 

and Juicy Couture infant floral booties

 More MK boots

...and more MK!

Someone should contact Anna Wintour and tell her that Toddler Vogue could be the next best thing!

What do you think???

The ROOTY Girl

Ever since seeing Shenae Grimes rockin’ Ombre, I had to have it. Those of you that are unfamiliar with it, it is a hair trend that features an individual’s darker and more natural roots on the top, and then fades lighter towards the bottom. In the past couple months I have seen a wide array of celebrities rockin’ the new style. 

Some of my other favorites are Jessica Biel (on right) (Shenae Grimes on left)

Rachel Bilson (on left), and Lauren Conrad (on right)

Without experience, this hair dying method seems to be a bit difficult to do on your own. It requires practice and a certain hair teasing technique. I would not suggest doing it from a box on your own... there is a good chance you’ll fail to get the look you envisioned.

Personally, I hate getting my haircut because I like it to be as long as possible. However, when I recently decided I desperately needed a trim, I also decided I needed Ombre.  I went with an auburn shade because my hair is already tinted red.  I love the colors she used to tone it, and I have never been more satisfied with a haircut!  

The great thing about Ombre is you don’t really have to keep up with it. This trend does not require you to schedule a hair appointment every 8 weeks. With Ombre you want your roots to be darker than your tips, which means you don’t have to constantly go to the salon for a touch up!

The funny thing about Ombre is… a lot of people don’t even know they are rockin’ the new trend!

For instance...

Honey Boo Boo Child*

Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...

In the months leading up to my graduation this past May, my sister Lindsay had constantly been asking me what I wanted for a graduation present. My sister and I are polar opposites when it comes to shopping.  She could shop online all day, but when it comes to shopping in an actual store she has a mini heart attack. I, on the other hand, live for that kind of stuff. Working at Marshalls for four years has really transformed me into a bargain shopper (or hunter, whichever you may prefer). I am not afraid to weasel my way into places to get what I came for (or even something that I didn't particularly need at all).

I personally hate online shopping. I worry about how things will fit, what the quality of the material will be like, whether or not I can send it back if I am not satisfied, and so on.  I find myself stressing about whether the order will get here on time, what the return policy is, if it will somehow get damaged in transit, if it will get lost, etc. I would rather push people out of the way for a chance to get a one of a kind handbag then sit on a flash site and constantly refresh my page until finally I see the words "SOLD OUT" plastered across the item. The worst.  Atleast if I went to the store, I put in more effort than simply right clicking a mouse (it makes me feel as if I worked harder for it).  That’s just the way I am...

Some call my sister the world traveler. She has been all over the world, and experienced so many amazing things.  She likes sipping the most expensive wine inside a villa in Italy, and I like the latest Michael Kors bag. She feels as passionate about traveling, as I do fashion. Don't get me wrong I love to travel, and she loves to wear nice things... our order of preference is just slightly altered. So when it came down to getting me a graduation present, I was not surprised to hear her say she wanted to take me on a trip! “Beach or City?” she asked me. My response: Beach. Not sure if she was taken aback by that based on my shopaholic tendencies, but she was in total agreement.  Next thing she told me... “Okay, pack a suitcase of bathing suits and your passport and meet me in NYC.” Where was she taking me? She knows I hate surprises.  Every day she would send me pictures of the resort, the beach, the pool, the swim up bar, and the night clubs. Nothing to complain about there.

Puerto Rico here we come! Bathing suits and passport were packed and of course a wide array of clothing (hurricane Isaac would be passing through the island RIGHT at the time our flight would be taking off so we weren't exactly sure what to pack).  

Some of the essentials for the trip!

Every girl needs a new bikini, some shades, WATER (so you don’t dehydrate from all the tanning that you will be doing), toothpaste, sunscreen, chapstick (ALWAYS a must) and some fun bracelets.  

It took me a very long time to debate which clothing deserved a spot in my carry-on sized piece of luggage. I have become a pro packer. Key to being as clever as I am at packing—roll EVERYTHING! It takes up WAY LESS space, which essentially means you can bring WAY MORE stuff.

The week before the trip I bought a lot of new swim-related attire. My favorite purchase was this black cover-up. It seriously made me feel like a supermodel as soon as I put it on. Flowy, bedazzled, and black= hi I’m Kim Kardashian. 

Hello Paradise! A day at the beach calls for a great book… mine… BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey. If you haven’t already read it several times, I suggest you do so. Hilarious.

So...the obvious... most people go on vacation to escape work for a week or so. I, on the other hand, was DYING to step foot into the Puerto Rican Mega Marshalls! So minus sunning, snacking by the pool, hiking in El Yunque, playing slots, and having a few cocktails… I was desperately looking forward to see the differences in our stores—setup wise, merchandise wise, and style wise. 

   

Our setup was exactly the same, the style was as I presumed it to be, but the BIG shocker to me was that the store did not sell perfume, handbags, and most importantly SHOES. I am a very detail-oriented person and I pay close attention to the buying behavior of consumers. Coming from a highly populated Puerto Rican town, I was very surprised to see that the store lacked these major departments. I find that most people that fit this same demographic shop in my store and are huge purchasers of designer handbags, perfumes, and shoes.  

Pictures from the rest of the trip!

El Yunque 

La piscina 

Wine Bar

Castillo de Cristobal Colon

Hotel

I purchased the dress above from the PR Marshalls. 

Can't seem to leave the store without a bag! xx