Keeping The Ojo Away

Let me start off by saying that if you do not follow my instagram then you NEED to!  I update on there way more often than my blog!  Look for me under Cynthiaedee!

A long time friend of mine reached out to my Treasure Box services to assist her in creating her ideal look for the upcoming Katy Perry concert.  Needless to say I was THRILLED to help her out!

The great thing about what my friend (Norma) did was that she put together a Pinterest page of what kind of look she wanted to create.  I can't even begin to tell you how much easier that made things!  I knew EXACTLY what she wanted which helped me to be specific on my search for her perfect concert outfit.  Here are some of the pics she had pinned for inspiration:

So great!  I had a starting point!  The more specific a client can be the better it is for the both of us.  I'm able to be more selective and better cater to their wants.

The very first thing I found for Norma wasn't even on her list for me but it was an adorable Forever 21 purse that I purchased at Goodwill.  Next came the belt, then the jacket.  I ordered an evil eye patch online but felt like the jacket still needed a little something more...pics will show what I meant...

Here's a picture of the before:

And the after!:

I added the lip elbow patches to make it a little jazzier.  I really wanted this jacket to be a little more comic pop art-ish and the sequin lips did just that!

Here are pics of the belt and purse that I found for Norma.  Doesn't that belt look almost just like the one she pinned?!  And that purse was too cute to pass up.

Let me tell you somethings that I learned on this quest:

1-Denim jackets that are second hand and in good shape are not easy to come by!  I went to at least three Goodwills and no luck!  I personally think it's because a good denim jacket is a staple in a wardrobe and it's safe to hold on to it.

2-I know this but if you don't know....hand stitching takes HOURS!  If you ever wonder why hand embroidered clothing is priced higher it's because of the amount of work that goes into it.  I can't tell you how many times I pricked my fingers or would stitch for a while just to realize that I started the stitch wrong then had to start all over again.  It's a painstaking process but the end result is so worth it!

I had a great time with this challenge.  It's by far been my favorite.  I loved collabing with Norma and watching her vision come to life through my work.

I'd love to be able to do the same for any of you reading this if you want me to!  I have some people asking if I'll hand embroider their denim jackets and the answer is OF COURSE!    I'll be putting a pricing chart soon!  If you want to collab comment below OR email Cynthiaedee@gmail.com!

Let's collab, yo!

-CE

DIY: Vintage Tees

I mentioned it before that I've been very into wearing vintage (or semi-vintage) tees with handkerchiefs.  Half of the battle is finding a vintage tee that isn't..well...nasty.  I mean staining, rips, holes, sweat, etc.  It's not the tee's fault, they're supposed to be worn and have adventures and keeping them in pristine condition is difficult.

Cue pinterest!  The holy grail for all things DIY!  I'm a sucker for an interesting DIY so I decided to try the brining a shirt in salt water for three days and before I go on a loooooong explanation let me save you the time:

I'd give this DIY 2 out of 5 stars. And here's why:

The shirt I started off with was semi-starchy and by the time I let it sit for three days it was a little less semi-starchy.  Was it revolutionary?  Nope  Will I try it again? Maybe.  But all in all, not impressed.  

The Coca Cola already had a vintage feel so I didn't brine it.  The Camp Humane shirt was brined and is still semi-starchy. 

Sigh.  Well, either way I'll still keep an eye out for vintage tees at Goodwill and share them with y'all.  And I'll share more of my DIY projects!

-C

Denim Jacket Face Lift

A denim jacket is a staple in most people's closet because of their versatility and functionality.  Lately I've been feeling bored with my trusty denim jacket so I went surfing the web for some inspiration and it finally hit me.

This by far has been my favorite DIY.  It was pretty simple to make and under $20.  If you're interested in how to make this jacket email me @ CynthiaEdee@gmail.com.

What's your favorite DIY?

-C

Hobbies

There are many things and activities that interest me and one that fills be with pleasure is Goodwill hunting! Goodwills (GW) are an awesome go-to place to find interesting items and thanks to outlets such as pinterest.com and etsy.com crafty DIYers are able to share ideas and inspirations and, of course, do a little bragging on creativity and talent.

When I first moved to San Antonio last year I was at GWs at least once a week.  SATX has a few GW establishments that I loved to hit up and it was very hit or miss, luckily mostly hits.  A lot of great finds were waiting for me and I still have all of them.  Pictures of my prior GW finds are on my old phone so they're probably gone forever and that's okay because now I can use Brunette Moxie to post my NEW finds!  However with life getting busier and busier I hadn't visited my friends at the GW in a few months so with this being my FIRST Labor Day weekend not working I decided it was time to go back!

Isaac was great today and took me to a few GW around town and after we had lunch at Babe's Burgers (YUM!) I dropped him off and continued my hunting.

So here we GO!:

Wood Finds:
Total Price (without tax): $12.98



After placing these two items together it looks like I found them as a set but NOPE! I found the heart shaped desk at the GW on 281 in the Stone Oak area for $7.99 which, to me, was a little pricey but I saw major potential with it. The shelf storage item was found at the GW in Live Oak by Rolling Oaks mall and was priced at $4.99.  I was very iffy about it and even when I was checking out contemplated not taking it, but for that price I could find something to do with it.

I have a few ideas floating around in my head on what to do with these bad boys.  I was thinking painting the desk red and making the bottom of it into a pet bed for my cats by removing the panels.  And for the shelf, painting it robin's egg blue and using stencils to make it more creative.  I also have a lot of chalkboard paint left over so maybe use that instead of the stencils.  Options are a great thing to be able to have!

Brass Finds:
Total price (without tax): $3.98



It's a funny thing when GW hunting; items are placed throughout the store and are amidst things that you might consider "junk" and they don't look special.  But if you set them aside and really look at them for a moment, you begin to see them in a whole new light.  This is exactly what happened with these candle holders.  Normally I dislike brass to no avail.  It reminds me of poor choices in the 80s but seeing these at the GW by Rolling Oaks mall for $1.99 each-I was willing to set aside my prejudices and take them!

I debated for a while if I should paint these or not.  Going back to my statement earlier I very much dislike brass but could not think of a suitable color for these that wouldn't ruin them.  I searched for replicas of these on google.com and saw that they are selling online for $10!  Confirmed that I definitely made a smart choice to purchase them at two bucks a piece! I found an image of these exact candle holders painted baby blue and total mind changer about painting them.

So as I was sitting in my bedroom tonight listening to Lana Del Rey station on pandora.com I looked around the room trying to grab inspirations and ideas and BINGO! I knew exactly what to do with the coloring dilemma (dramatic much?): NOTHING!  I let the brass be.



Sorry the picture is blurry but anyway- The brass color that I was so against worked perfectly with my Gustav Klimt painting!  BTW-this painting was also found at a GW off of Bulverde here in SATX.  The colors all tie in together and now my wall isn't as bare.  So it all worked out great!

The wood painting projects will be more time consuming but as soon as I complete them I'll post pics!