From drab to fab

Hey there!

    Sorry it's been quite awhile since my last post- moving back to college kept me extremely busy! Last week when I was packing I was having a very, very, and I mean very difficult time packing my closet haha. As a small portion of you have seen my overflowing yet "dream closet" (as some of my friends have called it), would know that I merely have WAY too many clothes for a small dorm closet. I managed to stuff about 1/3 of my closet in just a couple suitcases (the zippers were about to rip but that's ok right?) Just as always when I go through my closet I find clothes that I don't wear anymore. I normally fill a bag to donate to Goodwill but this time I decided to keep the clothes I don't wear anymore to alter and vamp up these clothes. When all was done, I had a huge laundry basket filled with clothes for me to alter.
     So far I have hemmed up some shorts, a dress and altered a few shirts and skirts. Below I posted some before and after pics from the outfits I altered. Sorry that most of them are from my Iphone, no one was home to take the pics for me ha! I will also be posting some DIYs about certain clothes (skinny jeans, crop top, shorts, etc)
     Also... I went on a pillow frenzy! This year I was changing up my accent color in my room from red (last year) to turquoise and yellow; and what easier way to give the room a new vibe and accent color than by simply changing the throw pillows!Also I made a turban headband from some left over fabric from my pillows! Enjoy and please leave feedback on here or my facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SimplyAudreeKate)
xoxo Audree Kate

floral dress

 

Before: I got this floral dress from my sister's closet years ago and well... it's very long
After: Just above the knee and perfect for a nice brunch, work with a contrasting blazer or cardigan, or date night with a nude pump and loose curls

Crop top and black skinny jean
(DIY posted soon)

 

Before: This teal romper was fun for summer but sadly shrunk in the wash & these black Dickies were worn for a previous job

After: I cut off the short part of the romper and took in the inside hem of the pants to make into a skinny jean

Pillows

I recovered some old pillows from my house and this is what my new set up looks like

These are two felt flower pillows I made (inspiration from Pinterest)

Headband

tutorial http://www.lovestitched.com/my-tutorial/knotted-jersey-headband-tutorial/

Unique New York

I just got back from my quick vacation to New York City and it was amazing!!! I went with my adorable roommate from last year, Ali, and we visited her sister and brother-in-law. They were so sweet for letting us crash on their couches and tour the city. I fell in love with the fast paced life and how different it was from Arizona. During our trip we took lots of pictures for me to post on the blog. For this post I just wanted to show some pictures from our daily outfits. Let me know what you think and keep checking for more posts!

P.S A special shoutout to Ali and Anna for helping me with pictures and modeling for my blog. Love you girls with all my heart

xoxo Audree Kate

floral top with the DIY lace jeans on my blog and yellow sandals and purse

 

coral top with green belt

A loose sheer color button up can be worn all year around

Cute jeweled sandals can add sparkle to any outfit and will match most colors

color blocking

Marc Jacobs Watch and Purse

lighten up a dark top and bottom pair with a lighter belt and jewelry

bright high to low skirts with neutral shirts and sandals and

 to keep the outfit balanced, wear chunky jewelry

classic white tee with a flowy sweater cardigan and printed scarf is casual chic yet super comfy

Jean on jean is the newest trend- but to make sure it's not 'too 90's' keep the jeans of different shades (dark pants with a light button up)

colorful pants and printed scarfs are always a DO

A light knitted sweater will keep you warm in the beach breeze

lace shirt over a swimsuit bandeau 

sheer button up with ripped shorts for a beachy cool look

Fedoras, sunglasses and big earrings are a must at the beach this summer

colorful lips can make your outfit more dramatic for the night

Soho Ready with our glasses

I mixed prints of the heart shirt and chevron yellow skirt. It was balanced out with neutral accessories (bow belt and bow sandals) but a pop of color with the chunky necklace 

(color blocking anyone?!)

vertical strips lengthens your torso when paired with high waisted cut offs. 

I also placed a chunky gold necklace under the collor

Ali's newest favorite color is this lime green (It looks amazing with her skin tone)

she finally found the perfect shirt from Forever 21!

Lace Trim Jean Shorts

If you are a Pinterest fanatic like I am, you have definitely seen the craze about lace trim on jean shorts! It is an easy DIY and I decided to check it out when I recently needed a quick fix on a pair of shorts that were too short, ripped and just didn't fit right anymore. Instead of tossing them, I bought some white lace ruffle trim at Walmart for a couple bucks and sewed them to the edge of my shorts for some extra length and then patched up a hole by sewing a piece of white fabric underneath. It was super easy and now I feel like I have a brand new pair of shorts that I would of easily paid a lot of money for.

I have been in New York for the past week and haven't had much time to post but, no worries, I've been taking lots of pictures for fashion lessons and scoping out the hottest fashions in the big city. Can't wait to post more this coming week! So until then, check out my photo tutorial on Facebook, and please follow my Pinterest and re-pin my 'Simply Audree' photos :)

xo Audree Kate


here are a couple pics of me wearing the shorts while in New York
(and yes I know I'm wearing the same floral top from my color blocking lesson... don't judge)

 My adorable friend Ali and myself in Central Park

Times Square!!

Color Blocking 101

Some friends recently asked me about the basics of color blocking. For those who do not know what color blocking it is, its a trend that exploded on the runways in Spring 2011 with bright colors, playfulness, and a touch of abstract design. It's impossible to ignore the obnoxiously loud colors in retail stores now-a-days but personally it makes me happy. I love color; especially accenting a basic outfit with a vibrant pair of shoes or jewelry. Here are some basic tips for color blocking:

1. accessorize: if you are the person who loves your neutrals and just blending in to the crowd, start simple by accessorizing with bright jewelry, bags or shoes.
2. cheat: purchase color-blocked blouses or dresses- you will look like a pure fashion guru without much effort. Be sure to pick one out that flatters your figure, skin tone and personal style.
3. Pair similar shades: Pairing similar shades (royal blue, baby blue and turquoise) or similar tones (red and orange) will compliment each other nicely 
      * Warm tones together and cool tones together
4. Opposites attract: If you look at a color wheel, you will see that opposite colors and shades are commonly used for color blocking (yellow & purple and orange & blue). Also, pairing a bright hue with a simple hue is an easy way to color block 
     * Neon or primary colors pair great with pastels and earth/ nude tones


Still having a difficultly finding what to pair with what? Here are a few combinations that go great together:
- royal blue, yellow, orange
- coral, turquoise, gold
- purple, bright blue, teal
- deep blue, bright pink, white
- brown, pink, peach
- coral, grey, ivory
- purple, pink, turquoise 


On the web, I found great tips for using the color wheel while planning color blocked outfits:
- Analogous colors: any three colors lined up on the color wheel 
  (e.g. violet, violet-red & red)
- Complementary colors: any colors directly across from each other
  (e.g. blue & orange)
- Pair colors that form 90 degree angles with each other 
  (e.g. yellow & red -orange)
- Pair colors that form an X (e.g. blue, orange, violet-red & yellow etc.)
- Pair colors that form a T (e.g. yellow, blue-green & red-orange)
- Color-families You can substitute pink (tint) with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel.
 (http://talknerdy2me.org/color-blocking-101)



Here a couple photos of some color blocking

outfit one:
floral blouse with shades of pink, yellow and orange and paired with cobalt blue trousers ( both thrift), Steve Madden nude wedges (Last Chance), nude clutch (thrift, coral clutch (Avon), light pink bracelet (H&M), light brown belt (Target)

I used nude accents and light jewelry to tone down the floral top and bright pants but if you want to add a 'pop', use a bright oversized clutch


outfit two: 
 rose pink blouse (thrift), lavender skinny jeans (PacSun), brown biker boots (Journeys), Chunky turquoise necklace (gift), teal statement ring (H&M), nude clutch (clutch from #1)

I used neutral accents once again in this outfit. Both the shirt and pants are pastel so they aren't too overpowering as a combination. The turquoise jewelry off sets the pastels for a pop of color.

  

I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think or if you have any tips for color blocking 

xoxo Audree