It’s The Little Things: Wave Iron

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I first learned about the wave iron on a girls’ trip I took to New York City with a bunch of friends four years ago. One of the girls is a genius at doing hair. She did my hair with the wave iron. I was skeptical because I thought it would be like a crimper. But it isn’t. It simply produces soft waves. The waves all of us girls in the eighties wanted. The ones we used to have to get through perms.

I was hooked from the moment she did my hair.

I used to do my hair with the wave iron all of the time, but I lost my wave iron two years ago.

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I only recently purchased the Pro Beauty Tools Professional Speed Waver from Amazon. It was under $15 so I figured if it did not work, it was not a big deal.

Well, I loved it.

Here is how I use it. Wait! Before I begin, I want it noted that my mirror is not dirty, but rather, when they installed my countertop last year, they reinstalled the mirror with some sort of glue that is now eating through the mirror and causing those marks. I think it looks vintagey, so I do not mind it:

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I have very thin hair. It took me nine minutes to wave my entire head. I never use the wave iron with clean hair. The wave is too soft. I like to use it with one day old clean hair. Does that make sense?

I turn the wave iron onto a setting that is not the lowest but just a little hotter than the lowest setting. You do not want to use the highest setting. This wave iron gets hot and your hair has a greater potential of frying if it is set at that.

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First I start with a small section of hair and I place the top section of the hair near the root into the wave iron. I count quickly to ten (not in the thousandths, just one, two, three…). When you first try it, count to five to see if it works at a lower number. You do not want to burn your hair!

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Then move the wave iron down to an unwaved section and count again. Do this until you reach the end of that section of hair. Because ends of hair are usually the driest, I only count to five at the ends. They have a greater potential to burn off with heat so I do not want to chance it. Plus it looks more beachy with the ends slightly not as wavy as the rest of the hair. I always do one half of my head before I do the other half.

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Pretend you’re a mermaid and make a fish face. Yes, this part is necessary. Trust me. Your hair will not turn out if you do not do this.

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Repeat all over head. Then do not forget to unplug your wave iron (this message is to myself because inevitably five minutes after we have left the house, we have to turn around to check to make sure I have unplugged my devices. Be better than me!).

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Spray with hairspray.

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Make a funny face.

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Enjoy your waves! These are nice the next day, too. The wave is softer and more beachy then. Plus the wave hides dirty hair pretty well. I touch up a section if it needs it.

I do not use this all of the time. Any kind of heat is not good for your hair. So, use sparingly. I used mine five times before I reviewed it here because I wanted to make sure I would recommend it.

I do. With that said, as with any product your experience may vary. And as with any beauty tool, please use with caution and at your own risk.

I purchased this wave iron with my own money. I was not compensated for writing this post. However, the link above is an affiliate link. Purchasing the wave iron from the link will provide a small commission for this blog.

Do you have a wave iron? How often do you use it? I use mine about once a week, but I can usually get two to three days of wave from that one day.

It’s The Little Things: Changing Your Hair In A Fun Impermanent Way.

*The dress in the photos was styled and ironed previously in this post here.

Feeding My Etsy Beast: Vintage Maxi Skirts

I posted about a Vintage Maxi Skirt that I own on Tuesday. I felt bad that I could not link to it, because it was vintage and one of a kind. I had an idea. I found some maxi skirts that I think are gorgeous in a variety of sizes being sold on Etsy. Being vintage, it makes sense that these items sell out quickly. There is only one of them. Often times buying vintage means a cost savings, as well. There are many bohemian beauties I have my eye on at retail price in chain stores, but I cannot afford them right now. Vintage can mean getting something cool for less. It means no one in your town will be wearing that garment the same day as you. It is also being green. The sizes will vary. If you click on a link and it is sold out, I am sure more vintage items will pop up soon.

I am not affiliated with the sellers of the following skirts in any way. I have always had a beautiful experience shopping on Etsy (I have purchased from over 100 sellers), but please shop at your own risk. I have had contact with each of these sellers (in requesting to use their photos) and they were lovely. I would advise reading the product description carefully before purchasing. Most vintage pieces are nonreturnable.

Suzanne, from the blog Style Files, styles vintage pieces like nobody else. She is fun and sassy. I love her style. She wrote a super helpful post entitled “Top Tips For Shopping Vintage.” In fact she has a section on her blog devoted to vintage tips. I highly recommend checking it out.

I thought it would be fun to show some pretty vintage maxis that have caught my eye lately:

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Who can resist a fun green maxi skirt? This Sweet Green Floral Skirt is from Sunny Lizard. The waist for this one is thirty inches. The brightness of this skirt makes me long for days spent drinking lemonade by the pool. Great summer find.

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I love this Red Eyelet Skirt from Vintage Stew. In fact, it is on my personal wishlist. The only reason I did not scoop it up was because I have a very similar short red skirt all ready in my closet. This skirt features a 28 inch waist.

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I like plaid all year round. There is just somethin’ about it. This Colorful Plaid Skirt is so pretty. If only I had a twenty five inch waist to be able to wear it. It is being sold by Indie Style Society.

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I saw this amazing find and if I had a 34 inch waist, I would scoop it up. I love anything sky related. This Cool Zodiac Skirt is sold from the shop Bumblebee Buck. The pattern is awesome.

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Polka dots! I recently snagged a sweet white and black polka dot Free People maxi skirt at Nordstrom Rack. This reminds me of it. Except this one is vintage, so it is cooler. This Red Polka Dot Skirt has a 30-35 inch waist. It is being sold by the shop Pendulum Vintage. I love the sweet buttons on this one.

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I think this skirt is the closest to my vintage find from yesterday. The waist stretches to 24-29 inches. It is the Black Floral Appliqué Skirt from Cocoandmillie. I would style it exactly as seen here. It is exquisite.

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This Aztec Bird Skirt is so interesting. It is being sold from Red Hat Vintage with a high waist of twenty eight inches. I am been obsessed with pink lately. And this one is no exception.

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I love this Sunshine Skirt from Brass Giraffe Vintage. This skirt sports a 26 inch waist. I love the colors. My grandma’s favorite colors were green and yellow and I have found myself attracted to that combination lately. This eye candy fits the bill.

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This Strawberry Appliqué Skirt being sold from Victoria Westbury is amazing. I love the fabric with the cool design. Even though this skirt has a small fabric flaw, I think it is gorgeous. I love it shown with the red shoes here. It also has the best red polka dot ruffle underneath.

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Last but not least, is this Gorgeous Green Skirt. It is just a little too big for me with a twenty nine and a half inch waist. I love the colors of this. I think this skirt worn with a black t-shirt and long green necklace with silver sandals would be amazing. It is being sold from Momo Deluxe Vintage.

Do you shop vintage? What do you look for? Do you like this feature? Are you an Etsy addict like me? I love browsing the beautiful shops.

It’s The Little Things: On Our Fireplace Mantel

Sweet Brynne asked me last week if I would do a post about the items on my mantle. I thought it was a great idea. I take most of my outfit photos in front of my fireplace, because of the convenience. I love the items on my mantle. Each piece is special to me. I am excited to share!

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First, let’s talk about the painting above the mantel in case you missed my post about one of my favorite artists, Ginette Callaway. In 2004, I commissioned sweet Ginette to paint me a peacock for above our newly tiled fireplace.

Ginette really came through. She painted three paintings and let me choose one. My biggest regret is not buying two. I loved another one as well. Actually all three were stunning. The other one I vividly remember showcased a smaller peacock with a giant fan of feathers in colors of the rainbow, but mostly lavender hues. Gorgeous.

But I love this painting. I love Ginette. The painting makes me happy every day to look at it.

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In the center of our mantel is a Lego VW Bus. My husband and son love Legos. My husband has a 1967 VW Bus that we adore. I bought this for my husband as a Christmas present a few years ago. They built it together.

This year, Lego offered a free (my favorite word) mini Lego VW Bus with an online purchase. It happened to be near my son’s birthday. Score!

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The felted gnomes riding the dragon and the VW Bus are from Moongoat on Etsy. I love her shop. I have many of her gnomes hidden throughout my house. I cannot resist a felted gnome.

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The little girl gnome is from ABC Carpet and Home in New York. It is the most amazing store. Every time I am in New York, it is my favorite shop to visit. I cannot afford most things there, but I have managed to snag a deal on each of my trips.

I had seen the gnome when I had gone on a family trip in June three years ago. She was part of a trio (a scruffy male gnome and a wizard gnome). They were $48 a piece (the store is pricy). I do not know if the gnomes were antiques. They had been loved on. Hard. I obviously was not going to spend $144 on three felted gnomes. I left them behind.

In September of that same year, I took a trip to New York with my girlfriends. We visited this store. The gnomes were still there. Their tags were removed. I asked the sales girl how much they were now. She sold them to me for $10 each. And she wrapped them up so cute.

I gifted them to my husband when I got home.

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Every year my husband and I go on a two to three night trip for our anniversary sans kids (this year it is Vegas). On one of the trips, we went to San Francisco. In a small little store in Chinatown, I spotted this amazing rope dragon (my husband collects dragons). I remember he was $45. And he always has a gnome riding him. Although, it may not always be the same one. ; )

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About three years before my grandmother passed away, she gifted me this jar of buttons. The jar was my great grandmother’s. Her and I looked very much alike. She was Polish. And I once got chased through the college campus by a little old man who wanted to know the exact place I was born in Poland. Anyway, I never met her. Half of the button’s were also my great grandmother’s. The other half my grandmother purchased off of eBay. My jar of buttons is one of my favorite things in my home. I like the idea of my grandma shopping on eBay. I also like the history of the jar and the buttons.

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The green candle hanging from the jar was made by my daughter in the fifth grade. Fifth grade is when the children in California learn about Colonial Times. At our school, they have a day where all of the kids dress up in colonial clothes and participate in activities that they would have done back then. I have been waiting to add a candle made by my son for years. This year he is in the fifth grade. I have made him promise me he will choose candle making as one of his activities. Hopefully, the mantle will have a new addition soon.

And the beehive candle was a Christmas present from my stepmom. It is made from my dad’s beeswax (he is a beekeeper). I LOVE it.

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The small blue candlesticks were a Christmas gift from my mother some years ago. I love the color. I love everything about them. They are perfect!

The beaded purple candle holders were some of my first purchases from Anthropologie. I waited for them to go on sale. This was many years ago.

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The felted gnome on the jar of buttons wearing the snail as a hat is also from Etsy. This one was done by Eve’s Little Earthlings. I think they are extremely cute.

I think with the snail on his head he looks like the man with the bird on his head from one of my favorite movies, “Labyrinth.”

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The little pig next to them is from my favorite video game. The video game is Monster Hunter. The pig’s name is Poogie. In the video game I fight jelly beans (just kidding. We obviously fight monsters. I am quite the Monster Hunter. Not to brag or anything). My husband and I play it together. We each have Poogie in our house in the video game. You can change his clothes. If you pet him right, he does a backflip and little red hearts spring from his head.

Yep.

I actually have a stuffed Poogie on my husband’s desk in our bedroom. And I am also the proud owner of a blow up stuffed giant piece of meat (also from the video game). Maybe I should pose with it sometime.

Or not.

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On either side of the mantle are two little roosters. I purchased them at an antique store a few years ago. They have remains of a cork on the bottom of them, so I assume they used to be wine stoppers. I think their colors are fantastic.

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The little chipmunks were painted by my children many years ago from a pottery place in town. We have pieces like them all over the house.

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The blue vase was a purchase my husband and I made on a family vacation to Arizona when my son was a year old. It was our only souvenir.

He bought me these orange roses on clearance this week (they are not doin’ so well). One of his favorite things to do is buy huge amounts of flowers for me after a holiday when the stores have a surplus of flowers to get rid of. One year, he bought me seven dozen beautiful red roses for $7!

He is sweet.

Next big after-holiday flower discounts? Easter and Mother’s Day!

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It’s The Little Things: Displaying what you love, because the items mean love to you.

What is on your mantle? What is your favorite piece to display?

Thanks Brynne for the great idea! : )

Mushroom Dressing

I sense a theme this week. First gnomes. Now mushrooms. I am nothing if not obsessive predictable.

I purchased this Toadstool Blouse back in September from Anthropologie. I just realized I never really posted about it after I bought it. It is one of my favorite purchases. I love gnomes. Everyone knows gnomes live in mushroom houses. So, it stands to reason that I would love mushrooms. On clothing. Just not to eat. Never to eat. Shudder.

Would you eat your house?
Or just wear it on a blouse?

Sorry. I’m tired.

Anyway, I think this blouse is now almost sold out (there are still some petite sizes available as of this posting), but there might be popbacks of it in different sizes.

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A few months ago, I paired it with my green flounce skirt purchased last year at Anthropologie. This is my favorite way to wear it. I kind of showed this picture in my Overheard in October post. But not really. It was mostly a funny story about a man who wanted to use the mushrooms on my shirt for some groovy dreams.

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Two weeks ago, I scored the AG Stevie Cords from Anthropologie during their after Christmas sale. I was not sure about them, but I love the color. I could not believe that these turquoise cords are the same exact color as the Toadstool Blouse.

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I also paired it with my Ruffled Hem Sweater Vest. I am not sure about this look. What do you think?

Did you get anything during Anthropologie’s huge sale? Do you have any other ideas for me on how to wear this shirt? Do you wear the things you collect? Am I the only one?

* Also, I tried different filters with this post using the Afterlife App. Yay or nay? Thank you!