Chrissy

fashion+ November 27, 2013

What I wish I was wearing this Thanksgiving!

Dress | Shoes | Tights | Crown Ring | Camera Bag | Branch Ring I really love creating these outfit wishlists. I am an avid window shopper (& e-window shopper for that matter) and while I rarely purchase, I do like to dream up some lovely vintage inspired outfits. So I figured hey, we need more plus-sized, curvy girl friendly outfits out there that show off your curves rather than hide them!Also, be sure to check modcloth.com for their sales that start today! Black Friday is upon us soon and there will surely be sales tomorrow, black Friday, the whole darn weekend and cyber Monday. Don’t forget to breathe! (and maybe some coffee.) What do you love to window shop for? Check out my Totally Random Things I wish I owned October Edition for more fall vintage inspired items

design November 24, 2013

Interview with Melissa Wynne Design an etsy seller

This week’s interview is with the lovely Melissa from Melissa Wynne Design. Her fabulous wine glass art is to die for be sure to check her etsy shop out for more freehand goodness. Keep reading to find out her advice for those of you who aspire to open your own shop or business! Crashbeauty: How did you come up with your shop name?Melissa: Originally I pined over clever names with cute references to the types of products in my store, but I knew that the direction of my work could change over the years, so I wanted to keep it simple and to the point. Melissa Wynne Designs.Crashbeauty: What inspires you when creating or choosing an item for your shop?Melissa: That can change from day to day. A lot of times I am inspired by nature and representing it in a unique way. Other times I am inspired by apparel…

design November 20, 2013

Home miniature ikea greenhouse for my office desk

Lamp -Target | Owl Wax Burner – Walmart | Greenhouse – IKEA | Planters & Plants – Linvilla OrchardsA while back I found this fantastic mimic, miniature greenhouse at Ikea for $20. I was looking to have a planter the size of the container but it turns out the size was odd and nothing fit properly. Recently I decided to go with just the planters, but I didn’t want boring planters. So the hunt was on for the perfect (and perfectly priced) planters for this greenhouse. The green planter I had from a previous plant. I purchased three of these lovely, colorful planters at Linvilla Orchards of all places. They were around $3-$5 a pop in different shapes, sizes, and brilliant colors. Seriously if I had my own place the boyfriend would have been in some serious trouble. I would have bought one in every color hehe. I also purchased…

design November 10, 2013

Interview with Ecobota botanical art Etsy Seller

This lovely lady has an amazing shop full of gorgeous eco/botanical artwork at Ecobota . Keep reading below to find out more about this seller and their tips for starting your own business!We’ve also have the privilege in see their brand spanking new logo which is gorgeous might I add.CrashBeauty: How did you come up with your shop name?Sarah: My shop name is a combination of the words “ecology” and “botany” and stems from my passion for both of those fields of study. CrashBeauty: What inspires you when creating or choosing an item for your shop?Sarah: I am most inspired by the story of each plant. Some flowers only bloom for a short time and I must lay in wait, checking each day until the boom unfurls. But other times, I am caught off guard, pulling over on the side of the road to run back and examine the burst…

fashion+ November 6, 2013

Outfit collage inspired by Brilliant Earth Ethical Jewelry new Wisteria Collection launch!

Cardigan | Dress | Shoes | Ring | Tights | Earrings The gorgeous Wisteria Collection in inspired by “Autumn Love” and by far one of my favorite collections I’ve seen of fine jewelry. It speaks to the nature girl inside of me. The tree branch inspired rings are absolutely beautiful and I totally wish I could obtain the one in this outfit! Dig a little Deeper I was contacted by the lovely people at Brilliant Earth to inform me of their gorgeous new collection launching today. For anyone who doesn’t know what Brilliant Earth is, it is an ethical jewelry company specializing in engagement rings and fine jewelry. I don’t know about you but when I think about diamonds and other precious stones and metals I wonder who found it, who fought for it, and sometimes the sad thought of who died for them. Totally morbid right? But sometimes I just feel…

design November 3, 2013

An Interview with Etsy Seller Inspired By Elizabeth

This lovely lady, founder of Inspired by Elizabeth, creates amazingly cool steampunk/vintage inspired jewelry pieces. Pieces run anywhere from $10 to upwards of $60. She also does custom pieces and specializes in bridal wear. Keep reading below for her interview!1. How did you come up with your shop name? This is actually a funny story. I wanted to name it Inspired because that was truly how I felt when I began creating my jewelry line. I was inspired by everything around me. I started my shop on Etsy and unfortunately the name was already taken (shocking I know). Etsy showed me a list of possible alternatives and one was Inspired by Elizabeth. 2. What inspires you when creating or choosing an item for your shop? I am inspired a lot by color, texture and just the overall feeling I get when I’m creating a piece. I love flipping through fashion…

fashion+ October 30, 2013

Flatter your Curves by knowing your body shape

I reach out to all of my curvy readers and emphasis on needing to know your body shape. I’m not telling you WHAT you NEED to wear because everyone is entitled to dress to their style and their creativity but knowing your body shape is half the battle to finding clothes that truly flatter your curves and now that Clinton and Stacy’s What Not To Wear is over we need to fend for ourselves! First and foremost I found this awesome site, Channel 4 (4beauty) where you can just plug in information about your body in the body shapefinder and it will output your body shape. Nifty right? Kudos to the lovely coder of this program! After inputting my details it told me I’m a “Medium Height Hourglass” shape which I absolutely am! It also tells you some clothing styles to look out for and to avoid. Pencil skirts and…

design October 29, 2013

5 Basic & Important blogging tips for new bloggers

I know when I started I had no idea of some of the tips I’ve written below. As a designer I see blogging from a designer point of view with an emphasis on making the experience as easy as possible for the reader. Reply to as many of your comments as possible. I can’t stress how annoying it is to love a blog, comment or ask a question on the regular to get no response, ever. Using an outside commenting system like disqus.com is helpful in keeping track of your comments and for readers to know they have replies. Also, disqus helps eliminate comment spam and you don’t have to annoy your readers with a cache to do it. Utilize snippets/breaks. Not everyone wants to scroll for a million years to get to content they want to actually read. Using snippets and breaks in your posts is a good way…

fashion+ October 28, 2013

Perfect coat for a cold Halloween

Yesterday my family and I went to the “Boo at the Zoo” here in Philadelphia and I finally got a picture snapped of my new fashion to figure coat! I had some jeans and sneakers (it was just too cold for shoes and I don’t own boots yet) on for the long walk at the zoo but I had a chiffon shirt on with polka dots trimming and bow in the center to go with my Minnie Mouse theme and a mickey scarf that I bought last year in Disney world along with my mouse ears. I love how the coat gets longer towards the back. The boyfriend claims he was a field mouse since he is from the country, and we didn’t realize we forgot our face paint until we got there! I’m not going to lie; I would have loved painting a mouse nose and whiskers on…

design October 27, 2013

An Interview with Etsy Seller Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary

Now I’ve talked about Fortune Cookie Soaps but Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary may have them beat! If you haven’t checked out her foodie fantastic soaps you should… just remember, don’t eat them!1. How did you come up with your shop name? I toyed with many different names, but settled on Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary. I liked the idea of antique apothecary products, like using the blue jars and vintage style labels. I also envision finding unusual, sometimes weird treasures inside an apothecary. So for me it encompassed my body products and fun soaps. Using my name was to get across to customers that I do absolutely everything myself! 2. What inspires you when creating or choosing an item for your shop? As you can probably tell, I’m a total foodie and adore finding family run bakeries with little confectionery jewels. I love fragrances as well, so this creative endeavor matched up all…