Davisburg Antique Festival!

I have a strange fascination with craft and antique fairs and festivals! Could be because my family and I have made an annual trip to the Shipshewana Flea Market my entire life. Or, because I was raised as a craft show kid. I traveled with my parents, and enjoyed hiding in boxes under the display tables ;) These days, I find it fun to stroll around, rummage through things, and bargain hunt. Yesterday, we took a day trip to the Davisburg Antique Festival. With several barns full of vendors, and plenty of outside booths, there was plenty to see! Along with antiques, there was also a wide range of Michigan-made products and food, carnival-style food trucks, and live music. As a fashion designer, I'm always the one dragging my sister on the lookout for jewelry, accessories, and inspiration, while my dad searches for tools, and my mom looks for home decor! This time I was on a slightly different mission of finding teacups to plant succulents in. I saw it on Pinterest, don't judge until you see how cute it is! And although I didn't find the perfect cup, I had a wonderful time with Austin and my family. If you haven't before, I highly suggest trying something new and making a trip to a fair, festival, or flea market. If anything, it's a great time to bond with loved ones. Plus, you never know when you'll find a hidden gem!

Photos: Joanne Photography 

Styleshack's Style Chops!

On Sunday I was selected to compete in a styling competition against 4 of Detroit's top style bloggers. I told you I had a busy weekend! The event was organized by Styleshack, and hosted at Guys N Gals in West Bloomfield. Upon arrival, we were given time to browse, chat, and shop the store. Not going to lie, I was totally preparing outfits in my mind, and trying to guess what the categories would be! I'm sure I wasn't the only one ;) My fellow competition was Grace from colorandgrace.com, Chelsie from chitchatchelsie.wordpress.com, Jennifer from spoonfulofflair.com, and Morgan from notyouraveragequeenblog.wordpress.com. Once everyone arrived, we were each given two mannequins to style. We were told that we would have 20 minutes to style both mannequins in cohesive looks based on the category we were given. Then, customers and hosts alike would rate each of our looks from 1 being the worst, to 10 being the best. The blogger with the highest score would be the Style Chops champ! The first category was announced as Boho Chic, and each blogger scrambled to grab their outfits. I chose a blue and white paisley blouse, jean skirt, tie-dyed denim button down, and oversized bag for my main look, and a matching paisley dress, linear necklace, and rainbow bag for my side look. To me, boho is all about that 70's style of feeling young, free, and lively in bold patterns, bright colors, fun fabics, lots of natural jewels, and layering. The second category was Date Night Glam. I went with a little black dress, glittering clutch, and diamond jewelry for my first look, and a black ruffled blouse, gold necklace, and a red, pink, and black striped bandage skirt for my second look. In my opinion, date nights are for feeling feminine, sexy, and refined in classic colors and cuts, fitted silouttes, shiny clutches, and expensive-looking jewels. The final category was Sporty Chic! I selected a Detroit tee, ripped skinny jeans, black leather jacket, and leather bag for my large look, and a casual black dress, beaded necklace, and a leather crossbody for my small look. When I think of sporty chic, I think comfortable, casual, and just a bit edgy with Converse, caps, leggings or detailed jeans, and graphic tees representing your favorite bands, sports teams, brands, or cities ;* We then waited for the votes to be tallied, and the winner announced! Chelsie of chitchatchelsie.wordpress.com was named as the Style Chops champ! Although I was not the winner, I still had a fabulous time and got some great styling practice in! Participants were also given their own choker necklace as a consolation prize that I absolutely love! Thank you to Styleshack for having me, Guys N Gals for hosting, and thank you to my family and Stylish Dreams Group for coming to support me! 

Darakjian and Dolce Moda!

Wow! So first off, this weekend was absolutely incredible. Let me start with Saturday's event. I attended the Meet Me In The Street strolling fashion/jewelry show in downtown Birmingham. Darakjian Jewelers and Dolce Moda teamed up to transform Birmingham into a live streetside catwalk. The show featured new spring jewelry lines by the Italian design house, Rebecca, and contemporary men's fashions. Hair and makeup was beautifully done by 6 Salon, and event proceeds were to benefit the Detroit Garment Group. The entire collaboration was a match made in heaven. Male and female models walked arm in arm in a parade. The men carried white swag bags from Dolce Moda, and the women held purple bags from Darakjian. Each bag had a chance to win Rebecca jewelry from Darakjian, or Dolce Moda menswear. Any passerby that interacted with the models was then handed a bag, and told to go to the cooresponding store to discover if they were a winner. Unfortunately, no one from our SDG team was a winner, but my bag did contain some spring lookbooks, hair products, and biodegradable, non-toxic (which you know I had to mention ;D), jewelry cleaner! I spent most of my time inside Darakjian, where customers and models lounged drinking mamosas and choosing from a large selection of fruit, cheese, and crackers. Armen Darkajian was a wonderfully funny, witty, and lively man who spent time chatting with us, and treating us like his guests at a magnificent party. He even brought out a 17 karat diamond for us to "Ooh" and "Ahh" over its brilliant sparkle. Every member of the Darakjian team was an absolute pleasure to talk to, and invited us to try on any glittering piece of our choice. Our model, Kathryn, ended up walking out with a stunning gold piece from the Rebecca collection! It was a gorgeous day to stroll, shop, chat, and snap pictures at a perfectly done fashion event!