TBMD

When I saw SewPetiteGal's clever transformation of her scarf into a top worn two ways, I gasped out loud. So neat! Wow, only a few steps and no sewing?! I need to try this ran through my head as I marveled at how she wore her scarf.

Once I had the perfect pair of pants in mind for this outfit, I went to work. My first attempt was a big fat FAIL. I didn't have a scarf ring, so I used a regular ring instead. Somehow though, after I tied the initial knot, the ring fell to the floor, hahaha (I'm not very good at following directions, it seems). Well, at least the knot was still in place. So I then slipped the scarf over my head in the one-shoulder style and tied the remaining ends around my waist.

On my right side (can be seen more clearly in the back view below), the material was sort of left open, flapping in the wind, so I tucked the top part into the strapless top I wore underneath. I should have straightened out the bottom part better and tucked excess fabric into my pants. In the end though, I think the scarf is just a teeny bit small for my body, so there will always be a bit of a gap.

Overall, I'm really happy with this DIY. Next time, I would probably twist the scarf a bit so there's more of a one-shoulder slant instead of how this attempt turned out.

Check out how Elle wore her scarf, with help also from SPG's tutorial.

Have you worn a scarf as a top before? How did it turn out?

I have a love for layering. I started doing this because my office's temperature runs hot and cold like a girl on PMS. That and also playing with accessories is fun. There is no right or wrong, but I thought I would share what tends to go on in my head:

Accessorize
- I almost always wear a cardigan or jacket, unbuttoned. It's the easiest way to layer and wear different colors/textures.

- Belts and sashes are my best friend. Sometimes I even double up. It helps break up the top from the bottom half.

- Simple necklines (crewneck, v-neck, etc) look great with necklaces or scarves. I pretty much feel naked without something around my neck.

- Statement necklaces look great under or over collared shirts.

- When I push up my sleeves or wear short-sleeve tops, bracelets are my go-to.

- I treat necklaces, belts, sashes, and scarves interchangeably. Scarves can work as belts, sashes can work as scarves. I've even used long necklaces as belts.

Keep proportions in mind
- If my top half consists of multiple layers, I like to keep the bottom half simpler (or vice versa).

- If I'm wearing long sleeves on top, I'm more inclined to show off the legs and wear heels. In reverse, a strapless top with pants.

- Vary the lengths. Ie: a longer tee underneath a blazer, a cardigan over a tucked-in shirt, a cropped jacket over a top, shirt sleeves rolled up over a jacket.

Do you agree or disagree with any? What other layering tips do you have to share?

I was helping Lilly figure out how to place two images side by side using HTML tables, when it occurred to me that a bunch of text is useless without pictures! So hopefully this tutorial (with pics) is somewhat helpful.

1) The code. Simply copy without changing anything:

2) Go to where you compose posts. Note that there are two tabs, "Edit HTML" and "Compose."

3) Click on the "Edit HTML" tab and paste the code in the text area:

4) Click on the "Compose" tab. Highlight the text "1" and then click on the "Insert image" icon. Upload your image as you normally would. Repeat for text "2."

5) After you're done, you should see something like this:

6) Click on the "Preview" button (see above) to see how your images would look on your blog. *Note: there won't be a box around the images. It's there for demonstrative purposes only.

7) Go ahead and delete the text "1" and "2." I added them for temporary placeholder purposes. Replace "text above table" and "text below table" with your own text, or simply delete if they're not needed.

To add more columns or rows, continue reading. Otherwise, that's it! Now you have two images side-by-side spaced out evenly using HTML tables.

8) To add another row, simply copy and paste the original code:

9) To add more columns, copy and paste the td line. The example below has 4 columns, so the width % has to be modified from 50% to 25% (100/4) each. If you want 3 columns, use td 3 times and change the % to 33% (100/3).

Let me know if you have any questions!

Reader Hailey emailed me:

I just wanted to let you know that I LOVEEE the way you layer. I especially loveee the way you tie scarves in different ways. I have been all over the internet trying to figure out how to tie scarves in different ways besides the basic 3-4 ways. I would love it if you could do a small youtube vid or post pictures with instructions? Also I got this super cute J. Crew sash scarf/belt and I have been trying to figure out how to tie it because one side is smaller than the other side and it looks really awkward the ways I have tried to tie it. Maybe you could do something with that also?

Thanks for your kind words, Hailey :) Though, I bet the 3-4 ways you tie scarves are the exact same ways I tie my scarves, lol. I've been trying to find more ways to tie them too (suggestions welcome), but I'll share 3 ways that I've tied scarves on this blog. This is my first time doing videos, so it's quite amateur-ish. There's no sound because I was too busy making sure I was doing everything right and forgot to talk.

Look #1: For the most part, this is my go-to look. This is probably the most common way to tie scarves. At the end, I like to "fluff" out the top part of the scarf a bit just so it doesn't look as neat. Worn here, here, here, and here.


Look #2: There's the option of belting at the end so the ends don't fly around, but that's a personal preference. I tend to only do that with thinner scarves. Worn here and here.


Look #3: I like to wear this look under jackets because I don't like to have the ends peeking out underneath my coats. With this look, there's the option of tucking one end underneath the bottom loop and the other underneath the top loop (which is the way I showed in the video), or you could tuck both ends underneath the bottom loop only or both underneath the top loop only. Whew, that was a mouthful. Hopefully the video made that clear. Worn here.

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I just so happen to own the J.Crew silk bouquet sash that Hailey mentioned, so here's a video of how I would tie it, whether it be worn around the waist or hips. If your flowers are of varying sizes, I would probably tie the bow on the "smaller" side, just to even things out a bit. Once you've tied the bow, you can stop there and let the ends hang, or you can loop the ends around until they're shortened. And finally, adjust the two layers of sash that you looped around your waist/hips, so one is behind the other.

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And for Elle (way overdue!), this is how I tie my J.Crew Glimmer sash. Definitely not so neat and can you see how I just wing it as I go? Hence all the hesitations, lol.


I hope this was somewhat helpful! Every time I tie scarves/sashes, it never looks the same. Think of is as an art --- one that's ok if it's not perfect :) Let me know if you have questions!

Have a great last day of 2010 and see you in 2011!