— Part 2 in a 2-part series: Part 1 – Fashion Friday Bring in the New Year with Color! (due to technical internet issues, this post is showing today, rather than Friday when it was originally intended) —

As we move from 2010 Spring/Summer weather into Fall/Winter life, the tone in color obviously has a cooler mood. But mentally we don’t totally change from one color to another. So our muted lilac from summer now has a little gray added to neutralize it and calm the intensity. This new deeper purple is called eggplant.  (Click on pics to be redirected to the item in their store).

Hand Woven and Hand Dyed, Pure Wool Shawl by SR’ design – $40.00

The vibrant bold blues will move to a sustainable navy. Navy is a classic for business and most other occasions. More women will be joining the workforce to try to supplement reduced family incomes or take over where a job has been lost. The mature business mentality of both navy blue and dull lilac will be admired for sophisticated occasions.

Stylish soft jersey V neck wrap dress in navy blue and plum by Daniella Besso – $120.00

Velvet Millinery Flowers in Midnight Blue for Fascinators, Hats, Corsages, Brooches, Altered Art by Mary, not Martha – $6.95

The vibrant Raspberry or fuchsia of the summer will be lightened, softened, and toned down to almost a pink; but you can still see the blue undertones that give it a raspberry feeling. This will be idealistic for casual activities. It has a younger, more spontaneous, yet feminine look for daytime clothing.

Crocheted Raspberry Newsboy Cap by Winona Min – $36.00

The vibrant tangerine will also tone down, so much in fact that it will seem more like a vibrant, skin tone. This will be great for layering in different weights with a stark white for contrast and to show off its color.

The eco-friendly green that was so playful in the summer becomes almost a seafoam teal. This color will soften the sharper business cuts of clothing.

Green and Orange Flower Clip by Blue Yodey Baby Boutique – $2.75

Opal is the gem that will tie in any color from this palate – so any piece of jewelry containing this iridescent stone will be the crowning touch of your wardrobe.

Precious Stone Blues by Jellies Jewelry – $188.00

CHA–CHA CELESTE. luminous gemstone charm Ring by Beijo Flor – $49.00

All this month I’ll be talking about 2010 color and fashion trends, so be sure to subscribe and Google Follow (sidebar) CreatedByChicks.com so you don’t miss any of it!

I’m loving the creativity coming from RC Tees.  It’s a creative chick and her husband who make fantastic graphic designs and screenprint them on funky, stylish t-shirts and bags.

Here’s a bit about them from their profile: Together my husband and I share our ideas, the artwork, photographs, etc. My husband, starting with designing the artwork to hand printing each piece individually, does the actual work. My job is to list our finished shirts and bags on our ETSY shop and take care of our customers, from communication to shipping your order and then the final feedback.

Check out some of my favorite finds from their super-fun shop (click on pics to be redirected to the item in their store):

Spring Flower – on SUPER Soft Alternative Apparel Joplin – $26.00

Fleur de Rose on Organic Alternative Apparel Long Sleeve Scoop Neck t shirt – $25.00

Fall Flowers and Swirls on SUPER Soft Alternative Apparel Flutter Sleeve Tunic
- $25.00

Ghost Elephant Tote – $12.00

Funky-cool designs, huh?!  Adding each item to my Christmas wish list – what about you?

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Check out all of RC Tees designs for women, men and youth, along with their fantastic bag designs in their Etsy Store.

This weekend I had the TIME of my life. Since it’s “Design Monday” here on CBC, I thought talking about my “mad fashion design” skills would still be appropriate.  Yes, I’m still working on LOTS of blog design projects – woot! – and will unveil those next week.  I only have room in my schedule for one or two more design projects before the end of the year, so hurry and email me if you’re wanting to get your blog redesigned before the New Year (quinn{at}createdbychicks{dot}com).

My brother-in-law, Alan, has been wearing the same, old, worn-out clothes he’s had since high school (5+ years) and decided he wanted to buy a whole new wardrobe.  But, he was slightly intimidated by the entire buying process.  I told him I’d love to help him and told him to go online and find some images of the kind of style he was looking for and then we could take that and find clothing based around that style.  I didn’t really give him any pointers, but from talking to him prior I suggested he Google “irish punk fashion.”  Alan is an artist, so no matter what style he decided on, I knew we’d be wanting to find pieces and accessories that fit his eclectic personality and lifestyle.

Alan’s typical wardrobe “look” before we went shopping looked like this (above).  He wore baggy, wrinkly jeans with torn hems that were generally a few sizes too big for him.  He also wore baggy, thread-bare t-shirts.

Alan cracked me up because the very first place he found in his online search was GQ.  Of all places to start, let’s start at the epitome of men’s fashion.  Rock on.  He emailed me all the images he liked from GQ and we went shopping on Black Friday, primarily at Macy’s, coming home with some screamin’ deals (at Macy’s alone his total savings was $1000!!).  Below I have a few of the GQ images and what we pulled together from our shopping trip (yes, I agree: Alan does have a future in male modeling – wink!).

Both the hat and vest were already natural accessories for Alan.  He’s been wearing those already a lot.  In this picture he’s wearing one of the four vests he bought (apparently, you can never have too many vests).  Although he would love wearing a vibrant, bright tie, he chose a solid staple for his skinny tie purchase so that it could go with everything he bought (sidenote: I’m loving the skinny tie look, now.  I used to think it was goofy, but I think it’s evolved to look really chic and professional).

This was such an interesting combo.  Who would have thought to put a thin hoodie shirt with a sports jacket?  Well, this designer obviously did.  Alan loved this look so we found him a fab deal on a thin hoodie to wear with his new, super-rad jacket (sidenote: although Alan does have a hat to wear over the hoodie, we both thought it looked stupid, even on the model; just our humble opinions).

Our combo doesn’t look exactly like this pic, but the “look” is similar in that Alan is sporting a funky v-neck sweater (not as deep of a v-neck as the GQ pic) with a collared shirt underneath.  While shopping, I kept trying to find new pieces that were stylish, but comfortable.  We replaced his old, sloppy hoodies with this more-tailored version.  And check out his jeans!  They fit!!!

Here’s an example of where we took the “GQ look” and personalized it more towards Alan’s style.  The funky light-washed jeans with the bright shirts and jacket really fit Alan’s creative side while giving him a nice, tailored look.

Of all the fun things we found on our shopping excursion, though, these shoes were my favorite.  They’re a funky, cowboy-style loafer that can go with pretty much any outfit to dress it up a little.  They look just as good with jeans as they do his dress-pants.

I think it’s quite obvious that I had the TIME OF MY LIFE helping find Alan his new wardrobe.  Isn’t that most girls’ dream to give someone a “makeover?”  Alan was a peach, too, about it all.  I really think Alan is fabulous for how easy-going he is, as well as his spontaneity in trying new things.  This is a big change for him, but we both feel like it’s going to help him to continue on his path to success.

More info about Alan: freelance artist/illustrator with a killer sense of humor who enjoys gaming, funny movies, playing football, strumming his guitar and singing random Disney songs at the top of his lungs

Check out Alan’s Portfolio site: alancurtisart.com

And Alan’s blog where you can find details about his sketchbook night group: 365 Days of Art

What do you think of Alan’s new look?

Happy Thanksgiving, creative chicks!!!  I hope you’re looking forward to a day of gratitude and feasting like I am!  We have so much to be grateful for this year and always.  I am grateful for creative chicks that light the way for the rest of us to be courageous and get creative!  I’m especially grateful to rub shoulders with all of my fantastic creative chick readers.  Thank you for your support and for your comment-love.  You have turned this crazy creative-endeavor into something that I truly am excited to be a part of each day.  I hope this blog inspires you to stay on your creative paths as you have inspired me to stay on mine.

In preparation for today’s post I went on a little hunt to find Thanksgiving-inspired handmade creativity via Etsy.  I don’t know about you, but while I do enjoy some occasional cheesy humor, cheesy holiday-inspired fashion and accessories are NOT my thing.  You will never in a billion years catch me wearing little turkey earrings, nor will you find we wearing a sweater with giant pilgrims, Native Americans and the first Thanksgiving stitched into it.  It’s just not my style.  I’m not knocking it; it’s just not how I roll.

However, I do think some classic, holiday-inspired pieces can be an exciting addition to a holiday outfit, home decor and celebration.  Today I wanted to feature some creative, non-cheesy Thanksgiving-inspired finds (click on the pic to be redirected to original site):

Organic Catnip Pumpkin Pie Slice by CatzillaCrafts – $9.00

Candy Corn mock lariat necklace by SASessories – $39.50

Pumpkin Pie Pearl Earrings by Jaros Designs – $15.99

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart Wall Decal by Pop Vinyl Studio – $24.00

Autumn Wedding Flower Hair Comb in Fall Harvest Colors by KimArt – $25.99

Aren’t those finds freaking fabulous?!  I’m completely inspired (and wishing I would have found them a LOT sooner – oy veh).  Now go have a feast to celebrate all that you’re grateful for!  Thanks for sharing a slice of your holiday with me at CreatedByChicks.com!!

I am on a mission to find the BEST hair accessories around & share them with you!  I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets bad hair days.  I’d also bet that I’m not the only one who gets tired of the same old hair do every day.  Today I’m featuring the fabulous designs of Jennifer Birge that are sure to add pizazz to any hair do, any time.

Check out these lovelies (click on pic to be redirected to item in Jennifer Birge’s store):

The Sumptious – $11.00

The Aristocrat – $31.00

The Retro – $24.00

Little Holiday – $8.00 (threw this one in cuz I love it & am already getting soooo excited for the holidays.  I think we all “need a little Christmas” this year – don’t you think?)

Laylah – $20.00

I’m tempted to keep featuring creative chicks that spice life up & give us sexy hair days every day.  Would you like that?

Jennifer Birge’s designs are DEFINITELY a newfound fave!!  And her product pictures are completely stunning!  Love your creativity, girl!!

It’s getting colder & the fashion is getting hotter!!  Today we’re featuring the creativity of Manonknits.  I LOVED this gorgeous scarf as soon as I saw it!!!  (click on the pics to be redirected to the item on the original site)

Pink Panther – $65.00 - cobweb felted lace thin scarf was created by wet felting – an antique technique of manufacturing non-woven fabric. Bright pink merino wool was blended with white silk fibers and hand felted. This felt is so lightweight and so sheer that you can see right through it!  PINK PANTHER cobweb felted lace scarf is very thin but warm for all seasons. Just that bit of added warmth to make the day perfect. Scarves made in this way are very easy to wear and they drape beautifully.

But then I thought it looks so thin that would it even hold up for wearing it through the whole season (especially with my kids tugging at my neck).  Check out what Manonknits says about that:

Care: This scarf looks very delicate but it is made for everyday use, the more you wear and wash it the more beautiful and soft the felt will become.

Completely fabulous!!  Things HAVE to be durable at my house or they don’t last & I just adore when an item says it gets more beautiful each time you wash & wear it!!!  Right on!!  Here’s some other to-die-for designs from Manonknits:

First Greens – $66.00

Sunny – $66.00

So are you rushing to snag one right now?!!  They are sooooo beautiful!  It would be really interesting to watch the process of how they’re made – don’t you think?

And, yes, I did mention a jacket.. isn’t this adorable?!  It’s funky & fun with a bit of the Grecian draping kind of style that’s so popular right now.

Fuchia Coat – $449.00

Thanks for your fabulously creative creations, Manonknits!!!  Loving your designs!!!

I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m in a hair crisis right now and am looking feverishly for fabulous hair-finds to take my do from frumpy to fabulous.  Today I’m highlighting some FABULOUS floral headbands and brooches.  For fall and winter my goal is to find simple ways to update my look without spending a lot.  These headbands and brooches fit the bill!  The simplest way to dress up a t-shirt and jeans is to add a touch of fancy via accessories.  Imagine the possibilities with these fab accessories created by creative chick behind Bean and the Sprout (as always, click on the pic to be redirected to that item on the original site).

Purple & Army Green Cluster Headband – $30.00

Royal Cluster Brooch – $30.00

Blue Garland Headband – $25.00

Oversized Royal Purple Brooch – $30.00

Aren’t these gorgeous?  I think these would pair perfectly with a simple t-shirt and jeans.  You could even wear it with something dressy.  Loving the creativity from Bean and the Sprout!  Keep it up, creative chick!  You’re making the world a lot less frumpy and a whole lot more fabulous (starting with me)!!!