Liebster Award!

 

 

Ok guys you got me. Not only am I guilty of not blogging for a while (life happens), BUT I forgot the names of the two bloggers who nominated me for this award :0 It was a few weeks ago, and I can’t find the comments they left me! 😦 If you see this post and you’re the one who nominated me for this award, please leave a comment so I can link back to you.

The Liebster Award is to help new and undiscovered bloggers to find and promote each other. I was nominated because I have less than 200 followers.

Ok so as the custom goes, I’ll answer 10 questions about myself!

1. How did you pick your blog’s name?
   I chose to call my blog “One Little Black Dress” because it’s all about creating multiple outfits with simple, versatile pieces. Also, I love sharing new looks with the “one little black dress” in my closet 🙂
2. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 13-​​year-​​old self?
   Set big goals and find ways to achieve them. Don’t let your time just slip away.
3. What’s your favorite TV show?
   Switched at Birth
4. What are three things you cannot live without?
   My laptop, my phone, and tea. Is that sad? lol
5. Who is your favorite fictional character?
   Hmm hard one. I’d have to say Shawn Spencer from Psych. He’s hilarious!
6. What is your most prized possession?
   I don’t think I’m that attached to any one thing to call it a “prized possession.”
7. Describe yourself in three words.
   Is this a job interview?! -__- Hmm, I’ll say indecisive, artful, multifaceted
8. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
   Eating something unhealthy like ice cream right after I exercise. Lol. Don’t tell me I wasted my workout, because it’s either that or just the ice cream and no workout! #fattylogic
9. What single quality do you most appreciate in people?
   Being kind to people who aren’t kind to you. It’s a rare thing to find
10. What’s your favorite post that you’ve written? (Link, please!)
    Hard to pick just one, but I guess I’d say this one because I think it’s the best outfit I’ve posted on this blog 🙂

Here are my favorite blogs with under 200 followers that I nominate for the Liebster Award:

snippetswithalex
littleprettymess
throughmyfashionlens
StyleByKaitlynn
SweetMagnoliaChic

Have a great Wednesday everyone! 🙂 -Tyler

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Building a Better Closet Step 4: Organize

It’s organizing time! This can either be the easiest or hardest step, depending on the state of you closet.

1. Remove all of the clothes from your closet.
2. Designate areas in your closet for each type of clothing (casual, work, church, etc.) For me, one side of my closet is dressy clothes and the other side is casual clothes.
3. Separate the clothes by tops, pants, skirts, etc. and hang accordingly.
4. Group accessories such as belts, scarves, purses, and shoes together.

That’s it!

This may take a while, so don’t be discouraged. If you can’t manage it all at once, break it into smaller tasks such has casual clothes today, dressy clothes tomorrow, shoes after that, etc.

What’s your best clothing organizational tip? Comment and let me know! -Tyler

Catch the rest of the series
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3

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The 4.999… Best Pi Pies

Yes, I know this is a fashion blog, BUT it’s Pi Day (3.14.2014), and as a Math Education major, I must stay true to my people!

I searched far and wide for some beautiful and clever pi-inspired outfits, but came up empty-handed. It’s really making me wonder why I don’t have some kind of pi-related clothing by now!! 😛

So anyway, I decided to honor Pi Day by discovering the best pi pies out there and sharing them with you. Enjoy!

1. Pi-shaped Pie

2. Pizza Pi

3. 3.14159 Pie

4. Textbook Pie

5. Apple Pi

I think this one wins for most creative. She actually used number cookie cutters to make number-shaped filling!

Which one did you like the best. Comment below! 🙂

Pi world record holder | Source

Interesting fact: Chao Lu holds the world record for most digits of pi recited at an amazing 67,890 digits. It took him 24 hours and 4 minutes to recite it. He actually knew 100,000 digits of pi, but made a mistake at the 67,891st.

Have a happy Pi Day everyone!

Source

P.S. If you get this reference, and the 0.999… reference from the title, you’re awesome 🙂
P.P.S Pi is wrong!

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Building a Better Closet Step 3: Acquire the Basics

So you’ve already done all your minimizing and revamping, but you’re still not quite satisfied with your wardrobe yet. Guess what, guys? It’s time to go shopping! 😀

Now before you get too excited, remember to be smart about this. Buying just any random thing you liked is what got you dissatisfied with your closet in the first place, remember? The solution is intentionally buy basic, versatile pieces that can be worn several times in a number of ways.

Here are some suggestions for essentials that you might want in your closet:

1. One little black dress
2. One white dress
3. One black blazer
4. One professional looking black skirt
5. At least one pair of professional looking pants
6. One black belt
7. One black cardigan
8. One or two plain t-shirts in white, black, and grey
9.  Solid colored professional blouses
10. A pair of jeans in dark blue, light blue, and black
11.A denim jacket
12. A leather jacket
13. A hoodie
14. A winter coat
15. A trench coat
16. Solid colored turtlenecks
17. Black flats
18. Neutral-colored sneakers
19. Black or brown sandals
20. Fun sandals
21. Pumps in black, white, red, and nude
22. Black and nude colored tights
23. A couple/few summer dresses
24. One swimsuit
25. A medium-sized purse

That’s just an example of my ideal. It will be different for everyone.

Once you have an idea of what basic pieces you want in your closet, make a list of the top 5 things you need soon. Limit yourself to just 5 to gain some focus.

My Top 5:
1. Black skinny jeans
2. Black flats
3. A colorful cardigan
4. A pullover sweater (no hood)
5. This hat (Ok, this one isn’t necessarily a basic essential, but it’s still pretty versatile, and I know that I want it 😛 )

Once you start acquiring basic, versatile pieces, you’ll start to find more and more outfit options, and getting dressed will be a breeze.

Hope these tips helped, guys. If you want to the final step in the process, make sure you follow me and check back next Thursday! – Tyler 🙂

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What’s in My Bag? How I Keep My Bag Junk Free

I love reading “What’s In My Bag?” posts! They’re such a great way to get to know someone 🙂

I used to have a really messy purse and was always losing things in it, but a few months ago I purchased a nice little organizer and everything stays pretty neat and clean now. Anyway, let’s get started. This is my bag:

This is what my bag looks when you peek inside:

Pretty clean, huh? Here’s what’s inside:

Most of the items in my purse are kept inside my Grid It organizer. Here I have:
1. Some uni-ball pens
2. Altoids
3. Lotion
4. Aleve
5. Scissors (I always seem to need them for some reason.)
6. Glasses cleaner
7. Pocket knife
8. hand sanitizer

Anything that doesn’t fit in the organizer goes behind it

1. A little notebook for doodling and ideas
2. A bottle of water. I always have a little bottle, even when I’m carrying just a clutch. The one I have now is a mini Fiji water bottle.
3. Here’s a little trick I learned. I use an empty vitamin bottle as a purse trash can to hold any gum wrappers, bits of paper, etc.

I’ve also got a few skin and hygiene products

1. Deodorant (I know this one is for men, but it’s hard to find one that’s aluminum-free!)
2. EOS Lip Balm  (my favorite lip balm! 🙂 )
3. A little compact mirror
4. One emergency feminine napkin
5. Yes To Cucumber face wipes. Not so much for my face, but for situations when I have sticky food on my fingers.

My wallet is a little phone case that hold a couple of credit cards and has a zipper when you can hold cash. If I’m just running somewhere and back really quickly, I leave my purse and take just this with my phone in it.

So here are my quick tips for keeping your purse neat and clean:
1.) Use an organizer
2.) Use an old pill bottle as a purse trash can
3.) Periodically check for strays. Any items in my bag that aren’t in my purse organizer stick out like a sore thumb, so items that don’t belong get removed quickly.

What’s your best tip for an organized purse? Comment and let me know 🙂
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If you liked this post and want to see more like it in the future make sure you follow me here on WordPress or sign up for email updates (button on the right). Also, follow me on my social media! All of my links are under “About Me.” Have a great day everyone! 🙂 -Tyler

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TMI Tag!

If you follow a lot of blogs and Youtube channels, chances are you’ve seen a few TMI tags already, but since this is a new blog I wanted to take the chance to share a little more about my personality.

1. What are you wearing?
A Lucky Charms T-shirt and some grey sweats.

2. Ever been in love?
Yes 🙂 ❤

3. Ever had a terrible breakup?
Nope.

4. How tall are you?
I’m 5’2 😛

5. Any tattoos?
Nope! Never have, never will.

6. Any Piercings?
(See previous answer)

7. Favorite show?
Hmmm hard question. I think I’m gonna have to say my favorite show is Psych.

8. Favorite music artist?
Regina Spektor 😀

9. Favourite Song?
L’Amoureuse by Carla Bruni

10. How old are you?
 23

11.  Zodiac Sign?
Don’t care

12. Favorite Colour?
Hot pink

13. Where do you go when you’re sad?
Uh, my room I guess?

14. How long does it take you to shower?
Eh. 15-30 minutes depending on whether or not I’m washing my hair 😛

15. Ever been in a physical fight?
Nah

16. Favorite Quote?

“ If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ” 1 Corinthians 13:2

17. Last book you read?
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (hated the ending)

18. Book your currently reading? 

Nothing right now 😦 (besides The Bible) suggestions?

19. Last show you watched?
Baby Daddy 😛

20. What’s your relationship with the last person you texted?
My boyfriend 😛

21. What instruments do you play?
The piano and the guitar

22.What was the last sport you played?
Rebounding (aka, jumping on a trampoline for exercise. lol)

23. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Usually like 20 minutes.

24: Turn on?
Being close to God, smart, funny, cute (sounds like someone I know 😛 )
25: Turn off?
Arrogance, selfishness, anyone who just can’t stop talking -__-

26: The reason I started my blog?
I was really excited about my new dress and thought it would be fun 🙂

27: Fears?
Wasps

28: Last thing that made you cry?
Missing the newest episode of Psych 😦 lol jk

29: Last time you said you loved someone?
Today 🙂

30: Meaning behind your blog name?
One Little Black Dress because I do new LBD looks every monday 🙂

34: Last person you talked to?
My mom

35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
My boyfriend

36: Favorite food?
Haystacks. Its basically like a taco salad 😛

37: Place you want to visit?
Paris

38: Last place you were?
Well this is vague…

39: Do you have a crush?
Lol, if you want to all it that, sure.

40: Last time you kissed someone?
I guess we’re finally at the TMI portion. January.

41: Last time you were insulted?
Every day. lol

42: Favorite flavor of sweet?
Chocolate 🙂

43: What instruments do you play??
Piano

Oh gosh, I think everyone and their mama has done this tag already, but I’ll try.

I tag:
Abbey Kay
The Beautiful Indian
Inspire Me, Mon Ami
Flight of the Fat Girl
Style Stalker
For Vanity’s Sake

I hope you guys know me a little better now 🙂 Have a great weekend!

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Building a Better Closet Step 2: Revamp

Cleaning out your closet is a great opportunity to breathe new life into old clothes. This is a time when you should gather up everything that has an holes or missing buttons and decide if you want to repair or donate them. If you want to repair them, do it right away so that the clothes can quickly go from being closet clutter to functional pieces of clothing again. If you find yourself waiting too long to get an item fixed, that may be a sign that you just need to let it go.

Another great thing you can do with items in your closet is turn them into something totally new. There are plenty of fun projects that you can do with your clothes such as

1. Turn a t-shirt into a tote bag
(Pro Tip: if you want an even faster and easier way to do this.,
just tie up the bottom of the shirt with a hair elastic.  It’s temporary
and takes just a few seconds)
2. Turn an old sweater into a hat (no-sew video tutorial)
3. DIY high-low skirt
4. Spray painted T-shirt

You could even try just wearing your clothes in different creative ways, like wearing a skirt as a dress.

The point is, if you’re bored with your clothes. Try having some fun with them. For me, building a better closet not only lifts a burden, but opens up the window for new projects as well.

If you missed Step 1, click here to read all about it. Step 3 is coming next Thursday. So make sure you Follow or subscribe by email (button is on the right) so that you don’t miss it!

What’s your best tip for building a better closet? Leave me a comment !(I love comments! 🙂 ) If you can’t find the comment box, try clicking the little talk bubble next to the title at the top of the page 😛 Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Building a Better Closet Step 1: Minimize

No one likes the feeling of having a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. Many people think that the way to solve this problem is to simply go out and buy more clothes, picking up whatever looks cute when you go out. I actually don’t think that solves the problem, I think that causes the problem. If you want to open a closet and see plenty of options for things to wear, you have to be very intentional about it. The first step is to minimize.

So here a few things to remove from your closet to get started:

1. The items that don’t fit. When we lose or gain weight we tend to hold onto our old clothes “just in case.” Do yourself a favor and remove these items. They’re just taking up precious space.
2. The items you no longer like. We all seem to hold onto several clothing items that we know we don’t like. Maybe your style changed over time, or maybe you picked up something that you didn’t like just because it was on sale. I used to do that a lot too. We do we do this to ourselves? If you feel bad that you’re “wasting” clothes that you spent money on by not wearing them, don’t worry about it. Life is too short to wear clothes you don’t like.
3. Items that don’t flatter your body. It might be the shape, it might print, it might be the size. Whatever the reason, if a piece of clothing doesn’t flatter your body, get rid of it.
4. Items that just don’t match anything. Every now and then I’ll buy a skirt or a pair of shoes and never wear them because I can’t find anything in my closet to pair them with. If this goes on for too longer, it’s probably time to let go.
5. Remove any broken or unwanted hangers. I actually stumbled onto this tip while reading Living Well Spending Less. It made me realize that one thing that I really hate about my closet is all of the extra hangers, the dry cleaners hangers, the plastic hangers from the store, etc. It just make everything look so disorganized. So I’m going to follow her advice and invest in a nice set of hangers when I get the chance. I think some nice wooden hangers would improve the feel of my closet drastically 🙂

“But if I get rid of all of these things, I won’t have anything left!”

I know that feeling. If you get rid of all these items on impulse, you may regret it later, right? Let me just tell you this almost never happens, and even if you end up with just a few items left in your closet, you’ll be surprised to find that no one will really notice. Even if you wore say, the same 8 items over and over again for a month, it’s unlikely that anyone will notice. People really just aren’t that observant.

One thing that can help you get started is to fill a bag with all of the items mentioned above, and just put the item out of sight somewhere in the house. If you decide that you need something in the bag, you can always get it, but chances are that you’ll just forget about it after a while. When you finally do see and remember the bag again and you never missed it, that’s your cue to donate it.

TIP: Hold on to a few comfy tees and sweats even if they aren’t your favorite (as long as they’re comfortable). This way, on the days you stay in, you can wear your less-loved clothes and you can save your favorite pieces for days you’re out and about. If you hate seeing these items in your closet, try finding a drawer for them to live in.
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I hope you found these tips helpful! 🙂 If you liked it and want to read about Step 2 next Thursday, just follow me here on WordPress, or sign up with the email subscription button on the right and you’ll automatically be notified every time I make a post 🙂 Have a great day! -Tyler

My Natural Hair in All its Shapes and Forms

Ever since I’ve started this blog, a few people have complimented and inquired about my hair, requesting that I make a post about it. I decided to just share a sort of photo collage about my hair’s versatility. I don’t have a good hair day every day (by noooo means!), but when I do, it’s fun to play with 🙂

This is what my hair looks like when it’s wet. This is one of my favorite looks, and for a long time I tried really hard to make it stay this way, but by now I’ve learned to accept that my hair only looks like this for a few minutes before it turns to its true, frizzy, fluffy self:

Big difference right? My hair in its true texture is much wider, frizzier, and has more character than the wet look that I always wanted.

More hair styles:
1. Two strand twists. I used to wear my hair like this allll the time, and it protected my hair and kept is soo healthy and made it grow really fast. I haven’t worn them lately though, because I’ve been lazy 😛
2. A two strand twist-out. Possibly my best hair day ever!
3. Fluffy hair. Combed out all of the curls to mimic a blow-dried look. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten my hair to being an “afro.”
4. Twist out with flat twists to one side.

#StaightHairDontCare! I only straighten my hair 2-4 times a year. It’s always fun to see how long it’s grown! 🙂

braidout

Well, that’s all folks! Let me know if you have any questions. 🙂 This is a fashion blog, but I’m happy to spotlight my hair every now and then if you want. Let me know if you want to see posts about my routine, favorite products/techniques, deep conditioner recipes, etc. And if you’d rather me just stick to fashion, you can say that too! Any feedback is welcome 🙂

Stay warm, and have a great day everyone! 🙂

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10 Clever Re-Uses for Roses After Valentine’s Day

After Valentine’s Day the chocolates have been eaten, the teddy bears have been squeezed, the balloons are starting to drop, and the flowers are beginning to fade. But once your roses have wilted, ladies don’t throw them away! (That wasn’t meant to be a poem, honestly. lol)

Rose petals actually have several uses, even more if they are organic. Some of the items in this list are edible, so make sure your flowers are organic before using them for these! (hint: unless you grown your roses yourself, they’re unlikely to be organic)

1. Rose Water can be made for a lovely skin toner or hair rinse with this tutorial by Free People.

2. Rose Petal Body Scrub for baby soft skin. Check out the tutorial by Move Nourish Believe.

3. Rose Petal Vinegar can be used for all kinds for things from treating bug bites to homemade salad dressing. Learn how at The Nerdy Farm Wife.

4. Rose Petal Tea sounds like a fun adventure for the curious tea drinker. See how Eggbeater does it.

5. A Rose Facial could be just what you need to pamper yourself. At least Coffee Light and Sweet seems to think so.

6. Rose Petal Jam may be the one big thing missing from my life right now. Seriously, Emiko Davies, this looks delicious.

7. Rose Petal Salad is a quick and easy way to add a romantic touch to your dinner. This one pictured was whipped up by Healthy Green Kitchen.

8. Candied Rose Petals. Who knew? In any case, these sugar-coated petals by Une-deux Senses look like the perfect Valentine’s Day snack.

9. Rose Petal Ice Cubes are the perfect way to add a touch of elegance to your water or iced tea with this tutorial by Gardenista.

10. Rose Petal Ice Cream could be the perfect sweet treat for this weekend. Visit Dishes From My Kitchen to see how.

BONUS USES:
11. Use dried rose petals as potpourri.
12. Use rose petals as replacement tissue paper next time you assemble a gift bag.
13. Cover your bed in rose petals for a touch of romance.
14. Use rose petals in the bath tub for the same effect.
15. Rose petals can be used as garnish for a special dish.
16. Rose petal honey.
17. Rose-infused oil.

I hope you found these useful 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! ❤

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