Holidaze: What to Wear

Oh, holidays! As we get tired of the overplayed Christmas carols, milk chocolate Santas, and frost-nipped fingers, we feel the stressful holiday season start to set in. With so many get-togethers, dinners, and parties, no one wants to spend a ton of time putting together outfits. Here are a couple outfits with basic holiday pieces that go both day and night:

1. Red Pants: The outfit on the left is casual and perfect for hanging with friends at the mall or going out to lunch. For a toned down tough-girl look, pair a motorcycle jacket with cute leopard flats and awesome accessories. The slouchy bag is perfect for carrying anything you need for the night!

2. Grandpa Christmas Sweaters: Distressed jeans and flats on left make the outfit super comfortable. Wear the same sweater at night with all black on the bottom, from the booties to the tights to the skirt. Find some vintage-looking rings or bracelets to dress it up a bit more.

3. Little Black Dress: During the day, stay casual (and warm) with an infinity scarf and tall boots. Make a statement with a bag in a jewel tone. Put on some accessories and switch out the shoes at night for a classy black-and-gold look!

Have fun at those parties and happy holidays!

-Rachel

Holiday Giveaway!

Hey readers. Yep, you read that right. We're going to be having our first giveaway at Crush! Over these past few months of our start-up, we've received both support and enthusiasm about our blog from outside. To thank you guys, we want to give something back, especially in the spirit of the holidays. :) So what is it that we're giving out?
 ..... A FREE MAKEOVER + PHOTO SHOOT + FEATURE ON OUR BLOG!

If you read the above, you'll know there's only two simple steps you have to take! Just comment below on this post your New Year's resolution. Please also include your name & email in the comment. Next, just follow our blog! If you have a Google account anywhere, that should be easy. We also want to say that this giveaway is only for girls in the San Jose / Cupertino surrounding area. The date of the photo shoot will be discussed with the winner of this giveaway, but it will definitely be in the beginning days of 2013. Share this with your friends, good luck, and have a happy holidays!

DIY Jewelry Board

One evening, as I just came home from a successful day of jewelry shopping and was admiring the new pieces to my collection, it came to my attention that I really had no where to organize it all. Remembering an article I came across in the magazine Better Homes and Gardens (I was bored waiting at a doctor's appointment, don't judge), I became inspired to create my very own jewelry board. In addition to my love for fashion, I also enjoy interior decorating, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to fulfill both. After a quick run to Target and  Hancock Fabrics, I was ready to tackle this project! The jewelry board was done within an hour, thanks to my dad's help and inspiration from Wendy's lookbook as well. Now, allow me to show you how to make your very own jewelry board.

Materials:

- Pretty fabric

- Cork board

- Scissors

- Push pins or nails

- Stapler

- Rope

- Foamy "paper"

1. The Board. Cut the fabric so it's at least two inches wider from each side of the cork board. Align the fabric to the cork board, fold over the edges, and staple. You may need to use a bit of force to staple down the fabric to the wood, but I did it, so you can too!

2. Necklaces. Now, for hanging the jewelry. Necklaces are the easiest; all you need to do is push in your pins on the board where ever you want the necklaces to hang. Make sure you eye the length of the necklaces so they won't dangle too low. 

3. Bracelets & Rings. Measure and cut three pieces of rope (or yarn, string, etc.) so they are all the same length. Next, braid it! It's better-looking and sturdier this way. Tie a double knot to secure the ends. Now you can slip the bracelets and rings onto the braided rope and pin it to the board. 

4. Earrings. These can be tricky, so it may not work for all types of earrings. For the studded earrings, I used this foamy but not flimsy "paper" which I unfortunately don't know the name of. Poke holes into the "paper" and put in your earrings. Take long nails and pin the "paper" on the board so there's space in between for the back of the earrings. As for dangly earrings, I took one piece of the rope, looped the ends, and tied a knot to secure it. Then I just hanged it on the board.