DIY: Lilly Pulitzer Vans

Lately, I have been absolutely adoring Lilly Pulitzer's prints and designs. My obsession was fueled when my mom recently gave me some of her old Lilly pieces. I've also seen lots of people purchasing Vans or Vans knock offs to paint creative designs on them. When I saw a $15 pair at Target, I figured I could combine my two current loves.

Materials:
-Fabric Paint in White, Blue, and Pink 
-White Canvas Shoes
-Paint Brushes and Sponge
-Newspaper for Surface
-Painters Tape
-Inspiration

Step One:
Set up your work space with newspaper to protect the surface. Remove laces from shoes, and put painters tape around the outside edge of the shoe.

Step Two:
Use the sponge to paint the shoe blue. Paint the front piping blue.

Step Three:
Paint the remaining piping pink.

Step Four:
Mix the pink and white to create a lighter pink, and start outlining the shapes of the roses. 

Step Five:
Keep mixing the pink and white and adding layers of color.

Step Six:
Add white accents to the roses.

Step Seven:
Lace your shoes back up and wear!:)

I hope you enjoyed this!

Love,

CLAIRE

simplydaringblog@gmail.com

The Waka Experience

Describing Wakarusa 2013 in one sentence would be a near impossible task. The most accurate statement I can think of would be that it was the most insane, exciting, fantastic, muddy, chilled out, amazing weekend of my life. You could only truly understand if you were there, but I want to share my first ever music festival with you all!

{barely even shows how huge}

You're probably wondering how a non-hippie, non-partying fourteen-year-old girl ended up at one of the craziest music festivals. My dad has attended seven of Wakarusa's ten years, so I've always known about the festival and checked the lineup. (His music taste is Phish, Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic.) I've been dying to be part of the Waka/ festival experience for a couple of years now, and I started hardcore begging to tag along after the lineup was released in January. Every time I asked, I was given the same answer: no. Basically, two days before the festival my dad surprised me with tickets!

{ferris wheel view}

The storms started dramatically on Thursday, so we were cautious but continued to pack, prepare, and purchase rain boots from Walmart. I tossed cutoffs, boho tanks, rain boots, and Chacos into my bag.

{friday}

{after rain saturday morning, changed to tie dye and different cutoffs later}

{looking rough on sunday}

Pulling into the crowded campground- and I mean thousands upon thousands of packed tents and muddy vehicles- on Friday was just the beginning of the shock. We had been warned about the mud, but we didn't realize that it was as dense with inches deep nearly everywhere! It was fascinating to see how the crowd was simultaneously relaxed and totally pumped for the weekend. Luckily, we got to set up camp at an alternative, non-flooded campground.

Of Monsters and Men was the first show we saw, and they were just perfect. Oh my goodness, there aren't words for how well they perfromed. ZZ Ward and Umphree's McGee were the other highlights of Friday night. Grouplove was canceled due to weather conflicts, which was upsetting, but the shows we did see on Saturday didn't disappoint. My favorites were Widespread Panic, Rebelution, and The Bright Light Social Hour.

{Of Monsters and Men in a tent}

{ZZ Ward at Backwoods Stage}

My favorite part of the festival was soaking in the different bands and artists. Each stage was a different unique experience. Tie dye blankets, dancing people, and collapsing lawn chairs splattered the ground in front of the Main Stage. Shows in tents had this unexplainable vibe; it was like the same energy electrified every body in the crowd to focus on the artist on stage. The Backwoods Stage was the perfect spot to to take a hammock break while a low key rock artist provided background noise. With a pounding pulse and flashing lights, the Satellite Stage renewed your energy better than a random vendor's stale cup of coffee.

{Umphree's at Main Stage}

{selfies on selfies}

Wakarusa was ridiculously muddy and the weather was storming unpredictably, but that didn't keep me from falling further in love with music. Experiencing your favorite band in a tent packed with hundreds of people you've never met, not worrying about the world, just focusing on the sound for three days: that's why people fall for music festivals. Yes, I went to Wakarusa for purely taking that in. I didn't try drugs or party, and I stayed with my dad. Honestly, it was completely perfect.

{yay for hammocking in the mornings}

Sorry for poor picture quality, but I had to take them on my phone instead of risking the camera!

Love,

CLAIRE

simplydaringblog@gmail.com

Blog-iversary

Wow! I can't believe that I uploaded my first blog post a whole year ago. Back then, I had no idea where this blog was going. Honestly, I just thought my mom and maybe two friends would read my posts. The evolution of my style and writing through the past year has been amazing, and I've loved having it documented.

Here are some of my favorite posts from the past year:

{Vintage Florals} 

{Stripes and Tiffany Blue}

{Comfy-Cute}

{NWA Fashion Week 2013}

{New Year's Sparkly Tank: 3 Ways}

{Maxi Time}

{Studded Denim DIY}

I've been sort of absent lately, and I feel like you never see me beyond my fashion posts. This "anniversary" post will allow all of you beauties to see the answers to some of my most asked questions!

Are you a bottle blonde?

No! In real life and on my blog, I'm constantly asked this question. The only time I have ever fully died my hair was for Halloween in 1st grade during my Kim Possible obsession. My orange hair decided to casually stay until February and survived multiple bleachings. I did just make an exciting change to my hair that I'm going to share with you soon!

What do you do besides blogging?

I absolutely adore running, so I am on my school's cross country and track teams. It's about the only sport besides soccer that I'm coordinated enough to handle. Going to the lake, spending time with friends, loving Jesus, drinking coffee, writing, listening to music, going to school, hammocking, eating, and taking pictures pretty much takes up the rest of my time.

How would you describe your personal style?

Classic with an edge. It's really just a combination of so many things, but classic is always incorporated. You can't go wrong with timeless pieces; I'm obsessed with oxford shirts, riding boots, and cardigans. Ironically, I think having school uniforms this year has made me love it more. Unexpected or edgy items always show up in my outfits as well; right now I'm loving combat boots, studs, and bright colors.

What is your top priority?

Jesus. God is the number one thing in my life, and I can't make it through a day relying on my own strength. I'm so very far from perfect, but Jesus provides such perfect love and saving grace to cover all of my mistakes. How could He not be number one in my life? Let me know if you want to know any more!

What are you up to this summer? Will you be posting regularly?

I already had a crazy awesome experience at Wakarusa. Last Thursday I returned from spending a relaxing week at my Gramps' home on the gulf of Texas. In July, Courtney and I are going to a One Direction concert that has only been planned since last March, I have camp for a week, and my aunt is getting married.

My plan is to post at least once or twice a week this summer. I've been brainstorming some ideas for posts that I think you will all enjoy. Expect some good DIY's!

What music do you listen to?

I adore music so I'll pretty much listen to anything you put on with the exception of most country and some rap. My favorites are the xx, Lana Del Ray, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford and Sons, Rend Collective Experiment, The Black Keys, Ed Sheeran, Two Door Cinema Club, Florence and the Machines, Imagine Dragons, Birdy, and Andrew Belle. If it interests anybody, I was thinking about doing a post about my music taste this summer.

Hopefully you continue to read my blog and enjoyed learning more about me. I don't think you understand how much I appreciate each page view and comment from you! I can't thank you enough! Feel free to ask any more questions!

Love,

CLAIRE

simplydaringblog@gmail.com 

Eyelet Occasion

{Target tank, Forever 21 denim shirt, Savoir-Faire bracelet, Gap Shorts, Gap sandals}

Beyond exciting news: School is out! Our first day of summer was officially June 1st, but my schedule has been packed with Wakarusa, a family getaway to Texas, and soaking up time with friends. My favorite season means months of hot, lazy days with friends, lake trips, and snow cones. I should have more time to post, and I have a few planned including a review on my first music festival!

To me, summer outfits should have a carefree vibe to them. That doesn't necessarily mean sloppy tshirts and skimpy shorts, but what you put together shouldn't be as complicated as a layered winter look. That being said, sometimes it can be difficult to pick out a cute outfit with just a tank and shorts. Summer dressing is all about having the right pieces!

These white eyelet shorts are going to be a staple piece for me this summer. Somehow, they have a beachy feel AND are put together without looking too fussy. The bright pink tank adds a fun tone to the outfit that makes it seem even more right for summer. My denim shirt, which is now perfectly broken in, kept the outfit more appropriate for the weather that day!

{pictures by Courtney}

Love,

CLAIRE

simplydaringblog@gmail.com