Like a Disney Princess

 I took these pictures on a windy day. It was right before this big old storm hit South Carolina, and putting my tripod up seemed pretty treacherous. Most of the pictures turned out like this:

 At least it was warm! Unfortunately, I had a smudgey smudge on my lens the whole time I was photographing and I didn't notice it! But I did feel just lovely in this outfit. If I could wear this every day, I probably would.

 My friend Amanda told me this shirt reminded her of Kokoum. You know, from Pocahontas? With the little bear paw prints on his chest? Haha. I do really like that movie, despite the special edition DVD including the extra love song Mel Gibson sings (If you've heard it, I'm sorry). But it's not my favorite Disney movie. My favorite is Mulan! Closely followed by Hercules. I also like Aladdin and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Princess and the Frog! I mean, I really love most of them. For all the grief Walt Disney gets for being a douchebag, he really is responsible for some of the most influential children's entertainment (and some amazing feats in the animation industry!) Which one is your favorite?

 shirt, floral crown: DIY

skirt: delias

shoes, necklace: Forever 21

Not So Grown Up

 More weird pictures in front of that cotton barn. Apparently this is where I decide to get creative with the camera.  I wanted this one (below) to be focused on the twig and have me be blurry in the background, but whatever. Kindof hard to control when you're just taking a selfie on the side of the road, haha.

So how about I'm wearing sneakers here! I got them this weekend because I've been wanting some new converses, and because of my recent ingrown toenail-surgery, buying shoes with some wiggle room in them seemed like a good idea. The "surgery" went fine, by the way, it doesn't hurt at all. My toe looks gross as hell now, though. I'm trying to pretend it's just painted half red!
I used to wear converses all the time in highschool. Like I have this disgusting pair with holes in them i wore almost every day, and I wore some both years to prom (not the disgusting ones). I tried to dig up a picture for you guys from the archives of facebook, but no cigar. When my highschool sweetheart and I split we deleted all the pictures of us together. Sad, right? But anyway, wearing these recently has been like a strange blast from the past. I'm not used to looking down and seeing them!

 With the combination of this apple skirt, sweater vest, and my shiny new sneakers, I felt like a teacher and a gradeschooler at the same time. But that kindof describes my style well, I think! Part librarian, part 8 year old!

 This outfit turned out a lot nicer than I thought it would. Last night when I picked it out I just wasn't pleased.

shirt, vest, skirt: Goodwill

shoes: Journey's

coat: Modcloth

Lately

 The Broad River flooded!

 Feeling cute in a thrifted handmade pinafore

 I made these peanut butter cookies from a just add water kit that expired a year ago. They were really good.

We had this crazy storm that rendered my umbrella useless.

 Got a really cool pair of earrings at Plato's for $3.

Cutting paper til my fingers fall off for my boyfriend's Valentine!

I made a couple Valentines cards to raise money for my class's senior show. Just as a reminder, there is a Valentine's sale going on in my shop!

What are you guys up to?

DIY Mermaid Shirt

I made myself a mermaid shirt! And I'm going to show you how to make your very own!

First, grab some supplies. You'll need a shirt (I got mine at Goodwill for 50 cents)

Foam core or some thick styrafoam (I reccommend styrafoam, it will be easier)

An xacto or wood carving knife

fabric paint

 1. Draw your shell on your foam. Mine's about the size of my fist, but I would probably have liked it a little bigger.

 2. If you're using foam core, first you'll have to remove the paper. Cut out the outline of your shape and then slide your blade under the paper layer to remove it.

 3. Now you'll need to carve into the foam. Remove all the foam that isn't part of your shell shape.

 4. Go in and do the details. You'll need to remove the paper that's on top of the shell, too, because the foam will absorb the paint better.

 5. Paint up your stamp!

 6. Stamp it, and go back in and fill any holes! Make sure you try the shirt on first and mark where your boobs are so the shells are in the right place!

 7. Ta da! You've got a mermashirt!

I felt as pretty as a princess in this thing. I'll show you how I wore it soon!

Retrospective

Today is a very special day here at Floral Prints and Common Sense.

It's my blogiversary!

Ok actually it was yesterday.

There were a lot of retrospectives around the blogosphere on New Years, and this post is going to be mine.

I started Floral Prints and Common Sense (then named Floral Prints and Kissing) in February 2012, as a place to showcase my outfits, art, and crafts, and that's still what it is... albeit outfit-heavy. Over the past year of blogging, I've been inspired by my peers' countless outfits, made new friends, and become more courageous when it comes to getting dressed in the morning.

Here are some of my favorite outfits from each month of 2012.

 Something weird happened with this post and I can't link to it. It's in the archives on July 11.

 barn red

 common sense

 checks please

 i can't get no

 future's so bright i gotta wear shades

 mauve over

 falling slowly

 cotton

pokemaniac

bird's eye view

short skirts

Some accomplishments:

-I went from 0 to 80 something followers. It's really cool that people want to read this blog! The sense of community among fashion bloggers is something I haven't experienced on any other social networking site (especially among strangers). Commenting on other's posts and getting feedback on my own has been so fun!

-I joined a swap blog! When I was accepted to join Flock Together, I was really excited! And I didn't really know what to expect, since I'm so new to this thing. Of course borrowing fancy clothes is fun, but I made friends, too! Internet friends had always been a foreign concept to me, but it's not weird! Really.

-I got a free dress. You've probably seen eShakti reviews around, because they contacted a lot of bloggers. I was so excited to get a dress to review, it made me feel like a real blogger or something! Even if it didn't fit me right.

-I started doing commissions. As someone who wants to make a living out of illustrating things for people, this was a dream come true! Not all of them ended in me getting cash, but they were all fun. Working with people who admire my art is probably the most important thing I can hope for in my future career!

-I've improved as a photographer. My earlier pictures were mostly taken by my boyfriend with his iPhone. But looking back over the months, I have some cool photos that I took myself, in interesting locations! I've still got a ways to go, but I've definitely improved.

-I've become a more creative dresser! I think this is one of the biggest changes in myself, pertaining to this blog. I look back on the way I used to dress, and now I like it so much better! That's not to say that this time next year I'll have the same sense of style, but I really am proud of my outfits because I put work into them. I wear skirts and dresses so much more now (I mean jeans aren't bad), so I get more wear out of them seasonally.

-I've learned how to sew. Making my own dresses is like realizing a dream. Putting my vision into reality, a reality I can touch and wear, makes me so proud.

-I started an etsy shop! I finally plucked up the courage and set it up! I put a lot of work into it, and I'm trying not to get discouraged while waiting for sales. I'm really proud to have a good-looking place that is all mine!

In the future, I hope to get better. Better at photography, sewing, art, and dressing. I want to do more DIYs, and more commissions! I'm really glad I started this blog, as lame as it feels to tell people, "oh um, I take pictures of myself and put them on the internet," I've grown so much, and I can't wait to see where 2013 takes me!

A Pinafore and Some Whining

 You wouldn't believe I'd be so excited about a plain wool pinafore, but I am.  It did shrink a little in the wash, but that's my bad. It only cost me 50 cents, so it ain't no thang!

SO. I've got something to complain about! Me and my roomate live with one other girl, and there's been a fourth empty room for a semester that's just been filled. So we have a new suite-mate. She seems nice enough, but she has this alarm. She doesn't actually sleep in the apartment (I have no idea where she goes) and she has this 7 a.m. alarm that goes off at least once a week and it is so loud. Like, our rooms are separated by a living room, and this damn alarm wakes me up through closed doors and the headphones I put on to drown it out.
And she doesn't get home til 7:30, when she pops in and turns it off! When all you know about someone is that they stay out all night and have alarms that can only be described as inconsiderate, it's hard not to get judgey. For real, I'm way nicer on my blog than in real life, and I've had some choice words for her! Not to her face of course. As a friend once put it, "that's just manners."

 On a pleasanter note, I got this pretty little blouse from Megan's etsy store. Look at those cute daisies! Oh, and this lipstick is Revlon Ultimate Suede, and I like it. I have had a really good experience with their longwear stuff, which is my number one priority in a lipstick. The stain makes my lips pretty sticky, and this suede one is a bit better in that respect.

 blouse, ring-etsy

dress, hat, bracelet-Goodwill

shoes-BAIT

socks, necklace-F21