Consider Me Lovely

SMILE

Rocquelle — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:03:28 +0000

Hey there dears!! How has your week been? My week has been a combination of fun, productivity, and stress, lol. Nonetheless, God is good, and there is so much in life to be grateful for! When there are weeks like these where the news is full of heartbreaking images like those from the tornado devastation in Oklahoma, I tend to focus on being grateful more than usual, as I’m sure most people do. I hope the people of Oklahoma know that there are brighter days ahead and things will get better, no matter how dark things may seem right now. Every week I share pictures (via Instagram, or my regular iPhone camera) of things that made me smile.

These are some things that made me smile this week:

Putting my cake (from the box) making hat on.

Spending my Saturday morning helping to create a community garden at church .

Getting my run/walk in every morning (it was really hard some days).

A two tone polish change.

Stripes!

Finally getting a start on this Joel Osteen book that I’ve been wanting to read for some time.

Visiting Reiko and my Baby Z (Reiko’s newborn) and making little bows for her .

Hearing an old 90′s song on the radio; it brought back so many memories!

Neon sneakers that I need to appear in a birthday bag for me next month, lol.

Inspiring words.

Now it’s your turn! What are some things that made you smile this week?!

P.S. If you get a chance, please take a moment to take this YBIF survey for me.

Your Body Is Fabulous- Pressing Forward

Rocquelle — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:03:50 +0000

I LOVE the Your Body Is Fabulous series, but I must admit, at times like this, it get’s hard to keep this series going. It can be difficult to fo ind people to feature and to get submissions, nonetheless, this series is one of my favorite parts about blogging! The emails I’ve received and comments I’ve read have always let me know that I did the right thing in starting this series. However, to keep it going and to help it reach new heights, I NEED YOUR HELP.

Lovelies, I want to hear from you because YOUR BODIES ARE FABULOUS!! To be a part of this series, all you have to do is:

Email me rocquelle@considermelovely.com
Answer these questions:

What makes your body fabulous?

What is your favorite thing about how you look? And why?

What are your favorite things to wear to flatter your body or just help you feel good?

When it comes to finding clothes, what are some issues you come across? And how do you solve them?

What role do you think the media plays in body acceptance

What are your thoughts on female body acceptance and appreciation?

Send in 5 pictures of yourself (please try and make sure they are clear and a good size).
I will then let you know what day your feature will be on the blog.

I would also appreciate your feedback on this survey below so that I may assess how to move forward with this series

I have a great YBIF feature lined up to share next week, but in the mean time, I’d like to know!! What’s at least one thing that makes your body fabulous?

Style Unrestricted

Rocquelle — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:03:03 +0000

I like to be honest here, considering that it’s my blog and all, so allow me to have a moment of honesty.. Over the years, I have touted readers to do them, not worry about others, create their own style, etc., but if I can be honest, in some ways, one in particular, I was not taking my own advice. I was allowing the man I loved to restrict my style by not wearing shorts and mini skirts, which I love because I LOVE my legs, lol. He never told me, “you better not show off your legs,” but over the years he subtly let me know that he didn’t like my showing too much leg and I subtly obliged. However, that relationship is over, and these legs have been having plenty of fun coming out to play!!! We all have a favorite body part, and even when I had low self-esteem in in my adolescence, I always loved my legs, so when I think about it in hindsight, it’s crazy that I let someone decide that my legs should be hidden, but that definitely won’t be happening again .

Top: LC Lauren Conrad- Kohl’s (similar; Shorts: Boxing Kitten (I’M SO IN LOVE WITH THESE SHORTS); Shoes: Lulu Townsend

Whether it’s a stranger, a loved one, your spouse, or society, I want to encourage you to never let anyone restrict your style. Wear what you love, flaunt your favorite body parts (with ladylike discretion, of course, lol), put on those high heels, dye your hair that color, etc. At the end of the day, you don’t have to please anyone with your style but yourself!

Brighter Days

Rocquelle — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:03:38 +0000

We have pretty much hit Summer around these parts lovelies!! This meant that my weekend was full of gorgeous sunshine, a nice dose of humidity, and backyard fun with new and old friends. Days such as these, call for bright colors and smiles, which is what I wore to church Sunday (bright colors and a smile)!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened to me almost a year ago (if you’re new to reading Consider Me Lovely, you can learn about it here), and not in a “woe is me” kind of way, but in a “thank God I made it through that” kind of way!! While I did let on in my post of when I was having a hard time, I think only God and I knew how much of a dark space I was in, but somewhere inside, I always knew brighter days were ahead. So, I just want to encourage anyone who is reading and may be going through a dark period/trial or anyone who has a dark experience on the way (that you aren’t aware of just yet), brighter days are surely ahead!! Just don’t give up, keep pushing through each second/minute/hour/day, and be ready to have a crazy praise when the sun begins to shine again!

T-shirt: GAP; Necklace: Crazy & Co.; Skirt: eShakti, see it as a dress in this post (similar); Shoes: Prabal Gurung for Target (no longer in sores, but for sale on eBay); Black and White Stripe Clutch Cover: Clutched & Covered

When the days get warmer do your clothes get brighter in color? What are your tips for readers who may be going through a dark period, trying to make it to a brighter day?

P.S. Please take a moment to pray for the people of Oklahoma, who have been affected by the tornadoes that have several times since Sunday. I can’t imagine what they must be going through.

SMILE

Rocquelle — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:03:18 +0000

Happy Friday darlings!!! It feels like forever since I’ve written a smile post, and I’ve had many things to smile about in the last two weeks, if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’d know that . I hope your life has been full of reasons to smile lately, and if it hasn’t, do know that God always brings the sunshine after darkness!! Every week I share pictures (via Instagram, or my regular iPhone camera) of things that made me smile.

These are some things that made me smile this week:

Doing my little cousin’s hair and makeup for prom, and then taking photos of her and her date .

My niece making me a Mother’s Day card at school.

Using my handy woman skills for a DIY mother’s day surprise for my mom!

Treating myself to stackable rings from Tar-jay (similar).

The kindness of a stranger when my tire went flat on my way to church Sunday morning .

Lot’s of time with my family on Mother’s Day!!

Pretty vintage jewelry at the thrift store!

Celebrating my friend Ashley’s birthday.

Taking my Boxing Kitten shorts out of the closet for the first time .

Listing new Spring clutch covers and a mini revamp for my shop, Clutched & Covered. Be sure to check it out!

It’s been a lllooonnnggg time!! Do tell! What are some things that made you smile this week?

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND DEARS!!!

No Rhyme Or Reason

Rocquelle — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:42:31 +0000

HEY there lovelies!!! Thank you so much for being patient while I took some time off from blogging. I really needed it . I am still finishing up some things for my Clutched & Covered revamp, so I won’t be back to full steam blogging until next week, but I didn’t want to go a whole other week without posting.

Back in this post, someone commented wondering where the red shoes came into play, so when I threw these red shoes on with this floral skirt, I instantly thought of that post. When it comes to style, I am of the belief that outfit elements don’t have to make sense, they just have to go, which is relative to each person. Style is (or should be) completely individualistic, which is what makes it so fantastic!

Sweater: Zara; Skirt: Unknown- vintage gift (a pretty alternative); Belt: Forever 21; Shoes: Zara (similar); Clutch: Unknown- thrifted; Black and White Polka Dot Clutch Cover- Clutched & Covered (coming this week)

Has there ever been a time where you wore something to ether and some people didn’t get how it “went” together?

I’ll Be Back

Rocquelle — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:13:43 +0000

HEY there lovelies!! Between finishing the semester, hopefully getting ready for my graduate internship, and working on the next collection for Clutched & Covered (coming in a couple of weeks), among other things, I need a little blog break . I will be back in a week or so, but in the meantime, check out the archives (in the sidebar), and stay in touch with me via Facebook, Twitter, and or Instagram.

Thanks for understanding my dears!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who took the survey to help me with my final assignment!!

Final Project: I Need Your Help

Rocquelle — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:03:35 +0000

Hey darlings, I hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend! Aside from Houston’s flooded streets on Saturday night and there not being enough hours in the day, my weekend was lovely! You may recall that I mentioned in Thursday’s post that I finished my final project for one of my grad school classes. Well, I have one last assignment to do, and I need your help . Below is my project
(it’s in Flash, so you won’t be able to see it on iPhones, iPads, and other potential tables or phones). If you would be so kind as to watch/interact with the project, and complete the survey in the link below it. I’ll be able to breathe my final sigh of relief for the semester. My final assignment is to compile the surveys into a summary, so your assistance would be SO greatly appreciated .

Click here to take the survey .

If at least 10 of you will do this, you guys would be lifesavers!! <3 <3

P.S. If you want to see the background I created and hear the music for the project, then go to this link.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK LOVELIES!!!!

Color-blocked Paisley

Rocquelle — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:03:44 +0000

Lovelies, can I just tell y’all that I am breathing a sigh of RELIEF as I type this!! Though I still have to present this evening, I have completed my last project for the semester, and it had me STRESSED OUT, lol. I just have one small assignment due next week based on my final project, and I will be done with homework until Fall . Can we all say woosah?!! lol

When I got dressed for church Sunday, I just wanted to be comfortable and super relaxed , after spending Saturday night skating with my church group. I hadn’t skated in years, so Sunday morning, I was hurting something major, lol. I bought a dress form Imperfect Concepts back in 2011, but when it arrived, it refused to go over my hips, so I had it turned into a top, a top I unfortunately have only worn once before Sunday (shame on me). Even though I’ve only worn it twice now, I look at it with adoration almost daily, lol. The colors, paisley print, and symmetrical color blocking is the only statement a girl truly needs, but I threw in my comfy DIY hand panted sandals (tutorial here) because I can’t seem to resist an extra little color .

Top: Anne Crimmins for Umi Collection- Imperfect Concepts (this is what it looked like as a dress); Jeans: Gap; Shoes: Mosimo- Target (DIY paint job); Clutch: ASOS (similar); Black and White Chevron Clutch Cover- Clutched & Covered

Are you a fan of getting things altered? or Do you prefer to only wear things as they come? A tailor is a girl’s best friend in my book!

DIY: Denim Clutch

Rocquelle — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:32:44 +0000

Happy hump day lovelies!!!! I hav ebeen slacking on my DIYs in a big way this year, so I am excited finally share this DIY with you. I am like 1.5 years late on this one, lol. Back in the “blogging” day, I wore a denim clutch in this post that I made from an old pair of jeans. I’d always meant to share a tutorial of how I made it, but completely forgot, until a darling reader, Sissy Nicole emailed me in December. about it. Thanks Sissy!! After getting some jeans from my friend Ashley (I don’t have any of my own that I want to cut) and a bit of procrastination, here is the denim clutch tutorial .

You will need:

Jeans
Velcro
Scissors
An old necklace (jewelry pliers if you need to take the necklace apart)
Needle and thread
Glue (E-6000 and hot glue)

Step One: Cut the jeans just above the crotch.

Step Two: Turn the cut denim inside out.

Step Three: Stitch the open cut ends together. (I hand sewed because when I made the clutch the first time, I didn’t know how to sew on a machine, and I want everyone to feel like this is doable)

Step Four: Flip it back to it’s correct side.

Step Five: Line up the placement of the velcro strips, and use the hot glue to attach the strips of velcro. (I used the E-6000 in these images because I forgot the hot glue holds the fabric together better, but I went back and did the hot glue)

Step Six: Press it down to ensure the adhesion of the velcro.

Step Seven (optional): Decide where you want to place the broken necklace piece (I recommend part of it cover the button), and glue it on using E-6000.

Step Eight (optional): Press it down to ensure adhesion, or place books on top and let it sit for a while.

And you’re done!!

Two years later, this denim clutch is still one that I carry, and it’s cool to have a conversation starter from a time when I was a size 4, lol. Do you have some jeans you’ve been meaning to get rid of? In honor of Earth Day, earlier this week, maybe you can turn them into a clutch instead .