New In: Vintage Belt on Etsy

When I found this amazing gem a few weeks ago for my Etsy shop, I thought lightening had struck and I would never see it again…

…but then it actually happened, I found another gorgeous vintage Aztec print belt!

Amazingly, I found this belt at the same thrift store as I found the last belt; and, judging by how quickly the other belt sold from my Etsy shop (three days!), I’m betting this one will sell just as fast!  This belt is made of black leather, bright, colorful embroidery and silver metal hardware, including a silver ball chain around all the edges.  You can see the full listing with all the details in my shop here.

Ain’t she a beauty?  Thanks for reading :)

P.S.  Don’t worry, I have also been hard at work on those engagement photos of my brother and his fiance and they will be ready for posting SOON!  I promise.

Summer Sorbet

Summer is here and it is getting warmer by the day, so what with my Pinterest addiction and my handy-dandy Magic Bullet blender, homemade sorbet seems like the perfect solution to beat the heat!

After playing around with a few recipes on Pinterest, I developed my own favorite sorbet secrets; here goes:

First things first – I tried a variety of different fruits and found that buying fresh fruits, slicing them and then freezing them (as opposed to using already frozen fruits from the freezer aisle) made a huge difference in taste!  I also tried a million different combinations, but rather than list them all, I’ll just make a few suggestions.

I loved making the sorbets because the ingredients could not have been simpler.  All the recipe requires is your choice of frozen fruit, fruit juice (or water, if the fruit you choose has a strong flavor), a small amount of lemon or lime juice and a syrupy sweetener such as honey, maple syrup or simple syrup.  I chose to combine peaches, apple juice, lime juice and honey.  Some of my other favorites included grapes, strawberries and white peaches.

To make this sorbet, I combined 1 3/4 cups frozen peaches, 1/4 cup frozen banana, 1 cup apple juice, 2 tbsp lime juice and 1 tbsp honey into my blender and blended until smooth.  This recipe makes approximately four servings of sorbet.

Next, I poured the mixture into a pre-chilled container (I recommend a freezer safe dish, such as stainless steel or a sturdy plastic).  As you can see, I also spooned a small amount into a “tasting” cup so that I could test the recipe before serving it.  Then, simply place the dish in the freezer and let it freeze!  It only takes a couple hours for the sorbet to thicken and freeze; if left in the freezer longer, it will freeze completely, but you can simply place it in the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving to give it time to soften up a bit.

Voila!  A cool, refreshing summer peach sorbet!  I had so much fun experimenting (and eating) all of the different fruit sorbets.  It could not be easier and it makes a great fat-free, low calorie dessert for these warm summer evenings.

What fruits would you use to make a summer sorbet?  Thanks for reading :)

 

Mondays a la Mode – Neon & Denim

Happy Monday!  I realize that for most people, that statement is probably an oxymoron, but I think Mondays get an undeservedly bad rap.  It may not always be my favorite day of the week, but often, it is not my least favorite either.  Personally, I think Mondays hold a lot of promise, especially on a week like this one where I have so much to look forward to.  Monday is simply a new beginning – a chance to look ahead and see all the possibilities that lay before me!

I decided to brighten this particular Monday morning with some of my favorite (and most comfortable) skinny jeans and a hint of neon.

Some of the bolder, brighter neon pieces out there are not for everyone, but I think a more subtle hint of neon, like in my shirt, is a much more accessible way to wear the neon trend.  I am wearing an American Eagle neon stripe shirt, medium wash skinny jeans and my favorite coral braided leather belt.  Notice the front tuck – my new favorite way to style denim!  I also wanted to add a little something-something to this outfit, so I paired it with my blush pink wedge sandals and added another hint of pink with my super cute Minnie Mouse watch (a birthday gift from my boyfriend’s mom, isn’t it darling??).  I think my favorite part of this outfit has to be the fact that the neon stripe in the shirt is coral neon!  Coral neon, can you believe it?!  It matches my coral belt and I think that is fantastic.  Is it just me, or do you get excited by fun details like that, too?

Thanks for reading :)

 

 

A Rad Engagement Shoot Sneak Peek

Sorry today’s blog post is a little late and a little sparse, but I have a good reason…  I’ve been working on editing some of the photos I took several weeks ago of my brother and his fiancé for their engagement.  We has such a fun time and it was such an amazing day that I have been dying to share some photos.  They are working on putting together a website for friends and family so I didn’t want to spoil any of the surprise, but I just can’t wait any longer!  Here is a teeny little sneak peek of their engagement photo shoot:

Nate and Sam are clearly a very cool couple; both casual and fun and very into the outdoors, especially the beach.  We literally spent hours in front of this wall playing with different props (like these skateboards, their surfboards, etc.) and trying on different outfit combinations, but no matter what they threw together, their pictures came out great – they are just so darn cute together!  I had way too much fun playing around with their photos, trying out different fonts and effects that would match their style; this is just one of the looks.

I definitely plan on posting some more photos, but I just couldn’t resist leaking a little sneak preview.  What do you think?  Thanks for reading :)

 

 

New in: Summer Haul

I finally had a weekend off this past weekend so I decided to spend it with my mom and sister shopping and spending the gift cards I got for my birthday.  I had such a fun time and I got some really cute stuff!  Check it out:

1. Possibly my favorite find this weekend – a chambray denim button front dress with a super cute breast pocket and an elastic fitted waist; from H&M, $24.95.

2. A super comfy, cozy heather pink sweatshirt.  I love the tiny little neon pink threads (that you can’t really see in the photo, sorry!) and the wide scoop neckline on this sweater; plus, the extra long sleeves make it extra comfortable; from H&M, $17.95.

3. This piece is battling with my heart for favorite find of the haul – a coral and white polka dot high waist swing skirt with so much to love: the coral color, the polka dot pattern and the flirty length!  From Forever 21, $15.

4. A summer staple – the sundress!  A black and white stripe tank sundress, perfect for those hot summer days and so many possibilities (I have a special post planned for this dress); from Old Navy, (on clearance!) $13.50.

I hope you like my stuff as much as I do – I cannot wait to put together some great new outfits to share!  Thanks for reading :)

 

 

Mondays a la Mode – All Wrapped Up

Do you ever have those mornings where you wake up and just don’t feel like doing a thing?  Well, this morning was one of those mornings for me, which why this post has taken me so long to get up online and also why I decided to wear this:

Ladies, if you do not own a wrap dress, I highly recommend one!  This happens to be the only wrap dress I own, but it is so comfortable and easy to throw on, I have no idea why I don’t wear more!

I am wearing a Converse One Star striped wrap dress (from Target, years ago), my new thrifted woven belt and super comfortable and stylish platform wedges (Mia via DSW).  I also kept my accessories to a minimum with a simple vintage ring (Etsy) and silver heart necklace (Forever 21).

I love the pretty striped chambray fabric of this dress – it is so light and comfortable for these weird, warm June gloom days – and the ruffle detail at the hem makes it so much fun to wear.  This was the perfect choice for a sleepy Monday morning after a busy weekend shopping.  That’s right, I finally had a free weekend to spend shopping at all my favorite stores, using up the gift cards from my birthday that have been burning a hole in my pocket since May!  It was such a fun, relaxing weekend spent with my mom and sister and last night was the perfect finale, dinner with my boyfriend and his family celebrating Father’s Day.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well, Happy Monday and thanks for reading :)

 

 

A Tote-ally Nautical Project

What?  A girl’s not allowed to make a cheesy pun every now and then?  You know you love it!  ;)

Okay, enough imaginary banter – I made a tote bag!  As you may remember, last week I posted a little sneak peek picture of some new fabric and trim I bought at the fabric store and I hinted at a new project; here it is:

I’ve been dying to make some new tote bags to put up for sale in my Etsy shop and this is design number one.  I saw this gorgeous coral print fabric in the home decor section and knew I had to have it, then I found the braided trim and the nautical motif magically appeared before my eyes!  I’ve also had some amazing neon colored grosgrain ribbon lying around at home for ages that I’ve been trying to find just the right project for, so when I put it next to the coral and navy denim fabrics, it was love at first sight.  Sigh; in my opinion, there is seriously no end of inspiration to be found in fabrics and textiles!  Anyway, here is the finished product: voila!

I hope you like my little project, thanks for reading :)

 

This is my 100th Post!

This post is Alligator Toe’s 100^th post and I couldn’t be more proud or more grateful to all of you, my lovely readers!  I can’t believe I started this blog almost two years ago.  My blog has changed A LOT since then, for a while I let it fall by the wayside, but I really started blogging in earnest about a year ago and I have just been so amazed by the response.  I still find it hard to believe that anyone wants to read my little old blog, so thank you so much for all of your enthusiasm and support!

I originally started this blog as a challenge to myself to be more creative, to try something new and see what happens.  With no real direction, I just started posting pictures of projects that I worked on and outfits that I wore.  I have since discovered an amazing, worldwide community of fashion, lifestyle, beauty, design, craft and DIY bloggers that are sharing all of their fabulous flair, style, inspiration, ingenuity, creativity and passion on a daily basis.  I am blown away by all of your unique beauty and talent!

Thank you for letting me share a part of my life with all of you and thank you for sharing your extraordinary, gorgeous, splendiferous selves with me!  And, as always, thanks for reading :)

Mondays a la Mode – Favorite Find

All of my recent thrift shopping and project planning has me inspired!  I decided to dedicate today’s post to one of my favorite thrifted finds – a vintage sleep shirt that I re-fashioned into a dress, accompanied by some of my other thrifted and vintage favorites!

I am wearing my upcycled vintage dress, a thrifted vintage Anne Klein woven and leather purse and a pair of thrifted vintage Frye woven leather flats.  I accessorized with my vintage faux opal ring, a pair of cupcake earrings and a lace headband (neither of which are thrifted or vintage, but super adorable).

I love that this outfit has such a great vintage vibe, but it still feels modern and fresh with the popular nautical stripes and chambray fabric of the dress, which are both popular trends.  I also love this dress because it was the first thirfted dress that I remade!  What I did to improve the dress: remove the sleeves, take it in a bit on the sides, hem the length and create two quick ties which I sewed to the front panel so that I can tie the dress in the back and accentuate my waist.  Here is a quick before and after picture:

I posted about this dress re-fashion here in case you’re interested in seeing what I did to the dress in more detail.  Thanks for reading, and a quick shout out to We So Thrifty for inspiring me to write about my favorite thrifted find!  :)

 

ps. Remember that gorgeous Aztec print belt I listed in my Etsy shop on Friday??  It already sold!  Last night!!  I knew it was going to sell fast!

 

 

New: Etsy Vintage!

I have two new awesome vintage finds that I listed in my Etsy shop just this morning and I wanted you to be the first to know!  The first is the absolutely gorgeous Aztec print vintage belt I posted about yesterday, listed here:

The second item is this lovely striped chambray skirt that I found several weeks ago and hemmed to a more modern and flirty length.  The skirt has hidden pockets, a button closure and just could not be more adorable!  Listed here.

I hope you like everything, thanks for reading :)

ps. I got to touch a gila monster yesterday when I was filming at the exotic animal sanctuary – it was weird but awesome!  Kinda pretty, am I right??