pinterest – the Spiff

Perks and Quirks

October 21, 2014 2 Comments

I once read that the title of your blog post can’t be witty. It has to tell the reader what they’re going to read about.

I hated reading that, because coming up with witty titles is right in my wheelhouse – it’s the load bearing beams of my wheelhouse.

Today I threw out what all of those wildly successful bloggers had to say about titles, and just boiled it down to, “Perks and Quirks”. Because I want to show you all of the perks of TheSpiff and hopefully expose some of my quirks along the way (in the least creepster way possible…I’m now rethinking the use of “expose”).

I’ve been writing a blog for, well remember Xanga? Yep. So, let’s put 2001 on the time stamp. It wasn’t until 2009, a year into my marriage and months after graduating college that I decided to ~~give myself an endless homework assignment~~ combine my love of writing and fashion, fuel it with my passion to see women comfortable in their skin and start writing a blog legitimately.

A year after that decision I pushed “publish” on my very first post for TheSpiff. If you’re thinking that’s a long time between things and that I probably was watching too much Gilmore Girls, then you’d be right. But I was also working hard perfecting the site, coming up with a domain name, and pre-writing 3 months worth of blogs to get myself started.

Until I birth my first child, my proudest moment remains to be the night when I finally figured out how to manipulate html code so that my site looked exactly the way I wanted it. I will never forget that.

Fast forward to today and I’m now four months in on a newly revamped site (I paid someone this time). Today I wanted to kind of show you around and point out a new feature!

First off, take a look at my social media icons there on the top right. I know it’s like I’m introducing you to your right hand – it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. But maybe by “take a look” I mean click on them and hit follow… ;)

I’ve got several great Pinterest boards that you’ll be pinterested in. I’m trying to drill down into the details of dressing, so I’ve got one on tights, jackets, shoes (etc.)…all stuff I would really wear. I don’t know WHERE I would wear some of it, but I don’t pin unless I truly like it.

Finally, and really the purpose of this diatribe, is I’ve recently added a way to subscribe to TheSpiff! If you’ll enter your email address in the box on the bottom right, you’ll get my posts in your email inbox. No more of this type, type, type, click, scroll nonsense, you can simply open your email, click and boom you’re reading one of my fashion/beauty nuggets for the day.

I make it oh so easy. It’s one of my quirks, I like to make things wildly easy on people. ;) …I also volunteer too much and sometimes I sing in the shower.

Fashion, pinterest, Pinterest pick, summer

Pinterest Pick – Nude Sandals

July 15, 2014 No Comments

It usually takes me a minute or two to find an outfit on Pinterest that I love so much, I could immediately write a 200 word blog about it (ok, sometimes it’s ~~300~~ 400).

But the second I saw this picture, a slew of words flooded my brain. Good words. Because I’ve been looking for nude sandals just like these to add to my summer looks. And now that I’ve got visual proof (and not just what’s going on in my head), I’m amp-ing up the search.

Don’t you just love how these sandals make a classic black and white ensemble appear so fresh, so summer appropriate? Just imagine if they were black sandals. The dark, edgy gladiator look would over-power the sweetness of the top and wouldn’t work at all with the length of the skirt. But because the shoes are in a softer color, like this nude-brown, they add just enough visual interest without being overpowering.

Instead of matching it to the belt, I probably would have cinched the waste with something leopard, which would also play well against the striped bag while still tying in the blacks and browns, but that belt works just fine as well. This just goes to show you how far a pair of sandals like this can go in one’s closet.

I love love love this look, and need to quit typing so I can go out and find a pair of nude sandals. I’m also going to keep the website it came from on my radar, since most of the looks I saw on there would suit me just fine.

Fashion, pinterest, styling, summer, summer time

Bring Your Pinterest Pins to Life

June 24, 2014 No Comments

I know. We’re twinsies!

While it’s hard to pin point the subtle differences between the two pictures, that is me there on the right. Ah yes, you see it now don’t you?

I honestly didn’t even plan to take this in front of a chalk board sign, it just worked out so serendipitously.

So why am I walking around impersonating Pinterest models? Because I want to give you four ways you can do what I did, and bring what you’ve pinned on Pinterest to real life. Put all of that dreaming, pinning and (let’s face it) pining to good use by learning how to put it into action when it comes to what you wear…

1. Search for items you’re having a hard time styling.

The vest I’m wearing in this picture is a moto-vest I got as a gift several years ago. I’ve never been able to work it properly into an outfit, until I saw this picture. And what do you know – it was the perfect thing to wear downtown for dinner and jazz. Pinterest has gotten really good with their search capabilities, so figure out what you need help with and search for it.

2. Don’t be so literal.

Obviously I’m not wearing exactly the same ~~hoochie skirt~~ outfit she is. That’s because you’ve really got to relax your brain when searching for outfit inspiration. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been stuck on what to wear, and by simply scrolling through pictures of clothing, it’s triggered an idea in my head that was no where to be found on the page. By looking at silhouettes and the overall “feeling” of an outfit, your brain can put things together that you’ve maybe never thought of before.

3. Know your closet.

If you don’t know what’s in there, how can you know what to wear? Take a quick pass through to look at what you’ve got, even if you’re not getting dressed. This way you’ll have a fresh mental image of what’s in there. If you have so many pieces that you can’t take a relatively quick pass through, then I suggest you unload a little.

Bonus Point: Have fun! Put something together and if you’re unsure, wear it out with your best friend and see what you think. Fashion should be fun, so try not to tress about it (she writes emphatically to herself).

natural makeup, outfit planning, pinterest, Pinterest pick, summer

Pinterest Pick

June 17, 2014 No Comments

Like a lot of women, I’ve had to come to terms with Pinterest.

No, my closet is not organized with boxes I pulled from the trash and spay painted gold. No, there aren’t crafts all over my house emblazoned with our initials. No, my cheeseburgers do not turn out looking like that. Thank you very much, though, for pointing it and all my other visual faults out, Pinterest.

Minus the sarcasm, I do appreciate Pinterest for outfit inspiration. So every once in a while, I’d like to share my Pinterest Pic’s (or picks! …word play!) with you and talk about why it works.

My latest pick is this gorgeous dress and styling pinned from this blog.

I’m sure we can all agree, she looks fabulous. But look closely, and you see that she’s styled very simply.

She’s not wearing any earrings (not even studs), no necklace or rings that we can see. She’s simply rocking this look with a watch and a cuff, and some very simple/neutral makeup. The dress is bold with its color blocking, but she makes the whole look unique by pairing it with this orange clutch. I can bet her hair is dirty and that’s why she threw it in this simple side pony, but with the two wisps of hair playing at her face, it gives it the perfect tousled look.

I wish we could see her shoes.

I can imagine they’re simple black strap sandals with just a hint of gold embellishment near the toes. This is truly a lesson in less is more, especially in the hotter months. Summer is the time to let yourself shine and to comfortably be you as we get to hang about outside. Who knows, maybe she forgot about the event and threw all of this together as she screamed instructions to the babysitter. Whatever her motives, she looks great and if we similarly pair our look down, I think we all can too.

Fashion, pinterest, Pinterest pick, Videos, wbir

New Site Features

June 11, 2014 No Comments

Family weddings are complete, the website is unveiled…I’m breathing large sighs of relief these days.

If you’d like to watch my segment from yesterday where I talked about what all the features spiff now has to offer, along with how to confidently respond to compliments, click below!

Meanwhile, I’d like to point out a few new things around the site that I didn’t get to yesterday on the show…

You can now easily like and share posts with the Facebook buttons located at the bottom of each post. These are not for emergency use, and please share with others only after you’ve enjoyed it for yourself (a little airplane instructional humor there for ya).

Social buttons are available for your following pleasure there on the right. Click each and every one and faithfully follow my every move in every social media avenue possible (too strong? How about…) Feel free to follow me and my adventures as a fashion blogger, get more great tips, outfit inspiration and adorable pictures of my dog!

Speaking of which, did you know TheSpiff has a Pinterest page? On it I share pictures of my own outfits as well as what’s inspiring me!

Here are a few of my recent favorites…

I’ll take any way to wear a leather jacket and boyfriend jeans…oh, I can combine them? Yes please.

I look at this outfit, and I think how much I want to recreate it. Then I think about the logistics of it and how the chambray jacket/shirt would always be blowing around and the waste band of that skirt might not be tight enough to hold me and the shirt I’ve dipped into it. But other than all of that, totally love this!

Now this is what I like to see…easy weekend wear that isn’t too fussy.

Remember to check out the “About” tab above and really just be a nosy rosy when it comes to the site, because it’s all been done for you! So enjoy!