May | 2015 | Think Outside the Cloth

Today is one year since I started Think Outside the Cloth! Since I’m all about celebrating life’s little milestones I decided to throw on a DIY party hat and have cake. I also have some very exciting news! I will be hosting a bloggers networking event with two other great bloggers, Kristen (Twenties & Fabulous) and Stephan (Why I love Toronto). The event aims to unite those in the blogging community and I’m very happy to be apart of it.

This post will be a little different than the usual as I’ve decided to share some background about why I started this blog. I’ve always been a creative person at heart. As a child I loved drawing, creating, and doing odd things with clothes. As I got older that part of me faded into the background as I focused on school and work. A while ago I remember my father telling me “Shanel, one thing in life is KEY, Keep Educating Yourself” and that stuck with me. It’s taught me to always keep learning. Go to bed a little bit smarter than when you started the day, and with whatever you’re doing, or experiences that may happen in life always try and learn something from it.

Before starting this blog, I felt like I was caught in a repetitive routine of life, and I wasn’t growing or learning. I came up with the concept for this blog in December, 2013 while in the shower. I started thinking of DIYs and content, but it wasn’t until 5 months later that I actually got my gears in motion and started Think Outside the Cloth. There were many times where I questioned myself and made excuses; what if no one reads it? I don’t have a good DSLR camera, my pictures will suck! Is this stupid? I was also a bit hesitant, as the Internet is such a huge space. With creating and sharing content I feel like it’s putting a piece of myself out there, and with that there can be judgment. I brushed away all those thoughts and decided to just start and do it! I came up with the reasons of why I wanted to do this, and as cliché as it sounds I really do it as a way to express myself, and to execute the ideas that float around in my head. It’s taught me that whenever I’m doing a project and my mind becomes clouded with negative thoughts to just remember the mission, “the why.”

I’ve learned a lot since starting this blog, and I can’t say it’s been easy, there’s a lot that goes into making a post but I really like doing it. It really makes me respect bloggers who regularly post and share content. Think Outside the Cloth is definitely a work in progress, and I hope to continually improve it. If you’ve been delaying on starting or doing something remember why you want to do it, and just go and do it! No BS or excuses! If you really want it to happen you’ll find a way to make it work :).

Here are some of my most read posts:

DIY Body Chain

DIY Strapped Bandeau

3-Step DIY Crop Top

Thank you to everyone who’s provided me with feedback, liked, commented, and shared posts! Stayed tuned for more DIYs, fashion tips and tricks.

-Shanel

Now that Spring has arrived, it’s finally nice to use a scarf as an accessory rather than as a tool to guard my face against the cold. Scarfs are a great way to add a pop of colour and texture to an outfit and there’s so many fun and different ways to wear them!

On one of the first warm days of the year my friend Kristen (check out her blog here) and I went for a walk and I brought my collection of scarves along. I discovered they are not only great to style, but also fun to take pics and play with.

Here are some style tips on how to wear your scarf this spring and summer.

Wrap It

Wearing a scarf as a head wrap can be a great style addition to an outfit. It can also double as a handy accessory for when you’re having a bad hair day.

To get this look, I took the scarf and wrapped it around my head starting from the front. I crossed the ends of the scarf in the back and brought the ends to the side of my head. I twisted the loose ends into a bun and secured with a hair tie.

Belt It

Throw a scarf around your shoulders and secure with a belt. I love doing this during the warmer months because it looks like a vest and adds another light layer to the outfit. Let the loose ends hang, this can look super cute if your scarf has fringed ends, or tuck the ends into the back of the belt.

Double It

How to wear 2 scarfs

Take your outfit up a notch by wearing two scarves at once. Use two scarves with varying colours or patterns and twist them together and wrap them around your neck.

Handle It

Enhance and add a touch of colour to your darker toned purse by wrapping a scarf around the handles of your purse. Simply tie a knot at one end of the handle, wrap the scarf around it and tie a knot at the other end.

How do you like to incorporate scarves into your outfits?