Spell & the Gypsy Colletive

Spell & The Gypsy Collective

https://shop.spelldesigns.com

I have always loved the gypsy bohemian style, next to my graphic tee and ripped jeans rocker look I would say is my long flowing skirts, maxi dresses, midi skirts and dresses, camisole tanks, cool graphic tops, kimonos, cool jewelry, fringe bags, and strappy sandals. Boho chic or rocker style are my two go to looks that describe my own eclectic taste and spin on style. I love vintage boots high, mid and low. Turquoise and silver funky jewelry, even my home decor is an eclectic array of bohemian, hippie, gypsy, and wanderlust, or traveled designs. 

When I first came across Spell it was their Byron Bay Australian site, I was googling looking for some nice maxi skirts and boho chic tops and their site popped up. I had been buying no name brand or smaller boutique maxi skirts and dresses or anything that had that vibe I could find online or even in stores, but once I came across their site I was hooked. I have always loved to wear a kimono over my graphic tees or tops to dress them up, and I also noticed Spell had a lot of really cool vintage vibe graphic tees and tanks. It was everything minus jeans and since they had had a few embroidered denim jeans, shorts and chambray tops. It is the perfect line for my style and for me to pick up pieces to help express my inner gypsy soul. 

One of my first pieces was this kimono with feathers and cattle skull design which I got on sale almost two years ago, soon I had a few graphic top and skirts. 

As you can see their pieces go so well with other pieces I already own, some are recent pieces like my lace skirt from Target others are vintage pieces I have found at thrift stores. My Turkish coin necklace and matching bracelet I found on eBay for under $12 for both.

The longer coin necklace can be worn as a belt, body chain or long necklace. Love versatile pieces like that, and have had that since I first purchased my belly dancing scarf a few years back for the Renaissance festival. 

I got this raglan Easy Rider super soft tee on sale from them and also have the tee with roll up sleeves that can also be worn like a tank in grey. Looks great with their skirts, jeans, and even some flare or bell bottom style leggings. 

I got this skirt off eBay for $35 and here paired it with a Spiritual Gangster Wild and Free graphic tank, with a tan solid tank and my Forever 21 fringe bucket bag. This skirt is cute and goes with so many style tops, I am totally hooked on their skirts cause I can wear them with solid tees or a similar tone or print graphic tee/tank. 

On another day wore this skirt with a Free People gauze and lace top with tassel sleeves. My necklace is a gorgeous three layer piece from Lacey Ryan's Maurice's collection. 

Then I have styled it with a pale pink solid Pam & Gela v neck basic top, and Simply Quinn's hand made arrowhead necklace. The half crescent is part of a triple necklace pack I got from Forever21 but my girl at Fawning in love has some alms or identical on her Etsy page, link below also, and Whiskey and bone has a few similar look but in white. 

As soon as I laid my eyes on the Spell grey distressed Festival Fox tank I had to order it. Has a feather on the back and I am into distressed everything. This tank is so soft and the distressing is some of the best I have seen. 

Here back in May/June I paired my tank with a fringe suede style vest, Ettika stacked star velvet choker and a long silver braid. Wearing a long denim vintage skirt from the late 70's not seen in photo. 

This tee is another favorite because blue is my favorite color, especially turquoise, I love to wear and decorate my home with lots of blue accents and all shades. The shorts are also Spell, they have a tie tassel waist and the sides tie up with tassel finished strings. They are so cute on and go perfect with a lot of my tees since blues are my favorite. 

Here wearing the Spell Turquoise Stone Hunter tee with my Ettika beaded chokers. Love to stack my beaded chokers they really compliment all my different outfits and favorite styles.

Their latest collection and I was so excited when I ordered the Turquoise tee above because while I was away over the summer Spell launched their US site.  Prior to them launching their US site I would always have to look on eBay, Free People and Revolve or order from their Australian site which didn't bother me but did take long and cost more for shipping. Most of my eBay scores have been amazing prices but end up paying $12-18 for shipping and sometimes it would take a week to two weeks to arrive. I didn't mind but trust me the US site is awesome and shipping is super fast. 

I wanted this tank and skirt as soon as I see them, had my fingers crossed just hoping the new styles didn't sell out before I was able to order. Missed the army jacket, and another dress I wanted but working on getting them off eBay or their Australian site now. 

My hubby ordered this tank, Smokin dreams and the Babushka floral and lace skirt for me along with the Revolver skirt as part of my birthday presents this year. Found this cool turquoise squash style silver and feather necklace with matching earrings online for $17. My turquoise arrowhead bracelet is House Of Harlow from last summers Rocksbox sample sale. 

This is the Revolver skirt and really wanted the dress but they didn't have my size. I paired it with a top I have had for some time I got at Free People while on vacation. My long brown suede look bolo or lariat necklace that has a choker look with layers of suede material and gold accent feathers I got from Tilly's along with a black one with crystals. The blue and gold inlay bohemian tusk necklace is made by Fawning in Love.  You can find Fawning in Love on etsy, link below and in favorite shops, then you can follow her on Instagram @Fawninginlove to see all her new designs before she lists them.  She has the cutest packing and always is a pleasure to work with, she has custom designed pieces for myself and my daughter, if you visit her Etsy store you will see the Melissa choker which is a design I had her custom make for my daughter after I purchased a beautiful ring and later she created a bracelet that would match it perfectly.  The day the bracelet arrived my oldest daughter saw and thought it was a choker so she asked me to see if she could make her the same look as my bracelet in a choker, she can only wear short necklaces to school because long necklaces aren't allowed, they consider them a safety hazard in the halls and stairs with so many kids rushing to classes.  Laura was so sweet and created the most gorgeous choker for her and then let me know she created one without the center stone then named it after me.  I found her shop on Etsy almost two years ago and purchased a ring from her, after that I have ordered many items from her and she has always gone above and beyond.

This skirt has pockets which for me always seal the deal when trying to decide between one style, pattern or color combo. I have worn this with solid tops, graphic tops and more.  The best thing about bohemian style is that it's all comfortable, cute and can be worn so many ways. I have a ton of tops, kimonos, and accessories. 

Gypsy Witch graphic tank, by Spell is another favorite. I ordered a blue one cause as you can see my black has been worn many times. I was all my clothes mostly by hand, on the delicate setting or steam rack in washer, then always hand or lay out flat to dry so the material doesn't get stretched out. My African beaded turquoise, black agate bracelets and custom Wanderlust gold bangle are from Whiskey + Bone. Can't wait to share more of this amazing designer with you all. Check my prior post for more of my pieces and keep an eye out for them all styled into my daily looks.

Long necklace is the green beaded, Buddha rosary style necklace on sale now at Ettika for $9.99. The skirt is my Revolver Spell and the Gypsy skirt. My shorter necklace is an amazing handmade smoky Quartz mounted in a bullet, made by Whiskey + Bone.  Be sure to check out the Whiskey + Bone shop and follow her on Instagram @Whiskeyandbone, she has so many amazing one of kind designs and unique styles all made with the best quality materials.  

Babushka midi dress and Lace Kimono. Whiskey + Bone necklace and bracelets, use code WANDERLUSTBABE to save 10% off on Etsy, bracelets are a mix of Alex and Ani faves. 

Folk town mid length dress with double tassel neck closure and the Babushka blue floral print with lace detail midi dress. Two of my favorites. Excited to share more of my Spell collection this week as I wear them. Feel very blessed to have been able to buy the pieces I have wanted for some time, trust me they are worth every cent because the quality is amazing and the style is timeless, they will be cute for decades to come. Another reason why I love these designers because their patterns, styles and accessories all have that vintage vibe that is always in style.  

I have had an amazing birthday weekend and thank you for all the wishes. Means so much to me to know so many people thought of me on my special day and weekend. Off to spend the final portion of my birthday weekend with my girls. Peace love and light always, xoxo.

Where to shop:

Spell Designs US site:  https://shop.spelldesigns.com

Whiskey + Bone Jewelry: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhiskeyandBone  WANDERLUSTBABE 10% off 

FawningInLove Jewelry: https://www.etsy.com/shop/fawninginlove

Ettika Jewelry:http://www.Ettika.com

Pam & Gela:  https://www.Pamandgela.com

www.Ebay.com

Happy early birthday mail

Good evening y'all and thought I would take a moment while I was watching some of the summer Olympics to post quickly some amazing mail I got today. My birthday is the end of this month, August 27 and it's my last birthday being in my thirties. Hard to believe next year I will be turning 40 I remember what feels like not long ago, in my twenties talking about turning 40 and it sounded so far off. It also sounded so old to me then but with the big 4-0 around the corner I can honestly say I don't feel old at all. I still feel the same as I did when I turned 25 and 30. I remember the milestone birthdays like 16, 18 and 21 well, I was still in my crazy party years and had tons of friends. Up until a few years ago I would celebrate the entire month of my birthday. Planning girl's nights with all of my friends and then the weekend of my birthday always having a huge party in the VIP section of a club or bar either where I worked, friends worked or someone I knew owned or worked. Sadly most of my closest friends have moved out of state over the passed five years. Then when I became sick before I was diagnosed in 2014 I stopped going out and pretty much drinking, slowly the calls stopped coming from the few friends I had left here. I guess people don't like you as much when you aren't the life of the party anymore. 

Pam & Gela Warehouse Sale Link

Today I was so excited looking forward to my Pam & Gela package, they are having a huge warehouse sale on their website and I was sent a link to shop early. I was so excited but didn't have much cash since I had just paid for my kids back to school uniforms, supplies and then both of them are cheering so had all those expenses. I had called my hubby and told him about the sale, I was over the moon when he came home and gave me a gift card for $200 for me to use. Can you believe I didn't even spent the entire $200 lol. I made my first order and only spent around $160. That's great considering before summer I got two new Pam & Gela graphic tanks from their summer line and spent 260 for two tops. I got myself a romper or jumper, a lace up black dress, lace up sweats, and two groan of tees in my first order. Then to my surprise my mom came home the next day and had a gift card so I could order more if I wanted to. I still had a small amount (close to $40) on my card my hubby gave me and with my mom's card I could have ordered a bunch more but instead decided to purchase only two more tips and use the rest for my daughter to get her backpack for school. 

All these items were purchased from the warehouse sale and under $170. Amazing isn't it, I love to save money and get a great deal makes me happy almost like I won something.  Considering the sweat pants alone retailed for that before the sale. That's one thing I can say about Pam & Gela is that they have some sick sales. I always wait for their sales and rarely buy anything retail, this summer I broke down cause I wanted to have some current styles when they were newly released and I had been working so hard I felt I deserved it. 

I also got a package today from Chaser Brand another one of my favorite graphic top lines. I have a few designer brands that I love and then I of course have a bunch of smaller owned and run shops that I love to buy from, support as well. 

I love this tee, it's by Chaser Brand and says Be kind to or I'll kill you, paired it here in a flat lay with my favorite Silver a jeans cropped jeans. I will have a post this week featuring the newest style by Silver Jeans, I can't wait to try them they say they reduce muffin top, something u don't really get cause I always make sure my jeans fit good and correctly so I don't have it but sometimes lower cut or mid cut jeans you can't avoid it. Being a jeans and tee kind of girl, cause it's a style that will never fade, I am always excited when my favorite Jean brand releases new styles. 

The fur Hyde I use to take some of my flat-lays I have had several people ask my about, it came from Target. I got it after the holidays two years ago on sale. It's just a small fur piece I use on my ottoman in my living room to match some accent pillows and add texture to my living room. When I decorate I love texture and patterns to make the room feel cozy.  I always try to find items around my house to use since I'm usually stepped for time when preparing photos and posts. I tend to post on a whim like tonight lol. 

Make sure to head over and check out the warehouse sale at www.pamandgela.com if you love their brand and the graphic tees I'm always posting you will be crazy over this amazing sale. Also check out www.chaserbrand.com for some more amazing graphic tops. I'm off to bed, have a great night and happy Hump day. Peace, love and light always xoxo 

Blonde Black and White

Blonde Black & White

www.Blondeblackandwhite.com

MELISSA TEES for $5 off $30 order

Blonde Black + White is a graphic top and apparel line designed by a woman who found herself always wearing black, white and grey. One day she decided that her basic tees where so cliche and decided she would design her own tee line, her own way. That's how Blonde Black and White began. 

I have teamed up with this amazing designer to bring you these amazing graphic tops and apparel items. You can use my code MELISSASTEES to get $5 off your order of $30. 

You will find black, white and some grey pieces in the collection. It isn't just for blondes, she has graphic designs for Girl Bosses and Fetch AF ladies. Lovers of black, white and grey or monochrome tees and apparel, foodies, tequila and other cute sayings. Everything is printed on quality tees, tanks and she even has some dolman tees, off the shoulder sweatshirts, tank dresses and a tote. 

Some of my faves by Blonde Black + White. Love the tank dresses or summer and the cute designs with cool lettering. All her graphic tees and tanks retail for $25-35.

www.BlondeBlack+White.com

Here is the tote, off the shoulder graphic dolman style tee, and sweatshirts. Only thing not pictured are the crop tops, I have one on in the top photo. I normally am not one to bare my mid section but for this post I decided to since they are so cute. It's summer why not I'm tan and I have lost some of the weight I gained from my treatments. 

So what are you waiting for? I know everyone loves graphic tops, comfy tees, cute quotes, and black n white. Head on over to her site and take a look. You are sure to find something you will love. I know I am hoping for a off the shoulder tee, sweatshirt and I love the tank dress. Hoping maybe for my upcoming last birthday in my thirties to get some more pieces for my collection. I know I will live in the comfy sweatshirt through fall and winter, then that tank dress for the rest of the summer. 

I love to support other Girl Bosses and Fetch AF babes chasing their dreams. 

Let's show our support and rock some of these super cool tops to help promote this beautiful and driven babe. 

Peace and love always, xoxo 

Melissa

Don't forgot to use the code MELISSASTEES to receive $5 off your order of $30. Also I will be hosting a giveaway in the upcoming weeks it may be after school starts as I have a lot of catching up to do after vacation and started back to school shopping, my girls both started cheer, I'm working from home and part time styling for shoots and merchandising, but I'm going to have the white crop top in a M/L to giveaway to one lucky winner. Lots of other items also thanks to some amazing brands/designers who are helping me celebrate reaching over 20k followers on Instagram. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. Y'all rock and without all of you I wouldn't be able to accomplish a lot of the amazing things I have going on right now. For more of my graphic tee collection feel free to scroll through prior posts or go to social media and check my hashtag #melissastees. 

Historic Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg...

Hello from the road, we are cruising south on I-95 back to Florida. We left Williamsburg area in VA this morning and are currently in SC. We will be stopping to rest in Georgia for the evening and be back home tomorrow evening. 

Here are some more outfit posts from my week and weekend. It was really hard for me to leave my family. I kept it together unlike my last visit till we left, but once we hit the first rest stop I broke down. Since losing my father fifteen years ago I get super emotional to see any of his side of the families relatives.  It's hard to not have a large family, I have always wanted a large family and to be able to celebrate holidays with them but the family I do have is spread out across the country and in other countries that I have yet to meet.  

Now to my vacation outfits and some fun sight seeing shots. 

Sunset off the James River on the ferry back towards Williamsburg, VA area. It was amazing. We lucked out on this trip with seeing some amazing sunsets like when we went to the Liberty University Snow-flex Mountain to ride their tubes and happened to be there right when the sunset behind the Blue Ridge Mountains. Then we watched the sunset on the ferry boat ride back from Smithfield and Surry.

Wore my Silver Jeans frayed bottom shorts with my racer back thin strap O'neill women's tank.Ettika chokers are the Lucia from FreePeople.com, also available in stores. The turquoise and gold Surprise you still choker I won on IG which led to them contacting me to b a part of their review team. It made my month since I had been dealing with the mean girl copying, lying, stealing and stalking my social media, had been told she was saying I posted horrible content so when they contacted me to see if I wanted to join their team I was honored. It always feels good to see that others enjoy my posts. I didn't get to over 20k followers on social media posting garbage or to clear up some other lies I have heard have been told, I have never bought ANY of my followers on IG. I like, comment and follow others daily working hard to build my following, run contests, promotions, have this blog and have been featured on many other pages and blogs. 

Friday I'm in love tee by Everfitte with my caged black bra top, and then paired it with my Silver Jeans Co shorts. Choker is the new Stacked Star choker in black and gold by Ettika, available at FreePeople.com and in stores also. 

My Wanderer Bracelet stack with their anchor wrap, infinity and Shaka bracelets. You can use my code Melissa20 for 20% off your order and help support local Bali artisans. 

One of the many stops on our adventure this day was the glass blowing exhibit and house. Amazing to see how they came up with the idea to make glass then watch them make it right in front of us. 

Pocahontas statue at the Historic Jamestown. Amazing site and love how it is right next to the water of the James River. 

Pam & Gela bubblegum graphic tank paired with my Silver Jeans Co boyfriend jeans. Also you can see my Mermaid Tail bracelet by Wanderer Bracelets. 

Wanderer bracelets are my newest brand to be working with as a brand ambassador/rep and absolutely love this brand. I love the many styles and how detailed each piece is. The charms are carved from sustainable water buffalo bone in huts in Bali. Every purchase tog make secures jobs for local Bali artisans. As mentioned above you can use my code Melissa20 to save 20% off your purchase. Check back in some of my prior posts and also on my social media accounts for more photos of the many styles I own, and then their site www.wandererbracelets.com for more styles and designs. 

Those of you who have followed me on my blog or social media know I have been an ambassador for Silver Jeans Co for over a year now and before that have always been a loyal Silver Jeans Co wearer. Over two decades of amazing quality and fit jeans led to me becoming an ambassador for this amazing brand. I love to be able to support and share brands I wear and have worn for many years. I will have a full post soon with more of my favorite styles with multiple photos of the styles on. Keep an eye out. 

Another brand I have been wearing for a few years and tagging is Pam & Gela. I think many of you know that Pam and Gela started Juicy Couture, back in my late high school years and early twenties Juicy couture was one of my favorite brands for handbags and velour sweat suits as I aged I of course outgrew the brand but did still purchase a few items for my children similar to the styles I wore in my late teens and early twenties. Years later they released their book about how they reached their success and of course they had released a new brand. First the had Skaist Levy which I have a couple shirts, pants and a dress from then they came out with their Pam & Gela brand which I was totally in love with, being a graphic tee and tank lover I was instantly obsessed with their line of graphic tops with fun quirky sayings, detailed graphics with rhinestones, studs and distressed tees. Its like their brands grew with me and as I matured and my style changed their styles changed, I was thrilled. Not having a huge budget for fashion I spent hours searching for sales or even pieces on eBay, I have since managed to grow my collection. My husband knows my favorite brands and he knows I work to grow my knowledge in fashion and design but also to save money to support my love of fashion and decor. I have been blessed to find many amazing sales and pre owned pieces online. I have splurged a few times around my birthday or holidays on full retail priced items but u won't lie to y'all I usually am shopping clearance sales, sample sales, end of season clearances, and eBay. I have scored many of my most coveted pieces on eBay. 

Yorktown Victory Center statue in entry. 

Beautiful Church inside Colonial Williamsburg VA. This church is still open for worship after being in this location for many decades. It is the original location and foundation but the interior has been changed many times over the decades. 

One of my first visits to Williamsburg was a few years into having my Nikon camera and the beginning of my love of photography being revived. That trip I photographed everything from buildings, statutes and small details. One thing I took lots of photos of was the old locks. They are all amazing and have such great details. If you look back a couple of years ago on my blog you will see macro shots along with other photos of my trip to VA. 

While in Williamsburg I found this Buffalo nickel charm bracelet that matches perfectly with my collection of Alex and Ani bracelets. This day I was wearing gold tone bracelets but love to mix and match metals. My gold tone bracelets include the compass, Godspeed, scarab beetle and the addition of my newest Indian and buffalo nickel bracelet. 

Yesterday I did a double arm stack wearing some of my favorite silver Alex and Ani bracelets. My left stack is starting from the top with the Wings of change charity by design, Hand of Fatima, feather charm, full feather bracelet, and my initial M charm. 

My right stack with my birthstone, the peridot for August, the painted feather, butterfly UNICEF and my new Buffalo nickel charm bracelet. Love to stack different metals, bracelets and styles daily. 

My graphic tank is by Chaser Brand, Big Dreams & Late Nights & Good Music. Jeans are a favorite of mine by Silver Jeans Co, I rolled these up for a cropped Capri look. 

Bracelets are my Alex and Ani charm bracelets. 

Here is a side view of one of my favorite style Silver Jeans Co. Love ripped and distressed jeans I use to buy my jeans and distress them all but back over a decade ago when distressed jeans weren't in style and all over I had found my Silver Jeans Co Tuesday low boot cut jeans that were super distressed. I had owned many other Silver jeans over the years but that style sold me and then made me a dedicated fan of this brand. I still have those jeans. I bought them in several sizes since I fluctuate in size often, also some days I like a looser fit then other days I like a tight fit. These were before boyfriend jeans were made and I enjoyed the baggy feel that now we can find in the boyfriend fit. 

Here you can see how they have darker denim patches to reinforce the holes along with some sewn on patches of darker denim. I love how Silver Jeans Co distresses their jeans. You can find lace, patterned fabrics, denim and other patches under holes, reinforced sewn areas around holes that don't have a patch under so the holes don't get too big. I know I love a good broken in pair of distressed jeans and let me tell you these jeans only get better with time. Again I own so many pairs that have been in my closet for up to twenty years, and as recent as last week. My collection is huge and any sale they have I make sure to stock up on my favorite styles. I will again be doing a post with photos of my favorite styles over the passed two decades as well as showing how well these jeans have held up over the years in comparison to other brands. I have been working on a detailed post but it has taken me some time to photograph every style and fit to show. I will also go over some sizing tips and some other tips for distressing jeans, cutting jeans to shorts, tips for rolling regular jeans for cropped look and what to look for in a seamstress if you are shorter and need to have your jeans altered. I know for years I never used a seamstress but after reading an article about having your more expensive brand jeans altered to fit your body perfectly I took one of my pairs of jeans to my seamstress that has altered many jumpers, rompers, dresses and work pants, I was amazed when she took in the waist let out the hips slightly, then took at the original hem shortened perfectly to my height and used the same string and threads from the original hem, you would never know they were altered and when you see the fit you will see why I have become addicted to having many of my clothes altered to fit my body. The before and after photos will amaze you. 

Luckily Silver Jeans offers options for inseams, and once you get the sizing down you will be amazed how this brand jeans really stretches and adjusts to hug your curves, making your body look amazing. Another of the many reasons why I love this brand. My husband is always telling me how much he loves how these jeans fit me. Lifting my rear, showing off my curves and complimenting my smaller waist. I honestly don't purchase any other brands really unless it's a sale or looking for a color or style that I couldn't find with Silver jeans first. 

She Laughs, Proverbs 31. This off the shoulder graphic tee is by She Does Justice and since we are riding in the car all day today as we are going to be arriving home this evening I wore my faithful fave Silver Jeans. 

Another final Alex & Ani arm stack. Looking forward to sharing some new looks and styles when I get home. I have some amazing Ettika pieces, new Flare Silver Jeans, Spell and the Gypsy tees, tanks, dresses, and shorts, along with some other new brands. Hope everyone has an amazing week and thank you for passing by to take a look at my blog. I will be sure to add links to the items above along with my where to shop guide that is normally below on my posts. 

Peace and love always, xoxo