I have found a new passion… handmade jewelry. I have created several necklaces, I’m ready to post two here and offer them for sale since several people were interested in buying them when I first showed them off   Take a look, let me know what you think and if you want one please leave a comment or email me at charissacowart[at]gmail[dot]com. I don’t have a shopping cart set up on my site yet (I will be working on that soon) so for now I will be using PayPal Also, if you want something similar but a different color butterfly let me know and I’ll custom make one for you.

I hope you like them!

Take Flight in Pink w/Pearls $25 (close up)

Take Flight in Pink w/Pearls $25

Take Flight in Coral $22

Take Flight in Coral (close up) $22

If you know of a YouTube trendsetter who you think deserves to be featured on Fashion Trend Spotting, let me know! Leave a comment with the person’s YouTube channel name and url.

I do ask that you keep this criteria in mind when spotting trendsetters:

• Must be original
• Must be genuine
• Must be a regular YouTube user (meaning he/she must post at least 1-2 times per month)
• Must not contain any vulgar or foul language, videos, or photos

Can’t wait to see who you’ve Spotted!!

A good fashion/twitter friend of mine, Donn Bryant sent me a gorgeous wedding gift. I hope to wear it with my wedding dress!!

Donn is a brilliant designer and craftsman. He handmade this bracelet – Elegantee’ from his collection at Jaydon Studios.

Elegantee' Bracelet from Jaydon Studios

Now, I’m not just blogging this to brag… well I kind of am… but here’s the exciting thing about this. Donn has offered to give one of these beauties away to one of YOU!!

So here’s what you need to do…leave a comment below and tell me what you plan to wear for your Valentine’s Day date whether it’s a cocktail dress and stilettos for a night of dancing, or PJs for a night in with the girls!

Also, you can Retweet this on Twitter:

RT @CharissaCowart V-Day Contest: Win some brilliant Elegantee’ arm candy-Check it out http://bit.ly/9t0bY5 (RT 2 enter)

Now, go enter and Good Luck!

*Contest closes at Noon CST on Monday February 15, 2010. We will contact the winner by email as soon as a winner is chosen.*

*Jaydon Studios bracelets are all handmade in the US. Click here to read more about Jaydon Studios’ Designer Fashion Magnetic Bracelets and the special CZ stones included.

Contest featured on:

Bloom Flower Ring Coral/Gold from Stella & Dot

So I decided to help her get the word out by blogging about it. Do me a favor and check out her blog and enter to win these amazing star-studded accessory pieces!! Also, click here to see the full contest details.

If you win – let me know so we can feature you on Fashion Trend Spotting!!

Good Luck!

Who wants to spend a ton of money to look great if you don’t have to? Not me! I bet you don’t either! That’s why there are so many money saving places to shop online. Remember: shopping online saves gas money So I wanted to take just a minute to tell you about some.

Here are my Top 5 Money Saving Fashion Sites.

1. Zappos.com – Zappos is known for having the best customer service on the web. Not only that, they also provide Free Shipping! And when it comes to the product itself, you can find everything from designer shoes to deal saving digs! So go ahead and put your best foot forward!
2. Etsy.com – The Etsy shops are so fabulous! You can get the most unique finds on this site, or even have something custom made for you. Some items are pricey but you can find great deals here too!
3. HandbagHeaven.com – Well the name says it all, this is truly Handbag Heaven including Miracle prices! Check out this super cute ‘Fun for Fall’ (as I like to call it) clutch for $18! You’ll be in heaven shopping on this site (pardon the pun).
4. Target.com – You can shop Target online or in stores, but either way this place has a plethora of fashion accessories, sure to fit your budget! I’m such an ‘Accessories Gal’ and I can’t go in Target without making a little pit-stop in the jewelry section.
5. e.l.f. Cosmetics – Now to top off your fab look grab your favorite cosmetics from e.l.f. (eyes lips face). You won’t believe these prices! You can find anything for one of three crazy amazing prices - $1, $3, or $5. They have a few larger products for $10 and $15, but not many. Bottom line, you can get so much for$20 or less on this site!

Remember, fabulous fashion isn’t about the price! It’s all about fitting your style on whatever budget you have. Leave comments and let me know where you get your budget friendly buys.

Here’s how Scarf It Up will work:

• Companies will contact me to design a scarf inspired by their business

• Those scarves will be posted for sale on my site including a tag that explains the inspiration of the design which in turn gives advertising for that company.

If you are interesting in a uniquely designed scarf for yourself or your business please contact me!

Pricing is dependent on the design, we will go over that once you’ve contacted me.

Be looking out for some really amazing (& organic) scarves from Charissa Cowart and Scarf It Up on Fashion Trend Spotting.

I’m really excited about this post for a few reasons. First, it’s for all the fashionable MEN out there! Or for the women who dress their men   Second, I just love the image I have to go along with the post, by designldg on Flickr. It is such a fun photo but also captures the essence of traditional Indian clothing for men, in particular the dhoti.

Indian Dhoti

The dhoti is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth usually about 5 yards long, which the men in India use to wrap around their waist and legs, then tie it off in a knot around their waist. I know you are looking at this and wondering how this can be “fashionable” here in the U.S.

What are you thinking Charissa?

Here’s what I’m thinking… I love to see men in capri pants. Men rarely where capri type pants and I’m not sure if that is because they feel it is a female clothing, but it’s not! Look at the image here, the men in India are showing us that the way they wear the dhoti looks like pants with a skirt over it. To me a decent combination of the two are capri pants.

No Excuses – How to Make Capris on your Own

I don’t want to hear you guys out there say “well, no one sells capri pants for men.” This website is all about making the fashion fit you – take some older jeans, khaki pants, or even sweatpants and cut them off. Now be careful when you do this, it’s easy to make them look like long shorts, or pants that are too short for you. Be sure to measure it off first and cut about halfway between the ankle and the knee. If you need help, ask a female, I’m sure she will be happy to help you with fashion.

I first noticed that this dress is very similar to the Korean blog I wrote with the girly essence. I think all too often the “fashion industry” has fed us the line that we have to dress sexy to be sexy. I don’t believe that. I think you should dress how you feel. You might feel sexy one night going out, and other times you might feel girly and innocent. The way you dress will affect how you feel and I think the innocent look is appealing to many.

My design vision

I would like to see this dress with the polka dots in a more fitted form and of course designed for a young woman or adult. I would lower the waistline to give it less of a “little girl” feel. I would also like to lengthen the sleeves and make them fitted. Last, I would take the applique off the front of the dress and replace that with a long strand of pearls. This is the kind of dress that would make me want to twirl like a little girl again.

First off, the reason I chose this photo and style to write about is because I love the pleasant colors. The blue and white are very calming. I also like the “apron.” That’s something different from what you would typically see in America fashion. But I think a similar look can be created to pull from this traditional style from Korea into American trends.

Creating this look for American fashion

For example, if we shortened the skirt, and made it more fitted to the body, but keep the apron. I would tailor the apron a bit so it doesn’t look “poofy” against the slender look of the skirt, but I think it is a style that would defintitely stand out and be noticed. How fun would it be to get compliments on your skirt and be able to say it was inspired by traditional Korean clothing?

Traditional Korean habok

You can see the bright pink and bright yellow colors in this dress. The seem of the dress is a high waist seem. Notice how loose the sleeves are plus the open drop of the bottom half, the skirt.

My Design Idea

What I would like to see is the same loose sleeves but with a more fitted skirt – keeping the colors and the high waist seem. I really like the fan that she is holding in the picture. I would love to use that design as a belt around the waist, or for shoes. That would be great! This dress (or habok) in the bright yellow and pink, fitted skirt, loose sleeves and bright heels matching the fan in the picture.

This is a fun outfit that will standout no matter where you go. The colors are complimentary and fun. The style is relaxed, yet classy and sexy. I think it’s safe to say you can have fun with this one!