Canton Weekend!

We are loading up for Canton this weekend! For those of you who have never been it is definitely something to see! It is miles of great antiques, shopping and more! Be sure to come stop by and see us! Arbor 2 Booth 163! Xoxo, Meg

Top 5 Summer Trends Daily Feature- Friday

To wrap up our Top 5 summer trends is the hippie headband! These are elastic bands that wrap around your forehead and or tie on the side.  They come in a variety of designs and colors and add that extra touch!

Here are a few examples! 

Now, if you don't want to go out and buy one and just want to make do with something you have lying around the house scrounge up a long piece of leather or ribbon. You can either just tie the single piece around, braid several pieces together or add some beads on the end for a little extra touch.  Below is an example of one you could make with a black piece of elastic and flower pin.

Get creative and see what you can come up with!

Thanks for following me during this trendy trip of fashion! Until next week! XOXO, Megan

Top 5 Trends of Summer Daily Feature- Thursday

Today's daily feature is the ever so fabulous braid!  Up-grade your pony tail to a traditional braid to add that extra lush look!  

If you are a really talented braider here's a couple other great styles:

These braids are great, fresh new ways to keep your hair out of your face and still look good!

For those of you who are not an experienced braider and are curious how to even begin to braid your own hair just follow the tutorial below:

Style the front of your hair, including bangs, wisps and tendrils, before you begin your hair braid. Divide tangle-free hair into three even sections.

Lift your left elbow to shoulder height and make a thumbs-down fist around the left portion of hair. Do the same on the right side, letting the middle portion lie against your spine.

Extend your left index finger and hook the right section of hair. Pull it in front of the middle section, letting it slip completely out of the right hand. Grab the middle section of hair with your right hand, pull it to the right side, then resume the thumbs-down fist position with both hands.

Extend your right index finger, hook the far left portion of hair and let it slip completely out of the left hand. Shift the portion of hair in your left hand into a thumbs-down fist, then free up the left index finger. Make a thumbs-down fist with your right hand, then use your left index finger to hook the far right portion. Try and keep the tension on each section of your hair braid as even as possible for best results.

Continue the process until the braid is complete. To braid very long hair, you may have to free a hand to pull the portions through. Secure the developing braid by pressing your knuckles into it as you shift your hands for the next cross.

If you are already familiar with braiding, jazz it up a bit by braiding a piece of leather or ribbon in your hair. This will add a little dimension and texture to your do! Until tomorrow final feature XOXO, Megan

Top 5 Summer Trends Daily Feature- Wednesday

This Wednesday's feature is Western Chic (pronounced sheek not chick)! I am in love with all of the indian beading, moccasins, cowboy boots, denim, I could go on and on but will stop there to spare you!  What I mean by western chic is implementing all sorts of different elements of western and pairing it will something a little more modern like dressy casual with a little western funk!

The serape prints, concho belts, turquoise, leather, fringe, oh my! My head is spinning just thinking of all the fabulous things I love in this trend category!

These are some of our retro, pearl snap, western shirts that are great paired up with denim shorts, and gobs of jewelry!

In order to achieve this look all you need is a cute sun dress, shorts paired with a tank and old western mens shirt, a pair of worn out cowboy boots or moccasins, and a gaudy concho belt with some turquoise jewelry!

Or wear a casual outfit and add a small western bandana scarf tied around your neck to set off your western cowgirl vibe! 

I love worn-out western bandana scarves! I actually collect them! But if you can't find one in your closet, keep sakes, or at a local thrift store then you can make one by purchasing a bandana at your local craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michael's (they normally cost like 25 cents or something cheap like that) and making it vintage. To make it look vintage you need to either sun bleach it (let the sun fade it out) or wash multiple times in hot water to try to get the color to fade! You just don't want your bandana to be real bright and stiff! 

Once you have perfected your bandana you can then wear it multiple ways to add your western flair to any outfit! Here's a few examples:

In your hair as an added retro headband!

As a bracelet or scarf! Just be creative and wear it with confidence!

Go get 'em cowgirl!

XOXO,

Megan

Top 5 Summer Trends Daily Feature- Tuesday

Today's feature is NeOn! The brighter the better, right?! 

While neon is a reminder of the 80's that doesn't mean we need to start fixing our hair like it! OMG just thinking of those teased bangs, perms, and cans of RAVE hairspray crack me up! So add a little touch of 80's but don't go overboard!  Pair up a simple denim long sleeve top with a tank and neon shorts or skinny jeans.  Wear a traditional outfit accented with a neon belt, bag, or bangles.  Here's a few examples of what I'm talking about!

 So while you might not wear blue hair or a sparkly, see through dress if you look closely you will notice her neon yellow nails. Adding a little touch of neon will make you look flashy and in style!

So you ask, that's cute how do I get that look??? Today's tutorial is how to make a neon accessory using nothing better than some good ol' spray paint! Yep! It's that simple. 

We are going to re-invent your wardrobe this week by up-cycling some of those old, boring, items into something one-of-a-kind! So go dig in your closet and find either an old pair of heels, cowboy boots, belt, purse, bangles, whatever ya got to work with. Get something that is not of value to you since this is just a trendy, fun, little craft. 

Now that you have found that item you are going to transform into a masterpiece, you need to prep it to paint. Clean it of any oils, dirt, debris, so on and so forth. If you wipe down leather with a wet cloth allow to dry fully before proceeding.  

Then, spray paint the item with a primer spray paint. It's typically grey and that's fine since it is just going to help the neon adhere and be a little more durable. Once you have applied the primer and it is completely dry  then apply a thin coat of the neon spray paint, color of your choice.  Be sure to shake the can well before applying and do a thin coat so you don't get any runs in the paint! That's very important. Apply about 3 thin coats of the neon allowing it to dry completely between each coat. Then....wallah!!!

Now you have a new, hot, neon accessory that you can implement into your wardrobe for the summer! Go rock it and be bright until tomorrow! XOXO, Megan

Top 5 Summer Trends Daily Feature- Monday

This week I am going to be featuring the Top 5 SuMmEr TrEnDs!!! Along with an easy how to get that look tutorial, so you can join in on the trends while stashing cash in your wallet!

To start of our count I am featuring the cut-off, denim, short! They are a must-have staple in your wardrobe this summer! Don't fret if you feel you are too old (which your not) to pull this trend off! The good thing is at the end of this feature I will give you step by step instructions on how to create your own, so instead of a cut-off mini short you can make a cut-off board short which is great for any age or size!

Here's a little preview of how the celebs are rocking this killer look!

So if you are thinking you might want to participate in this new, rockin', fad but not quiet sure how to make a pair of cut-offs let me tell ya how to go about creating this look on your own!

First things first, you need to raid your closet or local thrift store for a pair of old, worn-out, denim, jeans. Try them on and make sure they fit just like you like 'em!

Once you have found THE jeans, put them on and mark with a safety pin where exactly you would like the length to be on the outside and inside seam. Now that you have determined the length take the jeans of and lay them out flat. If they are super wrinkled you might want to run over them with an iron to knock out the wrinkles. 

Now take a ruler and pencil (in case you mess up it will wash out) and mark a straight line using your ruler and pencil from the outer seam pin to the inner seam pin. For the other leg just measure the distance on the outer seam from the top of the jean to the line and the inner seam and repeat this step to insure a straight cut. Once you are through drawing your lines on both legs of the jeans try them on one last time to make certain of the length. (If by some chance you want to change the line just remark and repeat the above steps. The pencil mark will wash out once you wash them.)

Finally, take three safety pins per leg and pin just above the pencil line. This will ensure while cutting that the jeans won't move and mess up the cut.  Now it's time to cut across the pencil line.  Once you have completed cutting throw in the washer to fray.  Now you have your own pair of cut-off shorts! 

For those of you who are extra crafty and like to live on the edge a little such as myself here's a few other things you can do to your cut-offs to add a little umph!

Add studs or bling to accent your jeans and give that little extra touch!

You can also mix up different color fabric dyes or bleach and spray them on to make a GrOoVy pair of tye-dye Shorts!

So this is today's feature trend now go rummage through your old jeans and get started!!! Until tomorrow...XOXO Megan

The Long Road to Somewhere...

   So for those of you who do not know the real story on how we began let me share it with you! We started this adventure when I was 15 and in high school. My mother, Annette, worked for an oil company in Houston.  She got the bright idea that we should start selling jewelry at little, local, craft fairs in order to force me to spend time with her.  You know as a teenager the last place on earth you want to be is with your parents. LOL! So this was her way of convincing me to be with her while earning some spending money. 
   She invested her own money into purchasing some sterling jewelry and some cheap fashion jewelry for us to sell. At one particular time we sold the little flip flop necklaces on the fishing string necklace (which was a home run at all the beach shows) and these cheap two for $10 stretch bracelets.  I'm sure you know what I'm talking about if you were living in the early 2000's they were typically in themes like one would be all sports stuff anther might be all summer stuff.  Anyways, we sold the fire out of those things. We would pitch a tent in the middle of the road or beach at these little shows and throw out some fold-up tables with a sheet on them and just lay them on the table. I'm literally laughing as I am telling this just visioning how tacky it looked!!!!!! Oh no, it does not end there....
   I want to elaborate a little on the shows that we did because we often laugh so hard at some of the things we have done that I almost pee in my pants! One show is the Gator Fest near Beaumont I believe, at that particular show we sweated our butts off from Thursday-Sunday and ONLY sold 1 PAIR of SHOES!!!!! That means we only made $40!!! Let me take that back we didn't even make $40 by the time we paid for our booth, hotel, food, gas, etc!  They were rangling alligators while we were trying to sell our goods! I'm not knocking any of you gator wrestlers out there, we are from the country and I have some redneck family but geez I have NEVER seen anything like it! LOL so that was just one of the 100's of horrible shows we have done! Another was Dickens on the Strand in Galveston. This show fell on my birthday EVERY YEAR! I turned 16 and 18 there in the freezing rain under a tent dressed in victorian attire (Required) and selling 2 for $10  bracelets! LOL! One year it rained so bad, mind you it's in the middle of December, that we had to go to the laundry mat at like midnight to dry all of our clothes because we were drinched! There was also another show we did in Port A where we got robbed that night and they stole almost all of our jewelry out of our booth! I felt so bad for my mom. As a child you dont really understand how much hard work goes into making a dollar! Well by this time I had a pretty good idea, but I still felt sooooo bad! I think my mom might have even cried now thinking back! But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! I guess the good the was we had already got our palms read and our henna tattoos before they took us for everything! LMBO!!!! Needless to say we have PAID our dues!!!!
   Our big break was when we got into the hand-painted leather products! We were importing them from China and had great success with it! It was different, unique, and really set us apart from our competitors.  We then were able to upgrade to better trade shows that were INDOORS! Where the customers actually came to shop and not wrestle gators, get drunk, or build sand castles.  We were then introduced to the wholesale aspect of our business that helped us grow even more.  There were still some serious growing pains through this time, my mother was still working full time, I was still in school and we were gone all the time! The only way to get your name out there was to put it out there and the only way to do that was to hit the road, so we did! My freshman year of college we did like 40 something shows! There are only 52 weeks in a year and 40 of those weekends we were gone! CrAzY, I know! Not to mention the fact that we drove this old Dodge truck that was constantly breaking down or in need of some sort of maintenance! 
    Once the painted leather started to fade we had pretty much hit our stride. We had a good following, we had pretty much figured out our niche and place in this big, crazy world of retail.  While we accomplished so many goals and overcome so many hurdles there are still have goals that we are striving for, like our store, which we are in the process of getting financed now, we know that we will just have to do what we have to in order to get it!  Sometimes mom gets a little discouraged but we didn't come this FAR to stop here!  We know what it takes since we have just about done it all! We have been on top and knocked down to only go up again! All things are possible with the good man upstairs and if there is a will there is a way!
    So don't get discouraged if your dreams aren't quiet going as planned it never does, and when it's a passion and there's a fire that burns deep, you will not allow it to fail! Failing is not an option it's just sometimes an obstacle to overcome! Until Friday, live your dreams!!!

A note to my mother:  In telling our story today, which wasn't even scratching the surface, I want you to know that I am so eternally grateful for you making me travel with you!  You added and continue to add so much joy, laughter, and quirkiness to my life! While sometimes we are so bogged down you are always the sun in my sky! I have enjoyed this wild, hard, ride and can't wait for it to make a full circle someday! When you are 80 and I am 58 and you are serving ice cream in the store and I am telling you how your supposed to do it and making up stuff for you to do while keeping you focused... I want you to know that I will be just as happy then as I am now! I love you! XOXO :*) Meg

ReAdy, SeT, Go!

So here goes nothing!!! I'm fixing to start my blogging journey!:) I hope in creating this blog to inspire others to be creative, embrace their imaginations and most of all enjoy life to fullest while trying to make a living! For those of you who are stumbling across this blog you might want a little back story of who I am and who we at Annette's are. In a nut shell I am Megan, the daughter of Annette, we own Annette's Touch of Class which we started together when I was 15 (2001), we have been in business ever since growing each year. We travel all over the nation marketing and selling our products to stores and individuals.
  Through out this blog journey I hope to enlighten you with some of our struggles as individuals, family, and our business ventures. We are constantly evolving and looking forward to the next chapter God has in store for us! I'm going to touch a little bit on everything from home decorating, my struggles as a mother, our CrAzY lives, Booth and prop displays, fashion trends and pretty much anything that pops in my head...LOL! This is for our following who never really gets to see all the behind the scenes chaos! I'm looking forward to this adventure and sharing it with all of you!
   XOXO!