Time for a change!

Hello friends!

So I have been in beautiful Bermuda for the last 6 weeks. My husband is directing a production and we were able to join him for 2 months of family, vacay, rest and refocusing. I have been keeping up with our adventures on my personal blog here!

I've been fortunate to have a lot of time to contemplate my ambitions, plans and projects and figuring out how to make it all work for me. I have so many interests and ideas it's really difficult for me to edit, focus and prioritize my life! I do know that I need to buckle down and work really hard on some projects I feel very passionately about.

What I'm saying is that while I truly love blogging about my frugal fashion finds, I need to be sensible about it!

That said, I am going to streamline. I will continue sharing my steals & deals, but I'm going to limit it to once a week on my personal blog. I'll experimenting with posting here as well, but I think most of my blog readers here are from facebook so it really shouldn't matter!

So look for Frugal Fashion Fridays on Confessions of a Divamommy!  Tomorrow I will do my first fashion post from Bermuda!

Make Up Mark Downs

Today I stopped in at Big Lots to pick up some cleaning supplies and stumbled upon a kind of amazing deal!

Philosophy makeup items...for $3 each!



This great little look "book" with 3 blushes, 2 lip gloss and 2 eye shadows in neutral colors - $3! I bought two - one for my makeup kit and one for my purse.




And one in pinks, also $3!




Then a great quad in browns. With a really nice brush! $3




Finally, a gorgeous pink shimmer highlight powder in a sleek silver compact. $3

So, for $15, I got 5 items...less than the price of one!



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It's My Birthday...well, was.

Well, it was that time of year again...my birthday. Had some fun - mani's, pedi's and lunch with my good friend Misty.



Cake from my kids with the help of Grandma, rehearsal and partied it up with some wonderful friends.

And...because my husband is out of town...and isn't the most sentimental when it comes to birthdays, I got myself a few presents...



These fabulous platform sandals...Mossimo by Target, on Clearance $15. Orange-eous!




While I love my new coral bag, I needed something a little more casual and over the shoulder for my easy going days. Also a Target clearance find...$7! I love the bold colors.




Finally, this dress! And I'm just in love with it! So comfy, such a great color. Casual and easy. And, only $15 at Raphsodielle.

Happy Birthday to me, indeed!

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Bargain Bling

Found some great accessories this past week...




Love these great bracelets - only $2 from Family Dollar, a local discount store. I find some great accessories there! I wear these all the time. The perfect vintage/feminine accessory.



Love this belt...and they have tons more in different designs and colors! $3 at Susie's Deals.

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I like Deals...

Susie's deals! It's one of my best kept secrets! Ok, not so much of a secret because I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before. But I had a few minutes and gave myself a budget of $10 and took a look around!



It's not a glamorous store, bargain stores usually aren't, but they get lots of great stuff from some top stores! I've seen stuff from Forever 21 and Kohls to name a few. I rarely shop in malls so I can't even tell what some of them are, to be honest. Of course, I'm not too concerned with labels unless I find a designer brand for pennies....like the Marchesa I found for $3 that we used in Hairspray.

Here are 3 things I found.



I super love this striped pencil skirt! I love the seaming so it has some interest and ends up making those horizontal stripes downright flattering. $8.99


I know I have an obsession with orange right now, but I just thought these "overalls" were too, too adorable! $9.99



How cute is this sweater? Love the color, the stripes and the unexpected pop of orange. $5.99

Well, yes, I picked one and brought it home with me! You'll just have to wait and see which one...

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Mama's got a brand new bag!

I've been looking for a new purse for a while...no luck at the thrift stores. And so in love with bright spring colors...

So I forgot to cancel my monthly order with Just Fab.com, but no worries! Perfect opportunity to pick out something nice for myself...a reward for working so hard this past month!

Tah Dah!


And here it is in action. It's bigger than it looks, but it's nice because
I can fit so much in it! Like my script, my iPad, my receipt book...even some flats to change in to after a long night of partying!





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I'm a Lucky Girl

One of the best parts of doing theatre is my amazing friends! I was recently cast in Crazy for You so we've been having fun backstage at Hairspray playing with my Make up! Alda is the best makeup artist I've ever met! Here are just some fun shots of makeup she tried on me.







It has definitely inspired me to arch my eyebrows a bit more. And she showed me a wonderful new tool...I'll share about it later!

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Like My Hair? So do I. Now GET OUT! :)

I've been getting a lot of questions about my hair lately...I've been sporting that fun, casual beach wave look, so I thought I'd share how I accomplish my style! Here's a look at it in action from my last post. :)

Why do I LOVE this hair? It's fairly quick to accomplish in the first place and it lasts for DAYS! It works up or down or in between, adds lots of volume to my hair and even works in dirty hair! In the photo above, my hair hadn't been washed for 3-4 days and I didn't have time to wash and dry it, so I put some waves in a voila! Purty. :)


So, here's what I use! And of course, everything's on the frugal side.


First I wash and condition my hair. All hair is so different so use what you like!


Then I add some volumizing mousse to my roots. I don't have a brand I use more than any other.


Then I use this on my ends, my very, very split and damaged ends but I'm so nervous about getting my hair cut all the time.

I LOVE THIS STUFF!!! It really works without being greasy and smells WONDERFUL!


Then I blow dry or air dry...sometimes a little of both. 


Here is the marvelous tool that allows me such pretty large waves!

It's Bead Head (Tigi)'s Wave Artist! I bought it at Target for around $30. I was trying to decide between this and a large triple barrel curling iron and it just looked so heavy and bulky, I took a chance on this odd looking instrument. BUT IT WORKS!! So well. It'a really just a giant crimper.


So I section my hair and go to town. I like to start pretty close to the root to boost body. The trick is making sure you start the next crimp down at the right spot so that it continues the wave. Takes a little practice, but it's not rocket science. I hold each crimp for about 5 seconds. 


I crimp all over my head! Try to take similar sized chunks of hair...larger chunks go a little looser, smaller chunks tighter. And be careful with the ends...I try to leave the last inch or so straight. Again, practice!


To finish, I use this sea spray...there are lots of expensive versions, but this one at $5.99 goes a long way - I only use about 4 sprays on my hair. Just gives it that beachy look. Smells WONDERFUL! Like the ocean and coconut. I got mine at Ulta, but I saw this brand at Walmart the other day!

For hairspray, I use the companion to my smoothing lotion.

Also available at drugstores.


And some people swear by pomade though I really have never cared for them. 

Anyway, that's how I get my beach waves! Enjoy! 


PS - If you have questions or comments, I'd love it if you'd leave them on my blog! I know a lot of you are facebook users and comment on my facebook links, but some blogger comments would be great. :)

Spring Break is Over!

I'm super excited to be back after an extended break from blogging due to my commitment to Hairspray costuming followed by a less than vacation like Spring Break.

So I thought I'd share my fun Easter outfits!

For my children, I found these great Maxi dresses from a local store for $8 - $12 each and matching shrugs for $8 each from Target. My sons snazzy ensemble was $20 for everything. Not super bargains, but reasonable. The worst part was that my oldest daughter who turned 12 yesterday fit nicely in Jr's Small. Oh, and the feather earrings.



I wasn't feeling the groove to find myself something - I know, gasp! - but I had a great dress I had only worn once. It's a thrift store find, an H&M dress... And it was a case of what I believe to be a mis marked size, as I haven't fit in a size 4 in well, a long time! I accessorized with a matte sequin belt and a great teal bead necklace that my hubby brought me from Hawaii. Love the teal and orange. Paired with my
floral print shoes and I was good to go! The bracelet is a charm bracelet that was a gift from my oldest daughter.








So Easter was a success! Very excited about Spring!

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Almost....

Dear Friends!

I miss you so much...I have been so busy I've barely had time to sleep and haven't done too much of that! My husbands production of Hairspray opens this weekend and I am furiously sewing away like a crazy lady trying to get the costumes finished. Almost there! Next week I'll be back. And I'll share some of my favorite costumes from Hairspray with you.

Love,

Sandra, who has been anything but fashionable for the last few weeks. 

Pretty on the cheap? Yes, please!

Last night I was thrilled to be a part of a wonderful ensemble performing the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber! 


My gown for the evening was a wonderful, flattering dress that I found at Savers. For $12!

Yes, it's a formal/bridesmaids gown from David's Bridal that retails for $135. Really nice, with boning and built in bra in a great spring color.  


Mine is more periwinkle, but I thought it worked great! Nice and romantic as I was singing two songs from Phantom of the Opera. And the ruching at the waist is so flattering! 


I apologize in advance for the pictures, the lighting was dramatic so it was hard to get a good screenshot of me in the show.

Backstage!

Backstage with my friend Francesca, in her $20 Ross Dress.

And onstage, introducing my Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat medly!

I felt pretty and glamourous and got lots of compliments. For $12. :)

I did find out last night, much to my amusement, that I have developed a reputation for making numerous costume changes in a show. I only made one costume change this show...and even made someone lose a bet! 

Spring is on it's way!

Spring is definitely my favorite time of year. You'd think I'd like fall, when the 110 degree heat finally leaves, but it always takes to long to get here so it annoys me! I love spring...that feeling of re-birth, the smell of plants in bloom, the bright colors!

Here are few of my inspirations for a spring wardrobe! Tonight I am singing in an awesome concert so tomorrow I'll post some of my performance wear photos!

Source: polyvore.com via Sandra on Pinterest

I just can't get enough black and white (or cream in this case) - so graphic, so bold yes so feminine.

Source: polyvore.com via Sandra on Pinterest

Royal and Magenta are definitely 2 colors I want to incorporate more into my wardrobe. Great colors for me as well. 

And I still need to find an amazing lace dress! I LOVE this one...(and Emma Stone! She's just adorable!)

Inspired!

I really love Pinterest. It's a great outlet to see what's out there...and then pin them so I can remember what I like! I often look at my Pinterest boards when I'm shopping, especially at thrift stores. It helps me keep my eye out for colors, fabrics or silhouette's that caught my eye.

I also have a board that is for inspirations for things I already have! I started it because of this image.

I have some great sequined tops as you saw yesterday and I was like -yes! This is a way I can wear one in every day life. It's fun and sassy!

First I went to Polyvore and played around...

And then I grabbed one of my gold tank tops and paired it with a thin white t-shirt...it worked well to play down the dressiness of a sequined top.  

The top was $9 at Savers, the T-shirt around $5 at Walmart


Then I paired it with my trusty denim shirt....which I bought well over a year ago but only wore once. It's been threatening to get put in the donation bag, but I just kept hanging on to it because I KNEW i would wear it again.

Denim Shirt - on Clearance at Walmart (part of the Miley Cyrus collection...I know, but cute is cute!) $5


I wore it with my skinny jeans and knee high brown boots. And it was CUTE! I will definitely wear it again...maybe even take a photo. :)

SPARKLE!

Who doesn't love a little sparkle? I love all the sequins trends!

Here are 3 great tops I picked up at great values!

This silver top was $8 at Suzy's Deals! I had it for over a year before I figured out how to wear it! It's long and roomy, so it's perfect paired with some jeggings, boots or booties and a long sweater! Here it is in action!

And yes, that was onstage, but I have worn it out! It's not too flashy...actually, just right if you want to be noticed. :)

 This one is great! I love the design. Forever 21, also $8 at Suzy's Deals! It's not the most flattering look on me, shapeless works well for those who are not so well endowed, but I'll figure it out one of these days. 

This one is really fun also - $4 at Savers. It's fun with Jeans and a denim jacket. 


It is nice to wear something over the sequin tops, though...they can really do a number on your arms if they are bare!


So here's a challenge! Try to incorporate some sparkle into your looks! I'll have a great idea tomorrow inspired by Pinterest!

Maxi Evolution

While I am LDS (Mormon) and adhere to a personal standard of modest dress, I also just generally like to keep my arms covered! And, I LOVE maxi dresses. Which are almost always spaghetti straps. 

Last summer, I fell in LOVE with this dress! Bright, fun...quirky!

It was $13! But I really don't like always just wearing a little shrug over things...so, I took matters into my own hands! I bought 2 dresses - so a total of $26 for you math majors out there, and built in a top!

TAH DAH!!

Now, I do recognize that I am blessed to have some fierce sewing skills, but to be honest, I rarely take the time to actually do something for myself. 


Here's the only photo I have of the dress in action...goofing around with my friend Kellie backstage at a show! I still wear a tank under it because it cuts so low...oh well! We can't have everything, can we?

I do love wearing it. Maxi dresses are WONDERFUL for hot Las Vegas summers. 

Question!

I have no photos for today...so instead, I want to know from you!


If you thought you were going to be going to a beautiful, tropical climate for a few weeks, what would you bring with you?


Please leave a comment on my blog or facebook page! Include links!


Here's the bathing suit I would take: 

Vintage Inspired Bathing Suit - Unique Vintage $75

Oscars!

So I watched the Academy Awards last night and thought I'd pick my favorite and least favorite gowns!


BEST:


Hands down, Octavia Spencer! It was flattering and elegant and perfect. The icing - SO glad she won, much deserved. 

WORST:


Rooney Mara. Just. Dreadful. 

Honorable Mention:


Emma Stone - I'm not sure if I like the dress or just thought that this adorable actress stole the show!