The Stylemaker: 2011

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Carolyn Braden's Spring 2012 Mondrian Mayhem

Carolyn Braden's Spring 2012 Mondrian Mayhem by carolynjbraden featuring alejandro ingelmo shoes

Alice Olivia alice olivia dress
£335 - oxygenboutique.com

Scoop neck top
£390 - farfetch.com

Color block skirt
£4.99 - dressrail.com

Diane von Fürstenberg tote hand bag
$895 - intermixonline.com

Tassel jewelry
£21 - no-one.co.uk

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Carolyn Braden's Cheap Christmas Tree Skirt

Want a cheap Christmas tree skirt? Go to your local fabric store and buy 2-3 yards of some festive fabric, spread it out at the base of your tree and wait for the question "Where did you get that fabulous expensive-looking tree skirt?" Should you reveal your budget secret? Sure! Pass on the idea because many people are looking for ways to cut costs these days.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Carolyn Braden, Making old jewelry new!

I love turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, as I do on my YouTube crafting show. For this necklace, I took the top part of my grandmother's wedding ring and had it turned into a pendant. I feel she is with me every time I wear it.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden Tries Magnetic Nail Polish

Should you try magnetic nail polish? Yes! My nails shine 3 dimensionally and each is a unique design. I ordered Nails Inc. from Sephora's website though many stores have it in stock. I purchased a silver but it also comes in a purple and a teal color. I painted one coat on each nail and let the polish dry. Then I painted a thick coat over one nail at a time. I hovered the magnet (on the lid of the polish) for 15 seconds over each nail to get the black and silver design. It's important you hover the magnet while the polish is very wet or the magnetic design will not develop.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Carolyn Braden: Member of Awolnation and Fashionista

Carolyn Braden: Member of Awolnation and Fashionista by carolynjbraden featuring long sleeve tops

Dash long sleeve top
£24 - debenhams.com

i love Aaron Bruno Shirt | incredible shirts
$25 - spreadshirt.com

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Carolyn Braden meeting Awolnation?

Yep...blogged that you needed to keep them in your in-style radar and well, here is why. Aaron Bruno, front man of Awolnation, is truly a talented person. I am blogging about him over and over again because I truly believe something great is going to happen in his music career. The album, Megalithic Symphony, is only $7.99 on iTunes. Buy it and you'll love it like many, many other music lovers. Sail seems to be everyone's favorite song but I personally love every single song on the album. The members of his band are very talented as well. Together, they all have a very bright future.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Carolyn Braden Going AWOL

My puppet Humphrey Gokart and I say....Awolnation is here to stay! Monday, we're going AWOL and you should too.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Gearing up for the Art Show, December 8th!

Here is just a preview of some of the art you will see at the art show on December 8th! These are only sketches and preliminary stages of a few projects. Every grade level will have a different project. Please remember to RSVP no matter if you are coming or not. If you are unsure, RSVP "yes" so your students art will be framed and displayed. If you wish to purchase the framed art, it's $24.95, with some of the proceeds benefiting my art program. This would be a great Christmas present for an art lover in your family. I hope to see many families there. Schaffner students are so talented!

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Carolyn Braden says "Keep Awolnation on your in-style music radar "

I'm gearing up for Awolnation on Jay Leno tonight and for their concert at Southgate House. Keep them on your music radar. I believe they are going to be quite successful. Just look at their lead singer, Aaron Bruno. It's been a while since I've had a crush on a singer and he's the one many other girls should fall for too. I think Joey from NKOTB was the only other band crush I had and that was forever ago. I think it's the hair. Or maybe it's his catchy lyrics of "Sail". Just blame it on my ADD baby.

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/aaron-bruno-of-awolnation-shannon-baker.jpg

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, October 28, 2011

Carolyn Braden's Halloween Costumes: Kurt, Courtney and More!

I had a Halloween party last weekend and my wonderful friends certainly appeased my costume dress code. I really was unsure if anyone would actually dress up but they all did and looked great. My husband, Tommy, and I decided on Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. We hit up thrift stores for our outfits. I think we did pretty good in matching the picture below of the couple. Tommy played the part well, taking on a very grungy personality to match the grunge style.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden Loving "Ooh La Liscious" Red Carpet Manicure

I'm still preferring Red Carpet Manicure Gel Polish over CND Shellac. The polish stays perfect forever. The formula just seems like it is more stable. Here is my latest color, Ooh La Liscious.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Carolyn Braden says "Tarina for Paul"

I am a Tarina Tarantino super fan so when I saw she partnered up with Paul Mitchell, I was so happy. Her line consists of product gift sets for different hair types and a beautiful flat iron and hair dryer. What a great holiday gift idea for the hair guru in your life!

Picture taken from my latest Vogue! I am loving the November issue. I foresee lots of romantic floral connections in the upcoming spring fashion.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Carolyn Braden says "Calgon, Take Me Away!"

Here's a great product to accompany your hot bath on a cold night. Calgon Bath Pearls smell like a beautiful tropical flower and are great for your skin! They contain pearl powder, collagen and vitamin E which will hydrate parched winter skin. After our first cold day here in Louisville, I couldn't wait to get home to take a steamy bath with this product. At under $6.00 at Walmart, it's a fantastic cheap treat. So in the words of my favorite Thursday night show, Parks and Recreation, "Treat yo-self" and buy it!

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, October 14, 2011

Good Girl Gone Bad

Good Girl Gone Bad by carolynjbraden featuring a biker jacket

McQ by Alexander McQueen print dress
£470 - harveynichols.com

Leather jacket
nelly.com

Gucci biker jacket
£595 - flannelsfashion.com

Alexander McQueen flat leather boots
$2,075 - couture.zappos.com

EliseDray gold ring
€3.625 - montaignemarket.com

Betsey Johnson lip ring
$35 - betseyjohnson.com

Alexander McQueen black shawl
$295 - alexandermcqueen.com

Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Color
$22 - zappos.com

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Carolyn Braden: e.l.f. Products, Inexpensive Wonders!

Have you tried Eyes, Lips, Face (e.l.f.) products yet? If not, run to a store and stock up today! I purchased Oil Blotting Sheets, Zit Zapper and Wet Gloss for Lash and Brows. Each product cost $1.00. The cheap price may make you think there's no way the product inside is good but think again. The Zit Zapper reduced the size of a recent pimple and cleared it up in one day. It's so portable so you can carry it with you all day if needed.
I purchased my products from Target. Some are $3.00 but most are just $1.00.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Carolyn Braden is loving PS3 "Everybody Dance!"

I am hosting a www.houseparty.com PS3 party to promote the new dance game "Everybody Dance." I am in love with it! It shows the music videos, unlike Wii Just Dance and you can use SingStar microphones to do karaoke with it. My friends and I will be trying it out at my upcoming Monster Mash Bash. As you can see, my dog Vegas is excited too. He (seriously) loves to dance and so do I. Dancing is great exercise and is always in style!

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden Tries "Red Carpet Manicure" Gel Polish

I switched from CND Shellac to Red Carpet Manicure gel polish today. I am experimenting with the cheaper polish. I did not buy the LED curing light or the "prep" bottle which is step one. The prep is basically just alcohol. I only purchased Structure (base coat), the polish color "Not Really a Taupe" (sort of a very neutral gray) and Brilliance (top coat). I used my UV curing light, cleaned and filed my nails and set to work. I used the system the exact same way as Shellac and I am quite impressed so far. The instructions for CND and RCM both say to do 2 coats but I always do 4 thin layers of polish so it lasts a little longer. I'm impressed with the price too. At $9.00 a bottle (instead of $15-24 for CND) I can try many of their beautiful polish colors that even include a few glitters! I purchased my bottles at Ulta.