Meet Salt Lake City-based Sara Charlesworth, the voice behind lifestyle blog Chalk White Arrow. We at Broke & Chic are huge fans of her budget style, beautiful photos and great eye for decor.
Sara’s home has recently been nominated for best home design on Apartment Therapy. Way to go Sara!
Check out her amazing home as well as our Q&A where she dishes her decor secrets!
Light Above Nightstand: $4 Urban Outfitters (She then tied the yarn on the edges)
Broke & Chic: How did you get your inspiration?
Sara: I knew I wanted the house to reflect a definite style. I would find an item I knew I wanted to use in each room that I really liked; whether that was a piece of art, a light fixture, or even just a pillow, and then build from there.
Did you get any of your stuff from thrift shops?
Yes! We found both our coffee table and foot stool at thrift shops. A few of the wall hangings and light fixtures were thrifted, as well as a bunch of other decorative items. I love mixing new things with old pieces to give a well-rounded, eclectic, mid-century modern feel (if that makes any sense).
Moving is never fun. How long did it take you to get your new place the way you wanted it?
Seriously, so much longer than I excepted. Between painting all of the walls and ceilings white, organizing and finding all of our things, waiting for some new furniture and getting the whole place settled and put together, I would say it was a good 3-4 months before I finally felt like we had finished.
In your picture frame collage, where are the photos and frames from?
Honestly, most of the frames are from Target and Ikea. The photos are randoms I have collected over the years. Some are from small Etsy stores, a lot of them are photos I have taken on my own (family photos and vacation spots) or inspirational quotes I liked and had printed.
We love the black paint and chalk board wall! Was it difficult to do?
No! It was really extremely simple and on our smallish walls it only took me (by myself) a few hours to complete. It goes on fairly easy and drys pretty quickly. The only difficult part was that it tended to splatter when rolling it on the wall. I would recommend using a good drop cloth and wearing grungy clothes.
What advice would you give someone who’s on a budget, but wants to re-decorate their home?
Shop around. Visit thrift shops first. Make places like Ikea and Target your friend, however, don’t purchase something just because it is inexpensive.
If there is a quality item (furniture, decor, etc) that you can see yourself using for years to come, I recommend taking more time saving up for that instead of settling for a less expensive piece you’ll replace a year later. We made this mistake so many times, and in the long run we ended up paying so much more than we would have if we had just purchased the item we loved in the first place.
What was your favorite room in Sara’s home? Let us know in the comments below!
No matter your style preference, show the street who’s boss!
Are you the classy uptown girl who hates to swear, takes her coffee with milk and sugar, won’t leave the house without a 6 inch pair of heels and only dates gentlemen?
Or…
Are you that badass downtown girl who takes her coffee black, won’t leave the house without a tube of red lipstick and loves to date rockstars?
If your style is more uptown, add some vintage flair, soft floral prints, pearls and maybe even a vintage bag! Darling is the perfect company to rely on for this classy look.
If you’ve decided you’re more of a downtown girl, don’t forget your unique pieces that everyone will envy such as rockin’ wedges or an asymmetrical top. Robb & Hugo is the perfect designer to rely on due to the one-of-a-kind pieces they offer, which are not only stylish but comfortable as well.
Either way, be fierce! Show the street who’s boss. Remember, simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication. Are you more of an uptown or downtown girl? Let us know in the comments below.
Bindis have been gaining popularity across the pond as a style statement and have finally started to creep their way into the wardrobes of fashion forward ladies in the States.
Back in the day, bindis were decorations that signified age, status or religion throughout South Asia, specifically India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Now, bindis are still worn throughout South Asia, but have fallen into a much more light-hearted role.
This is not the first time bindis have become a fashion statement in the western world. Back in the 90′s, Gwen Stefani wouldn’t even leave her house without wearing one — most likely due to her relationship with No Doubt band member Tony Kanal. His family was from India and she became very interested in their culture and fashion. Today, celebs such as Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Madonna have been spotted wearing the bindi.
What do you think of bindis becoming an everyday fashion accessory for the hipster crowd? Let us know in the comments below!
Broke & Chic recently hit the streets of Greenwich Village, a wonderful Manhattan neighborhood that is alive with students from both The New School and NYU. See what these broke fashionistas are wearing in America’s most fashionable city!
The night before I had attended one of my favorite Mommy blogger networks, Mommys Links Glam Me event. It was a really fun time with a great group of girls. There were women empowerment speakers, fun vendors, and swag. At the party, I got my first henna tattoo and my hair curled. So when I got home, I put my hair in a loose bun, and secured it with a few bobby pins – a tip my regular stylist at BlowNY gave me.
The next day my hair and henna looked fab. Don’t ever underestimate the power of a professional with a curling iron;those curls lasted for days. So getting ready for work the next day was pretty easy. I think subconsciously the ornate orange design on my hand lead me to pick that bold orange pencil skirt that I paired with a simple white button down shirt.
You can never have too many crisp dry cleaned, fitted, collared shirts. They are a classic item that will always come in handy, and never go out of style. I recommend investing in a few.
Natalie is currently a social media moderator intern at SocialChorus. She got interested in fashion in high school and it just grew from there. Natalie blogs at fashionbystander.com, sharing the latest in fashion news with others; she hopes to expand it to showcase Caribbean fashion designers. She explains her style by saying,
“I dress how I feel. I love to look different, so I never focus on fitting into a particular genre or era of fashion. I just love to collect various pieces and make them my own. However, I love color! I prefer bright colors; the more than better!”
Her outfit today consists of a Forever 21 Chambray shirt, H&M floral print leggings,and a vintage bag and suede vest, which are both from a relative. The bow is a scrap piece of material that she had sitting around.
California’s famed music festival Coachella just finished weekend one and is just a few days shy of the finale weekend! Every year, Coachella has 100+ performers from all genres play for three days under the hot desert sun.
With on-site camping and star studded events one can never be over or under dressed. Take a sneak peek at some of the wonderful fashion that plagues this music festival every year! Hint: There was a cowboy meets hippie vibe this year.
Keep Coachella alive all year round by wearing high-waisted shorts, minidresses, floral prints, feathers, cropped tanks, floppy hats, unique footwear, fringe, maxi skirts and of course, cowboy boots!
What do you think of this famous music festivals “desert” style? Let Broke & Chic know in the comments below.
If you love all these looks but are afraid of the commitment and possible damage, then chalking is for you!
Chalking is a technique that can give you this unique hair without bleaching. Best of all…it works on dark hair too! It’s something fun you can do when you’re in the mood for a temporary change that can make a big impact.
What You’ll Need
Soft Pastel Chalk (no oil)
Water Filled Spray Bottle
Gloves
Blow Dryer
Flat Iron
An old t-shirt you don’t mind ruining.
1. Take a 1-inch strand of hair and wet it with a spray bottle (skip this step if you have blonde hair)
2. Apply gloves and take a pastel of your choice. Rub it on your hair strand until it’s at your desired vibrancy.
3. Blow dry the hair strand until completly dry.
4. Go over the strand with your flat iron. This will help set it in. Make sure it’s on its lowest setting.
5. Brush and style as usual!
This will wash out during your next shampoo, so do as many strands as you’d like!
*Warning* It might stay in your hair for a few shampoos if you have natural blonde hair.
Check out this video tutorial from the wonderful Kandee Johnson as well!
Beautiful Hair Chalking Results
What do you think of this rainbow hair trend? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Blogger and Jewelry Designer 
What do you think of bindis becoming an everyday fashion accessory for the hipster crowd? Let us know in the comments below!
