That DIY T-Shirt Rug

I just wanted to update y'all today. Try to keep with my normal 3 posts a week. You guys are apparently really excited about this t-shirt rug I worked on. I'm gonna tell you before you start this, this is a very labor intense project. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I spent most of Sunday and Monday afternoon just cutting and braiding fabric. Then I spent about 2-3 hours yesterday just sewing it. If you work on it an hour or 2 a day, it would take about a week or two. So just know that up front. I linked to the tutorial I used in Sunday's post. If you follow me on Instagram, you at least know what the rug looks like, but you probably have no clue how big it is. I used 12 shirts (I think) and it is monstrous. It's just over 2.5 feet wide when you lay it out completely flat.
Also, I would really appreciate you filling out the survey at the bottoms guys. If you just answer the multiple choice questions, it takes less than 2 minutes. I'm really trying to get some feedback about what I can do to make my blog better.
Oh! I almost forgot. I'll get my computer back a week from tomorrow. Such good news! Well, as long as they can fix whatever is wrong with it.

 As you can see, monstrous.

Sparkles and a Survey

So the past couple of days have been kind of crazy. I've been catching up on blogs from the weekend and working on that DIY I was telling you guys about. I'll post the finished product...whenever that will be. On to tell you why I've been absent from life online the past couple days. My dad tried to install an update on my laptop, and long story short, it didn't update correctly. It will turn on but won't bring up the log in screen. It'll be fixed before school starts, but it may be a couple weeks. Thankfully I can use one of the home computers to keep y'all updated.
Below I have a short survey about my blog. I'm looking to make some improvements and get some feedback so I know what I need to prioritize when the school year starts. Don't worry if you're new. Only the multiple answer questions are required and there's less than 10 total questions!
Today I wanted to push my sartorial choices. Hopefully you agree that I succeeded in pushing my boundaries! I apologize in advance for photo quality. There isn't photo editing software on this computer.

Comment of the Week #3

I'm so sorry for the late post! I've been working on this very time consuming DIY bath mat. Good lord I have been braiding fabric from old t-shirts for about 8 hours today. In case y'all are wondering, here's the link to the DIY.
On to the reason for this post. Y'all need to step up your game because Olivia is writing me essays in the comments. I really appreciate it Olivia. And for that I am linking to your blog. But, for a little while, I want to feature different people who come to my blog. And since you were featured the first week, I have to give a shout out to another commenter too!

Nail Day Friday #2

So I definitely did my nails last week but I didn't have time to post before dance and then it chipped the next day. Cheap nail polish. What are you gonna do? This week I drew some inspiration from College Fashion.

Back to School Wishlist

Quick Question

So I've been thinking about starting an Etsy store for a while, but I don't know that I would have much support right away for it to be worth it. I make clothes right now, and have some thrift store finds that I don't wear much. I also now know how to make lipstick that I could also sell in custom shades.

DIY: Make Your Own Lipstick!

So I basically didn't do anything last Thursday afternoon except this because my sister found a recipe for making your own lipstick and was asking me to help her with it. So we spent about 2 hours making (between the two of us) about 10 different lip shades. Maybe a couple more. But it is the simplest thing. You know what's going into it. And you can create a custom shade for yourself!

Look at all my custom colors just for me! Left to right is Violet, Black, a red and blue mix (it made a 1.5 batch), Cerulean, a purple/pink/blue maybe? mix, and green with a little black.

Comment of the Week #2

True to my word, I will be making this a weekly thing. First, I wanted to Share Olivia's reaction from last week because she is so sweet and cute.

"Oh Mariah! I am honestly tearing up by this post! Thank you so much for the acknowledgment and your sweet sweet words. I literally just ran up to my mom in the other room to tell her that you featured me on your blog, I was so happy. (Still am!) I think it is great to get reader engagement and the best way to do it is through commenting. It makes your connections with other bloggers more meaningful when you read their posts and then write something thoughtful. But thank you again... this means so much to me"

Style Like U

So with starting to keep up with my blog more, I realized I had started to forget why I was blogging in the first place. I felt like I was falling in line with other bloggers (which isn't a bad thing unless you're trying to stand out). I realized I've been so heavily influenced by them since I started blogging that I had forgotten where I started.
The first person who really inspired me with her style was Zoe from Girl with the Flower. She has this "I wear what I want" attitude about her style and she just does her. She's been featured in Teen Vogue and has a collaboration with Candies (not the Khol's brand) because she wears what she loves. She's part of the reason I started my blog. A year and a half later, I realized I've gotten caught up in "being a blogger" and forgotten that I have my own voice.

Quick Celebration

So I said in my last post I'd been gaining some of my following back and OHMIGOD YOU GUYS! I have not had more than 50 views in a day in months. At least not since I went to college. And today you guys gave me 65! 65 freaking page views in one day! For someone who doesn't have that many total followers, this is HUGE! Thank you thank you thank you! I cannot say thank you enough. This is a good start to really getting my blog off the ground. I feel really good about this you guys :)

Giveaway Possibilities

So I'm nearing a few landmarks on my blog. This won't count towards my first 100 posts, but I'm getting really close to that point. I'm also between 5k and 10k lifetime page views. And I'm starting to gain my small following back on Bloglovin' and I'm close to 50 followers on Instagram. I don't quite know which to celebrate since there's so much that's going on. I've also been with this blog for about a year and a half now. I have a couple of options in mind for a giveaway. I'm sorry, but this will have to be for US residents only. Shipping costs and all that. Keep in mind that I am a college student and the total will probably be $50 and under.

Comment of the Week #1

Surprise! I wanted to start this today. Every week I want to feature my favorite comment and, if you have a blog, the commenter's blog! I actually personally follow the commenter from this week. Congrats to Olivia!

"Wow I can't believe you made these! Congrats!! I've been into sewing lately and have made some dress sets and a few dresses/ skirts. Being a petite girl, making my own clothes really helps me get clothes that fit. And being made myself, I can make them exactly how I want them to look! Keep on sewing girl:)"

Nail Day Friday #1

I think I need to have some kind of weekly post to keep me on track. I always say I want to do my nails once a week. They're always pretty chipped by then. I can never make myself do it though. I finally made myself paint my nails and try something new. This is the first time I've used a striper.

e.l.f. Mistly Haze, Sally Hansen striper Blue

The gray didn't come out quite like I wanted it to, but in the end I'm happy with it. I only have to live with it for a week right? What nail art styles do you want to try?

July Haul 2

Hey guys. So I've been taking the day off for the most part, but I definitely knew I needed to post. I'm trying to be slightly more consistent than I have been. My goal is posting at least three times a week. Those three days may vary depending on my schedule since I guarantee I will have an insane one come fall. If y'all have a trend you want me to talk about or something I might find interesting, let me know below!

Vintage Haul!

July Haul 1

This week I will be catching up on all the stuff I've gotten since I stopped blogging. Currently, I have some makeup, a couple trips to the thrift store, and a few things I've made to show all of you. I'm hoping to only do that this week. Below are a skirt and pair of pants I made.

July 4th Inspiration

July 4th Inspiration by bowenmariah featuring a flared skirt

Loose white tee
blackfive.com

Blue top
lookbookstore.co

Mango flared skirt
$34 - johnlewis.com

Star shorts
bodycentral.com

Converse green sneaker
$50 - kurtgeiger.com

Keds canvas sneaker
infinityshoes.com

Sling shoes
payless.com

LA Hearts red heart purse
pacsun.com

Evening handbag
amazon.com

Star jewelry
$64 - youheshe.com

Bee Charming star charm bracelet
pinkmascara.com

River Island felt crown
$47 - theiconic.com.au

Reger by Janet Reger woven sun hat
$33 - debenhams.com

Do's and Don't's of Vintage Shopping

I consider myself a bit of a vintage/thrifting fan. I love being able to find diamonds in the rough for steals. The thing is, it's taken me a couple of years of going through this myself to get the knowledge I have about it. I've spent hours on the internet looking at tips for customizing my finds, fitting them to me, or fixing minor problems. I love just wandering through the isles of thrift stores looking for that perfect find. I want to be in there for hours, but usually I can't be. But I digress. Here are some of my big tips.

Starting Again

So now that my June Challenge is done and I still have about two months of summer left, I'm a little lost in terms of what do do with the blog. I'm looking back at popular posts, literally Google-ing "fashion blog post ideas". I am just out of touch. I started out loving this blog and I missed it when I didn't blog and I would feel disappointed when I didn't keep up with it. But when I try to blog every day or set a schedule for when to blog, it feels forced. This feels like it needs to be something organic that comes from me. Isn't that how any blogger should feel? And besides, I'm going to be super busy in the fall, especially if I get cast in A Chorus Line. Even if I don't, getting cast in any show along with taking 15+ hours is a lot for anyone. I'm still figuring out how my hours are going to work out.