3 ways to style a belt

Dsquared spring 2014 pic via vogue.it

No more boring belts! Make your favorite belt look brand new with these quick ways to style a belt! An interesting styling can be the quickest diy, it takes seconds to make a new looking accessory! The best thing is that your belt will look different any time you wear it.  Do you know other interesting ways to wear a belt? Let us know and link them in the comments!

Two more ways to wear a belt, below!

via sparkling glitter

via rustic beauty

Fringe-tastic DIY ideas

fringe jumper milano fashion week street style via neiman marcus blog - Roberto Cavalli via fashion edonist

 In the last few years fringes never got really out of fashion. They became like studs or leather. You don't identify fringes in a specific fashion niche anymore like you don't visualize studs like "punk" or leather like "aggressive". Fringes became an endemic decorative element and the reason why it happened is maybe because fringes make a look more interesting, more alive, it has its own swing and yes, it's a little edgy. How much? You decide. It depends by the amount of fringes and where you place them. Do you see the black jumper above? It's the perfect answer to the question: how do I transform a boring black sweater into something cool? For a more casual effect use shorter fringes and bring up the v shape. Place fringes on the sleeves of a garment for an aggressive look and you'll swing at every move.  If you're too shy to wear clothes decorated with fringes focus on fringed accessories like a bag or a scarf or even a necklace. You can make your own leather fringes in matter of seconds and you can find a great variety of fringed trims at the haberdashery. Why not make fringes with metal chains? Get inspired then check out some of my diy with fringes like the leather fringe skirt, the mega fringe necklace made with 6 meters of chain and the convertible fringe boots, the Burberry inspired fringe earrings or the statement fringe hair earrings.

via fab sugar

via ashley loves

via kitty cooper

McQueen bag fall 2013via fab mania

Ralph Lauren fall 2013 bag

fringe knit jumper via dudes that knit

Roberto Cavalli via fashion edonist

Roberto Cavalli fringe necklace pic via consumption

Isabel Marant for H&M via become gorgeous

Armani Privè fall 2013 fringe clutch bag pic via Vogue Fr

AGENCY

by Beth Cato

"Agency" is one of those terms that gets bandied about by writers and editors. But what IS agency?

This is something I've been delving into recently as I've been working on novel edits. I thought I understood agency. I have a main character with profound magical powers. If a building is on fire, she's the one who will dash inside to save people. She will go hungry if her coins will buy food for a beggar child. She's brave and resourceful when needed, and known to sling about a witty comment or two.

I had the big aspects of agency down, but what I forgot were the everyday details. Yes, my protagonist may be the one to dash into the burning building--but was it her suggestion to go to that street in the first place, or did a minor character coax her that way?

Minor characters are called minor for a reason. When I scrutinized my text word by word, I found that all too many times, the minor characters were the ones making the choice in those little directional shifts in the plot. Being the amiable sort, my protagonist nodded and went along.

Note: Agency shouldn't be confused with making a protagonist brash or bitchy, though some stories (urban fantasy in particular) do this well (or not well, depending on how you like the genre). It's about having the protagonist speak up first, even if it's in a whisper. They need to be the one to say, 'No. Let's go this way.'

Your character can be a god incarnate, but if someone is always telling them where to go, how much power do they really possess?

Beth Cato was the featured author in the Penumbra EMag May 2013 ocean-themed issue with her story "Clementine, Who Swims with Mermaids." In conjunction with Musa Publishing's birthday celebration this issue, and several others, can be purchased here at a 30% discount. Her poems also appeared in our Zombie and Space Opera volumes.

Her debut steampunk novel will be published by HarperCollins Voyager in late 2014.

Learn more about Beth’s stories, poems, and tasty cookie recipes on her website.

Two Years of Penumbra

by Dianna L. Gunn

Two years ago I sent an email to a woman named Celina asking if I could intern with her brand new publishing company. To be honest, as a writer with only a couple non-fiction clips and still in high school, I didn't expect to hear back. I was happily surprised when she invited me to become an intern, and happier still when I was moved from Musa Publishing to Penumbra EMag. Soon enough I was put in charge of this blog, and through it I've had the opportunity to work with many great authors.

Over the two years since my internship began, many things have changed. Musa has grown exponentially, publishing the works of Gary K. Wolf and the late great Homer Eon Flint. The website has been made over and we've published hundreds of books. This little publisher has grown to be a massive force that attracts some of speculative fiction's most renowned authors away from the Big Six. We have proven that an ebook publisher, who's completely open and honest with its authors, can succeed and that we can publish several good books in a single month.

I have also changed. I graduated high school, but I'm staying for an extra semester to help launch some massive writing projects. I have fallen in and out of love. I have become a woman in the eyes of the law, and I am now preparing to move out on my own for the first time. I've experimented with freelance writing and decided I'd rather have a normal job for now. I've written and edited several books of my own, and I am slowly gearing up to start submitting my first novel.

The literary world has changed, too. Ebooks are on the rise. J.K. Rowling is writing something other than Harry Potter. One of the most brilliant minds of the last century, Ray Bradbury, has been lost to the world.

As the third year of Penumbra begins it is time to celebrate what we've accomplished so far and the great successes soon to come. As such, we'll have different authors from this past year make an appearance here to talk about speculative fiction and Penumbra EMag. I hope you'll enjoy reading these posts as much as I've enjoyed working with these authors.

Dianna L. Gunn is a young Canadian fiction writer who specializes in dark fantasy. She also writes poetry, generally dark, which is her way of dealing with life. This insightful author hosts a website covering every aspect of fiction writing and interviews with noted guest authors.

Learn more about Dianna L. Gunn on her website and follow her on Twitter.

Trending:bucket bags

Bottega Veneta bucket bag pic via bag addicts anonymous

Casual, playful and practical, the bucket bag is the perfect city bag for fall! Put all your life in it, it can hold it all, it's soft enough to shrink or enlarge to your needs. Unfairly forgotten for long, the bucket bag is back in our wardrobe. My favorite ones are monochrome in a bright color, red, royal blue, pink or the classic neutrals beige or caramel. Has the bucket bag  found a place in your closet already? Share your thoughts.

Chanel bucket bag

Zara

Saint Laurent

Stella McCartney

Yes Style

Bali bucket bag

Tory Burch

Gucci Rania Drawstring

Alviero Martini

Nasty Gal

6 must have jumpers for fall

Balenciaga crack jumper - Tommy Hilfiger wool and leather dress pic via Allure

From the runway to the streets. Take hints from the catwalk to build your fall wardrobe. Scroll these six must have jumpers that are six diy ideas as well.  If you loved the crackle jumper designed by Alexander Wang for Balenciaga check out Zara's crackle print top or imitate the cracked effect  with a fabric marker on a shirt. Get the look of the chic Lanvin lace insert jumper with a scrap of lace sewed on a jumper you bought and loved last year.Use a silky fabric with a sweatshirt pattern and finish it with knitted cuffs and collar to give it a chilli cool attitude. Buy grommets and buttons in bulk and sew them onto a sweatshirt or take a pair of scissors and cut out your sweatshirt!

Tommy Hilfiger wool and leather dress pic via Allure- mango coated jumper

Balenciaga crackle jumper pic via citizen of fashion - Zara crackled print shirt

Lanvin lace insert top fall 2012 pic via fashion bomb daily - lace insert jumper

Lanvin fall 2013 bug sweathirt - clover canyon silky sweatshirt

Emanuel Ungaro embellished blouse - asos embellished sweatshirt

Alexander Wang top pic via fabsugar - cut out sweatshirt

5 minutes metal wire spider rings DIY

diy spider rings

You can make several of these metallic wire spider rings in 10 minutes. Make them in different sizes and wear them as mid finger rings too. They're perfect as halloween last minute accessories, all you need is metal wire.

Make a loop. Try it on to be sure it fits. Make an x with the second loop.

Make another loop. Put the wire on the front.

Knot the wire around to fasten the "spider legs" in place. Curl the wire to make the "spider head".

Curl the wire to make the "spider body", then cut the excess wire.