Friday Faves Vol. 29

This dreamy, all-pink cabana!

This confusing-in-a-good-way bread that looks like watermelon!

This adorable corgi butt pillow!

Friday Faves Vol. 28

This list of 10 LaCroix & alcohol pairings you need to try!

This surreal holographic eye and highlight look!

This DIY geometric fruit wall art made from free paint sample cards!

Happy Halloween Wreath • Make Your Own!

As part of Blogtober, I'll be re-running some past posts that fit this month's theme. This post was originally published in October 2014.

I don't think I've ever made a DIY wreath before in my life, but I do have an almost fetish-level interest in holiday decorations. I admire them mostly from afar, at stores and in other people's homes, and stick to minimal seasonal cheer around my own place. The main reason for this is that I tend to focus primarily on how I'll need to store the rarely used decor and visualize myself one day packing it and moving it to a new place. It just seems like so much extra work!

I did this for SIX YEARS at our last apartment, more regretful with every passing holiday, and when we moved into a new place I promised myself I'd dive into holiday decorating, regardless of how many ornaments I may or may not have to store in a kitchen cabinet. I needed a Halloween wreath - maybe you do too? Here's how:

What You Need

• Round Wreath Form

• Black Yarn & White Yarn

• Halloween Trinkets {I got these from Michaels}

• Scissors

• Hot Glue Gun

• Glue Stick 

• Scrapbook Paper 

• Pencil

• String 

• White Paper

• Ribbon

How To Make It

I wanted a black and white striped background, so I opted to wrap yarn around my wreath form. Alternately, you could use felt, fabric or maybe even the leg of some striped tights.

To use both colors, I simply tied the two yarn strings together on the back of the wreath when I was done wrapping each section and continued on with the new color. I just eyeballed the sections. You could also glue them periodically, but I didn't. When you're done wrapping, just tie the end of your yarn to another piece of wrapped yarn in the back {bottom picture}. Make sure to knot it well.

To make the bunting, cut diamond shaped pieces from burlap-print scrapbook paper {A}. Then use a glue stick to glue the shapes to brown scrapbook paper {B} and cut out the shape, leaving a brown paper border all around {C}. Next, just fold the diamond into a triangle and crease the edge {D}.

Next comes the letters! You can obviously write whatever (a simple "BOO" makes for a much easier project, I can say with hindsight). Draw your letters to fit on your bunting {A} and cut them out {B}. Glue to the bunting and finish your other letters {C}.

To make the bunting, open your triangle and place the string against the crease {A} before gluing the triangle and pressing it closed {B}. Continue to string all the letters {C}. I made mine in two rows.

Next, start hot gluing your Halloween trinkets and bobbles (glitter heavily recommended) around your wreath. Keeping your glue gun on a paper plate makes things slightly less messy, but I still managed to hot glue my pajama pants to myself, so maybe don't listen to me.

Glue the bunting around the wreath on each side so it hangs across the middle. I also added some glitter ribbon that I had on hand between the stripes.

Then just tie a ribbon loop around the top of the wreath so you can hang it.

Done! Wreath accomplished.

Have you made any DIY Halloween decorations this year? 
Found any awesome Halloween trinkets at the dollar store? 
Why is 'bunting' such a funny word?

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Friday Faves Vol. 8

 

This adorable yet sassy "Smash the Patriarchy" t-shirt!

These brand new Wet n Wild highlighters!

This beautifully written essay from David Sedaris, "Why Aren't You Laughing?"

These fancy little DIY paper flower cake toppers!

This seashell-inspired velvet chair!

This perfect pastel stripe manicure from @thenailtrail!

These amazing cat ear bluetooth headphones!

This real estate listing for the Grey Gardens property - it's up for sale for just $18 million!

This pineapple-shaped cross body bag!

This chic as hell pink eyelash wallpaper!

What cool stuff have you seen lately?

Etsy Shop of the Month: Lou Taylor Studio

In addition to running my own etsy shop, I love window shopping (and real shopping, duh) at other etsy shops. That got me thinking that it might make sense to feature cool etsy sellers on this site, since handmade items and pretty things are kind of the lifeblood around here. Plus, who doesn't want to look at fun, new stuff? Sometimes you find great things you just have to share!

For the first ever Etsy Shop of the Month feature, I present Lou Taylor Studio, whose beautiful acrylic jewelry is both sleek and cheeky. The clean lines and simple shapes meld well with the kitschy attitude and pop culture sensibilities. Honestly, it's just pure fun!

Cleopatra Necklace

Leg Brooches  //  Bananas Earrings  //  Lipstick Necklace

Frida Kahlo Brooch  //  Ice Cream Brooch  //  Stilleto Earrings

Hand Brooch  //  Divers Earrings  //  Spider Plant Earrings

Iris Apfel Necklace

Hand Necklace  //  Carrot Necklace

Something really cool about Lou Taylor's designs? Many start out as intricate papercuts, like the Frida Kahlo paper art seen below, before being transformed into acrylic jewelry, art prints or even silk scarves. This process gives the pieces a unique style, and shows the intricacy of the details.

This Frida Kahlo paper art later became a necklace and a brooch!

Hand brooch in production, as all the little pieces are glued together.

Lou lists her creative inspirations as color, pattern and vintage fashion illustrations from the 1950s and 1960s, and professes her love for vintage Vogue and Harpers Bazaar covers from the 1920s, which really shows.

Have you ever seen Lou's work before? What's your favorite piece? Got an etsy shop you'd like to see in a future feature? Let me know!

All photos sourced from Lou Taylor Studio's Etsy Shop

DIY: Shoe Clips Tutorial

One thing I've noticed about myself as I get older is that I've become practically obsessed with wearing only comfortable shoes. Like, I have actual opinions about arch support! This is a newer development, as I used to be the kind of person who bought shoes because they were cute and cost less than $20. I once wore a pair of studded pointy toe flats that were two sizes too big for me because they were $5 and "cool." I wore them once, and part of that evening involved dancing cheek to cheek with the pavement when I tripped over the cumbersome shoe tip and fell into the street. Who was I?

Now, I live for well crafted shoes that are comfortable, support my high arches, and won't fall apart after one season, which also means I have way fewer shoes because that stuff is expensive! It also means that sometimes my footwear is not the cutest option available. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of cute, supportive shoes, but a lot of what I see (and am willing to pay for) are kind of plain, like these very comfy, but very beige strappy sandals:

The plus side: they feel like clouds, they have mini-wedges and every strap is adjustable! The negative: they kind of look like they were a 60th birthday gift. That is to say, they're a little mature. Or maybe I'm a little immature. Oh, wait - I'm about to show you how to stick plastic daisies on your shoes, so that's probably it!

Even if your shoes aren't plain, you might want to customize them or just generally snazz them up a bit. I think everyone could stand to have a few more options, am I right? Here's how to make some fun shoe clips for when you just want to get cutesy.

WHAT YOU NEED

Shoe Clips or Clip-On Earrings {with a flat side}

Strong Glue, like E6000

Flowers, Buttons & Other Baubles

Wire Cutters {optional}

HOW TO MAKE IT

Sometimes you can buy actual shoe clip bases at the craft store, but I definitely struck out on that mission this time around. Instead, I opted for these blank clip-on earrings. You'll probably find several kinds of clip-ons, but these ones with the flat side will work best here.

To prep your decorations, you might need to first tweak them so that the backs are as flat as possible, ensuring a more secure bond to your clip-ons. For me, this meant using some wire cutters to snip off the stems of these artificial flowers and the backs of these daisy buttons.

Kind of a lot of daisies, to be honest.

Next, you just pop some super strong glue on your clip-on and press it against your decoration. 

Hold it for about 30 seconds and leave it to dry.

It's best to leave the hinge open while they dry to avoid getting glue on it.

Now all you gotta do is clip these decorative lil' bad boys on your shoes! I added some purple daisies to my ankle strap, and then swapped them out for bright blue buttons before popping on a set of white daisies. You literally never have to decide on one look, and what is better news than never having to make a decision? Literally nothing.

This project is so simple, you can whip up a pile of shoe clips in less than 15 minutes! Any random little baubles you have around but never had a use for will now be right at home on your feet. This is also a great way to reuse old jewelry, and you could even just put actual clip-on earrings here instead of doing any DIY, but I think you know that just isn't my style.

Would you ever customize your shoes? Do you wear heels even though they hurt? What are your feelings on arch support?

DIY Kimono Tutorial

I love a piece of floaty clothing. Call it a Golden Girls complex, but when I saw a drape-y masterpiece on a store hanger, I instinctively inch toward it. These kimono-style cardigans have been popular in stores for a while now, but I have a hard time spending 30 bucks on what is essentially a piece of fabric with a few stitches in it. The good part about that simplicity is that it makes these kimonos incredibly easy to make yourself. No, I swear! See:

WHAT YOU NEED

1.5 - 2 Yards of Fabric

Measuring Tape

Scissors

Sewing Pins

Sewing Machine or Needle & Thread

HOW TO MAKE IT

First, choose a good fabric. Many kimonos in stores are made from sheer, floaty fabrics because they're light and hang nicely, which is what this look is about. They're often polyester, though, and not very breathable. I wanted something I could wear comfortably in the summer heat so I made this from a lightweight jersey knit. The most important thing is choosing a fabric that drapes well, so see what you like at the fabric store (rayon, jersey and other apparel fabrics are a good place to start).

I got this one at Joann Fabrics.

Next, you need to cut the fabric to size. This will vary depending on how big you want the kimono. I went with a piece measuring 45" wide and 60" long. If you want a longer/shorter kimono, adjust the 60" side; if you want a wider/narrower one, adjust the 45" side.

Decide what size you want and cut away!

Once you're happy with the size, lay down your fabric, right side up, and fold it from top to bottom. In my case, this gives me a piece that is 45" wide and 30" long. Now, fold it in half again from left to right. Mine is now 22.5" wide and 30" long. Put a pin in the fabric at the top left corner.

This is the only corner with no open edge.

Next, we want to cut ONE layer of the fabric. At the bottom left corner (opposite the pin) cut straight along the edge until you reach the pin. You only want to cut the top layer of fabric here. This cut will become the opening to your kimono.

I'm cutting TOWARD the pin we put in.

Did I stress this enough?

Remove the pin and rearrange the fabric so that you have a doubled over rectangle with a slit down the center front, like below (yours should be inside out).

Measure about 10" down the left side of your fabric, starting at the top corner. Place a pin at that point and continue to pin down the side. Repeat on the right side of the fabric. That 10" area will become your arm hole, so try it on while pinned and adjust as needed.

Sew straight down each side of the fabric along where you pinned.

Trim any excess fabric to the side of the stitches. Flip the whole thing right side out.

What an adorable seam!

Now, this is where you'd normally finish the hem of your fabric, but because I used jersey knit, the hems will roll up if you give them a slight tug. Yet another reason I strongly suggest a jersey knit!

Rolled hem = less work and more kimono wearing time!

This is basically a rectangle with some holes on the side. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

This is one of the quickest and easiest sewing projects I've ever taken on. If you feel even kind of comfortable with your sewing skills (or, honestly, even if you don't) you could whip this up in an hour. I plan to make several thousand for the summer. Okay, maybe more like five.

You can belt it too!

Do you like kimonos for summer? What other colors and patterns do you think I should make? Which Golden Girl has the best style?