DIY: Homemade Gift Ideas

Don't say it. I don't even want to hear it. Please don't utter that tired old phrase "but I'm not crafty enough for that!" because I don't believe you! Okay, some of you just straight up DO NOT CARE about DIY and homemade stuff any time of the year, let alone to give as gifts, which - while I cannot relate or even understand - I will let fly because it's not everyone's bag. For those of you (and you know who you are) who like the idea of making gifts, but have either never given it a try or abandoned your halfway-done projects a week before Christmas in favor of some anonymous gift basket because you're tired/frustrated/intimidated by the idea of DIY, then this guide is for you.

There are ideas here intended for all levels of craft skills, ranging from "Wait, they make hot glue?" to "Hmmm, maybe I'll whip up a batch of crocheted stuffies while my resin charms are setting," so you can certainly find something that would make a great gift for someone on your list AND seems manageable with your skills. I mean, there is more than one idea here that requires only tape and paint. You can do this!

DIY GIFT IDEAS

DIY Animal Bookends from Natalme

DIY Painted Geometric Bowl Set from Doe a Deery

DIY Heart Shaped Pot Holders from MADE

DIY Pet Photo Pillows from Yellow Brick Home

DIY Pantone Chip Magnets from How About Orange

DIY Terrarium from Making It Lovely

DIY Two-Tone Sunglasses from P.S. I Made This

DIY Scrabble Tile Pillows from My Sew-Called Life

DIY Watercolor Stencil Portrait from Craftster

DIY Infused Vodka from A Beautiful Mess

DIY Branch Hooks from You Want Me To Buy That?

DIY Rainbow Tinted Mason Jars from Momtastic

DIY Chrysanthemum Mirror from Addicted to Decorating

DIY Coffee Syrup from A Beautiful Mess

DIY Etched Glass from You Seriously Made That?!

DIY Glitter Candle Holders from Bird's Party

DIY Googly Eye Push Pins from Little White Whale

DIY Infused Cooking Oils from Inhabitat

DIY Detachable Peplum from Rookie

DIY Vintage Watch Photo Frame from WTTWC

There are also a bunch of DIY posts on Neon Rattail that would make great gifts (some of them were!). Here are a few that are user-friendly to make and very fun to own, which I can attest to personally, duh.

DIY Ring Holder

DIY Studded Vinyl Collar Necklace

DIY Nail Polish Jewelry

DIY Painted Wood Bead Necklace

DIY Teardrop Bead Statement Necklace

DIY Galaxy Ring

So there it is - a crazy amount of DIY gift ideas. Now you have NO excuse to not make some amazing homemade gifts this year, unless perhaps you've recently gone through a scissors-related trauma that you're trying to forget. For the rest of you, try a little hand-crafted goodness this year, okay?

Do you like making your own gifts? Or do you roll your eyes when someone gives you a gift they didn't buy at a store? Or maybe you just push gift planning so close to the last minute that you have no time for any of this?

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STYLE: Cheap Sunglasses Roundup

It's summer, guys! S-U-M-M-E-R. Aside from stuff like humid apartments, sand in our nether regions, melting makeup and that horrible, horrible feeling of becoming sweaty the instant you step out of the shower, summer is actually pretty alright. Have you noticed? So much of the good stuff is synonymous with summer - corn on the cob, swimming, grass, air conditioning, cookouts, the ocean and, of course, the sun. I'm assuming you can handle all that stuff yourself, so I'm just going to talk about that last one: the sun.

Somewhere between my best friend and my mortal enemy, the sun makes me feel all giddy and excited at times, while other times it's busy making my mustache area glisten and my skin turn lobster red. We struggle to get to a happy medium, and mostly it works well. One good thing is that the sun allows me to purchase WAY too many pairs of sunglasses, which I love. They're basically medicinal, right? Right.

Since I'm pretty cheap (but I'm focused on value, not cost necessarily) I love nothing more than scoring a super deal on fun sunglasses. Okay, I've already lied to you; I love A TON of stuff more than a good deal on sunglasses, but for the purposes of this post let's just get all hyperbolic up in here. Cheap sunglasses = good. I just CANNOT shell out more than $10 or so for something that has a 50/50 chance of ending up in broken pieces beneath my butt. This is a great general rule to live by, I think. 

These are all dirt cheap! We're talking around $5 mostly so get with it and buy some cheap sunglasses - it's S-U-M-M-E-R! It's more exciting when it's spelled that way, duh.

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Do you own a lot of sunglasses? What's the longest you've kept a pair around without crushing them accidentally? My record so far is nine years and counting. I've always been too scared of jinxing myself to admit that, so I think that means we're getting closer, guys. Why are most people so inept at keeping sunglasses alive?

xoxo,
Michelle

STYLE: Spring Wish List

The weather has been so weird here lately - sunny and eighty degrees one day and then GRAY AND GLOOMY for five days straight. Either way, my mind has been set to a permanent 72 degrees and sunny because it's SPRING and I love nothing more than to ditch coats and warm weather accessories and live in skirts and sandals and sunglasses and everything else sunny and bright. Since I made a fall fashion wish list, it seemed only appropriate to do the same for spring:

clockwise from top left: peach pleated skirt, flutter sleeve dress, chevron stripe skirt, Blowfish Gypsey Flatforms, green suspenders, mint green jeans, Dorothy Perkins stone ring, ASOS floral handbag, polka dot hair wrap, Tolani silk shawl, sunglasses, clogs, peter pan collar necklace, polka dot skirt, blue belt

I am on the hunt for an amazing pair of wedge sandals (and am having pretty much daily worship visits to the Blowfish website to ogle those cork flatforms), skirts galore (chevron stripes a plus), cute, easy scarves/headwraps, the PERFECT pair of clogs (still hunting) and pretty much anything else that is non-wintery. I'm also really digging the shorter-in-the-front skirt look as well as pastel everything. Man, new seasons always make me want to shop like crazy!

What's your spring fashion must have?

xoxo,
Michelle

ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 2/26/12

Here's what I'm rounding up this week:

48 Pictures That Perfectly Capture The '90s

If you lived through the 90s this collection of photos, ranging from a Rock 'N Jock basketball game to a press photo signed "You're Too Cool" by Bob Saget to a candid of Ginger Spice typing away at a clunky desktop computer, will bring back warm and fuzzy memories or just make you glad we have 95% less daytime talk shows these days.

ABCs of Vintage

The lovely ladies over at Oh So Lovely Vintage are doing a weekly feature on the ABCs of Vintage, showcasing all kinds of fun retro goodies with a 60s vibe. You can read part one, two or three and check in next Sunday for part four.

Magical Instruments Made from Ice

Most people can't even play an instrument, let alone make one, let alone make one OUT OF ICE. This dude has a whole band setup and the ice percussion sounds amazing!

Handmade Bamboo Sunglasses

I'm a sucker for anything made with bamboo or natural wood, so these chic, eco-friendly sunglasses available on Etsy are right up my alley.

Wikipedia's Most Unflattering Celebrity Photos

Have you ever noticed that some Wikipedia pages have the worst profile photos? A group photo for no reason, washed out with too much flash or an awkward underneath angle seem to be popular ways to make celebs look their worst. Whoever decides on the final photo must have some kind of vendetta, but Oh No They Didn't makes a positive spin on it, compiling a collection of the worst for our viewing pleasure.

xoxo,
Michelle