Tag Archives: DIY

My Pale Skin.

You’ve probably already watched this video, but if you haven’t I would encourage you to take a peek. Em Ford is a YouTube personality who specializes in her makeup tutorials. When I came across this video months ago, I was moved and disheartened by the kinds of things that strangers say to one another. She has brought to light the kinds of hurtful comments that she comes across on a daily basis and I think the video is a great way to show people that beauty comes from the inside but if you choose to wear makeup it is a way to express yourself! Makeup is a lot of fun and while I don’t experiment too much with my makeup, I have recently gotten into watching these tutorials and learning more about the exciting ways to update my look!

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 4.53.26 PM.png(My mom got me this eyeshadow kit for Christmas and I have been learning more about how to use all of these colors with my green eyes. Now that I know a bit more about the smokey eye, I am LOVING this palette. Isn’t the packaging amazing?)

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 4.44.33 PM(While I was watching tutorials, I came across this video that creates a cat eye look with dots of various summer colors. This is the kind of stuff I would never think to do on my own but it is so creative!)

Do you experiment with your makeup? If so, what inspires you?

DIY Paper Banner.

2015-11-14 07.51.59He’s always this excited! My friend Meris made this super cute banner that we can use for my bachelorette party and wedding shower. She made it look easy but I promise you that it does take a bit of time and care – in the end, it is worth it.

2015-11-14 07.18.02(We were going to cut out letters from glitter paper but found this awesome sticker letters. This is the way to go!)

2015-11-14 07.18.08(She cut out the purple flags first and stuck the letters on them. Then measured out the brown paper which was a slightly larger flag. Once she pasted those together she made one small hole in each of the top corners. Tulle was used to tie them together)

So clever and cute, I just adore this banner!

DIY Wedding Table Numbers

2015-11-14 08.17.50This weekend a couple of friends and I made these awesome table numbers for my wedding. We cooked up this idea as we were shopping at Michaels! What you’ll need:

  • Open wooden boxes
  • Wooden numbers
  • Rose gold pray paint
  • Rose gold glitter
  • craft glue
  • hot glue
  • fake flowers, moss, etc

2015-11-14 04.37.26(Spray the boxes and let them dry)

2015-11-14 04.42.59(You could choose any color but I love rose gold so we went in that direction)

2015-11-14 04.43.08(Spray the numbers – both sides)

2015-11-14 06.57.25(Once dry, apply craft glue to the numbers)

2015-11-14 06.57.47(Dip in glitter immediately)

2015-11-14 06.57.50(Don’t you love that sparkle?)

2015-11-14 07.10.23(Warning: You will be covered in glitter)

2015-11-14 08.06.11(Get your supplies in order)

2015-11-14 08.17.41(Hot glue the glittered number to the inside of the box)

2015-11-14 08.17.37(Begin to decorate)

2015-11-14 08.17.32(This is the fun part!)

2015-11-14 08.36.04(Use the hot glue to set things in place)

2015-11-14 08.36.22(Get creative with how you present them- we will use books)

There you have it! They take a while but they really shimmer! I’m very happy with how they turned out and can’t wait to use them soon!

Post Halloween Fun.

2015-10-31 08.36.20Nick and I had a few friends over to hand out candy to trick or treaters and play board games this Halloween. Nick makes an amazing guacamole, he has a secret ingredient and everything. Since it was Halloween and we had an extra pumpkin, we decided to present the chips and dip in a fun/gross way (see above).

2015-10-31 08.36.36(The dip went quick!)

2015-10-31 08.36.45(We made a spiced apple cider cocktail and had cold beers on hand too)

2015-10-31 08.36.54(I cooked up the pumpkins seeds and put pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs aside for garnish- both from our backyard!)

All in all, the gathering was a success. Fall is my favorite time of year so it’s a real treat to get to eat some of my favorite flavors (pumpkins included).

Baked Red Velvet Donuts.

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I have an extreme love for donuts even though they make me feel bad after I eat too many, they are just so delicious.  A good friend of mine was moving and gave me a bunch of his baking goods from his kitchen.  One giveaway was a donut pan and a boxed mix (shocker, I’m a sucker for box mixes) and I’d say these turned out pretty good.  They tasted more like cake circles since they weren’t deep fried but there’s nothing wrong with that 🙂

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The box mix was from Stonewall.  Be warned, this red dye is extremely strong.  I’ve been a huge advocate of natural lately so I feel like this goes against my grain but since they tasted pretty good, I thought I’d pass along the info.

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Ready for the oven.

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Perfect cake donuts!

Pinterest Picks – Halloween Edition!

I’m not one to spend hours on Pinterest but I think it’s incredibly clever and I get a ton of inspiration and ideas from the site.  I have a hard time committing to laborious crafts but when I see a simple but awesome craft, I love to make them and share them.  Here are a few that are on my list for Halloween.

INDIAN-CORN-WREATH-DIY-This-is-a-GORGEOUS-wreath-and-so-so-easy-to-make-stonegableblog.com_-e1412719204491
1. THIS awesome DIY wreath.

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2. These beautiful lace candles.

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3. I love making pumpkin seeds, they are such a great snack!

These are three manageable crafts to conquer over the next month.  Happy October!

DIY Coffee Zone.

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I saw this great idea on Pinterest and was eager to give it a try.  In my apartment, my roommates and I have an overwhelming amount of coffee mugs that take up multiple shelves so I was on the hunt for a fix to save space.  We now have a lot more counter space and a cute coffee area.

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This is the before, we needed some major organizational help.

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I started from the top down, setting the new wall mug hangers first.  I ordered them off of amazon.

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The after!  So much better.

What DIY projects are you getting into this weekend?  Or share any links in the comments section of some of your DIY’s, I love getting ideas from other blogs and will link back 🙂

Chocolate Covered Goodness.

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I’ve met a great group of colleagues at work and we’ve started a cooking club.  Every month or two, one of us will host the rest and we learn how to cook or bake something new.  This time around was a chocolate covered edition.  We went wild dipping and decorating some pretzel wands and strawberries!

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Double boiling the chocolate is a must for success.  White chocolate is harder to keep melted but if you move quickly, you can get a lot out of one batch.

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The dark chocolate double boiled stayed liquid for a long time.

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First step is dipping the goods in chocolate.

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Get your toppings ready!

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We had a lot of fun with this 🙂

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We added a lot of personality to some of the sticks.

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You can even make little faces with different toppings.

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We also made some delicious strawberries.

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And dressed ’em up in tuxes.

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Too cute!

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We boxed up the goods and everyone could take them home.  It’s a great group dessert cooking activity!

Dreamcatcher Inspiration.

DSC_0841You might remember this project I did a few months back. I had a bunch of yarn leftover and got inspired to make a dreamcatcher type of replica for a friend this weekend.

DSC_0836(You’ll need: a hot glue gun, leather strips, different colors of yarn, feathers [optional] and an embroidery hoop)

DSC_0837(Step 1: Use the hot glue to wrap and affix the leather around the embroidery hoop)

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DSC_0839(Step 2: Wrap the yarn around the hoop in individual strings. I experimented with strings inside of the hoop as well)

DSC_0841(After some trimming and the addition of feathers, it was complete!)

DSC_0843(It’s a great addition to any bare wall!)

Olive Bumble Bees.

DSC_0487I found this great olive colored utility jacket at Zara a couple of weeks ago. Surprisingly, it goes with just about every color I have in my closet and is a great piece to pair with dresses and shirts alike. The snaps are what caught my eye, I found them unusual and I am trying to acquire pieces that don’t look anything like what I already have (which is a lot harder than it sounds).

DSC_0491(Close up of the barred snap)

DSC_0493(Bee sequined top- H&M)

DSC_0496(This would actually be an easy DIY. If you head to your local fabric store they have great appliques that you can sew on to any piece of clothing. This bee has some beading detail that could also be simple to replicate)

I feel like this shirt is a lot of fun and exemplifies my personality well. I love bees (well, not real bees just bees for fashion purposes) and all things related to honey so I knew I had to have this top!