I’ve always loved buying new calendars. There’s just something about it—I love that it’s like rotating artwork, and that it’s also a little surprise to celebrate the start of each month. So, I’ve usually held on to my favorites, assuming I’d eventually put them to good use again at the very low price of: nothing.
Read MoreIf there’s anything I’m anal about (lol, how much time do you have?), it’s ugly labels and branding being on display in an otherwise aesthetically pleasing setting. You know, like over my dead body are our Oral B electric toothbrushes and Crest toothpaste staying out on the bathroom counter :)
Read MoreYou guys, a bedroom has never been my biggest priority in settling into an apartment. It never feels as important as the living areas, especially since it's usually covered in clothes and really just a place for sleep. But I'd been craving a change to this mindset for a while. And so for the first time in a long time (probably since living in our childhood homes), our bedroom feels truly purposeful and thought-out. It's a curated mix of bright, eclectic, lived-in, and cozy. I'm loving how this long work in progress has turned out, and the fact that very few things were actually new purchases...
Read MoreFor as tiny as this little DIY was, it has packed a huge punch on my nightstand and is such a sweet sentiment to fall asleep and wake up to...
Read MoreI am crazy about this most recent home DIY endeavor. I was inspired by some images I saw on Pinterest, and thought I'd try my hand at a suspended rope shelf with some fun and trendy copper elements...
Read MoreSomething I never, ever buy anymore is salad dressing. It is way too easy to make a million (better) varieties on the fly at home. All you need is a few pantry ingredients on hand, and little mason jars for optimal ease and convenience, and these dressings are simple to whip up ahead of time for weekday lunches or dinners.
Read More...for my dear friend's 25th!
Read MoreI have a little infatuation with strange animal memorabilia. I don't exactly know where it came from or how it developed, but every time I see a version of an animal that is particularly tiny or has particularly skinny legs or is made of a strange material, I'm weirdly drawn to it (whether in Christmas ornament form or as decor or whatever else, and I'm particularly drawn to insects and reptiles)...
Read MoreIn my tiny corner of the world, there’s not much better than a great Bloody Mary. And don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of one, but even more so, I love the Bloody Mary environment and culture, if you will (does that statement make me sound uncultured?).
The hours-long brunch with nothing else to do and nowhere else to be. The long pause and “hmmmmm” and “sure, why not” to the waitress when she sees that your glass is getting low. There’s just nothing else like it—a boozy brunch with friends or lovers or, hell, strangers even.
Read MoreHow cute are bottle brush trees? After seeing so many evergreen colored varieties, I was thrilled to find these retro inspired ones a few months ago. I had to temporarily transport myself into Christmas mode to purchase them out of season for fear I’d never see them again. I also had to remind myself daily that I owned them for fear they’d end up in a random craft drawer or box, never to be seen again.
Alas, it’s Christmas time and my little DIY bottle brush snow globes are constructed and all is right with the world.
Read MoreIf you've been reading along on here, you know how I feel about all things stationery and all things greeting cards, especially. This DIY project is relaxing and cathartic—watercolor painting is best learned by practice and experimentation—and there is not really such thing as right or wrong. I don't think there's a perfect set of steps to follow, but there are some tips/guidelines/hints that I have found to be very helpful in working with watercolors that I will discuss in a bit.
Read MoreThanksgiving is about family, gratitude, and abundance, and the vehicle for that message is the meal. That is what inspired me to make this fresh, rustic, and simple tablescape. I wanted it to be subtle and beautiful, without an enormous flower centerpiece or other distractions. I think a Thanksgiving table should feel earthy, comforting, and really be about the people sitting at the table.
Read MoreWhen I first saw this DIY on Pinterest, I loved it, but I also sighed in disappointment at how involved and difficult it looked. Isn't that always how DIY projects go? One night at midnight you pin 13 projects that you're all jazzed up about, only to wake up the next day and wonder what came over you that you thought you'd actually pursue these crafts. That's a little how I felt with this one, inspired by A Beautiful Mess, but as it turns out, for no reason! This is not nearly as involved as it looks, and the materials were also inexpensive. Plus, the final product is stinkin' cute! Worth it.
Read MoreI was on the lookout for a new mousepad, and I had a specific idea in mind of what I wanted. I ordered this plain white leather one from Amazon for under $10 and set out to add the gold touch I was looking for.
This DIY is so simple. I didn't even have all of the materials I should have used, and it still turned out great.
Read MoreMy mom used to have this big old apothecary cabinet with shoe box sized drawers filled with rubber stamps and different color inks. She’d wrap gifts with brown craft paper and stamp silver and gold stars all over them, and tie it all up with great ribbon and a letter-stamped gift tag. She was also a perfectionist about it, so I loved watching how perfectly everything would turn out. One trick she used that I thought was so ingenious was using markers or brushes to get different colored ink onto one stamp.
I used these tactics to make what I think are the most adorable little stationery cards.
I had some best friends over for one of my very favorite things: a boozy brunch on a Saturday afternoon. I wanted to dress up the table to be a little bit special, but nothing too fancy or serious. This look seemed to come together on its own and had a French rustic farm-table feel.
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