Stacey Millett

5.17.13

Today’s Desktop Designer wears so many hats it’ll make your head spin (no pun intended). Stacey Millett’s got creativity to spread around, so that’s what she does. She is a photographer both at her own studio and at Gather West Photography. She and her hubs run Oliver + Michele Productions, their own boutique design studio. And to top of all off, she’s the blogger behind The Sunday Sparkle. I have no idea how she does it all!

Somehow, between her gorgeous photography, her studio work, and her blog, she also found time to put together a desktop design for us! I love this one, because it’s so unlike any that we’ve had before. And I also love her inspiration for it. We all work so hard, and it’s a perfect reminder to kick up your heels every now and then. (Not to mention, it looks exactly like my desk!) Here’s more from Stacey.

This one is up for grabs in three sizes, so get ‘em while they’re hot! Let’s clap it up for Stacey, too! Be sure to check out all of her links — you’ll get lots down a rabbit hole of awesomeness. Happy Friday! xoxo

Download for Desktop.
Download for Tablet.
Download for Phone.

Dispatch from the Desert

5.16.13

You might have noticed from my Instagram feed that I’m hanging out in the desert! Mr. Lovely and I had planned a little trip to Palm Desert with my bestie and her fella, and we’re out here having a grand time. The trip just happened to fall on the same week as my mom’s surgery, so I’m checking in with family like crazy. And you’ll all be happy to know that everything went beautifully — my mom’s a champ and already fighting her way through recovery. (And she’s got a brand new hip to show for it!) After we leave the desert I’ll be heading home to stay with family for a couple of weeks to help with her rehab. I can’t thank you enough for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers — I’m so grateful for all of it.

So for now, I thought I’d leave you with a few snaps from out here! Keep following on Instagram, and next week I’ll share a full recap of our trip. xoxo

DIY Ikea Lack Table Upgrade

5.15.13

So I know that just about everybody in my generation, at some time or other in life, has owned an Ikea lack table. Don’t deny it. It was your coffee table in college; maybe now it’s your junk table in the garage or something weird like that. This one was holding our tool collection in a hall closet until recently. We brought it out and I decided to see if there’s anything you can do to it to hide its true identity. It may have worked. It also may not have. But either way, we tried, and so this newly fancy table is coming out to play.

Materials

Ikea lack table (or similar)
upholstery nails
stain-proof fabric (pleather works like a charm)
spray adhesive
pencil
scissors
needle nose pliers
soft mallet

Make Time: 1 hour

Cut out fabric for the top of your table. To do this, flip the table upside-down on the back side of your fabric and carefully trace the outline of the tabletop. Cut and set aside.

Add your nailhead trim. Hold an upholstery nail in place with pliers and gently hammer with mallet. Keep adding nails until you’ve covered all of the areas you’d like to trim.

Fully cover the back of the fabric with adhesive spray. Carefully align the fabric with the corners of the table and smooth it down, ensuring that the adhesive is secure.

There you go! Definitely an upgrade in my book. Put your favorite things out on your new(ish) table and enjoy. xoxo

Style // White Denim with Old Navy

5.14.13

A few years ago, if you had said “white skinny jeans” to me, I would have turned around and ran. I mean, tell me the thought of a tight white piece of clothing isn’t terrifying! I’ll admit it — I was skeptical. But I hitched up my britches, went into Old Navy and tried on every fit of white denim jeans they have (and there are a lot).

Somehow, magically, these jeans rock. If you’re a little on the curvy side like yours truly, I seriously can’t recommend these enough. They’re the Flirt skinnies. I frolicked all over the beach in these things. They were comfy, they didn’t gape in the back, and even though we were at the beach they didn’t make me terribly hot. Also, perfect with this skinny belt.

Oh, and I can’t get enough of that bag! Perfect for the beach but I use it as a purse, too. And I have to share these photos of Mr. Lovely because he’s so freakin’ cute in that sailboat shirt.

Okay Old Navy, you win. White skinny jeans it is. xoxo

This post is sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy’s latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com.

A Favor

5.13.13

Flower Photo by Oh Hello Friend.

We’re starting off the week on a personal note over here — hope you don’t mind. I don’t often share super personal stuff on the blog, but I’m wondering if I could ask you all a favor. My mom is having surgery tomorrow, and while it’s not life-threatening, it’s still heavy on my mind. Whether you pray or meditate or tap dance or whatever, if you have a moment today or tomorrow and could send some good thoughts toward my mamacita, I’d sure appreciate it. I’m sure she would too! She’s a tough one, but I figure it can’t hurt to have an army of awesome people sending prayers from all over the globe.

Thanks, guys — you’re the best. Have a great week. xoxo

Desktop Designers // Tiffany Reed

5.10.13

I admit it. I’m one of those people who uses the word “awesome” way too much, probably for situations that aren’t entirely warranted. This desktop wallpaper, however, actually is awesome. Literally. It comes to you straight from the brain of Tiffany Reed, the gal behind iamtiff Creative. When Tiff contacted me to submit a desktop design, I was immediately lovin’ her branding — just check out her site and you’ll see what I mean. I also love the boldness in her design work and the tongue-in-cheek nature of her aesthetic. All in all, very awesome, indeed.

Here’s more from Tiff!

I think we can all give this one the ol’ awesome stamp of approval. And all of you better put this right on your desktops, phones, and tablets, because you’re the awesome-est of all. Thanks, Tiff! xoxo

Download for Desktop
Download for Tablet
Download for Phone

Blogging // Tutorials

5.9.13

When I first started blogging, I had no clue what I was doing. I mean, hard core clueless. And on some scales, I’m still clueless. I just hide it better now.

But! If someone had handed me this list when I was a fledgling blogger, I probably wouldn’t cringe so hard when I go back now and look at my early posts. I mean, my Photoshop files were a mess, my photography was dismal — I could go on. But I won’t. Because now I get to tell you guys about these awesome resources in case you need them. Today’s all about tutorials and how-to resources. I still reference these sites so often they’re all bookmarked, because each one is so valuable in its own way. So here we go!

Fifth & Hazel. Melanie is a designer extraordinaire, and she has a whole FAQ column about design. It covers a little bit of everything, from fonts to design theory.

Nubby Twiglet. Shauna has a great column about the logistics, theory, and thought behind blogging. It’s a great place to go if you have a nagging question.

Pugley Pixel. This is everyone’s favorite! If you ask me, Katrina is one of the raddest girls in blogland (I totally have a blog crush on her). She’s the best of both worlds — an eye for amazing design and the coding smarts to back it up. Her tutorials cover lots of fun photoshop techniques, and ways to pretty up your blog with a little simple coding.

Nicole’s Classes. I’ve taken a few courses through Nicole’s Classes now, and they’re all so informative and well-done. They have everything from Illustrator to Photography to Retouching, and you work at your own pace. If you don’t have a ton of dough to lay down for a class, you can search through their giant library of free tutorials.

Lynda.com. While it’s not as blogger-friendly (read: pretty) as the other sites, you can literally find a class for anything on Lynda.com. You purchase a monthly pass starting at $25 and you can learn to your heart’s content.

Hope some of these help! And as always, I’d love to hear your resources for how-tos and tutorials in the comments. xoxo