this week

11.30.12

Guys, there was actual Christmas magic this week. A bona fide, legit moment like you’d find in a movie. Well, maybe not a movie, but at least a t.v. Christmas special.

So I usually am a stickler for real Christmas trees. It’s a thing. But this year for some reason I’ve been dying for one of those crazy white tinsel fake trees. So Mr. Lovely and I had been hunting all around town for one of those suckers and no one — I mean no one – had them. So after trudging all over the place we doggedly marched into Big Lots, and lo and behold, the perfect tree! Six and a half feet tall, pre-lit, and as fake & white as they come. But that’s not even the Christmas magic part. Wait for it.

So we sort of wandered around the Christmas section debating whether to use our old decorations (which are all of these wacky colors) or to get a few new cheapo things and put all gold ornaments on the tree. We decided on gold, got what we could afford, and said that we’d just make some stuff at home to fill in the empty spots. We tried to find a topper but they were all pretty scary (deformed angels?), so we called it good and left.

Cut to us back at home, me taking out all (two) of our Christmas boxes. There was one box that I wasn’t sure what was in it. So I opened it up, and BOOM. Gold ornaments, gold garland, and a gold star for the top of the tree. It was a box that I had taken from my Grandmother’s house when we were cleaning it, after she passed away earlier this year.

I just about fell over and I couldn’t help but smiling all night. It was like Grandma knew what we would need and reminded me of it when we needed it. So her vintage glass ornaments are on our tree, and her star is on the top. Couldn’t be more perfect. xoxo

today’s debate // 9

11.30.12

Welcome to Today’s Debate, where we weigh in on the sublime, the ridiculous, and everything in between! Today’s debate is inspired by one of my favorite DIY pals, Kelly, who says that there’s a little debate going on in her house right now, too. It has to do with ye olde holiday tradition of putting up lights. Guys, when it comes to the lights on your house or tree, how do you like ‘em?

Oooooh, tricky and serious, right? (Slash totally frivolous, but that’s how I like it.) Anyway, what’s your position here? I grew up with multicolored lights on the house and white lights on the tree. So to this day, that’s how I like it. Wait, that’s not true at all. I actually love white lights on the exterior of houses, and I think it looks so classy and gorgeous. And if I were putting lights on a house this year, they’d be white. BUT! When I see colored lights on a house, it instantly makes me feel like I’m 8 again and I get very cozy. It’s kind of a down-home feeling.

So where are we here, people? Whites? Colors? A little bit of this and a little bit of that? Kelly is dying to know. xoxo

P.S. How do you like that fancy illustration I made? I’m super proud of my new Illustrator skills, and it’s all because of Alma at Nicole’s Classes! If you are jonesing to learn a new skill on the computer or your camera, take one of these classes. Just do it. It’s awesome.

make and give // diy stamped leather tie clip

11.29.12

Hey hey, holiday lovelies, we’re back with another installment of our Make and Give series, this time for the dudes! Mr. Lovely has recently introduced me to the wonderful world of tie clips, and I was kind of stoked to try making one. Apparently all the classy fellas wear ‘em.

If you want to make one of these beauts for your man friend, you’ll need:

a tiny bit of thick leather (I used my scraps from this project)
craft knife
a blank tie clip (you should be able to find them for about $1 at your craft store
strong glue
a letter and number punch set like this one
a hammer

Start by cutting your leather to the size and shape of your tie clip. Next, choose a word or phrase to stamp on your leather and stamp it in using the metal punch set and a hammer. We experimented with a few choice words.

Finally, glue the leather piece onto the tie clip, ensuring that it’ll be right-side-up when the tie clip is attached to the right side of the tie.

Make it, give it, and watch your dude be stoked. Be sure to come back next week if you like this project — we’re doing an enamel version! xoxo

DIY Holiday Photo Backdrop

11.28.12

Lots of you lovelies have been asking for the low-down on how Mr. Lovely and I put together the holiday backdrop for our Christmas cards! So today we dish the dirt, and you’re going to love how simple it is. Basically, it’s just about running around your house and gathering anything festive or any props that are in the color palette that you’d like. Things that we used:

pre-lit mini Christmas trees
blankets (gray and green)
rugs (white
tissue paper
scissors
clear thread or fishing line
fun props (suspenders, hats, scarves, Christmas decorations)

I should also say that Mr. Lovely just built me a crazy-awesome photo backdrop stand out of PVC, so that’s what we used to hang the blanket behind us. (We’ll do a full tutorial on that project soon!) But you can just as easily hang a blanket on a wall or suspend it from something up high (ceiling, tree, very tall cousin). After the back blanket was hung, we laid one out on the floor, set up our trees, and covered their bases with rugs and crumpled tissue paper. See the photo below for the what’s-what.

Really, the only “DIY” part of this was the tissue paper. We crumpled balls of it and hung them from the ceiling with fishing line to look like clouds. We also cut up a few sheets into tiny squares to throw around like snow. We then spent hours vacuuming said snow out of every crevice of our apartment. Worth it? Duh. Yes.

After you’ve got your backdrop all set up, you’ll need either a photographer or a camera with a tripod and timer/remote shutter. We took every one of these photos with a timer, which was a little tedious, but also made us laugh hysterically. So there ya go. We put the photos on our Christmas cards, but we’re also known for having photobooths at our holiday parties, which is where you could make this project pull double duty. If you set one up, send me a photo! And for more of our photos and some outtakes, check out Lovely Indeed’s Facebook page. xoxo

calling all december sponsors!

11.27.12

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, y’all. I’m spreading cheer left and right, and I want to spread more! So if you’ve got a blog or business that you’d love to promote for the holidays, I’d love to help you do it. (This is also your last chance to get in on Lovely Indeed’s 2012 sponsor pricing, so get it while it’s hot!) Drop me a line for more info. xoxo

Snowy scene.

make and give // diy leather bow belt

11.27.12

I’m so stoked today, because it’s the first installment of a super-fabulous holiday series that I’ve got for you, stuffed with DIY gift tutorials for everyone on your list: Make and Give!

If you’re like me and haven’t started shopping yet (or would prefer to give something handmade anyway), boy did you ever come to the right place. Check back often over the next few weeks, because you don’t want to miss any of these gems. And to top it all off, you know I love a low-cost DIY, so they’re all pretty easy on the pocketbook. (Today’s cost me $2.)

So we’re starting with something that would be perfect for your sister or best friend (or a kiddo, if you want to make it in a mini size!). We’re getting all kinds of fancy and making a leather belt. Boom. You’ll need:

leather strip 30″ long and 1/2″ wide
leather scrap 6″ long and 1/2″ wide
leather scrap 2 1/2″ long and 1/4″ wide
scissors
leather punch
screw-back button stud
strong thread & needle (and thimble, if you wish)

FYI, definitely see if you have a leather store nearby and check in their scrap section. They gave me my leather for free and I bought the hardware, which was my only cost. I had the leather punch and sewing materials at home.

Start by trimming your leather to the specified sizes. Keep in mind that these measurements are the ones I used for myself — I wear a size 8 (Gasp! I told you!) and a small top, and this belt fits comfortably around my waist. You may need to alter the length, but no other measurements will need to change.

Once your long piece is trimmed, punch a hole on one end large enough for the button stud to fit through. On the other end, punch a small hole and attach the button stud.

Sew the 6″ piece into a bow by folding both ends in toward the center and securing. Sew the remaining piece into a loop.

Insert the bow and the belt through the small loop and arrange the bow so that it hides the button stud when it’s fastened. The small loop should keep the bow taut in place.

Make it and give it! Merry Christmas! xoxo

grouped // bag lady

11.26.12

So apparently, I’m craving a new bag. My Pinterest is exploding with the most gorgeous carry-alls, in all shapes and sizes. Any favorites? I just love the yellow pouch with the sassy poodle on the back! xoxo