DIY Bar Bottle Labels

4.17.13

Sometimes I’m a teensy bit particular about the items that I have displayed in my house. You guys know we are still so stoked on our bar cart, but sometimes the liquor bottles that we stock it with are just… not cute. I mean, I have nothing against mid-range liquor except for the fact that the expensive stuff is usually packaged much more beautifully.

So I dreamed up a project to fix this (first world) problem of mine, and this is what I’ve come up with. I have to fess up and say that this is one of the quickest and most simple projects I’ve done recently, but only because of my awesome Silhouette machine. That bad boy can cut out just about anything, so I just designed the lettering, cut it out on adhesive vinyl using the Silhouette, and stuck it on.

If you’ve got a Silhouette and would like to do the same, just type out the lettering you’d like (I used Wisdom Script) at an appropriate size for your bottles. Select the text and “weld” it so that the machine won’t cut individual letters, but the whole word. Then just cut it out and stick it on! And if you’re crafty but don’t have a Silhouette, you might want to consider it. Seriously. This ain’t no sponsored post, y’all — I just love the thing enough to shout it from the rooftops.

Anyway! I love how they turned out and I filled those bottles immediately. Problem solved. And now, it’s time for a drink. xoxo

DIY Cinco de Mayo Garland

4.15.13

So, I’ve delved into papel picado before, but I’m feeling festive now that Cinco de Mayo is approaching, so I thought I’d bring it back and do a new tutorial! Everyone and their mother is loving arrows these days, so that’s what’s going down — an arrow-inspired Cinco de Mayo garland. If you want to get your fiesta on, grab these few simple (and cheap!) materials:

tissue paper in various colors
baker’s twine
ruler
scissors
glue stick

Cut tissue paper into 4″ x 5″ rectangles. Fold the width in half, half again, and half a third time.

Cut into the tissue paper in upward slants. Begin about 1/2″ from the bottom and be sure not to cut all the way through the edges. Make 12 cuts, about 1/8″ apart.

Cut out every other piece, starting at the bottom.

Unfold and smooth out the creases. You may want to leave the tissue paper under a heavy book for a while to flatten out (mine could have used some more flattening!).

Run a glue stick over the top portion of the tissue paper, set down the baker’s twine, and fold the tissue over, sealing the baker’s twine inside. Continue gluing pieces of tissue on the twine until you reach your desired length.

Now hang it up and pour yourself a margarita! I’m pretty stoked on Cinco de Mayo, and we’ve got another DIY coming for you next week, so be sure to check back if you’re planning a fiesta. xoxo

Happy Friday & Some Party Invites

4.12.13

Just wanted to pop in again and wish you all a happy weekend! I’m pretty excited because I just got the invites that I designed for my niece’s 3rd birthday party in the mail! I stuck with her favorites: anything that’s pink, and pictures of herself (she’s fascinated by them). We got them printed at Vistaprint, which is also where we did our save-the-dates and our wedding invitations. They’re always my go-to when I’m printing things online because you can literally always find Vistaprint coupon codes. It’s such a good deal, and the quality has been great every time. I had my first Lovely Indeed business cards printed there, too!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend — I’m heading outside for some Spring sunshine. Who’s got plans this weekend? Let’s hear ‘em! xoxo

DIY Faux Leather iPad Sleeve

4.9.13

Thanks to Allison‘s recent recommendation, I went and bought myself a completely overzealous amount of this awesome gold pleather fabric. There were so many ideas rolling around in my head that I kind of went to town, and now there’s a sensible pile of faux gold leather, just waiting to be made into something. So clearly I had to make an iPad sleeve. Duh.

I love this thing because it’s part glam and part down-to-earth (what with the wooden button and all). If you want to make one too, grab some materials:

two different sturdy fabrics
sewing machine
scissors
button
needle and thread

Start by cutting two pieces of fabric. The one you’re going to use on the back and for the fold-over flap should measure 9″ x 13.5″, and the one for the front should measure 9″ x 11″. Using a straight stitch, sew a 1/4″ hem around each piece. (Note: these measurements are for the iPad 2, 3, and 4 and include space to leave on a SmartCover. If you’d like to make a sleeve for use without the SmartCover, reduce all measurements by 1/4″.)

Lay the front piece on top of the back piece, wrong sides facing. Pin the pieces so that the bottom and outside edges are aligned, and sew a straight stitch around the sides and bottom, leaving the top open.

Mark a spot in the center of the sleeve, about 1/2″ below the flap when it’s folded over. Sew a button on this spot.

Cut a strip of fabric that’s 4″ x 1/2″. Fold in half so that it’s 4″ x 1/4″ and secure with a straight stitch.

Bend it into a loop and sew it down on the inside of the flap, being sure that the button will fit through the loop. Trim the excess.

Slip your iPad into your sleeve and take it out on the town! I can’t wait to test this baby out. It would also make an awesome gift for a techy friend who could use a little style. And just to put it out there, this thing is great for transporting your iPad and protecting it from scratches, but don’t go tossing it off a building or anything. Unless you add some padding. Have fun! xoxo

DIY Typography Garden Markers // Free Download

4.5.13

Hey dolls! Did you see my newest DIY over on The Neighborhood yet? I’m particularly fond of this one, so head over to check out the full post! I put together some rad labels for your garden, in the form of typography rock tattoos. I mean, does it get any more hard-core than that? Get the scoop and the download here. xoxo

DIY Simple Monochromatic Bouquet

4.3.13

I made my first trip to the LA Flower Market the other day with Kelly and Brittni, and my brain exploded with the flower awesomeness. We were running around like a bunch of crazies, and when a sweet vendor handed us an armload of ranunculus for free because he was closing up shop, it just about sent us over the edge. Needless to say, you’ll be seeing a few floral DIYs from the three of us soon.

So since I know next to nothing about flowers, I decided to put together a super-simple bouquet of two of my faves: yellow ranunculus and craspedia (better known to some as billy balls). I love how it kind of looks like a bouquet that you’d find in a Dr. Seuss book. Here’s how you can put one together, too.

Trim the stems of each bloom with a fresh diagonal cut and strip the leaves on the lower half of the stem.

Insert the blooms one by one into the vase, arranging them so that the taller blooms are center and the outer blooms arch over the side of the vase a bit.

Trim the stems of the billy balls also, cutting enough off so that they tuck down into the arrangement, just below the ranunculus.

Fix anything that’s out of place, set it out, and enjoy. And keep an eye out for a few more floral DIYs! xoxo

Photobooth Factory // Floating Polka Dots

4.2.13

Who’s ready for another photo backdrop?! This one’s kind of inspired by those old school solar system dioramas that everybody used to make in elementary school. Remember those? And here I am, 20 years later, making a life-sized one. So if you want to get in on the floating polka dot action, here’s what you’ll need:

blank wall
a ceiling that you can reach!
3″ styrofoam balls (I used about 20)
gold spray paint
sewing pins
clear thread
thumbtacks (preferably the same color as your ceiling

Start by spray painting all of your styrofoam balls.

Measure out lengths of thread according to the height you’d like your photos framed. As always, my photobooth is about 5 feet wide by 4 feet tall, and starts about 2.5 feet off of the ground. I cut three different lengths of thread (short, medium, and long) so that the frame would be evenly distributed with polka dots.

Insert a sewing pin into a ball and tie the end of thread in a knot around it. Push the pin in so that it’s secure.

Wrap the other end of thread around the point of the push pin once or twice and insert the push pin firmly into the ceiling. You should be able to tug on the loose end of the thread to adjust the height of the ball.

Add balls, being sure to use the viewfinder in your camera to see what space needs to be filled. Continue adding until you’re happy with the look.

That’s it! You can also play with depth as you add your polka dots if you like, so that people could stand behind them, or even in the middle of a big field of polka dots! I love this backdrop for a birthday party or a bachelorette party. It could be so fun with multi-colored polka dots, too. How would you mix it up? xoxo