Artifact Uprising

4.8.13

Update 4/15/13: Congratulations to Ginny Corbett! Ginny, we’ll be in touch to let you know how to claim your prize. Entries are now closed. Many thanks to all for entering, and stay tuned for more giveaways coming up.

When Mr. Lovely and I met the Artifact Uprising folks at Alt Summit, we were immediate besties. We both fell in love with their vibe, the mission of their company, and their gorgeous product (not to mention, they’re great company at a party!). We started talking collaboration after we all returned home from Alt, and I’m so happy to have them here on the blog today!

Firstly, if you haven’t visited their website, you gotta get over there immediately. One of their mottos is “Off Your Device / Into Your Life,” and their site reflects that gorgeous sentiment. And aside from that, the photo books (and boxes and calendars!) they print are just so, so lovely. So lovely, in fact, that they let us print one of our Tahiti honeymoon photos! When we got it in the mail it was like taking the trip all over again. And the quality of the books that they print is almost kind of dreamy — beautiful paper, cool design choices, and the perfect size. Here are a few peeks from ours.

Now for the good news! One lucky reader will win a 70 page, 8×6 Softcover Book to fill with your own photos! To enter, visit Artifact Uprising and come back here to leave a comment, either letting us know something you love about the site or what you’d fill your photo book with. Winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 14th at 5 pm PST and announced Monday the 15th. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.

I seriously can’t wait to give one of you this book — we can’t stop looking through ours. And while you’re visiting the AU site, be sure to peek at their blog; Mr. Lovely and I wrote a post for them recently! Happy entering! xoxo

DIY Grownup Easter Basket

3.27.13

Just one more Easter post for you before the weekend! I used to love searching for the basket that the Easter bunny would leave on Easter morning. But what about the grownups?! Who leaves them a basket? This year, you do.

If you have a pal that you’d like to do something sweet for on Easter, put together a grownup Easter basket. It just takes a few thoughtful tiny things, and it’ll come together quickly, I promise. You can include whatever you like, but here’s what I chose:

yellow pot (from the Target Dollar Spot!)
tiny succulents
golden eggs
jelly beans
Lindt chocolate chicks
blingy bracelet from J. Crew

Put the goodies in a grownup version of an Easter basket — colorful pots or mixing bowls work perfectly. Include a few sweets (but not a ton), and a couple of special goodies to finish it off. Boom! Toss it all in with some tissue paper or Easter grass for filler, and give it with love. Happy Easter! xoxo

Birthday Giveaway // InstaThis

2.25.13

Update: We have a winner! Congrats to Rachel W.! We’ll be in touch to let you know how to claim your prize. Thanks to all for entering!

Do you guys know about InstaThis? It’s a pretty sweet new company out of Chicago that will print your Instagram photos on wood or acrylic so you can hang them like art! You guys know I’m bonkers for Instagram (follow my feed here), so when InstaThis offered to send me a print of my choice and also give one away to you guys, I was pumped! I decided it would be perfect to celebrate my b-day by giving a print away to one of you lucky ducks.

For my print, I decided on a photo of a table for two that I took on a recent trip to the Farmer’s Market. I love how it turned out! The printing looks so cool on wood — the grain texture kind of shows through and it looks perfect with the vibe of the photo. And it’s fun to see an Instagram photo in such a large size, on something tangible.

So what would you print? One of you dolls will win a wood print in the size of your choosing, with any one of your Instagram photos! To enter, just visit InstaThis and then leave a comment back here with an idea of what you’d print. So easy! A few rules: this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Entries will remain open until Sunday, March 3 at 6 p.m. PST, and the winner will be announced on Monday the 4th.

Many thanks to InstaThis for spreading the love! xoxo

Make and Give // DIY Sunglasses Pouch

2.11.13

Okay, don’t freak out. Yes, this is a sewing project. But seriously, if you can sew in a straight line you can do this! I know sometimes I see a project that involves a sewing machine and immediately tune it out, but give this little guy a chance. It’s super fast, super easy, and it’s a perfect gift for a pal on Valentine’s Day! Give ‘em a little pouch to keep their sunnies in. Gather your materials:

an 8″ x 10″ piece of fabric
two 15″ pieces of cord
sewing machine and thread
scissors

Begin by sewing a 3/4″ hem toward the wrong side of the fabric, on one of the 10″ edges.

Fold the fabric wrong side out and sew a straight stitch around the open edges, about 3/4″ from the edge of the fabric. Trim extra fabric around the stitching.

Flip the pouch right side out and trim all threads. Carefully cut four small slits on the upper hem of the pouch — one on each outer edge, both front side and back side.

Thread one cord through the top hem by inserting it into one of the slits and working it all the way around the pouch. It should emerge from the slit directly behind it. Knot the cord to itself.

Insert the second cord into a slit on the opposite end of the hem. Again, work the cord all the way around (in the opposite direction) until it comes through the slit behind the one it entered. Knot the cord around itself and be sure that the cords produce a drawstring effect in the pouch.

Fill the pouch with some sweet sunnies and give it on Valentine’s Day (or keep it for yourself!). A little pouch like this one would also be perfect for holding goodies in a purse, or organizing jewelry. Make it and give it! xoxo

Make & Give // DIY Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup

12.20.12

We’re coming down to the gifting wire, and if you’re still looking for something to give, today’s DIY is beyond simple (and it seems so fancy!). So if there’s someone on your list who loves coffee or tea, this might just be up your alley. Today we’re doing a vanilla bean simple syrup! Grab your materials:

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean (optional)
container to give it in

Combine sugar and water in a pot over high heat. As it’s heating, split your vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the insides. Put both the scrapings and the bean pod in the pot. When all of the sugar is dissolved, lower the heat and let the pot simmer for about 10-15 minutes. When you take the pot off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract (you might want to add an extra dash if you’re not using a vanilla bean).

Let the mixture cool slightly and pour it into a container! This is another project that is so easy to make in large batches, so give it to all the folks on your list — and don’t forget to save one for yourself. Make it and give it! xoxo

Make and Give // Printable Christmas Gift Tags

12.18.12

We’re getting close to Christmas, and I’ve got some simple little gift tags for you to print in case you’re in one of those classic “Oh Shoot I Forgot to Get Gift Tags and Now I’m Home and Don’t Want to Go Back to the Store” type situations. In which I find myself just about every year.

So just download these and print them on some cardstock! Just FYI, the version I printed had a tint of color on them, but the downloadable version is just the outlines of the tags and the black lettering, so you can print them on any shade of paper you like. Cut them out and either tape them to your gifts or punch a hole and string them on some ribbon. Boom! Taken care of. (Oh, and if you want to know how to make that wrapping paper, check it out here.) Make it and give it! xoxo

make and give // diy gold nugget earrings

12.11.12

Hi guys! So are we all on the DIY holiday gift train? I’ve got another one today for your stylish sister or best friend — we’re making gold nugget earrings!

Of course, our nuggets are made out of clay and the gold is painted on, but hey — I’ll take it. Here’s what you’ll need:

sculpting clay
sculpting tool or knife
earring backs
gold paint
small paintbrush
super glue

Start by cutting off a small amount of clay with a nice flat backside (haha, I said backside). Use your tool to cut angles off of the piece of clay until you’re happy with the shape. Make two of these.

Bake the clay according to the instructions on the package. Let it cool and paint it gold.

Superglue the earring backs to the flat side of the gold nuggets. Let everything dry thoroughly.

This little project comes together really quickly, and would be so easy to make in big batches to give to lots of people! Put them on a cute little card when you give them and watch people be impressed. Make it and give it! xoxo