DIY Glasses

In two weeks, I will be moving to Chicago for the internship of a lifetime. Yes, that means I was, in fact, offered a position with the company I was sweating bullets about in a recent post! More on all that mumbo jumbo later. For now, I’ve got planning to do. I’ll be living in downtown Chicago, and I have every intention of homifying (new word, starting today) up the two-thousand dollar two-by-four that will serve as my home for the next three and a half months. And because I will be financially responsible for rent aka a hefty mortgage payment, my funds for things like pillows and candles and table decor are otherwise limited. Laawwwdd bless the Internet’s inexhaustible supply of adorable DIYs, starting with these glasses that are sure to wow guests galore….

Missoni-styled Chevron glasses via {{Hi Sugarplum}}

Marbled glasses via {{Honestly WTF}}

Etched glasses via {{A Beautiful Mess}}

Gold-dipped glasses via {{The Crafts Dept}}

Bring on the drinks.

Infinite x’s and o’s,

DIY: Vertical Garden

So maybe you are a college student living in a rundown/temporary apartment, or maybe you are a city dweller without a yard, but so what? Spring is here and you deserve a little green in your life too.

1. Buy a panel from Floral Grubb

2. Each panel can hold two succulents {recommended for this plant-type’s ability to store water}. You can use pre-bought plants (90 plants total) or you can be more cost-effective and grow your own…

3. While the frame lays flat, fill each panel with loose potting soil.

4. Fill each panel with your choice of plants and/or flowers.

5. If you use store-bought succulents, let the panel lay flat for at least 1 month; If you choose to plant your own, keep the panels flat {AND OUT OF RAIN} for 3-5 months. Side note: make sure to be patient; let the roots absorb into the soil.

6. Screw the panel into the wall horizontally {If you by the Floral Grubb panel, your panel will come with a metal mounting bracket).

7. Water by hand or drip-system every few days or as you see fit.

Bon-appeleaf

{pictures & inspiration}

 Infinite x’s and o’s

DIY Lacy Lamp Shade

Some do-it-yourself projects can look just like that – like you painted and glued and assembled with your own hands in your own basement. This my dearies, is not one of them. Have you ever found the most adorable lamp, but the shade is a little tattered and worn? Look no further, here is a great DIY to daintify even the most damaged of lamps.

1. Find a lamp with a base that you like. If the shade is beat up, even better!

2. Remove all fabric or fiberglass so that all that is left on the shade is the skeleton.

3. Measure the width and height of the lamp shade. Lay the doilies out to fit these dimensions. Then stitch these doilies together with embroidery floss.

4. Once you have your desired pattern, attach the doily shade to the lamp by stitching it to the frame all the way around.

Voila – a pretty, girly lamp for your favorite reading nook:)

Courtesy of Miss Elsie & Miss Kinsey over at A Beautiful Mess.

Infinite x’s and o’s

Five Friday Finds

{left to right}

1. Fact: the shadiest-looking restaurants make the best food. There is a Mexican joint called Mango’s in Fargo, North Dakota. Driving by, any normal human would think this place was a bad case of the runs just waiting to happen. It is for this reason that Mango’s and many other local diners are overlooked. Only a real foodie could look at a restaurant, conveniently attached to an already shady gas station, and say, “I’m in.” Several months ago, I was one of those foodie daredevils who was brave enough to give it a try. Well my friends, I have no regrets. Mango’s may easily be the BEST Mexican food I ever have. So now I’m on this weird food binge that makes me want to eat at every crack-joint-turned-into-pizzeria that I can find. I’m hoping that this food tour will help.

2. Tiffany blue bow nails. So springy and girly and happy and pretty and ughhhhhhh give them to me noowwwwwww.

3. If Nationwide was on my side, I’d be going here for Spring Break.

4. Spring starts in 11 days, which means in 11 days we are only one season away from summer, which means I am closer than I have ever been to boating and swimming and campfires and campfire snacckkss, which means I can FINALLY make these Bacon S’mores without shame. Who am I kidding. I could eat these for breakfast without an ounce of guilt. Don’t judge. This is a judgment-free zone people.

5. But seriously, do not judge me for what I am about to tell you. I have a tiny, semi-dormant hippie living inside of me. I shower twice a week (when my work- and lack-of social-life permit), I like organic licorice and turquoise jewelry and hiking and fishing and folk music…..ahh I said it, I am a total sucker for folkies. It was inevitable. My dad practically raised me on John Prine and his songs about Lake Marie and naked babies. It is no surprise that Clogs and First Aid Kit make me supa dupa happy.

Happy weekend lovers and friends

Infinite x’s and o’s

Art That Pops

Hello, remember me? The artist wanabee.

The girl who wishes she could turn a lump of clay into a chizzled George Clooney.

Who wishes she could transform a blank canvas into a painting filled with shadows and soft edges and identifiable objects.

Who has always wanted to know how to draw a life-size nose so that her first grade self-portrait could look more like her first grade self and less like an anteater.

Yea, that girl. That’s me. Desperately wondering HOW crafty people can take simple everyday items and turn them into divine works of art.

Or how in the world Dominique Falla could make me want to cover my living room wall with nails and thread.

Teach me your ways crafty people.

Infinite x’s and o’s

Five Friday Finds

{left to right}

1. This is it. This is what my itty bitty jewelry collection is missing. A neon Adia Kibur long chain necklace. So I should probably go get it right? Noooo way Jose…I should MAKE it and so should you.

2. Grapefruit Margarita. It’s like saying double-stuffed oreo with no calories. Is that sort of perfection even possible? No. Which is why I am out-of-my-mind excited that someone was genius enough to think up this recipe. Someone get me a straw….annnnd a copy of the AA schedule. I’m a goner.

3. I’m a little peeved. Chris Brown and Rihanna each released a song on Monday night. Rihanna’s Birthday Cake Remix featured vocals from Chris Brown, and Chris Brown’s Turn Up The Music Remix featured a few lines from Miss Rihanna herself. Really Rihanna? Three years may seem like a long-enough time for you to get over an abusive relationship, but not me or the other six million[ish] female fans that believe in self-respect.

4. Once upon a time there was a regular old french fry and a very lonely avocado. On a fateful snowy Fridays eve, the two met. They fell in love and eventually had a baby: Avocado Fries. I know, it’s like the most awesomely amazing match since Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. P.S. If you want to eat a basin full of these without having to mar your face from using your deep-frier, check out Dixie’s on Grand. P.P.S. Saw the Vow last night. That should explain my cheesy sentimentalism between ordinarily inanimate objects.

5. I recently swore to never purchase any 80′s inspired piece of clothing [for very obvious reasons]. So someone please tell me WHY I want these floral accent cutoff shorts. It’s like I’m trying to make a liar out of myself.

Yesterday was Thursday, today i-is Friday. We-we-we so excited. We so excited.

Sadly can’t take any credit for those awe-inspiring lyrics. Thanks for the MAJOR contribution R. Black

Enjoy your weekend lovies:)

Infinite x’s and o’s

Five Friday Finds

{left to right}

1. Fun fact: I’ve never died my hair. Yes, that means these luscious locks of dull brownness are a gift from God. SHOCKING. But a girl at work has been raving about balayage, a highlighting technique. So naturally, I went home and looked it up. Balayage is a French term meaning “to sweep”, essentially the way the color is applied to the hair. It is an intricate technique; however the benefits are totally worth it: balayage only needs to be done every few months. I am no hair expert, but that sounds pretty much amazing (especially to a broke college girl), right?

2. I like crafts. Like, I like them alot. Sadly, I’m not THE most creative human on the planet. I know, I am just full of surprises today. Sania Pell recently blogged about this adorable DIY painting. It made me seriously want to make one…or at least buy a painting that looks just like it.

3. Orange Theory Fitness is an up and coming fitness boutique. Minnesota is one of the five states in which it is located and one of the boutiques just happens to be less than five minutes from my house. I swear it’s like someone is trying to tell me something….So far I have been to two classes and am kinda sorta obsessed. It is one of the best workouts I have had in years. Like my trainer said, you can’t cheat yourself out of a good workout when you are there… exactly how it should be.

4. The sweetest, coolest, most touching wedding video. Ever. Ever ever ever. Oh yea, it just might have Dubstep…

4. I’m a writer. I try to be creative and inspiring and distinctive with my work. Unfortunately, there are times when I am nothing more than boring and redundant. The Daily Writing Tips blog is what helps me keep those plain, lifeless pieces of work at a minimum. It offers useful tips about word usage, synonyms, punctuation, and other writing basics. If you are a writer, Daily Writing Tips will be your best friend. End of story.

Happiest of happy weekends my loves:)

Infinite x’s and o’s

Show A Little Love

Ladies and gents, single or not, there is no reason to be sulky on Valentine’s Day. Don’t be ‘that girl’ who’s got bitterness written all over her face. Best friends, family, YOURSELF…there are so many people to love, so show it…yes, I mean literally!

This adorable DIY heart sweater, courtesy of A Beautiful Mess

Infinite x’s and o’s,

Let Me See Your Bun

{via}

Tomorrow is my first big day at the Mall of America.  Wait, did I forget to tell you that I landed the PR Internship at the big, beautiful MOA?! How ruthless of me! Maybe it’s because I am afraid this is all an eerie dream, and tomorrow I will wake up and realize that the nation’s biggest Mall would never hire me. Between this lingering nightmare and my overwhelming jitters for what is to come, I doubt there will be much sleep tonight.

Instead, I plan to use these hours to dream up the most spectacular first day outfit EVER seen in the history of any and all first days. Working from head to toe, I must first start with the hair.

These perfect buns have been haunting my every waking hour for the past few weeks. I have decided that this hairdo MUST be a part of my first day look. Here is the tutorial that helped me nail this hairstyle. Sharp, sleek, bold, fierce….exactly how I want to appear. After all, first impressions are lasting impressions.

Infinite x’s and o’s

DIY Centerpieces

As you all know, Momma Orke had a big surprise party this past weekend. One of my big tasks in planning this party was to find/make centerpieces for a reasonable price. After much searching and Pinterest sifting, I found this beautiful centerpiece DIY.

Miss 33ShadesofGreen recommended using rose hips. For some, like myself, rose hips were something I had never even heard of. Finding them was nearly impossible. So McKaye and I went to Michaels, where we found everything you could need to make these chic, elegant centerpieces.

What you Need:

-1 tall vase (or apothecary jar without the lid)

-1 medium-height vase

-1 short vase

-3 faux berry stems (from the flower section at Michael’s)

-2 large floating candles

-1 small candle

-1 reel of gold netting

Tall Vase

You will cut the stem and leaves off of one of the faux berry stems. Weave a small amount of gold netting around the berries. Place stem-up or stem-down. Either looked good.

Medium Vase

Take a faux berry stem and bend the stem so that you create an oval-like shape with the piece. Make sure it is a size that fits comfortably in the vase. DO NOT cut any of the leaves off.

Small Vase

Using the final stem, trim each of the berries off. Place the candle in the center and fill the berries around the candle. I found foamy-like red balls (in the shape of a wreath) that I also used as smaller size that had the same color but gave great variety and visual appeal.

After an hour or so, the water-filled vases started to turn a slight shade of red. I personally enjoyed them even more this way. Using real fruit would probably not create this effect, so if you do not prefer the reddish tint, do not use faux berry stems! Otherwise, enjoy. I received many compliments for these and plan on using this idea again!

Infinite x’s and o’s