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Walk A Mile in My Studded High-Tops

I’m sure you all have that pair of heels that makes you feel sexy the moment you put them on, but do you have  a pair of sneakers that make you feel like a badass? It’s an important addition to any woman’s shoe rack. Luckily, they’re everywhere right now.

The Bachelorette may have ended more than a month ago, but Emily Maynard fans were excited to see photos of her trip to Africa for People Water, proof that this reality show love may actually be a reality. But, far more importantly, we got to see what she wore trekking through villages in Ghana. Believe me, she was not styled in safari-not-so-chic, she rocked some badass studded hightop sneakers.

I was inspired.

 Counter clockwise: YSL in black; Sam Edelman in tea rose (the ones Emily is wearing); Giuseppe Zanotti in beige;   Rihanna in Louboutin

 

Well, I was back and forth between the $925(!) Louboutin’s and making my own for $35. For now, I’ll stick to my own.

 

Material Details:
- High-top sneakers: I got my H&M sneakers for $25.
- 10mm pyramid iron-on nailheads/studs: you can but them here (I did not iron)
- Gem-Tac fabric glue (available at Joann Fabrics)

Tutorial Tips:
- I put a can of soda inside the sneaker to keep the fabric firm.
- The glue dries clear so don’t worry about using too much.
- Make sure to press studs/nailheads into material so it adheres well.
- No glue? Try this ironing technique (I haven’t tried it yet but I will shortly – the soda can will be key here so the sneaker can balance on it’s side)
- Be impressed with yourself.

 

* Leftover studs? Update one of your blazers with this DIY.

* Looking for another badass DIY? Check out Love Them Madly’s awesome Army Letter Shirts!

Posted on August 10, 2012 at 6:00 am | 6 Comments
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Artwork on Stretched Canvas, Absolutely No Art Skills Necessary


It’s been 13 plus months since our wedding and I still have not picked the photos for our wedding album. I also haven’t helped my parents do theirs yet, which I promised to do (several times). Why is this task so daunting? Has anyone else experienced this extreme photo album procrastination? To make it up to my mom I made her a little gift which I would surprise her with ths weekend if I was a good daughter. Instead, I’ll blast it on the Internet first because…well… that’s what crazy bloggers do. Now why didn’t I use this time instead to order our darn albums already? I don’t know. This is just how my silly world goes.
I actually can’t believe this DIY actually works. I saw it on a few other crafty sites (including a particular favorite: A Beautiful Mess) and it just seemed like something that would work for other people, but not for me. But then my sister posted some image transfer techniques (on jars here and on paper here) and so I decided to give it a whirl.
But it works, it really does. I don’t understand how- at all, but try it and see!
 
Canvas Photo Transfer (tutorial source: A Beautiful Mess)
Materials:
Stretched Canvas (I used 8x10s found at Michaels on sale – 10 for $14)
Gel Medium (I used Liquidex – any art/craft store should have this)
Paint Brush
Little bowl of water
Image or Images, a laser copy (NOT on photo paper, on regular paper and printed on a laser printer) (I tried the photo paper, big fail) ** see note below on types of photos
Directions:
1. Cover the workspace you are working on with newspaper or something.
2. Paint your canvas with gel medium. Use a heavy coat to cover completely and make sure to get the corners.
3. Press the image paper onto the canvas and try to push out all air bubbles. Let it dry overnight. REMEMBER: The photo will be reversed so make sure your photo works that way.
4. After your image is completely dry, wet the top of the paper with water.
5. Rub the surface with your fingers in a circular motion until pieces of the paper start coming off. As the paper peels off, your image will be revealed. Continue until all the paper is removed and the image is completely visible. At this point, I still had a lot of little wet pieces of paper on the canvas so I ran it under the faucet quickly. Try not to drench it, just do it enough to wash it all away.
6. Cover your canvas with another layer of gel medium. This will seal and protect the image.
*one important thing to note: one reader seemed to only has success with lighter photos (avoid photos with very dark colors or backgrounds which may not result in a clear finished product).


Posted on August 9, 2012 at 6:00 am | 9 Comments
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Crystal Light Beauty Products

Last weekend, I met a family friend’s lovely girlfriend for the first time. She’s a nutritionist, so naturally I pounced on her. What are foods to absolute avoid? What do you think of that Paelo diet? What do you eat as a snack – and don’t you dare tell me carrots!   I highly doubt this is how she wanted to spend her Sunday in the Hamptons, but I was relentless. She basically believes in moderation. Very little red meat. And absolutely no artificial sweeteners. I nodded in agreement (to the sweetener, not to the meat) and idiotically said: I don’t drink coffee, so that one’s easy for me.  But then I realized I had just finished a Diet Coke and was working a Crystal Light. I hid the pink lemonade behind my back and continued nodding.

So what’s a girl to do with all her extra Crystal Light (because we know I’m not giving up my Diet Coke so fast)?  Make it into lip gloss, of course! It took two minutes to make. Just don’t tell the nutritionist how tasty it is to eat!

 

 

Crystal Light Lip Gloss 

Materials:
Vaseline or Un-Petroleum Jelly
Crystal Light (I used Cherry Pomegranate and Raspberry Lemonade) (Kool-Aid apparently work as well, but I haven’t tried)
a small container (i charmed a salesperson at Sephora and they gave me a bunch of these)
a mixing tool (I used a plastic knife after my q-tip got too goopy)

Fill the empty small container with your Un-Petroleum Jelly. Add the Crystal Light. Keep adding and stirring till you have your desired color. If you put it on right away it will be exfoliating. Wait an hour and the granules will dissolve. Pucker up!

(DIY Source: How Does She)

Posted on August 3, 2012 at 6:00 am | 131 Comments
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Bloggers Are Crazy

It’s a fact. Bloggers are crazy. My sister and I are Exhibit A. Everyone always says they don’t know how we have time to do all we do and the truth is… we don’t have time. We are just insane people who don’t sleep. This weekend we are headed to the Blogher Blogging Conference. It is a basically going to be 4,500 people (just as nuts as we are) all in one place. We can’t wait.

We made a little animated video to give a little peek inside a bloggers world. If you are a blogger yourself, you’ll find this particularly funny.

Making this video was super easy on Xtranormal. You pick your characters, background, type in dialogue, pick camera angles and gestures. When you open an account on Xtranormal, they give you a bunch of credits. Jodie and I made this video for half the amount of credits, so it was completely free. We’ll definitely have more of these coming your way because if nothing else, we are really good at making fun of ourselves.

Posted on August 2, 2012 at 4:03 pm | 14 Comments
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DIY Hair Bands In Every Color

When I was engaged, my sister gave me the best no-snag hair ties. They were awesome, but there’s only so long a married girl can rock fabric hair bands that say “I do” and “bride to be.” In search of  post-nuptial hair bands, I found that they are quite expensive. Anthropologie has adorable color combinations, but they are $12 for 5 bands. I just couldn’t pull the trigger. When I saw the world’s easiest DIY directions on Simple Medicine, I set out to see how many I could make myself for $12. Go ahead, guess…

80 hair bands! Easy. 20 yards of elastic in 20 colors. Some even with glitter.

Now the question is: what the hell am I supposed to do with eighty hair bands?

 

Materials:

  • stretch elastic (I purchased mine here) (I used 5/8″ elastic on the glitter and “fold over” elastic for the rest)

Instructions:

  • Measure elastic equivalent to wrap around the circumference of your wrist, leaving an extra inch on each side
  •  Cut the elastic (a sharp scissor is best to avoid fray; cut on a slight angle)
  • Hold the two ends of the elastic together and wrap them around one finger. Pull the two ends through the loop. (do not pull on the edges of the elastic or it will fray)
  • That’s it! I added mine to a card (actually recycled extra RSVP cards from our wedding) and added fun names to give as gifts.
  • Be impressed with yourself.

*Clarification required: By purple hazing, I just mean rocking out. Not doing psychodelic drugs 1960s-style.*

** Not going to make them? Anthropologie’s really are awesome (see here) or ShopBop sells a set of 18 (see here) **

*** Are you a fellow Blogger? Check out this video poking fun at our blogger mentality (so funny, if I do say so myself): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siPWUnISpaY&feature=plcp ***

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Posted on July 25, 2012 at 6:00 am | 95 Comments
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