august moodboard: girly + chic

Witty cards, blush and lavender nail polish, printed pants, homemade calendars, and heels. There are seasons of loving jeans and hipster design trends and seasons of embracing feminine designs and cutesy outfits. I'm all about the latter lately.

This little collage represents my most recent pins on Pinterest and some recent thoughts of mine regarding design, fashion, and diy:

1. I went quite sometime neglecting nail polish. Let's be honest, it chips in a day with the way that I am constantly typing, crafting, and creating things. But even though it rarely looks perfect, it is kind of fun to have your outfit be completed with a fun shade on your fingernails. Also, ladies, shouldn't we take full advantage of our ability to paint our nails? Men don't do it, and what a shame for the nail polish of the world to go to waste. Lately, I've been loving light lavender nails and as always, blush and coral shades are my jam. I would love to get a hold of this gorgeous pink shade by Essie, but for now I'll just stick to my go-to lavender shade.

2. I can't say I own a wealth of them (perhaps because they don't offer as much versatility), but printed pants have been my recent craze. I am loving these ones that I found on Pinterest and brown heels are the perfect pairing (God knows I love a good pair of brown shoes, ahemm 90% of my shoes are brown. Guilty.) I think printed pants make styling easy if you have enough plain tops in your wardrobe to make it work. And it also looks like you have quite the adventurous style when you rock some crazy floral or geometric print, amiright?

3. I finally put my favorite private Pinterest board out there in the open. I'm pretty proud of this board and I felt like it would really help out those that are trying to figure out their voice when it comes to self-promotion. This plastic custom slipcover would be perfect to hold your portfolio and resume for interviews. Beyond that, I stuck some good ideas for resumes, business cards, and portfolios in there too. You'd be surprised how many people contact me about designing resumes, those are some good ideas to start with if you're in that same boat.

4. I may start a series on creating some of my favorite DIY projects on Pinterest. I need a reason to create some new fun things and everyone loves a good DIY tutorial, right? One of my favorite recent finds is this mason jar that is adhered to a wood block and stuck on the wall to help minimize clutter on a desk and use the wall space wisely.

5. I am still obsessed with Emily McDowell. I don't know if I mentioned this artist before, but oh boy, her cards are my favorite. I love her custom writing, her color schemes, and her fun doodles. I may have to devote a future post to using artists like this chick as an inspiration. She's genius.

Moodboard Sources: Blush and Black Outfit, (Outdated) Desktop Calendars, Watercolor Peony Wallpaper, Poster Design, Greatland Lettering, Stop and Breathe Quote.

diy luggage tags

Luggage tags and baker's twine seem to be invading every arts and crafts store. All over Etsy and all over Pinterest, so you know me, I'm all about it. The tags aren't being used for luggage and the twine isn't being used for baking. Makes total sense, right? Anyway:

They are the perfect addition for gifts, and when you make your own, you have so much more room to tailor them to what your using them for. The kind you can buy are plain and bland, and the kind you can make are unique and fun. Also, if you want to use your computer to print out something on them beforehand, you can do that. With pre-made luggage tags, it would be significantly more difficult to put them through a printer (trust me I've been there, done that). Plus, luggage tags are not exactly cheap to purchase... you can make them yourself for little to nothing.

Plus, they are cheaper, cuter, and quick to make. No complaints here.

What You'll Need

+ Cutting Mat
+ Scissors
+ 1/4" Hole Punch
+ Exacto Knife
+ Pen/Pencil
+ Ruler (Preferably Metal)
+ Twine or String
+ Circular Sticker Reinforcements
+ Heavier Weight Scrap Paper

1. Trace. I've found that the easiest way to start is by using a luggage tag that you like (this one is 4"x2"). Trace the shape onto the paper you want to use. Use a pencil. If you must use a pen make sure to leave a little space so that your pen marks don't show on the final product.

2. Cut. Use an Exacto Knife and a ruler to cut the edges on your new tag. For the diagonal sides, I just use scissors because they are such a small length that it's easy to cut them straight.

3. Punch. With the template tag on top of your new tag, using a 1/4" hole punch, punch the hole in the same place as the template. That takes out the time it would take for you to measure out the spacing for the hole to make it centered. (If you are creating a shape that you don't have a template for, I would suggest measuring where the hole would go so you have a perfect template you could use for the rest of the tags).

4. Add the Reinforcements. Apply a reinforcement around the hole you just made. Don't forget to put one on the back! (You'll probably be left with the center part of the hole on the sticker sheet, you won't be needing that!)

I bought my reinforcements here (they have a gorgeous gold option, a pretty mint, and a charcoal grey.) I love all of their craft making and party supplies.

5. Measure. Measure out the size of the twine you want to use. I found that 10" is a good length to be able to fold in half and stick through the tag. When you secure it and tie the end knot, you'll lose a little of the length. You can also just wing the size and figure it out as you go. If you want to stick it on a gift, you may not even need twine because you could just stick it through the ribbon your using on the gift.

6. Add the Twine. Fold the twine in half, stick it through the hole, and pull the twine through the loop you created. Then, just tie it at the end.

I bought my twine here, but they also sell plenty of options on Etsy.

7. Personalize. Write whatever you want on the tag and viola! Once you make one, you'll get the hang of it and you can prepare yourself for everyone asking you where you found them.

diy book case

As a part of a class I am enrolled in, we had to create a portfolio book of our work, and then create a case to hold the book inside of. Most people created soft cases, but I really wanted to create something more unique and extensive, so I scoured the Internet and found a tutorial for how to create a cigar box. I honestly had no idea how it would turn out, but much to my surprise, it turned out beautiful and I am shocked at the result. Sure my brain works creatively, but I think most people could figure this project out. It was super fun, and as much as it took a bit of time to finish, I enjoyed the process and most of the time spent was waiting for glue to dry.

Materials You'll Need

Binder's Board: You can usually find a back of 4 of them at an art store that carries book making materials. I found that I used about 2 of those sheets to make this single book. However, if you make any errors and cut any of them wrong, you'll wind up using more.
Book Cloth: They have them in a huge variety of colors and textures, if you want an even greater variety than an art store, order them online here. I would buy two packages of them at the art store just to be safe.
Metal Ruler: Because a plastic ruler just won't do.
Olfa Cutter: You'll want something more heavy duty than an Exacto to cut through the Binder's Board, an Exacto would be far too dangerous to try and cut that board with. Find something more sturdy and durable to cut the board with.
Exacto Knife and Replacement Blades: To cut the Book Cloth.
Cutting Mat: Make sure to cut everything on the cutting board, so buy or find a cutting board large enough to fit the size of the book case you are making.
PVA Glue + Brush: You'll use a brush to apply this glue in order to adhere everything together, this glue works like a charm and you definitely don't have to worry about anything coming unglued or not looking adhered enough.
Bone Folder: To press everything down in the creases and cracks.
Pencil: You'll want to make some little marks as you go in order to ensure that it fits your book properly in the end.

Note: You don't have to make one of these cases in order to fit a book, I think this is the perfect tutorial to use to make a little case to fit a gift or maybe hold a stack of old journals you want to store in a unique way. It's just a case, you could use it in whatever way suits your imagination.

How I Did It

I followed the tutorial provided by 'Making Handmade Books.' It's a 4-step series of posts that are extremely extensive and specific. I read through every single step to know what I was in for, and then I just kinda winged it and did it myself. I found that the specifics almost confused me and I wanted to just get down the basics, so that method worked for me.

I stuck to the basics of (1) Cut the pieces of binder's board to size (2) Adhere the bottom of the box together, basically everything but the cover (3) Wrap the cloth around the outside sides of the box (4) Adhere cloth to the front of the cover piece making sure to have extra hang over on the left side (5) Adhere the extra cloth to the back of the box so the cover attaches via the cloth (6) Cover the back of the box with cloth covering the extra cloth that holds the cover on (7) Adhere cloth to the back of the cover and to the inside of the box. (8) Add any additional pieces (I added a business card holder of sorts and a little front piece I found at Office Depot to put the company's name I'm presenting it to in)

While that may make no sense, that was my mental documentation of what I read on the website that I put into action. It's not easier said than done, it's easier done than said.

It took me around 3-4 hours to complete the project. Keep in mind, you have to wait for the glue to dry and measuring everything out takes a while. But you definitely learn as you go, and if you mess anything up, there is probably a way to fix it, so the process wasn't very stressful.

In the end, you wind up with a gorgeous box that's homemade and custom yet looks practically store-bought. Boom.

diy floral crowns

Nothing is better than fresh flowers making your apartment smell like Lilies and Baby's Breath. Actually, the only thing that's better than that are floral crowns. Homemade and modeled with laughter and joy by your closest girlfriends on a random Sunday night.

Pinterest has been blowing these things up. Trendy and "hipster" weddings always unquestionably have them atop the brides head. And people like me insist on wearing them in their college graduation announcements (hence the photo to the right). I will shamelessly admit that I love this trend. They are the perfect mix of girly and vibrant and effortlessness and spunk. And lets be honest, people wear hats and beanies and weird visors on their head all the time, wouldn't the world be so much happier if just we wore flowers instead? Amen to that.

I would say these are fairly painless and easy to make. My friends would laugh because they think I always say that about crafty things. But really. If you like hands-on artsy projects and flowers and perhaps Pinterest, this ones for you.


Flower crowns are the perfect craft to do with girlfriends or at a low-key Bachelorette party. I could totally see them being worn while walking around a beach town. And you know what, if you have a pocket full of confidence you could probably wear one of these just about anywhere. And well, when it comes to paying whatever ample amount of money it costs for someone else to make one, that's just plain ridiculous. Spend a little on supplies and buy some flowers from the market and you're good to go. Make one yourself, dangett.

Here's how:

Step 1: Get some pretty flowers. Easy enough, right? If you get a variety of types of flowers that mesh well together, they'll work perfect. I like to use Baby's Breath as a base, but if you have greenery or something more basic that would work too.

Step 2: (Top Middle) Gather all the things you need. I use (1) green floral tape, (2) a thicker wire that's easily able to mold, if you can find a green colored one you can skip a step, (3) thin green floral wire, (4) scissors, and (5) pretty flowers.

Step 3: (Top Right) Mold the thicker wire to a circle that would fit on top of your head and twist the ends to stay put. I make the wire so that it's a little bigger than your head, so when you put the flowers on it doesn't look too small. If you have green wire, great! If not, use green floral tape to cover the whole thing. Since I had a brown, copper  thick wire, I used the green floral tape to cover it completely so that just in case the base wire showed at all, it was green not brown. This step is totally up to you, it isn't always necessary depending on how many flowers you put around the crown.

Step 4: (Bottom Left) Wrap the base layer of Baby's Breath (or any greenery of your choice) around the entire wire head piece using thin floral wire. Cut pieces of floral wire about 2 inches long and wrap it around the stem of the flowers to hold them to the base wire. Make it so that they cover a considerable amount of the head piece, but gaps are okay as well, you'll fill those in later. Make sure to cut off any excess stem that pokes out. This part takes the most time, but once you get the hang of it, it goes by quick and you'll learn tips as you go to speed up time.

Step 5: (Bottom Middle) Once you are done with the base, cut off pieces of your main flowers so that there is just a few inches of stem. Eliminate unnecessary leaves, cause you won't want leaves like crazy, just a couple at the top are good. Then, in the same way that you did the base layer, fill in gaps and stick the flowers where you feel they fit well. This is where your own style and aesthetic comes in. Play around with how many you put, how dense the piece becomes, and how spread apart the flowers are. I find it hard to believe that you can screw this up, if you use the right method it will look beautiful.

Step 6: I added in three deep purple lilies to make it feel more classy and unique, I tend to really love when there are focal points of flower crowns, so these were mine. But the fun part about making this yourself, if you can make it however you want and keep playing with it until you are in love with it... and until you can force your girlfriends to model it for you.

Happy Monday!

diy watercolor flowers

Well, lately my boss and her creativity has been blowing my mind. She makes these watercolor creations that she claims are simple yet they somehow look so intentional and complicated. Reminiscent of Rifle Paper Co. and the rad water color wedding invitations that are flooding Pinterest these days, my jaw just always dropped when I saw the kind of stuff she made seemingly so quickly.

This basically forced me to drive myself to Joanns and buy my first set of watercolors, some new brushes, and some more Micron pens. I was just plain determined to learn how to watercolor. Then, to my surprise, I found that the result came with a lot of people asking how I did it. It's amazing what watching The Blind Side and water coloring on a rainy day can do, it worked miracles I tell you. I may not be Rifle Paper Co., but hey, watercolors and black pens can make some pretty beautiful stuff. You could use this style on homemade birthday cards or calligraphy quotes to put in cute frames. I could see it on invitations or recipe cards. The ideas are endless. While the steps might sound too simple to produce this kind of result, it really is simple and once you get the hang of it, you can alter it and gear it to your own personal style.

Supplies you'll need
> Watercolor Paper
> Watercolor Paints
> .1 or .3 Micron Pens (or any thin art pens)
> Water cup
> A good paint brush (cheap ones will end up 
shedding all in the paint)
> A paper towel to wipe off the brush occasionally with

Step 1 (below): Create basic shapes in the form that you want. In terms of the forms, one time, I used the edge of the paper to create an L shape corner. Another time, I did a curved upward shape and a curved downward shape to frame a quote I wrote out in calligraphy. Then, as shown in this example, I created a wreath of sorts. In terms of the shapes you create to make up the form, circles are what I stuck with mainly. That, and a basic leaf shape. Add in some lines and some creative leaves. Then throw in some "x" shapes for flowers and you are set. Print out my example and copy it if you need to. Feel free to make up some as you go for fun. Also, looking at pictures of leaves online and simplifying photographs of flowers I found on Google helped me out as well.

Step 2: Once you have created some watercolor designs like these, you can move on to pen. Micron pens are my favorite. Cheap pens may bleed over the work, so be warned; art pens are definitely preferred. Also, the skinnier the tip on the pen the better (.1 or .3 Micron pens are my favorite to use). I found that using thicker Micron pens takes away the delicate look that I was going for. If you look closely at the photo at the top, you can see where I used the thicker pen at. My thin Micron pen died because I got too excited and did not wait long enough for the watercolor to dry. Oy vey.

Don't make the same mistake I did... make sure the watercolor is dry first. If not, your pen will dry out quickly. And these pens are expensive, so wait 10-20 minutes to be safe before you start using the ink on the watercolor design.

When you are ready, draw the dots in the middle of the circle flowers, trace over the lines you draw and make the leaves look like leaves by drawing some stems and veins in them. Stick with really simple lines and make sure to detail every one of the watercolor designs you draw. That will help with consistency.

Step 3: Keep at it. If you aren't happy with the look of your floral watercolor creation, try again. If you feel like there aren't enough flowers, make more. If you don't like the colors you chose, start over and try new ones. This is just the starting point, the end point is totally up to you.

The end result, scanned into Photoshop and stuck into a frame for my best friends birthday. Mission accomplished.