to-do list: {DIY projects}

ok, because it's on my summer to-do list and #17 on my 30before30 list, i need to get movin' on some craftiness/diy projects. i was supposed to have done 2 by mid-september.

hmm. yeah.

i have done zero this summer. so, i'm forcing myself to pick at least one of these diy projects that i've come across, and i'll have to have it done within the next 2 weeks.

terrariums: i love them. i absolutely love them. i have a thing for cacti and succulents...other than orchids, i'm not a huge flower-type of girl. if the husband came home with some cool succulents that i could plant, or an adorable little cacti garden, he'd score way more points (hint, hint).

so i think these diy terrariums are perfect! also a bonus: my cat tends to eat anything green, which makes it hard to have flowers or plants around. but these are nicely sheltered from his furry paws.

inspiration pieces:

source

wallpaper + bookshelves:  we have 2 tall bookshelves upstairs that are very dark and not very much our style, i'm slowly realizing. so i'd love to add a light, simple wallpaper along the back that would brighten them up and make them more modern.

inspiration pieces:

source

stencils + pillows: i really like rooms with mismatching pillows, and i'd love for one of these stenciled pillows to be thrown in the mix. the husband & i have several songs that mean a lot to us that would work perfectly for this project.

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color block terracotta pot: this is a very simple diy that i should've done months ago. my mom came to visit & brought me a little aloe plant in a terracotta pot, and it could use a little bit of a makeover. since we plan to spend lots (and lots!) of time in our backyard this fall and winter, i figure it wouldn't hurt to gussy things up out there.

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serving platter + chalk: perfect for cocktail parties & extremely easy to make!

source

now that i've got this posted, i have no excuse but to knock at least one of them out.

expect a post soon with pictures of a diy project (hopefully gone right!)

if any of you ladies in austin want in on a craft night, let me know! there's usually always wine involved!

(pssst...see my full 30before30 list here)

DIY round up

in order to help me achieve #17 on my list - to become crafty - i decided to round up some of my favorite DIY's that i've seen in the past few weeks/months. hopefully i'll have a craft night sometime in the very near future and can post pics of a completed DIY project...it's been a long time since that happened.

1. diy cheese platter. (this also perfectly ties in to another 30before30 goal: start a sunday night supper tradition. cheese platters are the best way to start a dinner party anyways)

2. some nail art diy's that are so cute...i have a shaky hand when i'm painting my own nails, so this will most likely end up looking like an abstract painting, but it's worth a shot.

3. a diy color block recipe box. all my printed & written recipes are sloppily laying in a cupboard in my kitchen. i'm thinking that this will look much, much cuter.



4. diy votives. i'm thinking these also tie in to the sunday night supper goal - they'd be cute spread around the tables outside in the fall.

5. a pretty, diy way to keep away mosquitoes. mosquitoes absolutely love me. i'm that person that stands outside and gets 100 bites while nobody even notices there's a mosquito around. so this could really come in handy, since we're trying to spend lots of time in the backyard.

6. a very feminine, but laid-back diy updo.

i have such a hard time doing my own hair. meaning that i don't have the patience for it, so 99.9% of the time, my hair just air dries and i work with what i've got. but this, i could try for the next wedding we go to.

7. a diy cocktail serving tray. serving your guests their cocktails on trays just seems so much fancier than handing it to them, no?

what do you think - would you try any of these?

is anyone else trying (unsuccessfully) to become a crafty lady, like me?

(see my full 30before30 list here)

results: craft night #3 of 2012

Last Thursday I hosted a Scrubs & Sangria night at my house. And even though some of the ladies thought that meant that we were going to watch the TV show Scrubs, what it really meant is that we were going to make the sugar and salt scrubs I've been talking about! This isn't 2002, ladies. Is Scrubs even on anymore?!

I was really happy with the results and my skin is baby soft. I would say all of the supplies cost around $38 and we were able to make 10 scrubs total - one salt and one sugar for each lady involved. And we probably could've made about 2 more if I hadn't run out of containers. So when you're paying $12 for a small container of Burt's Bees sugar scrub, I'd say this is quite the steal. So here are the supplies we used:

We had 2 jars for each person, 2 small bottles of Vitamin E, and 3 different scents (coconut, peppermint and vanilla). We used natural sea salt and cane sugar, and mixed in a little bit of light brown sugar as well. Not pictured is the sunflower oil.

We didn't actually follow any recipe because I found about 10 different ones, which made me think we could just make it however we wanted. And it turned out well! If I were guessing though, I'd say we used 2 cups of white sugar, 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, 5-6 drops of Viramin E, 1/4 cup of sunflower oil and about 8-10 drops of scent per container. For the salt scrubs, about 1 3/4 cups of salt, 1/2 cup sugar and the same amounts of scents, sunflower oil and Vitamin E.

We had a great time and may have had entirely too many glasses of sangria. I'll definitely be making these on my own when my scrubs run out. Next craft night: candle making.


(original 30before30 list here)

results: craft day #2 of 2012

I'm happy that I have a second craft to be posted before it becomes February! I feel like that means I'm off to a decent start. Do you remember in this post, when I mentioned that I was using an image I found on pinterest as inspiration to revamp my jewelry box? Well, here are the results. I'm pretty happy with them & it was the easiest "craft" ever. 

Here is the photo that inspired my revamp:

This is the fabric I used

I know this is the world's blurriest photo, but this is how easy it was. I just taped the fabric over the stock photos that came in the frames

This is the result before being placed back on the actual jewelry box

This is what the jewelry box looks like without the frame in front. I love this box because I'm not a huge fan of traditional jewelry boxes - they're just not my aesthetic. So this one is perfect for me, because it's easily hidden. 

And finally, here is the jewelry box all put together. It's a bit dark because I didn't want the flash to ruin the picture

Next craft day/night will be making the sugar & salt scrubs! Results to come later this week.

results: craft night #1 of 2012

These are the results of the craft night I mentioned in my last post. The first official crafting of 2012!

We made lacquered bowls for jewelry and such, or you could use them as bowls to put snacks in for a dinner party. We made them dishwasher safe by adding a layer of dishwasher-safe gloss over the paint.

This first picture is terrible quality and you can see my running shoes. At least that means I'm sticking to my health goal, right?? The colors are much brighter in person than what my phone pictures captured, but I'm sure you get the general idea. 

I'm really happy with them and might be using the same paint/gloss to make a serving platter or tray soon. 

It helps that our craft nights (since we've had a few in the past, before 2012), usually always include mimosas, watching (and making fun of) a dramatic "reality" TV show on Bravo, and what Lesley refers to as her "2 hour salad"...which is really quite delicious. But yes, it literally does take her 2 hours to make.


(see original 30before30 list here)