diy

Christmas in August

by Lara on August 3, 2011

in crafty

Well, right after I wrote about those yarn trees, I went ahead and carried my butt to Michael’s Crafts on Sunday afternoon and got what I needed. Those cones cost more than I thought they would – about $14 for 3 in different sizes. It’s freakin foam! This is where I get frustrated at DIY projects when you can find a lot of things already made, cheaper than the supplies at the store. I really wanted to do this though and it wasn’t that bad. There’s probably a cheaper source out there somewhere.

Anyhoo… here are the supplies:

3 cones, acrylic yarn, flat top pins, 2 multi-packs of pom poms.

Someone’s ready to get into those pom poms! (Don’t worry… he totally did.)

I was disappointed with the pom pom selection. I had a certain color scheme in mind but I wasn’t paying out the ass for felted wool balls in muted hues. So things turned out more bright and festive. Whatever, they’re cute. They came out kinda kitschy, like stuff my mom made in the 70s, and I’m totally okay with that!  Now I need to find some sweet deer figurines to hang with my trees and it’s good to go!

  • Start at the widest end with a small knot and pin the yarn every inch or so for the first wrap, so it doesn’t slip off.
  • Wrap an even layer of yarn over the entire cone (green cones are great so any small gaps aren’t obvious).
  • Then get silly wrapping yarn up and down in zigzags, filling in any gaps you may see in the process.
  • I made it back to the top and coiled the yarn on the tip, pinning it as much as I needed.
  • Push pins through pom poms (they sink into the fluff and don’t show) and pin them where you want.
  • I had some wooded stars and gold paint already, glued toothpicks to the backs and painted them. Stabbed em into the trees! Done!

That paint is awful to get out of brushes so I dabbed it on with q-tips!

You can pick any color scheme and I’m pretty stoked that this only cost about $20 and maybe 2 hours of my time on the sofa to have a cute little mantle decoration I’ll use for years.

So there you have it! One thing marked off my small list for this week AND I did something for Christmas! This heat is frying my brain, you guys.

{ 4 comments }

is it over yet?

by Lara on August 1, 2011

in decor

Summer, I mean.

I don’t know what’s going on but I’ve gotten into a funk. It’s too hot and humid to do anything and not be miserable. I’m uninspired to dress in anything but tees/tanks, rolled up jeans and sandals/sneakers. Don’t get me wrong, I love warm weather waaaay more than freezing weather but sweet baby jesus has this summer been gross or what?

I feel like all I talk about on my blog is nails. Sorry about that. I need some inspiration!

Here are some things I want to do this week:

  • Go to my favorite Goodwill. It’s been too long.
  • Look at all the Fall 2011 Couture and Resort 2012 shows.
  • Go through my collection of DIY ideas and pick at least something to make.

Don’t hate me for thinking about Christmas this early but these look easy enough:

via

There’s no real tutorial but duh! Foam cones in varied shapes wrapped in yarn (will probably pin ends of yarn to secure), multi-pack of pom poms discretely pinned on (forget messy glue) and some gold stars attached w/ toothpicks.

** I actually made them last night! Will share soon!

And a reminder about the 3-year blogiversary:

I have 2 people lined up to add things to the goodies in exchange for free ad space in the month of September. If you’re interested, read this and let me know!

Happy Monday y’all!

{ 4 comments }

sewing kit

by Lara on May 12, 2011

in crafty

I love to sew and actually sold a ton of my own sundresses at the very first Need here in Richmond, when it was called Blues. (I frequently kick myself in the ass for not keeping that up.)

Now, I’ll make the occasional pillow and hem or mend something. Major clothing ideas pop in my head all the time but I never get off my butt and make anything happen. I keep thinking that I MUST have a dress form to do what I want correctly. Then I wonder if that would just be a crazy expense for something I’ll probably get bored of quickly, like I usually do with crafty endeavors.

It’s nice knowing how to do some basic things though and if you’re feeling helpless to alter your own clothing, fear not. Here are some things every person should have tucked away in a tidy box and basic tips for attacking that mending pile I know you have! (If you have a sewing machine, you probably already have these supplies and a basic grip on sewing. Here, I’m talking about hand-sewing to save yourself in an emergency and avoid paying a tailor.)

  • All those buttons that come attached to your clothing – save them. Even if you never need to replace them, you may be able to use them for something else.
  • a pair of new cheap scissors you only use for sewing
  • pinking shears – scissors that cut in a zig-zag pattern and will keep tightly woven fabrics from unraveling (most expensive sewing supply – you can find them the cheapest on eBay – only needed if you plan on hemming pants/skirts and don’t have a serge stitch or serger)
  • a small pack of needles in various sizes (smaller for delicate fabrics, larger for denim, etc)

  • tailor’s chalk/pencil in blue & white for light and dark fabrics – this brushes/washes off

  • hem gauge – use with the chalk – it is a lifesaver!

  • pins (I like longer ones with colored heads)

  • A few spools of poly thread (won’t shrink) – in basic colors like white, black, brown, navy, beige, red…
  • iron-on hem tape for emergencies.

All of this should cost less than $30 if you shop smart and I swear, you could sew anything with ease with these simple supplies.  Everything else is just a gimmicky gadget. I still haven’t found a thimble that didn’t drive me insane.

There are a ton of tutorials out there with fancy pics so I’m not going to teach you but here are some universal tips.

  • Before you do anything, launder and iron your new clothing for shrinkage.
  • If you have taken a hem out or pinned up a hem, iron before every step!
  • Try on your pants with the shoes you plan to wear with them when you pin.
  • Fold under and pin one leg at the length you want, in front of a mirror. Take your time. Since you’re bending over, you may have to do it a few times to get it perfect.
  • Take the pants off and fold them in half perfectly and match the other leg to the one you pinned.
  • Unless you have a serger or a (decent looking) stretch stitch on your regular sewing machine leave stretchy fabrics to professionals, unless it’s a quick mend.
  • When hemming by hand, you want to do stitches that are teeny and barely catch the facing fabric and are well-spaced. a short video here
  • Hemming jeans should be saved for a sewing machine. Match the color of thread to the original contrasting thread and practice your stitch length on a scrap first.

If you have any questions about sewing, feel free to leave a comment!

{ 5 comments }

etsy finds

by Lara on May 7, 2011

in decor,fashion

After a week of kitten, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I cleaned up the bookmarks on my laptop and found a bunch of random things from etsy and figured they were worth a share:

Homako – These would be an easy diy with felt scraps, some sort of backing and felt glue.

Silvia66 – I know it’s getting hot but this is also an easy diy. I mean, it’s chunky un-knitted yarn!

AudraJean – I really want a harness to dress up a boring tank this summer.$89

Debbie Carlos – giant poster prints done on architectural printers. I’ve used them before and the finish and large format is so much fun! $50

Kiva Ford – the teeniest hand blown glass pieces!

High Street Vintage – affordable little prints from vintage sources

and a shout out to the lovely Katie of  Mitu Vintage who takes great care in finding beautiful vintage goods- washing, repairing and researching ! Follow her fun personal blog, twitter and check out her etsy shop!

Who’s your favorite etsy seller? Do you have a shop of your own?

 

{ 4 comments }

copycat

by Lara on April 25, 2011

in art

 

It’s been a while since I’ve painted anything for the apartment. I got pretty burnt out this time last year, doing 3 paintings in a row. (here and here)

This design by Matt Moore has been in my inspiration folder for forever. I had a huge empty wall in my living room that needed something big and bold.

Every time I went to a craft store, I hoped to score a deal on a big square canvas but nothing was panning out. Squares are kinda hard to come by. I finally ordered a 30″ x 30″ canvas from Dick Blick and after shipping, it came out around $24. I would’ve liked one even bigger but this will do just fine.

Just placing the order was intimidating. It means you. have. to. do. this.

I had about a week of waiting to get psyched up. It finally arrived on April 18th and I immediately mapped out the lines. No measurements. Just found the burst point and eyed it.

I really like the color scheme of the original so, I stuck with that and wrote down in each section what color to use. I wasn’t planning on buying any additional paint (but did end up getting 3 extras) so, I got it as close as possible with what I already had.

Here are some crappy progress pics. Of course, it would’ve been great to use my real camera and make a lil gif but that never happened.

day 2

day 5

day 6

day 7 (7 stripes to go!)

I really kicked it into high gear over Easter weekend while the bf was out of town. I don’t use an easel and instead hunch over the painting, canvas in lap on my bed or sofa, getting paint out of the bottle cap, turning it around as needed. My back was pretty much killing me.

The entire painting was done with a 1/4″ Loew Cornell angle shader and random craft acrylics and enamel paints I had.

Here it is all done!!!    $27 and a week of my free time!

Oh yeah, I got that chair at Goodwill for $10 last week!

Being a perfectionist, I can see some tiny things I want to clean up but, I’ll take care of that in a day or two. I’ve had it and I’m DONE!

Here’s a post I did a while back to help you on your own painting!

{ 20 comments }

+ & –

by Lara on February 10, 2011

in + & -

  • A great post on having modern-day class. (thanks Style Odyssey!) “Have some damn class” has been my signature profile quote since the Friendster days.
  • 25 years ago, architect Ricardo Bofill discovered an abandoned cement factory and has been renovating it ever since. I love that so many old elements have remained. This place is HUGE and he’s using some larger rooms for gallery space and lectures. Parts will also be rented office space eventually. A bit much but the reno job is amazing. I couldn’t commit myself to 25 + years of that.

via dornob

  • With thrift stores full of old neckties for $1, this is a great little project you can try yourself – necktie brooches! Or you can buy them already made via etsy! Each one looked a little different – not sure on an exact technique but working in a bunched/folded spiral with a few stitches to secure seems easy enough.

  • Unfortunately, DIY fashion made it to the the NYT list of “Worn-Out Fashion Terms“
  • The Zeigarnik Effect – proof that when faced with huge tasks, you just need to start somewhere, anywhere.
  • Last Thursday I met up with a bunch of chicks for a Richmond lady blogger/twitter pot-luck. Some I had met before and some were new. Everyone was delightful and I got good and drunk. What do you expect when I haven’t had more than one drink in months, was beyond stressed, was around a bunch of rad women who were cracking me up, and was in charge of bringing booze?

(via)

  • I didn’t grow up with cable TV. My only chance was on weekends at my grandma’s where I would glue myself to my older cousin’s fashion magazines, a bag of Doritos and MTV. So, it wasn’t until SATC reruns started airing on FOX late at night did I start watching the show. I missed a lot and was half-lit most of the time after coming home late. So now SATC is on E! and I’m catching up. I just found out Carrie cheated on Aidan! I am so pissed. Samantha was always my favorite but Carrie disgusts me even more now, in addition to her gold-digging, whiny, selfish ways. How could he take her back? And Big?! What was the appeal?
  • This has been a long week. So long. There has been work stress for the bf and a few stupid financial issues. I also started painting the bathroom last Saturday. I don’t even want to talk about how much I’ve hated the walls in there, but I will. Who the hell paints over old textured wallpaper, screws crap into the walls, removes that crap and does a horrible patch job to only paint over it again? I don’t know who but they need a swift kick in the ass. I did the best I could to fix the patches and began to paint and it just won’t end! I’m going to need another gallon before I’m done. There’s so much trim, an old built-in medicine cabinet, a tall window, a linen closet, the door with an old vent window above, a radiator, plus working around fixtures including a claw foot tub. I love the character of Fan district homes but the landlord just did not care about keeping the place up when college kids were going to destroy it, hence the amazing deal we have here. The bf had just been laid off when we moved in together so we had to take what I could afford on my own if worse came to worst. I could see what it could be though when we moved in and I’ve really made a little gem out of the place in the past 1.5 years. After the bathroom is done, I’m done with improvements here. Thank god because I’ve just about had enough of polishing this turd.

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+ & –

by Lara on December 14, 2010

in + & -

  • The bf will indeed be in town for New Years Eve so, I took matters into my own hands and made reservations at Acacia. We’ve wanted to go for so long and they’re doing a 4-course dinner for NYE. It was voted restaurant of the year in March. I. Cannot. Wait. Now, what to wear?!
  • This is an oil painting! Click here and here for more! By Korean artist Kwang-ho Lee.

  • Super easy and inexpensive Christmas ornament tutorial. My mom and I used to make these when I was a kid and the varieties are endless.

  • Okay, this just cracks me up… especially when Oprah starts strutting.

(for you Jen!)

{ 7 comments }

+ & –

by Lara on December 1, 2010

in + & -

  • Thanksgiving weekend is OVER!!! The bf was gone TG morning until Saturday night. I had to be at my parents’ house on Thursday & Friday anyhow. My dad went hunting, mom and I watched the dog show, and I cooked all day. We all had a quiet dinner together and I went home and decorated my apartment.
  • Color Splash w/ David Bromstad made the cutest wonky trees on HGTV. The bf and I really wanted to make them ourselves but had no idea where to get the huge birch trunks. He drilled holes in the top half of the wood and then snipped off branches from an artificial tree and made his own! He put fuzzy white garland in clumps on the branches to look like snow! They’re so whimsical and Dr. Seuss-ey! This was the best pic I could find.

  • Hello cute and easy Christmas wreath! Click here for the tutorial.

  • I’m almost done with Christmas shopping! The last few things are easy to get online and 2 stores right next to one another at the last minute.
  • Oh. My. God. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Bambi pumps.

  • Our pet Toki the rat passed away on Thanksgiving. The night before, I thought something was wrong with him. He was having trouble lifting his head to drink water and was sleeping by the water bottle, when usually he curls up with his brother Barnaby. On Thursday morning, I checked on him before I left for my parents’ house. I held him and he let me. He was never the cuddly one. He seemed lifeless. I came home that evening and he was curled up dead. He’s now in the freezer until we can properly bury him. I don’t know what happened and there wasn’t much I could do. Rats can live up to 3 years and he was a little over 1 year old. The bf is taking it kinda hard since he never really had pets as a child. I’ve gone through so many, I feel a little disconnected from it all but, it’s still sad of course. I feel bad for Barnaby having to live the rest of his life out alone. We’re spoiling him rotten.
  • I haven’t been able to comment on WordPress blogs for a couple weeks now. No clue what’s going on. I use Firefox and have made sure 3rd party cookies are enabled, logged out and tried to comment etc. When I try to comment the same thing twice, it says that I already said that so… the comments are obviously registering somewhere and disappearing. Anyone know what’s up?
  • This is insane to me: In Entitlement America, The Head Of A Household Of Four Making Minimum Wage Has More Disposable Income Than A Family Making $60,000 A Year

{ 4 comments }

easy chocolate fudge

by Lara on November 29, 2010

in crafty

Fudge at a candy store sells for at least $8 a pound. This is a super easy & inexpensive recipe that just requires just a bit of stirring and makes 3 pounds!

I like making this around Christmas. I can fill a few small tins from the dollar store and those random gifts for your neighbors, coworkers, etc are covered!

Here’s what you need:

13″ x 9″ glass baking dish (glass since you will cut the fudge in the pan)

medium sized pot

wooden spoon or heat safe spatula

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine (margarine has a longer shelf life, if you’re making this a week or so in advance)
  • 5oz can evaporated milk
  • 12oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips
  • 7oz jar of marshmallow creme
  • 1+ cup of nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, black walnuts, hazelnuts… it’s up to you – if you want to sprinkle some on top of your finished fudge, get a bit more.) Or, leave the nuts out! You can get creative with toppings after it’s in the pan, like butterscotch chips, mini marshmallows, coconut flake, etc.
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease your glass pan with butter. Set aside.

Add the sugar, milk and butter into a pot and bring to a boil. STIR FOR 5 MINUTES while boiling. Set your timer and just stir like a zombie. (This set time eliminates candy thermometers and all that mess.)

Take off the heat and add marshmallow creme, morsels, nuts and vanilla. Stir some more, until it’s a consistent rich brown with no marshmallow swirls.

Dump and spread out into your glass pan. You can add some more nuts to the top if you like, while it’s still hot.

Yup, I just made this!

Let cool completely. Get a sharp knife, a bowl of hot water and a towel. Slice in 1 to 2″ squares, cleaning your knife off after each slice for clean cuts.

Line tins with plastic wrap or wax paper, and add wrap between layers.

You’re done!

Also check out my pound cake and apple pie recipes!

{ 6 comments }

felt and fleece flower pins

by Lara on November 8, 2010

in crafty,fashion

There’s something about longer nights that makes me want to get crafty. Cozied up on the sofa, I can keep myself busy for the holidays. I’m officially obsessed with felt and fleece right now. I doesn’t unravel or need to be hemmed. You just cut and minimally stitch and it doesn’t make too much of a mess.

In my last post about the Fossil catalog, I showed this 5″ yellow felt flower pin, selling for $15.

How easy would that be to make? Well, let me tell you, it was REALLY EASY!

I went to Hancock Fabrics and checked out their felt. The cheap 9″x12″ sheets weren’t going to cut it for this project. I bought the heavier stuff sold by the yard. I think it was about $4 a yard on sale but 1/2 yard will make a TON. They didn’t have all the colors I wanted in felt so I looked at the fleece. I bought a 1/2 yard in yellow and found two remnant pieces in black and dark grey for dirt cheap. Fleece is more limp and floppy than sturdy felt so keep that in mind.

I traced around various containers I had with tailors chalk and made 7 circles in felt. (Cut 5-6 in fleece for this style since it’s so thick.) Some I had to trim down freehand since I didn’t have the perfect sizes. I then cut the petals on each circle. To get the pom pom effect for the top two circles, I pulled some thread through the centers and bunched them a bit and secured with a few stitches on the underside. Then I pulled the thread through the centers of the rest, made a few extra stitches and secured them with a knot. Sew on a pin back  closer to the top (so it won’t flop over) and you’re done!

I saw these curved petal flowers online and tried them out with floppy fleece, with a gem button sewn in the middle.

I cut 5 circles in fleece (6-7 in felt) out like the one above and then cut the petals freehand, sewed the button to the top circle and stitched through the rest. Add a pin back higher up and that’s it! This one took a bit longer since the petals required more work. I still managed to make both in about 1.5 hours, farting around and taking my time.

I think a set of grey, black and yellow would make a nice gift and would look awesome grouped together on a coat lapel or cardigan!

{ 9 comments }

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