After a birthday weekend spent laying at the pool and subsequently avoiding the sun altogether (note to self: build base tan before using an “accelerator”), I’m feeling rejuvenated and more inspired than ever. Thus, the DIY is back! I spotted this cool cutout skull tee at Urban Outfitters but couldn’t come up with a way to justify spending $40 on what is essentially half a t-shirt. Thus, I grabbed a black tee from American Apparel (I chose one with a lighter weight—any brand will work) and set about creating a pattern with tailor’s chalk. The sleeves were chopped and a thin strip added along the front neckline to add some interest. What’s nice is the lines don’t have to be perfect with this, just be careful to not pull on the narrow strips on the eyeballs and nose (they’re necessary to retain the shapes).
With B’s help, this came out even better than expected. I paired it with a fun leopard print bra, acid wash shorts and a tangle of brightly colored bracelets to offset the edginess, but that didn’t stop me from feeling like one bad mamba jamba!
The wedding I mentioned in yesterday’s post was simply lovely. B was an outstanding usher and his wonderful mother did an amazing job on the bride’s hair. The sweet, intimate nature of the wedding called for classic makeup and jewelry, mary jane pumps and a peachy peplum dress—a modern take on Victorian tea party attire, which ended up fitting quite well with the ceremony’s garden atmosphere.
Last weekend, B & I traveled south for the wedding of some dear friends. Like its French sister, Paris, KY has all the charm and romance you’d expect in an old southern town. The rehearsal dinner and ceremony both took place at the Wallis House, a beautiful old manor that contains its own library and multiple panes of Tiffany stained glass. We took the rare opportunity to snap a few pictures around the estate at dusk, and I think the magic of the place translates well in the photos.
My family isn’t one for passing down treasured belongings from generation to generation. Not that there’s anything wrong with that sense of tradition, but it just isn’t us. Yet there are certain things camped out in the homes of my predecessors (cough, cough—Navajo rug in my dad’s guest bedroom—cough, cough) that I’ve always hoped to one day call my own.
This antique wrought iron bed belonged to my parents when they first got married (how my mother slept in a full size bed with my 6’4” snoring-prone dad is still a mystery to me), and despite my pop’s encouragement to have it sandblasted and repainted, I chose to maintain the character of its shabby chic aesthetic by leaving the paint chipped and simply killing the rust with some navel jelly. B and I wiped it down with this pink gooey stuff, sprayed it off with a hose, and in less than 20 minutes—voila! We had a perfectly restored, antiqued to perfection wrought iron bed. An heirloom to be sure (even if it wasn’t intended as such), and one I’m hoping will remain in the family for generations to come.
For my initial foray into the fine art of DIY blogging, I chose something simple yet impactful. I spotted these gemstone magnets on Leifshop last year, and haven’t been able to get them out of my head since. Being unable to justify spending $36 on what amounts to a handful of rocks, I decided to try my hand at crafting some. I’ll be honest, the hardest part of this project is sourcing the stones. In my case, I got lucky and found some this past Sunday at the Burlington Antique show (I got the whole lot for a couple bucks), so I’m not entirely sure where to tell you to look for agate, geode and pyrite beyond flea markets or peddler’s malls.
The only other supplies you’ll need are strong magnets (I got a few packs of these badboys for three bucks a pop at Michaels) and an equally robust adhesive (around $4, also at Michaels). Prior to gluing, examine each rock to see which aspect you want to display, and make sure the opposite side contains a flat surface. Use a small dollop of glue and space the rocks a few inches apart (these magnets are STRONG and I had to reglue a few times because they kept latching onto each other) to allow them to dry for about 20 minutes (I let mine dry overnight before putting them on the fridge). Easy as pie, and a great way to add a touch of style to your kitchen.
