Monday, December 12, 2011

Silk Flower Craft (and selling them at Beaucoup Vintage)

after reading this kewl tutorial from the simply vintage girl, i've been whippin' out a lotta these lately...




i got so many compliments and people asking if i sell them, that i decided to try just that. so i made this adorbs (if i do say so myself, and i do) display....
 went downtown to an also adorable and girly little store called Beaucoup Vintage.... and Megan (the shop gal) loved 'em!


Here they are selling out fast! I've already had to restock 'em twice since October.

i was so inspired by my happy luck, that i also decided to open up an etsy shop. (see Em sell here)


try the tutorial yourself! it was so easy and fun. hot tip: go to joann fabrics and ask for a sample of the silk fabrics you find (anything with "silky" in the title or satin) for this craft and they will give 'em to you for free! (up to five 4in wide strips) a free, fun, feminine, flower craft? yes, please.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Sunday, October 16, 2011

A Cool Weather Tradition: Steamy Sippers

have ya missed me? these days when the weather gets chilled, i gets thrilled! why? because it means boots, scarves, hoodies, peacoats, and my favorite signature item - knee socks all get to come out to play with me once more. (seriously, i'm so much cuter in the cold months) also, cold outside means more cozy inside with fuzzy throws, smokey wood stove fires, and hot drinks!

the Huz and i adore us some hot drinks. for our nearly-daily talking times, we can be found flopped on the giant brown couch (when the kids go down for their afternoon naps) sippin' somethin' steamy and staring deeply into each other's eyes. (okay, maybe we're staring off into space due to sleep depravity, but we're still totally in love and connecting there exhausted on the couch.)

i thot i'd invite y'all to join us a bit here by sampling some of our fav steamin' sippers. these also would make good giftys for Christmas or for hostess gifts (yep, i still believe in proper party etiquette).

 

Orange Spiced Instant Tea Mix
We were given this for Christmas last year and used it almost twice a day it was so good! Good snacky pairing = snickerdoodle cookies.

1 c. Tang breakfast drink powder
1 c. instant tea powder
1 (3 oz.) envelope sugar sweetened lemonade mix
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tb. sugar
¼ tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Combine all ingredients. Store in a tightly covered container. Stir before using. To use, stir 1 tablespoon of the mix into 1 cup boiling or cold water. Makes about 2 ½ cups.



Update:
I made both of these this week with good success. The orange one needed a bit more flavor, so I added more cinnamon and orange. The chai was spicy and exotic and good, I wouldn't change a thing, it tasted like India, but it's not for the faint of heart. : )
Chai Tea
i haven't tried this exact recipe(UPDATE BELOW), so let me know if it's a disaster, but after having the real thing in India, i've been looking for that milky, spicy, soothing, wonderfulness in a cup, kinda taste. starbucks doesn't get it. they think chai tea is a cinnamon cookie in a cup. true chai is stronger and spicier, like it's native land. this recipe holds promise of delivering and doesn't contain nasty non-dairy chemically creamer. (oh, i'm sorry, are my opinions showing?)

Makes 18 servings (1 cup prepared tea each)

2 cups powdered dry milk
1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea mix
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon allspice
½ tsp white pepper
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cloves

1.In large bowl, stir all ingredients until blended.
2.In food processor, blend about 2 cups mixture at a time 30 to 45 seconds or until mixture looks like fine powder.
3.To serve, place 1/4 cup tea mixture in mug. Add 1 cup hot water; stir until dissolved.

Note: To make vanilla chai, add 1tsp vanilla extract to brown sugar and mix well. Allow to air dry completely before adding to recipe.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

All A Gal Needs


i can't wait until Dre is old enough to "rescue" me. : )

and here's a little doodle i painted featuring that little man, Dre... ain't he a just squeezable?

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Tattered Tee Tutorial

and now, y'all, an easy-peasy tshirt restyle. i got this t at Good Will for a couple bucks and liked the fabric, but not the plain, semi-unflattering fit, so, inspired by Pinterest ideas, i decided to rip 'er up - nicely. if you'd like to give it a try, follow the steps below. note: make sure the shirt you choose is made of a fabric that won't fray (like jersey cotton or fleece) - unless that is the look you want, of course.

1. draw the pattern you want. i chose to make dash marks with a washable marker and cut slits, but you could cut small circles or make Xs, just keep in mind that the holes will stretch with wear and wash, so cut them slightly smaller than you want them to look.

2. cut the slits/holes.

(i also chose to chop off one sleeve and the collar.)

3. giver 'er a tug to stretch out the holes.

4. show 'er off. that's it!






i realize now that with the color of the tank i wore underneath, i ended up looking rather like Baby Bop in these shots. i trust you all to make better choices than i.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Lamp Re-vamp


remember this wonky beauty from my thrift score post? yeah, well she's had a make-over... actually all i did was take off the pretty-but-so-unnecessary shade and suddenly, i fell madly in love. i knew when i heard this lamp call my name from the dingy floor of the store that we would be good friends, but i didn't know how cool of a friend i had made.

she's not for everyone, i know, but golly, when she's lit up, it's like something from a 20's train station - a warm, bewitching sorta glow. seriously, if i was a moth, i'd be smackin' my powdery little skull (do moths have skulls?) into this bright orb whenever somebody flicked it on. as it happens, i'm not a moth, but i do find myself staring at it all the time when it's on... hmm, even if it's on my computer screen....so.. pretty... priiiity. time to move on.

 right, so i now had this really fascinating shade with no lamp for it to hover over, and well, that just wasn't right, ya know? no problem tho, i just grabbed me an old lamp we've had and spray painted it "soot" black to suit the shade's styling... and tried 'er out. the bulb light was too harsh showing through so much of the wicker, so i lined the interior with brown mailing paper, my fav. (prolly not something Smokey the Bear would advise, but i tested it for a couple hours and no fire, so i figured...)

tada! now adam and i began testing objects around the house that could pass for finials (that's the top thingie that holds the shade on the lamp). first one we tried was too tall. adam calls this one the "pineapple."

the next one was sorta clownish.

and after a couple other rejects, we ended up going back to the pineapple and sawing off the bottom with a pipe saw. we likey. and there ya have it!


whaddya think? anybody tried somethin' like this before?

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Restyled Combat Boots

recently, I found these light combat-style boots at khols for $7 (i know!) and loved how they contrasted with the mini dress i was wearing, but they were just a touch too blah for me.

so, using some vintage fabric from my ma-in-law, i glued on some fla-va. below: eva helping me decide on placement.

i really like where things were going, but we just weren't "there" yet...

i realized the flowery additions weren't blending well in their new rougher habitat, so out came an old bristle brush and everything got a good scrub to fray those edges. perfect imperfection.


 ahhh.... much better............. tigeress agrees. (i think eva left her on the table?)


coming along nicely! yes, yes, the laces are missing... during my "blending" session with the bristle brush...

... i tossed the laces into some coffee to make them less matchy-matchy and deepen the brown, giving them an aged look. yeeeeah, unfortunately this had no effect. (what the pooh, right?) so it was on to plan b.

i slapped some deep espresso paint onto them and let them dry half-way then risnsed 'em. and this time...

... i got that dirtied/aged look i wanted. it's kinda hard to see below, but, trust me, it's there.
i'm looking forward to fall weather so i can wear these with sweaters and my jean mini and one of my signiture looks : knee socks.






Ta-da!