happy tutorial tuesday!

sometimes when i craft i wonder if i’ve taken it just one step too far. my intern was in my kitchen one day, looked around and said “you have so many things in here that make it look like you have WAY too much time on your hands…but you don’t!” i get it. my house is detailed. a quick glance looks great but it’s the little touches everywhere that you see when you look closer that make you really understand me. 

i was shopping around on opensky and came across this product and thought, ‘wow, i can do that in 2 seconds.’ and i did (well, with the iphone shots it took about 5 mins). 

measure the inside of your shelf and cut the shape out of a sturdy piece of moisture-wicking fabric. i used oilcloth, the same oilcloth that i made my tablecloth out of! lay in fridge and voila. i also measured and cut out a liner for my butter tray because why not? now, if you get a sticky drip, pull out the lining, wipe it clean and pop it back in. not only is it a cute touch to your fridge, but it’s a practical one at that! 

xoxo, julie!

happy tutorial tuesday! 

remember that beautiful, free, vintage purse i got a couple weeks back (1) that i love so much? well, now i know why it was left on a neighbors stoop. the strap tore, split and started to come apart (2) a couple weeks after i discovered it. i hemmed and hawed over what to do- i love my new bag, but now the strap makes it looks cheap and stupid- what do i do? enter: gold chain.

with some needle nose pliers i opened and closed 2 layers of some heavy gold chain (3) and attached it to the strap hinge on the bag. i cut the original strap off with some scissors and voila. a fancier, stronger version of an awesome bag (4 + 5). i actually love it even more! woo hoo! 

xoxo, julie!

happy tutorial tuesday!

check out this website to learn how to turn your instagrams into magnets! this is an amazing, personal gift for a housewarming or birthday party, or just a fun, inexpensive treat for yourself! i’m totally going to get going on this!

xoxo, julie

happy tutorial tuesday! diy cocktail syrups!

so, it all started when i decided that i wanted a bar in my apartment. i wanted to make fancy cocktails with fun flavors. i wanted to experiment and i didn’t want to spend a ton of money. im a club soda kind of drinker. anything with a splash of soda (calorie free and bubbly!) is a-ok with me. i wanted to make some syrups that i think would be delicious with a variety of booze.

i started with simple syrup, slowly simmering (& whisking) 1 cup of water and one cup of sugar in a sauce pan until everything dissolved. boom. easy. now, add flavors.

i love lemon & lime in my drink and decided to make a sour mix by simmering 1/2C fresh lemon juice(approx 3 lemons) with 1/2C of sugar and 1/2C of water. simmer, whisk, dissolve. done. next i got adventurous.

i’ve had dried jamaica flowers (similar to hibiscus) in my cabinet- some friends brought them back from a trip- and i wanted to put them to use in a way i hadn’t done before. i simmered a handful (probably 1/2C) of the dried flowers with 1C of sugar & 1C of water. simmer, whish, dissolve, STRAIN. done.

i bottled all of my syrups in old kombucha bottles, wrapped them in a half sheet of copy paper and doodled their labels with a sharpie. i love a little DIY project in every part of my house, the bar being no exception! can’t wait to experiment more! lavender! different sugars! maybe even some savory flavors like basil :) stay tuned! 

cheers!
xoxo, julie!

happy tutorial tuesday!

i am obsessed with this sugar scrub. i got it for christmas and use it on my hands and feet to keep them smooth as silk. i’m running low and wanted to see if i could make my own, and hey, i can! it’s so easy-peasy and though i have not done it yet, i scoped out a bunch of different recipes and learned how. it comes down to a pretty simple ratio of 2:1 sugar: oil. you can make a batch as big or as small as you’d like (package it in cute little mason jars and give them as gifts!)

now, you can use any kind of oil that you like, but if you don’t want to smell like a stir fry, i would go ahead and get a coconut oil, or something deliciously fragrant, to use instead of olive or vegetable oil. you can also add some fragrant essential oils (i love lavender!), or lemon/lime/citrus juice and mix a couple drops of that in with your olive oil for an aromatic treat. enjoy! 

xoxo, julie

happy tutorial tuesday! diy raf simons chain shoes!

so, my intern, harry, loves raf simons. really he loves things that are black and drapey, preppy and gangsta. i love him and his style, but we couldn’t have more differing tastes. he must shake his head when he comes over and sees what kind of new ruffle i put on an apron since he last came over! i love it. he brought these raf simons chain shoes to my attention and was complaining about his loafers at home. i always have loads of gold chain hanging around. enter made over gold chain loafers AKA boom. free makeover.

needed: 
e6000 (the best glue ever) & applicator (i remove the fluff from q-tips)
gold chain- arrange however you’d like- the length will vary on your design)
pliers for easily opening/closing chain links. 

choose a couple of anchor points, we did not glue the entire length of the chain, nor do i think we should have. i think the mobility makes for a cool design. hold the points down until they feel secure and let them dry overnight.

now, these are not for the faint of heart. these are vegas and wonderful. i want him to wear these all of the time, though i know he won’t.

xoxo, julie!

happy tutorial tuesday! 

while back in grafton i made my mom a cute & simple egg garland by cutting egg shapes* from paint swatches (free!) and taping them on a string. i spruced up her living room by buying her fresh tulips & daffodils and hanging this garland below the vases. that living room needed some color, so i loved the way it looked for the holiday. 

there is no reason you can’t cut circles, or hearts, and do the same thing. cutting hearts out of just the reds & pink swatches would be a perfectly easy valentines decoration! go crazy! 

*cut the shapes on the back sided of the swatches, so as not to see pen lines on the front. 

xoxo julie!

happy tutorial tuesday! diy picture frame, cork hot pads!

i collect corks and have tons of extra picture frames laying around because of all of the home decorating that i always seem to be doing. i arranged different corks on an empty picture frame, spreading a generous  amount of e6000 (the best glue ever) all over the glass to secure them down.

for the back, remove all hanging parts so that it is flat. cover edge to edge in craft felt, trim to clean it up and voila! this is sure to be a hit at your next dinner party. 

if you don’t feel like making one, buy one here!

xoxo, julie!

happy tutorial tuesday! how to create victory rolls!

i love victory rolls. i always have. they are the perfect pin-up hairstyle and i’ve never gotten them perfect, but somehow i got mine exactly how i wanted them on friday night. here’s how.

i separated my hair into two front sections, parted down the middle, and tied the majority of my hair back into a bun so i could get to work on the rolls. 

after brushing through the front, and spraying with a volumizing hairspray, with a wide barrel curling iron, i curled into the point of my head that i wanted the roll. this made rolling the roll much easier. i finger curled the stiffened, curled hair back exactly where i used the iron and secured the front and back of the base of the roll with bobby pins. i used as many as i needed to feel secure, and sprayed with hairspray to finish.

i fluffed out the back of my hair and hit the costume party hard. good times. the bottom left is how i looked when i went out, and the bottom right is how i looked the next morning. my rolls held up better than i did! victory! 

xoxo, julie!

happy tutorial tuesday!

cutesy up your spice rack with matching jars and matching labels! trace the top with a thick colored cardstock that coordinates with your kitchen. label with a super fun font (i used white gel pen and black ink..obvi) and tape to the top! what a difference the pop of color makes. i love it! 

xoxo, julie!