I had one heck of a time finding a store-ready mobile that wasn't absolutely hideous and the ones I liked on Etsy were basically a bazillion dollars. It was decided...this would be one nursery project I would DIY. Handmade with love, the mobile in our sweet girl's nursery was a fun little weekend craft project to tackle that cost us under $6 since I already had the paper, glitter, and twine in my crafting arsenal.


1.) Download this 3D polyhedron template, and print the template onto thick cardstock in the colors of your choice.

2.) Cut out the shape on the outside perimeter.

3.) Use a bone folder to lightly score the interior folds, and assemble the shape with the printed lines on the inside. Be sure to leave one side open so you can string these up later! Let dry. This is a good time to laugh and love on the attention-demanding pup sitting by your feet.

4.) If you want to add sparkle to your mobile (duh!), pour fine glitter out on a paper plate. Use a paint brush dipped in regular Elmer's glue to coat one side, and press into the glitter. Once dried, mix Elmer's glue into a small dish with a little water and plenty of glitter to make a slightly thinned out glitter glue. Carefully paint it on top of the loose glitter to seal it in so it won't flake off.

5.) I opted for a brass embroidery ring instead of wooden dowels to hang the mobile. Secure the string (I used striped baker's twine) to the mobile by cutting 6 really long pieces of string. Fold in half, and tie them at the top in a loop shape. Space and tie each 'leg' of string to the hoop.

6.) Using a big eyed needle, thread the polyhedrons onto the string. Position as desired, and glue the flaps closed. These stayed in place just fine without any knots to anchor them.

7.) Voila! Sit back and admire your rad baby mobile...or keep on stringing until you have a rockin' photography backdrop, wall hanging, or fun party decor.

Some fun weekend reading...enjoy the winks (weekend links)!

+ Have you guys been watching House of DVF? I kinda love it....John even got a little into it when shit hit the fan about Kier's giant gold bow. Anyways, I heart and admire Diane so I thought this article on Refinery 29 was an inspiring read from a very smart biz lady.

+ If you don't follow Megan's blog, what the heck is wrong with you? Add it to your RSS immediately. I loved this podcast she did with Jessica of One Part Plant. She gets real and talks cancer, menopause, adoption, her book, upcoming screenplay, and....why meth babies are a deal breaker. ;)

+ TXSC 2015 is on....pack your best plaid, find yourself a s'mores stick and reserve your spot! This year, the conference is about getting back to basics, so the theme is CAMP. I'm super bummed that I won't be able to go this year because of SXSW commitments - boo hoo!

+ This illustration on Cup of Jo had me laughing out loud. I can't help but eye roll when couples are all "Weeee're pregnant!!!" so I am 100% behind that one. Another one are those stupid BINGS on airplanes that scares the crap out of you when it wakes you up. What are your pet peeves?

+ The '60s are my most favorite decade - the fashion! the beauty! the decor! the movies! - so this post was definitely bookmark-worthy. It has me rummaging through my hair bin for my teasing comb within 10 seconds flat.

+Speaking of which, have you seen these classic films? With the exception of the Marilyn Monroe movies, I haven't watched any of them. I feel a movie marathon coming on....get ready, Netflix.

+ Flourless pumpkin almond butter bars with dark chocolate and coconut? Ummm, get in my belly.

+ Elsie and Emma hit it out of the DIY park with this rad marbled clay ring dish tutorial. Brilliant!

John and I picked up this sad, stinky, shabby but very sexy mid-century lounge chair the very same day we adopted our little lovebug (who happens to be casually lounging on the sheepskin rug....Miles loves a good photobomb). After sneezing our way home on the hour long drive with a very musty chair in the backseat and a dirty little dog on my lap, we set out to clean up both of the new additions to our home.

Miles went to the groomer, and I headed to Bolt Fabrics. A locally-owned little gem of a fabric store on S. Lamar, it was practically impossible to pick just one fabric to choose since there were so many beautiful and affordable upholstery options. Good thing the Bolt team and my friend Sara was there to chime in! The team at Bolt were a dream to work with - they gave me lots of advice about pattern, scale, and helped reign in my design ADD. We ended up going with this 'modern with a touch of mod' tribal zig zag pattern, which was so graciously gifted for this project.

After securing the perfect fabric, I went to work ripping off the crusty old upholstery, moldy foam, and removing the 245435515484631574584684654864684 nails that the previous 3 upholstery jobs had punched into the wood frame. A few days and a prayer that I was up to date on my tetanus shots later, I had cut, stapled and upholstered a chair that John and I were absolutely smitten with.

Thank you so much, Bolt Fabrics and Sara! Austinistas, be sure to check Bolt's gorgeous selection of fabrics out for any upcoming interior projects and follow along on their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see the latest and greatest. Or just pop in and say hi...it's such a fun little shop with lots of inspiring colors, patterns and prints!

April's showers had me thinking purely of flowers, which meant I hightailed it to HomeGoods to pick up several pots for our deck and began planting basil, rosemary, mint (anyone want a watermelon mojito?!), dill, parsley, lavender, red lantana, pink and white petunias, and a bunch of other flowers with names I'll never know.

A couple months ago, I went on another green bender. I bought a handful of house plants, and peppered them around the living room and kitchen. It wasn't long after until the leaves started to shrivel because yours truly used pots that didn't have a drain hole (d'oh!!!) and we experienced a Biblical plague of flies that infested the soil and, consequently, our house. It was then that my sweet and patient husband banned me from bringing in live plants from the house.

Since the great bug fiasco, I've mostly kept to my promise to keep the greenery in the casa artificial. However, our surviving snake plant was looking super lonely so I decided to sneak some cacti friends into the house to keep it company. I mean, it's pretty dang tough to kill a cactus, they are watered so infrequently that bugs are few and far between, and they are just so stinkin' adorable in their little DIY pots. Wouldn't these make a cute little housewarming gift set?

Here's how to make your own painted terracotta pots:

1. Pick up a variety of terracotta pots and spray paint them with a primer. Let thoroughly dry.
2. Spray on 1 - 2 layers of your base coat of color. Let thoroughly dry.
3. If you want to add designs like I did, use painters tape to form the design and tape off the rest of the space you don't want painted. Add your contrasting color, and let thoroughly dry. Note: the blue painter's tape is total crap, don't ever buy that junk....green Frog Tape is where it's at.
4. Spray on a layer of protective clear coat to make sure it won't chip off when you go to plant and water your plants.
5. Plant your succulents and cacti, and set them on tables or bookshelves. 

Tip: For doing the color block pots, you can pretty much only get a straight line going across the wider portion of the pot, so you'll have to apply the contrasting color to the top portion only. Just something to keep in mind when painting your base and contrast colors.

When my mom and dad brought back some family pieces from the middle-of-nowhere-but-charming-and-quintessential-small-town-Texas abode where my dad grew up, we inherited some pieces that included a shabby looking piano bench. Thinking it would be a great piece to put in our slightly awkward entryway, we happily took the lot and rolled up our sleeves to get it looking like it hasn't been sitting in a rat-infested shed for the past 30 years.


I used a similar process from our DIY upholstered headboard project when upholstering this bench. The steps I took went like so: sand the wood down, and spray paint the piece first with primer (let dry in between coats if primer isn't already in the formula) and then with the color. I used Rustoleum 2x Paint and Primer in glossy Dark Grey. While that was drying, I sprayed adhesive on the wood top (it wasn't screwed on the base), stuck the foam to it, and trimmed just outside of the edge. I then sprayed the adhesive on the top of the first foam layer, and made it a double-double (for all you non-In-N-Out fans, that means I put another layer on top).  I felt that the 1.5" foam I was using wasn't cushy enough, and 3" would look and feel better. After that step, I used my nail gun to put on a layer of batting to smooth the edges out. Then came the fabric. The striped ombre fabric I used was a vintage find at a local estate sale. It smelled SO bad when I got it - it was stored in a garage for years, and I instantly fell in love with it in all its musty mothball horrendousness. Side note:  I soaked it in vinegar and water twice, washed it, and that did the trick in getting the fabric to not gangbang my nostrils with offensive odors.

Looking back, I would have rather kept the wood but it was pretty deeply scratched and peeling in some parts. Instead of getting out the wood putty, sanding the hell out of the piece and re-staining it, I took the lazy route and covered it with paint. I think it turned out well, I'm just not so sure I'm feeling the look of painted wood in this project. Live and learn.

{photos by me} 

Marbled Paper // I used to make marbled paper all the time as a kid, and I remember being mesmerized as I dropped the ink onto the water in the pan, watching it ripple and swirl with all the colors around it. Once my masterpieces were done drying, I would scribble notes and doodle all over them and hang them front and center on our fridge. This is one nostalgic craft I'd love to do again as a big kid. ;)

Marbled Clay & Copper Candle Holders // I need another set of candle holders like a hole in the head, but this inexpensive DIY is the perfect balance of modern and glam.

Concrete Planters // I really dig the look of a simple, modern concrete planter. I bought a beautiful one by Oh Laszlo two years ago, and it's one of my favorites. Little succulents just look so darling in them! I'd love to make some large and in charge ones for our patio....though I might need to start pumping iron before then if I plan on making them on a bigger scale!

Gold Mugs // You know the zillions of mugs that are sadly sitting in little rows at thrift shops? I might just keep my eyes peeled for some plain ones, and give them a glitzy makeover with some trusty gold spray paint. When finished, I fully expect them to dance around my kitchen singing a rendition of "Be Our Guest."

{Images via House of Earnest, The Felted Fox, Zana, Garland of Grace}

I picked up a variety pack of glitter ribbon from HomeGoods, figuring it was one of those purchases that would 'come in handy in the future.' Well, after sitting on a shelf looking all pretty and sparkly for a few months, the future is now. The project? An easy way to glam up the humble bobby pin so you can coif your hair into party perfection for the holidays.

Gather your bobby pins, hot glue gun, scissors, and glitter ribbon in whatever color you want (I chose gold and silver because I'm predictable like that).  I found the exact pack I bought on Etsy if you want a rainbow of colors to hoard/stare at/wear in your hair. The instructions are probably obvious and super easy...like I almost feel a little silly typing them out.

How to Make DIY Glittery Bobby Pins

1. Cut your ribbon strip slightly longer than the bobby pin.
2. Place a thin line of glue down the center of the ribbon. I used hot glue because I had a feeling I would superglue my fingers together. ;)
3. Lay the flat side of the bobby pin on the glue, being careful not to let the glue overflow so the prongs can't separate.
4. Gently press down to make sure that there's a secure bond. Let dry.
5. Style it up! Secure twists, buns, and braids with these glittery pieces of hair bling.

When John and I were living in Boston, we had an adorable - yet miniscule- shoebox of an apartment to furnish. Since we weren't planning on staying there longterm, we went the el cheapo route for furnishings...basically hand-me-downs and lots of Ikea. The white Lack coffee table from Ikea was just the right size, and doubled as our dining room table as well (we are thugs like that).

Surprisingly, 2 years later, that table is still with us. I really love the size of it, and its plain white finish just seemed to work with all our furniture. What I wasn't loving was the "Ikea-ness" of it. Drawing inspiration from our sleek walnut credenza and hand-me-down vintage Eames chair (best hand-me-down EVER), I decided to give our table a mid-century modern makeover on the cheap. All I needed was a pair of signature tapered legs...so to Etsy and eBay I went.  I ended up buying this set for a total of $35, if any of you are curious. Once they arrived, all I did was remove the Ikea legs and screw those mid-century babies in and voila! Old table, new look.

The finish on the tabletop is worn off in certain places, so I need to figure out what to do to give that part a little freshening up...but for know, I'm loving the white and wood combo and our lucite Mattie Luxe tray also helps to cover up any of those blemishes. Painting this stuff is apparently a hot mess, so I'm not sure I want to go that route...though the edge in a fun color would be cute, no? I'm still debating whether or not to upholster the top...perhaps in a chartreuse or teal fabric? To tuft or not to tuft? John mentioned putting a mirror on top. We shall see...but for now, I'm digging this sleek new white and wood look.

Photo by Kasia Sykus; Originally posted here.

Edible flowers delicately suspended in ice cubes....for the most glam cocktail you've ever had in your entire life.

Easy peasy confetti filled balloons....it would be super fun if you made tons of these and filled up a room. Bummer if one pops though. Just have the dust buster on the ready.

....and napkins dotted with gold paint to match. I am smitten with this bright neon color palette. Feels so perfect for summer.

This huge fringed chevron garland would add such a fun atmosphere to any party. A huge impact without too much work....just lots of snip, snip, snip.

Now you'll have to excuse me while I raid all the plain old vases at the thrift store and get them ready for a little metallic paint facelift.

Hanging art stresses me out. I hang it crooked 99% of the time, can never find the studs, and am super ADD which results in constant rearranging. Fun fact: the bizarro 1980s texture on our walls isn't a fan of those super convenient little sticky picture hangers...just ask the shattered glass that had a meet-and-greet with our floor. Anyways, for these reasons and beyond, most of the walls in our house are still as bare as Bruce Willis' scalp.

Earlier this week, I announced that I'll be co-hosting a Kollabora craft party in cahoots with Megan, Linda and Valerie during the Texas Style Council mixers. The bracelet-making bonanza is this Sunday at Stella Says Go. Are you planning on going? You better be if you live in the Austin area!

I spent my childhood summers living in a cabin in the northern woods of Wisconsin making friendship bracelets and canoeing the lake, and would come home with my neck and arms absolutely stacked with colorful friendship bracelets. Chevron, stripe, stair step, woven rope....you name it, I wore it. If you are a bit rusty on your bracelet making skills but really want to join in on this weekend's TXSC craft-a-thon, fret not....this tutorial is to the rescue. Here's what you'll need to make a chevron friendship bracelet: at least 4 colors of your favorite embroidery string, a safety pin, and some time.