Craft day, anyone?

{Mary-Kate Steinmiller bracelets}

via The Coveteur

Before decorating these adorable onesies for Shannyn's shower, we didn't think we had it in us to create something remotely cute and wearable, much less, what we have come to agree are the cutest onesies in existence (heck yes, we're proud!).  So I have been wanting to take on another DIY project, to, you know, utilize my amazing creative gift I apparently didn't know I had.  I saw these Mary-Kate Steinmiller bracelets on The Coveteur and absolutely love them, but she makes them herself and are maybe impossible to find.  Then I found some awesome DIY instructional posts on the Honestly...WTF blog that I think are pretty similar to her bracelets that I am dying to try (see photos below)!  Anyone in for a craft day?

{DIY wrap bracelets}

via Honestly...WTF

{DIY friendship bracelets}

via Honestly...WTF

{DIY rope bracelets}

via Honestly...WTF

Hanger Appeal (cont.)

With the prep work out of the way, I sat down this week to complete my project. Since I am only painting stripes, here is where the blue tape comes in. Use the blue tape to cover areas you do not want to paint. Remove the tape after the paint has dried & you are left with clean, straight lines.

Here is the inspiration for my frames; the bar at Benoit. (I also mentioned this restaurant on my May 6th post for where to get French pastries.)

Since Benoit is a French bistro, I found it fitting to pair the first & central frame with an image of the Eiffel Tower.

image courtesy of Stardust & Sequins

photo by Phil Poynter

photo by Eleanor Hardwick

Aaand we're done! The frames sit above the right side of my couch, on the wall flanking my kitchen.

Hanger Appeal

My boyfriend has been telling me that our walls are bare & since I am an "artist", why don't we have "art" on our walls? I do not like to see my work displayed, but I thought it would be fun to paint something. I considered painting either furniture or frames, & frames seemed more realistic. So for our anniversary (which was a week ago), I decided to decorate one of the walls in our apartment with a melange of framed prints.

I found these frames at Housing Works Thrift Shop (23rd btw 3rd & Lex)
& Vintage Thrift Store (3rd btw 22nd & 23rd).

I got a little side tracked at Vintage Thrift. I couldn't resist. Look how cute!

For this activity, you will need: sandpaper, primer, removable masking tape, & paint.

To start, it is a good idea to open a beer, which often makes projects more enjoyable.

If you decide to buy sandpaper sheets instead of a sanding block, you will find that your fingertips get very hot while sanding. You should probably wrap the sandpaper around something block-like for better grip, such as your boyfriend's rubik's cube.

After sanding the surface to even out imperfections & remove excess paint, you may choose to prime your frames. Here is an example of a really bad priming job.

You'll need to sand the frames again after the primer dries. I was temped to just stop after this step & go for the distressed look, but I'll finish up next week.

Check back next week Thursday to see how the frames turn out!

Dainty Drapey Pearls

{J.Crew Dainty Drapey Pearl Necklace}

A few weeks ago I saw this drapey pearl necklace at my local J.Crew (my personal favorite is the pink pearl with a gold chain version they had in store).  I thought it was super cute, but thought the $45 price tag was a bit steep.  Instead of purchasing it, I thought "I could make that myself" and snapped a quick picture with my blackberry (while the SAs weren't looking).  I dabbled in jewelry making a couple years ago and still have a bunch of unused supplies.  From beads, chain and jump rings I already had, I created my own version of a dainty drapey pearl necklace.

 {threading pearls with nylon thread}

{pearl, glass and Swarovski crystal beads, sterling silver chain}