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diy stamped no-sew napkins
as promised, i decided to use yesterdays DIY stamp to make some napkins using leftover jersey fabric! now, i’m not suggesting jersey is the best fabric for napkins – but you could use any durable fabric lying around or even stamp onto store bought cloth napkins or flour sack towels. and don’t forget, these are machine washable! YAY!
to make the stamp, follow the same instructions as yesterday’s DIY stamped scarf post.
my only tip for this project is if you’re reusing your stamp, make sure not to wash the stamp under running water. it wears down the adhesive – so the best way to reuse it is to clean with a soapy paper towel. but let’s be real – these stamps aren’t super durable for long term use. the good part is though, they’re easy as shit to make – so you can make a new one whenever!
now wouldn’t these make the perfect mother’s day gift? oh and speaking of mother’s day… print out the gift tags i shared to wrap them in and you’ve become the favorite child!
or just throw your mom a brunch, use the napkins at the brunch, then say “see these napkins? they’re your gift! sorry they’re dirty.”
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diy no-sew stamped scarf
i wanted to share the DIY project that i chose for the anthropologie event this past weekend : stamped scarves! these are so easy and it might be one of the most fun diys ever, actually. you know, because you get in the zone.
also, jersey knit makes for the perfect lightweight summer scarf, so i don’t have to tell you this would make a great mothers day present. do i? ok, well it would.
making your own stamps is insanely easy, so now that i’ve “mastered” it, i’m making a new stamp for everything.
materials
craft foam with adhesive backing *
wood block (we had these cut from scrap wood at the hardware store)
jersey knit fabric
scissors
fabric paint
foam brush* to make sure the stamps were thick enough, i doubled each piece of craft foam by simply sticking one piece to another.
step one | trace your block onto the back of your craft foam to get an accurate size. you can also skip this step if you’re impulsive.
step two | draw out your desired shape. i went with a striped pattern so just cut out a ton of lines. they’re definitely not perfect, but i think all the imperfections add to the charm of these.
step three | remove the backing and stick your foam onto your wood block.
step four | cut out a piece of fabric that seems like a good size scarf. this one measures at about 13.5″ x 65″. because it’s jersey, the raw edge is pretty unnoticeable and the edges roll nicely.
step five | lay your fabric down flat on a work surface and tape down to secure.
step six | brush paint onto your stamp and stamp away!
because i was so into the block pattern this stamp made, i wanted to show you yet ANOTHER easy diy you can make with it, just in time for mother’s day. i’ll be sharing part 2 tomorrow!
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mother’s day gift guide
mother’s day is this sunday — and in case you forgot to get her a little something something, here are some easy ideas [mostly all] under $100
01. you can never have too many pretty serving spoons, which is why i put them on every mom gift guide!
02. a fancy overnight face mask is something my mom would never buy for herself.
03. my mom is obsessed with celebrity biographies & memoirs, i”m going to assume all moms are the same way.
04. a fantastic cookbook always goes over well, my mom and i both love the AOC one.
05. a comfy set of pjs is always a go-to. this set is perfect for warm summer nights. i also want it for myself.
06. what woman wouldn’t want a gorgeous umbrella?
07. fill out this “what i love about mom” book and she’ll be thrilled to get a custom gift that’s all about her.
08. a little leather tassel keychain in her favorite color
09. a pretty rose gold watch for the mom who needs a little help keeping time
10. a little more expensive, but i had to include this footed bowl because my mom would looove it. go halfsies with your sibling.
11. the perfect summer bag for errands and farmers markets and general mom tasks.
12. a beautiful wood cutting board to spruce up her kitchen countertop.
13. a cute iphone case is always my go-to. -
almost makes mixtape ⋅ vol 9
hope you had a fun weekend and happy cinco de mayo! here’s what i’ve been listening to on repeat while finishing up the wedding invites — well, getting there… enjoy!
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payday wishlist
this week has been a bit stressful, and it being 95 degrees out everyday hasn’t helped! but i’ve been running around getting all the supplies for the anthropologie event on sunday, which i hope you’re coming to! if you aren’t and you want to, there might still be a chance to RSVP! i’ll be spending the weekend preparing for that while trying to stay cool in the meantime.
we’re also STILL doing honeymoon research (we’re so lost on where to go) and working on the wedding invites (i think i FINALLY figured out the design) i hope you have a great weekend!
01. these little patterned dip bowls would look so cute at a summer party filled with guacamole and dips.
02. the perfect sandal because they don’t require a pedicure. couldn’t believe how few women i saw in france not wearing them.
03. a gorgeous horn tape measure? like come on. when am i winning a lottery to buy all these lovely things i don’t need?
04. i love stretchy jewelry, so when i saw this bracelet i was like that looks like something i would have worn when i was 11, but pretty.
05. i looove these striped shorts and i bet you might too.
06. i’m clearly into triangles and clearly into coasters. -
diy printable mothers day wreath gift cards
in my big extended family, there are a lot of moms. i have my mom, but also a step mom and a future mother-in-law and a future step mother-in-law. and every year, i’ve had a hard time finding cards for anything but MOM. not that i don’t just usually buy my stepmom a regular mother’s day card, but i thought everyone ought to be included in the holiday! alternative titles and all.
these tags were a collaboration with the fiance gideon, who i should get to illustrate for the blog way more than i do now. (he is drawing our amazing map for our wedding invites and favors) aren’t the wreaths pretty?! thanks boo.
to use, all you have to do is print the tags onto standard 8.5 x 11″ cardstock, cut them out, and if you’d like, punch a hole in the top to tie it to a gift or bouquet. the back is blank so you can write a personalized message there.
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jumbo white chocolate chip cookies
no question – my favorite cookie ever is a white chocolate macadamia nut, but while it’s my favorite, the thing i like most about it is just the white chocolate chips. so i decided to forgo the nuts and just make this super rich, super buttery, super chocolately and super sized cookie because gideon is trying to gain weight for the wedding so why not eat 60 cookies?
i used my favorite cookie recipe, which has a crispy edge but really gooey inside (i mean… perfect cookie right?) and it’s also an EASY one.
jumbo white chocolate chip cookies
(adapted from all recipes)1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white chocolate chipspreheat oven to 350 degrees F.
cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. dissolve baking soda in hot water. add to batter along with salt. stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. drop by extra large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.
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palm springs pt 3
well we’re back from palm springs once again! we had an amazing two days, with a ton of wedding tasks to do, but i spread everything out enough that we had plenty of time to actually chill and feel like we were on a much needed getaway.
our first day we stayed at the saguaro, it’s the hotel where we’re having all of our wedding guests stay because it’s less than five minutes from our venue. we’re also strongly considering hosting our sunday brunch at the hotel for everyone before they leave, so we had to test the place out! they took amazing care of us, we had a great room and a delicious chef’s tasting at their lovely restaurant tinto.
the next day, we rode their free bikes to one of our favorite palm springs breakfast diners, elmers. it’s kind of like a german dennys, they have these huge german pancakes loaded with lemon.
after a lot of outfit decision making (yes we didn’t plan very well ahead of time) we headed to the ace where we’d be staying for the night and taking our engagement photos. so we had 30 minutes to go quickly eat our favorite thing at king’s highway – the potted pig. it’s a jar of pork along with mustard, homemade pickles and soft pita. and it’s the best thing ever. i need to make this at home.
we then met up with our photographer, color me rad and walked around the hotel taking photos. at first it was really nerve-racking and embarrassing, but it ended up being pretty fun, i felt like a model for the day, which can’t really be bad. after the ace, we headed out to the windmills to take the rest of the photos, which i’ll be sharing in a couple weeks! what i can share is if you’re taking engagement pictures at the windmills, keep in mind it’s windy. like so much windier than you expect. so maybe put your hair up because mine was cray.
that night we had another amazing dinner at workshop kitchen + bar. we’ll be having our rehearsal dinner for family and wedding party at the restaurant, as well as welcome drinks for all of our guests afterwards. it was so fun to do all these tastings, not only did we get to pig out but we felt like VIPs and i realized how fun getting married is. well this part anyway.
i highly recommend the octopus carpaccio, the duck fat fries (maybe the best fries i’ve ever had), and the lemon tart with beet sorbet was fantastic.
after a meeting with a wedding florist, we had our last lunch at fisherman’s market & grill, which i believe is shanghai reds at night with a supposedly insane happy hour that i’ve never had. the baja fish tacos and the ahi poke were both amazing.
fortunately, with all the tastings and photo session and meetings, we managed to still squeeze in some pool time all three days. and i was very sad to go home.
if you’re ever planning on visiting palm springs for the first time, use the food tips from all my posts, but my biggest tip for the best trip to palm springs is to try to go during the week when the hotels are cheaper and the pools are emptier. i swear it is such a difference.
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off to palm springs
today we’re headed to palm springs until friday to get a couple wedding things checked off the list. we’re also getting our engagement photos taken on thursday, and we’re still unsure about outfits. and i have three huge pimples right now so if anyone has advice for getting rid of them in a day, please let me know! ugh.
while we’re going to be taking care of some meetings and food tastings and staying at two different hotels in two nights, we’re also going to have a few hours both days to hopefully chill and sit by the pool and make it an actual little trip.
so i’m taking off early this week but i’ll be back monday!
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diy drugstore candle makeover (with printable labels)
if you’re anything like me, there’s a huge difference between products with good packaging and products without it. there honestly might be a psychological reaction to good packaging, because i think a pretty candle just smells better. and that’s insane, i know.but seeing as how much you guys liked the diy pretty shampoo bottles, i think you are just like me!
chances are, you might have a couple tackier looking candles around your house. whether you just like the smell, or you got it as a gift, or you can’t imagine spending more than $15 on a candle — then pretty up your candles using the labels i’ve designed! also, today is earth day. and this post is totally about recycling. i planned that so well!
it was actually harder than i thought to find decent shaped / smelling candles in the drugstore. i ended up picking them all up from different stores to find a good variety (these are from target, walgreens, cvs & rite aid)
the labels say different ounces, just because i couldn’t figure out what minimal candle labels should say, and everything in french sounds fancy, therefore … bougie.
materials
full sheet label paper
an xacto
cutting board
t-square
pencil
washi tape
directions
01. remove the labels from your candles. if they’re being jerks, soak in warm water and/or use goo gone to remove residue.
02. print out the labels below. they don’t have any guides or borders because the shape and size of your candle can dictate how big or small your label can be. for instance, i decided on a small square shape for the small white candle. use your best judgment!
03. using your t-square, lightly mark the shape you want to cut on each label. make sure you cut as straight as you can.
04. once you have your labels cut out, use your washi tape as a guide to where you want to place your label. try to get the washi tape as straight as possible onto your candle, because it’s pretty hard to apply these on straight without a guide.
yay. you now have MUCH better looking candles without spending hundreds of dollars.
