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our save the dates
well here they are! our save the date postcards that have pretty much all been delivered. we wanted to do postcards to save on costs and make it really simple. but as soon as we had them printed, we found out that the postage rate for postcards had just gone up one cent a month earlier. this would be fine if the post offices actually sold .34 stamps. which they didn’t. so after multiple post offices and tons of internet researching, we decided to go with two .20 stamps (george washington was for some reason my favorite) and we only ended up spending $5 extra. i wanted to do vintage stamps but because our wedding is SOON — we had to get them out as soon as we could. and that’s my exciting stamp story. the end.
also — the border turned out totally uneven, but i’m trying not to be anal when it comes to the wedding so i have to just let it go (that’s what she said). overall, i’m really happy with them! we wanted to do a retro inspired postcard, but in a modern way. which i think they ended up as!
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oscar party
better late than two days prior. i’m just going to my moms house for the oscars this year (she totally has cable), but if i do throw an oscar party NEXT year (which i won’t because we refuse to pay for cable) here is what i’d host that shit with.
everyone loves alphabet balloons. they’re cheap and you can spell out anything. here are some examples : BEST PICTURE. BEST PARTY. CHIWITEL. (i just like his name)
don’t forget to print out the oscar ballots i shared last week! put money on it. or dares.
gold paper straws will make any drink look festive.
i’m all about the retro popcorn boxes — and they’re available at most restaurant supply stores.
you could use this DIY to gold dip all of your glasses, or if you’re not into that – how about paper cups?!
we love playing the leonard maltin game, and having the book around is the perfect commercial past time.
these gold block-printed napkins are oscars festive, but definitely cute enough to use all the time.
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i link you
kate arends’ apartment tour is so laid back and so well done (via the everygirl)
a photo series that embraces potholes and makes them a lot more fun (via indulgy)
i am loving these diy cement centerpieces. love the juxtaposition of the rawness of the cement with flowers. yeah totally just said that. meh. (via green wedding shoes)
i couldn’t love seth rogen much more than i do now — if you love him a lot too, you know already that his mother in law got alzheimers in her mid 50s. watch his testimony to the senate appropriations subcommittee about it. (via brobible)
this diy copper pencil holder is such a cute simple way to incorporate copper onto your desk. and of course with my wedding mind — all i can see is the perfect pen holder for the guest book. (via a fabulous fete)
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wedding stuff : floral crowns
i’ve got some BIG WEDDING NEWS! i’ve bought my dress! it only took three stores and about 30 dresses – but i found one that i love and decided to just go for it rather than prolong this process that i hate.
did / do most people hate wedding dress shopping? my first trip was with my mom and all my bridesmaids and i thought it would be this exciting fun experience, but it was mostly 5 different opinions. so i went again just with my mom and found something right away. it makes me feel like a pretty bride, but is also unique enough to make me feel like it’s me.
i did mention the theme is desert boho – and it’s not the most bohemian or laid back dress i’ve seen (it’s actually pretty “bridal” for me) so i’ve decided i’m just going to style it up (down) with some simple accessories and i’m really thinking of floral crowns. i definitely don’t want a HUGE bouquet on my head so as usual — i’d probably veer on the side of simpler.
i’d want my bridesmaids and the flower girls in them too – could make for fun DIYing!?
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the homies 2014
i know i know – it’s time for me to shut up about the apartment therapy homies awards. but i can’t! todays the last day of voting.
so in my final plea, i wanted to share some of the good times we’ve had here. remember those shelves? those were fun. you guys liked those. how about the campaign rast hack? that was my first big DIY ever!
over the last two+ years of blogging, i’ve felt like the blog and i have grown so much. i started it because i thought i was different for having good ideas but terrible technique. well i still mess projects up, but i mess them up a lot less. and i used to spend all my time being inspired, but now hopefully i can inspire people too. the blog has done a ton for me. and even though it isn’t my day job yet, i am happy with how much it’s grown. so just being in the finals makes me feel like i’ve done ok. and that’s saying a lot because i spend the majority of my time beating myself up for every minute detail. don’t worry – i’ll start therapy soon.
and if i get some votes (because i’m definitely not assuming i have a chance of winning) i’ll make cookies for you guys ok? COOKIES.
so if you have a free minute, please VOTE FOR ME.
(if you can’t find where to vote, just scroll down to the survey, that’s where you vote!)
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diy copper salad servers
well – here’s the simplest DIY i’ve done in a while! i have to say… it was pretty fun to be done with a project in a couple of minutes. we’ve been going hard watching bob’s burgers so more time for that is good.
i bought this copper contact paper on amazon a month ago for no good reason, and have been trying to think of something to do with it. now that i’m trying to eat more salads (because girls getting married should eat salad right?) i noticed how many crappy old salad servers i’ve hoarded.
it’s not like i’m going to throw them away. i can just make them look less old. normal right?
all you need is some old serving utensils, metallic contact paper and some scissors!
here are the directions, but i really think you probably don’t need them.
cut out pieces that will be long and tall enough to cover the handles. apply the front first and make sure to remove all air bubbles. then wrap the sides and make sure they overlap evenly. when they don’t, because they probably won’t, you can add a tiny piece in the middle and you won’t be able to see it after.
to wrap the bottom, cut each corner and overlap each side. just like wrapping a christmas present! smooth out all air bubbles and you’re done!
and if you’re throwing an oscar party, go ahead and wrap ALL your utensils in gold contact paper. go right ahead.
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almost makes mixtape ⋅ vol 7
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diy pipe + leather wine rack
i am so excited to say that i am now a DIY contributor for design*sponge! my first DIY project for them is this pipe + leather wine rack. this thing turned out to be a complete pain in the ass – but i’m pretty happy with how it turned out. kinda ace hotel meets the addams family.
HEADS UP : you might be thinking why didn’t you make it with copper or brass or gold piping?! i tried man, i tried. finding the correct piping corner pieces is not as easy as you’d think. it was impossible to do with anything but plastic PVC piping unfortunately. because i’m no welder. so stop judging me!
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i link you
i love seeing behind the scenes of other bloggers – brittni shows her photo setup and tricks which is a million times more profesh than mine (via paper & stitch)
photographer henry hargreaves recreates infamous last meals of prisoners – it’s creepy and fascinating (via buzzfeed)
when i see a recipe like this, all i can think is life is short it’s worth being fat (via bon appetite)
alexa meade is an artist that paints directly onto her subjects and creates 2D paintings from 3D life. obviously it’s crazy. (via where cool things happen)
along with my oscar ballot printable, these rosettes would make for such a fun oscar party (via house that lars built)
loving this simple copper, pine and leather magazine rack DIY – so so cute (via fall for DIY)
—- and just to be a pain, i’m going to ask one last time if you would please vote for me in the homies?! i promise to always do as many DIYs as i can and to always be here for you. ok i can’t promise that, because someday i might say F blogging. but until that day, i’m totally here for sure. please vote! i want votes! xx
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diy simple wood coat rack
i’ve been wanting to make a new coat rack for a few months to hold our laundry bags. yes we use laundry bags. it’s only because we mostly take our laundry over to my moms house to do it. yes we do our laundry at my moms house.
using just a few items from the hardware store, this DIY only took a few hours (plus drying time!)
the hardest part was picking out my favorite coordinating poplar and dowels! i decided that i liked the natural wood, but i’m sure it would also look dope in a nice stain.
materials
one long wooden dowel
one piece of poplar wood
a saw or miter box
a drill with a 3/4″ paddle bit
wood glue
painters tape
paint
directions
1. measure how long you’d like each dowel. cut them down using a saw or miter box. sand the edges. we settled on 5 dowels at about 2.5″ (there are 6 dowels in the photo. i wasn’t sure yet)
2. after sanding your poplar (and trimming if you’d like), measure out where your dowels will go using a ruler and pencil. to figure out the center of the wood, place your ruler diagonally from one corner to the other and mark. do it to the other side and mark. you’ll be left with an X in the center (art school)
3. using your paddle bit, drill into each hole, make sure they’re deep enough for the dowels to fit.
4. tape off and paint your dowels. we used a piece of scrap poplar to hold my dowels for drying.
5. once dry, liberally apply wood glue to the holes in the poplar and do a light coat on the bottom of each dowel. place in the hole tightly and make sure a little glue comes out so you know you’ve used enough. wipe away excess and let dry.
6. for hanging, we used mounting hardware on the back, which unfortunately doesn’t flush with the wall. we’ve decided that we’re going to drill it straight into the wall later so that it can actually support the weight of two laundry bags belonging to people who barely do their laundry because they go to their moms house to do laundry.
now you have yourself a simple and modern coat rack that i would totally buy in a store!
