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    diy valentines fringed cake topper for sugar & cloth

    happy monday! (i mean BOO. MONDAY!)

    today i’m sharing a simple but impactful way to dress up a cake for valentines day on sugar & cloth. you can write any customized message you’d like to woo your sweetheart!

    diy LOVE cake topper DIY fringed cake topper

    go see more photos and the tutorial on sugar and cloth!

  • valentines wishlist

    valentines day is next week — and while we probably won’t be exchanging gifts with a million things on our plates right now, here are some simple gifts i’d be ecstatic to open.

    payday wishlist :: valentines gifts

    01. in love with these wood grain cups — i’d stick my toothbrush in there in a heartbeat.
    02. better late than never, julia kostreva makes the prettiest day planners. what a better way to stay organized.
    03. i wear thin band rings everyday, but this ring is such a tiny way to add a little oomph to those other ones.
    04. the perfect essie nail polish for the winter (and the spring and the summer and the fall)
    05. i want a custom return stamp for invites and thank you cards – how amazing is this one by sycamore street press!?
    06. i’m always in for a handsome and simple candle. there really isn’t an easier gift.

    unrelated, but also :: check out what kissing looks like from inside the mouth. it’s GROSS.

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    diy wedding binder with free printables

    well – as you’d expect. i now have a wedding binder. cheesy or cliche as these may be — things are taking off with the wedding planning and because of our budget, hiring a planner is out. so my mom and i are doing it, and hiring design consultants / coordinators instead. this binder might end up being attached to me. if you planned your wedding yourself – nice job. this is hard work.

    ok fine — so far it’s not that bad. but it is A TON.

    diy wedding binder

    so i started out with a black binder that gideon bought me. but then i went back and got a different binder. because i’m cray.

    so duh. i had to make the thing look nice to look at.

    diy binder

    starting with the binder itself, i got some pretty sun printed paper from the art store. i roughly measured each side onto the paper, and trimmed with an xacto and ruler. once you have your three pieces, slide them into the plastic sleeves.

    now if your paper is unruly (mine was on the spine of the binder because it was too soft), cut out a piece of card stock that’s thinner than your pretty paper. tape it securely to the back. this made sliding it in super easy.

    diy binder

    for the tabs, i bought the absolute simplest white ones i could find — and printed out the label template in a tiny font (naturally).

    wedding binder tabs

    but then i got really wild. because we are pretty unorganized people, i knew i had to keep track of our guest list in the most organized way possible. so i designed these guest list templates that can keep track of what we’ve sent and received from them and printed 20 of these babies out. and guess what. you can too!

    FYI – the whole thing is on the right side of the page so it can be hole punched easily.

    diy guest list template

    and then i did the same thing to keep track of vendors. this is a two page PDF with the different vendors that we’ll be using. (for the most part) we may actually be skipping a wedding cake. hopefully this can come in handy for you if you need it too!

    diy vendor list template

    i like the binder a lot. but bodhi? he loves it.

    wedding binder + bodhidiy wedding binder with printable templates

    T E R M S /// these templates are for personal use only, and NOT for re-distribution.
    if you’d like to post a link sharing them, you may not directly post the downloadable files.
    please credit and link back to this post for downloading the files.

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    six favorite valentines diys

    while i’m not super into pink and red under normal circumstances, valentines day is the one exception i’ll make. here are six of my favorite valentines projects that are beautiful, simple & way girly.

    favorite valentines diys

    printable donut boxes by sugar and charm / mylar treat bags by paper & stitch
    XO gift wrap by sugar & cloth / heart cake – source unknown
    heart garland by 52 weeks project / conversation heart donuts by studio diy

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    diy valentines treat bags / with free printables

    diy valentines treat bags with free printables

    who doesn’t like a last minute and FREE way to give out valentines treats?! well i’ve got one for you. all it takes is a printer and maybe a little patience.

    free printable valentines treat bags

    it took me a few tries to print directly onto these glassine bags, but don’t worry — it’s totally doable! it’s the same method i used for printing onto the shipping tags. and you can buy a pack of glassine bags at any craft store.

    now — to print onto the bags, download this guide. you’ll then want to print the guide onto a piece of paper. tape your bag onto the box as straight and tightly as you can, and gently feed the paper into your printer. you might be wondering why i didn’t put two bags on at once and i will now tell you. that shit don’t work. every time i tried two it jammed the paper. so the trick is to have your bag on the top side of your paper, not the bottom. otherwise it might jam right away (unless my printer is just dumber than yours).

    once your paper and bag are loaded, simply print one design at a time onto your bags — and let dry! mine came out inky.

    once dry, fill with cookies, chocolates or sweethearts! use a cute piece of washi tape and seal your bag. give out to all your loved ones!

    diy valentines treat bagsfree printable valentines day treat bags

    and happy almost valentines day! you guys have fun plans? we’re seeing bill cosby live! (not sure that’s the most romantic activity, but it’ll be fun.)

  • i link you

    i link you // 16

    maybe it makes me a huge dork – but i still love full house. yes i know it’s bad. but it’s the best bad. and fallon always targets my generation — it’s like he knows me. and now he got my full house boyfriends together. (for the record – joey is no boyfriend of mine)

    we’ve been wanting to get surround sound for years – but it’s either crazy expensive or hideous. these diy speaker covers make me think it’s totally possible. (via a beautiful mess)

    every few months, i am obsessed with a new house tour and all i want to do is live in that house. well i’ve found my new favorite. (via sfgirlbybay)

    brittany has been killing it (per ushe) with valentines DIYs. this heart chain would make a perfect photo backdrop (via the house that lars built)

    any no-sew DIY is exciting for me – how cute is this no-sew leather and wood clutch? (via always rooney)

    peter smart redesigned the standard boarding pass using the same amount of ink, the same information, and the same paper. how much easier would it be to read your ticket at the airport?! this really shows the power of the design. (via npr)

  • diy leather ipad case

    diy leather ipad case // almost makes perfect

    i’ve been meaning to update my ipad case forever… and on a whim a few months ago, i bought a yard of this soft white faux leather. so expect to see it used in a few more projects because i have a huge ass roll of it now.

    i can barely sew — as i’ve said before, so if you’re a great sewer, this will be a cinch for you. for me, not so easy.

    diy leather ipad case - materials

    L E A T H E R  I P A D  C A S E

    materials
    soft leather
    elastic band
    upholstery scissors (or a rotary cutter if you get down)
    suede cord
    pins
    needle
    thread
    xacto
    glue (optional)

    diy leather ipad case

    directions

     

    step one . cut down your leather using your ipad as a guide. leave it long on top and bottom.

    step two . cut out four strips of the elastic, making sure they’re long enough to essentially loop around the corners of the ipad.

    step three . again, using your ipad as a guide, measure and mark where your elastic pieces will go to securely fit. if they’re too loose, un pin and pin again. you want to make sure they’re as tight as possible so it won’t fall out. pin the elastic down into place.

    step four . sew the elastic bands into the leather. it’s ok if it looks whack — it really won’t be visible once your ipad is in place. also if your elastic is not perfectly straight like mine, as long as you have enough leather to trim off on top and bottom – you can make it straight afterwards.

    * step five . now if you’re not an advanced sewer, you might notice the back looks wonky once the elastic is sewn in. mine pinched all over the place which i knew would bother me. so in order to hide this (and add more protection to the ipad) i cut out another piece of leather and glued them together.

    step six . once the leathers dry, measure, mark and cut out the shape you want. you can do a much straighter line with a rotary cutter, but my scissors worked fine. i cut it long enough so there would be a flap on the right side of the ipad.

    step seven . using an xacto, cut a slit onto your flap and make sure it’s wide enough for your cord to thread through. knot it on the inside, and trim it to where you can wrap the cord around the case a couple of times.

    diy leather ipad case

    and there you have it! a very minimal and simple ipad case that’s soft enough to cuddle with. (i cuddle my ipad a lot.)

    diy leather ipad casediy leather ipad casediy leather ipad case

    i remembered right when i finished the case that i really want to swap out my ipad for an ipad mini, so i might be making another case someday.

  • palm springs pt 2

    we went to palm springs last weekend to scout wedding venues – and i’m just now finding the time to post photos… better late than never right? you may have noticed i’ve been really bad about posting for the past few weeks. i promise i’m going to get better. but life things are really pretty chaotic right now. so it’s just a matter of balance.

    we went to palm springs

    we stayed at the ace for the weekend, and besides going around to scout venues, we mostly hung around the room and the pool.

    the ace hotelthe ace hotel

    we had brunch at cheeky’s, which always has a line, but it’s one of the best brunches in palm springs in my opinion. their bloody marys are super spicy in the best way.

    cheekys // palm springs brunch

    we never go to palm springs and miss out on eating at las casuelas terazza, which is a cute authentic mexican restaurant with al fresco dining, margaritas, and a lot of times on weekends – live music.

    las casuelas // palm springs

    pretty sure everyone stays at the ace for the design, not for the luxury aspect. it’s just an old super 8 motel with a hip facelift, but i can’t help but be inspired when i’m there (or the parker). i’ve been in this lobby a dozen times, but was really inspired this time, thinking that we need to DIY a macrame chuppah for the wedding.

    the ace hotel ps lobby

    we did find our venue – and we set our date! but my anxiety is getting the best of me, and i’m seriously wishing it wasn’t so soon… this is a normal reaction to an engagement right?!

  • i link you

    i link you // 15

    i’ve always found mirror ads on craigslist so weird — you can almost always see something weird in the reflection. well now there’s a tumblr page full of them (via craigslist mirrors)

    how beautiful are all three of these DIY valentines day wrapping ideas? (via the house that lars built)

    these printable super bowl bingo cards are the easiest way to get the kids and women interested… i usually just eat and drink the whole time (via studio diy)

    old people reenacting images from movies – it’s obviously adorable (via reddit)

    loving this brilliant jewelry box diy made from two acrylic frames so much… i don’t usually bother copying DIYs for my house but i totally would want to make this (via house of earnest)

    pretty funny truthful posters of this years oscar nominated movies (via college humor)

  • netflix gems pt 2

    well – i’ve been watching some netflix as usual, and i thought it was time to share some more favorites!

    netflix streaming movies - pt 2

    frances ha ok. i love this movie. it’s about a lost 20 something who’s struggling with her career path and her best friend moving on without her. but gideon didn’t like as much as me. maybe it’s a girl thing.

    house of the devil if you like horror movies, but especially if you like 80s horror movies – this throwback is really well done. stylized super well, the plot is not my absolute favorite, but if you’ve been meaning to watch it – then watch it. sound advice.

    ramen girl don’t hate. this looked so cheesy and i kind of turned it on just to see how bad it was. an hour later and gideon and i are both ridiculously into it. if you give it a chance, this movie will make you want to move to japan and make ramen so fast.

    robot & frank a super sweet movie about a senile old man and his robot. i’m a sucker for friendship movies.

    once bitten you may have watched this as a kid on cable, but as i’ve shared before – i have a serious love of 80s movies. especially sex comedies. (i’ve mentioned before but HARDBODIES is our absolute favorite) this one stars jim carrey as a vampire. there’s an amazing dance scene. i mean. it’s good.

    walking and talking yet another friendship movie – i was super bored and not into it when i put this on, but ended up liking it. you might too.

    hunk omg another 80s sex comedy? yep. that’s what netflix is for. this one was surprisingly entertaining – and watch out for brad pitt as an extra on the beach!

    a bag of hammers a kind of sweet drama about two deadbeat guys who end up raising a kid. i cried. therefore i share.

    blackfish a really sad documentary about seaworld. another crying movie. super well done and seriously makes you want to go free all the whales.

    + see part 1 of lots more netflix instant movies here