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embroidered
i know it’s kind of a summer look – but i realized i am really into embroidered clothing right now, and it’s much harder to find the perfect blue and white embroidered top in september. dammit.
+ embroidered blouses are so cute, right? check out this sold out one and this sold out one.
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glasses roundup
i’m in the market for new prescription glasses. i don’t wear them for much besides night driving, working, and watching tv – but my current ones are missing the arms and the lenses are all scratched up.
i ordered the five pairs from warby parker for at home try on – and as much as i like the company and the glasses in theory, none of them look good on me. actually they all look i drew glasses on my face. i’ve rounded up my favorites. the truth is – i think i just hate the way i look in glasses, but these all seem cute.
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diy wrapped cords
i’m certainly not the first to wrap cords in other stuff (good ones here and here and here), but mostly i’ve seen DIYs done with extension cords. i personally don’t have a big extension cord problem in my house. i have a big white apple cord and camera cord and wacom tablet cord problem. specifically on my desk. so i decided i had WAY too many cords sitting around to not do anything about it.
but THEN – i was walking around aimlessly at home depot and saw that they started carrying the smaller version of the bungee rope i’ve always loved. i’ve been wanting to make something with the pretty bungee and now it came in convenient bracelet size. i was ready to go.
DIY WRAPPED CORDS
+ SUPPLIES
bare cords. duh.
bungee / twine / whatever
a needle
nylon thread
scissors
a lighter (for bungee ends)
lots of patience and good tv to watchi did this DIY with the intention of it being removable in case i didn’t like it or the cats didn’t like it even more. so far the cats have been fine. so have i. so instead of using hot glue like i was planning, i used a needle and thread to secure the ends and tied the rest super super tightly. the ends are not the most beautiful thing but who looks at ends!?
+ INSTRUCTIONS
step one . tie a small knot around the first end of your cord.
step two . sew the knot together a ton – if you’re using nylon thread, it’s practically invisible so don’t worry about how it looks. sew until it feels tight.
step three . sit there and wrap. do it really tightly and keep pushing towards the end you sewed.
step four . once you reach the end and have pushed the bungee or twine as far towards the other end as you can, keeping it all tight – tie a knot in the other end, cut and light with your lighter. sew to secure with your needle and thread.
i feel much better about my desk being cluttered with cords now.
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payday wishlist
one . lately i’ve found myself only wearing loose blousey tops. maybe it’s the fact that i’ve gained weight and maybe it’s because they’re comfy – but i love em. i LOVE em. this one is on sale for $15!
two . this desk from target really makes me want to replace my current one.
three . i’m back to liking huge sunglasses like i used to wear in the paris hilton nicole richie days. these big round ones from asos are so good.
four . i’ve always wanted a bialetti espresso maker. i love espresso and i love pretty kitchen items.
five . i like lamp so so very much.
six . you can’t have enough pajamas in my book. these womens silky boxer shorts look like something i’d wear everyday always. -
i link you
THIS WEEK
i’ve seen her house before, but i love every room in the home of althena calderone. (via refinery 29)
photographer stephanie gonot’s photography project titled “fad diets” (via phaidon)
have you seen that brendan fraser movie blast from the past? that shit is real. (via messynessychic)
25 celebrities when they were young. helen mirren, martha stewart (above), & stephen colbert are my faves. (via sobadsogood)
oh joy studio tour designed by emily henderson. i’m such a sucker for pretty / functional workspaces. (via designsponge)
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some ceiling fans actually look good
we didn’t realize how hot our apartment would get when we moved in last november. but all spring and summer have been really brutal for us. we live on the second floor and are basically in agony unless we’re sitting with the AC on and all the doors closed in the bedroom. this was a big adjustment moving from somewhere with central AC.
for some reason, the second bedroom that we use as an office doesn’t have any AC. so we take shifts of working in it and having to take cool down breaks. not joking. for months now this has been going on. did i mention there has been a heatwave happening this week?
the other day i was like wait a minute… why don’t we buy a ceiling fan? after doing some research, i discovered there are in fact good looking ceiling fans. but not really for the price i’m going to pay. here is a roundup of my favorites that are under $500.
+ we bought one (that isn’t on this list, but was very cheap) and i’m planning a DIY to style it up when it finally arrives in the mail.
one . machine aged polished copper fan // $384
two . westinghouse matte black ceiling fan // $89
three . schoolhouse ceiling fan // $476
four . minka aire kewl ceiling fan // $100
five . casa reaction oil rubbed bronze fan // $199
six . paris ceiling fan // $384
seven . modern cirrus fan // $376 -
carpinteria, california
we realized the other day that we need to be taking more day trips while we’re able to (i only work two days a week and gideon is freelancing). so we got in the car and drove to this beach i saw that looked like it was straight out of cape cod. it did not disappoint.
it’s called santa clause beach in carpinteria which is just south of santa barbara. we spent a few hours on the beach which is lined with east coast fencing and a train track. a train going by you on the beach is a new experience for me.
then we stopped in for coronas and calamari next door at padaro beach grill. this place was so cute with little picnic tables and christmas lights.
we saw a sign for lake casitas on the freeway so after the beach we headed there. it was huge and gorgeous but a tad hot… it was 100 degrees that day so caused quite a lack of energy. we walked around and explored and played with sticks and ducks. they have campsites all around the lake so i’m now itching to camp there. camping always sounds so fun in theory and then when i’m sleeping in a tent i think “why am i doing this? i could be in my bed right now.”
i bought gideon this hat at a nearby market where they actually sold moonshine.
our last stop was to ojai which is near the lake. i’ve been to ojai a couple of times and love it. we planned on having an early dinner and walking into shops, but got there around 5:15 and apparently everything in ojai closes at 5. so we had ice cream and headed home.
we’re going to start taking little day trips more often because they’re cheap without paying for hotels and there are so many places i want to explore outside of LA. it’s super nice to leave to city too.
do you take day trips or are they too brief?
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almost makes mixtape ⋅ vol. 3
here’s a mix to get you through hump day. doesn’t it always mentally feel like a longer week when it’s shorter? for me it does.
+ we saw you’re next last week and i have been obsessed with the song that plays repeatedly through the movie. it’s looking for the magic by dwight twilley band. have you seen the movie? they chose the perfect song.
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diy leather camera strap
i read that the immediate sign of a non-photographer aka dork is using the camera strap that the camera comes with. well i don’t want to look like a dork. so i made myself one.
but the best news about this strap? it’s no sew and takes about 10 minutes to make. (it took me a lot longer to gather the materials)
for some reason, i really wanted to do gold hardware. in retrospect, i think silver would have looked just as good and even matched the camera better. i say this now, because it is REALLY hard to find small gold swivel hooks. i went to three stores and searched the internet for hours but ended up buying silver ones and rub n buffing them and then spraying with shellac. total waste of time. if you’re into gold, you’ll have to do the same thing probably. if you like silver, all of the hardware will be a breeze to find.
step one // attach the swivel hooks into the d-rings through the small slit.
step two // with your leather strip, determine the length you want your strap (i used the strap that came with the camera as a reference) trim to desired length, keeping an extra inch or two for folding over.
step three // fold the ends over the d-ring and try to crease as much as you can. once you like it, liquid stitch and try to not get too much on there like i did. OOPS.
step four // clip it with your two binder clips on either side and let dry for an hour.
step five // repeat on other side. once dry, attach the small keyrings to the camera. told you it was easy.
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payday wishlist
apparently this week i’m lusting after things you can wear and things you hang on the wall.
one . normally i wouldn’t be into hanging “bonjour” on my wall, but these wire script sculptures are so simple, i love them.
two . loving this roxbury necklace from need supply. it would look so good with a black tee + black jeans.
three . himoart is an etsy shop full of beautiful macrame wall hangings that aren’t out of my price range like usual!
four . what’s the deal with sheinside? i always see their cute cheap stuff but not sure how legit they are. man i like this dress. has anyone ordered stuff from there?
five . i really can’t think of a spot in my apartment that i don’t want to hang the gilt minimalist mirror.
six . this gold statement ring is so pretty and i like a lot of the rings on katia v’s etsy shop.have plans for the long weekend? we’re gonna go to the beach before it’s too late and try to see the world’s end.
+ happy labor day weekend!
