• 6 DIYs to do before summer ends

    6 last minute summer DIYs | almost makes perfect

    ugh — as soon as august 1st hits, i’m like oh there goes the summer. i know we still have a few weeks left, so here are six projects to make before it’s too late. because we all know that’s it’s so not ok to make summery DIYs once autumn hits, right?

    01. potato stamped tea towels by say yes
    02. diy hammock by the merrythought
    03. diy modern cooler by almost makes perfect
    04. diy patterned kimonos by sugar & cloth
    05. diy modern wind chime by dream green diy
    06. palm frond cocktail stirrers by a fabulous fete

  • happy weekend

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    we’re heading to utah today for a wedding weekend! i’ve never been, and sadly it’s looking like we won’t have much of a chance to explore whatsoever, so as much as i wish i could ask you guys for recommendations, i don’t think i’ll be needing them. but i’m excited! yet another week full of intense house hunting with no good news to share, but at least we’re starting to lower our expectations! enough complaining — hope you guys have a fun one.

    ⋅ pretty! and you can never have enough night lights
    ⋅ don’t be a perv. ok, be a perv
    ⋅ boys will just never get what it’s like to be a girl
    ⋅ GUH i wanna make one but i totally won’t
    ⋅ how insanely good does this look?!
    ⋅ want want want this so bad
    ⋅ this is really dumb, but yay we’re going to jamaica!
    ⋅ last chance to vote for meeeee! MUAH

  • maker spotlight : the vintage vogue

    maker spotlight ~ the vintge vogue | almost makes perfectthe vintage vogue | almost makes perfect

    yay! today i’m introducing you to the lovely charlotte of the vintage vogue. she makes ALL SORTS of pretty things, but i first discovered her because of those lovely dipped trays you may have stumbled upon. let’s meet her!

    maker spotlight ~ the vintge vogue | almost makes perfectRead More

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    diy travel kit (+ free printables)

    DIY travel kit | almost makes perfectDIY travel kit | almost makes perfect

    so excited to share this very cute little travel kit with you guys today. my friend jaymee made herself this little set for a trip she took recently and i wanted to share it with you guys!

    because every time you’re on a vacation, you have no idea where to put your used unmentionables right? do i sound 85 when i say unmentionables? dirty panties seems a lot less elegant. anyway — jaymee designed this little bag for her laundry, and these perfect little labels for her travel shampoo + conditioner. and you can too!

    DIY travel kit | almost makes perfectRead More

  • tv shows to binge watch

    shows to binge watch this summer | almost makes perfect

    now that the bachelorette is over (WHAT?! i didn’t watch the bachelorette…), i meant, now that TV shows are over… i thought i’d share some of the shows we’ve watched hard. real hard. and they’re all streaming! yay!

    WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER : FIRST DAY OF CAMP (NETFLIX)
    i wouldn’t recommend this if you haven’t watched or don’t love the movie, but if you have, then you probably already watched the show — so i guess i don’t need to mention this at all. ps i loved it.

    SILICON VALLEY (HBO GO)
    we loved season 1, but season 2 was even better. if you haven’t watched, watch. it’s so so good.

    MARRIED (HULU)
    i really don’t want this to get cancelled so i hope everyone can watch it and it won’t be. it’s super dark, super hilar.

    THE JINX (HBO GO)
    you already watched this?! well duh as you should have because everyone was talking about it. but if you haven’t, duuude.

    BROAD CITY (HULU)
    it took me a while to watch, and then i did and i was like oh why wasn’t i watching? best girl show since SATC. but boys actually like this one. (gid actually likes SATC just so we’re all clear)

    INK MASTER (NETFLIX)
    this might seem like a strange one on the list, but we randomly turned on an episode when we were bored one night and got totally hooked. it’s like project runway but with tattoos, which still might not sound that appealing but for some reason i am obsessed with this show.

    BLACK MIRROR (NETFLIX)
    i recommended this on the last netflix roundup, but i still recommend because you didn’t watch it did you?! DID YOU!?

    SEINFELD (HULU)
    well duh. a surprising amount of people have said to me “oh i’ve already seen all the episodes”, but no — when you actually watch in order versus seeing the last two seasons after jeopardy its a totally different experience.

    EMPIRE (HULU)
    you may have heard me preach about how good this show is – well it’s gooood. it’s so cheesy and awesome and you’ve already watched it anyway so stop reading about it.

    HELLO LADIES (HBO GO)
    loved this show. it got cancelled way too soon, but luckily they made a finale movie, so you can watch that and be sad.

    REAL WORLD : SKELETONS (HULU)
    yes i am still a teenager apparently. this season was so good. everyone is so hot and they fight so much. highly recommend.

    DON’T TRUST THE B IN APT 23 (NETFLIX)
    another show i’ve already mentioned on here, it is so much funnier than you’d think.

    FRIENDS (NETFLIX)
    i’m now ashamed to admit i never watched friends as a kid. i watched seinfeld instead. well i watched it hard and LOLed so much.

    UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT (NETFLIX)
    another show you already watched. but if you didn’t, you really should. it’s funny.

    ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (NETFLIX)
    i just figured i’d add it because i love typing apparently.

    FREAKS AND GEEKS (NETFLIX)
    another way too short lived show that at least you can watch in one afternoon, so that’s a plus?

    LOUIE (NETFLIX)
    it actually took me a few episodes to get into it, even though i love him. but it’s weird and awesome.

    LOST (NETFLIX)
    if you want to be my friend, you should probably have watched all of lost.

    ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (NETFLIX)
    if you want to be my friend, you should probably have watched all of arrested.

    ok, so i watch a lot of TV. i also left out a whole bunch of shows to keep this fairly brief (and some to avoid judgement). got any suggestions for me? evidently, i have plenty of time to watch more TV.

  • happy weekend

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    whoaaaa this week flew by. we have very little planned for this weekend which i’m stoked for – gonna run some errands and see some houses and that’s about it.

    oh and i got some very out of the blue exciting news! i’m nominated for best DIY blog in the bloglovin’ awards! i’m nominated along with some of the biggest DIY blogs ever and i’m kinda not sure what i’m doing on there… but wanna vote for me? love ya.

    ⋅ my new fave youtube video
    ⋅ a super useful chrome extension for us hoarders
    ⋅ ok, this is so weird. and so good.
    ⋅ been eyeing this dress for months, it’s way on sale right now.
    ⋅ i’m such a sucker for pretty cleaning products
    ⋅ is it weird to be attracted to paintings of men? because i am.
    ⋅ always need a new pretty excuse to be organized.
    ⋅ this is my newest bff, and she makes some dooope looking food.
    ⋅ loving this new print for the summer!

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    malibu staycation

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    as you know, this past weekend we went on a little getaway to malibu. it was a perfect little refresher, and a chance to finally go to the beach for the first time all summer. we stayed in a yurt, which was kind of a new experience (i stayed in a similar dome thingie on my high school senior retreat in ojai). i’m a little claustrophobic so we ended up sleeping on the pullout instead of the bed near the ceiling, and fyi there are roosters living on the farm. pack your sleeping pills.

    it was also a really good little bonding sesh for my brother, sister in law, gideon and me. with both our weddings taking place over the span of 7 months — it was really nice for the four of us to just hang out stress free for the first time in a while. we brought a lot of rosé and a bunch of games and mostly just hung around relaxing.

    EAT
    habana cafe for fish tacos and margaritas
    malibu seafood for fish and chips but way too long a line
    neptune’s net for more fried fish and a biker scene
    malibu farm for breakfast and a view

    STAY
    the yurt (and you can have your friends stay in the other two properties)

    HANG
    el matador has been my favorite beach for a decade, it’s a lot more crowded than it used to be, but it’s gorgeous and still fairly secluded. (be ready for a steep walk down)

  • DIY copper patterned iphone case

    diy copper patterned phone case | almost makes perfectdiy copper patterned phone case | almost makes perfect

    you know what the best kind of DIY projects are? the ones you can do in bed. goes without saying they’re the easy ones too. i’ve been wanting to make myself a new phone case for a while, and i’m stoked on how this turned out!

    diy copper patterned phone case | almost makes perfect

    materials

    if you’re super observant, you’ll notice that the pattern in the photo above is different from the finished case. i ended up scrapping the first design because i had continued the patterns off to the sides, which ended up feeling annoying on my fingers and i figured they would start to peel.

    01. cut out your shapes using the grid on the back of the contact paper as a guide for keeping your sizes consistent (or as you can see in mine, fairly consistent)

    02. lay out the shapes on your case and figure out the pattern. *

    03. using your tweezers, peel off the backing and stick to your case — continue this for like ever. if you mess up, you can remove the shape with your tweezers but you might want to cut out another shape if it looks janky after removing.

    04. once you’re done, you can seal the case with a thin layer of mod podge or whatever sealer you want to use – this will prevent the inevitable peeling.

    * my contact paper has a metallic grain, i ignored this on the first round and noticed that the shine wasn’t consistent throughout. if your contact paper also has a grain, make sure you keep the grain going the same direction on every shape for the best look.

    diy copper patterned phone case | almost makes perfectdiy copper patterned phone case | almost makes perfectdiy copper patterned phone case | almost makes perfect

    easy right?! let me know if you try it!

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    dream house : vaulted ceilings

    dream house - vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfect

    still looking for our house, and learning the things that are really important to look for. the biggest thing i’ve noticed is that while i do fall for a cute flipped house, most of the time there are still things i’d want to change — and if it’s not priced for that, it’s no go. so instead, we’ve been focusing on good bones – and i’ve noticed the thing i’m looking for the most is vaulted ceilings. we’ve seen some amaaazing ceilings in houses that aren’t in the right locations or in the right price range for us, so i’m trying not to have my heart set on them, but oh man. i want me some vaulted ceilings.

    [image]

    dream house - vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfectdream house - vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfect

    light woods, white. looks dope both ways. [image top / image bottom]

    dream house - vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfect

    i’d also settle for vaulted bedroom ceiling. [image]

    vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfectdream house - vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfectvaulted ceilings | almost makes perfect

    but i am obsessed with a huge kitchen/dining/living combo with it. [image / image / image]

    vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfectdream house - vaulted ceilings | almost makes perfect

    [image top / image bottom]

    is it just me or does a high vaulted ceiling make a room look like a million bucks?! do you have vaulted ceilings? you do? oh ok i hate you. jk. i don’t. i’m just super jeal.

  • happy weekend

    daniel wellington | almost makes perfect

    struggled a little this week — i’m on a summer hiatus from my day job, which happens every year and i always think oh man i’m gonna be so productive when i’m not working those two days a week! but it doesn’t usually end up happening, and with a few DIY fails in a row, i’m having a little lack of inspiration. i go through lulls like this and snap out of them, so hopefully leaving this weekend will help inspire me.

    as i said yesterday — gid, my brother, sister-in-law and i are heading to malibu for the weekend for a little getaway, and some much needed beach time. we’re staying in the raddest airbnb which i’ll show you guys on instagram if you’re following along! hope you all have a lovely weekend!

    ⋅ how to eat sushi like a pro sushi eater
    ⋅ we all use gmail and we all need this
    ⋅ cutest free printables to wrap up goodies
    ⋅ so i’ve watched 7+ of these shows, eek i’m really wasting my life.
    ⋅ how to be polite (or some refreshers for you polite people)
    ⋅ a simple + genius + gorgeous diy!
    ⋅ come check out fran’s amazing new venture
    ⋅ i know i’m addicted to bubbly water, had no idea everyone else was too!
    ⋅ in case you missed it, you can get 15% off daniel wellington watches until august 15 with code “makesperfect”