DIY - messy bun for long hair

The longer my hair gets, the further away it moves from functional. Don't get me wrong, I love love love my long hair. I think it's probably moved into the "part of my identity" realm, which is maybe weird, & perhaps a sign that it's time for a change ;)

Since I picked up a part time job that has me getting up & at 'em earlier in the morning again, I've been desperately seeking ways to wear my hair that keep me from spending 35 minutes with a curling wand. Over the past year or so, I've also jumped on board the infrequent shampooing train, so I'm not only working with 2.5 feet of hair, but 2.5 feet of dirty hair. This messy bun has been a staple Day 3 or 4 hairstyle, & gracefully eases me into a Day 5 top knot the next day.

It really is a super simple style, made easier by working with textured hair. My favorite products these days are: Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturing Sea Salt Spray, Alterna Bamboo Texturizing Body Boost Volumizing Liquid Powder, & Dove Dry Shampoo. Hopefully this tutorial makes sense - Three cheers for simple updos for the long haired ladies!

DIY - xo door hanger

The day of looooooove is nearly here once again, & thus, the crafting begins. I moved away from the traditional wreath this time, & I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. If you want to play along, instructions are below!

SUPPLIES:

- foam board

- printer + word/photoshop or the confidence to freehand

- utility knife

- glue stick

- watercolors or preferred medium

- string or yarn

- hot glue gun

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1. Print your "x" & "o" in whatever your preferred font may be. I used Qumpellka No. 12 at approximately 1079 pt. Since I was using Photoshop, I dragged the corners of the bounding box to fill as much of the 8.5 x 11" page as possible. 

2. Tape the cut out letters onto the foam board. Follow the edges with the utility knife

3. (optional) Flip the canvas horizontally to print a reverse image to place on the foam board. I did this because my board was a little too glossy for the watercolors I wanted to use, but also so that the edges of the paper would overlap the rougher edges of the cut foam board. I used #f0eded as the color on the reverse side so it wouldn't show through once reversed to the white/blank side.

4. Glue & admire your handiwork.

5. I used about five colors to make my... salmon? color, & kept it pretty watered down so I could just keep layering the color. I continued to blend the color as it dried, which is very obviously not pictured. I painted the edges of the board, hence color everywhere! though, I am pretty much a hot mess when it comes to paint.

6. Hot glue yarn to the back of the foam letters. This takes some strategizing to get the letters fall the way you'd like once they're hanging.

7. Stand back & admire your work! I think it's kinda adorable. 

(ps. If you're like me & can't get enough Valentine's Day,

DIY Valentine's Day Felt Heart Wreath

Some other simple Valentine DIYs from last year)

DIY - gold bootie zippers

 

 

While I love shoes... & I mean, I LOVE SHOES... My tendency to overthink purchases (a trait that my parents & now husband seem to enjoy about me) usually keeps me from actually indulging in purchasing whatever wonderful pair of chaussures is in front of me. Thankfully, I had done just this as I oggled pair after pair of the leather & suede booties that have been on parade since last fall.

My IG friend Bridget sent me into a tizzy when she set off the bootie-knock-off alert last week, & I promptly marched myself over to TJ Maxx & bought a pair of these puppies for 30% of the designer price. The tan suede version that Bridget bought is darn near identical to the original Sam Edelmans. My local TJ Maxx was out of tan in my size, but I found a black pair that made me just as happy.

I probably would have left these zippers be if the heel was wooden, like the originals, but alas! I decided to update them from silver to gold, a move that would have shocked & dismayed 2009 Kelsey who was sure that gold had been dead & buried in the early 90's.

As I was taking these pictures, I realized how silly this "DIY" is, mostly because it's not like the originals feature a gold zipper. BUT OH WELL! I think it's a nice finishing touch, & I can't wait until I'm emotionally ready to embrace fall in all of its bootie-licious glory so I can take these things around town.

I started a juice cleanse today, & I'm going to try my hardest not to talk about it nonstop. I'm using this blog post (burrito) to try to keep my (cheese) mind off of all the things that (iced coffee) I would typically not think twice about (pasta) except that I can't eat them, so (avocado) that's all I can think about, of course. Send good vibes, because dandelion greens are a primary ingredient to my next meal. MMMMMMMMMMMMM...

DIY - marble-ous easter eggs

I have what some would probably call a childlike obsession with dyeing eggs at Easter. I remain unashamed, because there aren't very many "crafts" that are this easy, colorful, & delicious. We took a marbled approach this year, & it was basically as easy as all the Pinterest links said it would be... Shocking, right? (You can see our dip-dyed eggs from last year here.)

  

>> We started with a base color, using this blending guide. >> With five bowls of color (orange, pink, yellow, grass green, lime green), we split the eggs up into five groups. >> Placing one egg in each color, we left our first batch in for nearly 12 minutes to get a deep color. Keep checking that first batch to make sure your shells aren't eroding! >> From there, we reduced the length of time that the eggs spent in the dye by 2 minutes...ish (12, 8, 6, 4, & 1 minute). Doing this created a nice, even gradient of colors. >> Once all the colors are done (& you've taken pictures, obvi), add about a 1/2 cup of oil to the bowls of dye. We used olive oil, because to me, it seemed to be the densest oil. But that's just my opinion & I have zero scientific fact to back that up. >> Drop one egg at a time into the dye bowl. We learned that if you just drop it in, you obviously are going to get more dye coverage. If you use a fork to whisk up the oil a bit, it will spread the oil out, creating a more intricate pattern. >> We waited until this step to create a blue & a purple dye, which I would highly recommend. It's just a game of creativity from there. Marble one egg in multiple colors! Add more dye for more vibrant colors! Get cahhh-razzzy! >> But, also be willing to think in reverse - To keep a pastel egg light, whisk your dye A LOT before dropping it in. >> When you pull the eggs out, there will be oil. Lots of oil. Let them dry before you wipe them off! >> & voila! You have beautiful marbled eggs! Now take more pictures, then crack 'em open & get them deviled up! Yummm. 

DIY - valentine's heart wreath

I love Valentine's Day. Even as a single high school girl, I loved the idea of the world pausing for a moment to appreciate LOVE. & naturally, now that I know the love of a dreamy husband, it's an even sweeter day.

My mom takes Valentine's Day decor as seriously as she takes Christmas decor, & even with a sister whose birthday is on the 14th, we all get & give presents in honor of St. Cupid. Or whoever it is. (That's a joke, & read this if you really want to know more about what Valentine's Day is really about.) The point is, my family loves Valentine's Day, & I am no exception.

So, here's a very simple, very cheap wreath that I made to honor the tradition that my sweet mama started. The only thing I bought was felt, which was $0.94 a sheet, so I'm marking this as a SUCCESS.  There's step by step instructions at the bottom, if you're not a visual learner like me ;)

 

 

Supplies:
wire hanger (or craft wire)

felt (2 sheets)

hot glue gun

scissors

iron

starch or hairspray

1. Bend hanger (or wire) into heart shape. The beauty of wire is that you can make your heart skinny, fat - Whatever you desire!

1 1/2. I didn't add anything to hang my heart from because our apartment door came with a convenient (& slightly off center) hook, but this is the part where you can use ribbon, twine or some of your leftover wire to make a loop. I'd do this now so your hearts cover up any part of the hook that is left visible on the front.

2. Cut felt into four strips, then quarter those strips. You'll need approximately 25 hearts if you're using a wire hanger.

3. Halve your felt squares to cut the heart shape. Trace half a heart onto your square if you don't feel comfortable free-handing. I free-handed my hearts & kinda liked that the hearts were all unique.

4. Fold the hearts in half & iron... briefly. The felt doesn't need a ton of heat, so this can be as quick as 3 seconds plus a quick burst of steam.

5. Spray hairspray or starch to help the heart retain its fold. I used hairspray because I'm a terrible housewife that doesn't have starch, but starch would definitely be ideal.

6. Follow the crease with the hot glue gun & place your felt heart on your wire heart. Press into place.

7. Continue this process until your wire is covered. I kept my hearts going in the same direction, but it would be cute to have them go in opposite directions from the center & meet at the bottom, too.

8. Step back & admire! Then have a photoshoot with leftover hearts!

You guys, this is too easy. I'm already scheming up a spring version, so stay tuned. If you make one, share it! I'd love to see them, so link up in the comments!

(I will disclaimer this to say that I have not searched the internet from top to bottom to make sure that someone else hasn't already made this. If you, your neighbor or your favorite blogger has done something similar, well, let's get coffee because great minds think alike!)

DIY - color block eggs

jared with his award winning "best-dyed" egg:

inspired by courtney + joy,

we took easter egg dyeing to the next level this year.

it made for a super fun evening with the little sistas,

& also made some delicious sour cream//bacon deviled eggs for our easter lunch.

yes, it was incredibly depressing to take the shells off,

but! the amaaaaazing taste made up for it. promise.

xo, kelsey