Anthropologie

Anthropologie is one of my favorite stores. It's a shame, though, because I really can't afford anything from it. It's super expensive, but almost every item found online or in-store is so Kaylen Hoffman it's ridiculous.

I spent a couple of minutes browsing some of the new holiday decor items this morning, and while they are incredibly beautiful, I think they can be recreated at home for much cheaper.


Snowflake ornament - this could be recreated with some wire, lots of powder-blue beads, and glitter.


Button ornament - This one is probably the easiest to recreate. I've made button ornaments before, but not quite as meticulous - this would just require a ton of red buttons, pliable wire, and pliers. I love how Christmas-ey it looks!


I LOVE this pirate ship ornament. I'm not 100% sure how to DIY it. Definitely three different kinds of fabric. Some rhinestones, wire, and some beads (if you look carefully, you can see them in the bow of the ship).


Whale Ornament - how adorable is this?! There is also a jellyfish and an anchor and an octopus. If you know how to knit or crochet, this should be easy. But I have no clue how to do either of those things. Some knitting needles, blue yarn, and polyfil (stuffing) should be all that you need.


Tree Topper - I love how old-fashioned this looks. I would need some strong, heavy wire for the base, and then another type of strong wire for the star points. Also, some beads. And then bam! An adorable tree-topper.

These next couple of things aren't necessarily holiday-related, but I love how they look handmade. And I think that they could be recreated.


Chateau Lamp - this is way too fancy, but if you're feeling especially industrious, this is definitely the project for you. You need a ton of wire and a really good pair of pliers. I guess it isn't quite as difficult as it seems, once you make a ton of the little pieces (the square windows and curliques) and then put them all together.


Travel Scrapbook - I just love how this looks. I also love VW buses. This should be relatively simple to create - just a pretty floral fabric in the background, and then six or seven different colors for the bus, flowers, and banner. Then just a little bit of embroidery to say "My Travels" and you're golden!


Teacup Lamp - this is another complicated project, but I have seen it done before on apartment therapy. You need a few pieces of tea sets - tea cups, saucers, and even a tea pot. Then, drill a small hole in the center of each piece (for the cord to the lamp to go through). Then you just need a lampshade and a lighting kit and bam! A lamp.

Halloween Crafts

I'm honestly not a huge fan of Halloween. I loved it when I was little - but only for the candy. I never really cared about dressing up. I still don't. Basically, I'm a horrible college student.

However, Ms. Martha Stewart has a delightful array of Halloween crafts on her website. While I can't really envision myself creating any of these, I like that they are available because someday I will be doing these (when I have kids and am a room parent or whatever).

How adorable is this octopus costume?


Perfect for a little ballerina:


Glow-in-the-dark pumpkins? I like these:


Eeeeek! Paper Mice!


Glow-in-the-dark spiderweb tablecloth. Awesomeness.


Terrifying topiary:


Well, that's all I've got. I hope the fabulous Martha Stewart and I have inspired you to lovingly, painstakingly decorate every inch and corner of your home/apartment/dorm room.

Happy Halloween!

Crafty Pillow!

I'm making this next week. I say next week because I may not get the supplies until then. Also, I need there to be a few days before I get the supplies and I decide to do it. And I just ordered the supplies today.



I love how comfortable it looks. I'll take pictures as I make it and show the end product to you all!

Mod Podge Tutorial

Okay, okay. So here is the promised tutorial.

To begin - where does one buy Mod Podge? Well, it's everywhere. Closer to the city of St. Louis, Bradburn's (a teacher's supply store) has it. However, it can also be found at any Michael's or Hobby Lobby in the area. I suspect it can be found in other places, but I have yet to see it at Target. Maybe Wal-Mart? I suspect that almost any arts & crafts store will have it. Regardless, get yourself over to Michael's or Hobby Lobby and get you some.

So, Mod Podge is very easy to work with. It works like a watered-down glue. Does anyone remember making papier-mache sculptures? And you would soak the newsaper strips in a water and glue mix? That's about the consistency of Mod Podge.

You can get Mod Podge in to finishes - glossy or matte. I always go for glossy, although I've realized over the years that some projects would definitely have worked better with matte. The glossy is very high-shine. If you don't want light reflecting off of it, you may want to go with the matte.

As I said before, it's easy to work with. I used a paintbrush to apply it to whatever I'm working with, but sponge-brushes work great, too - they give it an even finish.

Here is my glue drawer, in my trusty card-catalog.



That's right, I have three bottles of the grand stuff.



So, you begin by dipping your paintbrush in the Mod Podge. I usually just keep it in the plastic container, but it would be nice to have a bigger-lipped container to dip your brush in. Then, you apply it - just like you would paint!


It goes on pretty thick and white-ish. I would put the paintbrush on it over and over again to smooth it out, but there will be some white left over - and that's okay. It will dry clear.

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Right now I just have these pictures of me Mod Podging it up - with a bulletin board border. But soon enough I will take plenty of pictures of me with Mod Podge and paper and other materials.

I'm almost finished with the bulletin board - I'll post the finished project after I get the last thing I need!

For more information, check out this tutorial at An Altered Obsession. Also, there's a whole blog devoted to projects made with Mod Podge. Like shoes. Hmmm...yeah, you should probably check that out.

The Creative Process

Have you heard of Ira Glass? No? Oh boy. I hope you have, like, the next week free, because you need to get yourself over to the This American Life webpage, and listen to every episode ever.

Okay, I haven't even done that. But I love Ira Glass. I started listening to This American Life way back when I first started blogging. Jordan had referred her readers to a particular episode, I listened, and I cried and I thought, "wow. Radio is not dead."

That was almost three years ago and I sort of forgot about the whole thing until Pete and I started listening more frequently.

Anyway, that part isn't really important. The video I've posted below is important. Ira Glass, the host of This American Life, is easily one of the most creative, intelligent, revered-in-the-arts-community person I know. And all of his advice given in this video is just so inspirational. I've changed my mind recently about what I want to do, and I do want to take a more creative path after graduating from college. So, this video hit home for me.

I hope it helps you, too.

Tips for Beginner Sewers

Check it out! This is some great advice.

From Threadbanger.

A Crafty Kind of Movie

Okay, okay - I didn't make this. I'll probably never make something like this.

But look at it! How amazing does it look?

Answer: Ridiculously amazing. So watch it and tear up a little (which is what I did).



Some fun facts:

+ I decided to post this on the way to school today, when I was driving in my car, listening to Arcade Fire. The song you hear in the trailer - "Wake Up" - is sung by them. Love it!

+ I think that this is such a crafty-looking movie. The costumes, and the sets, and props...everything. It's just so beautiful looking.

+ This movie comes out on October 16. You will see me there.

+ Check out this blog - We Love You So - which is taken from a line in the book. The content of it is "Wild-Things"ish - things that the creator finds that either have to directly do with the movie, or things that look like Where the Wild Things Are, or just other cool things. So, check it out.

+ Lastly - I was terrified of this book when I was younger. For some reason it scared the beejeezus out of me.