{DIY Inspiration} Pretty Paper Flowers

I had so much fun DIYing with Delilah last week {and she did as well} so I've been thinking about new little projects we can do together that we can both enjoy. My lucky towheaded niece has her very own room at my mom's house and I thought we could definitely do a few fun projects to spruce it up a bit because she's such a big girl now. So of course I turned to the internet for inspiration and a little how to. Even though it seems like everything has already been done before, there are new ways to put a different twist on similar projects... and this way of thinking at least preserves my creativity and willingness ;} With my specific project in mind, I searched for a little help on how to create paper flowers and here are some of my favorites. I may have even used a few of these techniques, along with a few of my own on our very girly project, which I will post next week... but if you follow me elsewhere, you may have already gotten a sneak peek.

Sources: top image | one | two | three | four | five

And here's my DIY...

click for my :DIY Paper flowers mirror

Happy Friday!

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White & Blue & Paisley All Over...

What I'm Wearing...

* Blue and white Eva Franco paisley dress... also seen here.
* Vintage beaded blue and white necklace with House of Harlow 1960 gold pyramid stud necklace layered over {plus my pendant necklace that is off to the side :/ } hoop earrings, Joseph Mimi rings, Kenneth Cole watch watch & blue snakeskin bangle
* Rebecca Minkoff MAB in blue/gray
* Chloe sunglasses
* Superga sneakers in navy {love}


I have a thing about wearing heels at a home event or even at other people's houses. I'm not sure why really. It think it has to do with being comfortable and relaxed in a home and heels are the opposite of both of those things. So rather than wearing sandals or flats even, I opted for my navy Superga sneakers and actually, I loved the look! It reminded me so much of the 90's when I'd wear converse with dresses on the regular. Or even those weird canvas shoes with rubber capped toes and chunky soles that weren't actually sneakers but weren't anything else either... remember those {kind of like these}? They remind me now so much of Liv Tyler's character in Stealing Beauty {one of my favorite movies ever} when she wears the red floral printed skirt & blouse tied at the waist. Needless to say, I was comfortable.














I wore this outfit Sunday evening to a lovely and colorful dinner party with these two fabulous DIYing ladies Marisa and Sonya and of course I can't fill you in on any details but I will say this: exciting stuff is in the works ;)

Happy Thursday!

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Wow. Coach. You Had Me At Hello.

Somewhere in the early 2000's Coach went all logo-ey on me and I'm sad to say that I jumped ship. There was a certain type of woman who was buying into that look, and it wasn't my style. Since then I haven't given Coach much thought let alone, the benefit of the doubt. I'm not sure exactly what prompted me to visit Coach.com yesterday... it could have been an ad on my sidebar, really, but as soon as the page loaded I was intrigued and then a video began playing and these amazing sunglasses appeared and I was floored and had to have them! I immediately clicked on the "sunglasses" section but couldn't find them. It was a FB commenter that updated me on their availability, that they're called "Casey", and that they actually weren't available just yet. I love the internet.

With that in mind I decided to browse the site and to my disbelief I found myself coveting numerous items each time a page loaded. Their site it gorgeous and propelled me to investigate further. They have this shop by color section where I pulled many of these images from. I just am floored by their classic and timeless styles that I think were at the origins of the Coach brand but that I haven't seen for ages.

Touché Coach... you made me a fan again.

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So Pretty : Dried Flowers Nail Art Set

I instantly fell in love with these pretty little dried flowers the other day while randomly browsing Amazon's nail art products and because they were only $5.00 for the set {looks like flowers vary} I instantly added them to my cart & checked out. I was even more impressed when I saw them in person... they are so pretty and so tiny and I can't wait to create a fun nail art tutorial with them.

Also shown in these photos are the Nail Art Tweezer for Rhinestones $4.99 which work well for carefully handling the delicate flowers. However, I think I may need a small wooden stick with one pointy edge and one flat one for applying assistance.

I'm not exactly sure just how I'm going to apply them yet but through trial and error, I'll come up with something pretty to share with you soon. I'm growing my nails out a bit longer just to have more canvas to paint on, so to speak, and I can't wait to see the outcome.


* Find the dried flowers nail art kit here

Dried Flower Manicure coming soon!

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DIYing with Delilah: Glitter Cap Toe Shoes {for kids or adults}

Last year for Delilah's birthday, I got these adorable pewter lace up oxford style shoes for her and unfortunately she wasn't a fan and rarely chose to wear them. I didn't take it personally though, she has a fondness for all things pink and purple at the moment and I know she'll grow into her own style over time... oh and also, because she's a toddler ;) But since the adorable lace ups still fit, I thought maybe if we sparkled them up a bit together, she'd be more inclined to wear them before she outgrows them in a few months.

The teeth marks I found on one of the toes led me to believe one of her 3 adorable, but feisty doggies may have thought they were a snack! So the glitter cap toe idea I had in mind not only added new life to her unworthy shoes, it also disguised the teeth marks. Delilah was the perfect little helper and I think she was very VERY pleased with her brand new shoes.

I glittered up a pair of my own lace ups to join in the fun.



Note: there will be far more photos than necessary in this DIY tutorial {which is very similar to these glitter sneakers} simply because of the cute factor going on here. Also, I suggest two adults to one toddler to protect your sanity. Though Delilah is very patient and obedient and a pleasure to work with, my mom helped out and was my assistant photographer for the day.

What you'll need...

* Shoes
* Mod Podge
* Foam sponge or brush
* Glitter
* Paper or cardboard boxes to keep the mess to a minimum

Steps...

* Lay out your paper and pour your glitter into bowls {because it's more fun for toddlers!}



* With your foam sponge or brush, apply a medium to thick layer of mod podge {because it works better than any other glue} to wherever you wish your glitter to land.


* Dip your shoe into the glitter...



* And/Or sprinkle your glitter heavily onto the wet glue and shake off the excess.




* Let dry for an hour or so... {glitter should feel hard to the touch, not move around}


* CRUCIAL STEP: once your first round of glitter/glue is dry... repeat the steps above by applying another thick layer of mod podge directly onto your glittered area and covering it with more glitter. This will really set your glitter in place and keep it on your shoe for the long haul. {see below} Let dry over night...

Voila!

But Delilah wasn't satisfied until we added some pink...



* Note the second coat technique above ;)

Voila... Voila!

Have Fun!

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