Mar 1, 2013 | Fashion
Lipstick: MAKE UP FOR EVER
Rouge Artist Intense 37.
Cat Print Shirt: The Gap. Pyramid Rose Quartz Necklace: Ann Taylor LOFT (old, bought on Ebay). Spike Rhinestone Necklace: H&M. Brocade Flare Coat: vintage, label says MINI MINI, from Japan. Suede Skinny Belt: Old Navy (old). Hot Pink Pleated Elastic Skirt:
handmade by me (DIY tutorial coming soon!). Ring-Spine Book Clutch: missing label, from Japan.
Charm Silver Party Glitter Low Booties: BCBGeneration, a recent
HauteLook purchase.
I took some time out in the middle of the week to shoot with the amazing photographer Brooke Morse again.
(more…)
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Feb 25, 2013 | Media
Seunghee Suh did a feature on DIY blogs, including my own, for a story for the Columbia News Service. I was really flattered to be included (and quoted so extensively!) alongside such amazing DIYers like Grace of Stripes & Sequins, and Rosie Martin, from DIY Couture! Check it out below…
From Runway to Kitchen Table, DIY Goes Designer
Thanks so much for the feature, Seunghee!
In other news, my in-laws have been visiting this past week and I’m still in the process of catching up now that they’ve gone. I’ll be sharing the tutorial for the DIY Awning Wrap Skirt I featured last week on my blog super-soon, promise!
xo
Carly
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Feb 21, 2013 | Fashion
The cold weather is beginning to abate, and Spring is soon on its heels with a burst of fresh, bright, citrusy colors. Inspired by these adorable sushi-style memo pads (a total non-sequitur, I have to admit), I’ve put together a wishlist of happy citron hues that will hopefully usher in more balmy days.
1. Pointed Leather Flat Shoes with Metal Skull, $108.99 / 2. Light Curve Dress – Tanline, $165 / 3. ASOS Bunting Arrow Necklace, $21.05
4. Prabal Gurung for Target Look 7, $16.99-$39.99 / 5. Honeybadger Cardinal Sunglasses
, $99 / 6. DV by Dolce Vita The Archer Sandal
, $69
7. Apt 9 Emma Satchel, $41.30
Sushi Memo Block by Nico, available here
xo
Carly
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Feb 19, 2013 | DIY
I picked up this iron-on decal set last Spring when I visited Japan.
Japan is such a treasure trove of nonsensical English. I find it summarily hilarious.
So of course I could NOT pass up this “Beau Chat” iron-on decal. I am a crazy cat lady at heart (who happens to unfortunately currently reside with this crazy Ewok-lookalike dog instead of a big pile of cats, which is my someday personal goal).
So I can only surround myself with cat-themed items and try to be consoled in the meantime. A stern-looking tabby sporting the crown jewels is an excellent addition to my collection.
I figured the title of this iron-on image was French. “Good Cat,” I believe, unless my French is really terrible (which, okay, it is…a kind reader told me it is “Handsome Cat.” Whoops.). “Since 1902” it also proclaims in English (making it one very OLD handsome cat, apparently).
And then follows a chopped-up paragraph in German. I don’t speak German, but the online translator says it is something about being outdoorsy, wine, and making a blunder over a duration of time. Maybe.
But the back of the bag is the best.
My cat is only active at night.
YOU ARE BLOWING MY MIND
I mean seriously, who could resist a bag that accuses people of blowing the owner’s mind??!? I always feel that my mind is blown by the amazing-ness (and sometimes craziness) of other people. I think this accusation is excellent in a proactive sort of way.
I made the bag following a pattern from a Japanese pattern-book I have; you could also use this pattern here and come up with a similar result. 
The faux leather handles were also from Japan; you can buy similar ones here. The grey Essex linen I used for the outside I bought from this Etsy shop (I LOVE this stuff!), and the toile-print lining I bought from the fabric store. 
The iron-on is of course uniquely Japanese, but you can find something similar here and add some crazy paragraphs in a variety of languages on the computer if necessary.
This little, crazy tote is the perfect size for a quick run out, or just a wonderful conversation-starter.
From one crazy cat lady to all of you~
xo
Carly
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Feb 18, 2013 | Fashion
I’m in the middle of a huge (and hugely stressful!) home office makeover.
Since leaving my job in late January to focus more on my blog and other projects I’m working on, for the first time in 7 months I am now spending the majority of my time at home. For the first time in my I am lucky enough to live in a home that has an extra bedroom – which my husband and I have turned into our shared home office. (Up until we moved here I’ve been using my computer on tiny desks, shared desks, even the corner of my bed because there was no space for it. I was thrilled to have found a house that had an extra bedroom where I could finally have a dedicated space to work!)
My husband watches Stargate re-runs and plays marathon sessions of Warcraft there. And once every couple months dabbles on his flight simulator. [He is a pilot instructor, so it’s not an entirely random pursuit.]
I work. It’s where I blog, DIY, photograph projects, sew and mend, and think up new ideas. To me, it’s the hub of everything I do.
Whilst working at my job I had to bring my laptop into work constantly, so I would come home with it and simply put it on the dining room table to work, then pack it up and get ready to take it away again. Now that I am working out of home again, I don’t need to take my laptop anywhere – and we need our dining room table back. So I went to move it back into the office…and had a bit of a mini-meltdown last month.
Where I’ve had my laptop for years. Pretty horrible, right?
I’ve always hated how our home office looks. The walls are brown…a horrible pinky-brown that reminds me of cat puke. And it’s crammed with stuff! I can’t focus. There’s no space to work. I’ve neglected cleaning up and organizing it for months, even leaving some boxes in the same state they were when we moved in: full of jumbled, unsorted contents. There’s no color scheme or place for your eyes to land. And in a jumbled up, scattered place like this, I can’t be creative or think up anything new. It’s all my fault for just throwing stuff in there as I go. So I had a meltdown, refused to enter the room, and spent about 3 hours staring at it from the hallway, trying to figure out what to do.
(Plus, I can’t work facing the same way as World of Warcraft. I can’t tell my husband this – but there’s nothing more distracting than trying to update this blog and out of the corner of my eye seeing a bunch of warlocks gang up on the undead, beating them to a pulp. Or catching some flight training video of a crash re-enactment with a plane full of screaming people hurtling towards the alligator-infested Florida swamps. Nosiree, there’s no way I can get anything done in this current setup.)
But what makes a good office design? And what to do about my mess? I’ve been searching online, and analyzing tons of photos for weeks to find out the answers to this. And here’s what I’ve discovered are the keys to making your own space beautiful, calming, and inspiring: (more…)
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Feb 15, 2013 | Fashion
Green Pastel Jeweled Collar: Forever 21 (similar here)
DIY Alexander Wang Mesh-Insert Sweater: DIY (tutorial here)
Hot Pink Cardigan: Forever 21 (similar here
)
Bracelets: DIY friendship bracelet with rhinestone chain, DIY Double-Spike Bangle, DIY silver bugle bead stretchy bracelet
Watch: Baby G-Shock in white
DIY Painted Colorblock Handbag: DIY of a Nine West handbag (tutorial here)
Ikea Fabric Awning Stripe Wrap Skirt: DIY (tutorial coming soon!)
Amrit Boot in Black
: Nine West
Notice anything different?
Yes, yes, yes! I am working with a new photographer!!
(more…)
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Feb 12, 2013 | DIY
Lately double-ended spike bangles are trending all over Pinterest and street-style photos: stacked with DIY friendship bracelets, pretty watches, stretchy beaded bracelets, and other metal bangles. You could spend hundreds of dollars on even just one at Sarah Chloe or CC Skye
, for example. But they’re super-easy to DIY, and the results are amazing! Try your hand at making your own with 3 different versions in these tutorials: (more…)
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Feb 9, 2013 | Media
Along with fellow DIY bloggers such as P.S. I Made This, I Spy DIY, A Pair and a Spare, Studs and Pearls, Glitter N Glue, one of my DIY projects was recently featured on MSN.com’s online magazine Glo!
See the whole slideshow below:
….Google Ads toilet paper ad not necessarily included upon pageload…just on my DIY’s page when I needed the screenshot, apparently. :-/
And if you’re looking for the how-to for that sequin tee I’m wearing, it’s right here:
Thanks so much to Glo.msn.com for the feature!!
xo
Carly
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Feb 8, 2013 | DIY
I love taking little scraps of things – whether they be paper, lace, or fabrics – and turning them into pretty accessories. Plus I also have an obsession with teeny, tiny things…like mini-books, which can hold all your secrets and ideas, stored away on your person. And what better way to create a personalized gift for a loved one this February? I dreamed up this DIY for Valentine’s Day – which will use up a very tiny amount of little bits of fabric, leather (or pleather, vinyl, or other fabrics), and cardstock you may have lying around. Here’s how:
You Need: (more…)
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Feb 3, 2013 | DIY, Media
Image source
I’ve been embroiled in a room makeover that seems to be taking up all my spare time lately – and though I’m re-decorating my home office (at long last!) I can’t help but be inspired by any DIY decorations and ideas around. One particularly inspirational source I’ve found is The Land of Nod – and though I’ve never bought anything from the company, each issue of the magazine transports me away to a lovely, whimsical location, filled with bright, fun things that any child (or even adult!) would be thrilled to lose themselves in. Here are some great, inexpensive ideas for your child’s room – easily adaptable to other rooms in your home:
Add a lacy texture to a wall with doilies (some painted with silver glitter) – which could also be a stand-in for a headboard. Christmas lights can become a makeshift curtain, and drawers in a side table can be replaced with glitter-sprayed cardboard boxes.
A fabric bunting is a colorful and easy way to add some whimsy to a room – as well as your favorite fabric filling up a large frame on the wall instead of a standard picture. Add some colored paper cutouts to a lampshade for a fun and personalized light.
A sweet little woodland vignette can be made in the corner of a room with some painted corrugated cardboard mushrooms and grass.
Instead of a large mirror on the wall, mount smaller gilt hand mirrors.
A wall can be made unique with a number of mirrors of varying sizes and shapes.
A room can be made lively with origami sailboats (or something else!) strung from the ceiling. Also: colored boxes mounted to the wall to hold trinkets and treasures.
An ingenious use for old skateboards: strung together to made a ladder bookshelf.
Make a unique and playful wall shelf using just a tree branch…and a handful of colored sticky dots and paper trees.
When painting you don’t have to do the whole wall: masking off large stripes and leaving areas unpainted can look really modern too.
Speaking of not painting walls, you can also do a unique decoration by painting Contact Paper, cutting out circles, and adhering to the wall. (I did this for Lil Tot’s nursery/bedroom in our old condo – and everyone who visited asked me where I bought the beautiful blue dots that were on the wall! …Which I just peeled off once we moved – and was left with the unharmed white wall beneath.)
Make a faux chandelier swag with colored paper cut into triangles and circles, strung across the room.
I think someone enterprising could DIY this twig mirror with a few branches, some strong glue or nails, and some gold paint…for a lot less than $219, don’t you think?
And likely an intermediate knitter could knit a cover for a lampshade…or anyone could repurpose a sweater to the same effect!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxo
Carly
Images scanned by me from Land of Nod Holiday Collection 2012 catalog, and online from the February 2013 catalog.
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