Wednesday, February 2, 2011
New Home...Again
My new blog--Mission Moi--is located just "around the corner." You'll find it easily through this link: http://missionmoi.blogspot.com. I'm pretty sure the only folks who read this regularly are my mom and sister, so if anyone else wants to come along for the ride then please find us there. I'll explain the name when we get "home."
As this will be my last post from Pepper Projects, I'd like to take the time now to just lock the doors with one last look around the room. Thanks for the memories, Pepper. I'll hold them close.
Love,
Stephanie
Monday, December 20, 2010
Project: Get Blogger to Go WYSIWYG
Crate & Barrel DIY Inspiration Bonanza
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Project: Work Holiday Party Outfit
If you're unfamiliar with this blog and her very interactive Facebook page, shame on you! I'm just kidding. You're just really missing out on a great resource for work-life and personal-life outfit inspiration. It's hard to get motivated to look nice at 7am every morning, and J gives you a head start to getting it right! Well...at least I HOPE I'm getting it right. ;)
Anyway, so after getting some advice from J, I came up with this inspired outfit. I figured the skirt was great for our San Diego weather (haha on me. It's raining today); the sweater (which I DIY'd last year from this Glamourai post) was a holiday grass green that the picture doesn't show; and my borrowed hat will make party time oh so jolly. (Can you feel my holiday spirit?) The skirt has a silk stripe down the middle, the outfit is comfy for the long day, and the shoes are accessorized just enough to make me happy. Care to share any holiday outfit mishaps or magical moments? Picture courtesy of me. Please excuse the blurriness...it's from my Skype camera, which is the only thing that would work at work. Also, don't you just love how I'm posing with my bike? ;) The only other option would be to throw it in the hallway and just ask my coworkers to watch it while I take some photos for my blog. Oh, I'd love to see how THAT goes over. Incognito it is!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Project: Organize My DIY Life!
I am so unbelievably overwhelmed right now with the amount of projects that I want to start. With Christmas coming at me like a freight train and very little presents to show for it, I'm not sure how to manage my desires and reality. Ay chi mama!
Since my parents are coming into town Christmas Eve, I need to have their presents ready and wrapped ASAP. And my sister and her family (Lou and the baby girls) should have their presents mailed before Christmas so they can have them to open. That needs to be done BEFORE my parents stuff. Ahh, I just don't know where to start!
So in true family fashion, I will just pretend like I don't have any problems and avoid thinking about Christmas presents almost entirely...until it's so dire that I have to get them all at once. It's a family thing :)
In the meantime, I'm crushing on a few DIY projects and a few things that I think I can DIY:
- Ribbon Necklace by collegefashion.net
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes by Hungry-Girl.com
- Snow Drift Candle Holders by Living with Lindsay
- Multi-Chain and Ribbon Necklace by She's Crafty
- Ribbon Bangle from American Eagle (I think a DIY would be super easy to make this guy.)
- "JOY" Bunting like this one from Joyful Joyful's Etsy shop.
- Fluffy Earmuffs by Mightymannie (I hope to make these for my mom with the leftovers from my stocking project that I STILL haven't done.)
And of course all of my holiday inspiration items. Man, what I wouldn't do to have crafting be my full-time job. Any suggestions on how to get organized during the Christmas season?
Photos courtesy of collegefashion.net, hungry-girl.com, livingwithlindsay.com, missonmimedia.com, and Joyful Joyful.
Monday, December 13, 2010
December in San Diego
Happy December!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Project: Puff Ball Garland DIY
1. Choose your color scheme for the garland. I went with red, white, and black although I was looking for gray. Justin, it seems, would have been just as happy with the traditional red and green, but I wanted something a little different. You'll need different sized and colored puff balls, needle and thread, and scissors. That's it!
2. While watching holiday movie (this is just a suggestion ;) ), play around with the sequence of the puff balls until you've decided on a pattern you like. I think I prefer the one on the top, but was afraid I wouldn't have enough of the red and white balls...turns out, they shorted me some black balls.
3. Cut a piece of thread as long as you think you can handle it. I ended up cutting about four 3/4 yard-long pieces once all was said and done, although I cut each piece as need be. Tie a knot at the end of your thread. String the balls on in your pre-selected order trying to get the thread as close to the middle of the puff ball as you can. (You can feel that it's a little harder to pierce the exact center of the puff ball since it's much more dense in that area. Try to get the needle through there if you can; you don't want your balls falling off!) Don't force the balls on top of each other. They'll squish together if you push too hard, and you don't want crowded or scrunched balls.
4. Once you've gotten to where you have about three or four inches of thread remaining, tie a knot as close to the end of your last puff ball as you can without pushing the balls back on top of each other. Cut your next piece of thread and tie it on as best as you can. I ended up sewing my new thread through the knot on the end of the first string and then tying a new knot on top of the old one to make sure they're connected.
5. Continue on your merry way until all your balls have been used. Tie off the last string as in step four. Trim the loose ends and WHA-la!
I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to make this and how nice my ball garland looks dangling on my rod. Justin said "it could even work year round," so there's always that ;)
This post inspired by AC/DC's "Big Balls."