DIY Valentine Mobile

By maggiebj | Published: February 6, 2013

I was feeling crafty over the weekend, so I gathered some supplies and made this little Valentine decoration. I actually intended to write a quote about friendship on it, stick it in an envelope, and mail it to a friend…but I decided to just keep it as a decoration.

Heres’ how you can make your own!

valentine1 valentine2

SUPPLIES:

pink and/or red felt

pink or red yarn or string

pretty patterned scrapbooking paper

quilting needle

scissors

craft glue

clear tape

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut 13 squares of felt. Mine are about 1.5″ x 1.5″, but you can make them bigger or smaller depending on how big you want your hearts to be. You could also cut a different number of hearts, depending on how long or wide you want your mobile to be. 13 will get you 3 rows of 3 and 2 rows of 2.

valentine4

2. Fold each square in half to cut it into the shape of a heart (you know, like your mom or teacher taught you in elementary school). valentine5

3. Arrange your hearts how you want them to hang. Make sure you have the spacing how you want it, too. valentine6

4. Cut a piece of string or yarn for each row of hearts. My lengths of yarn were long enough to space the hearts the way they are laid out in the picture above, plus three extra inches above and below the rows. valentine8

5. Prick 2 holes in each heart to thread the yarn through. I used a quilting needle to poke a hole, then I stretched the hole with the tip of my scissors. valentine7

6. Use the quilting needle to press the string/yarn through the holes in the hearts. valentine9

7. Once all your hearts are strung, they should look something like this: valentine10

8. Cut 2 strips of craft paper – one for the top of the mobile and one for the bottom. Mine are 3″ x 9″. Fold each strip in half lengthwise. valentine11

9. Mark in pencil where you want to glue each string. Use a dab of craft glue to glue each strand in place. Apply some glue to the other half of the paper, then fold and glue down. Do the same thing to the other end of your mobile. valentine12 valentine13

10. Beaaauuutiful! Hang it in a place of honor (take a length of string and tape each end of string to either end of the top paper strip), or write a note across the top piece of paper, carefully place in an envelope, and mail to a friend. valentine3

 

 

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Floral and Flannel

By maggiebj | Published: February 5, 2013

I almost didn’t get this cardigan because I just own so many, I really didn’t need any more. I love everything about it, though – the shape, pattern, colors, and the fun collar. I’m glad I did get it, because after sticking it in my closet, I noticed how much I like it with this flannel shirt.

The sweater isn’t really a floral, I guess, but it’s close enough (leaves, right??). Check out the post I did yesterday to see some more bold florals inspiration, and check out this older post to learn some tips on pattern mixing (stripes in particular).
floralflannel1 floralflannel5 floralflannel3 floralflannel2 floralflannel4
flannel: secondhand Carhartt
cardigan: secondhand Nic + Zoe
jeans: secondhand J. Crew
shoes: Nine West (old)
earrings: secondhand

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Inspiration: Bold Florals

By maggiebj | Published: February 4, 2013

I’ve seen a lot of bold florals in spring 2013 lookbooks, magazines, and all over the web. Not little delicate florals, but big, bold, colorful florals. I personally love them because they’re still girly, but loaded with personality – spunky, dramatic, adventurous, artsy! Here are some fun floral styles from around the web. Click the collage for a larger view.

boldflorals wide leg pants, pants trio, dress (bottom row), black floral dress, long skirt, peplum top, dress (striped backdrop), floral top with geometric cardigan, black floral shorts, floral headpiece, orange and navy shorts, scarf, loafers, blazer, flats with jeans, socks

I love the florals alone, and they definitely have enough character and interest to stand alone, but I also like the looks where they’re paired with other patterns – the geometric cardigan, the polka dots. I do think pattern mixing with such bold prints needs to be done cautiously, though.

Do you like bold florals or do you think you’ll stick with the more delicate ones?

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What’s up?

By maggiebj | Published: February 1, 2013

I follow a few bloggers that do an end of the month recap on their blog. I always enjoy – it’s interesting to see what they’re up to, what they’re reading, watching, etc. It makes them a bit more real, I guess, and it’s a great way for me to find out about other blogs, good books, etc. So…here it goes. Just a once-a-month spin on weekend links. :)

But first, Have you taken this quick poll yet? Do it (please)!

ON INSTAGRAM - FOLLOW ME!…

JanInstagram

  1. I made a blog schedule for January and stuck to it! February is now printed and ready.
  2. I bought the Lord of the Rings trilogy two years ago intending to read it, but the craziness of school, internships, and projects kept me away from it. I’m finally into it. I’ve read the first book and I’m part way through the second. Now I hate to put it down!
  3. I love my Doctor Who mug my friend gave me for Christmas! I drink tea or coffee from it on a daily basis.
  4. New hat! Got it on Ebay.
  5. Design, design, design! My time is normally occupied with web design and development, but I do posters, ads, logos, etc., too. This month I started working on some designs to help promote my services to the resale industry! That venture is still a work in progress, but I’m excited about it.
  6. More design! These are for a really cool website I’m working on (I love implementing hand-drawn elements into my designs).
  7. We finally got some snow! It didn’t stick around for long, but it was still pretty.
  8. Snow turned to sleet and freezing rain. My friend who lives about 30 minutes out of the city stayed the night with me so she wouldn’t have to drive home on black ice. We played scrabble and watched Doctor Who. A fun, much need night with my best friend.
  9. My mom makes THE BEST homemade granola. No, really, it’s the best. I won’t buy granola anymore.

 

READING: Lord of the Rings, A List Apart series for web designers, I Break for Yard Sales, and still waiting on the arrival of Blog, Inc. - Amazon notified me 2 weeks after purchase that it’s not in stock, and the Ebay seller I bought it from after that has disappeared off the planet.

WATCHING: Downton Abbey! That’s about it until Doctor Who starts back up…apart from travel shows on the local PBS station (my weakness! I have an enduring case of the travel bug). I also have a HGTV weakness – Property Brothers, Color Splash, Flea Market Flip, Extreme Homes). Oh, and American Pickers. But I really don’t watch that much TV, I promise.

NEW BLOG FINDS: Frolic, Life, etc., Raspberry and Red, So Lead Us There, Day to Day, Virginie’s Cinema, The Caffeinated Closet

LUSTING: Madewell colorful spring sneakers, awesome water bottle, fun camera lens, a neat DIY book (with a beautifully illustrated cover), and always and forever, a letterpress.

OH, OH OH, and check this out. My mom found this blog where I was featured as a good source of design inspiration (see #4)! WHAT? Cool!

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Flowers!

By maggiebj | Published: January 31, 2013

Before you scroll down to see my outfit pictures…

help me out a bit by answering this question. I’m starting a new series on this blog where each month I’ll feature a different consignment, thrift, or resale store around the country. What I need to know is what parts of the country you’d like me to cover (where you are from, where you like to travel). You can specify a city or just tell me a state.. Just enter it in the box below and click vote (it’s completely anonymous). If you want a little more info about this new article I’m going to start, read this.

This outfit was fun to put together because it incorporates so many of my favorite items – the cardigan the tights, the hat.

See these tights styled another way here, and see how my sister styled her floral tights here. Floral tights are fun! :)
flowers1 flowers2 flowers3 flowers4 flowers5

cardigan: secondhand Guinevere
dress: secondhand Loft
tights: Anthropologie last winer (I think my sister’s came from Plato’s Closet.)
boots: secondhand Soda
hat: secondhand Deena & Ozzy (orig. from Urban Outfitters)
earrings: secondhand

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I (really really) need your input!

By maggiebj | Published: January 30, 2013

Dear followers,

I’ve been considering adding a new monthly or bi-monthly article to my blog, and I’ve finally decided to go forward with it. Every month (or twice a month…still deciding), I’ll feature a different consignment, resale, or thrift store from around the U.S. I’ll ask the owner/manager questions so you can learn a bit about the shops, what makes them unique, what they offer, and maybe some shopping tips or something, and I’ll get them to share some photos. I want this series over time to build up and prove a valuable resource for secondhand shoppers – a means through which you can learn more about great secondhand stores in your own area or in an area you are traveling to. I love visiting consignment and thrift stores when I travel, and it’s also fun to discover new places close to home.

BUT, I need your input. I want to start off by focusing on areas of the country where my current readers are from. If you are a regular reader, or even if you’re not but you think this is something you’d be interested in reading, let me know where you’re from or where you travel to frequently. If you live in Maryland, say, and would travel anywhere in the state to visit a great store, then you can just list Maryland. If you are in San Francisco and never ever leave the city, then you can specifically list San Francisco, that’s fine, too. Be as specific or broad as you want. I just want to know where to research first.

It’ll just take a second…just type in a location in the poll below and click vote. Thanks ahead of time for your input!

 

Posted in SHOPPING | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Response

Inspiration: Sneakers

By maggiebj | Published: January 30, 2013

I love sneakers. Hard to believe, considering I never wear them on the blog. I guess I’m just inclined to wear my plethora of other shoes because I have a hard time incorporating sneakers into an outfit in a way that doesn’t look like I’m off to the gym…or playground. Not many other bloggers I follow wear them very often, either. Maybe a pair of chucks shows up every now and then, but that’s it. I searched around and found a bunch of pictures of really cute sneakers and outfits that incorporate them. I hope this inspires you to incorporate some stylish sneakers into more of your outfits. (I want some floral sneakers now!)

I’ve found many cute pairs of sneakers secondhand over the years. Keep an eye out at your local thrift/consignment/resale stores and I’m sure you’ll happen upon a pair for yourself…maybe three! :)

(click image for larger view)

sneakers pink/black Nike, pink high-tops, neon yellow, Madewell & Keds collaboration, colorful Bensimons, black chucks with red pants, brown Bensimons, blue/red Onitsuka, floral dress with studded sneakers, floral Keds, red wedges, jeans/blazer, pink dress and cobalt dress

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It’s a Shorts Kinda Day

By maggiebj | Published: January 29, 2013

I got dressed this morning expecting to be cold. We’ve had really cold weather lately, so it didn’t cross mind mind that that would suddenly change. I was delighted to step outside to a pleasant 72˚F! So I guess shorts were appropriate. :D I’m just glad I chose a tee instead of the sweater I was considering.

This is the first time I’ve ever done the shorts-in-winter thing. These shorts have kind of a tweed look to them (they’re not really tweed, but a lighter stretchy fabric that just looks like tweed) and the pleats and cuff make them a bit dressy, so I really don’t see them as bare-legged summer shorts.

Stripes! Leopard! Tweed! Want more tips on pattern/texture mixing? Check out this post I wrote a while back. shorts1

shorts2

shorts3

shorts5 shorts4 shorts6 tee: Gap (old old old)
shorts: secondhand Silence & Noise
scarf: Original Good (Fair Trade)
tights: ???
shoes: Boutique 9 (Nine West)
belt: secondhand

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DIY Necklace Holder

By maggiebj | Published: January 28, 2013

For years, I’ve had all of my necklaces separated by color into a little set of drawers. I rarely wore them because I didn’t really think about it. I decided that in order for me to wear them, I actually needed to see them so I would remember they exist. I came across this tutorial for a necklace holder and I knew that was the solution.

The tutorial there is great, so I’m not going to repeat it here. I will share pictures of my finished product, though, as well as some tips based on my experience making it.

A little about my supplies. I really wanted to find some vintage knobs, but the local antique store didn’t have any, and shipping charges would have made ordering some from somewhere like Etsy cost more than I really wanted to put into this project. I ended up going to Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon. They have a huge selection, many of which are vintage-looking, and most of them are around $3-4 (before discount). My dad pulled the wood out of a creek for me. We live in an old mill town, so the wood is actually an old floorboard from one of the mill buildings.

necklacerack1 necklacerack2

The part of this project that may cause the most questions or confusion is attaching the knobs. If I had just drilled holes in the wood and attached the knobs as I bought them, extra screw length, washer, and nut sticking out on the back would have prevented me from hanging the slab of wood flat against the wall. The girl who wrote the tutorial…well, here’s what she said in a comment, “I used the knobs with the screw head on the back so it was flush with the wood. The knobs screwed in from the back to the front (into the knob) so I didn’t have to cut off the extra metal.” If the knobs you use are made like hers, then great. Mine were not, however.

In order to attach mine, I didn’t use the washers and nuts that came with them. First, I measured the thickness of the wood to determine the length the screws needed to be. I (my dad, actually) put the knob in a vice to hold it securely while sawing, and used a hacksaw to cut the screw to the needed length (please only do this if you have experience using a hacksaw. Find someone with experience to guide you or do it for you if you’ve never used one).
necklacerack3 Once they’re the right length, just screw them into the holes you drilled in the wood. As long as you’re not hanging ship anchors on them, they should be secure enough.

I love my new necklace holder (above) and I have indeed been wearing my necklaces more often. Below are a few more pictures of this same project done by others (each linked to original source).

via Selective Potential

via A Beautiful Mess

via Etsy

via Visibly Moved (original tutorial)

via Art Actually

Posted in DIY | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Responses

Weekend Links!

By maggiebj | Published: January 25, 2013
girl spinning

Image via The Beautiful South

I discovered several cool DIYs this week: a fox embroidered dress (I’m in love with this), a lace hoodie, and heart print jeans.

How do you feel about H&M’s “sustainability efforts?”

Designer Momo Wang has a collection called “The Third Hand.” She buys secondhand clothes and creatively upcycles them.

Can money buy happiness? Watch this cute video to learn the answer according to science.

Studies show: hot chocolate tastes better in an orange mug. I knew orange was a great color!

Designlovefest posted some pretty desktop wallpapers!

I hope you have a great weekend! Don’t freeze (It’s sleeting and snowing here).

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  • Hey! I'm Maggie, a graphic designer, crafter, devoted secondhand shopper, Doctor Who fanatic, and dog-lover. Stick around and explore!


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