this isn't a project but....

I just wanted to pop in and recommend you to my sister's etsy!! She makes really beautiful, unique jewelry. Most of her pieces can go with casual AND dressy clothing, so it's perfect~ Here are a few of my favorites!

 

 

I seriously love those earrings, if I had pierced ears I would snatch them out for myself!!!

Check it out, she is at blueheritage.etsy.com

If you have left over candy boxes like me...

then this is the perfect blog post for you!!

I know, another week cutting it close to the deadline, but it's here!! This project went through a lot of changes. First, I was going to make little display boxes, but it changed into simple wall art.

Here's what I started out with. Something that most everyone has left over after Valentine's Day, and if you don't, just ask around! Someone is bound to have some that you can use. That's right...left over heart-shaped candy boxes~!

 

 First of all, I clipped the bow off of the big box. Then I painted them a flat color. Since they are red, which is a hard color to cover up, I started with a left-over bottle of primer. After that, I painted them with some left over paint that was used to paint the door and some shelving in my room, so I knew it would match! It was pretty messy...

 

Then I just did little paintings on each one! I have a slight bird theme in my room, so I choose to paint a different bird on each one - a sparrow, an owl, and a robin red breast. If you need some reference, just use google image search, that's what I did!

These are SUPER easy to hang. Since they were boxes, you can put two pushpins in the wall (one for each hump of the heart). Simple as that! These next photo's aren't very good because they were taken at night and the light in my room doesn't get very bright...I might take some more tomorrow and replace these ones. But here's how I have mine hanging!

 

Another idea is to paint cute houses on each one, with the saying 'home is where the heart is!' That's what I was going to do first, but I decided that the birds fit my style a bit more. 

xo, caro~

Adorable Valentine's Lamp~

This post is reaaaaaaaaaally cutting it close, but it's here! The week has been crazy busy, second week of the second semester and I've already had a ton of homework. BUT I am really happy with the project this week~

Anyone who knows me knows that I looooove Anthropologie! However, they are generally waaaaay too expensive for me, unless something is on super sale. The last time I went, I fell in love with this lamp. Unfortunately, it costs $388!!

 (via anthropologie)

So, of course, I set out on a quest to make my own~ I got a lamp and lamp shade from Goodwill for a total of $10. The lamp stand ($6.99) originally came with this weird knitted shade that smelled really bad, so I bought a plain shade that fit it ($3). And then I got to work! Here's the before:

 

For my paper, I used a book of English Romantic Poetry that I had to buy for my English class senior year, and a book of hands that I bought a few years back. The Anthropologie lamp uses dictionary definitions and they are cut out in rectangles, but in honor of Valentine's Day I cut my paper out in hearts~ I did big and small hearts, but mostly big (because they take up more space, ahaha!)

 

I used matte medium to paste the hearts overlapping on shade. Before it was all the way covered, it looked sort of gross because it made the shade darker. And I was really messy!

 

I also had to paint the base. Besides the fact that it was a boring color, some dummy wrote the price on the top of the base in Sharpie! Why would you ever do that??? It had already been painted once, so I didn't prime it, but it did take two coats of acrylic paint. After it was painted the color looked really pretty~

 

The edges of the shade were a little bit rough, so I used a trim my mom had on the top and the bottom, just using hot glue. Little bows cover up where the edges meet. 

 

(that's also my favorite part of the lamp! I loooove the holding hands, although looking at it I think it might just be one person's hands. whatever!) Now that it's all done, I think I love it even more than the Anthropologie one! This project may have come late in the week but it is definitely my favorite so far~ 

There are so many variations you can do to make this project all your own!!

xo, caro

Make a cute floral brooch~

Hey-o! I've really got to start doing more than one post a week, it feel too weird! My best friend, Brenda, got back from Mexico this week though, and I roped her into being my photographer, so I'm going to start doing a once-a-week 'What I Wore' feature! If you guys don't like it, I'll stop, though, haha.

Alright! I actually made this really early this week, but I have been so busy (school started this week!) that I hadn't had time to upload the photos, let alone write this. The project, itself, it really simple and won't take you more than 5 minutes!

I started out with some felt, a really cheesy pin, and a really pretty button.

 

Choose what felt you use, keeping with a common color scheme. I used reds because a) the button is a dull red and b) Valentine's Day is coming up! Next, cut your felt into circles, making sure the biggest one is bigger than the button you're using. I only did three layers but you can do as many or little as you want!

 

It doesn't matter if the circles are ~perfectly~ even. I used three different size cups to measure them. Next, just cut a cute pattern on the edge! You can do a different design for each circle or a more uniform one.

 

please ignore my ugly unpainted nails!

Just fold up the felt into fourths (or more for the biggest one) and cut the edge like you would a paper snowflake! I did a little different pattern on each one, and on the smallest one I did a heart-like shape in honor of Valentine's. To finish it up, I sewed the button on through all the layers, which also keeps them together. Then, just hot-glue the flower on top of your ugly pin, and there you have it! An adorable flower brooch! You can use it as just a pendant, to spruce up a plain bag, or, as I did, to give a loose sweater a more fitted look. Here's how I wore mine:

 

 

Can't wait to see how you make this your own! xo, caro