Posted on

Week 1 of DIY Challenge

Thoughts so far.

Distinctly harder than I thought, but very proud I am sticking with it. My plan of attack was to plan quick and easy projects for the weeknights, knowing full well how tired I would be after a long day at work, and leave the slightly more involved and time-consuming projects for the weekend. Surprisingly some of the hardest days for me to get the projects done were the weekend days. As it turns out when the weather is super freezing, sometimes you want to be lazy all day.

#30daysofDIY

What this challenge comes down to (for me) are the mental roadblocks I hit when taking on a project. I am a chronic over-thinker and I have a terrible ability to talk myself out of an idea for the stupidest of reasons. This tendency gets worse if I haven’t eaten recently or haven’t gotten enough sleep. My brain needs to be firing on all cylinders to produce a decent idea. So, my solution for getting over the brain barrier is to have a list of ideas to jump-start the creative process and try to re-wire my perception of these DIYs as stress relievers, not inducers. Who wouldn’t want to craft the night away after a long day of meetings?! Also, snacks.

My second hurdle is self-inflicted… however, it is also the origin of the idea for this challenge. I am stuck working with what I have got. Which means when I see a cute idea on Pinterest, I can’t run out and spend $40 on supplies that I will use half of and shove back into a corner of the craft room. It is time to clear out and save money! This also means we can look forward to a lot of sewing DIYs because sister has a lot of fabric laying around. What can I say, I acquired that habit from my mother.

Lastly, I want to touch on my vision for the future of this challenge. I hope that this exercise will teach me that working on something I am passionate about daily will really bring it to the forefront of my mind. Also forcing myself to select a project every day, get it done, and posted to Instagram has reminded me how little time is needed to get some projects done. I mean, I hung onto two mending projects for a loooong time and ended up spending a total of 30 minutes finishing them both up. That is a lesson I hope stays with me in the future when I really don’t feel like hemming that skirt. Just do it, and it won’t be hanging over your head for 3 years every time you walk into the craft room.

Here’s to another week of DIY!

~Sarah

Posted on

New Year, New Challenges!

Happy New Year!

Hi there. I know it’s been awhile. I can give you a long list of excuses why I’ve been absent, but I’ll save you the effort of pulling out your tiny violin. The important bit is that I am here now, and fueled with the energy of the New Year and all those lofty resolutions everyone is making. Mine comes in the form of a 30-day challenge on my Instagram. Thirty days of DIY.

This is in part because I have been away from the blog for so long and I feel like a bit of a challenge will help me pull focus as well as add fuel to my creative fire. Also, I am trying to tidy and consolidate my craft room. What better way to accomplish this than a “stash busting challenge!!!” This means not only am I going to craft or DIY everyday for thirty days… I am going to try to do it without spending any money!

#2018budget

I will post the highlights here, but tune into my Instagram account for the daily posts. And if you know me personally, feel free to heckle if I fall behind. I am really excited for this challenge and I am positive it will not be easy. I’ll take suggestions for projects as well, so leave a comment if you have any!

 

Although I haven’t been posting, I have still been busy crafting up Christmas gifts. I will leave you with a few examples… Mother… Aunts whom don’t like cursing… look away.

some classy cross-stitches for some new friends

close your eyes if you don’t like cursing!!

~Sarah

Posted on

Watercolor Woes

A friend of mine saw my post about watercolors and asked me if I would be willing to make some Harry Potter wall art for a Baby shower she was attending. Her friend, like us, loves Harry Potter and wanted to include some subtle elements of the fandom into the nursery. I was thrilled to give this project a try as I am really enjoying using my watercolor supplies.

I sometimes find myself in a creative rut, and during these times I find myself procrastinating projects and generally not trusting in my creative abilities. As always, when I get in my craft room, settle down with a cup of tea, a snack and some relaxing music, I wind up enjoying the time I spend there. Today was no exception, until I finished my work, stepped back and noticed that one-third of my pieces was not centered on the page. Damn. I am hangry, tired and feeling downright lazy. I don’t want to fix it. But now I hate it.

Here is where things get dicey…

Props to my boyfriend for surviving the actual temper tantrum I threw when he suggested I re-paint the one that is off-center. He is of course correct. And after taking a few minutes to cool off writing this (and maybe have a snack), that is exactly what I will do. Herbal tea this time though as it is getting late.

My lesson learned here is something I fight with often. While sometimes you can find creative ways to “cover-up” or re-balance something that doesn’t line up, sometimes the best solution is to start again. The irony is not lost on me, that the very project that inspired this one was a project where a “cover-up” worked quite successfully. In this case, a fresh start is what this project needs. Here are the reasons why.

  1. I actually considered breaking out the gold nail polish again… this time in the form of some whimsical, magical swirl that was going to magically rebalance the misalignment. And completely ruin the watercolor aesthetic.
  2. I also considered adding a spattering technique, which might have looked cool, but ultimately wouldn’t solve my positioning problem. I did turn my toothbrush and my finger blue in the process.
  3. This artwork is commissioned. I.E. my lovely friend is paying me for good work. The same good work she saw in my previous post. Something my boyfriend reminded me of mid tantrum.
  4. I’ve justified the time spent on the re-do by telling myself that I will hang the “off-cast” in the guest room, and I think it will look stunning (trimmed down to hide the misalignment of course).

So, friends, I leave you with the picture of the “almost perfect” version. I want you to picture the Dealthy Hallows symbol (the geometric symbol on the right for any non-HP nerds) centered on the page. Because I need a fresh mind for this fresh start. IE, I’m probably not going to finish it tonight, but I want to be sure to get this post up. 😉

~Always…. Sarah

Posted on

A Spooky Soirée

What a fine Halloween weekend this is shaping up to be! Spooky Soirée 2017 was a success! A lot of hard work, planning, and effort went into this party and boy did it pay off. I’ll walk you through some of the highlights and some lessons learned as well.

Trick or Treats!

A few years ago, some friends of mine hosted a fantastic Halloween party that was black light themed. It was such a fun atmosphere, I wanted to designate a small area of the party for the black light vibe. I ordered a $20 LED black light from Amazon and mounted it on the wall with a command hook and directed the light at my dining room table which I knew would be covered with treats and goodies that guests brought (like these ADORABLE spider cupcakes courtesy of my friend Rebecca). Also, please note the empty casserole dish in the middle of the table… that had my famous buffalo chicken dip in it. I swear I put it out on the table and returned 15 minutes later to have some and it was gone!

Say Cheese and Die

Some of my favorite parties I have attended have had photo booths. It is a great way to ensure that you get some priceless memories of the evening. I had a blast putting this photo booth together. I started by justifying the purchase of curtain fairy lights. Always wanted some, they look like magic. I liked the look of just the lights, but I felt it could be spookier, so I grabbed some black tulle that I had laying around and draped that over the lights. It looked a bit unfinished with the tulle laying kind of wildly on top, so I crafted up a long strip of orange satin (also had laying around) and draped it over the command hooks I used to hang the lights. I used a couple of straight pins to secure the corners, added a banner form the dollar section of target, added some hand-me-down photo booth props in a vase and voila! Only lessons learned here are to make sure you wait the suggested 1 hour before putting weight on the command hooks and try to find a corner of your house with less foot traffic to put your photo booth. We had a bit of an issue with photo ops blocking traffic.

Décor to Die for

I gave a few of my recent pins a try! Check out my last post here. For the henna-inspired pumpkin, I used a sharpie paint pen and doodled to my heart’s content on a craft foam pumpkin. The chalkboard design I ended up copying almost verbatim. But hey, sometimes you don’t mess with a good thing.

I added a few spooky touches to the rest of the house like these cobwebs and window cling bloody hand prints. My favorite decorations (and from the compliments I received, most party guest’s favorite too), were the Hogwarts inspired floating candle hallway. These were surprisingly fun to make. I saw this on Pinterest and knew I needed to give it a try. I love Harry Potter, and I think the illusion adds a fun magical quality to Halloween party decorations. The assembly is straightforward. Collect toilet paper rolls, drip hot glue on them and paint them white. Add a ledge of hot glue inside the roll so that (once dry) the battery tea light can rest inside. String them up with some fishing line or clear thread. I used tiny, clear command hooks to adhere them to the ceiling. A lesson learned here was the height to hang them… I am no shorty; however, many party guests had heels or hats that required they duck as they walked down the hall.

The Scary Awards 2017

The costume contest was a hit! Give people a chance to win a trophy and they will bring their A game. The categories were Cutest Costume, Scariest Costume, Best Couple Costume, Most Creative Costume, and Funniest Costume. I always liked making outfits for my dolls to wear, so I couldn’t resist dressing up my “Scaries” in outfits fitting their category.

And the award goes too…

Cutest Costume: Taco the dog, dressed up as a taco

Scariest Costume: Walking Dead/Woodie and Jessie mashup

Best Couple Costume: Starlord and Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Most Creative Costume: Bob Ross and his painting

Funniest Costume: My boyfriend dressed as a mermaid

Happy Haunting my friends!

~Sarah

Photo Credit: C. Bentler

Posted on

What type of halloween costume are you?

Tier 1: The Lazy Man’s Costume

I love Halloween. I love any excuse to get dressed up, eat candy and have a good time with friends. However, I must acknowledge that not everyone loves dressing up in costumes as much as I do. If you relate to this, then this category might be for you. The general formula for this costume is Jeans + graphic tee = costume. I have seen the “Jack and Coke” costume where one person wears the Coca-Cola t-shirt and the other a Jack Daniels tee, and boom! Couples costume complete. In this category, you may also find the bed sheet ghost and the “Error 404: Costume not found” shirts.

Tier 2: The “Found it in my closet” costume

This is where we start to get a little bit more creative. Dig around in your closet and see if you can drum up the basics for a costume. Perhaps a flannel shirt, jeans and boots become a cowboy/girl. Dress in all black and go as a witch or a shadow. Throw it back to middle school and put on your PJs and bunny slippers and go as a baby. These costumes are often enhanced by one or two store bought accessories. Pick up a hat for that cowboy costume or a binky for the baby.

 

Tier 3: The store-bought costume

This is a tricky tier for me to talk about. I love the creative process of thinking of a costume and working out the plan for making or buying each element to make a unique version of my favorite TV character. That being said, I KNOW most people don’t have the patience for that. For those of you, I suggest a trip to the Halloween store and find yourself a nice pre-made, all parts included costume. Forewarning, these will usually run you somewhere near $50. Often even more than that. 

Target has these incredibly creepy options for $30 each.

Tier 4: All about the makeup

This costume tier is not just for the ladies. I know several guys who have rocked the makeup based costumes over the years. Whether it be FX makeup or glitter and false lashes, these costumes revolve around the makeup. YouTube is littered with amazing tutorials for costume makeup of all varieties and if you are brave enough to try it, it can be a lot of fun. Just be careful not to smudge your masterpiece!

Tier 5: The DIY

This is where I usually operate for my Halloween costumes. Pick a character, item, pun, or animal. Now spend some time breaking down the elements that make up this character’s outfit or what makes the item identifiable, write these down. I usually start in my closet and see if I own any anything that can work as a costume base like a black dress, specific colored shirt or accessories. Then I usually visit the thrift store once or twice and see if I can find any key elements for cheap. This is a great place to find items like suitcases, jackets, hats or obscure clothing items. The last phase is usually the DIY. Sometimes I start here is I know I have the time and tools needed. Here are an example.

Mermaid: Top was thrifted and embellished using fabric and a sewing machine. Leggings were DIY’d by making a pattern of a pair of leggings I owned and some fabric I ordered online. Shoes were a labor of love and I lost them in a recent move. I was devastated. As you can imagine after gluing a million sequins to a pair of clearance white Keds.

 

Tier 6: Cosplay level unlocked!

These costumes are always impressive to me. I have achieved this status once. The hours put into this project were justified because I wore this to NYC Comic Con AND Halloween that year. I will tell you now, this costume tier is not for the faint of heart. This is Full Costume Commitment. You will see more of this costume than your significant other during the process. There are schematics and budgets and likely some metal work. Cosplay aims to be as close of an exact replica as possible, maybe with a twist like a gender swap or steampunk version of a classic character. Always impressive and always the recipient of “Best Costume” at any party they attend.

Comment below with which costume tier you are.

~A huge costume nerd

Posted on

The Happy Accident: How a mistake can make a project better

We have all been there… the moment when you are putting the finishing touch on a project and you sneeze or flinch and smudge a line. I had one of these moments the other night. I had decided to make up a little watercolor card for a wedding I was attending this weekend. Being a novice to watercolors, I thought I would test my limits with black lettering in the form of a monogram.

A  mistake was made!

I started in the middle. Worked to the right and then went back in to add the first letter before waiting for the paint to dry completely…

I panicked. I saw my life flash before my eyes (ok, maybe not that bad… but my heart sank). It was 11pm the night before we were leaving for the event and I had just spent hours painting beautiful flowers into a wreath on this card. I was NOT starting over. My initial reaction was to cover up the mistake with a cutout piece of paper, but was afraid it would look like I was doing just that. Covering up a mistake.

As I was brainstorming ideas to make this look intentional, I remembered a really posh wedding invitation I was sent that had gold-rimmed cardstock. I remembered thinking it was relatively “extra” at the time, but admitted it made the simple paper stand out. So I did a test on a tiny square of paper with gold nail polish and thought it looked pretty good. I tried again with the black lettering on the little piece and l held it up to the card. Now we were working with something. Naturally I couldn’t stop there, so I gold rimmed the entire card. Go big or go home, right? I will tell you, it took the project to a whole other level. Honestly, the picture doesn’t do it justice. I hope the recipients keep this card on their mantle for all of time.

I will now gold rim all of the things.

This outcome got me thinking about mistakes. I know you learn from them, but I never really thought about using them to your advantage in a creative setting. It if wasn’t for the little mistake, I wouldn’t have come up with a solution that ended up taking the card to the next level. There will be projects that cant be saved by gold nail polish (although I will likely try applying this technique to future mistakes because… gold rimmed, am I right?), but I look forward to challenging myself to continue finding creative solutions to problems that not only fix, but enhance a project.

For anyone who is curious, Martha Stewart watercolor brush pens and inexpensive “dry pan” style watercolors on Strathmore watercolor cold press paper were used.

~Sarah

 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin