The Happiest Place on Earth

Life has been incredibly busy lately, but somehow, some way, I was able to fit in a trip to Disneyland.  I hadn't been since I was 4, and clearly, could not remember anything from that trip. G and I spent 3 days meeting various characters, snacking on fried food, going on rides, and enjoying the sun. I now understand why they call Disneyland the Happiest Place on Earth. I'm still exhausted from all the walking we did, but am already thinking about how badly I want to go back.

Take A Risk

DIY Kate Spade-Inspired Phone Case

A phone case I've been lusting over for months is the Le Pavillion model by Kate Spade. Gold polkadots, a weakness of mine, is what drew me to it. There were, however, two things stopping me from buying it: it's price, and it's quality. Even though this case is totally gush-worthy, in the end, I've got to be honest and say that it isn't worth the on-sale price of $30. But you know what is worth it? Turning this case into a DIY project. That's right. Read on if you are interested in duplicating the case you see above:

TOOLS: An old cell phone case, clear nail polish, gold multi-surface paint, Q-Tips, and a small spouncer/dabber (they look like this). If you don't have a souncer/dabber handy, grab a fatty highlighter, and a paper towel and see the tutorial below. Optional: a gold paint pen.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wipe down your case with rubbing alcohol to remove any excess dirt.

2. Take your spouncer/dabber, and stamp random dots of gold multi-surface paint on to your phone. Make sure you apply the paint in thin layers so that it doesn't take too long to dry. If you don't have a spouncer/dabber, see below for a tutorial on how to make your own. Also-- this first coat of paint isn't going to be perfect. The circles may look splotchy, but DON'T PANIC. You'll fix this later.

3. Once the first coat of paint is dry, take a Q-Tip that has been dipped in paint, and patch up any unevenness.

4. Optional: once your second coat of paint is dry, take your gold paint pen, and go over all of the dots. This will ensure that each dot is evenly painted, and help perfect the edges of each one.

5. Once all the paint is dry, go over each dot with 1-2 coats of clear nail polish.

**How to make your own circular dabber:

1. Take a fatty pen or highlighter (like this one) and wrap the non-writing end with a small square of paper towel. Make sure the paper towel lies flat on the end of the marker. This will be your stamp.

2. Secure the paper towel with an elastic.

Backyard Blooms

TIP #82: An easy way to brighten up a room is with florals. If you can, use flowers from your own backyard for an extra-personal touch.

TIP #95: Don't have a vase? Use an old jar with all the labels peeled off.

This post is dedicated to one of my best friends, K, because she never ceases to be an inspiration to me. I find myself calling her K. Stewart (in place of Martha Stewart) because of her endless creative talents.

Rising Temperatures

This past weekend, it rose up to 67 degrees in Seattle. I saw the sudden rise in temperature as the first official sign of spring in the city, and opportunity to start swapping out my winter wear for spring essentials. Everything you see in this post is what I have dug out of my closet so far.

Unfortunately, most of these pieces are no longer sold in stores (this goes to show how often I shop these days), but you can check out the following links for similar items:

1. For a top that embraces intricate cut-out detailing, check out the Dolman Cap Sleeve Sweater from Point Zero.
2. To get the nautical look, check out this striped tee from Forever 21.
3. Need a simple lace dress? Check this one out from Target (almost identical to mine).
4. The utility jacket. Need I say more? Find a similar one to mine here, at H&M.
5. For a polished look, check out this simple blazer by Frenchi.

green jacket: H&M //lace dress: Target //blazer: Nordstrom B.P. //black cut-out tank: TJ Maxx //lace tank: TJ Maxx //striped sweater: Banana Republic Outlet //white tee: Eddie Baur //mint green tank: Nordstrom B.P. //shorts: Lucky Brand DIY Cut-offs

DIY Decorative Bottle

Last Tuesday, I had the day off from internship and school. My plans were to spend the day at my apartment, blogging, surfing the web, and being worry-free. As I'm setting up, I realized that I had forgotten my laptop charger. It was still at my parents' house, from when I went to go visit them over the weekend. My initial reaction: panic. What was a girl supposed to do without a dead laptop, no TV, and no one to hang out with (all my friends were at work)? Luckily, I was then able to remember my new craft bin, and how I had stowed it in my trunk two days prior. After making the trek to my car (OK-- it actually wasn't that far), I realized that even then, I had little supplies, and not wanting to take a trip to the store, I needed to be creative. After taking a look at some of the things I had: a few empty bottles and jars, acrylic paint, packaging tape, Q-Tips, and mini sticky notes, here is what I came up with:

TOOLS: See list above. Important: Instead of packaging tape and mini sticky notes, I suggest using blue painter's tape. Also, instead of Q-Tips, I suggest using a paint brush.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel any labels off of your bottle or jar. If you're having trouble, try soaking your bottle in warm/hot water for a few minutes before you try to peel the labels. Taking a piece of tape and continuously blotting the sticky areas of your bottle will also help get rid of the goo. Oh, and if you're desperate, they sell this really amazing stuff at Target in the dollar section called Goo Gone (and no, this is not a sponsored post).

2. Take your painter's tape, and tape off a portion of the bottom section of your bottle (I didn't have painter's tape, so I placed a ring of sticky notes around my bottle, and secured it with packaging tape. The sticky notes were to prevent the goo from the packaging tape from sticking on to the bottle.)

3. Using your Q-Tips, paint brush, or fingers, paint the portion of your bottle that you wish to be colored, and let dry. The paint that I used required about 4 coats to not appear streaky.

4. After every layer has dried, slowly peel off the tape. Key word: SLOWLY. Since it's acrylic paint, if you go too fast, it will come off in large chunks, and it will not look pretty.

And voila! You're done. OK-- I'll admit. This isn't the best tutorial I've ever posted on here, and I'm not sure if you're even supposed to use acrylic paint on glass (probably not), but if you're bored, and if you've got the supplies lying around, I definitely recommend testing out this project. The acrylic paint actually isn't that bad on glass, as long as you don't wash, or pick at it.

A Day in the Sun

This goes out to my roommate, B-- a person I am lucky to know.