DIY hairbows (with instructions)

My sister Tiffany loves the hairbows at Anthropologie. She asked me if I knew how to make some at home (and if I could show her), so I thought I'd give it a try. I was surprised with how easily, and quickly, I was able to turn these out on my first try. For my first DIY hairbows I used a purplish-blue ribbon because purple is Tiffany's favorite color. What was exceptionally great about these was that I didn't have to go buy anything for them. I made these with scrapbooking goodies that I already had on hand at home and since I haven't scrapbooked in ages, I was glad to put them back into use! I'm going to try a few different types of ribbons and hairbows (and I may post more as I go), but here are my steps for the one shown above.

1) Cut four ribbons of equal length. For my bows I cut 1/2 inch thick ribbons into 3 inch strips. I wanted to keep the size small, because I was making a pair of bows and didn't want to have them totally overwhelming once placed in the hair.

2) Criss-cross the ribbons into a star shape as shown below, making sure that the cross right at the center of each strip. Using thread of a matching color, insert threaded needle down through the center of all ribbons. Run the needle back and forth once or twice to hold all ribbons in place.

3) Flip ribbons over and fold the end of one ribbon in toward the center to form a loop; sew it in place. Repeat to form remaining petals.

4) After all of the "petals" have been sewn in place, I added two more stitches through the center just to make sure everything was held in securely.

5) Then I placed a floral petal and jewel on top of the completed "flower" (from steps 1-4) and sewed them in place. Depending on what embellishments you use, it may be easier for you to glue it in place. From the backside, I also sewed the hairbow onto a bobby pin, but again if you prefer to use hot glue or superglue then go for it.

And there you go! It couldn't be easier. If you're a crafty gal and already have these items at home, you can make a pair of hairbows in less than 20 minutes. Tiffany, I'm saving this pair for you! I'll try to make some more sophisticated hairbows next time around (I'm already getting more ideas).

xox,

Bre

DIY: Bungalow Bag

This adorable weekend tote was on my mom's project to-do list. For whatever reason, and however silly it is, I feel the need to complete some of her crafty projects that she was never able to finish. When I saw her notes for this bag, I immediately knew I wanted this to be the first of her projects. Well last weekend (after being out on loan for over 7 months) I finally got my sewing machine back and went to town. I thought it'd be fitting to use some of the leftover fabrics my momma gave me from the beautiful quilt she made for Dan and me (seen HERE). I love how it turned out, I love the ruching effect, and of course I love that it feels like it partly came from my mom too.

I'm look forward to carrying this around on weekends during Spring & Summer running to-and-fro. Now on to my next sewing project (I have so many it's hard to count, and hard to decide which to do next).

xox,

Bre

Ear Muffs??! Yes Please!

When I think back to Winter time as a child I remember waiting for the school bus in the snow. My mom always made sure I was plenty bundled up, and in addition to the normal scarf, snow boots, and coat, she had me wear earmuffs too. I HATED those things!! I thought they were ridiculously nerdy and as soon as I got out of sight I would take them off and stuff them in my bookbag. But now, somehow (maybe since I'm not an awkward little girl with glasses anymore) I seem to kind of love them! I wouldn't wear them around So Cal, but I'm thinking of finding a pair to wear for skiing. My hats never really seem to keep my ears warm when I hit the slopes, but these adorable heart-shaped muffs would definitely do the trick!

Faux Fur Heart Shaped Earmuffs,£14.00Urban Outfitters (in Black)

Faux Fur Heart Shaped Earmuffs,£14.00Urban Outfitters (in Purple)

Heart Shaped Ear Muffs, $5.50 @ Forever 21

UGG Cardy Earmuffs, $86.20 @ ASOS (ok - now these ones are pretty pricey for earmuffs, but I like the cable-knit look and would just use this picture as inspiration to help me find something more affordable)

Hope you are bundling up this week! It's been raining constantly where I live!!

xox,

Bre

Bowler hats are the new fedoras

Ever since I saw the Zac Posen for Target line (as blogged about HERE) I've had quite a crush on darling little bowler hats. While I still adore fedoras (I have 2 of them at home and still wear them on weekends on a regular basis), I think mixing in my little red bowler hat is a nice and refreshing option. Plus this thing is a vintage beauty (from the 1940's) and everyone knows I'm such a sucker for vintage. :)

Hope you had a great weekend!

xox,

Bre

Closet Series: Hat Corner

Several posts back I promised to show you my closet "solution". For many of us that live in teeny tiny apartments or urban spaces, our closets just aren't big enough for everything we need to shove in there. So in addition to my built-in closet, a month ago or so, my husband and I finally added on to our closet space by putting up a closet system along two of the walls in our bedroom. I have to say it has been quite a success. Although my shoe racks are full to the max (if I get one more pair I will be out of room again), it is nice to have a lot of our belongings out in a well-lit (thanks to my hubby's industrial light DIY!) and organized space.

Instead of making one large post of my closet, I thought it best to show it in pieces (a mini-series, if you will) so it's not so overwhelming for me to take pictures. Today I'm starting off my closet series with my hat racks. If you know me personally, or have seen my outfit posts, you know I'm a little bit quirky and I love myself a fabulous hat (especially if it is vintage). Instead of having my hats piled on top of each other in a bin (that was my old solution) we added racks so I can see them and reach them easily. I still keep my knit hats in a bin, but these hooks work wonderfully for my bulkier hats.

What do you think?

Stay tuned for the next piece, although I haven't decided yet what it will be. :)

*lace fedora*

*vintage Sonni of California hat - this is from the 1950's and I bought it in pristine condition with the original price tags still on it*

*top hooks: vintage 1940's red Neumann Endler wool bowler hat & brown Panama-style hat.

bottom hooks: fuzzy black beret & pinstripe cap (this one reminds me of my gramps because he used to wear caps like this every single day with suspenders too!)*

xox,

Bre

Wild Child

*Dolce & Gabbana Fur Miss Sicily bag*

*Balenciaga Crocodile large papier tote*

*Christian Dior Faux-Fur and Lambskin Libertine*

*VBH Pellicano bag in tiger-printed Cavallino*

*Versace crocodile hinge bag*

Lately I've been having a bit of an animal moment. While I don't own any fur (and I'm talking FAUX fur here) and not THAT much animal print...I'm really having a Faux Fur moment and have an itch to satisfy it.

Oh! And on top of the faux fur craving, if somebody could get me that gorgeous Balenciaga bag I'd think I've died and gone to heaven.

Somebody help me :)

xox,

Bre

Touch of (Rose) Gold

During Winter I tend to haul around an oversized bag on a day-to-day basis. The only time I seem to switch it out for a smaller bag is for a night out (for some reason a large bag just seems to agree with the somber mood of Winter). But in the Summer I've notice more often than not, I'll snatch the most important items out of my big bag (wallet, blackberry, sunglasses, chapstick) and slip them into a smaller, more playful, bag. This is one of the many whimsical bags I've been sporting around this Summer. I'm on a rose gold kick, and this bag seems to be the perfect accessory to fit that craving.

xox,

Bre

p.s. You may notice this is hanging off the post from my new closet system. I promise one day I'll take full pictures. :)

Men's Watches + Closet Update

*Peugeot men's watch*

Last week in THIS post, I promised you pictures this week of my newly revamped closet. Well unfortunately I've barely been home, and just haven't had time to take pictures of everything. So I apologize, this will be postponed to next week. Instead, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of one of the collections in my closet. My tiny, but lovable collection of men's watches. I mentioned yesterday in THIS post that I really adore men's accessories (men's sunglasses & men's watches). I feel sometimes they are higher quality and more timeless than women's pieces.

*Giorgio Milano - I bought this for my husband right before rose gold became the new THING for men's watches. Got Lucky with that one.*

My obsession with men's watches started last Christmas when I bought this beautiful rose gold Giorgio Milano watch for my husband. Since then I've borrowed it a handful of times and I've purchased another two men's watches. The greatest thing about these is that these are accessories that I can actually share with my husband! The Peugeot watch isn't really his style, but he loves the blue Invicta. Who doesn't love an Invicta watch? The pictures here certainly don't do it justice, but in person the mother of pearl face on it is gorgeous!

*Invicta Mother of Pearl watch with blue leather bands*

So there's my thought for the day. If you have a man at home, men's accessories are a great little investment for you both. :)

xox,

Bre

Confession

image via style pill

We've all been seeing this nerdy chic (read: giant eyeglasses) look lately, and I must confess I find it quite endearing. I saw a young girl helping her mom at a flea market a few weeks back sporting these oversized, thick-goggles and on her they looked incredibly adorable (she was also about 16, tall, slender, and had long blonde locks....so what wouldn't look adorable on her? lol).

I don't think I'd ever go there myself with this look, as I wouldn't want to come off as nerd gone wrong a la Britney Spears (see last photo below), but I can still find it charming and say "more power to you!" if you have the confidence to pull this off.

What do you think of it?

via basement clothes

via trendhunter.com

via Lookbook.nu - "Slave of Singer"

via american apparel

gah! NERDY CHIC GONE WRONG...VERY WRONG!

xox,

Bre

P.S. If you liked my post yesterday and are looking for a DIY option to make your own garden chandelier, Gillian at Dried Figs and Wooden Spools came up with a really fabulous LED chandelier for her garden (evidenced below). Want the how-to? Just click here.

Thanks Gillian for the photo!

Need Votes: Floppy Hats

I love love the look of floppy hats. It's always reminded me of the ladies at the pony races and it's a little bit glamorous and fun! So I finally bought myself a big black floppy hat for $3 at a swap meet a couple months ago. I figured I would wear it to the beach this Summer, but I'm not sure how I feel about using this as part of my regular weekend wear. As much as I love the look, when I put it on just to run around town I feel like maybe I look a little too over the top...so I'm torn. What do you think of the look as regular weekend wear? I need your votes: Wear the hat around town or keep it as a beach only look?

xox,

Bre

Photos all courtesy of Free People

Ropes & Roses

Tangled Rope and Crystal Headwrap, $60 by Leletny

Hope you all had a great weekend! I have some pictures from the Green Scene festival I attended this weekend that I will have to post up later (a lot of beautiful flowers and greenery). For now I wanted to start off Monday with a little accessory inspiration. Lately I have been seeing more and more ropes or roses incorporated into accessories and I’m really digging it. I think it’s a great break from the norm of silver or gold and I love the organic quality of it (the simplicity just seems so right for Spring). It’s fun and low-key but also looks great paired with a glamorous out-to-there do like the first picture above. So here are some of my favs from fellow esty sellers. Enjoy!

Double Rope Rose Headband, $12 by Londeeloudesigns

Ivory Sailor Knot Headband 1, $14 by marcelacamargo

And these two are from the shop of one of my readers! Really great Amy!

I Love Knots Too, bracelet by Junghwa $17

Twisty Bracelet by Junghwa $14

Frayed Rosette Necklace, $32 by the ModMarket

Green and Black Statement Necklace, $35 by MissBettyLou's

Twill Rosette Hair Clip Brooch, $12 by GarlandsOfGrace

Here are some beautiful roses if you're the DIY-type and want to create your own rose-adorned pieces. I actually purchased these myself and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. I've been wanting to buy or make a rosette tee for awhile now, but haven't found one yet that wasn't too over-the-top so I'll be making my own with these. We'll see how it goes. (And yes ok, this makes it only semi-DIY since I'm not making the rosettes too, but I like to support fellow etsy shop owners and the price seemed well worth it.)

Set of 10 - Single Rosettes in Wedding White, $12 by Hailey Lu Designs

Hope you see something you love too!

xox,

Bre

Photos above all courtesy of the respective shop owners.