Monday in Wonderland: Hey There Gorgeous!

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Why hello, you lovely thing! I was planning on giving you a tutorial for a little photo editing today, but as usual, am running behind. Even though it's late, it is still Monday and I haven't missed a Monday in Wonderland yet!

For now, here is a lovely little download, as well as a sneak peak at what I am going to show you how to make soon--without Photoshop! Is all the gold, pretty texture, and promise of free and easy getting you excited yet?

Anyway, I hope you love this lots and lots, and that your week is absolutely amazing! Got any exciting plans to chat about?

Stay lovely,

PS: Notice anything different around here? I'm soooo excited about some new little design changes, and will soon be sharing about those too!

DIY Hand-Painted Quote Pillow: Choose Happy and Walk the Moon Lyrics


A few weeks ago I posted my Bright Side/Monday Side Pillow and promised I would be making more, so here is another easy tutorial for a throw pillow. And don’t ask if I have too many for a normal person, because I definitely do. Day bed = pillows. Capiche?

This method is very customizable, meaning you can paint on whatever image you’d like. However, since I essentially used a tracing technique, your base fabric will need to be light enough to see through. I happen to have a lot of white in my décor, so this was no biggie for me. Plus those little golden arrows are just so cute!


You will need:
Computer and printer
Wax paper or plastic wrap
½ yard light colored cotton fabric, patterned if you’d like (You should be able to see through it!)
Fine artist’s brush
Fabric Creations soft fabric ink* in contrasting color
Fabric scissors
Water erasable ink pen
Sewing machine and related notions
Stuffing… much stuffing

*This is not sponsored in any way, shape, or form, I just happen to really love this product! It's thinner and less gloppy than normal fabric paint, is easy to control while painting, and settles into the fabric really nicely. But yeah, regular fabric paint would definitely work too!


Step 1
Convert the image or phrase of your choice to black and white, and print as large as possible on one sheet of paper. You also want to mark the center of the image, and can do this before you print it, or afterwards with a ruler and pen. You also have the luxury of adding this point in white if you do it on the computer, right over the black text in the center!

Step 2
Cut 2 rectangles of fabric to your desired pillow size, adding one inch to each dimension for seam allowances. I used a pillow I already had as a reference, and ended up cutting my fabric 19” x 11”.

Step 4
Fold one piece of the fabric in half both ways (so into quarters) and mark the center of this piece with a water-soluble or disappearing ink pen. Iron both pieces of fabric to get rid of those icky wrinkles.


Step 5
Tape your computer paper to the surface you will be working on, followed by a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Then, lay out your fabric piece so the center points line up, and gently tape it to the surface as well.


Step 6
Then, just paint your image onto the fabric, essentially tracing the outline from the computer image. I would also suggest having the image pulled up on a computer nearby, or printing out an extra, in case the outlines are difficult to see in any places.

It is also helpful to paint each line lightly, then fill it in and thicken it. This will make it easier to follow the image and keep the lines straight. Work from top left to bottom right if you are right handed and like to draw your hand through wet paint like I do.

Step 7
After letting it dry for 24 hours, heat set your paint. If you used a water-soluble ink pen, also get rid of that mark in the center by either spritzing your fabric with water or rinsing it.


Step 8
Pin your fabric pieces with right sides together, making sure the pattern is oriented correctly. Then stitch around the pillow leaving a gap at the base, clip the corners, turn it, and stuff it. Stitch up the gap as well! I like to do this by hand with a slip stitch.



This idea was actually the invention of my older sister, the one and only Samantha, who whipped up the square pillow you see above as a Christmas gift! It was also really lovely see some doodles I’d already created for the blog in pillow form, and for much cheaper than you could order it online! (“Choose Happy” is here, and the lyric from my babes, Walk the Moon, can be downloaded here!)

I hope you love these little pillows as much as I do! I can say that my collection is quite sizable, and will honestly probably keep growing! They are just such a fun, easy, and unique piece of room décor that can add quite the personal touch, don’t you think?

What kind of décor takes the cake in your house? (Ooh, cake pillow next?!)

Stay lovely,


Monday in Wonderland: Leslie Knope Quotes

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You might be getting tired of watercolor everything ‘round here, but I’m sure not getting tired of making it! This week, my trusty Crayola watercolors became some beautiful quotes by the one and only Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec. If you haven’t seen the show, Leslie, played by Amy Poehler, basically kicks butt in life by being her hardworking, excessively positive and driven self. Also, if you haven’t seen the show, you probably haven’t recently finished the 7th season on Netflix and don’t have a gaping hole in your life where the Pawnee, India Parks and Recreation Department used to be! (Yeah.. so that’s me right now.)


Anyway, obsession aside, we could probably all use a little more Leslie Knope mentality in our lives. Don’t believe me? Behold her wisdom.

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I don’t always talk to myself. But when I do, I try to say nice things :)

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Forget the haters, cuz somebody loves ya. (Yes, I am very sorry for quoting Leslie by quoting Miley. No, I am not taking it back.)

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Girl code reigns supreme.
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This also might be me. I should probably go take a bubble bath or do some yoga right now.

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Translation: Press pause, and take it all in graciously.

I hope you have an amazing week, filled with an extra serving of Leslie’s optimism and ferocity! What’s your favorite P&R quote? Also, TV show recommendations, please!

Stay lovely, 

DIY Double-Tiered Hanging Word Shelf


Back when I posted this Gold Textured Makeup Bag, I promised you a lot of DIY’s, courtesy of our yearly crafting frenzy just before Christmas. So now, with the start of the semester and, more importantly, Valentine’s Day off the calendar, I am back to giving you the how-to on some of those super cute and fun projects! Also, this is definitely one of my favorite DIY's to date!


This DIY was made for my coffee-loving baby sister (who is actually in high school) so she can store her many coffee mugs, which were previously taking up a significant portion of our kitchen cabinets! I wanted hooks to hang some of her favorites on, and a shelf on top where she could store additional mugs or even candles—another obsession of hers! I also made the top shelf wider so that breakable things could be stored on it safely, and so that more mugs could be hung in front of the letters! Using the wider shelf only at the top also prevents it from jutting out from the wall at a level where I am more likely to run into it. See, there is a method to my madness!


This DIY does use a few power tools, so let’s give a big hand to my daddy and his guidance putting it together! That said, while a buddy would be helpful, it’s not too incredibly complicated and is a pretty inexpensive project considering what you get, especially if you have scrap wood available that will do the job!

You Will Need:

Materials:
Papier mâché letters
Wood pieces: 2x4 cut 32” long, 2x8 cut 32” long, and plywood backing cut 32”x14.5”
Spray paint (I used black and this rose gold)
Deck screws: 4 screws 2 1/2" long, and 4 screws 3 1/2” long
Large cup hooks
Industrial strength glue (I used E6000)
Hanging hardware

Tools:
Power saw
Sandpaper
Rag
Powered drill with drill and screwdriver bits
Yardstick
Small nail
Hammer
Pliers

Step 1
Cut your pieces to the dimensions above, sand down the edges, and wipe with a damp cloth to remove dust and prep for painting. These dimensions are specifically for the letters I used, but to get them I simply laid the paper mâché letters side by side, measured the total length and added 4”. The height was eyeballed and again measured. Additionally, you may be able to get your wood planks cut at the hardware store where you purchase them, meaning fewer power tools! My 2x8 was cut this way, while the other pieces were cut from scraps already in our garage.

Step 2
Spray paint your wood pieces black and the letters a contrasting shade. When deciding how much paint to buy, don’t forget that unprimed wood uses a LOT of paint! Be attentive to recoat times while painting and let dry fully.



Step 3
Line up your 2x4 with one edge of the plywood, placing the plywood on top with painted side down. You can use an extra piece of wood to level everything, as shown above. Clamp the plywood to the painted 2x4, as also shown.

Step 4
Using a drill bit slightly narrower than your screws, drill 4 evenly spaced, shallow pilot holes in the back of the plywood along the edge. You will be attaching the shelf planks with screws through the back plywood board and into the 2x4 shelf. Use the shorter 2 1/2" screws and a drill with Phillip’s head attachment to accomplish this.

Step 5
Repeat the above step with the 2x8 piece and the 3 1/2” screws. The 2x8 will function as the top of the cabinet.



Step 6
Flip the cabinet over and attach the letters to the plywood backing as you desire with industrial strength glue. I spaced the letters, then began attaching at the outside and working inward. I also had them lined up against the 2x4 so that when mugs were hung from the upper shelf, the letters were still easy to read.


Step 7
Rotate the cabinet so that it stands up with the 2x8 board acting as a base, so that the shelf is flipped upside down. On the underside of the top (2x8) shelf, measure one inch inward from the front edge so that the hooks will line up when the shelf is viewed from the side. Mark the locations of the cup hooks using the measurements show above. The hooks are essentially evenly spaced with the outer hooks closer to the ends of the shelf. (I just makes things more complicated than necessary!)


Step 8
At each marking you just made, hammer a small nail 1/4" into the plywood and then remove it. This will act as a pilot hole and make the cup hooks easier to screw in. And then go ahead and screw in those cup hooks, ending with the open ends of the hook facing toward the plywood backing. As the hook gets tighter, you may need to use the pliers to screw it in.

Step 9
Use the pliers to bend the cup hooks open a little more. You simply clamp them near the edge of the hook as shown and rotate outwards. This will allow mugs to hang more safely from the underside of each shelf.

Step 10
Leave the cabinet oriented as it is, and repeat steps 7-9 on the underside of the 2x4.

Step 11
Hang the cabinet up! Make sure you purchase hangers that will support the weight of your masterpiece, but beyond that, I can’t offer any more help than the package instructions!

Because the hangers push the cabinet away from the wall a little, you can always add spacers at the bottom of the cabinet so that it lies flat against the wall. This can be anything from foam dots to small pieces of wood, depending on what you have on hand.

Step 12
Hang all the pretty mugs, and stack nonsense on top! 



My main goals for this cabinet were to keep the shelf sturdy and durable, as well as adorable! Hopefully this means that my Diana can use it for a long time! For that reason, I also made this project in a sophisticated and versatile color scheme!

Now it’s just up to you to take this DIY and mix it up for yourself. Different colors, various words, and different purposes are totally possible here! For example, downsizing the apparatus or making the shelving double decker, with three different widths of boards would totally spice things up! I already have so many ideas of ways to adapt this project in the future and I’d love to hear yours too!

Have you done any big projects with power tools lately? Scary but rewarding stuff, am I right?

Stay lovely,

Monday in Wonderland: Seriously. Love Yourself.

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I haven’t done a classic Monday in Wonderland recently, ya know, with just a doodle and some rambling, but this message seems to be popping up at me everywhere recently! I also know I put the same mantra in some littleprintables a few weeks ago, but loving yourself is just so incredibly important. Not easy by any means, but pretty dang important. It even was addressed in my Women’s Health textbook today! And what with Valentine’s Day passing, I figured it could never hurt to give a little reminder!

I could also go on and on about this nonsense, but I think you know the drill. It’s hard work and you do have to consciously approach such a thing unless you are Beyoncé and never really have a bad day! (#flawless) Plus, so many people say it so much better than little ol’ me. Here’s a super cute video, if that’s what you are feeling, and a list of 55 ways to do so, full of linked articles that really are something special. (Thank you to Courtney’s Little Things for directing me there!) We also have a self-love challenge here, and an entire internet full of reasons and ways to love little ol’ you.

There really is a little bit of movement to this mantra and I totally love it. I as much as anyone else need to have patience, acceptance, and grace for myself. And when I do so, I feel a heck of a lot better :)

Have an absolutely amazing week! And if you haven’t done it yet, Valentine’s blooms and chocolates are bound to be on sale! Pick some up for your bestest buddie—AKA YOU! (I would also suggest wine, but I’m not really old enough to drink that so…)

How do you love your own beautiful self?


Stay lovely,

FREE Printable Valentine's Bingo!


Happy Galentine's Day! Thanks to Leslie Knope, today has totally caught on as a day of "ladies celebrating ladies," whether it be for brunch, movie night, or whatever else sounds fun! Regardless of your plans today though, I thought I'd jump into the game with a little gift for my readers--free printable bingo filled with conversation heart phrases and pastel colors! (And I guess the guys can use it too, if they feel so inclined.)


It's 16 cards to play on, along with cards to draw from at the end of the file. And for markers, I definitely recommend conversation hearts. I hope you love all the colors as much as I do!


CUPID'S BINGO! <3

I wish you a wonderful Galentine's Day today and lovely Valentine's Day tomorrow! It just makes me so happy to celebrate love in all forms. Okay, and treat myself a little. That seems to be one of the main points of this anyway right?!

Now if you'll excuse me,  have a farmer's market to attend, and some Tangled to watch!

Stay lovely,

Strawberry Rose Lemonade Punch


A couple weeks ago I made some super cute Valentine’s Day Shirley Temples, and in the process discovered Rose Lemonade! And to be honest, I was totally shocked by how much I liked it! I’ve always thought that florals were meant to be used as a scent and nothing more, but in the right dosage they actually do add something quite elegant and wonderful to a beverage. Inspired by that lemonade (I originally purchased this brand), I set out to make my own, and then that somehow turned into this nifty little Valentine’s Day punch recipe! Think of it as classic sherbet punch, but with an extra dash of girly flirtiness—and not just because it is pink!


Strawberry Rose Lemonade Punch


By the glass:

4 oz lemonade
3 oz sparkling water
1-2 tsp rose water (adjust to taste)
1 rounded spoonful Strawberries and Cream Sherbet

Add your sherbet to the glass, followed by club soda, and stir until the ice cream completely dissolves, then add in the lemonade and rose water! It’s that easy!

By the pitcher (or Mason jar, whatever floats your boat):

2 cups lemonade
1 1/2 cup club soda (1 can!)
2 tablespoons rose water (again, you may adjust to taste)
2 small scoops sherbet

Add all ingredients and stir until dissolved.

I included both quantities because I usually will just make a classy beverage for myself to enjoy, but you could totally whip up more for that amazing Galentine’s Day brunch that you are hosting! (I mean, it’s cool if you want to make this for the boys too, just make sure they are a-okay with drinking pink!) I love how this is fruity, a little fizzy, and has just a dash of that rose water goodness, which makes me feel just a little bit like a fairy princess when I drink it! Plus roses and Valentine’s Day—classic.

Now I just have to pick my favorite between this and some Shirley Temples! Do you have any Galentine’s Day plans?

Stay lovely,

Conversation Heart Printables


Hello there! So. I had some fantastic plans to bring you an adorable Monday in Wonderland download today, but seeing as it is already after 8pm here and my technology still hates me, I think we'll save that evil plan for another day. For now, here are some cute little conversation heart printables for you to use to your heart's content, made by yours truly. I love you all and will write again soon!

Stay lovely,

DIY Valentine's Day Inspired Sleep Masks!





When I shuttled myself up to Aggieland last August to start the whole college business, I gained an absolutely beautiful room! I’m slowly building up wall décor for this space, but lucky for me, I get to skip a whole wall! Why you ask? (And this is even luckier.) Absolutely giant windows!!! They are incredibly beautiful and make everything feel so airy and fun. The only problem then is that when it starts getting light outside, my brain goes, “time to wake up!” Early rising like this would be an awesome thing, except for the fact that I regularly stay up far too late! So as we blissfully glide into spring (yes, that it what the transition feels like to me), I decided to whip up some fun sleep masks for that rising sun in the early morn!

DIY sleep masks aren’t really new, a quick Pinterest search will show you that, but I’ve been dying to try out my own embellishments. And then a day full of hearts and pink and love and stuff comes barreling towards me so I said, “why not Valentine’s Day inspired sleep masks?” (Check out me and my dialogue tonight. Obviously, I am now a fiction author.) I mean talk about a fun and personalized gift!! AND I get to once again use the fabulously sparkly glitter fabric I purchased for my Bright Side/Monday Side Pillow—it comes in so many colors! Yayyyy!


You will need:
A sleep mask to use as a pattern or this nifty template I made ya
1/4 yard black satin fabric
Glitter fabric sheets in the desired color (You could probably also spray on glitter with a product like this one!)
Scissors of the craft and fabric persuasions
Scrap fleece
Fabric glue (I used this brand)
Needle ‘n thread
Sewing machine
Fold over elastic (also nifty for a DIY Elastic JournalClosure *shameless self-promotion* or hair ties)

Step 1
Click here to download a sleep mask template and print it on computer paper! Or if you don’t like my overall shape, use your own mask as a template (or in my case my sister’s mask)! A quick Pinterest search will also get you what you desire and you can create the embellishment templates in a word processing program! All those are 2.5” in height, just to give you all the options you could possibly want.


Step 2
Cut out the mask template from the computer paper. Fold the satin parallel to the selvage to the height of the pattern and pin on the template, then cut both layers at once! (You can trust me, it’s pretty easy.) The fleece will also be cut from the shape inside the seam allowance if you would like to do that at this step.


Step 3
Trace and cut your embellishment from the glitter fabric! It is actually easiest to cut with regular scissors, for the record. Make sure if you are using certain letters such as “L” or “C” that you trace and cut these face down, or they will come out backwards!

Step 4
Attach the glittery embellishments to the right side of one of the satin pieces. I put just a little glue in the center to tack them in place, then made a running stitch by hand around the perimeter of the shapes to be all fancy-like! I would also recommend tacking down the points of a letter such as the x with a needle and thread even if you decide to glue everything. Otherwise, these points tend to stick out and look awkward, especially when the mask goes with the curves of your face.


Step 5
Cut your fold over elastic so that it comfortably stretches around the back of your head from temple to temple. Mine ended up being 13.”

Step 6
Now you will stack and pin your pieces for sewing. Start with the unembellished satin piece, right side up, followed by the elastic, also right side up. Since the elastic will be wider than the mask, you can go ahead and pin the ends down straight across from one another. Place the embellished satin piece face down on top, and pin everything together, sandwiching the ends of the elastic between the two satin layers.


Step 7
Stitch it all up, leaving a 2” gap at the top for turning, and using a narrow seam allowance.

Step 8
Notch the curves of the sleep mask by cutting out little triangle shapes. This will make everything lay out more smoothly and beautifully at the end.

Step 9
Turn the mask right sides out and push out the curved edges, then iron them on a low setting from the unembellished side to get pretty, clean curves (without melting your glitter vinyl).


Step 10
Insert the fleece piece you cut earlier and smooth it out between the layers. If it is too bunchy, you may need to trim it down a little. Once its’s in place, slip stitch that gap closed.

Step 11
Now take a gosh darn nap, because you worked very hard and have something pretty to help you out!


One of these babies is soon to be on a trip to Ohio to wish my bestie a very Happy Valentine’s Day—sorry for the spoiler Theresa dear! Sweet dreams love!



I do have to say that this little guy is so SO comfy! Between the satin, fleece insert, and fold over elastic at the back, this is one of the comfiest sleep masks I have ever tried on. I mean I might be a little biased because I get to look a little like my favorite emoji now, but I’m not completely lying! And it is well suited for that very beautiful and very bright window.

Some other cute variations on this idea include animal masks, the classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s eyes, or the addition of puns and other lovely words! What kind of sleep mask would you put together? Maybe one with emoji eyes?! (I mean, really, they’re emoji eyes.)

Stay lovely,