diy splatter nail polish

July 19, 2012 by 15 Comments

Not gonna lie, this splatter manicure might kill a few brain cells. But it’s cute, so directly inhaling nail polish fumes through a straw is worth it…right? (Nail polish is the new bath salts. You heard it here first.)

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Nail polish (at least two colors): I used Back to the Fuchsia by Sally Hansen, Sorbet by Sally Hansen and Flirt by Revlon
  • A straw (I found that a thin coffee straw worked best)
  • Scrap paper or newspaper (to catch the excess splatter)
  • Masking tape
  • Top coat nail polish

First, paint your nails whatever base color you choose. Let them completely dry.

Next, mummify your fingers with the masking tape. Think of it like a bib—you want everything covered except for the nail itself. This will make cleanup a lot easier.

Dip the end of the straw in the nail polish, aim it at your fingernails, and blow through the other end, splattering the polish across your nails. This is where the brain damage occurs. I found the most effective technique was to inhale a little through the straw before exhaling. For some reason, this made for a much easier splattering effect.

Repeat with your second color (if you choose to do another color).

Carefully unwrap the tape from around your nails once the splattered coat has had some time to dry. Touch up any spots with a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover. Cover with a top coat of clear polish and you have some fabulous splatter nail polish to show off!

P.S. Definitely kidding about the bath salts. And you know you’re getting old when you feel the need to make it clear you were joking because it legitimately worries you that some idiot kid out there might try to get high off nail polish because of something you said. Damnit, I’m no fun anymore.

 

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diy beachy twine-wrapped flower pot

July 10, 2012 by 8 Comments

I recently got a basil plant so that my succulent, Lafayette, would have a sibling and, more importantly, I’d have a fresh supply for my culinary adventures. Never one to let something go un-bedazzled, I decided to turn my basil pot into a DIY project.

To go with the beachy theme of my bedroom (it gets the best sun, so I keep my plants there), I went for a hemp twine-wrapped look. To achieve it, you’ll need:

  • A terracotta pot
  • Permanent adhesive (I used E600)
  • Hemp twine (or regular, non-hippie twine)
  • Q-tips or a small paint brush

I saved the plastic container the E600 came in so that I could use it as a dish for the E600. I found it was easiest to squeeze a little onto the plastic, let it sit until tacky, then paint it on little by little using the q-tip.

Using this technique with the glue, slowly wrap the twine around the pot, starting at the bottom and winding upwards, adding glue as you go. When you get to the top, hold the end in place with a chip-clip or clothespin until the glue has completely dried.

Cut the twine and you’ve got yourself a beachy, hemp-wrapped flower pot!

I filled the pot’s dish with glass chunks and beads (purchased at A.C. Moore) and some sea glass I collected during my travels in Colombia a few months ago.

Be on the lookout for some delicious basil-flavored recipes on the blog!

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diy american flag nail art

June 29, 2012 by 9 Comments

The Fourth of July countdown continues! I’ve posted manicure tutorials before (tribal print & chevron) that use tape as a stencil, but it wasn’t until some heavy Pinterest browsing that it occurred to me how much easier it’d be to use the tape on the nail. It was a why didn’t I think of that?! moment. I hate those.

Competitiveness aside, I couldn’t wait to put the technique to use in a manicure worthy of the 4th of July. For this American flag nail art, you’ll need:

  • Scotch tape
  • Scissors
  • Red nail polish
  • Blue nail polish
  • White nail polish
  • Clear top coat polish

Start with two coats of the white polish. Let them completely dry (this is my least favorite part of painting my nails).

Keeping the tape in the dispenser, paint a strip with two coats of the blue and let it dry.

Using the scissors, cut a star from the blue section of tape. If you have young kids, are an art teacher, or are the late Michael Jackson, you may have a star-shaped hole-punch laying around your house. Use that instead of the scissors for a perfectly shaped star. As you can see, my star ended up being a litte—err—bottom-heavy.

Stick the star tape to your ring finger nail (or whatever nail you choose).

Paint another chunk of tape with two coats of red and let that dry. You’ll then cut the red tape into thin strips and stick them on to your remaining nails as the stripes of the “flag.” If you want a subtle American flag accent, just do the nail to the right of the starred nail. This is the look I prefer.

If you want to go all out with your 4th of July pride, add stripes to all remaining nails. Regardless of if you do one or all of them, cover all nails with a clear top coat of polish. As you can see, I didn’t wait long enough for my red tape to dry, and when I added the clear coat, my middle nail smudged a bit. Womp womp wommmmp.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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diy beaded wrap bracelet

June 22, 2012 by 7 Comments

Pinterest, tumblr and fashion blogs everywhere are filled to the brim with close-up shots of “arm parties”—wrists stacked with bracelet upon bracelet. I love the look, but have always had an issue when it comes to this piece of jewelry because my wrists are unnaturally small. Every single year I would get a nice bracelet for Christmas. Every single year it would slip off my toddler-sized wrist and be lost forever.

For this reason, I love making my own bracelets, custom-sized to fit me. And after making these tribal beaded earrings, I’ve been on a serious bead kick, so this wrap bracelet was an easy choice.

Before you undertake this project yourself, be warned: it takes HOURS. You’ll make the bracelet using a square stitch, which essentially requires you to individually loop each tiny bead on to its surrounding beads one at a time. I made this bracelet over the course of a few days, doing a little here and a little there.

You’ll Need:

  • Beads (colors of your choice)
  • Beading wire (I used thread because I was too lazy to drive to A.C. Moore, but I don’t recommend you do the same. The bracelet will be far too delicate and easy to destroy)
  • Needle
  • A button

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cut a long piece of string/wire (as long as you think you can manage without it tangling). Depending on how many times you want the bracelet to wrap around your wrist, this DIY requires a LOT of thread/wire. You’ll need to add segments by tying ends together.
  2. Begin your square stitch, leaving at least 8 inches of thread/wire at the end (you’ll need the extra wire to attach the button at the end). I used a row width of 5 beads, but you can vary this depending on how thick you want your bracelet. I’ve drawn out what a square stitch looks like because I felt it was clearer than the photos I took. You’ll use this technique row after row. There’s a great animated tutorial over at Silver Hill Design that I highly recommend if my picture isn’t helping.
  3. When you get to the end (17 million hours later), secure the last bead by wrapping the thread through it several times. String on enough beads to form a loop big enough for the button to fit through. This will depend on the button you choose; I needed 16 beads to form my loop. Secure by looping the thread through the last row of beads several times, ending with a knot.
  4. Go back to the starting end of the bracelet and attach the button using the same technique used for the loop clasp: thread the wire through the last row of beads several times and through the button, securing with a knot.

For my wrap bracelet, I mixed up the patterns between color-blocked stripes and zigzags because I wanted an eclectic mix of color when it was wound around my wrist.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I’m headed off to NYC tonight and then to the Jersey Shore for the remainder of the weekend (look out, Pauly D!).

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diy mosaic tile flower pot (because plants need to dress well, too)

May 30, 2012 by 12 Comments

Lately, I’ve really wanted a kid or a puppy. This is frightening considering I still think it’s appropriate to do keg stands, I buy new underwear on a monthly basis to avoid doing laundry, and I know more about the Real Housewives of New Jersey than I do about the current presidential campaigns.

Since I’d probably accidently kill a puppy or small child within a few weeks, I’m aiming my sights a little lower with this tiny little plant. Baby steps.

I named him (yes, I assigned the plant a gender) after True Blood’s always-fabulous Lafayette. And it would be doing LaLa a huge disservice if I didn’t dress my Lafayette as fiercely as he dresses on the show.  A boring terra cotta pot just wasn’t going to cut it for any son of mine. *snaps fingers with a neck lean*

I found small tiles in various shades of blue at AC Moore, and knew they’d be perfect for jazzing up Lafayette’s pot. My bedroom is decorated in a blue, tan and white theme (beachy is the only look I know how to pull off when it comes to home décor), so the tiles would look great on Lafayette and in my room. Win win.

I used super glue to attach the tiles to the pot (I tried using hot glue but it wasn’t cutting it), and then decided to add some white to the exposed terra cotta remaining. The only problem? I hadn’t bought white paint or a white paint marker.

Luckily, I had some white matte nail polish that worked perfectly for the small surface area I had to cover.

Once the white paint issue was resolved, I had to figure out where to get some extra soil. Lafayette is petite and there was just no way he was going to fit in that pot, regardless of how small it was. Like trying to put an Olsen twin in a pair of size 4 pants—she’d be swimming in ‘em.

I went on a little adventure around my apartment building until I spotted a flowerbed with some bright and alive-looking flora. Using…a spoon…I “borrowed” some soil and used it to fill out Lafayette’s pot. I also made sure to explain to him that after his freshman year of college, he wouldn’t need the extra soil and would fit into his pot (aka “fat pants”) juuuuust fine.

My little Lafayette (who I love so dearly now) looks small and alone on my gigantic windowsill, so it probably won’t be long until I give him some sisters and brothers. Truth be told, I’m now pretty much obsessed with taking care of plants and will feel a great void until I’ve stuffed my windows full of them. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the unnecessarily awesome outfits/pots that come with each new child of mine.

Image credit for the sassy pics of True Blood’s Lafayette: MamaPop.com

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