Victoria's Secret Hair How-To

Hello, bombshell (in my best VS British accent).

The Goal

Let's be honest, I might not have Giselle, Heidi, Alessandra, or Miranda's eyes, lips, thighs, stomach, or arms (should I stop the list now?), but I can put up a mean fight to get their hair. And what God didn't give you with texture and thickness, Oribe made up for it with his new(ish) dry texturizing spray. Hands-down my must-have hair product on the market. It's a hairspray meets dry shampoo meets texturizer meets volumizer meets sexy in a can.

The Must-Have

You'll find hundreds of Victoria's Secret hair how-tos online and in magazines. And normally they go something along the lines of, wrap your hair in a 1 1/2-inch curling iron, shake out curls, and voila! Let's just say that look never gave me my angel wings. I came across this one on Allure and it's the best I've found in a while.

The How-To

get the full how-to here

My favorite round brushes: Latina Envy (don't hate on the name) and Olivia Garden Round Brush

 Favorite curling iron: Hot Tools

Easy Accessories with Spring Sundresses

Just doodling around the internet today and kept finding some fun, easy accessories and sundresses that I thought would make great slip on and run out the door outfits. I love finding dresses I can wear to a meeting, throw in a suitcase, or wear out at night.  Plus, the price tag on most of these isn't too bad either. Take a great looking sundress to the next level with a statement bauble and you're good to go.

Blu Bijoux Green Necklace and Zara Floral Shift // Anthro Rafia Fringe Necklace and Zara Coral Shift // Tueleste Market Heart Bib and Topshop Floral Sundress

Great Affordable Art

I love browsing different websites for good art finds and right now there seems to be tons of great stuff! The only issue is that normally it's so far beyond my budget that I have saved on my "grownup" purchase list. Translation: my walls will remain naked for a solid decade or two until those babies come along. So, in the meantime I've developed a knack for finding art that won't break the bank. Take a look!

The Tappan Collective

The Tappan Collective is a site curated by a former fine art student who wanted great, accessible artwork. She has paintings and drawings but I especially love her photography collection. 

Bowerbird

Bowerbird is another favorite of mine. They have a team of artists who whip up fun, whimsical paintings at super-reasonable prices. I love their peony series. They also have some gilded monarch wings-- very flutter by!

Society6

Society6 is the Etsy of the art world. There's so much sifting involved that I normally throw in the towel two pages deep into hunting. Half of it is hideous. Lots of odd, Urban Outfitters-eque things, like mutated doll drawings, pandas wearing backpacks, and stuff like that. Boo. However, they do have some funky, out of the box pieces as well. Plus, you can get them on a canvas or have them printed on cell phone cases, iPad covers, or even pillows. One of my favorites there is Ben Giles. He takes vintage photos and does cool collage work. 

One Kings Lane

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this site. One Kings Lane is flash sale site so you have to pull the purchase trigger asap if you want to get your hands on something. They're currently having a sale titled "Boho Bedroom." Based on the name, art isn't the first thing to come to mind but they had some bright pieces to liven up a neutral boudoir. See anything you like? Jump on it! The sale ends on 3/31.

The Animal Print Shop

The Animal Print Shop has a huge following among moms. They have tons of great images of baby animals begging to be hung in a nursery. But I think they're grown-up worthy too. I'm especially loving all of their tropical birds.

Caitlin McGauley

Caitlin McGauley is an illustrator who does feminine watercolors in summery, juicy fruit hues: think peach, watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe. She just started printing her designs on little trays. I can't decide which I like more! I think these would be great in an office.

20x200 is another favorite site of mine. Tons of modern photography. It's currently under construction so I couldn't show you my favs.  But definitely take a look!

Quick, Easy, and Free Curtain Upgrade

Behold the fruits of my labor.

French pleats or pinch pleats are super easy to do on almost any curtain you have in your home-- the only kind that wouldn't work would be grommeted curtains. Just follow my step-by-step guide below. 

Before

Initially, when I made my curtain panels, I was tired of sewing and just wanted them up and hanging. So, I resorted to curtain clips. The one thing going for curtain clips is that they're super easy. However, it always felt more like a dorm room than my beautiful bachelorette boudoir. By simply adding pleats, your curtains will look tailored and streamlined with lots more volume and movement. 

Half way finished

Notice how finished the right side looks compared to the left? Way better.

Before

The clips made the curtains hang the same way a grommet would, and that look was way too modern for my space. Plus, the clips were fine for the time being just to get my curtains up but at the end of the day, they're a little ghetto.

The weight of this fabric was so heavy that the curtains didn't really hold their shape. The new French pleats give volume and structure. 

Step-by-step guide:

Curtain rings: I wanted smaller curtain rings that I could sew directly to the curtain but they didn't have those and Bed, Bath & Beyond so I just went for these and attached the eye to curtain (which you'd normally put the clip hook through).

Double thread your needle to cut sewing time in half.

Start where you want your first ring to go. Make two evenly-sized pleats.

Pinch pleats together.

Sew the two pleats together. Make sure you run the needle directly through the middle. Sew your pleats together in the same place for an even line once they're hanging. Repeat until you finish. 

Sew eye (or small curtain ring) to the inside of the pleat.

Tip: when you pinch the pleat together, it makes a "W". Sew your eye at the top of the "W".

That's it! Free, quick, and easy. Who wouldn't love that?

Bibbity Bobbity Boo! Gold Pumpkins 101

Blingin' baby.

Hello fine friends and lovers of all things gold, glamorous, and glorious! I've been putting the Midas touch on things lately, specifically pumpkins. I love holiday-related decor but I hate that it typically clashes with my house. Since I haven't been using lots of black, orange, or death-related themes throughout my home, I decided to make Halloween work for me. Enter, pumpkins and gold paint.

What you need: 

-Flat paint brush

-Metallic paint. 

Tip: choose one that works with the finishes in your room. In this case, I had a muted gold chandelier I wanted to play off of. Don't get gold leaf paint-- you have to prime and seal it. This is just regular metallic paint from Joann's but Michael's and Hobby Lobby carry it too. 

First, let me say, the beauty of painting pumpkins as opposed to carving would be two things:
1. No operating required. This is a pumpkin blood and guts free project.
2. Your vision is far more likely to come to pass by the hand of a paint brush than a dull kitchen knife. I think Martha Stewart ruined carving pumpkins. I could totally handle the triangle eyes and silly mouth-- straight, geometric lines aren't so tough. But when she started doing things that I could barely draw with a pencil, let alone carve with a knife (and let's be honest, who is really going to buy the "pumpkin carving saw") through a thick vegetable, I decided I needed a new plan B.

Get varying colors, shapes, and sizes. I got these "heirloom" pumpkins at Home Depot for only $9 a piece in shades that worked with my wall color: grey/blue, white, and moss/blue.

Pick ones with smooth surfaces (not the bumpy ones) to make painting easier.

Start at the top and work your way down rather than the middle or bottom. It helps keep your pattern even.

I got my inspiration from fabrics I like. This one came from the Euro sham in my bedroom.

Isn't he so cute? I picked him because of the stem.  You might have to double-coat them so you maximize your metallic factor. 

ps: I have a major DIY project I did last week. Can't wait to share with you after the weekend. 

Bon weekend!