diy: monogrammed mug

This DIY was inspired by the Anthropologie mugs. I loved the idea so much and since I didn't particularly 

like the M one they had, I decided to make my own. This is probably the easiest DIY and it's super cheap. I found 

the mug on a clearance shelf at Marshalls for $1! As cute as the ones are from Anthro, it's nice to know 

you can make your own for half the cost! And wouldn't this be a cute gift idea?

Two easy peasy steps! I'm excited to bring my new mug to work!

xox

diy: abstract nails

I love switching up my nail color and experimenting with different nail DIYs. Sometimes I don't have the patience or the right tools for the DIYs, so I like trying ones I can do with what I have. The other day I wanted to try something a little different and unexpected. I decided to do isosceles triangles on my ring and pinkie fingers and french tips on the other three. Here's how I did it: 

What do you guys think about nail DIYs? Any fun ones you'd like to share?

xox

I used P&K "Sweet Caroline" and "Paper Heart"

Inside Bee's Sketchbook #2

Hello readers, people were quite interested in seeing more sketchbook posts after I posted my first few pages HERE so I thought I'd update you on my progress. As you can see, I've got a few pages that are yet to be completed, thanks to my ever demanding course! However, I like being able to use my sketchbook at my own leisure so I'm not too bothered that I've just done bits and bobs here and there. Since the last post, I've added my favourite Sylvia Plath quote, some crazy unfinished background that so far houses nothing and another unfinished page of the things that I love. I'm thinking about making it a bit more structured soon by creating a list of pages that I want to create then maybe challenging willing others to create their own and I'll document them all here...If this sounds like something you're interested in, let me know in the comments! I've recently bought yet another journal to house my lists/blog ideas in so I may let you delve into the pages of that one too! 


Today has been a bit of a hectic one; I've been having a bit of a spring clean of the flat and all that remains to be cleared is Luke's massive pile of work but I'm sure he'll 'tidy it tomorrow'. As he has been saying for the past month! After all that tidying chaos, I'm now sat here with a mug of tea anticipating my king prawn stir fry that I'm cooking for dinner. Oooh, yes! I've got a few different posts lined up this week from a Burts Bees review to a haul to some photos of what I've been getting up to so keep your eyes peeled! I'm off to spend the evening eating said stir fry before attempting to finish reading Pamela. Wish me luck! Enjoy the rest of your Monday ♥


P.S You can now follow me on Hello Cotton and you can also find my giveaway HERE. 

diy: the doughnut bun

Looks like any old bun right? Wrong! I learned a little secret from my sister-in-law Rachel and I thought I'd share it with you. It's this thing called the doughnut bun, or the doughnut sock, or the sock bun. You can choose any name you want but basically it's a trick to creating the perfect full bun! I tried this in December {for this outfit post}, but forgot about these photos until now. So if you're seeing this tutorial for the millionth time, I'm sorry! But if you're seeing it for the first time, yay! Get ready to learn something new!

Have you heard of this trick before? Has it worked on your hair? As my hair has gotten longer it's harder to hold a bun style, unless I use a ton of bobby pins, so this idea has been helpful! I love buns that will stay put all day with no maintenance. I hope my steps make sense. If not, leave a comment and I'll address it!

I hope you all have a great weekend!!

xox

Please ignore my wrist brace! It's the result of too much computer use :(

diy: frame + pegboard = jewelry board

Moving into our apartment has been so much fun! I have loved decorating it and making it our own. One big thing to get used to was merging my closet with Matthew's. We lucked out because our closet is a walk-in {small, but still a walk-in}. so he gets one side and I get the other. At the end of the closet is an empty wall and I wasn't sure if I should hang a photo there or what. Then, realizing the hassle of leaving my closet every morning in search of a certain necklace, I had an idea! I decided to make a jewelry organizer that could hang on that wall so  while I was getting dressed I could easily pick out the perfect accessory!

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients
one frame {my brother and I found this one for $2 at a garage sale}
one piece of pegboard {you can find it at a local hardware store and if you're nice they'll even cut to your specific measurements}
paint of choice
pegboard hooks {also found at local hardware store}
a hammer and nails

Directions
Paint the frame with your color of choice. {I chose a baby blue}. You can spraypaint the pegboard if you like, or leave it brown. I wanted to make it into a gold glitter board. Allow to dry overnight.

Fit pegboard into frame and adjust into place. My frame had prongs on the back, which made it easy.

Hammer a nail into the wall to hang new jewelry board. Fit pegboard hooks into the holes and tada! start hanging your favorite necklaces!

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So easy right?! I'm proud that this was my first DIY in the apartment!

How do you store your jewelry?

xox

6/52: A Year of Little Resolutions

Last week my goal was to be a little more crafty and to plan some fun projects. It was perfect timing, given the upcoming holiday. I decided to make Valentines for my family and friends. I had such a great time picking out pretty papers and stamps, and it was even more fun to decorate and get into a creative zone. Next weekend my best friend/maid of honor Lizzie is coming up to do wedding crafts. We love doing this kind of stuff so I'm really looking forward to it!

If you want to make a pretty Valentine's card for a loved one {there's still time!} here are some things I liked using:

- pretty papers {Michael's has a lot of great options}

- a heart stamp

- pink and red markers,

- paper doilies

- scissors

- glue sticks

- felt would be cute to make little hearts

For this week coming up I want to do sweet things for my family to show them how much I love them! I have a couple surprises planned already :)

Are any of you going to do a little resolution this week? If so, tell me about it!

xox

diy: t-shirt necklace

The other day I was watching Martha Stewart and I was inspired by her recycled crafting of a T-shirt. She made a t-shirt necklace that was pretty similar to this. I just added some twists to make it a little more fun! This is also perfect for a belated {by a day} Earth Day Project!

T-Shirt Necklace How-To

1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface; cut off the hem and discard. Then cut the body of the shirt horizontally into strips approximately 3/4 of an inch long. (They will actually be loops.)

** Ideally an exacto knife would make clean strips but don't worry about this too much {I did!} because when you stretch them the uneven parts don't show.

2. One at a time, pull the loops open and stretch until the fabric starts to curl. Stack the loops on top of one another so that all the T-shirt side seams are in the same spot.

** I twisted the front strips into spirals. You could always add leather strips, beads, or other necklaces to this!

3. Once you have the thickness you desire, wrap the seams with a scrap piece of fabric (about 6 inches long) from the same shirt. Tuck the end of the scrap under itself.

Next time I'll try some different colored t-shirts. I think it will be a fun necklace to wear in the summertime!

Any fun weekend plans? I'm spending most of mine at my church's annual festival. Rides + Auctions + Cotton Candy + friends & family = so.much.fun!
xox