DIY Inspiration

Lately this blog has been lacking in the DIY department. Last summer I was doing all sorts of projects, but this summer time and money have both been short and all of the projects that I have saved up have fallen to the bottom of the to do list. Recently I've gotten to urge to get creative -- I have a few projects in mind that I want to do so I can finally put the finishing touches on my room. I also might get to bring my mom's old sewing machine here after I visit home, so I am dreaming of all of the sewing projects I will be able to do!  After looking through my pins I decided to throw together a bit of a DIY inspiration board with some ideas for future projects.  Maybe some of these ideas and images will inspire you too! 

1: I've always loved marquee lights as statement pieces...There are lots of tutorials out there for how to make your own.  Figuring out a DIY that is in my budget/works for me has been on my to do list for ages // 2: I've been thinking about all sorts of ways to display plants and flowers in my room lately.  I have a project in mind that also uses a series of glass bottles // 3: Have you seen the tutorials out there for decorating your own dishes? I love the design on this mug // 4: I have been lusting over this bag ever since I pinned it.  And a couple of months ago they got it in stock at a store a few blocks away from my house.  It has taken all the will-power I have not to buy it.  Once I get ahold of a sewing machine I want to try my hand at creating something similar // 5: Love this colorful swing.  We have a few trees in front of my house that would be perfect for something like this! // 6: Surprise! Another plant project.  There are so many cool hangers out there that I want to try and recreate // 7: Another sewing project on my list is to make some colorful pillows to brighten up my bed.

I'm hoping to finish up a couple of projects in the next few weeks to post up here. Do you have any projects you've been wanting to do? Items on your wish list you wish you could recreate for less? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 

valentine's day outfit inspiration

I love Valentine's Day for many reasons...First and foremost, it gives you an opportunity to slow down and show those you love how much you care (the way we really should everyday, yet often forget to)...and reminds you of the people you have in your life to be thankful for.  Less importantly, Valentine's day is an excuse to do lots of fun crafting, make sweets, and get all dressed up to go out on a romantic date, a girl's night out with your single friends, or just stay in (I like to get dressed up either way!).  With Taylor gone in France this year my Valentine's day will most likely consist of a Skype date in my pjs, but I thought it would be fun to share what I would wear if he was here to go out on the town with for dinner.

This romantic red lace dress from Free People is the perfect Valentine's day dress.  I would pair it with heart tights, comfy black booties, gold accessories...oh, and my black pea coat...'cause it's freezing here right now.  

Sometime in the next few days I'll share some quick ideas for Valentine gifts for friends that I'm working on.  They will be pretty simple, so make sure to check back if you're strapped for time!

filling empty space

I've been slowly but surely trying to fill up the wall space in my room, but for some reason it's taking me forever.  It's hard when you can't make holes and have to worry about ruining paint. I finally put up a couple of prints above my bed, but now the empty wall above my desk feels so...well...empty.  So I gathered together some inspiration to help myself make a decision and decide on one last project for my room (seriously, it's about time).  I'm on a (very tight) budget so as much as I would love to just get one of the big prints I've been lusting after (see here, here and here), I need to come up with a cheap DIY instead.

1: Print out and string up a bunch of photos, postcards, etc // 2: I love the bold and simple white letters on black in this framed subway poster. This could easily be recreated with white sticker letters or a similar technique to the one I used here // 3: I've had this wall filled with wire phrases pinned for a long time. I could shape favorite lines of lyrics out of wire to hang on my wall // 4: A painted cork board would be a simple and easy project to do // 5: I could also just fill a cheap bulliten board with lots of pretty inspiration // 6: I really love the idea of finding a big, old frame (preferably white) and filling it with smaller pictures like this.

As soon as I settle on a project, a DIY for your wall space should be coming soon!

diy necklace inspiration

One of my favorite trends right now is geometric jewellery--here is a collage of some of my favorites from etsy.  They can be easily dressed up or down and I love how simple they are.  This was my inspiration for a diy I did that will be up shortly!

Links to etsy stores: 1/2/3/4/5/6

Room Inspiration

Next semester I'm moving into a new house which means I get to decorate my new room! I'm generally not the most organized/clean person (seriously, you should see my room right now) but I've found that if I really love (and have put a lot of effort into) the space I'm in, I'm a lot more likely to keep it clean...plus I just love decorating my room.  So, I've been using pinterest as a way to keep track of inspiration for my new room.  I'm planning on doing lots of DIY projects this summer (such as this earring display from last week) that I can use in my room seeing as my budget is pretty limited.  Here is a little "inspiration board" I pulled together for my new room.  I've found that I gravitate towards simple black and white with lots of pops of color (especially pink and yellow).  I'm also hoping to get some prints for my birthday that I can frame and create a feature wall with (sort of like in picture #5).

picture sources: one//two//three//four//five//six//seven