Zinc Letters DIY

I have been obsessing over the Anthropologie zinc letters which range from $18-98/letter for some time now. The problem being the price, I am not willing to pay that much for the alphabet. The reason why I would seek out such a random object is that I'm trying to complete a photo and mirror mural for my living room wall along with any funky vintage art I can find. I love the Industrial look and these little letters add just the right touch. As I scrounged thrift stores and garage sales with no such luck of finding a cheaper clone, I figured I could probably recreate my own.

The Inspiration

I went to my local craft store and grabbed the supplies.

Wood letter: $2

Folk art black acrylic paint: on sale for $.99

Folk Art silver metallic acrylic paint: on sale for $.99

Total spent: $4 

I already had the paint brush and paper towel I used

I bought this letter because it was the largest and already primed white.

The paint used.

I painted two coats of the black paint on the letter as a base and let dry.

Then I dipped a dry paint brush in a little of the metallic paint and did quick up-and-down motions on the letter. I used the paper towel to rub off the silver paint in random spots.

Finished product

Voila! Easy and cheap DIY

Salvaged Table

I came across this cute reclaimed wood sawhorse table today on Apartment Therapy. It seems easy enough to make, and I'm pretty sure I have enough scrap wood and the sawhorse in the garage to create this little ensemble. I'm in desperate need of a new outdoor table for my patio and maybe this project will break my streak of uninspired creative block.

The table I'm thinking of making will be much bigger, in order to seat more people. So I will most likely use two sawhorses and double the wood. The top of the table was sealed with polyurethane in order to protect from deterioration. It's fun and quirky and will probably cost less then nothing to make, what a thrifty bonus.

Vintage Photo Shoot

Last week a few friends and I got together with the amazing and talented, Meghan Nicole, for a little photo shoot. Who doesn't like to get dressed up and have their picture taken? Period piece was the theme from the roaring 20s to the retro 60s and each of us were dressed by our friend Brittany who has such great vintage style. With all of the fun thrifty props, the girls and I set out for an adventure.

Meghan and her impeccable rocker fashion. Carrying her beloved guitar and vintage suitcase.

I'm wearing a dress that was handed down to Brittany from her grandma. Granny has style!

Love this hat!

Kayla is also wearing a Brittany granny gem with a matching beehive hairdo. 

That hair kills me! Not only is Brittany a fashionista but also a hair extraordinaire, she created this look using a beenie underneath Kay's amazing hair. 

Hot houswife

Picnic anyone?

Love the light in this one.

The lens was switched onto our photographer.

Isn't she a classic beauty?

I think this should be her new album cover!

Well that was a little introduction for a fun summer to come. A random Thursday night turned into a vintage dream. I love these girls and all of our quirky ideas.

Gem Faire

This past Friday I went with my trusty partner in crime, Ali, to the San Diego Gem Faire. I was overwhelmed with the amount of beads, gemstones, and jewelry there was to look at. It was a jewelry makers dream! The Gem faire was established in 1989 and offers lower prices than todays market value. Some of the prices were confusing because they offer the "lower" price per foot or sometimes per inch, which can drive the price up. If you happen to have a wholesale license most of the vendors will give an additional discount. We left without purchasing any beads, but we will come back with a more focused idea for what beads we need to make our jewelry.

Miss Ali 

Wowza

This beauty ran for the insane price of $300 the beads were from India

African Beads

How to Make a No-Sew Tutu

About a month ago, my friends and I decided to wear tutu's for our friends 22nd birthday. Yes, I know what you're thinking I am in my mid-twenties and still love a good theme party, no judgement please :). We came up with the quirky idea because tutu sounds like two-two, brilliant I know. Anyways, I had never really thought about how pricy tutu's could be until I was searching one out for the birthday extravaganza. Determined to make our own my friend, Ali, found a simple and affordable way to make them. Quite frankly, this is one of the easiest craft projects I have ever done, and completely impossible to mess up. I decided to replicate the tutu for my friend who recently had a baby girl. So if you have a little girl, know someone who does, or just like to dress up, here is the method.

Materials Needed:
5 yards of tulle for a two year old or 8 yards for an adult
Ribbon
Scissors
Ruler
Total cost: $9.25 for tulle and ribbon

Materials

Step One: Cut ribbon.  Measure 20in. for the waist and tie a knot on each end at the 20 in mark, making sure to also leave 20 in. on the ends for tying. 

Role each yard of tulle

Step Two: Role each yard of tulle and then cut at 3in increments 

Cut rolled tulle into 3 inch sections

Step three: Unroll tulle and on the folded end cut in half

Unroll tulle 

Step Four: Fold tulle in half making a loop at the top and then tie around ribbon by pulling the ends through

Loop around ribbon 

Step Five: Pull tight and repeat until the ribbon is completely hidden

Pull tight 

Finished product

I apologize for the some of the pictures, tulle is very camera shy and doesn't photograph well. Just for fun here are a couple shots of us out on the town in our tutus.

Promo Code

My wonderful and fabulous friend, Maryam, has a special promo code with Francesca's Collection. It is a one-time use code to receive 30% off any regularly priced item. Wow! How fantastic is that?  It is only redeemable online. To use enter "MARYAM" at the point of purchase. The code is only valid through 6/30/11 so get to shopping! Here are a few of my favorites.

Weaving Through Bag $58

Floral Scarf $18

Blue Streak Dress $38

Grid Belt $18

June Giveaway

Hello my friends! June is well under way and I decided to do a little giveaway. As you all know from my previous posts that I am completely obsessed with Anthropologie. I think it's becoming a problem and I will soon enter Anthro Addicts Anonymous...just kidding. So in honor of my good friend, Allison Tobey, who graduated yesterday from Culinary school, I'm giving away this cute little apron. It's perfect for all those summer parties that you will be preparing for!

Here are my list of demands...haha. All you have to do to enter is:

leave a comment here so I know who you are

like my facebook page

and follow my blog by clicking the "follow" button and signing in.

Pretty easy huh? One lucky winner will be picked at random and will receive this adorable apron. The winner will be announced next FRIDAY June 17th. All entries must have a U.S. shipping address. Feel free to spread the love and tell all your friends and family, anyone can win! GOOD LUCK.