DIY the trend: pom pom straw tote!

As I mentioned earlier this week I am OBSESSED with the pom pom straw tote trend this season.  They just scream summer and add a fun bit of whimsy to any summer look. It's a look I knew I could easily DIY and I was right!   I recently snagged an inexpensive straw tote (this exact one is no longer available, but I linked to similar options below), some oversized pom poms and voila! In about 15 minutes I had the trend in my closet for way less money and I got to personalize it just how I wanted it!

Here are my tips for attaching the pom poms to the tote: you could definitely hot glue the poms on, but I wanted something less permanent so I simply sewed them on.  It was too hard for me to string the thread straight through the center of the pom so I experimented a bit and found that sewing an "x" over the center of the pom was the best way to attach them.  Think how you would sew a button on a shirt in an "x" formation, and do the same to the pom!  After experimenting a bit it only took me about 10 minutes to sew on the poms.  So easy!

Shop the supplies here:

diy the trend: patchwork jackets for mother & daughter!

The embellished or embroidered patch trend is popping up everywhere and my daughter mentioned how much she loved the look when we were perusing the craft store recently.  So on a whim I decided it would be super fun to DIY denim jackets together in line with this trend.  I picked up inexpensive denim jackets from Old Navy and then ordered a whole slew of iron on patches online.

My daughter had an absolute BALL picking out which patches would go on her jacket and just for fun I let her pick out the patches for my jacket too.  She was a on roll... who was I to stop her?  The best thing about this DIY is that it literally takes 5 minutes!  You can use items you already own like shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, fabric totes, or like we did: denim jackets.  Then we (she) had fun picking out which patches would go where then I simply ironed them on. It was start to finish a 5-10 minute project with instant results, making it the perfect DIY to do with your kids (I don't know about your kids, but mine have zero patience!)  Read on to see some of my tips for this simple project!

Tips and tricks:

1) I ordered all our patches from Amazon.  I like these, these, these or these. But feel free to search for more! 

2) Have some fun picking out your patches... make sure you try lots of different variations and then pin them on before you iron them. 

3) Iron them on! All the packages I purchased said not to use steam... but guess what, I'm impatient and that didn't seem to work very well. So I steamed the heck out of them and voila! They were stuck for good instantly. 

Or you can shop the trend here...

diy the trend: splatter paint!

I'm kicking off a fun new DIY series here on the blog... I hope you love it as much as I loved pulling it together!  If you know me in real life you know that I can be quite creative... but crafty, um, not so much. I feel like when I was younger I was daring and creative and crafty and as life got busy and responsiblities stacked up, I've lost a lot of that.  Which is kind of sad, isn't it?! Maybe you feel the same way?  But I often see new trends and think, I could DIY that SO easy... but then I get lazy and just don't.

This new DIY series is for the LAZY or totally UNCRAFTY person.  Which is totally me.  Maybe it's you too? This series will involve minimal supplies, easy to find supplies, super easy prep and hands on time with a "all the hearts in the eyes" product.  You in? I know I am!  I have a couple of REALLY fun projects lined up (or already completed!) to show you gals!  

This spring I've noticed the splatter paint trend popping up all over the place.  Especially at one of my favorite retailers: J.Crew.  I am TOTALLY on board with this trend. I think it's the perfect amount of whimsy for spring. But the minute I saw this trend, I was like "why buy it!?!?"  The trend will likely be short and the pieces may not be lifelong wardrobe classics.  Those two things together make for a perfect DIY storm.  I just found some previously loved tops that were destined for the "donate" pile, some paint samples I had laying around (or you can get some for about $5 at the hardware store) and some brushes and got to work!  This project was a RIOT... I went in my basement and started splattering paint while the kids were at school one afternoon and it was a total blast!  Read on for more of my tips on how to make it successful....

Tips for DIYing the splatter paint trend:

1) Find some previously loved shirts, shorts, jackets or jeans that you are okay with permanently changing.  These two tops were on their way to the "donate" pile for being nearly thread-bare in spots.  Which is perfect... they will likely last as long as this trend ;)

2. Gather some paint supplies... I had TONS of paint samples laying around from our recent home renovations. But you can get sample sizes of paint from any hardware store for about $5. I used pale pink and white together! But go wild with your color selection.  I suggest adding a few tablespoons of water to the paint sample and then shaking it vigorously before starting.  

3. I put old magazines/catalogs rolled up in the sleeves to splatter, that way I could get the front & back of the sleeve. Make sure you also put a layer of cardboard or newspaper between the front and back of the piece of clothing too.

4. Splatter away! Try your technique on newspaper first to see what you like... then go wild! It's really fun!  

5. Let it dry over night and then sport your new trendy splatter paint piece with pride! Keep in mind you will likely want to avoid ironing and machine washing/drying after you paint it. It's a work of art! Treat it as such!

Not into DIYing this trend!?!?!  Shop it here instead...