Just a little something to ponder over your weekend…
What will you touch?
Or better yet, who?
What will you see?
Who are you now?
Who will you become?
On a related note, my amazing blogger friend Ashley has written a kick ass book that you NEED to read.
{image via dear inspiration}
Crafting up some tissue paper snowflakes recently with the little one and decided to play with making a garland out of doilys. I dusted them up with glitter and ended up liking the homespun quality of them quite a bit. Instructions below.
Glittering Doily Letter Garland
2 packs of paper doilys
x-acto knife
pearlescent paint
elmers glue
sponge brush
fine crystal glitter {martha stewart makes lovely glitters}
felt tip or calligraphy pen
string, ribbon, or fish line
+ Using calligraphy pen {or a pencil for more elaborate designs}, write your message out on the doilies.
+ Place the doily on work surface {a few layers of cardboard works if you don’t have one} and carefully trace the letter with the x-acto knife, being sure to leave a tiny strip to hold the solid centers on letters like O, R, Q, P, D, or B.
+ Mix equal parts elmers glue and pearlescent paint in a dish.
+ Lightly coat doily with paint mixture. You may want to do this to both sides, since it makes the garland more durable.
+ Cover entire surface with glitter and sift back and forth to shake off excess.
+ Once dry, place letters under heavy flat object.
+ String them up and enjoy!
{other holiday diy projects}
+tinsel tutorial
+doily snowflake tutorial
+snowglobe
Not quite winter here yet, but the holiday season is here with scarlet and crimson abound. Poinsettias are popping up and deep maroon velvet ribbons woven into trees, soon to be tying up Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, I’m dreaming of a red Christmas with an exquisite red gown or a perfectly painted red lip.
And, speaking of exquisite…
I present to you the first of the holiday giveaways. The lovely folks at Random House have decided to give one of you lovely readers a copy of The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite to keep for yourself or to gift this holiday season. {And, there might be a litle something extra…} Instead of random selection, we’ve decided to have some fun with this one.
To enter:
Come up with your own exquisite encyclopedic entry and list it in the comments section. I’ll pick a few favorites and feature them in a post. The best entry wins!
The contest closes December 07, 2010. Winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Bonne Chance!
1. marion cotillard by ellen von unwerth, 2. raquel zimmerman for vogue brazil 3. & 4. courtesy of random house
Enchanted by these glorious examples of ornamentation and wishing it was more common practice today. Modern day design focuses so much on function and can be beautiful in its own right, but there is something to be said about adding beautiful details for the sake of making something beautiful with no other purpose.
1. versailles by pearled, 2. barcelona facade from here
How sweet are these printed shopper bags from Anorak? The UK based brand has everything from aprons to sleeping bags to tablecloths in these sweet prints and a few others {like anchors and sailboats.} Swing by the shop and check them out.
I know many of you are bloggers, crafters, freelancers, or have a little business on the side. Most of you would like to know how to make a full-time living off this. Because of that and the fact that this post has been so popular, I’m going to share a little bit on how I’ve been doing this for myself.
A little over a year ago, I’d just been fired from a job I hated. I shouldn’t have stuck around there so long, but it was safe. The job market sucked when I got out of college, and I’m a single parent. I was thinking of law school, but I’d heard the horror stories of lawyers who went straight to law school only to find they hated being a lawyer when they got out. So, I got a job at a law firm, quickly realizing that I did NOT want to be a lawyer. Instead of quitting, I kept the job. Be happy to have a job, right. So when I got fired it was a HUGE relief, but it was also ridiculously stressful due to those things we like to call bills. I didn’t have anything liquid {like an emergency fund}, and I had a load of debt.
Lucky for me, I’d started this blog and had experience in marketing and event planning. I offered ads here and sold a bunch of stuff I didn’t need or had never worn. Thinking back to a conversation with Lisi, I looked for work as a writer. I also picked up a gig with a big entrepreneurship conference in Miami, where I met some amazing people. All this helped me cover the bills while I started offering my services as a freelance writer and social media specialist.
Fast forward to today. I’m a full-time freelance writer, social media specialist, and consultant with a variety of clients, one of my most frequent being a Fortune 100 company. I donate my spare time and services to a really cool charity. I’ve written and had a book published. I’m in the process of writing another book. I’m not rolling in dough, but I’m making just as much as I did at that job I hated. I’ve managed to pay off most of my debt, have an emergency fund, and now have a retirement fund. I work fewer hours, and I do it from wherever I want, which means more time with my son and a more comfortable wardrobe.
So here is where I tell you the super helpful stuff. I read through plenty of blogs and books out there that helped inspire me, some of which you will find in that post I mentioned above. However, if I had to tell you to pick just one, I’d tell you to go for Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides and $100 Business Forum. For someone looking to start a very small business {full-time or on the side}, I think his stuff is the best. I was part of his and Pam Slim’s first group of $100 business students and it was amazing. I’m applying everything I learned to a current project that is set to launch next year, and it’s helped keep me focused.
I believe in his products so much that I’m offering 15% off any service on this page to anyone who purchases anything from the Unconventional Guides.
If you’re interested, but still not 100% sold on the idea, keep reading. {FYI: There’s another discount at the end of the post.}
A little golden spoon and a rose gold sequined top make every day glamorous…
– Jessica Kerwin Jenkins, Encyclopedia of the Exquisite
In the Introduction of the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite, Jessica Kerwin Jenkins calls her book an “ode to life’s many luxuries that don’t require much spending.” Inspired by a file kept on her desk filled with scraps which she titled ‘Why I Like It Here,’ ‘here’ being Earth, Jenkin’s book is a delightful collection of tidbits and anecdotes of the origins and evolutions of its subjects. Covering anything that peaked her interest from the history of Champagne to giant elephant shaped buildings to the royal origins of a pear, Jenkins makes each one magical and exotic. The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite is a collection of curiosities – a veritable treasure box filled with the whims and tasteful objects collected by the author whose own taste led her to a career as an editor for WWD, W in Europe, and now places her as a contributor to Vogue.
Jenkins said her editor, Nan Talese, insisted that the book’s design live up to it’s title. The result is just over 300 pages of beautiful details. The book is, indeed, exquisite. It’s beautifully illustrated and the pages are a reminder why some books should always be experienced in physical form; reading this book in digital form would be a sin.
A beautiful edition to any bookshelf or coffee table and an absolute treat to read, the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite makes a splendid and affordable gift. Pick up a few for your holiday gifts and, of course, one for yourself.
1. Ole Smokey Moonshine $35
2. Wooden USB Stick $59 {ok, not under $50, but I couldn’t help myself}
3. Book of Insults $8
4. Single Letter Steak Branding Iron $17
5. Portland General Store Set $40
6. Skull Clock $35
7. Monogrammed Flask $34
1. Bike Snob $17
2. Diptqye Philosykos Solid Perfume $48
3. Survival Handbook: Man Skills $25 {Get 35% off + free ground shipping until 12/5. Use code FRIENDS}
4. Gorillapod Tripod $17
5. Baxter of California Mint Toner $18
6. Jack Spade Matchbox $42
7. Fjallraven Mini $45
