{diy glittering doily garland}

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

Posted in art

{the gallery of her morning elegance}

Remember this video? Her Morning Elegance was one of my very first posts. I still listen to the song everyday and the video is surely my favorite music video EVER. You, too? Well I have some awesome news for anyone who loves the video or who knows someone who does. {Or, anyone looking for a fantastic, out-of-this-world-no-one-else-will-ever-think-to-give-this gift.}

You can now own a piece of the video. See, the video was composed of 2,096 individual photos, which are now up for grabs. Only one of each print will be sold, so it’s guaranteed that your print is unique and authentic.

You can purchase a print online at The Gallery of Her Morning Elegance. {Orders must be placed prior to December 10th for holiday delivery.}

{all images courtesy of the hmegallery}

{hearblack}

Recently stumbled upon the beautiful blog, hearblack, which has absolutely GORGEOUS photography by the blog’s author. {Seriously, go look.} To boot, the blog is run by a young couple who lives in Hawaii and is obviously ridiculously, gag-me, smitten with one another. Oh, and they’ve got some great photos of recent Switzerland and Oregon trips that will make you drool. Photography and fabulous life aside, I was fascinated with these fantastic and simple bits of art I found on the site. So simple and lovely. This is a definite DIY project for all. So, while we can’t all live in Hawaii, madly in love with perfect photography and craft skills, we can have these frames.
images {via} hearblack

{hazy summer days & giveaway winner}

gabrielle kai fan

On these hazy summer days, we take pleasure in the little things. Is there anything better than sipping ice cold water with a slice of lemon when you’ve just been out in the feverish heat? Summer seems the perfect time to steal a quiet afternoon soaking in a tub until the water cools with a good book and then settling into a plush white towel or into crisp cool sheets.

It’s all about little {and sometimes, big} escapes, isn’t it?

{p.s.} Also, would like to take a quick moment to announce the winner of the Perricone Summer Survival Kit. Congratulations to my dear Linda of Simply Seductive!

images 1 & 3 by gabrielle kai, 2 {via} dress design decor

Posted in art

{miraculous body}


There are over 600 muscles in the human body.
A microliter of blood contains over 5 million red blood cells.
There is an average of 100,000 hairs on your head, which actually may vary depending on your hair color.

You are miraculous. You are intricate down to the drop of blood from a finger prick. You are delicate and still resilient. All those flaws you think you have aren’t flaws; they are the equivalent to the variations that emerge with every brush stroke of a masterpiece. Which is what you are: a masterpiece.

photography by christian weber

Posted in art