Browsing Category

DIY

DIY’S BY DUSTIN

15837761703_03496354c2_k (1)
For the month of January, Dustin was searching for jobs and the days he wasn’t interviewing he was at the new house working away on unpacking and home projects.  He accomplished so much! I can’t say I’m surprised because he’s very driven and extremely handy but I am still impressed!  In this post are some of the things he created not including one project still isn’t done and our headboard that he refinished doesn’t photograph well because it’s nearly black.

Above and below are the light fixtures he made in less than 10 minutes.  They are in our master bedroom above each of our nightstands.  I saw the idea on Instagram and he made it come to life the very next day! He got all the materials from Lowes-his second home-and they were very inexpensive.  We’ve talked about staining the wood to match the headboard but since he started a new job Wednesday, the honey do-list has been put on hold till the weekends.
15835304274_6488e32e12_k16457838785_5a421ba829_k
This is our new coffee table he made from Ikea butcher block he had from the desk he used at his old apartment.  To make it more suitable as a table he coated it with a butcher block sealer.  We found these hairpin legs on Etsy for about $12 a piece which we thought was a really good deal and he sealed them with Rustoleum metal sealer. We both love the outcome! Minimal with Mid-Century vibes, exactly what we wanted.
16456091991_5cfdb3dee7_k
I purchased this little guy at Root City Market from Saga Mountain Workshop. He gave it to me for $5 because it wasn’t finished with a hanger or hooks or anything just told me “do with it as you wish.” So Dustin made it into a key and sunglasses holder for the entrance. Easy little project that comes in handy every day.
16456088441_3b8b67c80d_k15837759903_de3109c188_kLastly my favorite of his DIY’s – my looms! I had wanted to try my hand at weaving and since I had an in-house handy man I figured I’d get exactly what I wanted in a loom if we just made it ourselves.  The original was the larger loom. I thought I’d want a big one for larger weavings but then realized I preferred to weave in bed or on the couch hanging with him and the cats and the large was too much to manage on the reg so he made the smaller one. I’ve created several weavings that I’ll be sure to share soon!

Thanks to my handsome fiance for making so many projects come to life and getting so much of the house done single-handedly! You rock!

HOLIDAY COCKTAILS

15691115480_fc272199cc_k
Hope you’re all excited for the holiday and ready to feast!  I know we are- definitely in need of a short work week!  I’ve been real eager to share our cocktails from the West Elm bar cart shoot and I thought what better timing than right before Thanksgiving when folks go all out with recipes and indulgence.  All three recipes below are pretty easy.  All the ingredients I can pronounce and nothing you wouldn’t be able to locate relatively quickly.
15691264578_e7b3385b7f_k#1
In the shaker:
rye shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Fig Bitters
1/2 jigger sweet vermouth
muddled satsuma
Directions: Shake/Pour/Garnish with peel15878130362_b9ec5dea4a_k
15690913878_8d3738e24c_k
15256<a href=
#2
In the shaker:
whiskey shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
couple fresh blackberries
2 small thyme sprigs
satsuma and rind
Directions: First muddle fruit and herbs/Pour in liquid/Shake/Serve over ice
15258879593_01ca3d8112_k
15852615066_4050807bbd_k15852727186_5ba6586247_k15691114740_585342e4cd_k
Does this photo have you craving dark chocolate, sea salt and home made pie crust?  Let me tell you, this thing was something else.  In one word: decadent.  Me and my taste buds want to thank Courtney for making this treat!

See the recipe on Real Foodology.

The other snacks in the photo include Whole Foods pimento cheese with salted crackers, cornichons and satsumas that doubled as mixers.  I didn’t know if I’d like working with such a small fruit but they peel easily and yield a good bit of juice, so I’d do it again for sure.
15256161244_db9ebc86de_k
#3 (not actually pictured..it’s a remix of #1) 
In the shaker:
whiskey shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
1/2 jigger sweet vermouth
juice of satsuma
Directions: Shake and serve over ice 

Not too hard right? My favorite was the first. Mostly because I can’t handle spicy drinks but Dustin and Courtney loved the sriracha bitters and would definitely recommend.  All items were c/o West Elm. Colorful vases and flowers were made by and belong to Evan of Leggoe Land. To recreate these drinks with the bitters, glassware and shakers, visit West Elm’s holiday bar section!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow-indulge, you deserve it!

INSTA-FAVES | Wedding Arbor

SMP_arches
Since our wedding date is over a year out, there’s plenty of time for planning. A fair amount of details I’m flexible with and others I feel firmly with incorporating. For example, having a floral covered arbor that’s all our own! The owner of our venue has several rod iron frames that are up for grabs and there was one with chipping white paint that I especially liked. I didn’t think I was that gal that would buy wedding magazines and follow wedding sites on Instagram but here I am, buying and following! One of my favorite sites, that has an equally good IG account is Style Me Pretty.  I went far back on their thread to find my favorite arch inspirations —
FOUR
I like the idea of adding fabric, gives movement.
ONE
Imagine strung flowers instead of paper swans, that’s what I’m thinking! Fan of using magnolia leaves, it’s a Southern staple.
THREE
Theme so far is white flowers with greenery, but if you see below, I also wouldn’t mind a pop of color.
TWO
Couple different options, one is to just decorate the corners or the other is go all the way around–that’s to be decided!

Like I mentioned there’s a good bit of time and as fast as my style changes, who knows I may want something different, but I doubt it, these rule!
All photos via Instagram/@SMPweddings

I C E

couple times a year artists gather here in ATL for the Indie Craft Experience at Ambient Studios to sell and promote their hand-crafted goods. this past weekend after grabbing brunch with my gal pal we went to check out the goodies and also to support my boyfriend who was selling dog bow ties he crafts for his new side business called “Distinguished Domesticates.”

i snapped a few photos of the event with my new Canon 50mm 1.4 lens that i recently acquired, soooooo much fun playing with depth of field i can’t control myself!

4
ice_1
bought a camera stamp from this booth “Small Object” 
1
2
ice_2
3
my distinguished man :)
7
creative lady Leela of Native Bear made a hand-stamped 2013 calendar, which sold out in the first 1/2 of the first day-you go girl!
more available in her shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/nativebear
just for fun, here are some pics from the LeahAndMark photo booth we were more than
happy to play in!
L_M_2
have a happy Thanksgiving friends!
-FLASHY

FLOWER POWER

for this month’s LF X COMMON CREATIV DIY + DRINK i made a flower crown from faux flowers, felt and floral wire. after browsing through other blogger’s tutorials i found multiple ways of producing the crown and through my own small battle this method, in my opinion, is the best way for a professional result that’ll last. here are some pics, see Common Creativ for full instructions, post and drink recipe!
diy_Flower
flower_1
final_crown
flower_2
ended up not using my dogwood flowers so i used them to create a simple version using only 3 ingredients: flowers, hot glue & thick floral wire. way easy! 
extras
flower_4
then started experimenting with my camera’s shutter speed, it was nearly dark when i took these but managed to pull what little light was left and got some cool shots-
flower_5
flower_6
-dress via the clothing swap i hosted with Shear Love, Frye sandals-
this weekend is the lil5 Halloween parade, one of my favorite events ALL YEAR! i’ll be dressing up as Suzy Bishop from Moonrise Kingdom. 
have a good rest of the week, not too long till its the weekend!
-Flashy