Halloween

We luv Halloween! 

This year, the girls and I decided to dress up as "party animals". Get it!? (From left to right: a peacock, lion, dalmatian, and a deer, partying it up). 

I really enjoy group costumes. Especially ones where everyone can do their own thang, but still be part of a group. Everyone's costume can stand on its own, and no one needs to compromise! It's the perfect solution.

I love homemade costumes!!! Ordering one online just feels like cheating. I also happen to love tutus! So when it came to brainstorming ideas for my peacock costume, incorporating a tutu was a no-brainer. And they're super easy to make! 

You will need: 

• Tulle. For my tutu, I used approximately 5m worth. 
• Ribbon, for the waist band. 
• Bling bling!, or whatever you want to add to accessorize your tutu. I bought some peacock feathers and gemstones for mine, and glued them on with a hot glue gun at the end. 

Now let's get crafting: 

1. Take the ribbon and wrap it around your waist. With a marker, mark the spot on the ribbon where both sides come together, leaving about 6 inches at both ends. Tie knots where you made your marks. This will be your waist band. 

2. Next, cut your tulle into approximately 50x20cm pieces. It doesn't matter if your pieces aren't all the same size, you can trim straggling pieces off your tutu at the end. 

3. Tie tulle pieces onto the ribbon, in between the knots. The extra ribbon after the knots is to tie the tutu on you. Keep adding tulle from knot-to-knot until the ribbon is full. 

Here's an instagram of my almost-finished product. 

Halloween was a success, and my costume held up all night! I've been known to bust out some pretty aggressive dance moves, so it's a big relief it didn't wind up down around my ankles. Now I just need to find more excuses to wear a tutu..... 

Accessory Organization

 Accessories!!!!!!!! 

Right now, I'm all about settling back into my place in Ottawa. It's my first time living in the same apartment two years in a row (HOORAY to not moving!!), and my first time living without roommates. My first grown-up apartment. And I want it to be cute! 

I don't give myself a lot of time to get ready in the morning. 40 mins TOPS. Accessorizing my outfits can be tricky when I'm in a rush. Do I have time to un-tangle necklaces and try to put together a pair of matching earrings? NO. Ain't nobody got time for that! 

So naturally, I turned to my good friend Pinterest for inspiration on ways to organize my accessories, while dressing up my space. Here's some of the best ideas I found online: 

I love the idea of using non-conventional things for jewelry storage. Cake stands. Muffin tins. Ladles. Tea cups!!!!! Amazing. 

I set off into town and gathered my supplies. Here's my finished product. 

DIY Flower Crown

I am OBSESSED with flower crowns.

I'm not at all a hippy child - I like to think of myself as more of a Kate Middleton than a Vanessa Hudgens, but there's just something about flower crowns I love so much. SO. FREAKIN'. MUCH!!! 

After looking around online, there were a lot that I liked, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend ~20-80 dollars on an accessory I wasn't even sure I could pull off. Here's a few favourites I used for inspiration on Etsy: 

This one is delicate and not too over-the-top.

Find it here. 

These colours are so purrrty.

Find it here. 

Really diggin' the peach.

Find it here. 

I'm not usually a DIY/crafty kind of gal (craft stores give me anxiety... TOO MANY THINGZ IN THURR!!), but this was a project I couldn't wait to get my hands on. First, I gathered my supplies: 

You will need: 

wire cutters

a couple handfuls of silk flowers (I used 9)

heavy rustic floral wire, for the base

light floral wire, to attach the flowers

I bought all of my supplies at Michael's (with the exception of the wire cutters, those were my dad's), and my total came to $23. BUT I bought way too many flowers (two more bouquets in addition to the one shown above... couldn't make up my mind!) so I had enough flowers to easily make two more crowns. That's roughly $7.67/crown. Not bad. 

Part two: assembly. 

Take your heavy rustic floral wire, and shape it into a circle that fits comfortably on your head. Don't make it too tight - adding the flowers makes it fit a bit snugger at the end.

Before you do anything, figure out the general arrangement of the flowers on your crown. I only covered the front half of my crown, but feel free to go all the way around if you like. Try not to over think this part. Once you put a flower on, it's just as easy to take one off. 

Once you've decided, take the light floral wire and wrap it around the stem of your flower. 

Then, start from the back of your crown and move forward. Secure the flower in place by wrapping the thin floral wire several times around the base. 

Keep adding flowers, until your crown is full and luxurious. 

Ta-daaa! 

Part three: put on your crown, and run barefoot through a field of daisies. I couldn't find one, so I ran around my back yard instead. 

Now go get your flower child on!