Friday, January 18, 2013

Spotlight: Coral Bag

This Christmas I received this beautiful coral bag from Urban Outfitters from my friend Paige. It has since become my everyday bag for spring. The accessory instantly dresses up any outfit and I love that I can sport the trendy color in a subtle and stylish way. The perfect purse to as some vibrancy to a black and white ensemble. I took it all around town with me today.










And I also love my new Madden Girl Boots!




All photography was done by my wonderful little helper/brother :)


Thursday, January 10, 2013

California Girls Craft DIY Tutorial


 

 Hello friends! Welcome to my blog! Today, I will be sharing my first ever craft post! I made the one on the right and my friend, Rachel made the one on the left! I got my inspiration from The Harpster Home Blog! You guys should go check her out and follow her on Pinterest, HERE. I think my finished product looks pretty rad. First things first, the materials.
You will need: A Hammer, Nails (I used a little less than 100), Yarn in your color of choice, tape, a stencil (this one was just printed from the Internet), and a wooden slab (I was going for the rustic look, 
but you could also use a regular wood base or even paint one). Also a pencil and scissors.

Prep: Print and cut out the outline of California (or any state really!) Be sure to cut the stencil in a way that incorporates all the curves and grooves.

Step 1: Tape the Stencil onto the Slab



Step 2: Hammer the Nails



*TIP* If the wood is soft enough, try pushing the nail into place a little bit.

Lightly hammer the nails into the slab around the OUTSIDE the outline of the stencil, this will make it easier to remove the paper later. The nails should be hammered in enough to be sturdy, but sticking out enough to wrap the string around them later. We chose these steel nails from Joanns because they had the rustic look that complimented the tree bark.






Step 3: Check Nail Sturdiness

 

Make sure every nail is secure and not wiggling. This will create BIG problems when you are doing the stringing. I hammered over my outline a few times to make sure.



Step 4: Remove the Stencil

I was already excited at this point! Remove the stencil carefully, as to not disturb all your hard earned nail work. A paper stencil is great because even if you accidentally hammer the nail onto in, it will come right off.

Step 5: Add the Heart



Depending on your artistic abilities, either draw or stencil a heart inside the state. Ideally, the heart will be a decent size and towards the center, but I wanted mine located by my hometown.

Step 5: Nail the Heart


Step 5: Knot The String

To begin, tie a strong knot to one of the nails with your yarn. I started mine on the top left. This will be the nail you start and end with. Make the knot strong, with plenty of slack (you can cut it off later.) You will NOT cut the yarn until the very end. The whole thing is just one entire long piece of yarn.



Step 5: Wrap The Yarn Around Each Nail



Starting with your first nail, wrap the string around the closest point on the heart. This is where looking at the picture is more helpful than an explanation. You will wrap the string around each individual nail on the outline ONCE and around the nails on the heart MULTIPLE times. I chose this sunburst pattern, but as you can see above, Rachel opted for a different design. It is really up to you. Just keep the string tight, but don't tug too tight because you don't want to bend the nails of have the string pop up! If this does happen, you can either start over, try and fix it, or cut the yarn, tie a knot where the design is still in tact. And restart the design from another nail. (I doubt anyone would notice.)


Step 5: Tie The Last Knot


After a little while, you will eventually have strung your way all the way around and back to the nail you started with. Tie another strong knot, and cut off the excess.











Step 6: Admire Your Work!




Let me know how your version goes! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting! 

-

PS: Let's Connect! 

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

My Favorite Lyrics From Each Song On Taylor Swift's "Red."

#1. State Of Grace
Background Photo via Flickr


#2. Red

Background Photo via Flickr

#3. Treacherous

Background Photo via Flickr
#4. Trouble

Background Photo via Flickr


#5. All Too Well

Background Photo via Flickr

#6. 22

Background Photo via Flickr

#7. I Almost Do

Background Photo via Flickr


#8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Background Photo via Flickr

#9. Stay Stay Stay

Background Photo via Flickr

#10. The Last Time
Background Photo via Flickr

#11. Holy Ground 
Background Photo via Flickr

#12. Sad Beautiful Tragic
Background Photo via Flickr

#13. The Lucky One 
Background Photo via Flickr

#14. Everything Has Changed
Background Photo via Flickr
#15. Starlight 
Background Photo via Flickr
#16. Begin Again
Background Photo via Flickr







Monday, January 7, 2013

Taylor Swift "I Knew You Were Trouble" Music Video Prologue





Taylor Swift by David Shankbone 2010 NYC
Taylor Swift by David Shankbone 2010 NYC (Photo credit: david_shankbone)
Out of all the songs on Taylor Swift's "Red" Album, the one single that stirred the most buzz was "I Knew You Were Trouble."Taylor's reputation as a country cutie made critics question her uninhibited direction, notably her new found exploration into dubstep-like pop. I recently watched the music video for "Trouble" and took the time to really listen to the spoken prologue. I think her words give insight into the song's meaning. Taylor's life is changing; Her music, her hair, and (most famously) her love interests. Despite the transition, I think Taylor's music still remains in touch with the emotional depth fans (like me) fell in love with years ago.





Check out the music video here!




And this video is pretty awesome too! The group beatboxes the whole song and they are really good!
Even Taylor thinks so ;)


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