some sunday inspiration

How much do you love this orange + yellow combo?! That's rhetorical. Of course you love it. (Image from The Look 4 Less)

How evil is my friend over at Cookbook Archaeologist for making this? That's rhetorical. Of course she is the spawn of Satan. I mean, really, really evil, right? This shouldn't exist while we've got an obesity epidemic going on and while it's still (barely) January. (via The Cookbook Archaeologist)

This sort of falls into my "ugly but loveable" category, but unfortunately also in my "not for more than $100" category. Frankly, I feel more confident in my ability to rock this concept in lime green/bright purple/zombies than orange/blue. And no, I don't think that's a bizarre statement.

Something about the cheek patches in this picture this makes me want to create a Halloween costume around the concept. Like a plastic surgery doll. It would be sort of scary and sort of social commentary. (Image from Tavi at Style Rookie)

This sells for $130 here, but it would be easy to make this on the cheap since it's just tissue paper and mylar. I like Emily's suggestion of using something like this to adorn a large, empty wall. Living in NYC I lack large empty walls, but I may need something like this when I move to DC in June. Also, I should finish my chandelier first. (Image from Cupcakes and Cashmere)

Peanut Butter Cup Bars. Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. Also, check out her beautifully decorated cakes here! My favorites are the Super Mario Brothers Cake (30 up! Love it!) and (of course) the Poker Cake (would love to attempt something like that).

This easy afternoon craft project makes me wish I still babysat, because it would make a great activity to do with kids! Introduce them to needles at a young age, I always say. (via Sew I Thought)

This livestrong.com article about getting your workout done in the morning ALMOST pushed me out of bed in time to go to the gym. I have high hopes for Monday!

Is this the definition of "meta"? (Image from Coffee with the Hermit)

Emma Pillsbury-style sweater clips on Etsy (most <$25).


Also, speaking of Etsy, I won my first blogger giveaway from Sandra over at Closet at Capacity!  (Sort of funny that I won my first giveaway right after finishing my first giveaway, huh?)  This is the lovely ring I won. Sandra's story is so interesting; she used to work at Anthropologie, and then she opened her own vintage jewelry shop!  Her designs are gorgeous; you can visit her Etsy shop or jewelry blog and drool over her stuff.  I'm so attracted to this whimsical necklace:

With that, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Anyone do anything exciting?

Insane Chandelier Project is Officially Underway!

...As if buying a drill wasn't "No Turning Back" enough. As you may know, I'm attempting to assemble my own chandelier based on Anthropologie's "Tea Time Chandelier" (currently selling for $1,800).

This is Anthro's version. If you hadn't already figured that out.

On Monday, I meandered down to the H Street area of D.C. to browse the local Salvation Army for chandelier supplies. I was thrilled to find something that will work as the chandelier centerpiece:

Only $5! Not too shabby!

I also scored a bunch of other parts:

All of this cost me $12!

I love the colors and design of this teacup.

Extra-long spoons.

Clearly, I still need more teacups and spoons. I set a rule that I would not buy any teacups that were chipped or stained, and I'm trying to be selective in choosing some interesting designs along with some more simple patterns.

More importantly, I also need to figure out a way to drill a hole in a heavy silver pitcher. Because of this, I'm rethinking the design a bit. I may eliminate the extra silver pieces (creamer, sugar dish) and simplify the whole thing to be the silver pitcher on top of a tray, and then the teacups/spoons hanging down from the tray. We'll see if I find any good pieces in NYC thrift stores and then I'll go from there. I'm very concerned that I won't be able to make a hole in the pitcher; if that part turns out to be easy, then I may get more fancy-schmancy and complicated.

One I'm-afraid-of-my-own-drill bonus: one of the trays I bought has a few holes already in it! I can thread some wires through these holes to attach a wire ring underneath the tray, and I can hang the spoons/cups from that wire to minimize the drilling.

See that hole on the end in the middle of the embellishment? The tray has three holes spaced around the rim.

Insane Chandelier Project Stats Thus Far:

Cost thus far: $12 for supplies

Time spent thus far: 1.5 hours

I've got a huge power tool.

After some degree of deliberation (read: Googling "can drills drill through metal?") I decided to purchase a cordless drill to help me with my insane chandelier project (ICP). While a welder might be better suited for the task of uniting pieces of metal, I think I can actually use a drill more often in my every day life. In fact, I just used it an hour ago to install a florescent light under my desk when duck tape failed:

Incidentally, the fact that duct tape was my first mode of installation here may bode poorly for the ICP.

Also, as my father pointed out (in between bouts of laughter at the prospect of my building a chandelier), a welder would require extensive safety equipment, and I'd need to work outside. It's December and this will take me many hours, so that's not happening folks.

The florescent light fixture was a success, but I still need to learn how to use the drill for more advanced projects. (For example, what do those numbers on the rim mean? ...No, really. Please tell me if you know.) I saved money by purchasing a refurbished drill, but it didn't come with a manual (and I can't find one online) so...yeah...this might get interesting.

Free Shopping Party!

In one of those simultaneous mind-melding moments that sometimes occurs among friends who share an interest, tonight I held a clothing swap party with two of my law school friends---both avid shoppers and oft-bargain hunters. The foundation was simple: we all like new things; we all have old things we no longer wear. Why not clean our closets, bring our unwanted clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. to one place so we can pick through them and take home some new stuff. Our poor credit cards need a rest, we figured. (mine is preparing for the Leifsdottir sample sale tomorrow.) (You can read about it here!)

Having any kind of gathering among law students in the week before finals is a mistake if participation is your goal, but we had a lot of fun anyway...and I walked away with a dress, a cardigan, a great pair of jeans, and a few tops!

This party was so easy to organize and was a great excuse to gather with your girlfriends and try on clothes. We'll definitely have another one in the spring!

I made cupcakes that looked like spaghetti and meatballs! For the story of how I wound up covered in frosting and running to the grocery store for backup canisters, see here.

Photo courtesy of my buddy over at Cookbook Archaeology, who made these fabulous Bourbon Balls. You should read her recipe and make them yourself, because they were AWESOME.

Some of the goods.

Hooray for clothes! The Cookbook Archaeologist experiments with a headscarf.

I'm going to make...a chandelier?

I've got a LONG winter break. As in, almost a month long-long. I'm going to need some kind of project aside from the half-marathon training I haven't started yet.

This may sound crazy, but here's one DIY project I'm playing around with:

I want to make a chandelier!

Is this totally insane? I think it might be 65-70% insane, which is a completely manageable percentage. Chandelier-making is some kind of hobby, right? People do this? That's what Home Depot is for, right? Wires and lights and teacup chandeliers?

This chandelier retails for $1,800 at Anthropologie.com. I think I can make a version of this on the cheap with hardware from Home Depot (or the like) and tea stuff from Salvation Army (or the like). My cost estimate for this project is $150, including any tool-like equipment I may need to buy.

Really, I need something to occupy my time on the internet that does not involve online shopping. I like the idea of researching chandelier-making and then working with my hands on a project during my downtime. The only piece of equipment I may need that I don't have is a welder. Online shopping for a welder is okay. Not that online shopping is off-limits. That's just 100% crazy.

I'm tagging this post "Insane Chandelier Project." Hopefully, there will be more than one entry under this tag.