Handmade Wedding Memory Box Tutorial

My very good friend, Evelyn, is getting married to a wonderful guy named Ray. Evelyn and I worked together at YMI Jeans while she was the PR Manager and I was the Advertising Manager. She is now the fantastic Marketing Director. We were kind of attached at the hip most of the time. It’s funny how you can become so close to your co-workers. I really miss seeing her all the time so it was wonderful to make her a little engagement gift to help celebrate the exciting occasion. I made her a decorative box to keep all the little pieces of the journey of wedding planning and bought her a journal to try and write in. I have a box that I kept all the wedding extras like invites, table place cards, wedding dress inspiration and etc. You need a place for all that stuff, right? I gave her the journal because I wish I had kept one. I did decide to keep a journal from my pregnancy and Noah’s first year. I really enjoy looking back on the funny entries from the beginning. =) Journal more, you will be glad you did.

Speaking of weddings… Check out this cool site: Tailored. It’s a tool brides and grooms can use to find and collect inspiration, browse wedding products and share with friends. It reminds me of Pinterest for wedding planning. Oh if only this were around when I was planning my wedding… Sigh. I will just have to live vicariously through my engaged friends and make them try this out.

OK, onto the project. =)

Supplies:

♥ Box

♥ Spray paint

♥ Ribbon

♥ Strong glue (I used Liquid Fusion)

♥ Rhinestones

♥ Buttons

♥ Jewelry wire

♥ Jewelry pliers

♥ Fabric

♥ Mod Podge

♥ Sponge brush

♥ Scissors

♥ Acrylic paint

♥ Paint brush

How to:

Step 1

Clean off your box of choice to prepare for spray painting.

Step 2

I used painter’s tape and scratch paper to avoid getting spray paint on the inside of the box.

Step 3

Take your chosen spray paint color (and spray paint handle if you have one) and paint away. Remember to avoid drips, apply multiple light coats one at a time. Allow to dry at least 30 minutes before handling.

Step 4

Measure ribbon to go around the outside of the box. Attach with small amount of glue. I used Liquid Fusion but any strong fabric glue would do.

Step 5

Pull the other side of the ribbon around and glue. Since I have yet to find a way to avoid glue marks on fabric, I added a touch of sparkle with some large rhinestones. I love this sort of detail.

Step 6

Find a button of your choice. I don’t know about you but I have a thing for keeping any of those extra buttons that come attached to clothes I buy. I figure one day I will have use for them. Here it is!

Step 7

Wrap a piece of jewelry wire around the back loop of the button and twist. Please excuse my non-existent manicure…

Step 8

Wrap wire with button around ribbon. Using jewelry pliers really helps here. Then snip off the excess with wire cutters. If the wire is thin enough, scissors would be just fine.

Step 9

Pick a fabric of your choice.

Step 10

You can either trace the top of the box or another shape on the backside of the fabric. I chose to use this Corningware dish lid for the perfect circle shape I was looking for. I always use odd things around the house to trace circles and ovals. Once I used my paper towel dispenser…

Step 11

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the front of the fabric. Let fully dry at least 15 minutes. The Mod Podge will stiffen the fabric slightly and will allow you to cut without creating frayed edges.

Step 12

While that’s drying, you can paint a little message or your gift recipients name on the inside lid. I used a Champagne color Metallic Acrylic paint.

Step 13

As long as the fabric is dry, you can cut out the shape and use Mod Podge to glue to the top of your box. Allow to dry at least 10-15 minutes. Then, add a coat of Mod Podge over the entire top of the lid and fabric to create a seal.

Done!

There are so many ways to decorate a box so have fun with it and maybe make one for yourself. =)

Congratulations to Evelyn and Ray! Love you!

For another cute gift idea, check out this adorable Handmade Wedding Guestbook tutorial from one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess with Elsie Larson.

♥♥

Arica

Two Point Oh! LA Blogger Flea Market Event

Yesterday I had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful weather and a little outdoor shopping in Hollywood. It’s nice to get some time to yourself every so often to recharge.

The main reason for my shopping trip to Hollywood was to attend/support the Two Point Oh! LA blogger flea market event at Space 15 Twenty. I only recently became a member of this wonderful LA blogger community and it was really nice to meet some of the other members and the founder herself, Kelsi Smith of Dedicated Follower of Fashion. So with my camera in tow, I snapped a few pictures of the lovely items for sale. Some were vintage pieces and some were original designs. I even walked away with a little purchase myself. =)

I had a great conversation with Myly of Vintage Grime about how unique her designs are.

Said hello to the talented Ariana Cabral of the Fashion Blog La Catrina de la Moda.

LOVE this piece from Alana Hale…

So this was where I made my little purchase… A $5 metal business card holder in a gold tone. Olivia Lopez of Lust for Life (who also helped to host the event) was who I met and she was super sweet. Kind of funny because I don’t think they originally planned on selling it but yay for me. =)

Here are some really cute vintage kids clothes and home decor from Home Spun Vintage.

Lovely accessories and shoes that Kelsi of Dedicated Follower of Fashion was selling.

I just loved these earrings that Melanie Lee of Wrecked Stellar was selling.

Oh yes, here is my new little business card holder. =)

♥♥

Arica

Color Inspiration

I am on the hunt for color and this editorial feature of Annabella Barber by Jamie Nelson for Madame Germany February 2012 shot in Hollywood, CA caught my eye. Had to share a few of my favorites…

{images via Fashion Gone Rogue }

Noah’s Adventure at the Getty

Yesterday Noah and I met up with some friends at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. I thought it was a great opportunity to get Noah some fresh air and showcase the beauty of the museum grounds, views and garden on the most perfect 78º Winter day in Los Angeles. Sorry to my East Coast friends… You may get a bit jealous in a moment.

Here Noah and I are excited to board the tram! Yes I know he has way too many toys for a day trip… I can’t help myself.

View from the Tram.

Me and my Noah. Noah looks angry here… Rachel is still mastering her photog skillz.

Amazing.

Noah and Ollie enjoying lunch. Ollie had healthy avocado and sweet potato pancakes. Noah had a cheeseburger and fries…

After lunch we headed down to the gardens.

Stupendous Succulents!

I only photographed a few pieces of art but this sculpture caught my eye with the color when the sun hits it. I guess it reminded me of jewelry… Here is a little info on the beautiful 14 1/2′ bronze work by Henry Moore.

My tuckered out little man.

♥♥

Arica

Five Ways to Get Organized Online

Lately I’ve found getting and staying organized is a job in it’s own. If you take a little time to set-up ways to keep it together, the everyday will get a bit easier to manage. I decided it was worthwhile to look at how to organize digitally. Here are five areas of your life online and the ideas, websites and applications to organize them.

1. Email

How many of you have a constant stream of emails entering your inbox that you can barely keep track of the invite to a birthday party, coupon for Snapfish or email about that great job opportunity? We’ll maybe it’s just me but I realized it became necessary a while ago to create different emails for different purposes. I highly suggest creating at least two separate email accounts for the following:

- A personal email for family, friends, your children’s school, your doctor, etc.

- An email for your accounts with passwords and companies/websites you want to receive emails from (Amazon, Petco, CVS, Gas Company, etc.)

2. Blogs & Websites

There are maybe two blogs that I will independently go to in a given day. Like actually open a tab on my browser and type the address in by memory. For me the best way to keep up with all of my favorite blogs is to add them to my Blog Lovin’ list. I get a recap email each day that includes any new posts from all blogs I follow.

StumbleUpon – A great bookmarking site and highly-customizable search engine.

 

3. News

My friend Drew who knows a ton about the web (he’s kind of a big deal) told me about two really great applications to keep the news that matters to you all in one place.

Pulse – A news reading application for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It organizes everything in a grid format. Easy.

Flipboard – A pocket-sized social magazine. Fun to use because you actually “flip” the pages of content.

An old stand-by for some but if you haven’t heard about it, check out Drudge Report for the most up-to-date news around the globe.

 

4. Inspiration & Ideas

Oh how I love Pinterest. It is so nice to be able to come across something I love online and save it to my own personal “board”. I love finding new great DIY ideas, recipes, art, clothing and more. If I’m in need of inspiration for a new post, I can always go to Pinterest and something sparks my creativity.

My friend Cougar Hjelmeseth of Left Coast Fashion (a super insightful and entertaining blog), introduced me to a great version of Pinterest with a manly twist. Check out Gentlemint. It’s also a great resource for me to see what the boys are into these days.

Another great application suggestion from Drew is Evernote. A great tool to remember things from items to pick up at the pharmacy to the best invention idea ever. Such a great addition to my life.

5. Finance & Budgets

Mint. Manage your personal finance, budgeting tools and more all for free.

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I hope you got a couple of new ideas today. Any other interesting tools you like to use? Please share.

♥♥

Arica

A Reflection in Mommyhood

Tomorrow is my baby boy’s 1st birthday. I think I had been partly in denial about this until Wednesday night when I sat down to write him a letter. It was a great experience to think back over the past year, really year and 9 months, and write down everything I felt. Yes, there were more than a few tissues by my side.  Noah won’t be able to read my letter for quite sometime and I hated the idea of putting it in a box waiting to give it to him. So I decided to take my time to write it as neat as possible (I have horrible handwriting) and frame it for his room. I think it will be a daily reminder to me about where we started and to appreciate Kairos moments when they happen. Kairos is a fantastic new word that I learned while reading an article that my friend shared called, “Don’t Carpe Diem” written by Glennon Melton of momastery.com.  A hilarious and heart-warming read for new and veteran parents alike.

It seems I know so many beautiful pregnant girls right now. I can’t help but give them odd bits of advice from baby books to pajama brands. However I always mention to get support from other moms. I joined an amazing group of first-time moms back when Noah was 12-weeks old and now many of the ladies I met have become such an important part of my and my son’s life. I hope to be friends with them forever. Samantha, Rachel, Gili, Alicia, Martha, Karin, Terrie, Stephanie, Cat, Tannaz, Kannie, Staci, Kristine and Jaime. I don’t know how I would have made it though the first year without them… You guys are the best!

To my husband Mitch, you are the most amazing daddy and husband in the world. I love you so much. I also have to mention the love and support from our friends and family. Noah, Mitch and I are so lucky to have you all in our lives.

Off to put goodie bags together for the party! =)

♥♥

Arica

DIY Magnetic Board

Today I’m going to show you how to turn an old frame from home or a thrift store into a fun magnetic board.

As I work to decorate the new office space I thought this would be a fun way to post my to-do lists, photos and pretty magnets all in one place. I found a great little guy for $3 at Salvation Army. This one stood out because of the beautiful ornate details on the inside corners. I do love a rich dark wood but this just seemed drab and dull so I gave it new life in white.

Supplies:

- Frame

- Spray paint

- Frame backing that came with the frame or thin cardboard/poster board

- Acrylic paint

- Paint brush and/or sponge brush

- Gorilla Glue or similar

- Thin metal sheeting about 1″ – 2″ smaller than the inside of your frame

How to:

Step 1

Remove glass front and backing from the frame and spray paint your color of choice. I used a paint in white semi-gloss by Rust-Oleum. Using a spray can handle really helps create an even finish… Allow all necessary coats of paint to fully dry before handling.

Step 2

Place your metal sheeting over the middle of your frame backing which is usually a thick paper material (or you could use poster board and cut to fit the frame). Measure around the metal sheeting and go in about 1/2″ – 1″. The outside section is where you will paint a border.  Paint the border. I used an acrylic metallic paint in peridot.

Step 3

Apply Gorilla Glue or similar strong glue to the back of the metal sheeting and apply to paper board. I weighted down the metal sheeting with a heavy object for a couple hours while it dried. It also helped to flatten the metal out as much as possible. Try to use a thin sheet metal to avoid bending.

Step 4

Place back in the frame. I put the glass that came with the frame in the back section behind the board just to keep it stable.

Enjoy!

I’m so happy to have a place to use my sparkly magnets. For a tutorial on making your own brooch magnets, go here.

♥♥

Arica

Two of a Kind

Another feature on the latest accessory eye candy would have been fine and dandy, yet I was inspired by Victoria from the blog SF Girl By Bay and her post “Separated at Birth“. To spice it up, here are some really beautiful pairings of a stylish clutch and an inspiring interior that just seem meant for each other. In the process I was able to get some great interior design ideas for my own home.

Do you find yourself drawn to any one pair in particular?

Sondra Roberts ‘Pearl’ Clutch | Red Online Bohemian Opulent Living Room

Glint Silk Clutch | Lonny Magazine Living Room

House of Harlow 1960 ‘Riley’ Bag | Red Online Modern Retro Living Room

Rebecca Minkoff Amour Clutch | Red Online Contemporary Country Living Room

Elie Tahari ‘Colleen’ Clutch | Red Online Bold Bohemian Living Room

Alexander McQueen Scull Box Clutch | Red Online Bold Colour Living Room

RED Valentino Bow Clutch | Lonny Magazine Living Room

Felix Rey Gold Snake Clutch | Red Online Bohemian Living Room

♥♥

Arica

DIY Chalk and Pin Board

Cursed. My original chalk and pin board, that is. I guess it was a good lesson in how to deal with an “uh oh” and still make it work in the end. To give you the short of it, don’t hang a heavy frame with mounting tape… Although the project really started off on the wrong foot when I accidentally deleted the “before” photos of the picture frame. I almost cried when I walked downstairs and saw my hard work broken all over the floor. I had even got it up on the wall, it just needed finishing touches.

Here is the last picture of the original before it met it’s demise:

Here is what’s left:

OK, enough with the sad story.

This version may not have it’s frame (I used the base of the frame with the hooks on the back) but I like the layout better. This is the first real project for my office space! There are plenty of DIY pin or cork boards out there but I wanted this board to be unique so I took half of it and turned it into a chalk board. I figure I can write inspiring messages to myself.

Supplies:

- Large frame

- Cork tiles

- White spray paint

- Chalk board spray paint

- Spray paint handle (optional)

- Gorilla glue or similar

- Tape measure

- Painter’s tape

- Scratch paper or trash bag

- Ribbon cut to the length of your board

- Mounting tape

Here’s how:

Step 1

Wipe off the surface you will be spray painting with a dry cloth to get rid of any dirt or debris.

Step 2

Set up where you want your cork tiles to lay and place painter’s tape along the mid-section of the board to separate your chalk board and pin board.

Step 3

Attach your spray can handle (don’t know how I lived without it) to the white spray paint and spray the lower section of your board. Don’t forget your protective mask! Allow to fully dry. With painter’s tape, tape scratch paper or a trash bag to cover the white section of the board. Attach spray can handle to the black chalk board spray paint and paint the other section of the board.

Regardless of using the painter’s tape to avoid bleeding from the paint, I couldn’t manage to get a perfect line. So I used a pretty ivory ribbon to cover up where the two paint colors meet. I chose to use mounting tape on the back of the board to attach the ribbon because most glue would leave a wet streak on the ribbon.

Step 4

Apply glue to the backside of cork tiles. Gorilla glue suggests applying pressure for a few hours. Here are my creative weight tools. =) Like?

Step 5

Hang your board. This time I used elbow grease and screwed two screws into the wall.

Enjoy!

This is now the Love and Rosen inspiration board. I pinned up some recent pages from Anthropologie and J.Crew catalogs for the jewelry, color combinations, gift ideas and more. You will notice my new beautiful peridot rhinestone thumbtacks in use. =) DIY rhinestone thumbtacks tutorial here.

♥♥

Arica

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Easy Rhinestone Thumbtack DIY

This is a super easy DIY that you can do in less than 5 minutes.

I needed thumbtacks for the project I’m working on for this week and I just wasn’t into the plain brass colored tacks as is. I grabbed my stash of rhinestones and pulled a bunch of the peridot green color, glued them to the tacks and now have a little more sparkle in my life.

Supplies:

- Thumbtacks or push-pins

- Small rhinestones

- Glue for use on metal and plastic (I used Liquid Fusion)

- Pliers

How to:

Step 1

Pick up your rhinestone with the pliers.

Step 2

Apply a teeny tiny dot of glue to the back of the rhinestone.

Step 3

Attach rhinestone to tack/pin.

Step 4

Let dry for a couple hours.

Done!

Pretty.

♥♥

Arica