Yarn Wrapped Monogram Letter

So this was another Pinterest find. I had the letter "B" and it is so fun and cute. It is zebra print that I got on sale from Michael's Craft Store for about $2. However, I am finding I don't really want to decorate my house with zebra print. It's fun and it's cute, but I am wanting a more sophisticated look not I guess. Not so much college dorm room anymore. Oh age, welcome home! Please refine my decorating style!

Anyway, so I saw some different inspirations on Pinterest and decided to do one of my own. I wasn't prepared for how long it would actually take me to wrap the entire thing (about two hours) but It wasn't hard to do at all. In fact I never even used any glue or staples or anything, I just held the lose end and wrapped the yard over and over and it held just fine. When I was finished I tied a knot on the back side and voila! Sophistication. You don't have to use yarn, you could have fun with it. I have seen people use mod podge and pictures or magazine cut outs, glue fake moss or berries to it. I have seen it wrapped with brown or beige twine with fake holly berries (I would really like to do that when I get bored with the red!) The possibilities are virtually endless. Here is my end result:

 

 

Here are the original posts from Pinterest:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/whimsical-wall-decor.htm

http://wwwourunexpectedjourney.blogspot.com/2011/11/let-decorating-begin.html

 

View more fun ideas on my DIY Pinterest Album:

http://pinterest.com/brittanyhdean/diys/

Stop Hunting for a Husband & Hunt for a Job

I have my BA in Business Management and I am currently going through the job hunting/interviewing process with several companies. I am currently the kitchen manager-in-training at a local cafe but the hours are awful and the money just won't cut it. I have been thinking a lot about the proper interview attire as well as how to ace interviews and get that career you really want. One thing I have noticed in young women right out of school is that there is an ideal interviewing image. The sexy, strong and independent women who is a force to be dealt with. You can accomplish this look without it backfiring on you, but you need to consider what kind of job you are interviewing for. Some jobs are okay with you dressing nice but somewhat casual, while others are looking for a very professional look. Here are some examples I found to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

 

This is my favorite outfit! It is not too revealing, the shoulders are covered and she is wearing a skirt (No shorter than knee length!!) You could put a nice blazer with it if you want a more "powerful" and professional look as well. It is not a bold color and it looks really clean and well put together. You don't have to feel that you have abandoned all of your style to look professional. She has a very cute and sleek clutch as well as limited, yet very pretty accessories. Sometimes ladies, less is just so much more! In the renowned company of Mary Kay, Mary Kay Ash taught all of her reps that wearing skirts bring women more respect than wearing pants. Women who wear skirts are thought to be more trust worthy, to have more integrity in their business and are more approachable. Just think about it. What is the psychology of dressing? Let's look at some more examples.

 

 

Wow! This woman is inarguable beautiful! She looks confident and secure in herself. She is also a model. If you are applying for a job as a Victoria's Secret model or an exotic dancer (as my fiance put it) then by all means, wear this to your interview. However if you are applying for one of the thousands of other jobs in the world, you need to make sure you are representing yourself modestly. Wear a cami under your jacket that goes up to your collar bone (covering the cleavage) and definitely no showing your tummy! You might have the best body in the world, but your flat stomach is not going to be a job requirement in landing a high paying career in a general business environment. Now, look at the first picture and look at the woman above. Thinking back to the skirt vs pants, if you saw these women side by side and YOU were the hiring manager, both of their qualifications are equal and all you have is your first impression. Who do you think would be a better fit? The sweet and confident woman in the skirt or the strong minded woman in the pants who you might feel a little intimidated by? Would you hire someone you feel intimidated by? Most likely not. You have to spend time around them everyday and that could be a recipe for disaster.

 

 

Aww she is so cute! She looks very clean and well kept, but this look is just a little too relaxed for a really good job. She looks very sweet and she has very good style, but I doubt that she would wear this to an interview for her dream career right out of college (at least I hope she wouldn't). Unless you are interviewing for a position as a receptionist in a small rural town church, you probably want to step it up and wear something less casual.

 

So there you have it. I didn't want to stand on my soap box for a very long time so I didn't go into the psychology of colors or the psychology of hair styles; that may be a post for another time. I hope this helps you when you are looking through your closet preparing for your next interview. Good luck and land that career!

 

Images retrieved from:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/flounced-short-sleeved-shirt-blouses-white-collar-job-interview-clothing-2012-new-fashion/597441692.html

 

http://www.victoriassecret.com/clothing/1265613217113/the-kate-superflare-pant?ProductID=9300&CatalogueType=OLS

 

http://keepcalmandstyleon.blogspot.com/2011/04/post-undergrad.html

 

 

 



The Mixer Makeover

 

    This is my Mixer! One of my most prized kitchen tools. It's not even a tool to me. She's a classy sassy part of the family! I originally saw this tutorial on one of my favorite sights (If you frequent Pinterest I have no doubt you've come across some of her posts) TheDiaryofDavesWife.com. She has awesome ideas and tutorials! But I used her as my inspiration. She actually sells the vinyl stickers. I did not have the patience to order them and wait for them. But what is this? Michaels was the only craft store near me and they don't have anything like that. However! *trumpets chirp in a royal chorus that probably sounds too much like a Dora the Explorer Episode - hey I'm a mom, it happens... They do carry the sheets of vinyl! Wooo!!! Ok so how do I get them into all those circles? Do I attempt to cut them with scissors or a straight razor? HA! Ummm not unless I want lots of frustration and probably a trip to the ER...

     No, I did what any instant-gratification-craving-craftster-who-doesn't-really-have-as-much-time-to-devote-to-the-project-as-she-thought would do. I bought a dye cut! Okay, I know what you are thinking...That is not even close to saving the time that DavesWife saved. Yeah, I know. But it was A LOT cheaper then buying the program and printer/cutter thing that she has. So....saved money and it was still faster then cutting them out by hand and a big PLUS they all turned out even! Then it was just a game of peeling off the backing and sticking to my mixer.

     My favorite thing about using the vinyl is you can wipe it off. I mean come on, it's a mixer. It's going to get messy! Yes, definitely something I did not forget about. I have had it on my mixer for about a year now (give or take a month) and I use my mixer weekly and not a single sticker has come off or lifted. It even moved from Oregon to South Carolina for goodness sake! So go! Be fruitful and multiply your Dot stickers and create your own (cheap) mixer makeover!

 

Here is the link to the original post that inspired my mixer makeover: http://www.thediaryofdaveswife.com/2012/03/meet-dottie-my-kitchenaid-mixer.html

DIY Fix a Broken Candle Holder

 

     So as you know, we just got done moving and one of the saddest things that can happen to you while moving is to open your boxes and find that some of your favorite things have broken. Blaming the movers or lack of sufficient packing aside, what is done is done and what do you do with your broken things? I had a beautiful glass candle holder from Home Goods that I bought in Oregon. I couldn't wait to up it up in my new house in South Carolina. I was broken hearted when I found it in this condition:

 

I was trying to think about how I could fix it. The entire base had broken off! So I thought through a tutorial I had seen on Pinterest. They used an old lamp base, painted it and glued a piture frame to the top and made a table. Why wouldn't something like that work to fix my broken candle holder? I had to break some of the glass off with a rubber hammer so that it was level so a dish could be glued on:

 

And the end result:

 I was VERY pleased to be able to use my holder again! I just flipped what used to be the top and made it be the base while the plate on top served as, well the top! :)

 

Now that the glue is dry I am even happier!

 

Here is the like I found on Pinterest for the table tutorial: http://richmondthrifter.blogspot.com/2011/03/lamp-base-turned-pedestal-table.html

DIY Wooden Keepsake Boxes

Hi Everyone! This is a craft I did for my sister. She travels so much and I wanted to give her something to keep her memories in. She is a photographer (see her work at http://www.meganlovephotography.com/) so I knew she didn't need any photo albums. She's way better at that stuff than I am so I left that up to the professional. But what about the fun little things you pick up along the way that might be too awkward to fit in an album? A napkin from your favorite French cafe, a match box from the first English Pub you visited? Your train ticket traveling to Germany? I don't know, I have never been to any of those places. However, I wanted to give her something handmade by ME her loving awesome sister ;) and thus this tutorial was born.

What You Will Need:

• A Wooden Box
• Multi Surface Paint (at least two different colors - I used four)
• Stencils (alphabet and designs)
• Glue
• Paint brushes and mini paint rollers
• Corner Posts

The first step is to paint your box - I painted a section of blue first and the laid the stencil above over the blue once it had dried and painted the rest of the box brown (I did this at both ends on the lid and on both sides of the box). When I peeled the stencil off it showed the blue underneath perfectly.

This is the box mostly painted brown with the blue underneath showing through.

 

Once the brown paint had dried I put a different stencil over the brown paint and used a cream color to cover the brown. I was experimenting with different ways to use stencils and which ones work better and which ones I like better. The overlain stencils are much easier and less messy than the underlain ones, but they both produce fun and nice looking results.

 

 

Then I used stickable alphabet stencils to spell out words. I had fun with the paint and I used Martha Stewart Brand multi surface paint.

 

The next thing I did was to glue the corner posts to the bottom of the box while the lid was drying. I let the glue dry over night and then I had the finished product :)

 

 

I added embellishments to the lid. I painted a wooden birdcage to match the colors of the box and I added some buttons and jewels.

A few days later I was still feeling crafty so after giving myself a mani/pedi and playing with some henna, I decided to make another box for myself. This time I added some paper flowers and experimented for the first time with crackle paint. There are so many different things you can do with these. The possibilities are literally endless! Have fun making your keepsake boxes!

Hmmm OH YEAH! I Do Have A Blog!

Hey everyone! So....2 years later. I was married to a cheater cheater pumpkin eater, got a divorce, moved from South Carolina to Oregon and just about 6 weeks ago moved back to South Carolina from Oregon! I do so apologize for not updating this Blog in TWO YEARS! Oh my gosh I should be slapped! So what else has happened in the last two years? Ummmm well I am now engaged to the man who was actually my first real boyfriend in High School (awwwww!) and I am now completely addicted to Pinterest! Oh yes! Who isn't? You can see my Boards at http://pinterest.com/brittanyhdean/ woo hoo! You can see all my wedding ideas on my Rodeo Weddings Board and give me suggestions! Have a wonderful night and Happy Pinning! :)