scars and stories

The Fray is my first love.  I will always love them.  They were my first concert ever. "All At Once" is my "first-day-of-school" song for inexplicable reasons. And they met me at the beginning of my DIY career—see above picture of this appropriately 'frayed' shirt I so cleverly paired with matching pink bracelets my freshman year...cute...

Anyhoo, their new album entitled "Scars and Stories" is out now and it's as good as ever.  I'm probably (definitely) just biased because they're from Colorado.  Didn't really mean to make a plug for a band but I just thought I'd share this cute attempt at making my own concert tee my friend dug up in honor of the album release.

It's finally snowing in Chicago! Time to break out the sweaters. Starting with this one.

Also, I'd like to live here, if someone wants to setup a little garden getaway with me.

mason jar mania

Whether acting as candle holders hung suspended from a lush tree, quirky table centerpieces, flower pots, or just as a drinking glass, mason jars are perhaps the item that best encompasses all things DIY.  This multi-purpose jar instantly makes the product handmade and crafty—no matter if you just pulled them out of an attic and threw sand and sea glass in them.  They exude casual and almost beg for you to know just how unplanned and organic an event is.

I'm not making fun—I honestly love the backyard patio-party/summer lemonade feel that I associate with these containers.  I feel I need to find some stash with an abundance of the jars in order to try every craft I've seen with them...

Enjoy some of my favorite incorporations of the mason jar into everyday life and events. Some of these were taken at Beau Jo's Colorado style pizza, which serves their drinks in a mason jar.  The rest can be found on StyleMePretty—an extremely fun and organized way to get wedding inspiration.

2-D decorations

Ever since my paper garland endeavor, I'm obsessed with paper decorations.  And it's not even because of my cheap, college-student budget I have for decor...which is definitely part of it...but it's whimsical, sweet, and simple.  And less is always more.  Enjoy.

1., 3., 6. handmadeology 2. mysweetsavannah 4. ohhappyday 5. icedevents

how to make a basement charming

When we moved in to our apartment, our basement might have been mistaken for a McDonald's playhouse gone wrong. Bright mustard yellow and red coated the poorly painted walls—maybe the previous tenants had a love for condiments...?  But with a heavy duty primer/paint, we have tried to refurbish the place with the words 'shabby chic', 'eclectic', and basically Anthropologie as our guides.

I took several sheets of paper, cut them into rectangular strips, and sewed down the middle to make a sort of party-style paper garland.  That, the paper lanterns, and El maps—in addition to the pipe in the middle of our ceiling and the unleveled floors—have literally turned our room into a 'shabby chic' hangout.

Never underestimate the power of paper. Handmadeology demonstrates a multitude of things to create with paper and fabric.