DIY Halloween Roundup!

Even though we’ve had a bit of an Indian summer the last few days here in Boston, I can’t help thinking ahead to my first post-college Halloween.  I’m eagerly looking forward to crunchy leaves, more pumpkin lattes, searching for a fun costume, and hopefully a trip or two to Salem!

To get into the spirit of all things Halloween-y, here are some of my favorite DIY projects that I’ve come across lately. If you have a project to add, link up in the comments!

For spooky glassware, How About Orange has a great tutorial on using packing tape to make image transfers!

Keeping with the spooky theme, check out these Eat At Your Own Risk toppers via Etsy:

All Things Thrifty has a Woman’s Day Mag-inspired Candy Corn Wreath:

If the idea of gluing all those candy corns is too much for you (or for more wreathy inspiration), there’s a similar version on Etsy:

My Paper Crane has a tutorial and template for adorable felt ghost cozies, which you could also string up into a garland or hang from doorknobs too!

Calamity Anne has a fun tutorial on redoing an old clock to give it a Halloween feel… trip to Goodwill or Ikea for clocks, anyone?

My friend Daniela from Berkeley has a great shop, The Art Life, where she’s selling a kit to make your own mini-chipboard Halloween album, complete with embellishments and papers… and it’s on sale! Also, check out the rest of her shop– great stuff!

If you love pumpkins but not the mess of carving them, Calamity Anne also has a tutorial on painting decorative pumpkins:

At The Crafty Cupboard, Melanie has an easy-to-follow tutorial for this wonderful & inexpensive spiderweb table runner:

Yet another project from Brooke at All Things Thrifty: an easy and temporary way to “trick” out your existing decor! (Yes, I love her stuff!)

Last but certainly not least, Boston-based Papercrave has a tutorial and printables for a lovely paper garland. For fun variations on this, you can alternate the cutouts with candy corn, add some glitter, sub printed halloween paper, or string it on colored ribbon!

I survived a drive…(plus crafty goodness)

…in Boston! I am VERY VERY proud of myself.  Although I have to say, being in a Prius makes the drive pretty damn nice.

Here’s a pic from when I was stopped on the bridge (woo traffic!)

Action shot! (well, not really)

On the way home, what did I see but the Dollar Store near Lechmere that I’d discovered my first weekend here? Of course, I had to stop. I found these ADORABLE mugs when I walked in:

So cute! Ignore the lack of a mani...

Yes, I have 5-year old hands. That being said, I had to buy these mugs, since the dishes I have right now are the original 70’s Corelle print…quite vintage, not quite me.  Then I found white square ceramic plates and black soup bowls that will look awesome with the mugs. I’m hoping to use a ceramic pen to decorate the plates like these adorable monogrammed ones from Lemon Tree Creations!

Also got some spongebob hooks that I’ll be modpodge-ing over to use as coat hooks in my kitchen/entryway (stealing this idea from Dollar Store crafts!), some nyc color makeup (woot!), diet mtn. dew (cue addiction), jiffy biscuit mix for when I need comfort food, spices for $1!, and my most exciting purchase, foam core to make my inspiration board.

About the inspiration board, I LOVEEEE the looks that people have been doing lately– check out this one from Made by Girl, so cute!– so when I saw a huge gilded frame at a garage sale for $5 when I moved here, I had to snag it. It’s been sitting on the wall above my desk empty for 2 months now, waiting for me to find foam core or cork and fill it up. I’d been hesitating, because foam core can run $4/piece and I need at least 3, and cork is just plain pricey at stores like CVS/Target. But when I found the sheets for $1 today, I splurged and bought 4!

Will post pics of everything when it’s done, keep your eyes peeled!

What Weekend Warrior projects are you working on?

Miss Artimated (Martha) and I are loving the mypapercrane fabrics and dreaming up dresses to make, too!

East coast livin’

It’s officially been a week since I moved from CA to Boston… and I can officially say that I’m loving it here! Granted, the weather has been bipolar at best, and completely psychotic at worse. Don’t believe me? Check out this video that @Lor3nzo filmed from the Microsoft NERD center yesterday! Thunderstorms in June aside, Boston/Somerville/Cambridge etc. are so amazingly vibrant. There’s always something interesting going on, which is great because I’ve still got tons of free time right now.

I’m still sleeping on a 2″ pad, but now I have a (free) bedframe so it’s one step closer to a real bed. I bought earplugs last night, which are a GODSEND. Seriously, if you have noisy neighbors, don’t hesitate. Buy them! I lucked out by having my dad’s family out here, and they’ve all been really helpful in trying to get me settled. I’ve been even MORE lucky in that I’ve got my two best friends from college out here, both of whom I’ve gotten to spend time with already! Seriously, could my friends out here get any more awesome? (see below)

The past week has been filled with so many amazing things, here’s a little rundown…

Design inspiration/procrastination

I have papers and a thesis due this week. What am I doing right now? Blogging and scouring Apartment Therapy, of course. Since I’m moving to Boston in T-minus 28 days (!!!), I’ve been looking for apartments and design inspiration. Here’s some fun pictures, courtesy of Apartment Therapy, for your viewing pleasure.

I have a secret longing for an iron bedframe.

embroidery hoops + cheap remnants = to-do project!

I just really, really, really love this. Not so good for a rental though...

This looks so luxurious, and a great way to dress up a nook!

Inspiration for a ::clean:: kitchen

From 3 Men & a Lady's blog... LOVE this.

Definitely doing some typographic artwork in the new place!

Adorable office... in a closet!

Now it’s time for some writing… or sleep  😉

Another quickie post!

Hey there blogosphere,

Sorry I haven’t updated in so long, things have been hectic! 4 more lectures before classes officially end; then I just have a thesis, 2 papers, and a final (that’s worth 50% of my grade) to go! I’m searching for jobs (I have my first interivew with @SCVNGR next Tuesday, fingers crossed!!) and apartments, but I’ve scheduled my flight to Boston, so that’s progress.

I’ll be writing a real post this weekend, but I wanted to give you two things to brighten up your day.

1) This blog is amazing- 1000 Awesome Things. Also, it’s great for procrastinating 🙂

2) This is what I come home to every day. Cracks me up every time:

It doesn't get much cuter...

Hope everyone has a great Thurs night/Friday, and keep an eye out for my guest posts for iGrad, which should be happening soon!

blood donation fail

Today, I was walking on Sproul after I picked up lunch and noticed they were having a blood drive. I’ve never donated before; I used to weigh too little in high school (miss those days!) and then in college I’ve gotten piercings and tattoos so I was always in that 12-month post body mod period where you’re not supposed to donate. Anyways, I decided to donate blood today.

I walk upstairs to the Pauley Ballroom where they’re doing the drive. I get my sticker, fill out my form (some of those questions were a little strange) and sit down to wait for the intake sesh. As I’m sitting, I feel a little queasy because I can see all the people who are getting their blood drawn, but nothing too serious.

Now, this is probably the time that I should mention that, although I have 9 piercings and 2 tattoos, I am terrible with needles. If i see them, I pass out. Same goes for blood, most of the time.  I take after my dad in that respect, and trust me, it’s not pretty.

my first tattoo (after the touchup)

tattoo 2, done by Mike @ Industrial in Berkeley (only took 3.5 hours!)

Moving on with the story. I finally get called up to the intake nurse. She asks me what my weight, height, allergies, etc. etc. are. She makes small talk as she takes my temp and my pulse, and then she does the little finger prick thing to test my iron levels. Now, it doesn’t hurt at all. I mean, it’s a little pinch, like if you pinched your finger in a drawer or something minor like that. But something about that, knowing I was about to be hooked up to an IV for 10 minutes, finally gets to me.

I look at the nurse and go, “I need to put my head down.” She looks at me quizzically, looks at the iron count machine, and goes “your iron level is fine…” but I must have gotten very pale because she goes ok, “I’m gonna pick up your stuff, you follow me.”

So I get up, and she grabs my 3 bags (oops), and one of my arms, and calls to one of the nurses to help get me to a chair. The last thing I remember clearly is breaking into a cold sweat and then all of a sudden they’re lifting me up into this pseudo-recliner and burying me in cold compresses.

I anticipated passing out once I started the blood draw, but this was just ridiculous. I actually asked them, once I was feeling better, if I could donate blood then… figured I’d already passed out, might as well go through with it! (They said no.)

So lessons learned today- I’m not anemic, don’t bring so many bags with you to a blood drive–just in case, and I am one of those people who’s just not meant to donate blood. Luckily, I think I have one of the more common blood types, so it’s not so bad. I just hope I’m not like my dad, who passed out when he and my mom got the blood test for their marriage license… that didn’t bode well! 🙂

In other news, applying to publishing jobs in Boston, New York, San Diego, LA and SF. It’s terrifying, but necessary. Working with Ariane Doud, Patrick’s wife, for PR for The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin, so here’s to hoping that’s a productive work connection!

Also, I finished the first 10 (!) pages of my first thesis (30-35 pages total), and my second thesis/research paper is in the research still, but at least I’ve got a topic.

Oh, and to the 2 people that read this, visit knockoffwood.blogspot.com, will ya? She has an AMAZING blog that I’ve been following, where she makes her own original plans inspired by furniture that costs HUNDREDS/THOUSANDS from companies like Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Teen, etc. What she does is incredible, and Williams Sonoma (booo) has decided to send her a cease & desist notice, because she references their names/pictures. I’m sorry, but if people are going out of their way to MAKE this furniture, they weren’t going to pay 10x the cost to buy it in the first place, so it’s ridiculous that they think it would harm them. If anything, this whole thing will help HER to increase her blog traffic. So yeah, check it out. Maybe you’ll be inspired!

And to finish it up with a fun graduation quote: At commencement you wear your square-shaped mortarboards. My hope is that from time to time you will let your minds be bold, and wear sombreros.
Paul Freund