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!

Project Porn!

Holy Batman, it’s already September! That means the beginning of fall (in theory, anyways), Labor Day sales, and oh ya– my birthday! I’m also starting a new part-time gig on Friday, so keep an eye out for a post on that. In the meantime, I’ve been working on my own DIY’s and finding some pretty kickass projects (and potential projects) around the interwebs.

it's getting there!

• I got bored with Sharpie-ing my wall art, so I decided to put a touch of acrylic paint on the board and see how it would look.  Heinous cellphone picture aside, I think it’s gonna look really great when it’s done. Going to be adding orange and a limey green to it as well!
• This post, from ReadyMade, reminds me of back-to-school shopping and getting a brand new box of Crayolas… except far more expensive.
• Saw this mirror from Urban Outfitters… totally reminiscent of the bag with the chicken feet skin (uh, wtf?) on last night’s Rachel Zoe Project. Except it won’t make PETA go after you.
• Urban also has an “essential bathroom organizer,” which at almost $30, is so not essential for me.  Diy-ing it with some different lengths/widths of PVC pipe, some spraypaint, and hot glue/gorilla glue? Much better!
• Oh, and have I mentioned Urban Outfitters? Spent a lot of time on their site today, oops. Their key rug, at $18 for a 2×3 rug, is adorable but again pricey.  My solution? El cheapo rug from Ikea, of course, pattern with freezer paper or contact paper, and black acrylic paint. Et voila!
• Last but not least, I saw the following picture on Design Porn and literally started laughing my ass off. Enjoy it, kids:

Yup, that's taxidermy beer coolers...

I don’t want to know what liking that says about me…

Things I’ve Learned in College (part 1)

My time as an undergrad is rapidly nearing its end… yikes! In the spirit of the insane things that have happened the last 4 years, I thought I’d start a list of the good (and not so good) things I’ve learned… within reason, of course 🙂

• Pick a school you love. If you don’t love it, transfer! It’s your home for the next four years.

Oski! Go Bears!

• Living on your own is great, except for having to cook, clean, do laundry, and pay bills on your own
• PGE requires an ungodly deposit every time you open an account at a new residence
• Comcast will make you want to hurt someone. Repeatedly. Particularly when you find out how expensive they are!
• Ramen noodles are God’s gift to college students.
• Rainboots are a necessity in NorCal.
• Hella is not, contrary to popular belief, a word!
• Ikea is amazing. The end.
• Target is almost as amazing as Ikea.
• Cooking for yourself means lots of leftovers.

We had LOTS of leftovers from making gingerbread houses!

• Parallel parking (on the right side of the street) isn’t SO awful in a Corolla. With a bigger car and/or on the left side of the street… all bets are off.
• The city of Berkeley’s meter maids are pure evil.
• Job hunting sucks.
• Resume and cover letter writing suck as well.
• Sadly, the above 2 are necessary evils!
• Facebook is the best procrastination tool, second only to Chatroulette (or Stumbleupon)
• If you don’t remember what you did last night, go on Facebook. There will be pictures.

Embarrassing pictures like this...

• If you don’t remember what you did last night, check your sent text messages.
• Being under the influence + any form of social media (or phone) = bad news.
• Bring toilet paper in your purse to bars and frats.
• Wear flip flops if walking to your destination, put your heels on right before you enter. Your feet will thank you.
• Ants are indestructible. And they keep coming back. Ant tins are good though!
• If you’re nerdy, be nerdy. It’s ok. You’ll find people who love you for it.
• Game Days are amazing and one of the few things in college that I will truly miss.

Emerald Bowl, 2008!

• Common sense is, sadly, not so common.
• Make friends if you know you’ll be moving, because moving solo is awful (particularly when there’s furniture moving involved!)
• Living with roommates off of Craigslist can be great (love you, Robin!) or the worst experience ever… it’s definitely hit or miss.
• Adopting a pet is one of the most rewarding experiences ever.
• Join clubs and groups early. Network early and often. It’ll pay off.

Rally Comm... my life for freshman year!

• Get to know your professors in office hours. Don’t be scared of them, they’re people too! (Just very smart people, is all…)
• Always spellcheck papers before turning them in.
• If you ever want to work for Facebook, consider never going out/doing embarrassing things that will be preserved on film. Despite your profile settings, Facebook can still see them!
• Tutoring athletes is trying, but can be very very rewarding. I suppose that goes for all kinds of tutoring.
• Take classes you enjoy, even if it means you have to do your requirements during the summer. Give yourself time to experiment before locking into a major. Otherwise, you’ll start with one (English), add a second (Linguistics), then drop the second and add a third your senior year (American Studies)!
• Having a car is a blessing if you can afford it… it makes grocery shopping, laundry, and Target/Ikea runs so much easier.
• Not having internet is not an option.
• Yelp is a great resource, as is Craigslist.
• College boys are silly. I’ve decided that dating in college is largely a wash.
• People in general can be silly. It’s important to surround yourself with good people who will add to your life, not detract from it.
• Getting sick– especially serious things, like gallstones– can be really tough when you’re away from home.
• Blogs, LinkedIn, and Twitter are awesome for creating networks of people outside of school, especially if you ever go to meetups/conferences or move somewhere you’ve been talking to people!
• Online dating is… interesting. Very hit or miss, mostly miss. There are some weiiiird people out there!
• It’s ok to be a tourist in your own town. You discover things you pass by during your day-to-day routines.

become a tourist... you'll see things like this!

• In the real world, you can’t wear sweats in public!
• Showering/grooming/putting on makeup is not overrated (this is a particularly Berkeley thing)
• Take advantage of free trips and events. Going on the Birthright trip to Israel was absolutely amazing.

Jerusalem, Summer 2008

• If time/your major permits it, study abroad!
• Be nice to people in your classes. You might meet some of your best friends that way!

And remember, always wear sunscreen 🙂

Design Review- Ikea part 2

So, I’m up at a quarter to 7, but don’t have to be in to work until 12. This means that so far, I’ve gotten a grand total of 6 hours of sleep… ouch.

Anyways, here’s a little more of the highlights from the Ikea 2010 Catalog

• Edland series (prices vary)- they call it “18th century goes flatpack,” and I’m going to stick with that. Love the old-fashioned flair at a very non-antique store price.
• Stolman series– if I didn’t have so many pairs of shoes (and the need for a closet where you can stuff everything in and slam the door), I’d invest in this. I love the expensive boutique look.
• for the record, page 186-87 (the teen boys’ rooms) is really poorly done. Shame, shame, Ikea. Terrible lighting effect that detracts from the product itself, at least online.
• Vanna mirror ($10)- definitely getting one of these for the new room!
• Somrig vase ($1.99)- i love their example using these interlocking vases, where they alternate flowers and makeup brushes in the vases.
• Flaren cabinet ($100)- not new, but definitely on my wishlist.

Ok, back to bed. More to come later!