DIY Printed Pants.

It's Monday morning! And I'm sitting in a coffee shop right now, trying to work on my thesis, but of course people watching and blogging are stopping me. Here's a few snapshots of a pair of palazzo-type pants that my mom and I made together last week following this A Pair and A Spare tutorial. Even though they are easy to make, I suggest only trying it if you have at least minimal sewing experience (or want to learn the basics of sewing on a sewing machine first). I did not. My lovely mother ended up doing most of the sewing-related stuff. Good thing because I just don't have the patience to learn (at this point in my life at least ... maybe one day). But I made tea. Fair, right? Have a great day lovelies! xo Caroline

DIY Geode Necklace.

I made this necklace a couple of weeks ago with my friend Carey. We spent the evening playing with and baking Sculpey. I was super excited when my necklace turned out exactly (if not better than) the way I'd imagined it. Don't you love when that happens? It's really not often! At least for me. Anyway, I followed this DIY tutorial and it turned out perfectly. I bought a $6 silver chain at Michael's and I actually had tons of leftover Scupley laying around from when I was kid (including neon yellow! how cool is that?). I also had a  silver lobster clasp and silver jump rings from another project that did not turn out. I used an x-acto knife instead of a razor and baked the beads for about 15 minutes, according to my package directions. Everything else you need to know can be found in the tutorial. It's really quite fool-proof, and there isn't much you need to buy, even if you don't have Sculpey! Enjoy! xo Caroline

Easy DIY Chain Rings.

This is such a simple DIY! It also only cost me $2 and not very much time at all. And, to top it off, I love my chain rings, which you can of course wear on individually or together. They add a simple statement to any outfit. Enjoy!! (Oh, I came across this DIY here.)

Well, today I'm off to Kitchener & area with the family and the boyfriend :) to visit my brother and see some sights. (Including Niagara Falls ... which I've never been to before!) Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. But I still plan (hope) to do some work in the car ride there and back. Let's hope I can stick to it, though I'm sure many of my friends reading this will tell me NOT to do that and to take a darn break for once. But my excuse is this: I'm going to Europe soon and so shouldn't take a break now, too!!! I know, I know. We'll see. Chow! xo Caroline

New In: Tie-die DIY & Sunnies.

I bleached an old black Smart Set shirt last week, following this Honestly...WTF DIY tutorial. It gave it a new and fun look! I also ordered these baby blue sunnies from Free People and really love 'em. They're oversized and sixties-style and funky. Stay tuned tomorrow because I'm going to post how I paired the two together on Friday! xo Caroline

P.S. Also please note that I'm very much in love with my dog and you may be seeing lots of photos of him in the next few months. Background or not. :)

DIY Bookmarks.

I made this bookmark for my friend Chantal a couple of weeks ago. I actually made a bunch of bookmarks before Christmas as Christmas gifts, but since Chantal's bookmark was lost, I decided to make her another. The last photo is of her and I. I'm so happy that I'll be able to hang out with her regularly now, but of course I'm also sad that I left other friends behind in Halifax. Anyway, these are so easy and inexpensive to make. You can find lamanent at your local dollar or business supply store. I found my tassels here for a great price, but you can also find them at arts and crafts stores, Walmart, or even dollar bins. I bought my washi tape (love this stuff) here, but many Japanese stores sell it, as well as arts and crafts stores. Good luck and enjoy! xo Caroline

DIY Magnets

Welcome, weekend. Unfortunately, I can't actually give you the welcoming you deserve. I've been so distracted and so disconnected from myself this week that you really aren't anything special. I've still got work to do, people to see, errands to run, and partners to love. (I truly hope I remember this one! For some reason it's the easiest to forget.) Don't give up on me though. Come back soon and hopefully I can embrace you and all that you offer. xo Caroline

Just some extra notes about this craft: I used old dictionary pages for my magnets but you could really use anything! You can also find wooden shapes at any craft store. I found these in a sale bin at Michael's for literally 5 cents.

Pasta Necklaces Aren't Just for Kids...

I made this Chevron penne necklace with Katherine on Monday, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out! She found the DIY project on Design Sponge. I want to say it was easy, because minimal materials were needed and the steps were basic, but we did encounter a few problems. It was difficult to get the penne on to the braided jersey fabric, but I did manage! Well, not without first breaking a few pieces of painted penne.

I've been working on my thesis project here and there, in between my class, readings, a love life, a social life, and "me-time" (it's important to me!), so I'm feeling pretty good today! Plus, I'm excited for tonight and this weekend. On Sunday Jimmy and I are heading to a Canadian classic: a Sugar Bush!! We'll have a traditional pancake buffet breakfast and taffy on snow, and we'll enjoy being outside at Sugar Moon farm. Tonight me and Angi are heading out for wine, snacks, and shopping at a local store's customer appreication night. Hopefully I'll be able to snap some pics! Have a lovely day! xo Caroline