Monday, May 28, 2012

DIY suitcases


Make Your Own Floral Suitcase!

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Plain vintage suitcases are pretty great but cover them in your favorite coordinating fabrics and your house just got cuter! Not only do they look cute in your home, they're great photo props. Decorate a nursery, stack them high in your living room, stand them up behind other items on a shelf, etc. It's an easy way to add color to your space without investing a lot of money.
Keep an eye out for hard cases with stitched seams (for tucking fabric in) and think about using a variety of sizes for great impact. You no longer have to pass up the perfect case shape because of a nick in the vinyl!
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First, gather your supplies. I used three vintage suitcases that I had on hand and chose three fabrics that coordinated with their colors. The color of the case will still show so keep that in mind when you're choosing fabrics. You'll also need Mod Podge, a paint brush, a pen, scissors, a rotary cutter (or a butter knife). Next, lay your fabric face down on the case and carefully trace into the groove of the seam. Then cut about 1/4" extra around your trace line and place it on top of your case to make sure it's going to fit. Iron your fabric before attaching to get all the wrinkles out.
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Carefully spread a thin layer of Mod-Podge over one third of your case starting at one side. It dries quickly so you want to work in sections. Line your fabric up and spread it evenly over the first third of your case making sure it covers the corners. Smooth your fabric as you attach it to the Mod-Podge.
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Your fabric should hang over your edge about 1/4" or more. You can either pull it tight over the edge and trim it with your scissors before tucking the fabric in to the seam with a butter knife, or you can use a rotary cutter to simultaneously tuck it in and trim. You need to be a little more careful with the second method. Watch out for your fingers! Do this one section at a time.
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When you're dealing with corners, apply a little extra Mod-Podge to your fabric and create two little pleats before you tuck the fabric in. It'll mimic the pleats in your suitcase nicely. You can repeat the same fabric on both sides or alternate depending on how you're going to display them.
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This project turned out to be much easier than I thought with fewer complications than expected. Give yourself about half an hour per side, per case and be sure to let one side dry completely before tackling the other. ♥
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I can't wait to see some fabric-covered suitcase photos! xo. Rachel

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Awesome Fishtail Braid


How To Style a Fishtail Braid

1We love the look of fishtail braids! This trend is incredibly easy to style, even on your own hair. Kinsey and I photographed the steps so you can try it out for yourself...
2Here's how to style a fishtail braid... 1. Part your hair into two even sections. 2. Take a small strand of hair (preferably from underneath so that it wraps around the entire seciton) from one section and bring it over to the other side. Make sure your strands of hair aren't too large, or it will look more like a regular braid! 3. Do the same thing with the other section. 4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until the braid is finished. 5. To make your braid a little more full looking, lighting tug the edges of the braid to widen it.
3Next, we had a crazy idea... weave pieces of yarn into the braid? FUN!
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1. Tie yarn to one layer of hair at the root. We teased the roots a little bit to help the yarn stay. 2. Braid the pieces in with the same technique as seen above. Be sure to vary the colors of yarn. 3. Trim pieces of yarn and tie off with yarn.
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We thought it was pretty cute! xo. elsie + kinsey too

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Cruiser


CHEAP, CUTE BIKES

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect European style city bike and came across a bunch of cute cruisers at Walmart, of all places, for a steal! Most of these are under $200 (see my picks here!)
Do you have a cruiser or city bike you trek around town in? I’m going to check out some some used bike shops this week here in San Francisco to see if I can find one I love. I’d love to hear your recommendations for getting one!
thanks so much sayyestohoboken..........xoxoxoxox!

Monday, May 14, 2012

sweet shades

sweet shades

Tom ford sunglasses
390 CAD - dealuxe.ca

Carven round sunglasses
$360 - net-a-porter.com

Neon sunglasses
$307 - matchesfashion.com

Illesteva round sunglasses
$300 - openingceremony.us

Lanvin round sunglasses
€290 - colette.fr

Illesteva round sunglasses
£160 - net-a-porter.com

Madewell vintage sunglasses
$154 - madewell.com

Warby Parker sunglasses
$95 - warbyparker.com

Madewell round sunglasses
$55 - madewell.com

American Apparel vintage sunglasses
$45 - americanapparel.net

Vintage sunglasses
$38 - nastygal.com

Plastic sunglasses
$32 - topshop.com

ASOS round sunglasses
$21 - asos.com

Mango retro sunglasses
£20 - mango.com

Aviator sunglasses
$16 - urbanoutfitters.com

Gradient sunglasses
$4.99 - urbanoutfitters.com

Round sunglasses
$16 - urbanoutfitters.com

Urban Outfitters vintage sunglasses
$16 - urbanoutfitters.com

Urban Outfitters square sunglasses
$9.99 - urbanoutfitters.com

Round sunglasses
$4.99 - urbanoutfitters.com

Urban Outfitters cat eye sunglasses
$6.99 - urbanoutfitters.com

Monki plastic sunglasses
€10 - monki.com

Retro sunglasses
£4 - fashionunion.com

H&m sunglasses
£5.99 - hm.com

Lily and Lionel Sepia London scarf
£170 - harveynichols.com