Bolts & Bows

Hi Everyone! A few weeks ago, my Dad was cleaning out the bar...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 17:00:00 -0500

Hi Everyone!

A few weeks ago, my Dad was cleaning out the bar and gave me this liquor box. It is a beautiful piece, but unfortunately there was some damage to the box lid from a label. I needed a way to fix or disguise the damage while keeping the character and integrity of the box. I thought contrasting the beautiful, detailed grain of the wooden box with the shine of a silver paint would be really interesting. Bold, graphic designs are seen everywhere these days and helped to inspire the triangular design I used here. The process was really simple as well. All I did was use painters tape to determine the lines of the triangle and covered the unpainted section with newspaper. I taped off the intricate hinges and clasps of the box so they would not be painted. Using a silver spray paint, I sprayed on two coats. The spray paint that I used dries immediately but I let the box sit outside for the day as the fumes from the paint were very strong.

What do you think I should use the box for?

Let me know!

-Emilee

Some of our favorite sites!

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:55:00 -0500

Hi Everyone!

Morgan and I are both incredibly busy right now so to tide you all over until the next project here’s a list of blogs and websites that we follow and love. They vary in topics from DIY, to beauty, fashion, and food. Check them out and enjoy! Share some of your favourite blogs and sites as well. We’d love to hear from you guys. - Emilee xx

The Beauty Department

Just Something I Made

I love office supplies. Pens, pencils, paper, desk...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:49:00 -0500

I love office supplies. Pens, pencils, paper, desk organizers… anything. So when I saw these adorable painted wood magnets from swoonstudio.blogspot.ca I knew I had to try making them for myself. Here’s how you do it:

What You Need:

Wooden Shapes
Magnets
Acrylic Neon Paint
Painters Tape
Paint Brush
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Water Dish
Paper Towel
Wax Paper or a Painter’s Palette

Step 1:

Using the Painters Tape, tape off a design on the wooden shape

Step 2:

Paint the taped off area of the wooden shape. Depending on the paint you use, you may need to apply more coats of paint. Let the paint dry completely.

Step 3:

Once the paint has dried, remove the tape slowly

Step 4:

Apply a dot of hot glue to the back side of the wooden shape

Step 5:

Adhere a circular magnet where you placed the glue

Step 6:

Let the hot glue cool and dry before using the magnet

I had a ton of fun making these magnets. They were so easy to make and look great on their own or as a set. I can’t wait to use them. Let us know what you think of them!

-Emilee

Hey Everybody!! Here’s a fun fashionable DIY project for...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:27:05 -0500

Hey Everybody!!

Here’s a fun fashionable DIY project for you! I’ve bought a couple of these beaded headbands from stores like Anthropologie but they usually cost anywhere from 15$ to 40$, so I decided to see if I could make one for myself. Turns out this was a really fun and manageable project so I hope you enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Assortment of Beads
Needle/Thread
Trim (I found mine at Fabricland)
Scissors
Elastic

PREPARATION

I took the trim and measured it across the top of my head, then cut it at that length, so it would fit my head. The length I chose was approx. 12”.

STEP ONE & TWO:

Using the needle and thread, I weaved through the trim following the basic pattern of the trim. I began by bringing the needle through the backside (so you won’t see the knot) to the front, threading a bead onto the headband, then bringing the needle through to the back again. I did this basic pattern for each section of the headband before I tied a secure knot (rather than tying a knot after each individual bead which would take FOREVER).

STEP THREE:

Once you are pleased with the amount of beads you placed on, it’s time to finish the headband by sewing elastic onto the back. Place the headband on your head again but this time measure the distance between the two ends of the headband. I like my headbands tight, so I cut the elastic a little bit shorter than the actual distance so it would feel tight when I put it on. As you can see from the picture, I am not an expert sewer, so just tack the elastic to the trim as best as you can… it’s at the back of your head so no one will really see it anyways!

Let us know what you think!

Enjoy =)

-Morgan

Hi Everyone! Ready for a quick, inexpensive DIY tutorial? This...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:18:52 -0500

Hi Everyone!

Ready for a quick, inexpensive DIY tutorial? This tassel chain necklace took me about 5 minutes to complete and only cost about $3.00! Tassels seem to be on trend right now and this necklace is an easy way to bring them into your style.

What you need:

2 tassels
2 meters of chain

Step 1:

Slide the loop of the tassel through the last link at the end of the chain. Repeat with the second tassel on the other end of the chain.

Step 2:

Make a hitch knot with each tassel to secure them in place on the chain.

And that’s it! I had a bit of trouble finding tassels at my local craft store so the ones I used were just lying around my house and are probably older than I am. They’re a little bland so I’m keeping my eye out for better ones. You can wear this necklace long, or wrap it around your neck one or two times like i’ve shown in the first picture.

Let us know what you think about this necklace!

-Emilee

Hey Everyone! It’s been raining all day so I stayed inside...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:27:00 -0500

Hey Everyone!

It’s been raining all day so I stayed inside and made some beautiful braided bead bracelets. I made each with thin hemp cord and beads that I bought at my local craft shop. Let me know what you think of these bracelets and if you’d like to see a DIY tutorial on the braided bead bracelet. I had a lot of fun making them!

Emilee

What do you think of this color combination? Grey is a wonderful...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:48:15 -0500

What do you think of this color combination? Grey is a wonderful and trendy neutral right now. Pair it with a bright canary yellow for a fun, energetic outfit!

Tell us what you think!

-Emilee

1.Wilfred Emmanuelle Dress from Aritzia ($165.00)

2.Ponte Rolled Sleeve Blazer from TopShop ($64.00)

3.Geo Triangle Studs from TopShop ($10.00)

4.Statement of the Art Necklace in Sun from ModCloth ($49.99)

5.Owl Warm and Cozy in Yellow & Tea Set in Stone from ModCloth ($16.99) set is $59.99

6.Sephora by O.P.I. Nail Colour in Cab Fare & Frankly I Don’t Give A-Dam ($9.50)

7.Travel Bright Bag from ModCloth ($62.00)

8.Sam Edelman Flats from Town Shoes ($140.00)

9.Heartbeats Bangle in Chinchilla from Marc by Marc Jacobs ($68.00)

Hello again! I have a fun and fashionable DIY project for you...

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:21:00 -0500

Hello again!

I have a fun and fashionable DIY project for you this Wednesday! I found the inspiration for this week’s project from a Tumblr picture of a Victor & Rolf fashion show. I love anything with a bit of sparkle and figured I could take an old pair of tights I had in my closet and revive them into something special!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Pair of tights (I had an old pair of Mondor Dance Tights I decided to use)
Pencil
Assortment of faceted jewels (I used 56 jewels for my design)
Glue gun
Piece of cardboard

PREPARATION:

A) (OPTIONAL) I ended up painting some of my jewels because I was unhappy with the colours I found at the craft store. This step is not necessary but if you want to mimic the look, I used Craft Smart Metallic Paint in Silver & Folk Art Acrylic Paint in 658 Metallic Antique Gold. It took 3-4 coats of paint to cover the jewel but make sure paint is dry in between coats.
B) Try on the pair of tights and using your pencil, mark the outline of your knee as well as a mark for how high and how low you want the design to go on your leg. It helps if you centre these marks by using your shinbone as a guide. These marks will help you know where to put the jewels once the tights come off your leg!

STEP ONE:

Carefully place the piece of cardboard through one leg of the tights, Make sure all the pencil marks can be seen.

STEP TWO:

Begin to hot glue all your jewels into place. You do not need a lot of glue to adhere to the tights, but once you place the jewel down, carefully lift the tights off of the cardboard to make sure that the jewel is not sticking to the cardboard underneath (pictured in step 2A). Once you finish one leg, repeat steps one & two on the second leg!

Enjoy!

-Morgan

1.Twining English Breakfast Tea 2.Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay...

Mon, 28 May 2012 14:33:00 -0500

1.Twining English Breakfast Tea

2.Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara ($19.00)

3.St. Ives Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion ($7.99)

4.Aritzia Blythe Dress in Emerald ($135.00)

5.Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Stain in Exposed ($24.00)

6. Aldo Shost Platform Pumps ($40.00 sale)

7.Kobo Touch ($90.00)

8.Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine ($16.00)

9.Lululemon Skidless Towel ($65.00)

10.Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation ($42.00)

Some of my favourite types of DIY projects are cheap and easy...

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:36:00 -0500

Some of my favourite types of DIY projects are cheap and easy but produce big results. I think this sequin bangle fits into those categories perfectly. Have fun making it!

MATERIALS:

Bracelet (I bought mine at a dollar store for $1.25, but you could use an old one that you already have)
Sequins (I used 20mm silver sequins, but feel free to choose different sizes or colors)
Hot glue gun (TIP: If I do this project again I would use crazy glue as the hot glue melted some of the sequins if I applied the sequin right away)
Hot glue sticks

STEP ONE:

Apply a small dot of glue and adhere the first sequin. Continue by creating your first row, overlapping each sequin slightly. My row consisted of 3 overlapped sequins.

STEP TWO:

Once your first row is created, continue along the bracelet making more rows that overlap eachother and create a dragon or fish scale look until the entire bracelet is covered.

And that’s it!

Have fun making your own sequin bangle and try using different colours, sizes and types of sequins. As I mentioned above, crazy glue may be a better option to avoid melting the sequin. However, once I got started I developed the right technique to allow the hot glue to cool just enough so it wouldn’t melt the sequin.

-Emilee

We’re seeing backpacks everywhere these days. These...

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:39:00 -0500

We’re seeing backpacks everywhere these days. These functional pieces fit every style and personality and can look great with many different outfits. These are some of the ones that caught our attention! Enjoy!

1.Menches Floral Backpack from Aldo ($50.00)

2.Welcome Backpack from ModCloth ($67.99)

3.Kimchi Blue Lace & Jersey Backpack from Urban Outfitters (no price listed)

4.Navy Altitude Rucksack from Topman ($51.00)

5.Walking Day Trip Backpack from ModCloth ($64.99)

6.Zipped Leather Backpack from Marc Jacobs ($129.00)

7.Back to the Future Bag from ModCloth ($79.99)

8.Blue Acid Wash Backpack from TopShop ($64.00)

9.BAGGU Canvas Backpack in Yellow from Urban Outfitters ($32.00)

10.Teen Vogue Handbag from Macy’s ($88.00)

Hey Everyone! Here’s a super easy project to do, that...

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:07:06 -0500

Hey Everyone!

Here’s a super easy project to do, that surprisingly took little time even though it involves some painting. The story behind this DIY is that last week I had to attend a social where we had to wear something purple. Of course, I had nothing to wear so instead of buying a whole new outfit, I decided to make some purple accessories instead.

WHAT YOU NEED

3 Bangles (I bought some cheap from Forever 21)
Tape
3 variations of a paint colour (light, medium and dark; I used acrylic purple but this DIY can obviously be done in any colour)
Paint Brush
Paper Plate (to use as a paint palette)

STEP ONE:

I folded the tape over the bangle, creating a tab. The tab makes it easier to hold while painting and also for pealing off the tape later. I tried to make the tape smooth so the paint would not seep through (note: green painter’s tape would probably work just as well if not better, but I had none on hand).

STEP TWO:

Create the tape tab on the four corners of each bangle.

STEP THREE:

Using the paint and brush, paint each of the bangle the light, medium or dark colour. Let the paint dry in between coats otherwise the paint will just peal off. It took about 3 coats of paint before I was satisfied with the look.

It’s as simple as that! Let us know what you think!

-Morgan

1. Logo Double Snap Cuff from Tory Burch ($95.00) 2. Color Burst...

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:35:00 -0500

1. Logo Double Snap Cuff from Tory Burch ($95.00)

2. Color Burst Shoulder Bag from ModCloth ($57.99)

3. Down & Up Posts from Anthropologie ($28.00)

4. Bazooka Nail Polish from Essie ($11.99)

5. Classic Wayfarer Sunglasses from Ray-Ban @ Nordstrom ($163.00)

6. E-Tablet Sleeve from Tory Burch @ Bloomingdales ($156.17)

7. Nina Belted Dress from Tobi ($32.00)

8. Winona Colorblock Leather & Wooden Platform Sandals from Jean-Michel Cazabat ($336.54)

What do you guys think of this vibrant color combination? Let us know and tell us what color schemes you would like us to try. Thanks!

B&B

Hi Everyone! Here’s a fun, fast and easy DIY project for...

Fri, 11 May 2012 22:49:00 -0500

Hi Everyone!

Here’s a fun, fast and easy DIY project for you. I made this adorable necklace in under 20 minutes and best of all, it’s a no sew project. Have fun!

What You Need:

Fabric (I used two different fabric pieces, but you could use choose just one)
Scissors
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Necklace (I bought this silver 16” chain at my local craft store for 99 cents, but you could use an old necklace chain that you already have)

Step One:

Take your first fabric piece and cut it at roughly 7” x 7”. Then take your second fabric piece and cut it 5” x 1.5”.

Step Two:

Take your large piece of fabric and lay it flat on a table or work surface. Fold the sides into the centre securing with small dots of hot glue. Leave about a 1/2” space in the centre.

Step Three:

Fold the top half down to the centre and glue in place. Then bring the bottom half up to the centre and glue. Flip over to see the front of your bow tie.

Step Four:

Now place your fingers at the centre of your fabric and pinch together creating the bow-tie shape. It is not necessary to glue at this point but for added security I put a dot of glue under the pinched fabric.

Step Five:

Take your small piece of fabric and fold in the sides to the centre securing with hot glue.

Step Six:

Wrap the small strip of fabric around your pinched bow. Before securing the small strip with glue, add the necklace underneath the small strip.

Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Thicker fabric will create a thicker bow so choose your fabric wisely. The fabric I worked with was quite thick and I’d probably choose something thinner next time.
Try different colors and combinations. Patterns are fun, like the houndstooth I worked with but bold colors like neon would be great for summer too.
Don’t make your bow too big or too small as it might start to look more like a clown bow than a cute bow tie.
When pairing the bow with an outfit, think about the fabric you chose. For instance, I have a fabric with an intricate pattern so I would wear this piece with a solid color shirt. If your bow is a solid color, it might be better to pair it with a patterned top!

Have fun making your cute bow-tie necklace and share your creations with us!

-Emilee

Hey Everyone! Seeing as this is our first DIY post, we decided...

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:44:48 -0500

Hey Everyone!

Seeing as this is our first DIY post, we decided to make something extra special for you! We found the inspiration for this project walking through a boutique in Winnipeg, and they had a frame like this selling for 105$! We thought we could make this for a lot less and have fun while doing it.

What you need:

Pins
Needles
Thread
Scissors
Stuffing (I bought a large 20 oz. but only used 1/6 of the bag)
Two 26” long pieces of Black Ribbon
Unbleached Cotton - Enough for two 16” x 19” pieces
Stencils (I used a Martha Stewart Crafts Stencil Kit: 32255 Flourish)
Sponge Brush
Plastic Dish or Paper Plate
Acrylic Paint (I used two FolkArt colors: 989 Licorice and 658 Metallic Antique Gold)
Straight-Edged Rectangle, approx. 8.5” x 11” (I used the lid of a shoe box, but a notebook would work as well)
Pencil

Preparation:

Measure and cut 2 pieces of the fabric that measure 19” x 16” in dimension. This will allow room for an 8 x 11 void space with a 4” border for the frame.

Step One:

For reference, on one of your pieces of fabric, trace a rectangle using the shoebox lightly with a pencil. Allow for 4” on all the sides as a border; this will become the frame. Place the second piece of fabric aside.

Step Two:

On the same piece of fabric that you traced your rectangle on, use the stencils (or if you’re feeling ambitious you can free-hand), to decorate the outer edge of your frame. It is important to place some newspaper down as the paint will most likely seep through the fabric. I mainly eye-balled where I placed my stencil; using tape to hold it in place. I interchanged between my two paint colours, using the plastic dish to place the paint in and the sponge brush to apply the paint. Keep in mind that you don’t need much paint to cover stencil pattern.

Step Three:

Once the paint has dried (or if you’re impatient, like me, you can cut the drying time significantly by using a blow dryer), free hand sketch the basic outline of your frame with a pencil. This pencil line will become a guideline for your stitches.

Step Four:

Grab that second piece of fabric you placed aside and put it on the back of your painted fabric piece; making sure they line up perfectly. Using pins, pin along the inner edge of the frame to secure the two pieces together. Begin to sew the inside of your frame, using your pencil outline as a guide.

*This step could also be done on a sewing machine to cut time down, although, I chose the hand stitching for its unique and imperfect look.

Step Five:

Once stitching the inner part of the frame is complete, you can cut the inner part of the material to create the void or “picture” space. Leave an additional ¼” between your cut line and stitches. This process does not have to be perfect; the edges will and are intended to fray!

Step Six:

Time to sew on the two pieces of ribbon, to the backside fabric only. Pin the ribbon so it lines up with the inner corners of the void space and are placed approx. in the middle or 2” from the outer edges, and then sew in place.

Step Seven:

Stitch the outer edges together, once again using your pencil sketch as a guideline. Once you complete stitching one side of the frame, stuff it with stuffing, then continue until you have stuffed and stitched together your entire frame! When stuffing only use small pieces at a time. To finish, trim the outside edge with scissors like you did in Step Five; leaving a ¼” border.

Hang & Enjoy!

This project could be done with many variations in shapes, sizes, colours and fabrics! Share with us your puffy frame creations and leave a comment letting us know what you think!

xox

-Morgan

1. Swagga Like Us by Deborah Lippmann ($18.00) 2. Springtime...

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:26:43 -0500

1. Swagga Like Us by Deborah Lippmann ($18.00)

2. Springtime Spritz Bag from Modcloth ($394.99)

3. Pinta Cuff (in Mint) from Anthropologie ($28.00)

4. Exclaim to Fame Ring from Modcloth ($12.99)

5. Meadow Chiffon Blouse (in Mint) from Nastygal ($38.00)

6. Kimchi Blue Art Deco Jeweled Clutch from Urban Outfitters ($69.00)

7. Zodiac Bracelet (in Pisces) from Nastygal ($48.00)

8. Me and My Boutique Earrings from Modcloth ($9.99)

9. Pins & Needles Backless Lace Dress (in Mint) from Urban Outfitters ($69.00)

Let us know what you think our next color combination should be and Happy Shopping!

B&B