Ruffles galore

I'm not usually a belt person, but lately, I find myself eyeing belts like I do bracelets.  They can really pull together an outfit that's lacking something.  I think this ruffle belt would look especially great with a simple one-color dress.  The even better part is that you can make it yourself.  And, I do love a good craft project.

If a belt is not enough for you, try these DIY ruffled purse and heels.  They're adorable, but, for some reason, I feel like my own handmade ones wouldn't turn out quite the same.  

Sexify your place

I cannot believe I leave New York in less than 48 hours.  Though I know it's not for good, and I know I will be back many more times in my life, it's still sad nonetheless.  Luckily, I got to see something amazing on one my last days here - Carrie Bradshaw's iconic stoop from my favorite show "Sex and the City."  I felt like such a tourist, snapping tons of pictures of this mere porch.  With Carrie in mind on this Thursday night, I thought I'd share this fabulous post I found on how to recreate her apartment all for yourself.

Check out Bandelle for a more detailed description on how to get your own Bradshaw look-a-like pad, or take a peek at some other apartments from the big and small screen that you could copy for yourself.   

Recessionista-friendly gifts

When I was a little girl, I would make gifts for my family every Christmas.  I was really famous for my yarn dolls, Kleenex dolls (complete with a shoe box bed), and picture frames with hand-made collages.  Now, as a 24-year-old woman, I still enjoy making gifts, and I still adore collage art.  The love for arts and crafts I had when I was younger has stayed with me, so I got excited when I came across these simple DIY gift ideas:  

This is a really simple way to spice up a gift card.  Take two postcards, photos, etc and either sew them together or tape them together if you wish.  I think this is great for personalizing something that is sometimes thought of as an impersonal.  

Here are some hand-made note pads.  The step-by-step instructions for this little gift idea are here.   And, to go a step further, you could even make a fun collage for the cover.  

Going off the notepad idea, I found these notebooks {via Poppytalk} that I think would be easy to make on my own.  I think a really special gift idea would be to make a notebook like this for a friend or family member and then, decorate some pages with photos, poems and/or quotes.  

I hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing a bit.  I can't wait to get back to California to all my art supplies and get cracking on some of these.  I'm feeling some homemade gifts coming on this Christmas!

XOXO, Amy

Photo {one}, {two} and {three}