Tag Archives: Do-It-Yourself

keeks in the kitchen: kale chips

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I’m starting to think I should change the name of this series to “Keeks Eats Kale”.  Seriously, you guys must be getting SO sick of all the kale recipes.  But alas, I cannot resist its delicious versatility.  So, without further ado, I give you the most surprisingly scrumptious, savory, snack-able kale (k)creation to date: the kale chip.  With just three easy ingredients, you too can munch and crunch on some yummy potato-chip impostor.  And if you have any lingering suspicions as to their tastiness, just take it from my boyfriend…after baking up my first batch yesterday and giving him a little sample, he requested another batch immediately, specifically stating that he’d like “a really, really, really, big batch, please!!!”  Of course I obliged, then my entire supply of kale magically disappeared before my eyes.  These things are GOOD, people.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Now all you need to do is remove the leafy greens from the thick stalk, wash and dry, and arrange kale on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with one tablespoon of good olive oil, sprinkle with some seasoning salt, and bake for 8-10 minutes,  until the edges are brown but not burnt.  I checked on my chips mid-way through and agitated the sheet a bit, not sure if this makes any difference…DSC02955DSC02960

…but they did come out absolutely perfectly, so I’m sticking to my method!  Bon appétit!

crafternoon

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What do you do when you’re stuck on the couch with a sore back, there is nothing on tv, you’re all out of cereal and all of your friends have left the house?  You begin a crafternoon party of one.  Today I made a wide selection of wire jewelry using some pliers, patience and bit of dexterity.  I’m actually rather impressed with how the above “love” bracelet turned out…ample alone time at home does have some perks.  Happy Sunday, all!

diy: dolce & gabbana-inspired corsage cuff

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When I saw this DIY tutorial on Honestly…WTF, I instantly fell in love with the Baroque style, romantic/gothic mash-up of beauty that is the Dolce & Gabbana tiara.  I knew I wanted to somehow replicate this look myself, so my cousin and I paid a little visit to the craft store, where we wandered around until closing time searching for the little ceramic roses you see above.  We also found some blank silver cuffs and thought, “Flowers, rhinestones and pearls on our wrists?  Sounds like one fancy corsage!”  And (several months later), the craft party has begun…

You will need:

A plain metal cuff, pre-set rhinestones, flat-bottomed pearls of various sizes, small ceramic roses (try searching ceramic flowers on etsy), and some type of jewelry glue (I used Jewel-It, but I’m not sure it’s the best quality out there).

Start by applying a small dab of glue to a rhinestone, flower, or pearl, spreading it in a light layer with the nose of the bottle and carefully pressing it onto the cuff.  Hold for a few seconds and allow to dry.  I started off my cuff with a flower in the center, then worked my way out from there with alternating rhinestones.

Next I added a few small peals and different colored flowers building outwards from the center.

I added the most beads in the center of the bracelet surrounding the middle flower, then added some smaller tearshaped rhinestones to the ends to create length.

For the finishing touch, I added two decreasingly smaller pearls to each end.

For the smallest pearls, I used a pair of tweezers to handle and glue…it was much easier that way!  And there you have it, a Dolce & Gabbana-inspired corsage cuff!  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

The ultimate armswag, if I may say so myself…

feeling knotty

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Tooling around at 11:30 pm alone at the apartment on a Tuesday night after watching a thrilling hour of all new Dance Moms can lead to some interesting things.  Tonight’s epic discovery?  My hair has reached a length at which I am able to tie it into a fancy little knot, which is being cleverly referring to as, drum rollllllll: the “hair” bow.  Snappy, dontcha think?

mirrors on the ceiling

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Sometimes while practicing the art of antiquing, you find a piece that needs a bit of TLC.  In the case of this gorgeous mirror I was lucky enough to snatch up at the York Antiques Center, (my mom and I simultaneously spotted it just as the dealer was bringing it in the front door- timing is everything!), a bit of TLC meant a simple rewiring to bring it back to its wall-hanging glory.  If you’ve never rewired something before, don’t be alarmed by the electrical-sounding-mumbo-jumbo; Re-outfiting a picture or mirror to enable wall hanging is extremely easy.  If the piece already has round hooks, here’s the trick:

Grab a pair of wire cutters and some strong, flexible multi-threaded picture frame wire…Cut the wire to the width of the frame, leaving several inches extra on either side and thread each end through the loops…Twist the wire back over itself…

Et voilà!

Can’t wait to hang this beauty up in my apartment!

yardwork

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here’s a little sneaky peeky at my backyard update: part one!

yes, it’s in its very early stages, but I can already picture this little space all full of flowers and twinkling lights come time for the season’s first garden party.  monday afternoon, the roommie and I threw on our sweats, grabbed a couple paintbrushes, and got to work.  a few extension cords and umbrella-set-up-how-to’s later, we were left with flower soil under our nails and that satisfying feeling of a job well done.  more updates to follow!

details

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{stripes on stripes on stripes}{these anthro earrings (borrowed from my roommate) have been my go-to for the past week}{how to spice up a plain bra: save the ribbons from your Victoria’s Secret shopping bag, cut, tie into bow & sew into place}{best purchase of the season? my new Marc Jacobs wallet. obsessed.}{I’ve been sporting my little turquoise cuff everywhere these days}

Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

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I have always been a huge fan of elbow pads.  The preppy little patches add interest to any long sleeved top, providing an unexpected element of style without going over the top.  When I saw this DIY on Honestly..WTF, I immediately bookmarked it as something I must try to recreate.  At first, the task of turning wool roving (that stuff is not easy to work with!) into cute and contained little heart shapes to decorate my ‘bows seemed daunting, but it turned out to be a piece of pie!  What I love most about it is that you are creating the heart patches AND attaching them all in one step!  If you follow the instructions carefully, this DIY will yield the exact desired results.  So what are you waiting for?!  Go decorate your elbows!

Bright Bits

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Maybe it’s the warm spring weather and longer days we’ve been having lately, but I seem to be magnetically drawn to bright rainbow hues.  In clothing, home decor, jewelry, accessories…I can help but notice these technicolor trinkets adding an extra pop to my day.  There is something to be said about the ability bright colors have to instantly change my mood.   It’s really quite impressive- I can go from mopey to mushy in the drop of a brightly colored hat!
{bright watercolor flowers add color to my calendar}
{can’t wait to debut these new super comfy shorts I scored on sale at AE}
{a bit of girly decor inspiration from Could I Have That?}
{finally tried this DIY- similar to the hex nut bracelet}
{awesome bright mixology from Song of Style}{Can you say summer DIY? multi-colored pom poms add a pop to neutral straw beach bags}
{this gorgeous Lucky Brand turquoise belt was a birthday gift from Mom.  I love the way it reflects light when hung by my bedroom window}{I love this idea- storing nail polish in a glass jar brings color to any room}{there’s an unmistakeable power in the bright statement shoe- I’m making it my prerogative to load up on a few pairs before spring really begins}

Bejeweled

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Yesterday, my roommate and I were feeling extra crafty, so we decided to try out some jewelry DIYs.  I made a rhinestone chain bracelet using this tutorial, a few of these delicate chain rings using my own variation of this method, and a woven bracelet using this tutorial/an old Juicy Couture de-charmed charm bracelet.  Tegan made  several different bracelets, including a blue ombré wrap bracelet, a braided/crystal button technique of her own creation, and a braided bracelet based on a metal fish she hooked from our giant collection of random gold findings (see what I did there? fish…hooked…ha, okay moving on).  We had so much fun making ourselves some brandy new bling, we’re already planning our next DIY party: experimenting with some DIY’d hairpins tonight!