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So far, one of my favourite stores in Finland has got to be Tiger. I don't know quite how to describe it other than to say it's sort of like an upscale, cooler version of the dollar store. There're so many neat things, I usually have to wander around twice just to get a look at everything.

Probably one of the best things I've spotted was a basic spirograph. Since getting this mini one, I have not been able to put it down. The combination of patterns is endless and no matter what I do, the designs always turn out super pretty. I'm completely addicted!

Thankfully, we have gotten ourselves a scanner/printer, so I made some designs and scanned them in for a desktop wallpaper this month. I hope you like it!

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diys i didn't: valentine edition

Clockwise from left: Idle Husband loves bread, so it would totally make sense to print up some of these baguette bread bags; this scandinavian inspired wooden heart would fit right into any room; sweetheart charms add a little cuteness to your keys; I would keep these copper arrows on the wall year round; With a he-man flower holder, you CAN get your man flowers (not a diy, but you can fioy = figure it out yourself); this tassel knife valentine is just a good excuse to buy proper spreading knives (you don't know how awesome they are until you have one); the I lava you pop-up card's cheesiness is perfectly charming.

diy: love lock

This year, we had our anniversary in a new country. And, after getting rid of all our possessions, I didn't really want to start collecting things again unless they were things of need or importance. So naturally, I decided that an experience or memory gift would be in order.

While doing my research on Finland, I came across this concept of love locks. I'm sure you've heard of them before, but if you haven't, the basic idea behind them is this. Couples purchase a lock on which they can engrave something personal (usually their initials and the year). They then lock the lock onto a bridge (there are a lot of acceptable bridges in many different countries and cities) and throw the key into the water symbolizing that their bond is forever and unbreakable.

I immediately thought this would be the perfect gift. What better way to commemorate both our anniversary and our move to Finland? Especially since there's a bridge in Helsinki that already has locks on it. (When we decided to put the lock on one of the bridges close to our new apartment instead, we were pleasantly surprised to find it already had a few love locks on it, so it was almost like fate!)

Since I had to carry out this craft in a country where I had no idea what stores were for what things, I had to do this kind of ghetto. So I'm giving you palsy pictures from my iphone (I couldn't charge my proper camera at the beginning because I was worried about voltage issues) and I had no supplies or knowledge of where to get anything at the time (since I actually made and gifted my lock back in December, about 2 1/2 weeks after we first landed in Helsinki).

Had we been in Canada, I would have done one thing differently. I would have spent the time and money to get the lock professionally engraved (like that super sweet pink lock above). This requires only a simple trip to a jewelry store. As it was, I did the best I could scratching in the initials myself with a screw I found in our first apartment (I told you it was ghetto!). The scratching will definitely be there long after the ink rubs off, but it's just not as nice as I would have liked it to be (although what's on the lock and how it looks is completely minor in comparison to the sentiment involved, so it really doesn't matter in the long run). But if there's one thing I would suggest you do differently from me, it would be that one step.

The rest is pretty easy and mostly for presentation.

What you need:

One padlock

nail polish (optional)

ribbon, string, or pretty washi tape (optional)

What you need to do:

Engrave or scratch you and your loved one's initials into the lock along with anything else that's significant. First date, wedding date, anniversary date, etc. Pretty much whatever floats your heart boat.

I wanted to dress the key up, so I painted it red with a little nail polish. I didn't have a single stashed craft supply save for my sharpies and my washi tape (there's no way I was going to leave those behind!), so I wrote over my scratchings with a sharpie so they'd be easier to see (for presentation) and I pushed a piece of washi tape through the key's hole as a cute fob and I put another little flag on the lock shank. This is all completely optional. Remember, you're going to be locking the padlock on a public bridge and throwing the key into the water so it's really not necessary that you dress it up. I just thought it added a little bit of romance and colour to the present rather than giving my ghetto scratched padlock on its own.

Next is completely up to you and your loved one. Pick the bridge that's significant to you and go lock it on there (don't forget to throw away the key). Tears galore!

more and less for 2014

I want to see more:

chic deco

{white walls} I used to feel like white walls meant a naked boring undone space (or even worse, I felt like whoever lived there was too lazy to bother), but now the idea of clean white walls has really grown on me. They offer the perfect backdrop for any colour of furniture, textile, or artwork imaginable and allow you to change the look of your space instantly just by changing out throw pillows (for example). For the first time in my life, I'm actually rather pleased to be living in an all white apartment with an all white kitchen (especially since the white walls really reflect what little light we get!).

and then we saved

{geometrics} Obviously, I'm still in love with anything faceted or geometric. They're so clean and natural looking and they really fit into any space or type of decor.

odessamay society

{grey-based pink} This is a personal choice since I know Pantone's colour of the year was decidedly... bolder. I'm just overwhelmingly in love with this colour. I want it to be in the textiles in our apartment in large and small doses (with grey, white, and black mixed in, of course).

livet hemma blog

{copper} I like how copper isn't brass (this is still too old fashioned looking for me) and it isn't clinical stainless steel. The warm pinky hue works with pretty much everything.

design*sponge sneak peek

{furniture transformations} Before and afters, hacks of IKEA stuff, or thrift store junk that goes from blah to stunning will always be a welcome sight. You may not do it exactly as you see in inspirational or diy tutorials (which is sort of the point, I think), but every example gives you a new way of looking at a piece you may not have seen otherwise. I also love when transformations are easy on the pocketbook.

I want to see less:

{art collage walls} Along the lines of clean white walls, I want to see less diys and inspirational posts about collaging stuff (and I'm talking about massive hoards of art taking up half or all of a wall). Having a clutter of artwork on the wall has been done to death and it's starting to look very tired and dated. This year, pick one or two special pieces to showcase (at the very least, keep your collage to 3-5 pieces) and spend less time meticulously arranging oodles of artwork on the floor.

{piñatas} I swear if I have to see one more piñata tutorial I will scream. Don't get me wrong, most of these piñatas are really pretty and amazingly well done, but the whole concept of "I spent three days making this amazingly perfect and pretty piñata just for you to whack" really kills me. (Ditto for piñata food items, too.)

{photo booth backdrops} I don't know who's having all the parties to necessitate the photo booth backdrop tutorial a week, but it's certainly not me. I don't really need to see another example of how polka dots (or anything else for that matter) were added to a canvas or backboard, and I extra don't need to see examples of the photos that were taken (person in front of polka dots. That completely matched my expectations).

{instagram anything outside of instagram: photo walls, magnets, marshmallows, etc.} I know, we all love Instagram (me included), but they're really just tiny squared pictures. There's nothing super special or new about them. And who really wants to eat their photos, anyway? So let's just keep Instagramming to the online world and leave everything else alone.

{garlands} I liked these, too, the first couple times I saw them, but last year (and probably halfway out of the year before), I just kept hoping the posts on these would end. We really don't need another tutorial on how to string things in a straight line. Pick a thing, put it on a string. There. I diy'd all the garland tutorials for you this year. So next time you think, "Hey, how do I make a garland out of these pompoms?" You should just remind yourself that you CAN do it without reading a thousand blog posts on it. You are capable and smart enough to thread things on a string without detailed instructions, despite what the crafting community continues to tell you.

{inspirational quotes} Please please no more quotes! I liked the few well-done ones when they first came out but now they're everywhere. I can't go anywhere on the internet without stumbling on another inspirational quote poster or picture or wall sticker or suggestion to follow the wise words of such and such inspirational quote. Now my eyes just glaze over when I see them, and I don't even read them anymore. The inspiration is gone and in its place is apathy.

Those have been my likes and gripes for the last year (and beyond). Do you have anything you'd like to add? Is there any particular craft or diy that you'd like to see more or less of in 2014?

2013 recap and updates

Here're the top five posts of 2013:

{diy: bath bombs} I had been wanting to make myself some bath bombs for quite some time but I just couldn't find a recipe that was easy enough or had ingredients that I could easily source. Apparently, everyone felt the same way, because this was the most popular post on Idle Wife this year (and of all time). That easy and cheap recipe combined with the sweet pastel pictures was definitely a winner. Now I'm going to be hunting for something nice for the shower as having a bath tub is pretty rare here in Helsinki (and we definitely won't have one, anyway).

{friday fixation: coloured marshmallows} Who knew that one simple idea would turn into something so popular? Probably my most read comment about these marshmallows was, "Why?! What is the point?!" And since I didn't really explain why I was experimenting with this technique, I will now. I wanted something cute to put in a treat bag for Idle Husband on Valentine's Day, and I was sick of all the typical Valentine stuff cuz it's never updated or different or modern looking. And that's all there was to it. I was honestly quite surprised the idea even worked since water plus sugar usually ends in disaster. So to everyone who has ever asked WHY?! That's why I made them and you can do whatever you want with them. But if you really need more ideas, here are a couple; they'd be nice as a cake topper on a simply iced white cake or you could jam them on sticks for quickie, easier cake-pop-like treats for a bridal or baby shower.

{diy: heart headphone cord wrap} I still really like this diy and I use it quite frequently. It probably looks pretty simple, but it took many attempts to get it just right. I think I threw out more hearts than I ended up keeping. The biggest tip I can give you if you plan on making this one is to get the thickness right. Too thin and it'll break under the pressure of wrapping your cords (or just from putting it in your bag) and too thick and it won't dry properly and it'll look too clumsy.

{diy: painted bamboo cutting boards} Oh the cutting boards. I can honestly say I was not sorry to see these head to the goodwill when we were sorting and packing everything up for our big move. I initially painted the edges just to give them more interest in the kitchen, plus I saw some cutting boards with a painted edge that looked exactly like these in a magazine and I thought that would be the easiest diy ever. And it was. The problem for me was the cutting boards themselves. While that may have jazzed them up a bit, I still hated using them. So my next board is going to be non-slip (I'm so tired of boards sliding around on the counter while I'm chopping. It's so dangerous!), it won't need constant oiling, and I want to be able to use it for both meats and vegetables and then throw it in the dishwasher for cleaning (I have definitely changed my opinion on wooden chopping boards).

{diy: beaded necklace} I still have this and I've worn it on occasion. I just realized I'm not a big necklace wearer (even though I have quite a lot of necklace choices!). This design actually does go with a lot of outfits despite being more in, what I would consider, the "busy" category. Though, I think I'm drawn to simpler designs these days, so in 2014, I hope I can find some good quality jewelry materials (new country, and all), and then I can start making some new jewelry tutorials. Possibly more earrings and bracelets this time around.

I'm looking forward to coming up with more useful home diy tutorials in the new year. I want to have unique yet inexpensive things in our new space and two issues I already have to address is lighting and furniture, so expect more design ideas for small spaces. Moving to Helsinki with only our clothes has provided the opportunity for me to start fresh with a completely blank slate (I think it's pretty rare that someone gets that chance), so I'm pretty excited about coming up with new ideas for our home!

diys i {really} want to do

If you're wondering why it's a little dead for DIYs around here lately, it's for this one plain fact: I had to leave all of my crafting supplies in Canada. They simply didn't get on the plane with us (four suitcases was more than enough for us to handle and check). I'm looking into finding craft stores here, but I also don't have a mode of transportation plus, you know, jet lag, scary unknown, language barrier, want to go with a friend, have no friends, gotta wait for hubs to be off work... plus we're in a very tiny temporary apartment with only one table (that we are currently using as a desk, a dining table, and a shelf to throw all our stuff on when we come home), and it (plus the whole apartment) would be a complete disaster in a matter of minutes given my usual crafting habits.

 But I'm still thinking about DIYs!

Here're some that I really would do, like, yesterday, if I had the tools and the space.

{anthropology inspired painterly shoes} I have these exact shoes. Exact brown colour, exact style, exact everything save for the cutesy painted sides. Wanna know where I found them? In the boys shoe department at Superstore, on clearance. And they fit like a dream! But wouldn't this be a great way to feminize/update them? It would, but I have no idea where to buy fabric paint or little paint brushes.

{himmeli anything} We managed to find a small tree for our apartment and we've got lights on it and a few tiny ornaments I brought with us, but I'd really like to add a little something more. I've been thinking about trying to make some himmelis, either with straws or, as pictured here, pipe cleaners. I have no idea where to buy pipe cleaners (let alone sparkly ones) and if I bought straws, I have no idea where I'd get string or anything to put them together.

{ikea hack -- soft rocking chair} I am obsessed with this chair. We saw it at IKEA last weekend (when we went to snoop on Finnish IKEA), and it's a really really comfortable chair. With rocking feet, it would be amazing. Alas, I no longer have any power tools or a tape measure or screws or paint stuff -- pretty much everything that's needed for this hack.

{dior double-pearl earrings} If you know me at all, you'll know I'm pretty fixated on earrings. If there's one piece of jewelry I'll always wear, it's a pair of earrings -- I never leave the house without them. Something about these double-pearl ones really makes me want to have them. Badly. The hack is so easy it literally breaks my heart that I no longer have access to my kicky jewelry supply shop, and, naturally, I have no idea where to find one here (goodness, it took me five years to find one in Edmonton and even then I pretty much accidentally tripped into it).

{pretty much anything that requires printing or paper} I'm working on a new calendar for myself but I've just realized we no longer have a printer or any paper, and I have no idea what the Finnish equivalent of a Staples would be. Plus Christmas cards would be really fun to make and send... speaking of sending, where the heck is the post office, even?

I know, I know, I should just order some of this stuff off the internet. Maybe I will... some day... once our mail gets sorted out.

In the meantime, if you want to see what's been inspiring me and interesting me in the world of, pretty much everything, just check out my Pinterest boards. I've been A LOT busier over there than normal!

diys i didn't: modern and simple halloween

First, since we're in the process of getting rid of (hopefully almost) everything we own, I don't want to get too carried away with Halloween; and second, I'm pretty obsessed with simple and modern Halloween decor this year anyway. Maybe my design mindset is already starting to turn Nordic.

Here're some DIYs that I thought would be simple and modern for an understated Halloween:

{1} Wired pumpkins: I like the casual yet graphic feel of these pumpkins. There's something about their imperfection that really interests me. The fact that they're black doesn't hurt either. Black and white and grey are my yes words right now.

{2} Printable cat decals: Not exactly spooky cat, but I think it's entirely all right if Halloween went cute for just one year (you'd be doing something really different from the normal which makes you... interesting!). Besides, you can't really go wrong with cats during Halloween, can you? (Final thought: you don't necessarily need to download the template. They're pretty easy to freehand.)

{3} Accordion paper folding: You're probably wondering what this even has to do with Halloween decor, but do you see the round folded object? Imagine that in a pale orange or black. Get it now? Don't add a stem (you don't have to get all literal with it), add a flameless candle instead.

{4} Paper spiderwebs: You know what's great about paper crafts and moving? When you're done with them, you can just chuck 'em in the recycling bin. That's what I like about these. Plus they'd look pretty spiffy in a window with the lights on at night.

{5} Printable halloween paper: I love these papers, but I wouldn't use them as wrapping paper (unless you give Halloween presents -- is that starting to become a thing? I don't like it). I'm thinking placemats, invitations (for that Halloween party you might have), diy foldable treat bags, boxes or origami characters, or a quick replacement for a modern art piece in your home (stick it right to the glass of the frame for a simple switch out). Here's another skull option and some cute ghosties if you need them.

{6} Black paper cats: Cut out three of these in varying sizes and set on a mantle or table top. Slightly Halloween-y but also extra modern and understated (looks like you fussed but you didn't).

{7} Office supply pumpkins: I love how easy these are and how stylish. Not everything about Halloween has to be gory. Pretty coloured or brass polka dots totally win me over (plus it's something I can accomplish in about 10 minutes without getting my hands dirty. And if you wanted to get real thrifty about it, just buy brass tacks and paint some random ones with nail polish. I haven't tried it, but I can't really see it not working. Even more thrifty, you could abandon the tacks and paint dots directly onto pumpkins. It won't give that neat 3D effect that tacks have, but it would do the job. In fact, I've decided I just want a few pumpkins on the steps this year and, even though I love this idea most, I'll probably just paint the dots on mine in the same colour paint as our front door. That way I won't feel guilty about having just purchased a bunch of tacks only to have to get rid of them in another month anyway).

{8} Wire Halloween sign: How about you pop one of these boo signs up in the spirit of this Christmas door idea that I've been dreaming about doing since last year (and please use little strips of pink washi tape to hold it up, too, cuz I super love that. OH! This plus cute cat decals? Hello, cute Halloween! Add some pink pumpkins with multi-coloured tacks and you're all set).

If understated and simple isn't your thing, head over to my fall and Halloween Pinterest board for more ideas!

halloween desktop calendar (and how to use Photoshop brushes)

I'm feeling little ghosties this year. Admittedly, I sort of cheated with this wallpaper. It was extremely easy to put together because of this great little ghosties brush pack for Photoshop. I love Photoshop brushes, but I rarely get a chance to use them. This was one of those times when it seemed kind of necessary (my first ghosts were upside-down tulips and did not look good). Click here if you want some ghosties haunting your brushes, too. 

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{note} A quick Google search for Halloween brushes will find you some really great sets that you can use for invitations, treat bags, and all sorts of things. Sometimes a person's first search for these types of crafts is for clip art but it can be a long hard search finding exactly what you need. Brushes offer a lot of options and are definitely way easier to use. If you're confused on how they work, I have Photoshop Elements, and all I have to do is click on the brush icon, then click on the style of brush at the top. There're some little white arrows to the side of the brushes available, and if you click on that, it takes you to a list of all the brushes you can use. Just click on Load Brushes... and go to the file where you've saved your ghostie brush set. Then you'll be able to choose from all the ghosts available in that set. There's probably a way to save it permanently in Photoshop, but it never works for me so I just load them as I need them. Brushes work as simply as choosing the one you want and stamping it. That's all! Brushes came into my life when I came across some really great sets like arrows, washi tape, and artistic inky brushes. They've proven really helpful for blog posts! I rarely go looking for clip art anymore.

diys i didn't: canadian thanksgiving

We're having a pretty relaxed Thanksgiving this year which means I'm not doing much in the way of decorating except cutting a few berry branches, but there are still a lot of great DIYs that could grace the table at any Thanksgiving meal.

{1} Favour flourettes: I think these look really pretty and, in orange, would look very pumpkin-y and in season. It's also a really easy paper craft that looks like you fussed when you didn't.

{2} Pinecone door decor: I like how this is different from the traditional wreath and you can dress it up with whatever ribbon colour goes with your own home (and my favourite part, pinecones are free!).

{3} Faux agate: This is a little bit more work than I would usually recommend, but I think it's too beautiful not to mention. I would make mine in browns, greys, or golds to tie in with traditional Thanksgiving colours and they'd be presented as gifts on each place setting.

{4} Painted stones: These are great graphically as they are, but if you painted the name of each person right on the rock, they could also double as the perfect natural-modern place card.

{5} Clay wishbones: This way everyone gets a chance at the wishbone! (I wish they weren't painted mint green and were left in their original white, but to each their own.)

{6} Brussel sprout wreath: I threw this in just for fun since I realize that it's one of those things that could either have you gagging or grinning. I just think it's pretty cute even though I love eating brussels and couldn't really imagine myself wasting good sprouts on a wreath (of all things), but it might be a fun addition for the family that doesn't like to eat their sprouts (sort of like Thanksgiving revenge).

What's on your menu this year? I'm going simple classic traditional (easy salt and pepper turkey -- my first fresh turkey ordered at a proper butcher shop; cheating with the stuffing by using Stove-top -- I know, but it's so good, right?; homemade cranberry sauce; roasted sweet potatoes; typical salad), but my biggest challenge right now is deciding on dessert. Classic pumpkin pie or apple cake? I probably shouldn't do both... or should I?

diy: gardening hand scrub

Oh my gosh I've been so busy lately! There's just so much to do in the summer (especially since we only see maybe, if we're lucky four months of it).

So if you're like me, you're probably out there, too. Mowing and weeding and digging and planting and generally getting downright dirty.

I had seen a lot of scrub tutorials, face and body mostly, so I went on a little search for a hand scrub. I guess a gardening hand scrub, as I'm calling it here, but really you can use this for any time your hands just need a little extra cleaning.

On the whole, most "gardening" hand scrubs I read about had sugar mixed with hand-friendly dish soap. And that's totally fine. If you like washing your hands with dish soap. I know, I know. It's Palmolive or hand-softening or what have you, but I just don't like those (and don't think I haven't tried them, either. I felt like they neither softened my hands nor cleaned my dishes).

So mine's probably a bit of a cop out cuz I kept the sugar but used a favourite hand soap instead. It doesn't really matter what soap you use, the method's still the same.

I made enough to fill this jar and I've already used a lot of it! It scrubs really well and surprisingly leaves my hands feeling a lot softer and less tight and dry than they usually are. I don't know if the sugar has anything to do with it, but I do know that this is one of the better uses for sugar!

So here's how you do it:

Grab the jar you want to use (honestly, I've been scooping a bit out with my fingers, so choose something you can dip into.) and fill it 3/4 of the way full of sugar. That's just about two finger widths from the top of your vessel (or consult a measuring cup to get a better idea if you need to, but it's not an exact science). Pour the sugar into a bowl and slowly add liquid soap and mix until you get a medium-thick paste. You don't want it to be all sugar and you don't want it to be all soap (initial experiments had too much soap and the sugar ended up dissolving into the soap so I really just made myself some sweet soap). It shouldn't be drippy, let's put it that way.

And boom! You're done! That was easy, hey?

If you're going to a BBQ or a picnic party, I think this would make a pretty good hostess gift, as well. Include a little spoon and maybe some gardening gloves and you're all set.

diy: beaded necklace

I've been finding a lot of really pretty necklaces lately that are either out of my price range or no longer in stock. So I've decided I'm going to start making more necklaces for myself (since it's really dead-easy).

This is based on this inspiration necklace. I was initially drawn to it for the pastel colours paired with the really graphic black and white, but it's no longer for sale.

I took the basic pattern, used colours of beads that I liked and this is my finished necklace.

If you want to make something similar, this is what you'll need:

Seed beads in any colours you like, but you'll definitely need black and white

beading filament (I like to use a thin fishing line) measured out in lengths of 8 (be sure to leave extra for tying)

2 flower bead caps (similar to this)

2 jump rings (this is helpful if you've never used these before)

1 clasp (I used this style)

The pattern is based on the inspiration necklace, but since they used larger beads than I did, I had to come up with new counts. Obviously, you can change this if you want shorter colour lengths or if your beads are larger.

Basically, the strands are made up of three repeating patterns.

You start with Pattern 1 which is:

- 6 black

- 2 white

- 2 black

- 2 white

- 2 black

- 2 white

- 2 black

- 2 white

- 2 black

- 2 white

- 6 black

Pattern 2 is a full block of one of the coloured beads you're using. My count is 21 beads.

Finally, Pattern 3 is made up of:

- 6 black

- 6 white

- 2 black

- 6 white

- 6 black

A full pattern is:

- Pattern 1

- Pattern 2

- Pattern 3

- Pattern 2

- Pattern 1

- Pattern 2

- Pattern 3

- Pattern 2

Repeat as many times as needed for the length you want, just make sure to end with Pattern 1.

Confused? Don't be! The best part about this is that you can always adjust the counts, the pattern, and the colours however you like. That's the beauty of making your own necklaces. If you see something you like, you can figure out how to make it so it best suits your style.

Once you have the strands all beaded, finish them by tying the ends through a bead cap. Then tie the filament around a jump ring on either side and attach the clasp to one of the jump rings. Finished! (whew!)

Summer is going to be the season of necklaces since I'll finally be able to show them off and they won't be hiding under a winter coat!

diy: fuuvi inspired bike bell

I'm a bike person again! In my youth, I think I spent 50% of my time on a bike. I don't know what happened -- actually, no. Scratch that. I do know what happened. Bikes turned into vehicles (which still makes me all sorts of angry) and suddenly, you couldn't bike here; you couldn't bike there; you should have a helmet; you need to be on the road with cars. And sorry, but I don't trust cars cuz guess who wins in bike vs car?

Okay. My mini-rant is over. Now we live right next to actual approved bike paths! Paths that (barely) come into contact with cars. So when I spotted some bikes this winter at a closing-out sale for dirt cheap, I instantly scooped them up.

I still try to stick to the rules in Edmonton, but the one thing I didn't get with the bikes (aside from cheap helmets, locks, and seat pads) were bells. It's the one thing we're supposed to have and the one thing I actually agree with having. I know how it feels to have bikes sneak up on you when you're walking, and it sucks.

Then I spotted these super cute painted bike bells from Fuuvi a couple weeks ago and figured I could do something similar myself. And when I saw that "boring" bike bells were only $6 and the Fuuvi bells are $20, well! Hello, diy!

All you need is a bell, some paint, painter's tape, cheap brushes (I used foam brushes), and clear varnish.

 

Tape off the bell in whatever pattern you like. (I wish I had moved my tape a little closer together to get a larger blue stripe, but I still like it! Just make sure to consider that fact if you want to keep any of the metallic colour). Give it a nice coat of paint, then let it dry and give it another coat if you feel it needs it (mine did).

Once the paint dries again, peel off the tape and give it a coat of varnish just to seal everything up for good measure (also most of my paints had a matte finish which I didn't like in this application and the varnish fixes that).

If your paint bleeds under the tape, just take a straight razor and gently scrape the paint away along your line, pushing towards the straight line. I found that doing it this way minimized scratches on the metal surface. Mine bled through a little bit in a few spots, but I was expecting it. It's a little hard to tape securely on a round surface.

For the polka dot bell, I covered the clapper (the part that dings the bell) with paper, then spray painted the entire thing in white. Then I used the eraser end on a pencil to put on the dots which I just eye-balled starting from the center out. Obviously, this is one of those "go crazy with your imagination!" kind of DIYs.

I really don't think the type of paint matters too much either. Honestly, I used acrylic paint from the dollar store (the pink and orange), multi-purpose white spray paint, and semi-gloss house paint (the blue green -- which is the colour on our front door). All paints took two coats (except the orange; probably because it was going over the matte white) and covered easily. If it matters to you, there are a lot of paints available that are specifically for painting metal. I just wanted to keep this dirt cheap so I used paints I already had in the house.

Once the varnish is no longer tacky, attach your bell to your bike and you're good to go!

friday fixation: pink and copper

I went to Home Depot for this necklace. Well, actually, I went into Home Depot to find supplies for another necklace idea. I couldn't find what I was looking for, but I did find these pretty copper link pieces (in the plumbing section) for 84 cents and couldn't leave without them.

Yup. You read that right. The copper tube was the least expensive part of this whole necklace.

Other materials you'll need is coloured string. I got mine at Home Depot, but several days later, I found almost the exact same string at the dollar store for way less (even though the HD string wasn't really that pricey at $5 for a roll). You don't have to go with pink, either. I just liked how it looked with the copper. There's neon yellow and orange, and even green.

So the only thing you need to source at a craft store is a clasp and those tiny little crimps (like these) to go on the end of the string. Just make sure you get the right size for the string you have. I also wish I had found some copper clasps and jump rings, but the place I get all my jewelry stuff was out so I just used some gold ones I had on hand. I've been told I'm being picky, but I'd like to fix it next I see some.

Now comes the super easy part.

Measure how long you want your necklace to be (I used a necklace I already had as a guide) and attach the crimps to the ends. If you need some guidance, I thought this video was quite helpful. I also added a tiny dab of E6000 just to be sure the string stayed put.

Attach a couple jump rings, a clasp, throw on the copper tube and you've got yourself a pretty snazzy necklace!

This has easily become my favourite piece to wear. There's just something about the copper and the pink and, I don't know, the simplicity of it all that just makes me so happy.

diys i didn't

{leaf prints} I love the look of these sweet little leaf prints from Design Skool! If there were anything green outside right now, I'd definitely be making up a set. I love how rustic they look and I can't really believe how well they turned out!

{gold rock book ends} I'm definitely a fan of bringing the outdoors in (can anyone have too many pieces of driftwood in their house?) and I'm an even bigger fan of any project that's CHEAP but looks all luxe. Design Love Fest doesn't actually call it a DIY (or make mention of it at all), but, if you have eyes, you can figure it out.

{washi tape power cords} Another from Design Love Fest, I kind of thought this one was a little too easy to even bother calling a DIY and it didn't initially hit me as a, 'WHOA! I have to do that!' project, but then I noticed that we have a lot of Apple power cords around our home and I thought this would be a nice way to tell them apart (also because I hate having to scrounge around in a pile of cords to find the one that I need).

So I immediately did this and I just have a few things to say about it. If you're using washi tape that has a pattern, wrap the tape around the cord just enough to cover it once so the tape doesn't wrap over itself. My tape is semi-transparent and I have polka dot and chevron stripe patterned tape, so as soon as I wrapped another layer around, the pattern became kind of pointless since you could see the first layer of dots through the top layer of dots and they don't match up so it looks strange. But since my tape IS semi-transparent, I could wrap a solid colour around once and get a light green stripe or wrap it around a couple times and get a more vibrant green stripe. That being said (and a day of living with it), you kinda need to wrap the tape around a couple of times to get it to stay. Either my tape's inferior (blast you, Anthropology!) or it's the number of times it's wrapped cuz the pieces of tape that were only wrapped once (the polka dots and chevrons) don't stay taped down (the ends are lifting up). So I'm going to take off those pieces and just go with the solid colour instead. Overall, it's still pretty cute (and it pains me to take the polka dots off!).

{rope shelving} Simple! Cute! That's all I think every time I look at this picture! Again, it doesn't have a set of DIY instructions for you to follow, but come on! Pretty easy, right? I'm thinking weird thoughts right now about putting some on either side of our bed and getting rid of the bedside tables.

{globe light} This is made out of bowls! But it's so pretty, right? I'm not sure if I'm exactly ready to make my own lights (i.e. I have no idea where I'd put one right now), but I'm still really drawn to this. Maybe it's the shade of blue... although I really liked it with either of the original bowl colours, too.

diys i didn't

Source: fabricpaperglue.com via i d l e on Pinterest

{gold trimmed geode coasters} I've had a set of geode coasters in my home for a number of years. Actually, they're not really a set. I just picked up four geode slices that were flat and a good size for a cup for next to nothing the last time I was in Drumheller and then I stuck some squares of felt on one side. So a few months ago, I thought I'd jazz them up by applying some gold leaf to the edges as I've been seeing a lot of gilded geode coasters popping up for sale all over the place this year (and last). And then, literally the week I decided to buy some gold leaf, I opened my reader to find this. The edges of these coasters are painted with gold paint which is so much easier than using gold leaf and also less expensive since I already own the paint.

Source: pineconecamp.blogspot.ca via i d l e on Pinterest

{pickled headboard} I guess this one isn't technically a diy that I can follow along with, but look at it. How easy is that to manufacture myself? I've been thinking and dreaming about doing this one for quite some time. Our bedroom is in the most horrible state of affairs. Well, I guess it's not horrible. Most people would probably think it's pretty nice. But I painted it blue a year ago and I've absolutely hated it since. Hated it. Hated it so much I didn't even put any pictures or art back up I was that convinced it had to be repainted. So I have a long list of things that need doing this year to make me happy and one of those is a headboard.

Source: blog.modcloth.com via i d l e on Pinterest

{matte nail polish} I was pretty obsessed with matte nail polish until I couldn't find the matte topcoat I wanted and then I thought this is probably another beauty product I'll have to wait 10 years before Canada gets a hold of, so I let my search die (I know, the internet, but shipping one bottle of nail polish here is crazy stupid expensive. FOR NAIL POLISH). This tutorial looks too good to be true and I haven't tried it yet, but I'm absolutely dying to. That'll be me on the weekend, either squealing with delight or cursing it out. It could really go either way on this one.

Source: grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com via i d l e on Pinterest

{washi tape bike} We just bought bikes! I mean, a couple months ago, serendipitously, I wandered past a sporting goods store that was having a closing out sale and before I knew it, I was wheeling out two bikes plus all the accessories (locks, helmets, gel seats, the works) for less than the price of one bike sold during peak biking season. Anyway, I keep being drawn to this idea. Not that I really care too much about the style of my bike (and mine is a minty-turquoise blue so I like it), but this is kind of a cute idea. Except that I don't have a hell of a lot of washi tape in my possession and I like to save these things for special... things (washi tape is so expensive to me. Is there some discount washi tape dealer everyone else is using that I don't know about? Cuz I gasp with a look of horror every time I see someone using washi tape to, oh, I don't know, mask off their fingernail for a paint effect or use on the underside of something to hold it down. Um, the point is that it's an artistic tape, isn't it? Am I mental?). So given those facts about me (the cheap facts, not the mental sanity ones), and since my bike's already a pretty colour, I'm thinking I could judiciously use my cute washi tape to cover up the bike's horrible logo and printed details and leave the rest as-is. I think I also should have bought a bell. As a walker, I really appreciate it when bikers give me a ring before they speed by (bells prevent heart attacks!). (Maybe you should consider the mental sanity facts after all.)