Idle Hands Awake

This is Happening

11.03.14

Holy moly. November has arrived. Which means:

Adorable cake photo by The Gemmers via Ruffled Blog

WE’RE GETTING MARRIED.

IMMINENTLY.

I’m kinda freaking out a little right now. Because even though we are just doing an intimate courthouse wedding followed by drinks and dinner, we still need fanfare and pizzazz. I mean, it’s our wedding. So our/my to-do list looks like this:

apply for our wedding license in-person
learn how to put on makeup (I’ve never done more than mascara and lipstick. I am the laziest girl ever.)
pick out a cardigan to wear after the “ceremony” so I don’t freeze
practice walking in the awesome-but-deadly 3″ heels I got
buy jewelry
have my glasses adjusted so they stop slipping down my face (I’m using the wedding as motivation to finally get this done!)
make my DIY flower hair clip
find one of those sticky cup-only bras that actually fits (any suggestions from the small-chested ladies out there??)
order flowers & materials for our DIY bouquet and boutonniere
figure out downtown parking for the day of the wedding
make an itinerary for the day of the wedding so I/we don’t lose our minds
arrange accommodations for my dad, brother, and friend who are coming in from out-of-state
find a restaurant that can feed a hungry gluten-free & vegan bride, but that’s also big enough for our dinner party
plan what I’m going to make for Thanksgiving, which is two days after the wedding (more on that another day)

And on top of all of that, I am starting work 2 days a week at Anthropologie, AND I’d like to keep the blog going.

We should have eloped.

No no, I jest. In all honesty, we’re soooooo excited. And several of these things will be fast and easy once I/we just sit down and do them.

Plus, I’m trying to remind myself that it’s much more important we enjoy ourselves than that everything looks perfect. This is not an easy feeling to embrace for a perfectionist and chronic worrier, but I’m trying!

So, here’s to being productive BUT CALM during this busy month!

What’s keeping you busy as we approach the holidays? Any married folks out there with advice for how to relax about all the planning?

Share This

14 Comments

Inspiration

7 Super Last-Minute No-Carve Pumpkins

10.31.14

Unlike me, you are perfectly organized, always plan ahead, and definitely DON’T scramble around on the day of Halloween itself wondering how you could have not done any decorating yet.

Right?

No? Well never fear, my fellow procrastinators, for I have collected these super last-minute no-carve pumpkins just for us. All of these can be accomplished in an hour or less, so we just might make it in time for the kiddos to start their doorbell ringing. Ready, set, go!

Amy at Homey oh My! blew my mind when she introduced me to copper tape—and then again when she unveiled these simple stripe pumpkins. Sometimes the best ideas are the easiest!

Make your pumpkins glow without breaking out the carving tools by wrapping them in string lights, as seen here on Woman’s Day.

My favorite of the bunch, I just adore the thumbtack message pumpkin by Country Living. Skip the paint for an even more last-minuteier version.

Casey of Vitamini Handmade is channeling a mid-century vibe with her adorable Catherineholm pumpkin tutorial.

For a more natural, bohemian vibe, try decoupaging fall foliage onto your pumpkins, as elegantly demonstrated by The Merrythought for Poppytalk.

Or, cover your pumpkins in scrapbook paper and/or glitter. Also by Homey oh My!, who clearly won this year’s unofficial best fall decor competition.

Finally, Lovely Indeed created these magical gold geo pumpkins using only a gold leaf pen!

…………………………………..

Time to fess up, who here has yet to whip up a pumpkin this year? (Please please tell me I’m not the only one).

Share This

DIY Jimmy Jr. Costume

10.29.14

I’m a lucky girl—two accepted proposals in as many months!

First Alan agreed to be my lawfully wedded husband in November. And this Friday, he’s going to be the Jimmy Jr. to my Tina Belcher. All my dreams are coming true.

Here’s what you need for your own DIY Jimmy Jr. costume:

wig* || headphones* || shirt*

vest* || pants* || sneakers*

If you’re looking to embody this dancetastic character for Halloween, you may be hard-pressed to order everything online in time for Friday. BUT it’s a really easy costume to put together from your closet and/or local thrift store!

Just be sure to practice Jimmy’s slick moves.

Ok gang, what are you doing for Halloween??

Oh, and I promise that there will be photographic evidence of our couple costume experience. And if enough people request it, perhaps I can even get Alan to do his dance rendition on video—so speak up everyone! Hehehe.

+++ UPDATE: We pulled it off! Check out our costumes!

*AFFILIATE LINKS. THIS MEANS IF YOU PURCHASE, I WILL EARN A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO EXTRA CHARGE TO YOU, WHICH IS PRETTY SWEET BECAUSE IT HELPS ME PAY BLOGGING BILLS, SO THANK YOU! I WILL ONLY LINK TO PRODUCTS I HAVE USED OR WOULD USE MYSELF, PINKY PROMISE.

Share This

6 Comments

Design

That [Kilim] Really Tied the Room Together

10.22.14

The Dude had it right—a good rug is the foundation for a good room. How’s that for a quotable quote.

If you paid attention to my living room makeover (which I will probably blog about from now into infinity because I am obsessed), you can’t have missed the show-stopping, new-to-me kilim rug.

That rug, my friends, is from my new favorite small business, Kaya Kilims.

The colors. The texture. The history. I kind of want a mansion now just so I have room for ALL THE RUGS.

I know what you’re thinking—This is a sponsored post, why should I believe any of this hype? I’ve only partnered with a couple brands so far, so you probably don’t trust me further than you can spit.

So let me take a second to be totally real with you. I love this blog. And as much as I’d love to earn some monies for all my hard work on it, I will not clutter it up with sponsorships and/or reviews that I don’t genuinely like and think you will too. That is my promise to you.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to Kaya Kilims. Wowowow. I am beyond impressed with my rug, and the whole experience of shopping with them.

Since we’re talking about vintage wool rugs here, I expected mine to arrive all musty. NOT the case. That rug was clean, gleaming, and ready to go the moment I ripped open the package. Which, by the way, made it from Turkey to Massachusetts in five days.

Shop owners Nez and her family were soooooo friendly and helpful when I reached out to work with them. I always love buying from an independently owned business rather than a big box store, and reading Nez’s story about her personal connection to kilims made it even more special. The collection is so beautiful and I’m not sure how much longer I can resist getting another one, lack of space be damned!

But there’s good news on that front—if you’re in my tiny apartment boat and can’t squeeze (another) one of these beauties into your space, they have kilim pillows. Can we say “wedding gift?”

Now I’d love to hear from you—do you love kilims too? And if so, do you have other good sources for kilim rugs?

Share This

2 Comments

DIY

DIY Marble Hexagon Cake Stands for PlaidFox

10.17.14

Someday, I will have had my fill of hexagons.

But that day is not today.

Today, you can find me over on the blog of PlaidFox, indulging my hexagon obsession yet again with these pretty DIY marble hexagon cake stands.

PlaidFox is a Canadian home decor store that reached out to me to—get this—pay me to create a project for them. Like they consider me a real blogger. Somebody pinch me.

Making a cake stand was a no-brainer for me as I’ve been wanting some new serving pieces to go with our new living room decor. When I stumbled upon these gorgeous hexagon tiles—well, clearly, it was serendipity.

If you like delicious marble and/or hexagon things, need a new furniture and decor store to drool over, or just want to celebrate my first paid post with me, I would love love love it if you clicked through to the absurdly easy tutorial to make your own DIY marble hexagon cake stands.

Side note: I bought these colorful fabric fat quarters “to make a set of napkins.” The joke is that I don’t have a sewing machine and don’t know how to use one. But look at those patterns, how could I have resisted??

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! We are having a late-season yard sale tomorrow to clear out the overflow that accumulates every year from my thrifting addiction. What are you up to?

Share This

12 Comments