before + after: party hats!

last month, i had a special DIY project from fig. 2 design to make some fun placecards!  we worked with the oh-so-talented manvi who styled + shot this lovely tablescape in prep for a bright bazaar new year's bash!  it was a fun day at the office figuring out how to make party hats extra festive for this table setting.

(1) i used some of our gold fig. 2 gift wrap to cut out these templates i discovered on oh happy day for the hats.

(2) after lining the bottom with some double-sided tape, i covered it with layers of festive glitter!

(3) for the topper, i cut up some gold tinsel {found at your local party store}, taped it to a white candy stick, and inserted it at the top of the party hat.

(4) using one of our gift tags, we created placecards for each hat.

manvi really knocks it out of the park every time and dreams these shoots beyond what we could ever imagine while creating the paper products.  thanks for making us look spectacular!  i love that this was for a new year's shoot, but it's perfect for any kind of festive event or birthday party.  thanks for having us on your blog, will!

xoxo, m

phototography + styling: manvi drona-hidalgo // images via bright.bazaar

how-to images via my instagram

Before & After {bedroom}

Since I moved into my new place, things have undergone some drastic change.  A little while ago, I posted about choosing paint colors - well, here's a little before & after in my bedroom!  Suffice it to say that the previous roommate didn't have quite the color scheme I had in mind, so thanks to Behr paint + primer in one I redid it in youthful coral.

Here's a round-up of the tools I used - I even bought a small 8 oz. of a soft white paint to touch up the trim and ceiling that had splotches of the previous green color.

My room is about 8x10' and I ended up using 2 gallons of paint for three coats to get it from green to the coral that I wanted.

Note that I have very little storage space in my room and this shoe organizer pretty much saved my shoe life crisis.

I love candles, and there's nothing better than having a familiar scent permeate through your new place.  My favorite is a brand from Texas called Circle E Candles (thanks, Cathy!) - they are fantastic and have lasted me forever.

 Finally, I picked up some new things for the barren bathroom like this bath rug and shower curtain from Target.

That's a wrap, folks!