Dear Diary, I'm jealous of a 4-year-old

I stumbled upon this PRECIOUS little girl on Pinterest today and she is just. too. much! Her nickname is Mayhem and she and her mother (mainly her, based on her not crafty, not fashionable mother's interview) make dresses out of paper, tape and other random craft supplies. Check out the full article from the Huffington Post here. I can't decide if I wish this was me, or if I wish this is the hobby my theoretical, future daughter picks up... either way it puts my newspaper dress for a philanthropy runway show last year to shame. 

XOXO

Dear Diary DIY: Velvet Bow for Valentine's Day

Need a quick, cute accessory to make your Valentine's Day outfit perfect? Look no further than the velvet hair bow! Consider it the grown-up version of the one you wore to your Valentine's Day party in kindergarten. Inexpensive and easy to make - it would also be a perfect gift! 

Supplies: Scissors, Hot Glue Gun, Hair Barrette, 1" Velvet Ribbon.    

Cut the ribbon so, when folded in a circle, it extends just past the ends of the barrette. 

Fold both of the ends and glue it with a strip of hot glue, forming two loops.

Repeat the first two steps, but with a smaller piece of ribbon so when stacked you can clearly see the bigger ribbon.

Add a strip of glue to the middle of the bigger ribbon.

Make sure the smaller ribbon is centered and glue it on to the bigger ribbon.

Measure a strip of ribbon that can go completely around the bow, forming the "knot" in the middle.

The easiest way to do this is by gluing one end to the back of the bow. 

Then cutting the tail exactly where you need it to be. 

 Glue completely flat - make sure this is all on the back of the bow!

Next, add a generous amount of hot glue to the top of the barrette. 

Make sure the clip is centered and straight before adhering it to the back of the bow.

As soon as the glue cools, it's ready to wear!

Dear Diary, BuzzFeed quizzes are everything

I love a good quiz, and who doesn't? It's like someone asking you fun questions about yourself, and you get to think all about #1. 

Last week I stumbled upon this quiz from the best news source after the SNL weekend report (RIP Seth Meyers), BuzzFeed. 'What City Should You Actually Live In' is the title and I was intrigued. I moved to another state for college and even though I'm from Dallas and eventually want to make it back to the Big D, I'd like to live some other places first. 

What I loved about this particular quiz were the relevancy of the questions to my life. How do you take your coffee? Iced, and no other way. Pick your poison? White wine good time. The hardest question is 'Pick a Beyoncé' because there's no wrong answer. I went with Super Bowl Beyoncé. The numerous Mean Girl references, sarcasm, and straightforwardness of some of the answer options make me wish I'd written it, which is the core of why these quizzes are so addictive. 

In the end I got Cape Town, Africa, a place I'd be down to visit. African safari is high up on my bucket list, right next go glamping, so it could be a two three-birds-one-stone type situation. After that quiz, I did "Which Disney Couple Is Your Ideal Relationship?" (Beauty and the Beast), "What Kind of Sandwich Are You? (Grilled Cheese), "What Type Of Dog Are You?" (Great Dane, duh) and about 20 more that aren't worth listing, but it was quite the rabbit hole. I guess I'm proud that I got every answer right in "Who Said It: A Child Or A Serial Killer?"?

XOXO

Dear Diary, Feeling Very "nauti"

 As T-Shirt Chair, I've had spring break gear on the mind for weeks. Ever since my back to back trips to Seaside last year, paired with my discovery of Sarah Vickers and KJP, and my good friend from Cape Cod's support, I've fallen in love with the east coast culture. The crisp shades of blue, preppy prints and nautical vibes are all the epitome of American class. My infatuation has manifested in our chapter's spring break collection -yet to be unveiled- but here's a sampling from my inspiration board!

Vicker's Bow Bracelet - Summering Nantucket 

Tory tunic

Vineyard Vines Ropes Printed Shorts

Kiel James Patrick Lucky Sailor Belt

XOXO

Dear Diary, How-to clean your Longchamp

About a year ago I ordered a custom Longchamp (correct pronunciation here), straight from the factory in France. The website has a fun 'make your own' feature online where one could easily spend hours mixing and matching sizes and patterns, handles and metals (link here). Finally I settled on my bag: I was obsessed with the versatility and perfectness of the wide black and white stripes.

Since it's glorious arrival to my doorstep (addressed to Mademoiselle Sophie Orlich), the perfect white stripe has gotten dirtier and dingier with wear. At first I tried to get off dirt with a wash cloth, then disinfectant wipes, nothing worked. After my trip to NYC it was truly gross and I got aggressive about how to clean it; of course, my first place to turn was the internet. Some people said they threw them in the washing machine, but that made me nervous cause of the leather. Someone else suggested a toothbrush, water, a little bit of detergent and a wash cloth. Tonight I had some extra time so I tried it- and it worked perfectly! Here's how-to:

Before (dirty & dingy)

Gross.

Soap, water and a little scrubbing...

It worked like magic!

Best of luck cleaning your 'champ!

XOXO