DIY button display

Lately I've been making a lot more buttons (mostly because I can make them myself, so it's much more budget-friendly than having lapel pins produced) and I wanted a way to display some of my favorites in my studio. This DIY is so incredibly simple, and if you have an overwhelming collection of buttons, it's the perfect way to turn them into wall art when they aren't being worn :)



Materials you'll need:

A picture frame (I used an 8x10 frame, but use whatever size you'd like!)
A heavy duty stapler
7/8" wide grosgrain ribbon
Masking tape
A piece of patterned paper, cut to 8x10
Buttons!



Start by removing the glass from the frame and putting your patterned paper in. Then cut lengths of ribbon that are long enough to wrap around the edge of the frame and lay them out where you want them to go. At this point you should take a few of your buttons and lay them on the ribbons to make sure the spacing will work. I decided to only display 1.5" buttons on my frame, so four ribbons worked perfectly for me. If you'll be displaying 2.25" or 1" buttons your spacing might be different.

Once you've decided how to space everything, take your masking tape and secure the ribbon in place. This is not only easier than measuring (I'm all for doing things the right way, but I'm even *more* for doing things the easy way. lol!) but it will help hold the ribbon secure when you're stapling it in place.



Flip your frame over, and staple the ribbons on the back. Do the same thing for the bottom of the ribbon, making sure to pull the ribbon very taut to make sure it won't sag when you hang the buttons.

And honestly, that is IT! You're done! Just attach your buttons, and hang it up on the wall!



All of the buttons pictured here were designed by me and they're available in my shop right here!

wishlist wednesday

1. tortoiseshell heart sunglasses
2. cotton striped dress
3. woven straw heels
4. orange pattern straw hat
5. wicker hoop earrings
6. platform espadrille sandals
7. geometric striped purse
8. woven waist belt

Style Idol - Jane Fonda

if I hadn't seen such riches I could live with being poor

For the last few days I've been giving my eyes a break from having contacts in all the time (I wear Air Optix night and day, which you can leave in for 30 days straight) and I just can't wait to pop them back in again. It's so funny, I used to wear glasses every single day for about a year while I had my pixie cut (I felt like the only thing that made that haircut look slightly less horrible on me was the addition of glasses lol!) but now I've been wearing them for three days and I've had enough of the rubbing on my nose, the tightness on my temples, seeing the frames in my peripheral vision all the time, and (maybe most importantly) having to make the conscious decision to remove the glasses to take a nap in front of the tv, which totally ruins that drifting-off-while-watching-tv feeling.

There's this song lyric that my family and I quote all the time from the James song "Sit Down" that goes "if I hadn't seen such riches I could live with being poor," and it honestly applies to so many aspects of life. Including silly ones, like being spoiled by 30 day contacts..

dress - dangerfield | shirt - amazon

belt - old | shoes - bait footwear

my top five favorite: disney pins

I've been collecting Disney pins since 2011, when I started a (currently unbroken!) streak of visiting a Disney park every single year. I'm going back to Disney World with my mom in April and pin trading/shopping is at the top of the list of things I'm excited about! Normally I stalk all of the Disney news sites for pin updates and new releases (yes, I am THAT kind of pin collector, lol!) but I haven't even peeked since I booked my trip last fall. I want to be surprised and see what new pins await when I actually get to the resort.

Anyway, all that being said, I thought it would be fun to pick my top five favorite pins from my collection. This was SO MUCH HARDER than I thought it would be. I left out a lot that I really, really love... so I might need to do a Part II to this post ;)

First up (haha) is my UP house pin! This was a Christmas present from my mom a few years ago. The floating house with the balloons is, in my opinion, one of the most visually stunning and beautiful images that Disney has given us. I think this was a limited release pin which is actually sad because the image is so iconic and well-loved that it should really be more accessible.



I got this pin at the Disney soda fountain shop in Hollywood. I was so excited when I found it! 101 Dalmatians pins aren't easy to come by (well, at least non-Cruella pins are hard to come by. I can't for the life of me understand why most of the pins for this movie feature the puppy-killing villian?!) and Anita ones are SUPER hard to come by!



I got this pin in a Beauty and the Beast mystery box about five years ago while I was in Disney World. Most Belle merchandise features her in the yellow ballgown, but I've always preferred the casual independent bookworm iteration of her character, and I get super excited whenever I find something that shows her in her village attire. I was lucky enough to actually get two of these in the mystery boxes, so one has a permanent spot on the lanyard that I wear to the parks, and one lives comfortably at home in my collection.



Eating at Disney parks is up there with pin collecting as one of my favorite parts of visiting the parks. And eating pineapple dole whip is the best part of eating at the parks (and churros. and nutella waffles from Sleepy Hollow. oohh and hot pretzels!) I have stood in such long lines to get one little scoop of dole whip and it has ALWAYS been worth it. I love it when Disney immortalizes park food in pin form, and this just had to be in my top five.



Last but not least is this 50th anniversary Small World pin! This was a limited release cast member pin so I had to buy it on ebay. My favorite part of It's a Small World is the Mary Blair design, so pins that incorporate that are must haves for me. And my Grandmom actually saw the ride at the New York World's fair in 1964! This was a little more money than I'd normally pay for a Disney pin, but I couldn't pass it up. It's my most cherished pin in my collection.

don't fence me in

I brought this dress with me on my Wyoming trip last year and even though it ended up being way too windy to wear it (I literally walked out of the hotel, circled around the block and went right back inside to change into pants! lol!) it still reminds me of that trip whenever I wear it.

My favorite part of the trip was stopping in Denver before catching a flight home, and I hope so much that I get to return sometime soon! I was only in the city for one day but I just enjoyed it so much. The food, the weather, the stores, the people.. it was just such a lovely day. I'm currently reading a book that I purchased at the Tattered Cover bookstore while I was there, and the bookmark they slipped inside is a constant reminder that I want to go back.

dress - asos | sweater - old | shoes - aldo

recipe: quick spanish rice with sun dried tomato polenta

I was in the mood for a paella-esque dish the other day but really didn't feel like taking the time to make it. My go-to recipe (from my favorite cookbook, The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen) is very time consuming and it uses arborio rice which dilly dallies and takes all day to soak up broth. I also wanted to add something with a little bit of crunch and flavor for a vegan chorizo substitute and I'm so glad I decided to try sun dried tomato polenta! All in all this dish was done in about 20 minutes but it tasted like I had spent hours slaving over a hot stove.

Ingredients for the rice:

1 bag frozen brown rice
1 c. vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, grated
4 tsp. minced garlic
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 c. frozen baby lima beans
1 c. frozen green peas
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. smoked paprika
scallions
1 lemon

Start out by microwaving your frozen rice according to the directions on the bag. Meanwhile, combine the saffron and vegetable stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile still, heat up the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until it's making your house smell AMAZING.

After the onion and garlic have softened, add the peppers (I specify a yellow pepper and a red pepper just for the sake of making the dish pretty - if you can only get one color it'll still taste the same!) and sauté until they're soft. Then add the cooked rice, the soy sauce, the paprika, and a little salt and pepper. Stir it all together to combine and then add the frozen lima beans and the saffron-infused broth. Let everything cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is all gone. While it's cooking, you can whip up your sun dried tomato polenta:



Ingredients for the polenta:

1 package of sun dried tomato polenta
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika

In a small bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil with smoked paprika. Cut the polenta into round slices, as thin as you can get them, and then brush each side with the paprika olive oil marinade. Heat in a skillet over medium heat until they start to get crispy. Make sure to flip them over and cook both sides!

When everything is done, just squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top of the rice, top with polenta and some chopped up scallions, and enjoy! I love that this was still super flavorful and packed with so many good veggies, too! It's one of those meals where it feels like you're being indulgent but it's actually incredibly healthy :)

wishlist wednesday

1. floral jumpsuit
2. wood daisy earrings
3. navy blue bucket bag
4. yellow scrunchie
5. navy blue pumps
6. vintage tulip brooch
7. orange wicker earrings
8. yellow daisy flats
9. orange button up dress

Style Idol - Lana Turner

forget poodle skirts...

... how about poodle shirts!?

I got this from Dangerfield, an Australian store I just spent waaaaay too much money at after Sammi shared one of their dresses on pinterest (sidenote: I'd say approximately 90% of my spending originates from Sammi's style board and you should definitely follow it!) For the first time in at least ten years I've actually lost enough weight to go down a dress size which is making shopping very weird. I keep buying things in my normal size out of habit and the disbelief that anything smaller could possibly fit me. And then they come in the mail and I inevitably have to return them for the next size down. I just can't seem to order the "right" size from the beginning. It doesn't seem realistic, even though it's increasingly evident that I have a new size now. I think it's just weird to me because in the mirror I don't see any difference at all, I still look short and slightly plump :)

I have so many dresses in my closet that I love that are hanging just a little too loose though, and I'm not sure what to do. Eat a ton of cookies?? That would certainly be the most tasty solution, but I probably just need to sharpen my sewing skills. I'd love to find a way to alter my clothes in a way that isn't actually permanent. Just in case things change and that weight comes back, I wouldn't want to have ruined all of my clothes in the meantime.

poodle shirt - dangerfield | dress - asos

shoes - bait footwear | belt - amazon

my top five favorite: romantic comedies (1990-present)

When I decided to make a list of my top five romantic comedies I realized I'd HAVE to break this list up into classic movies and modern movies because there was just no way to narrow it down to five otherwise. As a classic film fan, it's actually going to be even harder to pick just five pre-'80s films but I can cross that bridge when I get to it. Today I'm just talking about modern (1990-present) movies -- in no particular order.



Never Been Kissed (1999) As long-time readers already know, I've been single for my entire life and I've never even been on a date. I've come to terms with it in the last couple years and I'm pretty happy and contended settling into a life of certain spinsterhood but for most of my teens and 20's I would SO live vicariously through this movie, and even now I root so hard for Josie.



Return To Me (2000) This is my favorite modern romantic comedy, and I think it's criminally underrated. It takes what could have been a really uncomfortable, tragic hook and turns it into an incredibly sweet and charming movie. The supporting cast is perfect, and David Duchovny and Minnie Driver are the most adorable couple of all time. This movie is so heartfelt and sincere and just absolutely lovely.



You've Got Mail (1998) It says a lot about how much I love this movie that there are elements to the plot that annoy me SO much and I still rewatch it at least once or twice a year. It's so endlessly quotable, the seasons are so vivid (I always think of it as a fall/winter movie but the spring scenes are just so spring-y, too!) and it just doesn't get better than Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (except maybe David Duchovny and Minnie Driver, lol!) Also I just support any movie that involves Greg Kinnear.



Music and Lyrics (2007) I just discovered this one recently and fell so head over heels for it that I watched it twice in the same day. Hugh Grant plays a fallen pop idol and the songs from his fictional 80s band are so insanely catchy. Plus his chemistry with Drew Barrymore is fantastic and even though the movie dips into "stahpppp, just talk to each other and sort things out!!!" territory at one point I wasn't even mad because the whole thing is just so adorable.



Romantics Anonymous (2010) This French film is about two incredibly, painfully shy people who start dating and all of the anxiety and setbacks they go through to make it work. As a introvert on the level of Hermit, I related to this movie so much and it was such a joy to watch a romantic pairing that wasn't easy and casual and laid back. The comedy is even funnier if you're super shy yourself because you can imagine EXACTLY what the characters are going through and how awkward and bumbling their situations are. Even if you're an extrovert, though, I highly recommend it. It's super sweet (it involves chocolate, so I mean that literally and figuratively!)

misty water-colored memories

I don't know what it is about January but I always feel like I look kind of doofy in my outfit pictures this time every year lol!

This dress actually has a really bad memory attached to it, so I hardly ever wear it. I like it too much to get rid of it, but I rarely ever pull it out of my closet because I just think about that one time I wore it. I don't know if it's a smidge of superstition - that wearing something you wore on a Very Bad Day will curse this day, too -- or if it's just that I try to avoid anything that reminds me of bad memories. Either way, I think this year I want to try to break out this dress more often and create some good memories inside of it! Then when I peruse my closet I'll be like OMG it's the dress I wore when I saw my favorite movie on the big screen! And when I cuddled with cats at the animal shelter! And when I had lunch with the Obamas (you never know!)

dress - dorothy perkins (old) | cardigan - old

collar - amazon | shoes - bait footwear

DIY girl power protest sign

The annual women's march is coming up this weekend and I'm here to help if you need an easy last minute sign! I feel so much more optimistic and excited about the march this year. In 2017 it was a really solemn occasion. It was cathartic, but I felt so hopeless. But now that Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker again and we have over 100 women in Congress for the first time (!!) and we're getting SO close to the 2020 election, I just feel so much more energetic and hopeful!



Materials you'll need:

2 sheets of colored poster board
1 sheet of foam board
My free template (download here)
Scissors
Utility knife

You'll also need either sticker paper, white paint, or white card stock and glue depending on which method you want to use and what materials you already have on hand if you're doing this at the last minute :) Be sure to read through the whole tutorial before deciding how you want to make your sign since I have a few different ways. It's kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure protest sign, lol!



If you want to make a double-sided sign with a handle, you'll need to use all three pieces of board. If you're just going to make a double-sided or single-sided sign to hold with your hands, you can leave out the foam board.

Start out by cutting a large circle out of the board. If you have a garbage can lid that you can trace, that's probably the easiest way to do this. I didn't have one (our garbage lids are rectangular, darn it!) so I tied a piece of string to a pencil and drew it that way (there's a tutorial for this method on youtube here.)



If you have white sticker paper, print out the template onto the paper and then cut out each letter. Lay out your design and then stick each letter to the board one by one.

If you're going to paint the letters onto the sign, print out the template onto plain paper and then cut out and trace the letters onto your board.

And if you're using paper and glue, print out the template onto white card stock, cut out the letters, and then glue them onto the board.



If you're using a handle, tape it to the bottom of the foam board and sandwich the foam board in between the two pieces of poster board. I also edged my foam board with red masking tape to make it look prettier ;) Most cities only allow cardboard for sign handles, since wood or metal can be dangerous, so make sure whatever material you're using is OK before attaching it!

ps. This design is also available on t-shirts, totes, mugs, etc. in my Threadless shop right here, and it's included in my new feminist button set right here.

wishlist wednesday

1. red sleeveless dress with heart
2. red buckle heels
3. heart print sweater
4. heart bow purse
5. pink heart sunglasses
6. heart brooch/pin set
7. heart bobby pins
8. scalloped heart print bag
9. heart and arrow necklace
10. red heart pinafore