how-to: put a bow on it

For the past year or so, the only new shoes I've bought are black flats. I basically have two different pairs, one I leave at work and one at home. So when I saw these glittery flats and remembered seeing a really cute redesign of them and thought to myself... why not? Turns out that not only are they super cheap, they're also really comfortable! Head over to Stars for Streetlights for the full how-to and keep reading for my abbreviated version.

supplies: 

pair of shoes

scarf you don't mind cutting up 

scissors

hot glue gun 

minor sewing skills

When it comes to cutting the strips of scarf, you just want to make sure it's wide enough to sew into a tube and flip inside out. So when you cut the strips, the finished bow will be about half as wide as the strips you cut. My bow is not quite as voluptuous as the original DIY pair, but it's totally up to you. The scarf I was using had a border around it and that was the section that I wanted to use. Since I will mainly ware these to work, I wanted them to have clean lines. I'd definitely like to make a more colorful pair with a larger bow for next summer.

After you cut your strips of scarf and sew them into tubes, turn them inside out so the seams do not show. If your tubes are really skinny you can do this by using a safety pin to guide your way back through the middle of the tube. Then it's as simple as tying a bow and hot gluing the bow to the top of your shoe! Then a dab of hot glue under each arch of the bow to keep it in place, and a stripe of it on the edges to glue down the end pieces. This is slightly different than how Stacie did it, but again, it's totally up to you. I love how it makes the bow seem like it wraps around the entire shoe. The final step? Prepare yourself for compliments.

matte nails

Beauty products are not something that I usually spend very much money on, but let me tell you, this nail polish was worth every penny. I like shiny things just as much as anybody else, but there is just something sleek and modern about a matte finish. And so, let me introduce you to Mat Top Coat by Chanel. Paint a coat of it over any other color of nail polish and you get a stunning matte finish almost instantly.
























Inspired by the bottle itself, I decided to try it out with black nail polish. You can really see the difference in the before and after photos below. In the future I think it would look extra fancy if I only painted the top coat over half of the nail, really showing off the difference in texture. Or maybe it would look interesting over a glittery nail polish. Oh how the possibilities are endless.

before and after: simple redesign

before & after photos courtesy of Julie over at Simple Redesign

As soon as I moved into my new apartment, I began obsessively looking at craigslist furniture listings. While I have lived on my own for many years, it has always been in a fairly tiny space. Now I had two bedrooms and a living room to fill! While I was looking for the essentials, I came across this little cabinet that I just could not live without. I emailed the seller literally two minutes after she had posted it and went to pick it up the next morning.

Now that I'm familiar with Julie's work, it is no surprise to me that this cabinet was even better in person. Describing herself as an "obsessive DIYer," Julie takes old pieces and makes them both modern and beautiful. I'm not sure how she always finds a way to stay true to the pieces' original character, but I envy her eye for design. You can check out all of her past and present projects, along with little DIY tips over at her blog, Simple Redesign.

When I brought this piece home, I had no real plan for what I wanted to use it as, so I ended up using it as my entryway piece. Together with a vintage mirror I got from my grandmother, I have a little place to check my hair on the way out and a place to put my keys when I come in. And what do I store inside of it? Surprise, it's a record cabinet!