Ombre Eggs & Breakfast for the week

Friday became Egg Dyeing day - and I put myself to the task of making ombre eggs.  It's been done by a few bloggers already, like here and here, but my goal was to achieve an ombre effect on one egg without the lines.  

The first step to dyeing eggs is hard boiling them - which is very simple!  Cover your eggs by about a half inch of water.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat for 10 minutes.  Run eggs under cold water to stop the cooking process - then you're done!

I stuck to monotone colors, while R maize-and-blue'd his out to show his Michigan pride during their March Madness run (are you watching the basketball craziness?).

My method was to keep the eggs moving in the dye so that they didn't get lines - that didn't work perfectly, but there was a gradient effect.  I like how each egg turns out differently.  And now I have a dozen hard boiled eggs for breakfast for the rest of the week! 

Paper Flowers

I stopped into West Elm this weekend and saw the most beautiful paper flowers.

They are so refreshing and uplifting for spring; and the durability of paper flowers means they'll be around for a long time!  Especially crushing over the white wreath - where do you think I could put it in my apartment? 

Halloween Treat Idea: "Trick or Treat" Cupcakes

Here's a fun idea for a Halloween treat... 

Try Trick or Treat cupcakes - let your friends choose between one "trick" cupcake (a savory cupcake) or a "treat" cupcake (a classic sweet cupcake)!  

For the "trick", choose something harvest-y, like this bacon corn "cupcake" or a butternut squash, apple, and caramelized onion version.  A fall or Halloween-themed "treat" cupcake is always a fun go-to, like Martha's pumpkin patch cupcake.  I tried this for my coworkers; while most people went for the traditional treat, the trick was fun for those feeling adventurous! 

Grown Up Pinatas

I've been dreaming of my first dinner party here in Chicago.  This be the perfect way to upgrade any party or event into an all out soiree.  These grown-up pinatas are filled with handmade confetti, and are made to order in New York.  The shapes are gorgeous and colors endless (they can make any color your request!).  Seriously, how fun is that? I love the silver diamond pinata above, but check out some others!

Pink Meteorite Pinata

Cantaloupe Quartz Pinata

Gold Crystal Pinata

Silver Quartz Pinata

Check out the beautiful pinatas by Confettisystem here.  I am continuously drawn to the shiny silver pinatas.  Which do you like the best?

A Bridal Shower

We are so excited to share a peek at one of the most perfect bridal showers we were so lucky to attend this week.  S's best friend is getting married in October (!) and we couldn't have been more thrilled to celebrate at her shower.  We had so much fun helping with decorations, watching the bride-to-be open her mountain of presents, and eating those amazing desserts!

Congratulations, Steph!  We cannot wait until your perfect wedding! 

Project Apartment: Gettin' Artsy

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As I start to think about outfitting my Chicago flat, I've been envisioning lots and lots of fun wall hangings.  No, not tapestries and posters like in college, but some fun art pieces instead.  I love the idea of hanging a bunch of framed pictures, a few prints from etsy or 20x200, all pulled together with some pieces I am planning to make myself.  Here are some of my favorite sources of my inspiration!

This print of a polaroid is understated and lovely.  I love the retro feel, paired with the black and white tones.

Travel inspiration always makes for great wall art.  This vintage map was actually a tourist map depicting all the new tourist traps in Paris in 1900! 

A new take on maps, this beautiful print depicts Istanbul in a way that draws to mind the chaos and business of the city.  A fun way for SLR to remember our recent trip abroad!

I am in love with these bicycles! The color and spunk of the drawings are too fun.  

How about some words of wisdom? I think this print gives just the right inspiration to live simply and happily. 

And of course, there needs to be some Fleetwood Mac somewhere in here.  Loving this Etsy print featuring lyrics from SLR's favorite band.

Have you found any art pieces lately that you are loving? We can't wait to create some of our own! More on that to come :)

How To: Origami Heart Garland

How gosh darn cute is this project?  It's a super easy handmade garland made with origami hearts.  I got the idea from this amazing wedding and just had to give it a shot!  The finished product looks something like this.

 

Here's how it's done.

Start with a quarter sheet of origami paper.  Full-size hearts are rather large and don't string together well.  So simply cut origami paper of your desired color scheme into quarters.

To make a heart:
Fold the square diagonally to create a triangle.  Make sure the color side faces out.


Next, fold both side corners to the top tip and crease.


Flip the diamond over and fold the top 2 layers of paper (before you hit the creased paper) down so that the top tip meets the bottom tip.  It kind of looks like a mini sailboat at this point.

To make the heart shape, fold the top tips in on themselves.  This is going to create the two humps of the heart.  Align the crease of the tip with the fold on the backside.  When the tip is aligned and folded in on itself, crease.

 

 

To finish your heart, simply fold back the very tips and sides to round it off a bit.  And you're done!















Make a bunch of the hearts in any color you want.  This part makes me super happy.  I used 45 hearts on my garland, but the amount you make is up to how long you want your garland to be and how much origami paper you have.

To make the garland, you're going to need some string/thread/ribbon/wire/twine/etc (I used silk cording I found in the beading section at Michael's), something with a sharp point to poke holes (I used my rotary cutter because I'm a college kid), and some clear nail polish.
Here's the deal with the nail polish: It's a super helpful trick for this project.  Coat the end of your string with it and let it dry before you start stringing your hearts together.  If you don't the string will quickly start to fray at the end and it will become nearly impossible to do all your threading.













To make the hearts into a garland, poke 2 small holes in the middle of each side of the heart.  Make sure your pokes are symmetrical.
 
Then, all you need to do is thread the string through from the back on one side, and then string it back through from the front in the other hole.  Make sure you keep consistent which side you string from the back.

 

If you want, you can knot the string at the front of the holes to keep the hearts in place, but this takes forever so I didn't do it.

Tip: This project gets tangled SUPER easily, so start with that in mind.

Once all your hearts are strung together, you're done!  Hang it somewhere where it will be well admired.  This garland makes a great party decoration, Valentine's Day festive touch, or a simple bit of happiness to add to your room or office.