DIY: Framed Handkerchiefs

Remember all the hankies I collected for our reception centerpieces? They turned out like this:

After the wedding I needed to figure out what to do with 60 or so vintage hankies. Some were pretty ratty by the end of it, but others were still so colorful and too pretty to keep boxed away somewhere. I decided to frame a few and display them in my office (blog post about my office restyle coming soon!)

What you'll need:

• Hankies you want to frame
• Record album frames (I found mine at Urban Outfitters for $10 each)
• White poster board for backing
• Ruler 
• Scissors

1. Wash and iron the hankies you want to frame so they look nice and crisp.

2. Measure and cut 12x12 inch squares from your poster board.

3. Center the hankie on the piece of glass in the frame and cover it with the poster board.

4. Secure the back to the frame and you're done!

Enjoy your fun new wall art!

P.S. The felt balls on the wall in the last photo? I made those! Learn how to make them yourself here.

Centerpiece photos by Katherine O'Brien Photography

Wedding DIY: Paint Chip Seating Chart

I'm all about stylish and budget-friendly wedding details. One of my favorite wedding DIYs for our wedding reception was the paint chip seating chart. Not only was it an easy way to display all of our guests' names with their designated tables. It also added a nice colorful element to the bright white space!

Things you'll need:

• Paint chips from the hardware or paint store: pick paint chips in a variety of colors that match your color palette
• Pen
• Scissors
• Glue
• Big piece of foam board

1. Cut your paint chips in half. Some of your chips may have the name of the color printed along the bottom. Just be sure to trim those ends too. I didn't mind if my trimmed paint chips were different sizes. If you want them to all be exactly the same size, use a ruler and an exacto knife to measure and cut each paint chip individually.

2. Once you have them all trimmed to size, write the name of each guest on the paint chips along with their table numbers.

3. Practice arranging the finished paint chips on the foam board. Once you have the right arrangement, start gluing!

Easiest wedding DIY on the planet? Probably. Have fun!

Photo by Katherine O'Brien Photography

DIY: How to Make a Felt Ball Garland

Hello! I'm so excited to feature one of my new favorite DIY projects over on Holly Dolly today! Holly is such a brilliant little crafter and her blog and shop have really inspired me to get out and make more stuff! Like these little felt balls:

Cute, huh?

Check out the full DIY post on Holly Dolly and let me know what you think!

How to Tie a Loopty-Loop Circle Scarf

One of my favorite accessories to wear is the loopty-loop circle scarf. I'm not really sure if I just made that name up, but it's the best way I can describe this look. The loopty-loop circle scarf is pretty easy to tie and you can use almost any type of scarf, from long skinny ones to giant rectangular scarves. Each will create a different look and a new fun way to wear your favorite scarf.

1. Tie the ends of the scarf together into a nice little knot so you have one giant circle scarf.
2. Put the giant circle scarf around your neck.
3. Grab both sides of the scarf and pull each side in the opposite direction so you create a second circle in front of you.
4. Place your head through the second circle.
5. Fluff out the scarf and style the circles how you want. I like to place the knot higher up and off to the side.
6. Enjoy wearing and styling a new look!

What do you think? Easy enough? Here are four more ways to wear your favorite scarves, just for you.

DIY: Streaming Love

I love personal and playfully styled weddings. For me, small details and color really help set the tone. So what is playful, colorful, and something your guests can toy around with? Love streamers.

I first saw this adorable idea played out in a wedding featured on Grey Likes Weddings and immediately knew I wanted to make it my own.

 [Photo Credit]

The time required to complete this DIY totally depends on the number of streamers you want to make. I started out making about 80 and was able to finish in about eight hours over the course of a week.

Things you'll need:

• Ribbon of various colors and sizes: the amount you'll need depends on how short you cut each strip and how many strips you use for each streamer. I recommend starting out with one spool of ribbon for each color.
• Wooden dowels: you can usually find these in any major craft store. Any size will do (between 1/8 and 1/2 in., but the smaller dowels will be easier to trim down.) They are usually sold by the yard. Calculate the number of dowels you need by taking into account that each 3 ft dowel will be cut down into three 1 ft dowels or smaller.
• Hot glue gun/hot glue
• Scissors
• Ruler (optional)
• Small saw (or another tool to cut a dowel with)

1. Start by trimming the 3 ft dowels down to 1 ft using your small saw or trimming apparatus. You should now have three smaller dowels per 3 ft dowel.
2. Cut your strips of ribbon. They can all be the same length or various lengths. It's up to you.
3. Carefully use the hot glue gun to individually attach each strip to the dowel. I found that it looks nice to slightly overlap one over the other.
4. Repeat until you have enough love streamers.

I ended up needing about three times as much ribbon as I originally thought. I didn't want to over buy in the beginning, so I just ended up visiting the craft store time and time again throughout the week. No biggie.

What kind of personalized details do you enjoy in a wedding?

My Hopes for Healthier Hair

My hair is not amazing. It's not terrible either. However, I feel like I have yet to get a haircut that's made me say, "oh yea, that's my go-to do." I've experimented with quite a few different styles over that last five years or so: side-swept bangs, a pixie cut, blunt bangs with layered chin-length hair, and blunt bangs with slightly longer hair. As for color, I've played with chunky blond and red highlights, but nothing consistent.

So ever since I got serious about wedding planning last summer, I've been trying to grow my hair out, and fast. When my stylist told me hair grows about half an inch to an inch per month, I had high hopes. Turns out my hair is lazy and has grown a whopping 6 inches in the last 12 months, and that's with only two itty bitty hair trims throughout the process. But 6 inches is still a vast improvement. Some people just have hair that grows really slow!

The length wasn't the only problem, though. As I let my hair grow and refused to get trims every 8 weeks, the more and more damaged my ends started to get. I knew I needed to take a few extra steps to get these locks looking good.

I'm still on my way, but I thought I'd share a few things I've tried to make my hair look healthier.

Vitamins

The first extra step I took was with vitamins. I did a bit of research and determined that a little extra biotin, a vitamin necessary for cell growth, might do the trick. Biotin supplements are usually sold to promote healthier hair, skin, and nails, so I thought I'd give it a try. I consulted with a Whole Foods Whole Body specialist who recommended Maxi-Hair. I read it could take three to six months before there's a noticeable difference, but I think my hair started to feel a little stronger after just two.  

JarroSil

I also gave a silicon supplement a try. I took 10 drops a day of this stuff in a glass of water in hopes of stronger hair. I got the idea from Peoples Rx, and I must say I didn't notice much of a difference.

Easy on the heat

I used to straighten, curl, and diffuse my hair like it was going out of style. Too much of all that leads to a lot of breakage. No bueno. Now that my hair has gotten to a length where it can air dry and look decent, I probably only blow dry or straighten once a week. So, yea--I don't style my hair very often, but I when I do it looks healthy.

A trim here and there

We've all heard that getting a regular trim every 8 to 10 weeks or so makes your hair grow faster. I don't know about the "growing faster" part, but it definitely keeps your hair looking fresh and healthy. That's because all the split and damaged ends are going bye-bye before they have a chance to split up the entire strands of hair. I haven't followed this rule to a T, but I should.

Kevin Murphy HYDRATE.ME conditioner

One of the biggest mistakes I've made in the realm of hair care is purchasing low-quality conditioner. Regular conditioners simply coat your hair with a chemical that makes your hair feel silky smooth--it's not actually penetrating your hair with the stuff that moisturizes and conditions it. I learned that and then quickly found Kevin Murphy's HYDRATE.ME conditioner. Amazing? Yes. My hair now feels hydrated without the extra weight of a heavy, moisturizing product.

Moroccan Oil

Moroccan Oil is one of my more recent discoveries. I started doing some research when I noticed that my ends were constantly feeling drier than the rest of my hair. I've only used it for about a month and I'm definitely noticing a difference. I just rub about a dime-size amount on the ends of my damp hair and style or let it air dry as usual.

I feel like I could write an entire post on each of these, but that's just a high-level snapshot for today.

Got any other tips for healthier hair? If so, do tell.