links i love // loving links

Instagram @wecanmakeanything | Twitter @wcmanything

Can you believe January is gone already? Valentine's Day is right around the corner, & while I usually don't make it a big deal in my regular life, I keep seeing the cutest Valentine's Day DIYs & tutorials on Pinterest. Today's links consist of all the adorable things on the internet right now.

Side note, while we're discussing links, my brother's food blog is up & running! While he has a variety of strengths & skills, my brother's main talents lie in cooking & writing. When we were growing up our parents forced encouraged us to take on the task of cooking dinner. This was a job that I took on begrudgingly, making the same chicken & rice dish night after night. My brother, on the other hand, met this chore with excitement & creativity. He would crack open his personal copy of the Joy of Cooking & get to work, tossing in spices & imagining flavors like he wasn't thirteen years old. We both picked up the writing bug at early ages. My writing skills involve being able to write coherently about any given subject; his consist of being able to write beautifully & use big words. Anyway, enough with the vamping. Go check out his blog for some awesome vegan recipes. 

This Week's Top Links

• Origami Heart Garland // I'm embarrassingly bad at origami, but you should try this & let me know how it goes. 
• 31 Perfect Valentines for Unromantic People // For the grouchy lover.
• Heart-Shaped Envelope // Genius. 
• Valentine's Day Flip Book // WHO DOESN'T LOVE A FLIP BOOK? 
• Valentine's Day Party Ideas // A bunch of super cute ideas - my favorite is the very doable heart-shaped cinnamon roll. 
• 23 Easy Valentine's Day Crafts // For those with little to no skill! Hooray!
• How Single Cats are Spending Valentine's Day // Yes.

xoxo, 

-m.e.

Related // If you like puns & watched Veggie Tales when you were growing up, check out these Valentines. 

out & about // work lulls & doodles

In my work life, I stay pretty busy most of the time. I get to do a whole bunch of things at my job  - from prepping spreadsheets & processing orders, to cleaning tables & helping sweet little old ladies out to their cars. However, since I work in retail & work mornings, there's always a lull or two to deal with. I've figured something out about my personality while at this job: I hate lulls. I hate doing nothing! Especially at work. My dream job consists of me running around completing tasks & working on projects all day long, then going home completely exhausted as a result of being constantly busy. As crazy & "adult" as this makes me sound, all I want to do is work. I can remember being a freshman in college & thinking to myself, Can't I just skip this & get to the job part? Why am I sitting around doing homework when I could be working? Don't get me wrong - I'm glad I got my degree, but I'd take actual projects over school assignments any day. I've always despised boredom & I've always loved staying busy. But there's only so much cleaning, prepping, & stocking that can be done during my current morning lulls at work before the boredom sets in. Long story short, I've resorted to doodling pictures of my coworkers. 

This one is of me, standing at the front desk greeting people (I also found out from this job that I don't like monotony). 

xoxo, 

-m.e.

Related // More doodling. 

neck tie (+ free pattern!)

Hello, my dapper readers! You know what you need in your wardrobe? A new necktie. You know what's easy to make? A new necktie. 

links i love // national pie day

Instagram: @wecanmakeanything | Twitter @wcmanything

What a marvelous day - it's National Pie Day! Which reminds me: there is simply not enough pie in my life. Have you had a good week? My brother came back into town for a short while so I got in some more family time this week. In exciting news, my brother (who is an excellent writer & chef) is working on starting a blog of his own! Once it's up & running I'll be sure to pass along the link. Now I just have to convince my younger brother to start a blog & it'll be a family affair. 

• Chevron Striped Blueberry Pie // Possibly the most beautiful pie in the world. 
• 20 Most Important Pies // What even is a "Chess" pie? (Huffington Post's Best Pie List is eerily similar - maybe it's science!)
• The Smartest Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Pairings // Speaking of science, I think some of these theories need more (personal) testing... 
• 8 Pie Crusts to Wow Your Guests // A beautiful mixture between design & deliciousness. 
• Snickers Pie // This is quite literally an ice cream pie. What a time to be alive. 
• Mini Lemon Cream Pies // These crusts are just the cutest. 
• How to Take a Good Picture of Pie // For my fellow bloggers. & noted for future use. 

xoxo, 

-m.e.

Related // Gingerbread apple pie!

out & about // resolve

Old school artwork

We're halfway through January - have you been keeping your resolutions? Or are you like me & you resolved to not really make any resolutions? 

Doing // We've been doing a major clean of the house for the past few weeks. Heather & I decided we wanted to lessen our material load, so we've been donating/throwing out things we don't need or use. I had no idea how much stuff we had until we started to go through it. The most painful collection to sift through was all my artwork from high school & college. I realize I don't need it since I have digital copies of everything, but it still hurt to part with some of those pieces. I do feel mentally lighter after having gotten rid of so much stuff. The cleansing is a positive thing. 

Watching // In the spirit of downsizing my personal possessions, I watched Tiny: The Movie. I'm intrigued by the notion of living with spatially forced disciplines in terms of possessions, movement, & everyday activities. It's inspiring & motivating seeing people live perfectly comfortable lives in 25% of the normal housing space. 

Listening // I've been on a major Neko Case kick lately. Like, major. 

Feeling // I don't usually get to personal here on the blog, but maybe today I'll give it a shot. Do you ever get down? I get chronically down. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it's enough to cripple me for days or even weeks. I hate it - it stifles my creativity & leaves me feeling exhausted & worthless. There's never anything wrong, I just sometimes feel wrong. I thought I'd share this since we're well into winter & the lack of sun is probably making everyone feel a little down in the dumps. Maybe we can feel down in the dumps together. 

Loving // Amy Poehler & Tina Fey. Everything that they do, but especially this. 

xoxo, 

-m.e.

Related // If you are keeping resolutions, keep them organized in a DIY planner.

valentine's day fruit & veggie cards (+ free printable!)

It's only January, but my mind's already focusing in on Valentine's Day. I hate all the negative attitude about this holiday - how it's only purpose is commercialism & spending money on flattery. I personally think it's charming to have a day dedicated to love. The holiday is really whatever you make of it - it's all about how you & your partner celebrate. Heather & I usually end up cooking a nice dinner at home for each other (with a good bottle of wine). It's never a big deal with looming expectations, it just is what it is. & it's nice. It's hard to gripe about a holiday that's all about loving someone. 

Fortunately for me there are few V-Day gripers in my life. When I hear people talk about Valentine's Day I frequently hear reminiscing about elementary school & the little cards kids would hand out. Since I was homeschooled & never got to participate in this adorable tradition, I made some cards this year to hand out. I was at work when the idea struck me, & since I work at a grocery store, the fruit & veggie idea came naturally. I enlisted a few of my co-workers to help me come up with some produce puns & let me tell you what - there was no shortage of jokes.

Download page one & page two of the free printable to make your own Valentine's Day fruit & veggie cards. 

To leave some creative space, the cards will print out in black & white. Print page one on card stock or watercolor paper, then flip the page over & print page two. Cut paper into quarters. I used watercolors to color mine, but you could also use colored pencils, pens, or crayons. Each one will be unique in its own way!

I literally could've made a book out of the puns my co-workers came up with. Here's some that didn't make the cut but are too good not to share:

"Orange you glad we found each other?"

"You're the apple of my eye!"

"Let's spend some thyme together."

"You butternut say no!"

& my personal favorite, "We were mint to be!"

xoxo, 

-m.e.

Related // More musings on love in any form.

stenciled onesies

I'm going to take a moment & tell you about a favorite person in my life: my hairdresser. She's just the best... not only is she awesome at her job, but she makes me love going to get my hair cut. She's interesting & funny to talk to, she has a great sense of style, & she's super creative. Her studio is full of her artwork & personal knick knacks - it's so quaint I never care if I have to hang out in the waiting room. I haven't ever been devoted to someone who cuts hair, but after I met with her for the first time, I was a devotee. Plus she's also the only hairdresser I've met who understands that "butch" does not mean a man cut. Anyway, she's just had a baby so I wanted to give her something special for a shower gift. Enter these adorable onesies. 

Before picking this project, Heather asked her sister (a mother herself) what was most useful during the first few months of motherhood. She said she was most grateful to have swaddling cloths & onesies with mitten cuffs.
I know very little about babies, but apparently they have super sharp fingernails & can scratch themselves easily, so covering their little hands helps keep them safe. I combined Heather's sister's suggestion with my hairdresser's personal interests & came up with this gift idea. 

These onesies were stenciled exactly like the tea towels I did last month. The only difference was putting a piece of cardboard inside each onesie to prevent paint from transferring to the backside of the garment. When stenciling remember to go slow & to use dabbing motions when applying the paint. Don't forget to heat set! Check out the full stenciling tutorial here.

Oh, my hairdresser is a huge Archer fan, so I had to include a quote. The new baby is apparently super sassy, so hopefully it's fitting. 

xoxo,
-m.e.

Related // Need more baby shower gift ideas? Crochet a baby's blanket.

diy weekly planner (+ free template!)

Happy New Year, everyone! I can hardly believe the holiday season is over - it was a hectic one this time around. The last of my family went home this weekend, & everything is falling back into a normal routine again.  Even though I'm sad to see the holidays go, I'm eager to start a fresh, new year. While last year was declared the year of saving, I'm still working on a good theme for 2015. I definitely want the focus to be on growth, organization & improvement. Either way I'm in need of a planner. Since it's the beginning of a new year, I've made this weekly planner template available for download so you can make a planner of your own. If saving money is one of your resolutions, don't fret - I made this planner with materials I already had on hand. 

To DIY up some organization, you'll need: 

• Calendar template (click to download)
• Binder clips
• Needle & thread (sew by machine or by hand)
• A piece of cardboard (12 x 9")
• X-acto knife
• Hot glue
• Washi tape
• Paper, fabric, stickers - anything you want to use to decorate your planner

Step 1 - Create the Inserts // Print fourteen copies of the calendar template, double-sided. Next, make three piles of pages; one pile will have five pages, the second will have five, & the third will have four. Fold each pile in half, creating a crease down the middle. Clamp each pile together with binder clips, & sew a line up the crease in the middle (you can sew by hand or by machine). You will end up with three inserts. 

Step 2 - Create the Cover // Cut a piece of cardboard that is 12" wide & 9" tall. Sketch out the spine by drawing two lines up the middle at the 5.75" & 6.25" mark (making the spine 1/2 inch wide). Score the lines using an x-acto knife (when scoring only cut into the front of the cardboard, leaving the back intact. This will allow the cover to bend at the spine). 

Step 3 - Attach the Inserts // Clamp your three "booklets" together with the sewn edges lining up. Glue the sewn edges of the inserts to the middle of the cardboard. Make sure glue doesn't run down the sides or in-between the pages. Let glue completely dry.

Step 4 - Cover the Edges // Run washi tape around the sides & the spine of the cardboard to cover the rough edges. 

Step 5 - Decorate! // Cover your planner with paper, stickers, fabric - whatever materials you want. I glued different scrapbook pages to the inside & outside covers using rubber cement, then stuck gold stickers to the cover. Use colors & shapes that you enjoy so that you'll be excited & eager to use your planner. Resolutions are easier to keep when you're excited about them! 

Do you have any resolutions for 2015? 

xoxo,
-m.e.

Font credit goes to marsnev!

Related // Need to jumpstart your organization? Make an earring booklet.