Thoughtful Thursday – Last Minute Ideas To Save the (Holi)Day!

Put on that antler headband, and beat the bah-humbugs with our list of last minute holiday cheer!

Christmas is less than a week away, and yuletide is upon us. If you haven’t made your home festive (or you want to add some extra,) or if you just haven’t been able to come up with gifts for you friends, neighbors, or that relative that’s really hard to shop for, here are some last minute ideas to make your season merry and bright. (Click on the images for more info.)

Easy Decorations:

 

This has to be the prettiest, simplest tree I can imagine. Outline with lights and add paper cutouts of stars (or snowflakes!)

Speaking of snowflakes, here are some beautiful patterns to use!

 

Make an inexpensive outdoor star decoration with yard sticks.

 

Forego the can of fake snow, and break out your glue gun instead!

Free Printables:

Buddy the Elf printable.

 

 

Holiday subway art printable.

“Noel” banner printable.

 

Forget the expensive wrapping supplies. Use magazine or newspaper, plus these cute printable tags.

Quick Gifts:

An adorable gift for the women in your life!

A natural home fragrance that smells like the holidays. A great gift for the neighbors!

 

What tween or teen girl wouldn’t love some pretty lip gloss in their stocking?

 

Whip up a big batch of this manly smelling shaving cream, and divide into small containers for a great gift. Add a straight razor (and print out a good how-to) for a gift the guys will use all year!

Of course, don’t forget our giveaway to enter to win this gift-able handmade necklace:

 

Share the Love,

Chelsea

 

Pinteresting People – 5 Pinners to Follow

It’s easy to sign onto Pinterest and quickly fall down the rabbit hole of beautiful images, yummy recipes, DIY projects, wedding planning, kid activities, crafts, fashion, funny quotes, and cute animals! Needless to say, there are plenty of interesting (or “Pinteresting”) people to follow, but if you’re looking for some new content, here’s a list of some of our favorite Pinners.

Etsy Fort Worth – Ok, so we may be a teensy bit biased here, but, really, our team pins some awesome stuff. There’s everything from member items for sale to DIY and craft projects to fun themed boards like “Sweet Nostalgia.” Who doesn’t love pictures of The Muppets and Bob Barker? While you’re there, you can follow individual members from our team by looking to see who’s pinned some of the content.

Offbeat Home & Life – Ever heard of Offbeat Bride, the awesomely wacky site for all things nuptially related? If you haven’t checked out their sister site’s pins, do not passgo! Even if you don’t think you’re “offbeat enough,” trust me – you are. You will love Ariel and her team of weirdos, and they will love you back.

Alison Erion – I have no idea who Alison is, but if you love vintage and antique fashion (among other things, like sewing, quilting, and homesteading) she is one lady to follow!

Tiinia Auler – Tiinia has become a good friend of ours, and she happens to be a fabulous makeup artist in the DFW area! She pins some of the most gorgeous makeup and fashion inspiration, and some of the most bizarre and beautiful images. I see something excited and new from her every day.

Stephanie Robot Pop – Stephanie pins some of the most colorful and geekerific things I’ve seen, and I love it! Follow her and add some sunshine and rainbows to your day.

Of course, you can also follow us, if you haven’t already! Our business account, LoveAndEyeballs, is full of Etsy fun and what inspires us, or you can follow me personally here.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Happy National Earth Month!

Happy Earth Month, everyone! I’m so glad to see that the earth-friendly living “trend” isn’t just a trend anymore, and that people are taking notice how much we affect the earth around us. A large part of our business is reusing and repurposing the old into new items to make a positive ecological impact.

The other day on my other blog, Chelsea, Like England, I wrote a post about easy upcycling projects you can do around the house as you do your spring cleaning.

I received an email today from Michaels with lists of re-useful projects, including fashion, furniture, decor, and even a block party idea to celebrate Earth Day. They’re also teaming up with American Forests to plant trees with just a simple text.

Just a few days ago, I reposted this pledge on our mission’s Facebook page, encouraging our students to pick up ten pieces of trash each Tuesday. This works anywhere, of course, not just on a college campus, and it’s a great way to celebrate Earth Month way beyond April.

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Chelsea

We’re officially on Pinterest!

Even though we’ve had personal accounts for a while now (you can find me here and mom here,) we just registered for our very own business account today!

Seeing as we have two Etsy shops, I combined our shop names (as I did on Deviantart) and went with “LoveAndEyeballs.”  We’ll pin our own creations, vintage and antique finds, DIY projects, and feature other Etsy sellers and small businesses, of course. Follow us here.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Make It Monday – A Cheap, In-Home Art Installment

Hey guys, it’s good to be back! The break has been great so far, and I’ve also gotten a lot done.

I was browsing through design*sponge’s DIY section (again) when I stumbled on the clothespin mirror that had caught my eye before.

Click here for the mirror tutorial!

I’ve always had a fascination with the simplicity of design in utilitarian things like clothespins and paper clips. We didn’t necessarily need another mirror in the apartment, although I looked for one just in case, so I decided to create a funky art installment in the newly empty entryway (RIP Bandit & Rogue, our little mischevious rats.) After buying about 150 clothespins for $4 at Dollar Tree, I came home and grabbed some steel wire I already had lying around. If you don’t have steel wire just “lying around,” you can pick a spool up at a hardware store for a few dollars. Then, I created circular shapes with the wire and covered the shapes in hot-glued clothespins. Et viola! A less-than-ten-dollar, funky, retro collection of what looks to me like clothespin “bubbles” in mid-pop.

The first of a collection of clothespin "bubbles."

They’re not perfect, but I like them. I can’t wait to add a few more (I still have clothespins left,) wrapping onto the adjoining wall. By the way, aren’t our cinderblocks just lovely? The brown plastic baseboards add a nice touch, I think. 😉 Hence the attempt to warm things up a bit and make the place feel like home! This is a great, quick, weekend or evening project that you can do by yourself or easily get kids involved.

Tell me what you think – do you/would you use office supplies to decorate your place?

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Make It Monday – Easy Sharpie-sy!

Sharpie Lamborghini Gallardo by Jona Cerwinske

So, recently I saw a “DIY shower curtain,” which consisted of a white shower curtain and a black permanent marker. So, I thought to myself, “Self, you could do that! And you wouldn’t have to pay $30 for it.”

Apparently, the trend is catching on. Take a look at this super simple slipcover idea from Fresh Home Ideas . The same technique (known as “doodling”) can be applied to just about anything you want: curtains, lampshades, tablecloths, cotton rugs, stationary, plastic cups, the fish tank, the car … seriously, you could have an entire matching set of customized textiles on the cheap. I think this could be a great idea for kids, too (just be sure to be clear that while a pillow is okay, the walls are a no-no!) The possibilities are literally endless – if you can doodle on it, it’s fair game. So, buy the multipack of colored – or metallic – Sharpies and go nuts!

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Treasure Tuesday – The “Normal” Life

Dear readers,

I didn’t think I would be away from you for so long! I hope you all had wonderful holidays, and that your new year has started well. It’s been since before Christmas that I blogged anything, and there’s so much to tell you!

We’ve moved into the new apartment (almost completely) and are settling in here at the Tri-C (Christian Campus Center.) Today is the first day of classes, so I’m interested to see what it’s like now that the building will have people inside. We’re connected to the coffee and tea house, so the apartment should smell delicious at all times, and there will always be something for me to do, should I need something to do. So far, I have revamped 2 message boards in the building, reorganized/picked up the large bible class and study room, rearranged the billiards room, restocked the pantry with 2 loads of food, and restocked and rearranged all of the tea in the cafe.

Now I’d like to get the apartment decorated, since we plan on having company on a regular basis. In fact, we’ve already had company over at least half as many times as we did at the old apartment. Moving in was no easy feat – the place was in pretty grimy shape. So, after lots of scrubbing, we only need the shower head replaced, the tub caulked, the ceiling in the bath fixed, some ceiling tiles replaced, our oven coil replaced (it tried to light itself on fire!) and the office needs a fresh coat of paint. It looks like a BMX rider tried to do tricks off the wall in there. I’ll post pictures as I make progress on the place!

Next, Mom is moving, too – into our old apartment, conveniently. So, it will just be 2 months of one giant move for us. Lots of lifting with the legs, my friends. I can’t wait to move her stuff this weekend, and then have a giant estate/moving sale the next. I love a good estate sale – especially when it’s your own and you can purge your life of “stuff.”

Now, on to the treasure! Thanks to these wonderful curators for including our jewelry and (one of our newest items) an antique Tennyson collection:

Read A Good Book Lately? by fleachic

Harmony, Serenity, and Beauty by bohemienneivy

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Chelsea

Thoughtful Thursday – Beating the Hustle, Bustle, and Holiday Blues

Bah Humbug Greeting Card Set by SimplyInvitingCards

It’s almost inevitable: you’re excited about the holidays the week before Thanksgiving, and it all goes downhill after Black Friday. You’re sick of the Christmas music, the commercials, the crowds, the endless scramble for gifts. You just want to lock yourself in the house with leftovers until the new year. Unless you’ve mastered the art of not freaking out during the holidays, you may not realize that it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some tips for keeping the rest of your holidays merry and bright:

1.  Reconsider the gifts. If you have a huge family, do gifts “secret Santa” style, where everyone draws one name from the hat, and gets a gift or two for that person only; you can also try just giving gifts to the kids. If it’s too late for that, get or make gifts in bulk. Everyone likes food, so if it’s already a tradition to bake goodies this time of year, make a bunch of them, wrap them with a little ribbon, and give them to friends and family. If you must go shopping, try getting all of your gifts in one or two places, plan the best route, or shop online. Another option is the “trading” system. For example, this year, I babysat a friend’s kids in exchange for an Avon order. I didn’t have to go to a store, and I enjoyed watching the kids! If you’ve already gotten your gifts taken care of (good for you!) consider one of these options next year.

2. Remember the reason for the season. Everyone knows it’s not about the gifts and decorations, but it’s easy to forget. By simplifying the gift-giving with the examples above, and accepting the fact that not everything will go according to plan, you can concentrate on spending time with your family and friends and reflecting on what the season is really about.

3. Take time to really give. Volunteer your time. It’s likely that there’s a local shelter near you – a veterans’ shelter, an animal shelter, a women’s shelter … find a cause that’s close to your heart, and spend some time helping out this season. Despite what you think, you do have time. It will remind you of the reason for the season, and how true the old saying is: “It is better to give than to receive.”

4. Take some time for yourself. It doesn’t mean a day at the spa, or a day dedicated to the golf course (but if you have the time, go for it!) It just means taking fifteen minutes out of your day to do nothing, to read, to take a bubble bath, or pray or meditate. It also means taking care of yourself! Be sure to exercise – do something as simple as going for a brisk walk – and eat as well as you can. If you’re responsible for preparing a dish, make sure it’s chock-full of veggies, fruit, or try a healthier version of an old standard. Keep indulgence portions small, and you’ll be grateful for your waistline and sanity later.

Finally, on a more serious note, if you know you struggle with depression around this time of year – it’s super common and you are not alone – find a counselor or support group to help get you through. The holidays can be really rough if you’ve lost someone you love, moved away from home, or had another big event in your life happen around these few months. That plus the lack of daylight hours and the expectations of the holidays can really bring you down. Be honest with your family and friends that you’re having a hard time, and let them know what they can do to help, even if it’s just to quit asking “Are you OK?”

Merry Christmas and happy new year!

Share the Love,

Chelsea