November 18, 2013
November DIYs
Click on each image to go to the project.
All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
November 15, 2013
Happy Weekend
01/ Last Supper, notebook illustrations of characters sitting down for a meal.
02/ The Gooyesh Language Institute in Iran is made entirely of letters!
03/ Door to Hell is an aptly named crater in Turkmenistan that’s been burning for 40 years.
04/ The super expressive face of Jazzy the border collie.
05/ The art of smoke bombs and fireworks.
06/ Athlete compares the vastly different body types of Olympic athletes.
07/ Sad/creepy abandoned Santa parks of the world.
08/ Bring the beach indoors with this incredible surfboard table and benches!
09/ A super fun play net creates a kids’ reading level in a library.
10/ Party cheat sheets full of infographics for holiday event planning.
This week on Design Crush:
Listen to November’s Mix #30: I’m Waiting Here.
Plenty of 2014 calendars for you to choose from in Part 2 + Part 3 of our roundups.
Get a head start on your holiday entertaining with this fantastic giveaway from B by Brandie!
Sweater weather is here and we’ve shared 12 of our favorites.
I’m not hosting this year, but here’s my imaginary Thanksgiving 2013!
These Leaf Rugs also double as blankets.
Crazy layered acrylic paintings from Yago Hortal.
It’s time to think about advent calendar prep – here are 14 that are great!
November 14, 2013
Advent Calendar Prep
After yesterday’s imaginary Thanksgiving festivities it’s time to look a bit ahead and talk advent calendars, one of my favorite holiday traditions! Did you grow up with the daily anticipation of one? I think I’ve had every kind under the sun and moon, so we’re sharing a variety of handmade and store-bought because sometimes making your own just isn’t feasible. (Especially with Thanksgiving falling so late in the month this year!) I’m thinking of going a bit non-traditional this year with one of the candle versions, I always have one burning and love the idea it.
ROW 1: Advent Calendar – Ferm Living // Advent Calendar Votive Set – Terrain // Printable Pyramid Advent Calendar – A Subtle Revelry ROW 2: DIY Advent Calendar – Living at Home Handmade // All Shapes and Sizes Countdown Calendar – The Land of Nod // DIY Advent Calendar – Inspired to Share ROW 3: Advent in a Jar – Poppytalk // DIY Advent Pack – Lapin & Me ROW 4: Modern Advent Calendar Printable – J Hill Design // Paris Advent Calendar – Nouveau Designs // Vintage Style Advent Calendar – vontagemodernmix ROW 5: Present Countdown Calendar – The Land of Nod // Advent Candle – Blackballoon // Printable Advent Calendar – Ordinarily Aimee
Posted In christmas, holidays
November 13, 2013
My (Imaginary) Thanksgiving 2013
I’m a planner by nature. As a 10 year old I drew floor plans for fun and throughout school rewrote notes to relax. NERD ALERT! Now I love that planning is a part of running Design Crush, and there’s not much I love more than planning a good dinner party – real or imagined! (You can see Thanksgiving 2012 right here.)
THE COCKTAILS
Pomegranate + Blackberry Lemondrop
Spiced Amaretto Apple Cider Kiss
Satsuma and Pomegranate Campari
THE APPS
Oven Baked Camembert with Honey Roasted Figs
Zucchini Chips
Sweet Onion Crack Dip
THE DECOR
Colossal Golden Wishbone
DIY Laurel Wreath
Mini Brass Square Candle Houses
Gold Glitter Garland
Solid Brass Coasters
Thanksgiving Banner
THE TABLE
Castle Peak Dinnerware
Arrow & Adobe Linen Napkins
Aueux Carving Set
Enchanted Ikat Table Runner
French Paddle
Graphic Pitcher
Industrial Inspired Metal Candle Holders
Mercury Glass Taper Holders
Metallic Print Glassware Set
Rose Gold Flatware
Rose Gold Salad Set
DIY Rosemary Wreath Place Cards
DINNER
Acorn Squash and Pancetta Soup
Autumn Arugula Salad
Caramelized Coconut Butter Apples
Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
Citrus and Herb Roasted Turkey
Herbed Bread and Cherry Cranberry Stuffing
Honey Maple Beer Bread
Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts Slaw
Pumpkin Sage Polenta
DESSERT
Greek Style Pumpkin Pie
Honey & Whiskey Apple Tarts
Maple Pudding Cakes
November 7, 2013
Holiday Dresses
Cherie Dress – Anthropologie // Dutchess Satin Skater Dress – TOPSHOP // Love Shift Dress – ASOS
It’s that time of year! Plenty of dinners with family, plenty of parties with friends, and plenty of outfits necessary to make the whole season go off without a hitch. I prefer at least one dress that’s super versatile and can be changed up in a big way with the right accessories and footwear, and a maybe a second that’s a statement on its own.
Texture Range Shift – Anthropologie // the Narie – M.M. LaFleur // Well Fancy That Dress – ModCloth
Soutache Swirl Dress – Anthropologie // Leather-Center Studded Dress – Michael Kors // Premium Draw Waist Dress – TOPSHOP
Amalie Dress – Anthropologie // Aurous Anniversary Dress – ModCloth // Apiece Apart Talia Vest Dress – MILLE
Posted In christmas, holidays, round up, thanksgiving, wear it
November 1, 2013
Happy Weekend
01/ Skeleton Horse wins for best Halloween costume!
02/ A suspended bicycle roundabout over a highway in the Netherlands.
03/ Insane pumpkin arrangements make up the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.
04/ A beautiful old church was converted into a beautiful new bookstore.
05/ Loving this Day of the Dead sugar skull wallpaper!
06/ This cabin was built with $500 of repurposed windows!
07/ Shotgun shells are used to create beautiful mosaics.
08/ These PyroPet candles melt down to metal skeletons!
09/ A loving husband documented his wife’s battle with breast cancer.
10/ Camila Carlow sculpts human organs from foraged fauna.
This week on Design Crush:
Five of my favorite prints in Prints: October Edition.
Two fantastic new tile designs – Wave and Picket.
Inspired illustrations from Laia Arqueros.
I love sending pre-holiday notes, see eight of my favorites in Autumn Hellos.
Support the Humane Society of the United States by purchasing Bloggers Love Cats + Bloggers Love Dogs, two 13-month calendars for charity.
Check out this stunning jewelry collection – Erin Considine AW2013.
I hope you had a Happy Halloween!
Check out my Insta October.
A funny/tragic flip book for adults – Ten Thousand Stories.
October 31, 2013
Happy Halloween!
PHOTO: School for Witches
Happy my favorite day of the year to you! Tonight I’ll be lighting a fire and lots of candles inside the house, playing some (hidden) scary music on the porch, and handing out plenty of candy. And I might wear a witches hat, too.
Posted In halloween, holidays
October 22, 2013
Creating My Holiday Cards with Zazzle
Sponsored by Zazzle.
I’ve always erred on the early side of, well, everything. And holiday cards? Well, they’re no exception. November and December are always straight-up crazy busy in my life, so the sooner I can get my cards done the better. (One year I had them addressed and waiting before Halloween! Only mildly embarrassing in retrospect.)
This year I’ve teamed up with Zazzle to create the perfect holiday card, one that covers all the bases just like I like to do. They have so many customizable options and designs available, it was easy to find something that fit my style. I could have gone with a photo card of my four pets (but they’d never sit still long enough to make that happen) or I could have gone with a shot of my tree from last year (which was exception if I do say so myself), but in the end I opted for this scripted graphic flat that features my favorite holiday phrase from my favorite Christmas song and I couldn’t be happier. I loved going through all of Zazzle‘s color and paper options and choosing just the right thing that my friends and family are sure to flip for come December!
Holidays are made for you at Zazzle. Find cards you’ll covet at http://www.zazzle.com/holiday+
October 15, 2013
All Spooked Up
ROW 1: DIY Crayon Pumpkins // Five Simple Halloween Silhouettes // Boo Banner ROW 2: Skull String Art // DIY Halloween Bottle Labels // DIY Skeleton Wall Hangings ROW 3: Halloween Tall Metal Nut Bowl // Bat Wing Decals ROW 4: Make a Pumpkin Family // Halloween Print Printables // Halloween Cupcake Printables ROW 5: Halloween Fabric Art // Printable Halloween Party Pack // Printable Retro Halloween Paper Puppets ROW 6: Skeleton Passion Handlet // Halloween Shadow Puppets // Skull Pancake Molds
Posted In halloween, holidays
October 2, 2013
Woodland Creatures Masks
With Halloween being just over a month away costumes and disguises are on everyone’s minds. These colorful and creative woodland creatures masks from Keely O’Brien of (kiss me)go are so good (as is her entire shop). Each mask is a print of an original collage made of sturdy card and cotton twine. Choose from a sweet old owl, a galactic wolf, a gentle black bear, a trickster coyote, and an elegant fox.
