A Beautiful Mess

Make Your Own Clay Ornaments

Just in time for the holidays!  Kelli Murray shows us how to make your own ornaments and gift tags using oven bake clay!

Supplies: Sculpey oven bake clay, rolling pin, bakers twine, paint (I only used black), cookies cutters, paint pen and paint brushes.  (Not pictured: a straw)

Begin by rolling out your clay into a thin, even sheet (about 5/8" thick).  Using your cookie cutters, cut out shapes in different sizes.  I decided to just use circles but you can use any cookie cutter shape you have in your cupboard!

Next, poke holes in the tops of all your ornaments using a straw.

Bake according to the directions on the package.  If you are using the original Sculpey oven bake clay, it should be on a glass sheet or dish, baking at 275°F for 15 minutes for every ¼ inch of clay thickness.  

After you have baked the clay and let them cool, design to your heart's content!  I originally thought I would use both black and metallic paint but I ended up loving the simplicity of the black paint alone on the clay.  Some I painted with black acrylic paint, and others that required a finer line I used an extra fine point paint pen.  I then finished the ornaments with bakers twine.

The smaller sized ornaments work great as personalized gift tags on a gift box.  And the larger ones are perfect for decorating your Christmas tree! If you love these ornaments....but would rather just purchase them, Kelli is selling the personalized clay gift tags and the ornaments featured in this post in her etsy shop.  Thanks so much Kelli!

Floral Embroidered Top DIY

We are abosolutely in love with this embroidery DIY that Kelli made for you today! If you've never tried hand embroidery, this is a great project to get started on!First thing's first. Gather your Supplies: embroidery thread, embroidery needle, washable marking pen, embroidery hoop and a basic tee.Step 1. Sketch out a design that works with the silhouette of your tee. Or you can download mine: Download Design-left chest + Download Design-right chest. Print out each side on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Size may need to be adjusted according to the size of your top. The top two flowers closest to the center are meant to overlap, so you know your design is aligned correctly.Step 2. Trace your design onto your garment. You can either use carbon paper or a light box for this. Because I have a light box at home, I decided to go this route. You could also try securing your t-shirt and design on to a window on a bright day. Your design should already be printed out on paper. Place the paper inside your t-shirt, and line up your design exactly where you want the embroidery to sit. Place your top on a light box (or a window) and you will be able to see the entire design through the front side of your top. Using your washable marking pen, trace the design onto the front side of the fabric. (don't worry, the ink will wash away with it's first rinse!)Step 3. Attach your embroidery hoop before you begin stitching. Place the inner ring under the front side of your top where you want to begin stitching. Loosen the tension on the outer ring and place that on top of the inner ring, so your fabric is stretched tightly between them. Tighten the adjustment screw, and you are ready to get started!Step 4. Using an embroidery needle with a large eye, thread your needle with your embroidery thread. You can separate your some of your embroidery floss strands to make your embroidery thinner and more delicate. But I chose to leave them whole, because I like the chunkier look. To start, I did a simple backstitch for the vines. For the fill on the leaves and flowers, I just stitched as I went along, with no exact method.  But I found that making all of my stitches move in the same direction, made the design look much better. Keep working your way through your design, swapping out embroidery colors as you come to them. Every time you are finished with a flower or a particular section of color, make sure to create a knot on the under side before moving on. This will keep it from unraveling in the wash.Step 5. Once you are totally finished with the embroidery, gently rinse your top in cold water to remove the ink from the marking pen.  Throw it in the dryer or hang dry overnight.  Voila!

Thanks so much, Kelli! We love your floral design.

Have any of you tried hand embroidery? What types of projects are your favorites? xo.

5 Ways to Style Socks!

We are so excited for this one! Today Kelli Murray is back to share five cute ways to style socks. Socks can be an intimidating accessory, especially during warm weather months.PATTERN + POP - Socks are an accessory that can spice up any outfit.  With this look, i paired a simple black and white striped dress with a brightly colored ankle sock and heels.  This look might be a little "blah" without the extra pop of pink from my socks and coordinating clutch.  Accessories can go a long way in completing a look!  If you happen to have a fun floral sock, you could do the reverse of what I have done here and pair your patterned sock with a solid dress.ECLECTIC BOHEMIAN - There are a lot of ways you can style a solid black knee high sock....but i decided to take a more unconventional route and turn it bohemian.  Sometimes contradictions in fashion just work! I choose a colorful patterned dress and gypsy like fringe vest to offset my black accessories. Also, secret: wearing black heels with black knee high socks and a mini skirt creates a wonderful illusion of longer legs! Always a bonus, right!?FEMININE MEETS GRUNGE - Socks can be appropriate for an everyday casual look as well.  Here, I wore a ruffled black ankle sock with my favorite oxford flats.  For a day look, oxfords are my number one shoe choice to wear with an ankle sock.  Comfy and cute!  Mixing girly and grunge, I choose to pair a nude pleated skirt with a lace skull tank and military jacket.LACE + LAYERS - I would say this is more of a fall look than anything, but I had to show you a colder weather option to styling socks.....because it is in fact my favorite way to wear them! With boots and lots of layers! It never really gets TOO cold where I live in San Diego, even in the winter months, but for those brisker days, this look is just right.  Have fun and try mixing different textures within your layers.  My loose weave sweater nicely offset my scalloped crochet shorts, and my heathered knit socks worked well with my leather boots and bag.SIMPLE VINTAGE CHIC - Like I mentioned before, one of the easiest ways to wear over the knee socks is with a short hemmed skirt.  If you're not comfortable wearing a short skirt with a bare leg, socks just might be your best friend! Try them with a lace up bootie, patterned skirt, basic blouse and a vintage hat!

Thanks so much Kelli, we love all your sock styling ideas!

5 Ways to Style a White Collared Shirt

Today Kelli Murray is back to share 5 ways to style a white collared shirt. It can be so fun to take a basic piece from your wardrobe and find new and pretty ways to style it!Simple top? Why not have a little fun on the bottom!?  I am loving all of the printed bottoms I am seeing out in the market right now. Are you!?  Floral, ikat, polka dots...I'm loving them all.  Weather you love a bold pattern with lots of color, or you lean toward a more muted and understated look, there is bound to be a style for you.  A simple white collared shirt is the perfect match to your busy bottoms!  I paired my "crazy pants" with a classic black heel, a coordinating bag, gold jewelry and my favorite sunglasses.A sleeveless collared shirt can quickly become elegant by pairing it with a statement collar necklace and a dainty skirt.  I wanted to keep this look classic and refined, so I added simple black accessories.  This is something I would wear to the theatre or on a date night somewhere special!When masculine meets feminine, it's almost always a good thing! (*almost always!) One of my favorite ways to style a collared shirt is with a blazer. To up-play the "masculine" I wore a peach scarf bowtie and felt boater hat. My blousey polka dot shorts are what kept me feeling feminine!  This fun and playful look would be good for almost any celebratory occasion (aside from a wedding probably)! More like a graduation or a birthday party! So if you saw me on the street tomorrow, this is probably what you would see me in! I love comfort (who doesn't, right?) and mixing different textures and fabrics in what I wear.  The beauty of a white collared blouse is that it can morph to suite almost any look, day or night.  For running errands or buzzing around town, I love a good cutoff denim short and textured cardi that I can throw on and off depending on the weather. And loafers....they are the new heel right? I am brainwashing myself to believe that because my feet have been singing their praises. haha.I had to sneak my little lady into this one! My daughter Rylee is in fact the queen of boho in my little world.  Now if only she had hair to braid! *Sigh. One day!  I know it seems odd to mix a collar with a bohemian vibe, but I thought it worked here.  If you want to layer a collared shirt under a dress, a good rule of thumb is to make sure your dress is somewhat structured and has a high neckline.  That way, you're collar almost seems part of your dress, or at least compliments it. My embroidered mini dress and platform flats did just the trick! 

 

(And in case you were wondering, that faint purple hue in my hair is the last of what remains of my purple hair experiment with my sister!)

 

Thanks so much Kelli, we love all these cute styling ideas! xo. elsie and emma