Browsing Tag

gold

Food, Shopping

The Gold Bar

1. Pigeon & Poodle coasters // 2. Marchesa by Lenox old fashioned glasses // 3. West Elm bar tool set // 4. Yukiwa gold-plated cocktail shaker // 5. The Fowndry pineapple cup // 6. Indigo gold rim glasses // 7. Houzz corkscrew // 8. Kate Spade cocktail shaker // 9. Pigeon & Poodle ice bucket // 10. Chairish drink stirrers // 11. Douglas and Bec bottle opener // 12. Sears ice bucket // 13. Godinger gold julep cup // 14. Houzz bottle opener

In a gilded tribute to my magpie tendencies, today’s round-up is all about the new gold standard for barware. From midcentury-inspired glitter swizzle sticks to hammered gold ice buckets and 14-karat-ringed Champagne coupes, I can’t stop shopping for all gold everything when it comes to drinking paraphernalia. Perhaps it’s because I’ve run completely out of cabinet space, so every new purchase has to be display worthy. Or perhaps it’s just that I really, really like the warm sheen of gold. Either way, I’m sold on those gilt pineapple cups and I’d be shocked if you aren’t, too.

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May 13, 2016 by Hannah

Accessories, DIY

DIY Floral Headband

When I was a wee lass, I looked forward to Easter every year for the joyous celebrations and the candy-filled baskets, yes, but what I also treasured a certain wardrobe-expanding tradition: the purchase of an Easter outfit including a pastel dress, white gloves and a hat to match. I lovingly referred to this corresponding accessory as my Easter bonnet and I absolutely could not wait to don it come Sunday morning.

As I grew older, the Easter baskets remained but the tradition of the Easter bonnet faded away. This year I decided to bring that tradition back with a little twist. Instead of a big straw hat with the flower-embellished front flipped up as ’90s style dictated, I decided to go with a more modern, albeit ’70s-inspired floral headband. Sans spray paint dry time, this DIY floral headband took about five minutes to put together, but it adds a whole bunch of gilt glamour to any Easter Sunday look, whether you plan on heading to a sunrise service or a deviled egg-filled brunch.

For this project, you’ll need the following:
• metallic gold spray paint
• gold headband
• wire-stem flowers
• needlenose pliers

1. Use foil-finish gold spray paint to cover each flower with at least two coats so the flowers have a metallic sheen.

2. Once the flowers are completely dry, after about an hour, hold the first flower just above the center of the headband and wrap the wire stem tightly around the headband. Working from the right, do the same with the next two flowers, making sure they’re nice and snug up against each other. Repeat on the left side.

3. Use the pliers to secure any ends that are poking out and pick out your finest Easter dress to pair your headband with.

Linking up with Sydney Fashion Hunter.

March 24, 2016 by Hannah

Clothing, Shopping, Style

Golden Girl

Dress: Forever 21 (old, similar shown below) // Earrings: Forever 21 (old, similar) // Jacket: Forever 21 (old, similar) // Watch: Michael Kors (similar) // Bracelet: Julie Vos // Bag: (old, similar) // Shoes: Nine West (old, similar)

When I painted myself a mental picture of the life I would lead in Iowa, it did not include red carpets. But wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly where I found myself last weekend: getting my picture taken at a movie premier in downtown Cedar Rapids (hello, big-city living). Thanks to one of my coworkers who played a very convincing Elf #4 in the family-friendly, locally made masterpiece Up on the Wooftop, I finally had the opportunity to get all dressed up in this little gold number (originally purchased as part of a Bond girl Halloween costume and heretofore hanging forlornly at the back of my closet, waiting to be worn in earnest).

I would absolutely love it if there were more movie premiers in my future, but as that’s not currently the case, I guess I’ll have to settle for some dressed-up holiday parties. As evidenced by my aforementioned love of Goldfinger and my choice of premier garb, I’m a big fan of the gilded look. Thankfully, the fact that the ’70s redux is now in full swing coupled with the fact that it’s the season of all things shiny and bright means that gold dresses abound. From the short and sequined to the strappy and wrapped, there’s a golden dress with your name on it. But just be warned: you might be stopped for an autograph the first time you take one of these 14-karat frocks out for a spin.

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November 23, 2015 by Hannah

DIY

DIY Friendship Bracelet Hand Charm

I love a good arm party, and goodness knows I have a sizable collection of golden rings, so anything that combines the two is more than okay in my book. I’ve been eyeing this BaubleBar hand chain and this hand lariat from Nordstrom for awhile, so I decided to try my hand at combining the hand chain silhouette with a colorful friendship bracelet for a sparkly, summery statement piece.

For this project, you’ll need the following:
• embroidery thread
• a small length of delicate chain
• a small length of curb chain
• rhinestone cup chain
• jump rings
• lobster claw clasp
• plain gold ring
• square pronged connector
• needle-nose pliers
• sewing needle

1. Start by making your friendship bracelet. I decided on a chevron pattern using five different colors, which determined the width of the bracelet. Here’s a good tutorial if you didn’t go to camp and are therefore not familiar with the art of friendship bracelet-making. Don’t forget to leave extra string on the ends so we can finish them neatly.

2. Now that we have the base bracelet made, all we have to do is add on to it. I started by cutting a length of curb chain that was exactly as long as the friendship bracelet. Then, I simply tacked it onto one side of the bracelet using a whip stitch. You can see these stitches in the photos (using turquoise thread).

3. Next we will add our rhinestone chain to the top of the bracelet. For this step, I simply tacked on the chain using little stitches across the chain in between the rhinestones. The nice thing about sewing onto a friendship bracelet is that the pattern hides stitches pretty well, so you don’t have to be too careful. If you look really hard, you can see these red stitches in the photos.

4. Once we have our bracelet assembled, it’s time to finish the ends. Make sure both sides are tied off nicely and trim any excess thread. Then, dab a little bit of super glue into your square connector, place the knotted end into the finding and hold for about 30 seconds until the glue has somewhat set. To finish, simply use your pliers to fold the prongs down, tightly secure the knots.

5. After the glue has dried completely, use a jump ring to add the clasp of your choosing to one side of the bracelet and a jump ring or extender to the other.

6. Now it’s time to connect the pieces. First, measure the length between your wrist and where the ring will sit on your finger and cut a chain to this length. For reference, mine was about four inches.

7. Add a small jump ring to either side of the chain, and attach one end to the curb chain on the bracelet and the other end to the ring.

8. Style alone for a simple statement, or layer up with a stack of colorful bangles!

June 2, 2015 by Hannah Cross

Accessories, On the Cheapish

Cheat Sheet: Gold Coin Jewelry

Julie Vos // Kenneth Jay Lane
Julie Vos // Nasty Gal

I’ve been admiring Julia’s gold coin pendant for quite awhile, so I finally clicked through one of her blog posts to find that she sells this very necklace in the Lemon Stripes store. But as much as I love it, I’m not ready to shell out over $150 for it. So I went on the hunt for a more affordable alternative. I can’t wait to add these Kenneth Jane Lane and Nasty Gal pieces to my costume jewelry collection for some gilded, gypsy-inspired flair.

May 16, 2014 by Hannah Cross