DIY bejewelled flip flops

20 March 2013

I originally bought a pair of five dollar flip flops so I could make these.

But then I realized that fickle me would take forever to find the perfect fabric to match the flip flops. So in the end, I just decided to go with something simpler (in terms of having to make fewer decisions, haha) and bejewelled my flip flops.

I didn’t photograph the entire process but it’s quite straightforward, really.

Supplies:

Glue gun (or UHU glue)
Glue sticks for your glue gun
Newspaper (so the glue doesn’t drip onto your work surface)
Inexpensive flip flops
Jewels (I got these from my local sewing store. And if jewels are too loud for you, you can try beads or buttons.)

Steps:

Turn on the glue gun and allow time for it to heat up (mine took about five minutes).
While waiting, decide on the placement of the jewels on your flip flops.
Working quickly, apply glue on the flip flop and adhere the jewel (be careful of your fingers as you do that because the glue is hot!)
Wait for the glue to dry.
And violá! You’re all ready to show off your pretty new flip flops!

Note: I found the jewels loosening and falling off after a couple days, which I wasn’t counting on happening since I thought the glue gun would help them hold pretty well. But I just re-attached them with UHU liquid glue, which may be a better option for this project.

I still think the original idea was really cute. Maybe I’ll try it someday when I find the perfect fabric and some inexpensive flip flops. I think I’m well-prepared for springtime and warm weather with my bejewelled flip flops and mint green nails (: My feet are definitely comfy and happy in these flip flops.

21 recipes // salted fudge brownies

16 March 2013

Slowly, but surely, I’m catching up on all these overdue posts.

I made these salted fudge brownies at the end of February. I am no bake-expert, but I am quite convinced that the secret to a good fudgy moist brownie is melting the chocolate and mixing it in the batter. Seriously good.

I may have been a little too stingy with the sea salt, but these remind me of another fudgy brownie recipe that I constantly go back to.

Forgive me that mine don’t quite look like the original post but we were in a hurry to start eating so this will have to suffice. And we had ours with roasted almond ice-cream – a really yummy way to end dinner.

You can follow the link and drool over these delicious brownies (:

11 down, 10 to go.

21 projects / DIY ring holder

13 March 2013

I was looking for DIY projects for the 21 list when I stumbled across this DIY ring holder. While I’m really not a big ring wearer, I immediately thought of my friend who was. Funny thing was that she was just telling me the other day that she needed a way to store her ring collection. So this was pretty perfect (:

I just followed the comprehensive instructions on this super easy DIY and it came together in a flash.

I covered a box with patterned paper just to pretty it up and covered the edges with washi tape. The only step I skipped from the original DIY was covering the felt with additional lace or cloth after rolling the felt and gluing them together.

(This is proof of how many rings I have, and even fewer that I actually wear, ha.)

And my sweet friend so kindly sent me a photo of all her rings displayed so nicely in the box.

Easy, practical DIYs are always a plus, for sure.
2 down, 19 to go.

21 recipes / sweet + savory

9 February 2013

While things have been quiet around here, I’ve been busy in the kitchen. Trying new recipes is still one of my favorite parts of this 21 list (: If you try any of these recipes, let me know how you like them!

I made the first three recipes last month (so overdue, I know), and the cinnamon oat pancakes this morning.

Cajun Chicken Pasta from skinnytaste.com

This pasta was a huge hit. I think the combination of meat, mushrooms, and vegetables made this really yummy altogether. I substituted spaghetti for linguine. And I didn’t have any Cajun seasoning on hand so I made my own from this recipe mix. I may or may not have left out a couple of the spices but it was still delicious. While there’s plenty of knife skills involved in this one, I’m definitely making it again one of these days.

Beef Stroganoff from imbreannarose.com

Although the recipe calls for egg noodles or rice, I went back to good old spaghetti because that’s what everyone in this house likes. Check out the handy PDF print-out at the end for your recipe collection!

Chunky Apple Muffins from MarthaStewart.com

These are a great pick-me-up when you need breakfast on the go or an afternoon snack. And they were gone before I knew it. Green apples + walnuts in a muffin are pretty much a blue-ribbon combination.

Cinnamon-oat pancakes from MarthaStewart.com

I love having pancakes for breakfast on Saturday mornings. This simple hearty recipe incorporates oats into the batter so you get your dose of healthy! Drizzle some maple syrup and add a couple of banana slices and you have the perfect way to kick-start the weekend (:

10 down, 11 to go.
You can find my other 21 recipes here.

21 projects / DIY washi tape keyboard

17 January 2013

I was looking around on the Internet when I spotted this pretty washi tape-covered keyboard. Very quickly, I googled “DIY washi tape keyboard” and had so many links come up on how to make this happen.

Following instructions from Her New Leaf, Karla Dudley, and Design Aglow (which pretty much all say the same thing), I picked out six of my favorite washi tapes and started on this DIY. My keyboard was covered in a couple of hours and I pretty much love the result.

The neat thing about washi tape is that it’s translucent and easily removable so I don’t have to worry about my laptop keys being ruined if/when I decide to take out the tape. And I can still see what letters and symbols are on each key so my typing doesn’t get messed up.

The only step I skipped was cleaning my keyboard with rubbing alcohol because I was (kinda) in a hurry to try this and didn’t have any rubbing alcohol around the house. Instead, I used a brush to clean out any dirt and wiped down my keys with a wet wipe. Also, my keyboard is normally covered by a silicone protector so I figured I could skip the first step. If your keyboard isn’t protected, I’d go ahead with the first step and use rubbing alcohol to get rid of any oil and dirt.

I would definitely recommend snipping the four corners before sticking the washi on because it certainly helps with it adhering to the keys. By the time I got done covering all the keys, some of the first few keys already had the washi tape curling up. So I’m guessing this DIY might not last too long. But I went ahead and put my silicone protector back on my laptop keys. Hopefully, that helps this project to last awhile longer.

Nonetheless, I love the pops of color on my laptop now and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

I love washi tape and I love a good DIY project. If you try this project, let me know how yours turns out!

the 21 list / eat fruits everyday for a month.

28 December 2012

I am certainly not averse to fruits. I actually really love them. But I just don’t find myself eating them as much/often as I should. Thus, this thought came up for the 21 list.

And as the 21 list dictates, I ate fruits every day for a month from October 10th to November 9th. As the way things usually go with things like these, the first few days started out pretty strong. But I had to consciously remind myself to get my daily intake of fruits in the days following.

So this one’s off the list! And it was a pretty fun one. Fruits are such a healthy snack and my body definitely benefited from all the vitamins + nutrients. I’m going to try keeping this up, for sure.

I hope your Christmas was amazingggg; enjoy whatever is left of 2012 while it lasts!

21 recipes / first six.

20 December 2012

I’m so behind on blogging all the fun stuff I’ve been doing lately. But hopefully, I’ll get to it soon enough.

First up, here’s SIX new recipes for the 21 list. Last year, I tried 20 new recipes and loved it. So this year, I made 21 recipes a part of the 21 list again.

A couple months back, I made these sloppy joes – so easy and a total hit.

These sandwiches make a pretty good lunch, for sure.

Nutella, for the win. Always.

Nothing like these muffins to get you into fall mood – yummmyyyy.

The creaminess of chocolate and peanut butter with a sprinkling of sea salt are pretty much the perfect combination in this cookie.

I was so worried that this cheesecake would just be a flop. But it turned out to be amazing in the end – so good.

6 down, 15 to go.

P.S. Forgive the weird white borders around the photos; not sure what happened there!

the 21 list

9 September 2012

image source

So here it is, the *official* twenty-one list!

1. Document my life at 21. (Project Life, here I come!)

2. Make 21 DIY projects.

3. Get onto the dean’s list at school.

4. Try 21 new recipes.

5. SAVE MONEY.

6. Visit a museum.

7. Buy one outfit online.

8. Read at least one book a month.

9. Participate in at least 2 runs.

10. Go on a picnic.

11. Spend a day at the park.

12. Cook more Chinese food.

13. Write at least 5 thank you cards.

14. Eat fruit at least once a day for a whole month.

15. Keep a running log of distances I run each month.

16. Wear only glasses every day for a whole week.

17. Take pictures with and develop photos from a disposable camera.

18. Learn 300 new vocabulary words.

19. Not spend money for a month.

20. Have a baking date/tea party.

21. Happy surprise someone.

—

Some of these are from the twenty list – they were so good I had to do them again.

Others, well, truth be told, doing some of those things on the list scare me, like not knowing if I’ll actually get them done. But I guess life is all about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, yes?

After all, twenty-one is bound to be pretty memorable with all these things to keep me busy (:

Twenty-one, you’re going to be good.