DIY: Washi Tape Switchplate

Guys, I have an obsession with washi tape. You know, the colorful rolls of tape that come in every single pattern you can imagine? I've been browsing through Pinterest to find different items to add washi tape on, but I've only decorated my Moleskine notebooks and a swatchplate (which is what this post is about, as you probably already knew) so far. This is the DIY tutorial (by crab + fish) that I followed and it was extremely easy! She even lets you know which direction to fold the tape to keep the design looking neat.

When I was in elementary school, I thought it was super cool to decorate my switchplate with stickers that said "2 COOL!" and "CUL8ER." But I ripped it off one day and never touched it again so it ended up looking like this mess for about three years since I left for college ... yeah, yikes. Good thing I always have nail polish remover in my room, because that removed all the residue very quickly.

Once you have a blank switchplate to work with, you'll only need three things: washi tape, scissors, and a screwdriver.

Everything is super simple; just follow your washi tape pattern and you'll soon get something that should kinda look like this ...

I'm sure you can tell that it's taped a little crookedly, but it's unnoticeable when it's on the wall. It took me less than half an hour and if your mom won't let you chevron a whole wall, might as well just chevron a small part of it ;)

By the way, both of the fonts that I used on my photos were created by Elsie and Emma from A Beautiful Mess! You can find the downloads on this post.

Other social media sites: bloglovin' | instagram | pinterest | twitter

Geometric Bows (and my first free wallpaper download!)

Whenever I don't know what to design, I color a grid. I love order, triangles, and being exact, so bows were the perfect thing to doodle. I was initially going to make a triangle pattern, but I thought this would be more interesting.

I've also turned it digital by altering it and creating a desktop wallpaper, so feel free to download and use it! I used to make a lot of wallpapers with Paint Shop Pro when I was in middle school. Thankfully, there are no traces of them. It was just a whole bunch of text all over the place and honestly, it was really ugly. Thank God that I don't do that anymore :p

I stuck to only two colors for consistency: mint and pink-ish peach. They are currently my two favorite pastel colors. I used Adobe Illustrator and man, that program is magic. I love that it is vector-based, meaning no ugly pixels when re-sizing! (I had to move in into Photoshop though, so it's not as nice now.)

Note: Make sure you click "Download the Original size of this photo" to fit your desktop properly.

{Click here to download the 1280x800 desktop size!}

Enjoy and visit me on these other social media sites: bloglovin' | instagram | pinterest | twitter :)

5: Reasons I Love Handmade Stuff

For someone who says they're into "DIY" projects, you would think I'd have plenty of stuff to share with you guys. But I don't. There are many projects I have planned in here (points to brain), but I have yet to execute them because this is my last week of school for the semester! Meaning the dreaded "F" word ... finals. I have two exams to take and a video to present, but after that, I'll be home free! I just applied for a summer internship, so fingers crossed that I'll be able to do that. It's perfect because it's located in my home city.

Since I have been thinking a lot about DIY projects, here are a couple of artsy handmade pieces (as you can tell by the title) that I have been loving. All of these people are so creative, so I highly recommend you check out their other art pieces and DIY projects!

{girl stretching, laviva beauty 1, laviva beauty 2}

1. Illustrations by Emma Leonard
Anyone can be able to see that Emma spends quality time with each of her pieces. I love that everything is so simple, yet so detailed. I took a drawing class during my senior year of high school and did a horrible job at sketching my portrait, so I know that it takes talent and skill to design works like Emma does!

2. Floral Antlers Necklace Display by A Beautiful Mess
As you already read, I have a huge list of DIY projects to try. Sadly, I haven't tried any of them yet! (So much for trying to be creative.) But I WILL be crossing off some of those projects during my summer break, no matter what happens. I'm currently using a drawer to store my jewelry, so I never reach for my necklaces or bracelets to wear. Having them on display and being able to see them everyday will probably increase my chances of wearing my tiny collection. Even if I have to find a tree branch off the ground or rip one off a tree (okay maybe not), I will be making a display!

3. I Heart California necklace by tru.che
Anyone who makes jewelry gets a thumbs up in my book. I have been looking at this for so long, but I haven't bought it because I know I don't wear my necklaces. Maybe after I make my floral antler necklace display ... haha. Stevie has also made a bunch of other states in her collection, "The Original United States of Love."

{birthstone calendar, watercolor swash calendar}

4. Handmades by oh my deer!
If only I could hand-letter with watercolor as beautifully as Chelsea does ... my small brain cannot understand how her watercolor writing is so perfect and clean. That is all.

5. DIY Chevron Midi Rings by a pair and a spare
When the gold chevron midi rings from Forever 21 sold out, I was very sad. But now I can make them, yay! Just wondering though - wouldn't the ends of a wire hurt if it comes in contact with your skin? Even if you wrap it up, there's still a little bit left. I guess it just makes me cringe because it's a reminder of the time my orthodontist poked my gums with a wire when I had braces. I got an infection and had to take my third (or fourth?) grade portrait with a swollen gum! I still have the pictures to prove it ...

If you have a DIY favorite, let me know! I would love to try it out :)