fluorescent four eyes

As some of you might have noticed from earlier posts, my instagram (MerrickJewels) etc., I have been sporting these fluorescent bug eye sunglasses for a couple of months now. I remained steadfast in wearing them even after Rman said that they reminded him of the cheap sunglasses you wear to float the river and that they had major cheeze factor going on.

Thanks hubs.

I pressed on and I think they have grown on him. I mean hasn't seen the pure gold aviators that Sarah Jessica Parker debuted in SATC 2 with a whopping $525 pricetag?

Fierce! Too bad the movie sucked.

Bernhard Willhelm sunglasses   (clipped to polyvore.com)

Mine were a staggering $5 bucks. Yup, you can buy a footlong Subway sandwich with that. Then I started noticing that my Subway sandwich glasses might be a little more chic than I thought. Enter exhibit A...

  

They kinda scream - HERE I AM. Too cool for skooool. Am I crazy?

Images via Pinterest

i am a mac

All the cool kids are doing it so I finally got a mac! It's so prettttty. 

I basically stalked the UPS man as he walked up to my front door which magically opened before he even reached the doorbell (awkward) - I wonder if they get that often. I tore into the box and plugged in the computer. 

Oooohhh/Ahhhhh. 

After it booted up in a nanosecond, I began to snoop around on itunes,  that postage stamp thing that means mail or something, and an abstract blue faced smiley that's supposed to help me find my files? I then realized I was so caught up in the fact that I actually have the glowy apple and forgot that I know NOTHING about actually using it  (as I sit here blogging on my 2006 HP computer that sounds like a jet engine). Thus, I will be making an appointment with the genius bar. :)

New dog, new tricks. 

How long till I'm fluent in mac? Have you made the switch?

elastic hair ties for everyone!

                

Some of you might know that I am a jewelry designer by day - field hockey/soccer coach by late afternoon (yes, the hottest part of the day). In my opinion, coaching high schoolers keeps me young and apparently in the "know" about what is popular for the 14-17 age group. I mean... one must wear nike shorts to practice. No more umbros. NO. And scrunchies?? Oh heck no. Anyway back to this decade, I noticed all these cute hair ties on EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM and thus discovered/fell in love with the Emi Jay elastic hair ties. Thank you high schoolers for my need to spend $2 on a hair tie. Ugh.

Well, being one that loves a DIY here and there I sought out this mystical elastic fabric and scored big while looking on Etsy. Apparently you can purchase 15 feet for $4.75-7.00!! Bring it on elastic hair ties. I saw the red/white/blue which happens to be close to our school colors and thought it would be cute to make them for my JV team. Bribing is a good coaching method right? 

And this is why you get a tutorial on how to make your own Emi Jay elastic hair ties. 

First of all, I purchased my elastic from Fleuriste on Etsy. They have tons of colors to choose from and cheap/fast shipping. Hearts all across the board. Once it arrived I tried to find instructions on Pinterest on how to make these seemingly simple accessories and after following one blog's directions I ended up with a hair tie that would fit a toddler. #DIYfail

Sooo, here's how I made them!!

I found that 9 inches total (including the extra length to make your knot) made a good sized hair tie that fit nicely around your wrist. 

1. Double up your elastic and measure 4.5 inches.

2. Take sharp scissors and cut the longer piece at an angle to match at 4.5 inches.

3. Keeping the inside (non-glittery side) touching the other inside make a knot close to the ends. 

4. You want to make sure there is still a long enough tail on the end to keep the knot in place.

5. I like to stretch the knot to make sure that it is tight and also try it on after I knotted to make sure it was the right size.

6. Clean up the ends with your scissors (just barely cut off any fray) and then take clear nail polish and brush a little bit on the ends. 

Here's what the finished product should look like... not too tight or loose on the wrist.

Voila, my school inspired hair ties. I put each of the ties on a card with an inspiring quote for my girls. I bought about 15 yards of elastic (total of about $22 bucks with shipping) and ended up with about 55 hair ties and 2 head bands. Not too shabby.

 

I think they were a hit!!!

Do you love the elastic hair ties? Would you consider making your own?

Image via Pinterest

merrick jewels goes to work

Merrick Jewels vacation earrings in turquoise

I was super pumped to find out that my fun friend, Jennifer, won the Merrick Jewels giveaway on Hello Lovely! We had been discussing how she needed to own a MJ piece and danggg did she get lucky. These earrings are just perfect for her. I mean look at her work these earrings like a rock star!  

The vacation earrings are some of my favs because when wearing them I just get pumped about traveling/relaxing/sunkissed goodness. Plus, you know as a Texas native I have a weakness for turquoise (and coral) so this colorway hits it out of the park for me. Errr... I may or may not have made myself a pair after finishing these for the giveaway (a problem with a jewelry addict owning their own jewelry business - one for me, one to sell policy). 

Anyway, Jennifer you look fabulous dah-ling!! Hope you enjoy. :)

p.s. Post on making your own Emi Jay elastic hair ties for cheap cheap is coming up tomorrow! What is one to do with 50 hair ties now??

fall fashion list

It's hard to get excited about fall fashion when it's still 100+ degrees here in Texas. We actually had a "cold front" come in Friday night which made Saturday morning cool in the low 70's and I believe the high for the day didn't reach triple digits. Texas cold front - seems like an oxymoron right now but I'll take it...Yeehaw! This dip in temperature makes it easier to start dreaming about some fall essentials. Perhaps a scarf or an actual sleeve on a dress?? And who can forget BOOTS!! I'm hoping to add some of these items to my must haves for fall.

SPLURGE: Tory Burch black riding boots

  SAVE: Ciao Bella Riding Boot 

Easy breezy silk shirt dress  - for colder weather add leggings + boots + scarf

Lusting over Bee's combo of these Current Elliot boyfriend jeans (can't stomach the $200+ price tag so I'm looking for an alternative) and a casual Creme de la Creme sweatshirt by Zoe Karssen 

Planning my own DIY adventure with this sweatshirt for $18 at Target - I will let you know how that goes

 Ahh, Miranda Kerr and those leather skinny leggings

Another great combo - plaid Burberry scarf and leather jacket

What's on your fall fashion list?

Images via Pinterest

falling for florals

I've taken to hoarding pictures of flowers lately. They are just so divine and make me instantly feel happy and feminine. I think the images of these arrangements are almost as good as the real deal! Get ready to swoon...

 

 

 

Images via Pinterest

DIY do's - relaxed workout shirt

Cute right???

A cruel friend convinced me to go to a spin class this morning at 5:45am. Meaning I woke up at 4:50am and the moon was still out.

Moon.still.out. Vom.

I don't know how you people do it. This is not prime time for me buttt I went  and made it through without even taking a siesta on my bike. And honestly, it was nice to get up and get so much done. It might have even been... fun???  Sooo, freshly inspired by my feat, I decided to tackle this DIY workout shirt that I have been seeing on our favorite black hole of procrastination we call Pinterest.

Let me break down the DIY do's for this project...

Read the directions carefully. You can find them in detail at Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth. You'll want to do the steps in order. This seems self-explanatory but is somehow hard for me because I consider myself a self-proclaimed DIY expert and therefore exempt from following "boring" steps - also why I cannot bake. Umm yeah. After reading the directions here are a couple of pointers to keep you from throwing your workout shirt in le garbage can.

Tips:
 - I picked out one of Rman's frat Tshirts (the more frattiness the better). I would advise using a shirt larger than you would normally wear. This gives you enough volume and length to make a suitable tank not a crop top.

- Make sure you get some sharp scissors to make clean cuts. If it looks jagged then it looks janky. Looking janky defeats the purpose of getting fit.
- I had to cut the neck a little larger than pictured. It helps to try on your Tshirt after several of the cuts to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

Lolz, cats always get involved.

Reminds me of this...

- Don't forget on Step 4 to cut only the back section of the armholes to form the razorback. I cut the front and back pieces the same and then had to go back and re-angle just the back portion. Doing this takes out some of the fabric for your razorback wrap.
- On Step 5  - IMPORTANT - leave a long enough end so that you can tie another knot when you come back up the razorback. Also, when you tie your knot make sure it is on the outside of your shirt instead of the inside or it will not lay right.

Voila! You likey?

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natural beauty

As a jewelry designer, I am drawn to the beauty of natural stones and agate is one of my favs. The stone's mesmerizing layers make it so much fun to work with. While researching possible backdrops for my entertainment center shelves I came across some hand painted marbled paper that is just magnificent and made me realize how versatile agate can be.  

This solid agate wall and painted stained glass window put the wow factor in any interior. The window just looks like candy! YUM.

This is the hand painted marbled paper from Paper Mojo that I was considering for my project. I just HAVE to use it somewhere... it is delicious. These papers would also be amazing as drawer liners but I'm not sure how well they would wear. Seriously, must find a place for this.

Paper Mojo sheets used as the backing for a bookcase

Merrick Jewels Agate necklaces

Ahh, just love agate! Who else is captivated by agate's natural beauty? 

Images via Pinterest and Merrick Jewels

the art of styling

I finally put up the paintbrush and table saw on the entertainment center project! The saw dust finally settled and we are on to the fun part - styling the real estate (ohhh yeah). Bookshelf styling is a real art. Combining literature, picture books, artwork, vases, and personal mementos to create the right mix of sophistication takes thought.  I'm dissecting every one of these pictures to try and get it right...

Adore the print hung on the outside of the shelves - grouping "knick knacks" makes pieces look more significant and chic

Ikat bowl (kicking myself for not buying them at Athropologie), classic bust, and tons of magazines

light and airy

Luxe - black, white, and gold

Dark and moody - more of a library feel that I am going for

If you are wondering what the heck I am talking about see this post about our DIY shelves. Final pictures coming soon.