Holiday DIY: Pom-Pom Garland

 

Many times I find myself in situations where I just can't find exactly what I want when I go out looking for something. Stores sometimes just don't have what I want and that fact is never more apparent than when I'm looking for things to decorate my house. It's even more-so a problem at Christmas time. I am just not into pine cones, wicker wreaths, and cinnamon brooms. I like bright, obnoxious colors during the winter months as much as I do during the summer time, and because of this I find myself having to make things a lot of the time. This Christmas, I decided to make myself something that I've been wanting to make for a long time: a pom pom garland! Tinsel is too messy and regular garland is always one boring color, so why not make something fun and colorful for me to enjoy for many years to come! Today, I will tell you how to make your own pom pom garland with greatest of ease! Your supplies are a follows:

A Large Hand Sewing Needle

2-3 Yards of Knotting Cord (I used white)

Large Bag of Multi Size Pom Poms 

1. Pull out as much knotting cord as you need to make the length garland you want. Thread the cord through the needle and leave a bit of overhang so that the cord doesn't slip through while threading the pom poms. Tie off the end so pom poms won't slip off the end of the cord.

2. Pierce pom pom through the middle and pull all the way down to the end of your cord. I spaced my pom poms out at least 1.5-2 inches, but you can make a tightly spaced garland if you have lots and lots of pom poms.

3. Thread as many pom poms as it takes to fill up your cord. I like the look of spaced pom poms, but you can make a very tightly packed garland if you've got a lot of poms and a lot of time. Tie off the other end of your garland once you're done and wrap it around your tree!

If you have any left over, like I did, You can make some cute door hangs to go over doors ways to make them more festive!

This is a fun and easy way to make Christmas decorations that are all your own. Decorations that can be handed down for generations that have the story "mom made it" or "grandma made this" instead of "I bought this last minute at Target because there was nothing else". 

If you have some extra time or want an excuse to create some quiet time for yourself in this season of crazy stress, over-togetheredness, and an onslaught of face-to-face family time, get to work on your pom pom garland! Good tidings, all!

Gifts That Keep On Giving: Charitable Gifts!

Give A Little Bit! by elbonner featuring xmas ornaments

Ever year around the holidays, I think about all the stuff I really want, divide them into lists, and send them off to whoever requested them. Every Christmas, I am also riddled with guilt knowing that many people never get anything, regardless if it's the holidays or not. Now, I am not a wealthy individual; I work hard for the pay that I get, but I do not make enough to donate significant amounts of money or support to charities or causes I believe in. I give when I can, but I would love to one day be in a position to be able to help others with something more than a few dollars here and there. The reality is, the holidays are an expensive time. You're spending money on friends, family, meals, transportation, heat (if you live in a cold place), food for work parties or family gatherings; sometimes giving lots to charity gets put on the back burner. What I've started to do is shop a little smarter, buying gifts from companies who give back with every purchase. That way, I'm able to get a gift for a loved one and also know that my purchase is making a positive effect on someone elses life where they may not have money fr shoes or even clean water. I have put together a list of things you can purchase this Christmas that will satisfy your the receivers, as well as help someone in need:

TOMS

Toms is a wonder company. It started out with their One-for-One shoe campaign and has spiraled into a plethora of products that all benefit people in need all over the world. They give a pair of shoes to a child in need for every shoe you purchase, as well as glasses for every pair of frames you buy. They even have a marketplace full of artisan crafted products that gives back to the community where they were made. Toms now offers coffee that provides clean water for a week for each bag purchased. I really don't see any drawbacks with this company; their products are well-made and stylish and they help those in need!

Ankle Boots

Slippers

Necklace

Coffee

Sunglasses

Nena & Co.

Nena and Co is a company that makes some of the prettiest bags I've ever seen. What makes these bags even more beautiful is that they provide skilled workers in impoverished parts of Guatemala with jobs that are desperately needed. Nena & Co is working with communities to provide clean water and educational opportunities for local children, all while creating good-quality bags and accessories. While they are pricey, each unique piece is made by hand using recycled or handmade fabrics that are benefiting more than just your personal style. A bag like this will last you forever and your contribution to Nena & Co employees may change their communities forever, too!

Tote

Daybag- Camel

Daybag- Chocolate Brown

Toms+Target

I know, Toms again?! This is a bit different! Toms has teamed up with retail Gigantor, Target, to create a collection of clothing, shoes, accessories, and home wares that do more than make great Christmas gifts. Each item benefits a different cause: each item of clothing provides someone with meals for a week, with each blanket purchased, one is given to someone in need, shoes for shoes, you get the picture! These items are available at all Target locations and are great quality products, ranging from t-shirts, to candles, coffee mugs, journals, and even some really cute bracelets! They fit into any price range and are great for Christmas gifts on a budget. Even though you feel as though you're spending very little, you're still impacting someones life in a positive way. I recently purchased the denim shirt pictured above and not only is a comfortable and cute, but it provided a hungry person (in the USA) with free meals for a week! That's one full week not spent worrying about where dinner is coming from, and I think that's pretty amazing.

Mugs

Bracelets

Blanket

Shirt

This is the season for giving; if you're going to be doing some questionable things to get good deals this Black Friday, at least help out those who couldn't even imagine buying anything new. Shop smart and shop responsibly and make your purchases count past Christmas morning; give a little bit!

Best of British: Tea Towel Edition!

Best of British: Tea Towel Edition! by elbonner featuring pink kitchen towels

I've decided to do a little series about my British favorites: food, clothing, home wares, the whole lot of it! I usually spend a lot of time talking about faraway tropical beaches and forget the cold, rocky beaches I played in as a baby. They're as much a part of my love for the ocean as all the other beaches I've been to, so I want to show a little more appreciation for what makes me love Britain so much! It also gives me an opportunity to share with you some cool things I have discovered on my travels that I think the readership (you people!) would enjoy!

This week, we pay homage to the tea towel; not a total British invention, but the ones you find in the UK, whether it be from a home store or a tourist shop, tea towels are anything but just a dish rag! My favorite place to get really cute and clever tea towels are from a website called To Dry For. They stock some of the most adorable, smile-worthy tea towels on the planet and every time I go there I find myself wanting all of them! I have a few from them and they are going on five years of heavy use and show little signs of wear. Some of them are so cute I'd rather frame them than use them!
The designs feature themes like classic British foods like fish'n'chips, biscuits, and cakes. They also have super cute, very British sayings, and fun things to brighten up any kitchen! They are your typical cotton, sort of flour-sack material which makes them super absorbent and easy to clean! They do a great job of drying up your dishes and also hang and iron nicely. They ship worldwide and the prices range from £9-£13, which some would say is a bit much for a tea towel, but they do stay bright and fun after many washes and anything that makes doing the dishes more fun is totally worth it!

The above selection is only a small fraction of what's available on the website, so check it out! Whether you're looking for something fun to add to your kitchen routine, or if you want to frame one and put it on the wall, To Dry For is my ultimate spot for the cutest tea towels either side of the Atlantic! Dry happy, now!


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The Cute Files: Roberts Radio

The Cute Files: Roberts Radio by elbonner on Polyvore

For real, guys. I can't even handle how adorable these lil' radios are! Just look at them, LOOK AT THEM! Unfortunately, these beauties are not readily available in the US as they are a British company. I've been watching a lot of UK beauty bloggers and they ALL have this little radio sitting pretty in the background and a little piece of me dies every time I realize I can't get my hands on one! If you are in the UK, the Roberts DAB Radio lets you listen to your typical FM stations as well as letting you plug in your smartphone/mp3 player to listen to your digital music. Some of the models even have wifi so you can listen to digital (Spotify/Pandora) and satellite radio stations. 

I'm not totally sure if these radios will even work in the states so don't go throwing down over $200 just yet. Even if I can't get one here I can always dream. If I ever someday move back to England then I shall have one of these radios. This post probably wasn't super helpful, but I want the rest of the world to know the cuteness of the Roberts Radio. Hey, maybe they'll even make them available in the US someday! God bless cute radios!

Roberts Radio

Ease the Winter Blues: Tropicalize Your House!

Tropicalize Your House! by elbonner featuring Zara Home

Most of the Eastern Seaboard, South, Midwest, and Northern states have had it with all this freaking snow. I'm over, you're over it, we are all over it. I've just about finished my week off which would have been a thousand times better if the weather hadn't been a total crapfest. With only one day of sunshine in the past 12, I'm looking to other things to lift my spirits. What better way to brighten your mood than to add some tropical fun to your home?! I'm all about fun prints, bright colors, and beachy accents. You can incorporate these things into most color palettes. Have mostly neutrals? Throw in a neon pillow, throw, or vase to shake things up a bit. I think everyone needs to embrace brights a little more and bring some color into their lives!

1. Pineapple Tealight Holder from Zara Home: super cute and subdued way to get some color and fun into your home decor. Will be great lit up out on your deck for a summertime BBQ too when the weather heats up!

2. Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candles in "Coconut Leaves" and "Aloha Waikiki": These scents warm up any room and bring beachy clean scents to your house. Coconut leaves is a fresh green fragrances with a hint of coconut, citrus, and vanilla and Aloha Waikiki is straight up plumeria and tiare blossom. Not too sickly sweet and far from all that cinnamon nonsense you get at Christmastime.

3. Sisters of Los Angeles Beaches Glasses: These glasses go from the mornings orange juice to homemade margaritas without skipping a beat. I have all four of these and they are always a fan favorite. It's a great way to brighten up your beverage routine.

4. CWonder Ikat Dinnerware: I love printed plates and bowls. It's little things like these that can really brighten up your life. Your day may have sucked ass, but at least you have the most beautiful dinner plates around!

5. A Funky Rug: Now, a bright orange rug may not be your cup of tea, but the concept of a bright area rug is a great way to bring some life to a room. It's like putting art on your floor! There are so many cool rugs out there at places like Ikea, World Market, and even Target so you have no excuse not to chuck out that boring jute rug and get something with a little more life to it!

6. Beachy Wall Art: If you want to create a beachy haven, what better way to do that than to put beachy pictures on the wall! Everywhere you look can be a tropical paradise. You could even go for some bright, punchy prints of patterns if you don't want just photographs. I like this one from Goldfish Kiss at Society6 because it's part photo, part life inspiration, and totally drool worthy subject matter. Society6 is a great place to find original artwork for a great price and they have plenty of bright prints for any room!

7. Bright Pillows/Poufs: Have a plain, brown sofa? Most of us do, so spruce it up with some fun pillows! If you don't want a bunch of pillows on your sofa or want a cool little accent for your bedroom, invest in a fun pouf that can be used as a seat, footrest, or clothes holder like all of my furniture has eventually turned into! Big plus, most prints on Society6 can be made into a pillow! If you find a beachy print that you don't have the wall space for, you can make it a pillow instead!

Now, a tropical home space may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if sure helps having bright things in the house if you succumb to the winter sadness. Light yourself a delicious candle, snuggle up with a tropical pillow/throw, and enjoy a beach cocktail in a fun glass to take the edge off of this never ending snowpocalypse!

Pineapple Paradise!

Pineapple Paradise by elbonner featuring beach bags

Who knew fall would be so full of such great pineapple themed stuff?! I can't get over how wonderful it is seeing one of my favorite summer fruits all over everything! I partially blame it on all the Australian designers coming out with stuff for their summer season (stop gloating and posting all of your beach pictures on Instagram you jerks!), but it's all okey dokey with me because I wish it was summer all the time. There are tons of bags, home decor items, shirts, shorts, scarves, and accessories that are all pineappled out! If there is a true God in this universe, he will keep this whole tropical fashion trend going until the day my ashes are packaged into firework shells and lit up on the Forth of July. It doesn't have to be summertime to enjoy pineapples! Eat it up!