{Darling Magazine} The Hostess.

Friends, no words may better sum up the heart and intent of many of you than the description of Darling Magazines' the Hostess. I had to share this well written description of a persona that you, and I,  most likely have in common. Read the description in full-- over here.

You can read more about the personas and meet them yourself (and another one of my favorites, The Stylist) in the continued series over at Darling Magazine. I hope you find to love this Magazine as much as I do!

The Hostess, by Darling Magazine

Color Translation: Snowy, Two Ways.

Last Friday we had our first snow as Colorado residents. Being from California, and this my first October living states away from my sunny beginnings, the autumn snow was a stark contrast from what I am used to from falls past. It was light, crisp, cold, and made me want to sip tea and stay in my slippers all day. I did not stay locked up inside, but rather faced the lovely white that danced around from above, melting as it hit the ground. And of course, boots and knits were brought out all over the city for the few days of cold and bit of snow that fell. For a color translation inspired by this snowy  autumn weekend, here are two snowy day looks that are easily translated into home design, decor, and other girly accessories. 

Snowy, Neutrals, and the Black & White Stripe.

Neutrals, stripes, cozy knits, and a bright snowy contrast translate to worn in, plush couches, white pillow accents, black and white lines, a steaming cup of tea, and that feeling of morning air on a crisp autumn's day. There is a feel of modern, nautical, and vintage combined in one.

 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Subtle Snowfall, Mint, and Pink.

There is something charming about combining mint and light pink. It tells a story of femininity, somewhat lost in a 1950's past. The muted tones and subtle hues are sweet and innocent in this first photo. When out of the cold, I like to think this girl's home smells freshly of apple pie with mason jars collecting the last bits of fall blooms and a cast iron stove warming the green and pink knits she wears.  There are feminine details scattered throughout her home, just as in these photographs.This combination may be one of my all time favorite combinations in home design, especially for a girl's room or when wanting a retro feel. Which of these would be your snowy day look or color translation favorite?

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Terrain Autumn.

I just discovered Terrain, which has been a place of inspiration as I've browsed their planters, dried flowers, wreaths, and outdoor decor. One of the things I often do in my personal home design is take inspiration from stores like Anthropologie or West Elm and then see how I can achieve the look for less or by making it myself. Terrain is another one of those inspiring stores, specifically in the realm of outdoor decor. They have some great decorating ideas too! This calendar month is downloadable at Terrain-- you can go get the PDF version over here. I'm currently using it as my desktop background! I am so inspired by this wreath I stumbled upon at the site and am going to try and make a similar version myself. Is it not gorgeous? Have fun browsing, you are sure to be inspired at this site!

whirled leaves wreath

Project Round Up!

I thought it might be fun to do a round up and highlight a few of the projects and other bits of lovely here at Pearls Poppies Pinkies Up. Oh! And, happy six month old birthday to this little blog! Its growing and going, and I love all the support and connections made through the creativity and thoughts shared. Thanks to my biggest fans out there and the other blogs that have featured and highlighted projects. You are just so great. Here we go with the round up! 1 Trio of Nautical Mirrors || Mint and Orange Sherbet.  2 "Others Make a place Beautiful" Pitcher || Sharpie Art || Darling Magazine feature.  3 Tray Chic || Framed art as collection displays.

4 Hand Painted Pumpkin || Russian Nesting Doll || And other fall pumpkin inspiration.  5 Do it yourself coat rack || Just in time for coat season.

6 Upcycled drawer organizers || Birchbox inspired.   7 Thrifted Chair find || For the love of a seat.

8 Fan Revamp || A $7 spray paint fix.   9 Ombre jean shorts || Bleach it and do it yourself!

10 Color blocked bauble necklace || Repurposed napkin rings!  11 Dalmatian hearts || Canvas shoe DIY.  12 Faux succulents || No mess, no maintenance. 13 Hand painted tea towels || Black floral tea towel || The perfect gift idea.  14 Hardware store jewelry hanger || Tangle free and lovely.  

Here are the links for the photos above:  1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14

I hope your weekend was refreshing! Matt was in Kansas celebrating grandpa Clarence's 80th birthday and time with his folks while I held down the fort. I volunteered with work, spent time with my cousins at a taco bistro (ooo la la), enjoyed a crisp walk in the 27 degree Sunday morning, ventured to REI where I FINALLY found my perfect sleeping bag (a necessity for future camping endeavors) , enjoyed some time catching up with a college friend, experienced some light snow fall (while you Californians blast the 90 degree heat, I hear), kicked out my crazies at Turbo Kick box, enjoyed a bit of down time, had a coffee date with a two of my favorites (one being a four legged friend), and started rearranging the spare bedroom a bit! 

{Fabric & Threads} Blazer, Drop Down Waist, Leggings.

In this series I've been sharing with you a few of my favorite outfits. When I went shopping for work clothes, for more suitable Downtown business attire, I knew I wanted a navy blazer. And I also knew I did not want to spend a fortune. I ended up finding a blazer at Charlotte Russe (believe it or not) for $20. It really has pulled together so many of my work looks. Worn with a t-shirt and trousers, over dresses, and to make jeans a bit more dressy on casual Fridays, it really is the most versatile piece in my closet this fall. And I love that it is lined with a silky fabric (navy with polkadot hearts), so that when the sleeves are rolled, a bit of the pattern peeks out! The blazer combined with navy knit leggings and a drop waist shift dress make the outfit casual cute yet put together for the workplace. The purse is the most costly item in the entire look (from my trip to Rome!) and the turtle necklace I bought at a car show in Burbank, California (random, yes). The shoes and leggings are hand me downs (thanks, mom!). Leaving just the drop down dress, which was a sale item at Anthropologie. I wore this outfit to work today actually, and the children wanted my necklace! It spurred on many renditions of "I had a tiny turtle, his name was tiny Tim, I put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim...." I hope you are enjoying this series! 

xo,

Lauren

PS.  Anyone else notice that this outfit coordinates so perfectly with my last DIY project?  I just did!

Wander over Wednesday.

I have some more DIYs in the line up for you, to be shared soon. My October is finding itself busy (and it has been beautiful outside, so we have been riding bikes and picnicing at the park more often than not). In the meantime, wander over to these links for some inspiration this Wednesday...

photo source

• This is such a cute idea, perfect for reusing old t-shirts, and wonderful if you are loving chunky necklaces like I am. Wander over and see how to do this project at I still Love You.
• Wander over to Thoughts by Natalie for some soul loving. Read her article Finding our Unique Kind of Beautiful. You're sure to find more ways to remind yourself you are cherished, loved, and beautiful when reading the content of Natalie's blog.
• Windy days may find you hating your bangs, if you have them, so why not braid them and rid yourself of crazy wind blown fringe. Wander over to A Beautiful Mess for more on how to get the braided bangs look.
• Wander over to Happily Grey for Fashion Sense and Style, and a bit more on how to empower women to overcome poverty. 

How to DIY a Retro Fan.

The summer heat brought on a new want for a fancy fan. A vintage fan to be exact. I posted on the topic of fans, spinning right round, back in July, remember? After browsing and ogling over photos on Etsy and other sites, I determined that a pretty fan was not something that fell into the "splurge" category of life. So all summer long we continued to use our "Hawaiian Breeze" fan, which was really more like a dusty white thing that I had a love hate relationship with. Love when it was cooling me down. Hate when it stood motionless always catching grey clumpy dust. Hawaiian Breeze and I finally came to a breaking point. It was time for a makeover. A colorful retro-like makeover. During a trip to Home Depot, and browsing spray paint colors as one often does, I decided that this was the perfect solution to my doughty fan. I purchased two cans of spray paint and the rest was history. For a total of $7.50, I was able to get my fancy fan.

Prep the fan for painting 1. Use a dry dusting rag and/or a shop vac to clean the fan. Make sure all dust is removed, or else the paint will not have the right finish. Elbow grease recommended 2. Disassemble the fan parts. Create an array of bits and pieces. Unscrew every last bit. This way your hardware and plastic parts are separated out, giving you the option to paint what you want how you want it (I left my screws and hardware in their metallic state, forgoing their first considered spray painted fate) 3. Using electrical tape and a plastic bag, cover the fan motor (to protect it!). Tape and cover the cord. Also be sure to cover any piece that is threaded (..the parts that turn in place to keep the fan together. If paint gets on them, it could effect how they screw together in the end). 



Spray Painting the Fan 1. Lay the pieces out on your drop cloth 2. Apply the first coat of spray paint. For  a smooth application, hold the can of spray paint equal distance from the piece you are painting and move in a left to right, right to left fashion TIP: Be sure that the coat on the fan blade is not too too heavy. This is the piece that actually needs to be in motion, so the lighter the better. (I was clever and bought a metallic paint that needed to be thicker than the normal gloss to achieve the rose copper look I wanted. Smart move. Hopefully it works out and my fan blade doesn't come to a hault!) 3. Allow the coat to dry for a few hours or over night 4. Rotate / Flip over the fan pieces and repeat the spray painting process on the opposite sides 5.  Allow the time to dry and check once more for touch up painting 6. Take plastic bags and tape off protected pieces once everything is dry. TIP: To keep your paint cans from getting clogged and dried in the spraying tip in between paint applications, hold your can upside down and press the nozzle. Be sure to hold aiming away from you as paint will spew out. Keep holding down the nozzle until nothing more comes out. This will take care of any clogs and keep your spray paint nice, neat, and ready to go for next time.



Putting the fan back together   If you were the one who took it apart, reassembling the fan shouldn't be too tricky. Simply use the same screw drivers and think of it like a puzzle. And get ready for your newly made over beauty! I was just so giddy at this point in the process that I had Matt help with the reassembly while I excitedly got ready to plug her in and test her out. No longer a dusty Hawaiian Breeze, my new fancy fan is stunning! I know summer is over, but there has to be a few more hot days in store, right? Even when not in motion, this fan brings color pop and style to any room in our house. I'm going to keep a look out for another fan on sale or cheap at a thrift store. I would love to make a bright yellow fan that I can use for next summer!