a new ruche outfit i will soon own!

I am so, so excited because my incredibly thoughtful sister, Miranda, gave me a very generous gift certificate to Ruche for Christmas!

Last week I had to have surgery (ugh!) and was confined to my bed for a few days. She sent it a little early so that I could have something to do while I rested. Isn't that sweet? :) I was so surprised and so thrilled!

As you already know, I love just about everything on Ruche so it was hard to pick what I wanted to buy and I'm aways very indecisive when it comes to spending gift certificates. I picked out a few items while stuck in bed, but I decided to wait and think on it.

blouse, skirt, socks, shoes

I'm so glad I did because they are having a 15% off promotion today and tomorrow, so I thought it might be a great time to pounce. Also, those adorable shoes just arrived today! I scooped up these four items and I can't wait until they arrive!

I thought this might be the perfect Valentine's Day date outfit. Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. I will probably say that about every holiday, but V-Day is definitely top 3!

Thanks Miranda! <3

-A.

simple crafts: glitter critters

These adorable little guys are another part of my DIY Christmas. I found these wooden critters at Michael's for $2 a piece.

For this cute fish I used Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter paint in Smokey Quartz and Aquamarine. I like this paint because so far it seems as though the glitter sticks pretty well. Since I'll be giving these creatures to my five-year-old niece, I wanted to be sure the glitter wouldn't be flaking off all over my sister's house. So far, the paint seems pretty solid once it dries. 

 For the snake, I used the same Martha Stewart aqua glitter paint (which is more green than teal), but first I did a green wash by mixing a little of the green paint (that came with the wooden snake) with water and coating the wood. I let that dry thoroughly before adding the glitter paint. 

The glitter paint requires several coats to create the glitter coverage you see on the fish and the snake. The fish especially because I didn't paint the wood first. I probably did ten coats there, to ensure the wood was completely covered. I found dabbing it on worked better than brushing.

I did the same thing for the gecko as for the snake, except that I used red paint that came with the kit and the smokey quartz glitter paint. I decided for this guy to use the glitter paint only on the head, legs and back of the body and not to do so many coats. I liked the way the red looked.

It was a really simple handmade project which I think makes a great gift for little ones! It'd be great to do with kids, too.

And how cute are they?

Peace & love,
-A.

the burlap wreath

I'm pretty jazzed about this post. I do plan on doing a tutorial in the next few weeks, along with the first ever l'élan jolie giveaway, so stay tuned for that! 

This particular wreath I made for my mother for my DIY Christmas (like this scarf, for my niece!). It was really easy and the result is beautiful (if I do say so, myself!). I got the idea from this wreath which I posted about here.

Burlap wreaths seem to be the thing right now and it's easy to see why. They're so simple and so rustic and lovely.

I'm excited to show you how I made mine! It came together easier than I anticipated. The trickiest part was definitely positioning the flowers. I let them sit on the wreath a while before I committed to permanently affixing them. I could make a million of these, it was so much fun.

Check back in the coming weeks for the step-by-step and the chance to win a wreath of your own :)

Peace & love,
-A.

gift ideas: online shopping

1. cast iron barn owl 2. carnivorous creations dome terrarium kit 3. owl planter 4. green peony burlap wreath 5. Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar

Christmas can be a stressful time for me. Isn't it for everyone? Holidays are tough! There is so much to be done, and you're under so much pressure to also appear to be enjoying yourself while you do it.

For me the stressor is trying to find an affordable gift for everyone that they will actually enjoy. I'm REALLY good at picking out gifts for myself (I can't be the only one!) but I am awful at picking out gifts for others. I think and think about it all year but I have trouble getting into the minds of others to come up with something they might want, without them just straight up telling me.

So this year, I'm starting a little early. Like, right now. I already picked up one thing for my niece. Here a few gift ideas I've come up with for my other loved ones. And I still couldn't help myself when it came to picking out those owls! Even though in our family, owls are my thing.

Loved ones take note, these are not your actual gifts! Just preliminary ideas ;) No spoilers.

Where do you turn for gift inspiration?

Peace & love, 

-A.