Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Summer Inspiration - How to deal with the Summer Heat - Again

Hi!

We are back at 100F weather here in Austin, which has me really inspired to work on some more summer dresses.

Here are a few important tips on choosing your outfit:

1. White!
2. Natural fibers!
3. Flow and movement!

Of course I was inspired by the sea and the nautical theme. And this is my inspiration board! I found this great seersucker at Joann and a cotton tweed at Fabricker, so I am really excited to get started.

BTW, Fabricker is an amazing local fabric stores here in Austin, with affordable fabric and some nice vintage options.

Stay tuned for the designs that are coming up!

Love,

Sam

Monday, July 30, 2012

DIY Weekend - A headboard in 7 easy steps

Hi!

Our bedroom was looking a little sad, so I decided to create a headboard for us. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.



Materials:

  • Wood - cut to the size at the Home Depot or Lowes
  • Brackets - to attach the headboard to the wall. 
  • Foam - sold by the yard at Joann
  • Batting - also sold by the yard at Joann
  • Fabric - a ton of choices in fabric stores
  • Decorative nails
  • Staples

Tools:

  • Hammer
  • Staple gun
  • Screwdriver
  • Drill

These are 7 steps to DIY headboard heaven:

1. Measure, measure, measure! Everything - from the size you want your headboard to be to the trunk of your car - I ended up buying smaller pieces of wood, so that they would fit in the car.

This meant I had to attach the pieces of wood with brackets before hand. Also, make sure to measure the fabric and batting, to leave enough of an edge to fold back and staple.


2. Layer! Create layers with the fabric at the very bottom, followed by the batting, then foam. Make sure they are all squared away and there are no gaps on the foam pieces.


3. Set the wood plank! Again, make sure everything is centered and that the fabric is straight and there are no folds.
4. Pull tight and staple! 

5. Add your trim! 


6. Attach the brackets to the back of the board and to the wall. Again, measuring here is paramount!


7. Hang it to the wall!


And voila - Here is our new room!


Have you ever done a headboard? Share your pictures here!

Love,
Sam

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Summer Heat Outfit - How to wear a maxiskirt

Hi,

It seems like the whole country is under a crazy heatwave! Austin has been particularly hot and it has been a tough adjustment with my wardrobe, since my go to piece - jeans - are impossible to deal with in the heat.

So this has been my recipe for dealing with the hot weather:

Maxi skirt - made by me
Tank: Banana Republic
Shoes: Havaianas
Neckalce: Artisan from Brazil
Bangles: from random travels

Maxiskirts are a little tricky, because there is so much color and print to look at. That is why I loved pairing it with a very simple tank top, several bangles in the same color family as the skirt, and a funky necklace (this one is made of fishnets discarded by local fishermen in Brazil, then dyed and twisted to make this pretty necklace). 


I chose havaianas for the feet, but I think nice chunky wedges like those below would go great too! These were from Madewell.



The sangria was deliciously refreshing and simple! I love the smell of fresh citrus!

Enjoy!

Sam

Monday, July 9, 2012

Moved!

Hi!

I was trying to make one last post out of Sao Paulo, but there was so much stuff to do that there was no way to post.

However now, I am in Austin, Tx, with my husband and I am HAPPY! After a few months apart, it is nice to be together. There are a few challenges, though. We were living in a 4 bedroom apartment in Brazil and have moved back to Josh's bachelor pad, with pretty much no storage. We do have amazing rosemary and basil plants on our sunny balcony!

The other major challenge is that I am unemployed! I have given myself a few days to relax before hitting the job hunting trail.

So today, I went for coffee and a walk while Josh is at work. This is the outfit I chose to brave the 100F heat here.

 I love these shoes (even though they were from a winter collection in Brazil) and how well they go with the bib necklace. I even got a compliment on them on my walk today!





Top: J.Crew
Shorts: Banana Republic
Necklace: 25 de Marco
Bangle: 25 de Marco
Glasses: Chloe
Shoes: Arezzo

Love,
Sam