MATE Vintage

I envy my friend Matt's thrifting ability. He has a keen eye for vintage trends and thrift store gems. As his accomplice, we used to spend hours a week sifting through the racks of clothes at local thrift stores to find that one special diamond in the rogue - whether it be that solid pair of designer jeans, a pair of touch-chic lace up boots or the perfect vintage tee. While the process of sifting through piles of unwanted items is often part of the process, I was never good at it. Matt always found things that I couldn't. I was thankful for Matt's good eye because I got to wear his finds.


Kayti O’Connell and Kelsey Tudor are very much like my friend Matt. They do all the digging, and deliver a great collection of hand-selected vintage tees. Kayti and Kelsey started MATE Vintage last year with an attempt to combine their love for vintage fashion with a philanthropic cause. The best part - for every piece of MATE Vintage sold, a new organic cotton tee shirt is donated to an individual in need. So shop away - their tee's are heaps cool, their lookbook is rad, and it's all for a good cause.

More @ MATE Vintage.

DIY: Decorative Coasters

Here it is: My first attempt at a DIY blog post. I'd have to say this one was pretty successful. I first read about DIY Coasters on Little Chief Honeybee. It seemed like a simple, affordable, and creative idea for my first DIY post. I enlisted the help of my friend Jessi, and thought, "I can do this." Well, we did it, and so can you!

What you'll need:

4 ceramic bathroom tiles (found at a home improvement store for 15-25 cents each)

Decorative Scrapbook paper, Magazine cut outs, wrapping paper, etc

Cork Adhesive

Gorilla Glue or strong adhesive

Mod Podge

Paint Brush

Clear Gloss Spray Paint

Pencil

Scissors

Step 1. 

Trace the tile on the back of the scrapbook paper, cut out and trim edges to fit nicely on the front

Step 2.


Use a moderate amount of gorilla glue (or other strong adhesive) to glue the scrapbook paper onto the front of the tiles. Set a dictionary on top of the tiles for 5-10 minutes until the glue dries and the scrapbook paper is flatly adhered.

Step 3.


With a paintbrush, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the tiles, paying special attention to the sides. Leave 20-30 minutes to dry before applying a few layers of glossy spray paint in a ventilated area.

Step 4.


Cut out a square from the cork adhesive and apply to the bottom of the tiles to prevent surface scratching.

Step 5.


Voila! My sparkle galactic coasters, perfect for entertaining!

Special thanks to Jessi for listening to my girl banter throughout the DIY process. She's the best.

W▲NDERLUST

One of my many New Year's Resolutions is to keep an inspirational diary. I want to include photos, quotes, stories, words, pictures, anything that evokes my thought, induces feelings or inspires my next creative moment. I'm going to try to add to it throughout the week and keep it close at hand. One of the first photos I included was a photo that I found in Foam Magazine, taken by Bryan Sheffield for a photo series called 'Snow Globe'. I'm really drawn to his photography right now. I think his photos epitomize my nomadic desires and capture my wanderlust. Here's a look at some of his photos that are inspiring me the most right now.

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More of his work here.