Poor & Pretty

Apartment DIY: Curtain holdback

Sami — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:03:23 +0000

I bought cute green blackout curtains for my bedroom in my new, new apartment {which I am all moved into and working on cleaning & decorating} because I get a lot of sunlight in the wee hours of the morning during which I prefer to be asleep. I do like lots of natural light when I’m awake though, so I needed something to tie the curtains back with during the day. I wasn’t about to spend $5-$20 each on curtain hooks {nevermind taking the time to screw them into the walls!}, so I made my own holdbacks! Here’s how.

For each holdback, you will need:

7-8 inches of ribbon. Use ribbon that’s at least 3/8″ {9mm} wide.
1 nail
a hammer
scissors
a lighter {optional}

The steps are very easy:

Hammer a nail into the left or right side of your window frame {wherever you’d like to pull the curtain to}.
Cut little slits into each end of your ribbon, a few millimeters in.
After you cut your ribbon, burn the edges very carefully and slowly with a lighter. This prevents them from fraying. You can also do this with the slits that you’ve just cut — just don’t burn your fingers!
Slip one side of the ribbon onto the nail so that it’s facing inside out.
Loop the other end of the ribbon around your curtain and onto the nail.

Presto! Your very own, super cheap but super cute curtain holdbacks. :)

I’m movin’ out!

Sami — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:12:12 +0000

Cue the Billy Joel song. Yep, I’m moving again. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but essentially our downstairs neighbors were the most awful people I’ve ever had the displeasure of barely knowing, and they made our apartment complex unlivable. Just imagine every bad neighbor you can think of {barking dog that also had fleas, non-stop wailing baby, screaming & swearing mother, smoking pot/cigarettes, loud music and constant television noise}. Okay, I went into detail.

Anyway, this is why blog posts have been scarce and may continue to be scarce for a week or two. But at least I’ve gotten pretty good at packing! I’ll be back with hard lessons I’ve learned from all of these moves.

Here’s the Billy Joel song for you {because now it’s stuck in my head}:

The not-quite-pixie cut

Sami — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:03 +0000

I’ve wanted a pixie cut for a really long time. I love how it looks on many actresses, but especially Audrey Tautou and Ginnifer Goodwin. Stan, however, does not want me to get a pixie cut. So, Mish and I decided to cut my hair just shy of a pixie, so we could tell Stan it isn’t technically a pixie. What do you think?

It’s the shortest my hair has ever been! It’s going to be wonderful for the summer, though. My 25th birthday is in 3 days — eep!

Friday Faves: Once more, with feeling

Sami — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:15 +0000

I am loving a lot of things right now, but first and foremost is where I’ll be spending my Saturday and Sunday:

1. Cranwell Resort & Spa. Located in the Berkshires in Lenox, MA, is this beautiful historic hotel and spa, where my friend Michele and I will be spending our weekend relaxing, being pampered, and generally loving life.

2. Handcremes by Love + Toast. I have them in Honey Coconut and Mandarin Tea. I haven’t opened up the Mandarin Tea one yet {though I know it smells lovely from sampling it at Whole Foods}, but the Honey Coconut makes me feel like I’m on a marshmallow cloud of happiness. It smells divine! It’s also free of toxic chemicals like parabens, non-greasy, and made with a ton of skin-loving natural ingredients. Plus, the packaging is beyond adorable!

3. My job. I can’t even explain how happy I am working for Timex. I work with some really talented, fun, and inspiring individuals. I love the morning walk into the building, I love our huge solar panel installation, I love my growing collection of watches, and I love taking time to be silly with my prankster bosses {but of course, we get lots of work done, too!}. Most of all, I love how my creativity is embraced, nurtured, and encouraged.

4. My three new/vintage thrifted belts. These were each $1.50 at Goodwill. Best. Deal. Ever.

5. The Buffy musical episode, Once More, With Feeling. At least two times a year, I re-watch and obsess over the one musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of my favorite shows. I’ve had Spike’s song, “Rest in Peace” stuck in my head all week and most definitely rocked out to it in the car a few times.

What are you loving right now?

Yesterday’s Threads: Hoping for sun

Sami — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:23:47 +0000

I took a leap of faith yesterday morning when I donned capris and flip-flops for work. It was drizzling and foggy in the morning, but I thought that if I wore summery clothes, the sun would eventually grace us with its presence. Not very scientific, I know, but it seemed to work!

Sandals: Roxy, Famous Footwear, $20. Pinstripe capris: Zara, Uptown Consignment, $8. Turquoise snakeskin belt: thrifted, $1.50! Hot pink tee: H&M, $6. White Jackie cardigan: J. Crew, $24. Scarf: Plato’s Closet, $5. Timex Weekender slip-thru watch: Strap from this watch + face from this watch. Hair flower: gift.