October 25, 2013

DIY fall garland

 
Today's post is a DIY on how to make the gorgeous fall garland you see above! It's made with leaves I found outside and gorgeous glitter. Keep reading to see how I made this garland!

October 20, 2013

weekly favorites october 13-19

I've been online a lot this past week, as the colder weather has kept me indoors. Keep reading to see my favorites from this past week:

motivation

rifle4
all of these flowers are real (how cool is that?)

food/art 


imagine the amount of butter on those babies

place
Lake Louise, Canada | by deidre lynn
hi um where is this oh and also can I please live here?

sweater
sweater
I need to DIY this... pronto

thanks for reading about my weekly online favorites! let me know what your faves from this past week were in a comment below!

                                                                                                     xoxo, Giada

October 15, 2013

fall candle review: slatkin & co. tropical spice

I originally purchased this candle during Bath & Body Works' semi-annual sale in early July. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but it must have been inexpensive considering how cheap I am. This candle is supposed to be for the spring/summertime, but me, being the absolute rebel that I am, chose to burn it in the fall.

what it is:
The Tropical Spice scent is described as "An exotic blend of cinnamon bark, spiced rum and Tahitian vanilla"
This three-wick candle is 14.5 oz and burns for 25-45 hours. These candles retail for $20 at bath and body works, but I think they are no longer available, or are only sold in the spring/summer. 

what I think:
I really do like this candle. It smells like cinnamon and vanilla, so it's very warm scent overall. When I burn this candle, my entire room smells yummy. Three wick candles are pretty annoying to light, considering I light my candles with matches. I always light two wicks by the time I get burned, so I end up using two matches every time I burn it. Overall, I do like this candle, and I recommend it to all of you!

You can get yours here, or get the scent in wallflower form here.

I hope this review was some help to you if you're looking for a nice fall candle that isn't too much of a heavy scent. If it was, be sure to let me know in a comment. :)

                                                                                                           xoxo, Giada

September 15, 2013

Weekly Favorites: Sept 8-14

Hey lovelies! It's been a while, but today I'm going to share my favorites from this past week with you...

This is so beary cute! (pun intended) I think it's always so important to appreciate yourself, and what better way to show it than by giving yourself a huge bear hug! I love the idea of incorporating words into a drawing and this is just too adorable to pass by.
found here
IS THIS ADORABLE OR WHAT. I'm obsessing over the cuteness of this photo. These pooped pups instantly brightened my mood and put a smile on my face! P.S. to see more animal cuteness, check out my awwwwdorable board on Pintrest.


Edible flowers are so awesome! You can grow beautiful things, and then you can eat them! You can use this guide to see which flowers are safe to eat and the best ways to eat them.

I hope you liked my weekly favorites from this past week. See you soon!

xoxo, Giada

August 6, 2013

Pretty Places

Here are some pictures I've found on tumblr or other online sites of places I'd love to visit one day:


I really want to find this place. It looks so lush and full of adventure. I'm a pretty outdoorsy person, and I'd love to explore here.

I love the ocean, from the soft crash of the waves, to the crisp, salty air, and the call of seagulls. This place looks so tranquil and relaxing. 

I love sunflowers. They're so bright and cheery. I especially love the way they seek out the sun. They will turn from side to side to catch rays, and they look like suns themselves. 
This is someone's balcony, overlooking some city, somewhere. It's bursting with color, full of plants and books. I bet the sunset from here is spectacular. Speaking of sunset...

I've been here before. This is my favorite place in the entire world. I love sunsets so much, and the sunsets here are always perfect.

July 7, 2013

Weekly Favorites: June 16-June 22

Hey Lovelies! This week I'll be sharing my weekly online favorites with you!
See last week's post here.

Inspirational Quote:
Found here.
This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson ( read more about his life and legacy here), both a poet and a philosopher, is so incredibly helpful to anyone in need of a little motivation. So many times we can let our problems hold us back from great things, just because we are still thinking of the past. In reality, letting the past go is completely necessary for going into the future. Following your dreams isn't easy until you're free of past mistakes/failures/etc.
 
Makeup Possibilities

Found here.
This is such a good idea! I've always thought that there's one or two ways to line your eyes, but this totally proved me wrong. I love this! The Open Wings eye looks so fun to try, I'll have to attempt it. If only I could get both lines even...
 
DIY Fun

Found here.
This is a jewelry holder from Urban Outfitters that you could probably easily DIY. Maybe a wire hanger bent into a heart or even a Valentine's Day sign could work... You could even do this with a plain square or rectangular picture frame. Just attach nails to either side and run a string or wire across and secure on both ends. This is perfect for dangling earrings and/or long necklaces. I really want to try this now!
You can buy something similar here.
 
 
Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what your online favorites for this week were as well in a comment!
 
                                                                                                                  xoxo, Giada


July 4, 2013

NOTW: White With Gold Glitter

Hi lovelies! Happy 4th of July! Today's post is on the nail polish(es) I'm wearing this week. I tend to switch up the color family of the nail color I wear from week to week. For example, last week I wore a DIY ombre nail design which you can see here, and learn how to recreate here. Since mine was full of warm and tropical colors, I decided to go for a cool and modern feel this week (plus I didn't really feel like spending hours blending nail polish!). This didn't take me long at all, and it's a nice way to incorporate a glam feel into a basic manicure.

The colors I used are (from left to right): Revlon Nail Art Expressionist Nail Enamel in Nights & Degas, but I only used the white side (which is actually a nail art, the black one is the actual polish), OPI Nail Lacquer in Bling Dynasty (which I don't think is being sold in stores anymore), and Tip Toe in Gold Dust (which is sold at Old Navy near the registers).
 
Because the white polish is a nail art the brush is pretty thin compared to a normal sized brush, but it did do the job. The OPI brush is, of course, normal sized and really good for coating your whole nail. The gold glitter polish has a normal brush as well, but that one is slightly smaller than the OPI one.
 
As for formula, The white polish is slightly thick for a nail art design, but since I used this for an entire nail, two coats worked out fine. The color actually split on my nail after a day or so, which is really weird, but I painted over it once and it became normal again, so we'll see how it all works out. With the OPI gold, I painted two coats on each ring finger as a base coat, in case the glitter was too sheer. OPI nail polishes have a really nice formulation, so I'm in love with this color. The Tip Toe polish did end up being sort of sheer, but I'm really glad I used the OPI underneath as it came in handy. I painted two coats, and it turned out really gold and, well, glittery! To top everything off, I used my sister's NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel 271 Extra Shiny Top Coat. I'm really happy with how this manicure turned out!
 
 
Purchase the Revlon Nail Art Expressionist Nail Enamel in Nights & Degas here.
Purchase the OPI Nail Lacquer in Bling Dynasty here.
Purchase a similar polish to Tip Toe in Gold Dust here.
 
Thanks for reading! Comment what you think of my manicure below!