Time to get Tribal

Bonjour Readers!

Have you ever seen a trend that you hate to love? You know it won't last, it was probably created by a bored sorority girl and it's actually kind of demoralizing? Well, this trend is probably ALL OF THOSE THINGS, but I'm going with it anyway.

The trend itself is decorative arrows and I am in LOVE with them right now. After seeing them in Emily Henderson's living room, and also on Design Sponge, I decided I needed to have these tribal nuggets in my life, stat.

So I first went to my favorite website in the entire WORLD, (also know as Etsy) and found these gorgeous beings and also their more refined cousin. While they are amazing, for 4 or 5 arrows, it was a bit expensive for my unemployed taste. That's when I remembered I am unemployed and have lots of free time and decided I was going to make these bad boys myself.

So after a quick trip to Michael's and Home Depot, and $10 spent, I present to you my own arrows.

So, I had enough supplies to make four, but the last one needs to be repainted (too late with too much wine during craft time!) With my ten dollars, I bought:

a bag of feathers ($2)

two 8mm dowels ($2)

four gold plumbing caps (5.50)

two strands of embroidery string (.39 each)

You will also need:

a hot glue gun

paint

painters tape

(Yeah Supply Photo!)

So basically, this was a stupidly easy process which I will gladly break down for yah!

Step 1: paint your entire stick the overall color of your arrow and let dry. (In hindsight, I wish I painted a cooler color than two whites so my next batch will be neon ombre, 'cause why not!)

Step 2: After the overall color is dry, Use your painters tape and strip off areas to paint your stripes. 

Step 3: After the paint is dry, pick out your colors for feathers and sit them out in front of you. Using your hot glue gun, circle the top sides of your arrow and quickly adhere the feathers, pressing them flatly into the glue. Wrap the bottom of the feathers with embroidery string and cover where the feathers meet the wood.

Step 4: Apply glue to the end of your arrow and insert the end of your plumbers piece. Wrap string to cover the extra glue. 

When it's all said and done, you got yourself some pretty spiffy looking arrows for HELLA cheap. Don't be afraid to get creative and switch it up. Also, remember you can always over paint or add more stripes!

I hope ya'll enjoy your arrows as much as I enjoy mine. 

(I need to work on my vignette creation, obviously.) 

-Dana

Well, Hello there stranger!

Have you ever had a fight with a friend about something so ridiculously stupid, and instead of putting on your big girl pants and apologizing, you ignore them? And then sooo much time has gone by, that you keep forgetting why you were fighting in the first place, but are too embarrassed to call or even text? That the embarrassment and ambiguity of the situation is just overflowing like the Nile freaking river and you don't know what to do?

Well, that's what happened to this blog.

Readers, I'd like to take this moment and dam the river, shoot a text and wave at you from across a crowded mall with BOTH hands and giant smile..... because I've missed your sweet asses. And now that we're together having Starbucks, I'd like to update you on mah life for a bit.

1) I finished grad school (with mother fudging honors)
2) I moved from TX to Seattle WA to follow my boy fran
3) I am now awaiting job and wedding proposals. I will also gripe about the two publicly because I feel I deserve both of them. Screw romance. I'm ready to have a rock and a fucking career.
4) In the meantime I am responsible for maintaing the apartment while my man pays the bills, oh and I also know NO- ONE. I mean, talking to the guy at Home Depot about plumbing supplies is usually the highlight of my day. So yeah, refer to number 3 in understanding my "gripe-age".

So this is the olive branch of my life right now. I'll post updates, not just about baking, but of my shenanigans, decorating and crafts that I've been working on to keep my mind busy.

Thanks for stopping by!

(I live here now)