DIY Flower Crown

Happy Weekend, friends!! I hope everyone is taking it easy and enjoying the rays. It's an outdoorsy Saturday and Sunday for me with the Hollywood Bowl on the agenda as well with a field day (complete with DIY tees!) with some pals. You'll be seeing the tees this week - they're so easy and turned out super cute! Today's DIY was a fun one. I worked on floral crowns using both real and faux blooms for Makeup.com! I've made crowns in the past using paper flowers and dye...

New Dress A Day - DIY Floral Crown

...but never real stems. I think it turned out gorgeous.

New Dress A Day - DIY Floral Crown

The full tutorial is over at Makeup.com - click here to see how easy it is for yourself!

I think they would make perfect headpieces for a wedding. Time to get engaged! (PS, they dry even better, too!)

DIY Scrabble Cufflinks

It’s Father’s Day this weekend, so I’m thinkin’ we craft something for Dad or the other males/father figures in our lives! I was totally in love with a pair of monogrammed cufflinks that Kevin Spacey's character Frank Underwood was given on House of Cards... HG - House of Cards cufflinks

...that I was inspired to make a lower budge version for Father's Day! Hello Scrabble tiles!?!

 Here’s a rundown of the supplies you’ll need:

Hello Giggles - New Dress A Day - Supplies

1. Tacky Glue – (I used Aleene's "Turbo Tacky Glue" - it's got some serious hold power!)

2. Cufflink blanks (I ordered a dozen on Amazon – will have plenty for extra gifts!)

3. Scrabble pieces (if you can find one at a garage sale or at Goodwill, awesome! Otherwise snag a batch of letters on Amazon or ebay!)

This project literally couldn't be any easier. First, add a dab of tacky glue to the back of the cufflink blank.

Hello Giggles - New Dress A Day - Glue

Put your letter tile on top of the glued blank, push in place, and let dry.

Hello Giggles - New Dress A Day - Cufflinks

Repeat the previous step to complete both cufflinks and let dry overnight.

HG - House of Cards cufflinks

How about that for some monogrammed action, Kev?

HG - House of Cards cufflinks - Kevin Spacey

Taking the essence of the links from House of Cards, you can DIY dad or the boyfriend or the other family member/friend/pal/etc. a pair of monogrammed cufflinks of their own.

HG - House of Cards cufflinks - DIY

Dad, you'll be getting your DL letters in the mail soon!!

DIY: Joan's Pen Necklace from Mad Men

I totally heart Mad Men and have been a fan since the get go. I think the period element of it was what really got me caught up in it the most. The 60s costumes are just killer. Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

Mad Men is one of those shows that makes me want to work in advertising, albeit an advertising world in the 60s where shift dresses and scotch at all times of the day is welcomed. I’d also appreciate working with dudes who look like Jon Hamm because that’s a reason right there to get up and head into the office early. Each time I see Megan Draper on screen, I want to get into acting classes just so I can hang with her and rifle through her closet of vintage deliciousness.

New Dress A Day - Megan Draper - Mad Men

But, I think I’m most obsessed with Joan Holloway and her look. Is it weird that I dyed my hair red and brought a picture of Christina Hendricks with me to show my stylist exactly what I wanted? And pinky swear, I’m not single white female-ing her :) There’s been one piece of Joan’s wardrobe that she always wears that I’m obsessed with. She has the coolest gold pen necklace and it’s something that makes for a fab DIY.

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

Here’s a rundown of the supplies you’ll need for the necklace...

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

1. Jump ring (Something large enough that will fit around the clip of the pen. I went with Darice's jump rings in 10mm that fit perfectly under the clip.)

2. Gold chain (Grab a chain from your jewelry box or find chain at your local craft store like this by Blue Moon Beads.)

3. Click pen – (anything from the office supply closet will work!)

4. Metallic spray paint (I used Krylon metallic gold spray paint)

Because of the spray painting element, I took my pen outside to paint. An easy trick is to grab some thread or twine and hang the pen from a tree or clothing line so it dangles. I used a nail that was in a tree to hang my pen and then put newspaper around the trunk to avoid turning it gold while I sprayed.

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

When the piece got completely coated in paint, I let it dry and then painted one more coat.

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace SuppliesHello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

I added my jump ring to the clip of the pen (feel free to glue it in place to secure) and then attached my chain.

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

How's that for a new accessory that matches the one Christina Hendricks wears on the show? And, the best part is that it still works!

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

Now I'm ready to make that Avon account mine!

Hello Giggles - DIY - Mad Men - Pen Necklace Supplies

Now, all I need is some shaping undergarments, ahem bra, and a slight touch up on the hair dye front to really match Joan!