Manic Pop

Out on a thrift store trip today, I found some more gems chillin' in the books section. Whenever I go to a thrift store, I scour the book sections for any DIY books from the 60s and 70s. I love 60s/70s interiors as there was lots of bright color usage and the top book is perfect for ideas of shelving, storage, and painting. Both books are from 1977. I don't really know a lot about how to build things (though I did want to be a construction worker in middle school for some reason) but these seem easy enough to do with minimal experience. Most of the time if you go to Home Depot or any other store like that, if you have measurements that you want things to be, they will cut it for you to those specifications. I think this is an amazing storage idea for renters (if a landlord doesn't mind you putting holes in the walls) and owners alike. I'd definitely go nuts with contrast colors here - or even powder blue! The diagram tells you how it's built. ...

Just in time for the weekend! Here is an excerpt from the Complete Encyclopedia of Crafts from the 70s with a how-to on pop-up cards. Feel free to test your own designs out, using these as a template. I might attempt a rainbow/psychedelic-ish one in the coming weeks.

So I am absolutely dying to make curtains like these: These are specifically made for a kitchen as they are much shorter than what I would do. I have curtains that desperately need replacing  in my living room (the front picture window) and this project is definitely on my list. It's daunting though because each curtain will have to be around 4 ft. by 6 ft. Yikes!  I also would sort of update this look by using more subdued hues like a pale green and a pale, sheer blue. This would be fun to try on a much smaller scale - like a kitchen window in this photo. (Photo credit: The Complete Encylopedia of Crafts, Volume 1 from 1975.) For anyone in Chicago, a great place to find lots and lots of cheap fabric is Textile Discount Outlet . Go there with some time on your hands as there are 3 warehouse-sized floors of fabric, notions, etc. and always check their hours! Another fun home idea is this, though I may be the only one crazy enough to actually do this: (Photo:...

I was beyond delighted to find yet another vintage crafts book on an outing to a local Chicago thrift store with my friend Kat last weekend. I almost didn't see it! This one was published in 1975 and includes many DIY projects such as paper crafts (including amazingly cute pop-up cards you can make!), knitting and crocheting, clay crafts, plastic crafts (!), metal jewelry making, simple woodworking, glass etching, creative mural and wall painting, and candle-making. From my research, about 7 volumes exist in this series, perhaps more. I'm pretty sure the plastic crafts one included in this book is now dangerous to do at home, but maybe it wasn't in the 70s. The chemicals alone are enough to do some damage, right? When I was little, I remember my mom getting us color drip candles somewhere and I was fascinated by them. Looking online now you can only buy 2 of them usually for around $7 - seems they are mostly a thing of the past. I have an awesome thrifted can...

I wasn't sure I would ever do this in particular with this blog, but the day has come: Photos of myself wearing slightly oddball things. I figure, why not? This is what I looked like today. I had actually forgotten I have this particular pair of pants in my closet as working my retail job, we have to wear clothes from work and these are from Forever21 from maybe 3-4 years ago. Sometimes, pairing them with a top can be daunting which is probably how they ended up in the back of my closet. Also, I may or may not have gone out in public with the fur collar. I realize it's more of a dressy piece (see how it's used here in a photo my by friend Jane) but I liked the pairing with the lumberjack shirt.                                       Details. Necklace is resale from Buffalo Exchange. ...