DIY: Bamboo Centerpiece

Need a little greenery in your life? Try a decorative bamboo arangement. I love bamboo! It takes no soil and does well indoors. Forget to water it? No problem, more often than not they bouncy back even when the leaves have begun to yellow or the stalks have started to shrivel- oops! My husband has been throwing these things together for years. It first started as a last minute christmas gift idea- a plant you virtually can't kill. Genius!

I found this was a perfect solution for my sister, who recently moved out of our parents home and into her new apartment. She had been looking for something decorative for her place that took little to no care. Bamboo? You got it!

So here's what you will need...

 Supplies:

• small glass bowl or vase
• bamboo stalks (an odd # of stalks works best)
• flat fish marbles or decorative rock or gravel

Luckily I picked up this small round bowl for 50 cents at the thrift store. I had already looked at our local craft store but most of the vases were large and deep. I wanted something a bit smaller and fish bowl-esque for her.

 
I chose 3 bamboo stalks of varying height to add interest. You can choose more or less, or even use a combination of both spiral stalks and straight. Do keep in mind the spiral stalks typically run a few dollars more. Unfortunately our store was down to just a few stalks and these were the healthiest looking of the few.

Here's what you'll do...

STEP 1: place a small handful of marbles into the bottom of bowl. This not only makes the stalks more secure, but also assures you that bamboo roots as seen in the above picture aren't smashed on the bottom of the vase with nowhere to grow.  **A bag of fish marbles was approximately $1/bag at Dollar Tree vs. approximately $5/bag at the craft store.

STEP 2: Stand the bundle of bamboo stalks in the center of vase. Add another handful of marbles evenly around the stalks. Fill to the top. **Note: I used about 1 and a half bags of black marbles, then added a handful of large clear marbles to the top. These larger flat marbles wedged into the underside of the vase kept everything upright and firmly together. (We had a 45min car ride to see her and it needed to stay put along the way).

STEP 3: Lastly, add water. And enjoy!


Examples of past arrangements:

Store bought arrangement from a co-worker when I got my appendix out. It survives nicely in my dim-lit corner of an office. I've had this for over a year.

Bamboo arrangement made by hubby for my office. Everyone enjoyed this so much we moved it to the front desk. It has been around for 3 or 4 years. The bright green is new little shoots that have sprouted up. It is in the original bowl.

"This little guy? I wouldn't worry about this little guy." ~ Super Troopers
 My coworker has been slipping this one some miracle grow from time to time. This arrangement began in a small square bowl similar to the one I made above, but has since out grown it's home twice. It is approximately 4-5 years old. And the one shoot is now taller than me!

Have you put an arrangement together? Let me know how it went. What did you do differently?

She's Crafty- If You Want To Destroy My Sweater...

"If you want to destroy my sweater, hold this thread while I walk away"... ~ Weezer

This monday  so I took advantage of my free time and I purged my closet. While I gathered clothing destined for donation to the thrift stores, I spotted a few items I wanted to play around with.

You'll Need:

• old sweater, maybe one that's too snug or too short.
• scissors
• thread
• pins

The first was a green sweater tunic tank. Which I'd attempted to wear several times without successfully making it out the door. So today was the day, I gave it new life. I decided this lovely sweater would be my guinea pig for this project, and I would repurpose and "Re-Style" it.

STEP 1

Take the sweater and turn it inside out.

STEP 2

I eyeballed the sweater and then cut straight across just under the armpit. (Note: I should have cut a little higher to allow more material to work with). This ended up being about the top 1/3 of the sweater.

STEP 3

Next I turned the newly cut edge down once and then twice and pinned it. It's advisable to measure your new hem to make sure it is even all around. I actually did this twice- the first time, I folded it down too much. I didn't exactly accommodate for the new hem and the actual skirt length- oops! silly me. So I unpinned it all and made the new hem not so wide- then pinned it back down all the way around.

STEP 4
Sew it. You could just as easily sew it using your machine, but I did it by hand since it was such a small piece.

STEP 5

Turn garment right side out and wear it!

Song of the day: Undone (The Sweater Song) by Weezer

And the Oscar goes to... and DIY Natalie's Tassle Earrings

The Oscars have come and gone again. Luckily I caught the red carpet coverage and made mental notes on who's outfits I really liked and then we were able to catch the condensed version thanks to my inlaws and their Tivo. Love skipping the boring acceptance speechs and getting down to the good stuff.

Sandra Bullock is simply elegant in a strapless scarlet Vera Wang gown. The simple updo, crocodile clutch, and ruby red lips complete her look.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese is very remniscent of 60's Hollywood glamour Barbie in a black-and-white Giorgio Armani Prive column gown and high ponied ‘do.


Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer glows in a tasty tangerine Versace halter gown. She looks great- love the jewels!



Halle Berry
Halle looks magical in her sparkling crystal encrusted Marchesa gown.



Natalie Portman
Natalie looks stunning in her jewel tone dress, Jimmy Choo's, and Tiffany's tassel earrings. I love the way this fits and showcases her new mommy curves so nicely. If you LOVE her tassel earrings, check out the DIY below.





Hilary Swank

Hilary, two-time Oscar winner, pulled off this strapless Gucci stunner. Who else could look this good in feather and sparkling metallic accents?

Hailee Steinfeld

This Best Supporting Actress nominee picked a winner. This pale pink Marchesa frock was a perfect choice for her first trip along the Oscars red carpet. Eye catching details on the modest bodice and a simple ankle grazing skirt make this an age appropriate gown for the 14 year old star.  It's been reported that she even helped Marchesa design this one-of-a-kind creation. She may not have won for BSA- I thought she was great in "True Grit"- but I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her in the future.

Mila Kunis
Mila was a vision of beauty in her lovely lavender lace Elie Saab gown. Her simple do' with sideswept bangs and diamond earrings completed her ethereal ensemble.

Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves

Matthew dons  Dolce & Gabbana. While his wife, Camila Alves, looks fab in a Kaufman Franco gown.

Cheryl Hines

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star shimmered in her black sweetheart gown, which she accessorized with a glam diamond necklace and a casual updo.

Erin Andrews

Erin shines in her silver Kaufman Franco dress.

Anne Hathaway
The Oscars co-host wow's in a simple red vintage Valentino bustle gown. I love the ruffled rose detailing on the bustle.

Amy Adams

“The Fighter’s” Best Supporting Actress nominee sparkled in this form-fitting midnight blue L’Wren Scott gown and emerald-and-diamond Cartier jewels. The dress and diamonds perfectly set off her strawberry blond locks and creamy white complexion.

Scarlett Johansson

The newly single and ready to mingle. Scarlet in her risqué Dolce & Gabbana magenta lace gown and sexy bedhead hair.

Mandy Moore
Doesn't Mandy's nude, crystal-encrusted Monique Lhuillier gown look very similar to both Halle and Hailee's gowns? The bodice and the skirt of the gown are lovely. However the transition from bodice to waist is not very flattering to her figure.

Celine Dion

Although Celine Dion just gave birth to twin boys last October, you’d never know it! She's looking sleek in her Armani Privegown. Loose locks and a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace completed her ensemble.

Maria Menounos

The "Access Hollywood" correspondent played it safe in a black velvet Johanna Johnson one-sleeved number, which she set off with an attention-grabbing piece of bling.

Donald and Melania Trump

The Donald rocked his signature coif, while wife Melania made the scene in a Dolce & Gabbana gown.

Annette Bening

"The Kids Are All Right" Best Actress nominee scored top marks on the red carpet thanks to her sparkling Art Deco gown by Naeem Khan.

Dale Dickey

The "Winter's Bone" star,  sparkled in a blue dress that accentuated her fit figure.

My two fave parts of course were:

The opening to the Oscars


Anne was adorable in this. Love her dance of the brown duck.


and then of course the auto-tuned HP/ToyStory/Twilight song



It got me singing You're my tiny ball of light... lol

What were your favorite moments and looks of the night?