1.30.2011

Sum Up Sundays: Tights Challenge & New Headbands



Tomorrow begins the first week of February & that means it's time for the February Tights Challenge!!  The goal of this challenge is to incorporate tights into your daily outfits throughout February.  It's a perfect time to work through your tights collection or start a collection of your own!

Each Sunday, there will be a link party on the front page of Five Sixteenths.  If you want to add later in the week, click the "Click Here for February Tights Challenge Link Party!" banner above & link up your posts.  The link party will be up each week until Friday giving you a fresh place to link up each week!


Remember you can always add images to the Flickr Group daily to share some inspiration!  The button is in the left side bar.

Here's the button to add to your blog as well:




I've also added some new headbands to With Love:




Click on the images to be taken to With Love, Crochet!

I hope you have an awesome Sunday, I can't believe the weekend is almost over!  What have you been up to?

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.29.2011

Looking for Guest Bloggers!

I am looking to add a DIY spin to Dorm Dec Wednesdays.  Usually posts are ideas or inspiring projects & hope it excites your creativity.  Since I am growing busier & busier but still want to offer more & more DIY projects I'd thought I'd open Five Sixteenths up for guest posts!


So if you are interested in being a guest poster
email me here

crossxmyxhooks {at} gmail {dot} com

1.28.2011

Fan Fridays: Mid Century Modern

I am in love:


I want to live in a house like the Brady's.  I saw this image on a google search.  That led me to this awesome etsy shop:




These are from the etsy shop of Jen Ski where to die for prints are sold.  Is it possible to live in an etsy shop?  I can't stop looking at the prints!

She also has a blog (jenskistudio.blogspot.com) where this lovely image is from:

I can has these too?

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.26.2011

Dorm Dec Wednesdays: Another Bunting Idea

I've been obsessed with bunting lately & am always on the look out for alternative shapes to triangles & circles.  The best one I stumbled upon today is this set of six die cut & hand painted peacock feathers:


Can you believe how gorgeous these are? 
I would love to put them on a door just like that!
No Party Needed!


pick up a set of 6 from Kate Greiner here
She's also got loads of other designs too!

These are so Art Nouveau & Modern at the same time.  They remind me of my peacock ring from Icing that I got for my birthday:


PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.25.2011

Tempted Tuesdays: Bows as Belts

I've been taken by bows!  I had the sewing machine out & made a cover for one of my sketchbooks & was left with the perfect size of fabric to make a little bow.  I've also been crocheting some bow ties to be added to the shop shortly.  I am now completely smitten with bows!!

I love the idea of bow belts as well.  Here are some I've found on etsy:

I love the look of this one from Fabric Parade

this one can be a belt, headband, or necklace
from Nicta

the belt fuels my blue obsession as well.
pick it up from Absolute Queen

and finally this dress is just so sweet 

Now I'll finish sending some emails to get ready for my semester & head back to the sewing machine!

What are you currently inspired by?

Also, don't forget about the February Tights Challenge!


PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.24.2011

Make It Mondays: Print Decor

I've see a lot of bloggers decorating with type & type cases lately & that inspired me to decorate with my mounted lino cuts.


I've already made prints from these & have a few more in my locker.  I think a few displayed on a little shelf would look so cool.  Perhaps using a recycled crate to make a shelf would create an interesting display.  It also makes the process behind the finish piece into artwork as well!

Happy Monday!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.21.2011

Fan Fridays: Tights Challenge

I am in love with tights & I buy them way too often & never wear them.  Therefor my goal for February is to wear tights every day & document it here on Five Sixteenths.  I am also going to try to wear a lot of my (comfortable) shoes since I have a bazillion & I never wear them.


I started avidly collecting tights a few years ago when I found some bright teal ones at Target.  At this time I wasn't as, errrrmmm, creative with my outfits as I am now.  You can always find me wearing something crazy & awesome now.

Here are some tights I wish I owned:




Currently (not that I am buying any more any time soon) I have 18 pairs, a number perfect for such a short month like February.  I have so many & I love them so!

If you want to take part of this challenge, let me know! I'd love to link to your blog & have a little button for you to use:



Get to counting those tights, the challenge starts February 1st!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.20.2011

Remember When I Said....

I really wanted a wig from this shop on etsy?  Well, I still do & am hoping I make a few sales on etsy to fund it :)

But I decided, by the friendly pushing of my friend Meg, that I should dye my hair purple/pink.  And I did! It came out a lot better than I thought it would & I think it's going to fad to a nice bubblegum pink which rocks.

It's faded a bit because I washed it this morning with out thinking.
Yesterday it was a bit more purple-er


You can check out a video of me talking about it here

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.19.2011

New Bed-ginings

To start off the new year I have a brand new, vintage, bedspread.  After a thorough washing, it is now on my little bed looking pretty.

pay no attention to the fact that my curtains are slightly shorter than they should be :)

You can also see the addition of a new little owl pillow I made on my sewing machine during xmas break:



PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Dorm Dec Wednesdays: DIY Bunting Decor

Inspired by the crocheted bunting listed at With Love, I've been looking up awesome bunting decor & how-to's.

This one isn't just about the easy to sew paper bunting but about the placement:


Look how delicate this bunting looks hanging on the right side of the doorway.  A very subtle & sweet way to decorate.  This would be perfect for a plain 'ol office or to spruce up your entry way.  I love the colors too:


PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.17.2011

Make It Mondays: DIY Faux Woodgrain #3 - Decal Stickers

Still in love with contact paper!  Since this contact paper is pretty much removable & re-positionable you can make great stickers with it to decorate pretty much anything:

Here I've decorated my laptop

Using the woodgrain contact paper or any other awesome pattern you can score, create stickers to decorate:
  • letters & mailers: decorate you Valentine postage with cute heart stickers
  • kitchen canisters: pick up some vintage tins or some new ones from the dollar tree & decorate with cut letter stickers, hearts, etc
  • walls, doors, & decor: cut out shapes to decorate a wall with a mural or add a bit of wimsy to the side of a window
  • electronics: place your cut initials on your lap top, cover your camera, ipod, or flipvideo camera. Add some spiff to your tv as well.
  • car: put accent decals in your back window or plastic console.
  • stationary: create cool school supplies for your kids, decorate that new planner you've got for this year,  add some spice to you address book.
Before you know it you'll be heading back to the dollar store to pick up more rolls!

What would you do with woodgrain stickers?  Enjoy your Monday!


PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.16.2011

Look at these Shoes!!

Just got back to school & am now drinking some hot chocolate instead of unpacking.  Browsing etsy in order to delay packing even more.

Fell in love with these:


and this:

this

Really, I want it all.
Ok, perhaps I will get to packing



PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.12.2011

Dorm Dec Wednesdays: Tin Can Organization

I love the idea of stacking to take up less space.  In a small apartment, things need to go as high as they can.  I found this cute idea for a craft room, but it would be perfect for any other room in the house:


I'd make a dozen & here's how I'll use them:

  • In the Kitchen - organize your tall & short spice containers.  Put fruits & nuts in it as well.  We always have nuts like walnuts around in the winter time.  Even granola bars & wrapped pastries would look much better here than in their boxes.
  • In the Bathroom - put your make up in different tiers according to what they are, put wash clothes & soaps with in easy reach for guests, add in your toothbrush too!
  • In the Bedroom - make a two tiered one for your glasses, change & random jewelry on your nightstand.  Create one for your beau for his watch, lose change & other pocket what-nots.  It would be great for ties if he doesn't have a lot!
  • In the Studio - Store bits & bobs like shown in the picture.
  • In the Office - store paper clips, pens, note pads, etc. Since its magnetic you can post notes to it for reminders.
  • In the Living Room - use it to display decorative accents like the yarn in the picture or store small games like cards or Bananagrams!
These are just someways to translate this craft room decor to every day decor.

Visit the original post here on Better Homes & Gardens.  It calls for a jigsaw & pipes, etc but I think you could do it the same way you would make a cake stand.  Grab some candle sticks while you pick up your tins from the thrift store & some E6000 from the craft store.  Center & glue.   


PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

1.10.2011

Tempted Tuesdays: Do Blonde's Really Have More Fun?

I love my short hair & I love dying it blonde.  But recently I've been thinking I sort of love long hair & absolutely love brightly colored hair.

This is (give or take) my hair now:

I don't have it blonde now, but you can trust it is going back asap!

I can NOT stand to grow my hair out.  I hate it sitting on my ears & I didn't take care of it when it was long.  But I've been falling in love with colored hair ever since I've seen Katy Perry rockin' it:



I was reading a blog I totally love Susanna Bean where she mentions picking up a blue wig from an etsy shop.  I thought to myself, I might just do that:

Here are some from Tiffany DeMichele on etsy:



Here are some other from Miss Violet Lace:





Sooooooooooooooo many to choose from!

So what do you think? Should I save up & do it?  I think so!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Make It Mondays: DIY Faux Woodgrain #2 - Vanity Tray

I am still totally in love with my woodgrain contact paper.  I was over at a friends house the other night & not only did I find a needle point portrait of a man with a mustache & a kitty but I found a really cute vanity tray.  It was gold with a mirror in the bottom.  It looked kinda like this:


I knew I needed one! But let me tell you, I don't need anything else in my bathroom in my apartment so I couldn't see going out & searching thrift stores for one.  It stuck it the back of my head for a while but then I realized I had some divided lunch trays & some of the wood grain contact paper.  I got these trays my freshman year of college when I worked at a party supply store.  I thought they'd be cute to use in my little dorm room as dishes!  I bought them in three colors: orange, lime green, & blue.  After moving into an apartment, I stored them away at my parents house & really haven't thought twice about what to do with them.  I loved them so much & I am so glad I could give them new life!


What you need:
Contact paper, tray, paper to make a template, pencil, scissors

start off by making paper templates for the divided parts in the tray.  I cut a piece of paper big enough to press down in the divided parts.  I ran my fingernail around the edge to push it down into the part to make it fit.  Then I just cut around the indentation.  The hardest one was the long one.  Make sure that your paper fits back in the way you want so the contact paper with fit that way too.


Trace your templates on the back of the contact paper.  Make sure you flip the template over when you trace it so it fits in the right spot.  I used the corner piece twice since they are just mirror images of each other.  Take the cut contact paper & make sure it fits how you want it.


Remove the backing & press the contact paper down on the tray.  This is the hardest & tedious part!  The good thing is you can remove & reposition it a bit because the tray is plastic.



I cut out a little heart of a contrasting contact paper because I thought it was adorable!

Then stick it in your bathroom or vanity! We have a huge side counter part in the bathroom at my parent's house so thats where I staged it.  I think it would also look great on the back of your toilet for candles & lotions.  You could even use one of the sections to put your rings/bracelets if you forget to take them off when you get in the shower.  Just don't knock the tray in the toilet!!


PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!