studded pocket diy

his is

a DIY

I did many years ago, as I mentioned in yesterday's outfit post.  When I lived in Anchorage I frequently went to an amazing leather, bead and stone shop that had tons of amazing findings and pieces for DIY projects, including studs, so I was always doing a DIY with studs, making jewelry, or other little accessories.  I haven't yet found a good local resource for studs here in Tacoma, but nowadays there are lots of online shops where you can buy studs, so I grabbed mine from etsy.  

These shredded jeans

from

Lulu's

were the perfect base for adding studs.  I've wanted a pair of shredded jeans for a while, but I never found quite the right pair, but I'm loving these ones!

What you'll need: 

1/2 inch studs

 (appx 50-60)

Seam ripper or xacto knife

Jeans

 or Jean shorts

First, take half the pocket off.  You could remove the whole pocket and stud the entire pocket area, but I like how the studs sort of "peek-a-boo" out from the pocket flap.  Remove the outside vertical seam of the pocket using a seam ripper or an exacto knife.  I had a rivet at the top corner of my jeans that I had to remove also, so you might need a pair of needle nose pliers to get that out if you have one.  If you want to leave the flap loose you can leave it, or you can iron the fold to keep it laying flat, or you can throw a stitch in the loose corner to keep it down, which is what I did.

Then, start placing your studs!  You might want to lay some out to measure how many columns/rows you'll fit in before installing them.  Depending on how big/small your pocket is, you may need more or less studs than I used.  The prongs on my studs were easy to push through the denim, so you probably won't need to pre-cut the holes for the prongs to go through, but if you do, just use your xacto knife.  Press the stud prongs through the denim and flip to the inside to press the prongs down.  My prongs were pretty stiff so I needed to use a flathead screwdriver to push the prongs down, but in the past I've had studs that were easier to bend and I could just do it with my fingers.  

Keep adding studs, installing one at a time, to your rows and columns until you've filled the triangle.  I put my studs a little under the fold of the pocket, so they come out from under the pocket fold.

I've seen a similar DIY done with

front pockets

(minus removing half the pocket), which is also cute!

There you go!  It shouldn't take too long, maybe 45 minutes to an hour, hour and a half.  It took a little longer than I anticipated, just because my stud prongs were stiff and harder to push down than I thought they'd be.  My fingers were a little sore by the end!  But I'm stoked with how they turned out!  Maybe I'll have to do a pair of shorts for the summertime too!

#FLASHBACKFRIDAY // red velvet if you please

his is probably an outfit I'd still wear, if I had that skirt still.  I've had the t-shirt since high school, it was something I grabbed from the little boy's section of Walmart, go figure.  And of course, my trusty Minnetonkas.  This outfit is from my visit to Elsie and Emma's Red Velvet vintage and cupcake shop in Springfield, MO when I was on my Brave trip.  It's crazy to think that it was 5 years ago when I rolled through town and parked my Winne down the street from Red Velvet and visited those ladies.  

Red Velvet If You Please // November 11, 2010

Yesterday I got to go to Red Velvet in Springfield, MO and hang out with Elsie and her sister Emma for the day! After seeing her posts on the shop grand opening, I thought to myself, "I wonder where she's located and if I can go visit!" Turns out, she wasn't that far away at all (I was in Arizona at the time), so I booked it across NM, TX, and OK to get to Red Velvet. It was worth the long days of driving, and I had the best time hanging out at the shop, seeing a bit of Springfield, getting smoothies with Elsie and pizza with Emma, and trying on adorable vintage dresses.

cardigan & tights/target :: top/walmart :: shoes/minnetonka

skirt/courtesy of Vintage Strings

Emma sent me home with some of her delicious cupcakes and I can't wait to have cupcakes for breakfast! Speaking of breakfast, I went to IHOP yesterday for breakfast, which is the first time I've eaten out on my own on this trip (not counting fast food, though I haven't really done that much either). Something about yesterday morning just made me want some major breakfast food, and to not have to make it myself. Also, I kind of slept in and check out at the campground was at 11 am. Not that I couldn't have still cooked myself breakfast, but something about IHOP was calling my name, and it doesn't often do that. Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to explode. Best/worst decision ever. So delicious. IHOP always makes me think of this bit by Jim Gaffigan. "I've never left there feeling like hopping... It should be called, 'IBarelyMove'" SO accurate.

In which Little Bit does not want to pose for photos. She was having the best time sniffing new smells, making friends with customers and wandering around Red Velvet all day. Consequently she was totally uninterested in doing anything I desired her to do.

Go check out Elsie's blog to see pictures of the Brave looking terribly cute sitting down the street from Red Velvet!

outfit shots by elsie!

shredded + studded

ix years ago I did a studded pocket DIY, but I have no clue where those shorts went, and I also never did a tutorial for them.  Since I'm still obsessed with studs, I figured it was high time to re-do that DIY and also do a tutorial for it!  I'll be sharing the DIY tomorrow, but here's a little peek at it in today's outfit!  I thought the studs, being a little bit rock + roll, would go perfectly with a pair of shredded jeans.  This pair from Lulu's was just right, and I didn't even realize until I started writing this post that I paired the shredded jeans with a shredded tee!  Maybe I look like I lost a fight with a weed whacker, but I dig it.   I have some leftover studs from this project so I'm scheming up another studded DIY.  I did a studded purse DIY years ago as well, and I still have that purse!  I haven't used it in a long time, but now I'm inspired to pull it out again.  What is your favorite studded piece or accessory that you've seen/own?  I have studded jackets, bracelets, jeans, purses, phone case... what am I missing?

 

top/skyline fever :: cardigan/courtesy of ruche :: jeans/courtesy of lulu's + DIY hat(similar)/thrifted :: necklaces/handmade + courtesy of tribe jewelry boots(similar)/lulu e. bebe :: photos by Dan

rosemary thyme dubliner soda bread + bread pudding

ast month Kerrygold contacted me to see if I'd be interested in doing some recipe posts with their cheese and butter and seeing as Kerrygold's Dubliner is one of my favorite cheeses, I was pretty stoked to make delicious recipes with their cheese.  In the coming months I'll be posting a few fun recipes with their cheese, so cheese-lovers, get excited! I'm a little belated in posting this recipe, since it was inspired by all things Irish due to St. Patrick's day, but I was on the road during St. Paddy's day, and besides, this recipe is great for any time of year, not just for when we're all decked out in green!  
Dan was really into baking bread for a few months last year and one of his great staples was Irish soda bread, so for this recipe I enlisted his help in taking his soda bread to the next level!  We added cheese and fresh herbs and then used the soda bread to make a savory bread pudding that is divine!

(recipe adapted from epicurious)

Irish Soda Bread Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup Kerrygold Dubliner cheese

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

To make soda bread:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cheese, and herbs in a large bowl. Add buttermilk and butter. Stir just until dough is evenly moistened but still lumpy.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and turn dough to coat with flour. Gently knead with floured hands about 8 times to form a soft but slightly less sticky dough.

Form into a loaf, appx. 6-inch round and put on an ungreased baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch-deep "X" across top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Dust 1 tablespoon of additional flour over the loaf.

Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer loaf to a rack and cool completely.

Bread Pudding Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup grated Kerrygold Skellig sweet cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk
Loaf of Irish Soda Bread

To make bread pudding:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter ramekins or baking dish.

Cut enough bread into 1-inch cubes to measure 3 3/4 cups. Divide bread among ramekins (or spread in larger baking dish).

Whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in cheese and spoon over bread in ramekins or baking dish. Let stand 10 minutes.

Put ramekins or baking dish in a larger baking pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of ramekins or dish.

Bake until just set and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Transfer ramekins or dish from hot water bath to a rack and cool 10 minutes before serving.

toms waxed canvas bag giveaway!

f you were here earlier today you probably saw I hinted at a TOMS giveaway... and here it is!  You can win one of these gorgeous olive waxed canvas backpacks!  I really love this pack.  It's got a laptop/tablet sleeve, pockets for your phone and other items, and my favorite little feature is the zipped side pocket, which is super easy to access while still wearing the pack on your back!  One of my least favorite things about backpacks is having to take them off and dig around inside to find what you need.  I found myself throwing my keys and phone in that little pocket because it was so easy to just zip open and grab those things I need frequently.   Scroll down and enter the giveaway for a chance to win this cute and uber practical little bag!

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