Recently, I was chatting with a friend and said something I never, ever thought I’d say: “You know what I want for my next race? An actual tutu.”

This is laughable for a few reasons. First of all, next race? I never thought I’d be a person who was registered for multiple races. WHAT. Next, wanting a tutu? The first time I saw people running in tutus, I mocked them. TRUE STORY. Not to their face, just to Leslie, who was at this running group (or “excuse to go to brunch”) we used to belong to.

But then I ran my first 5K and was signed up for a few more and had tutu envy of some of the ladies I saw running, so I decided to make one for myself. Races totally feel like parties!

My running shoes are bright orange, so I definitely wanted some bright orange tulle. I decided to go with hot pink as an accent. You know, because it’s subtle.

Since I wanted it to be mostly orange, I got three yards of orange tulle and two yards of pink tulle. Most tutorials urge you to use elastic for the waistband, but I decided to use ribbon instead. This was purely for vanity reasons: I don’t like things digging into my waist AND I didn’t want to have to shimmy out of a tutu in front of people post-race. I measured myself in the ribbon section of JoAnn’s fabrics (CLASSY!) and then purchased a little extra.

To review: you’ll need between 5-7 yards of tulle in a color of your choice, and either elastic (a band, or loose so that you can stitch together the ends) or ribbon, and sharp scissors. The fabric and ribbon cost me less than $12.

I would also suggest that you put your cat elsewhere, because as soon as Harry saw me playing with tulle, he decided to attack me and the tulle. He spent the next half hour yelping at me from the bathroom while I cut tulle strips. Sorry, buddy.

Once you’ve locked your cat (or small child!) in the bathroom, cut your tulle into strips. My tulle came folded in half, and I kept it that way. I cut towards the fold and then once I cut all the way through, I would cut it in half. Each strip will end up being folded in half (well, knotted in half) so you want a bunch of long strips. A LOT of long strips, actually. This cutting process will take awhile. It’s not hard, but it is time consuming.

Once you have the strips cut, you’ll begin tying them to your ribbon or elastic. This process is kind of hard to describe. Basically, you will fold the tulle strip in half, putting the “loop” portion near the ribbon. Next, you’ll pull both ends through, forming a knot, letting the ends go free.

The next part is going to involve a lot of tying strips on. Since I wanted my tutu to be mostly orange with some splashes of pink (a bright, carefully curated colorway — am I a fashion blogger now?), I alternated two orange strips with one pink, like so:

While creating such a high-fashion piece, I took in a culturally relevant film:

Cher would totally wear a tutu, right?

Anyways, when you’re all done, you should have something like this:

Totally ready for racing! Or you know, going out to the bars. Or the grocery store. Or twirling around your apartment, taunting your cat with leftover tulle!

I’ve slowly been working my way through my Pinterest crafty board in hopes of doing more than just pinning projects for later. I am beyond excited that it’s nearly baseball season, and I thought it’d be fun to make a little baseball-themed craft to wear to watch my San Francisco Giants this summer! I spotted this tutorial for a baseball string bracelet, and decided to make my own.

I bought a 99 cent baseball at the thrift store, and got out my trusty Exacto knife:

First things first, cut around the red stitching. Fair warning: it’s hard. I had to make a lot of cuts through the leather. It took some fancy finagling to remove the leather from the ball, too! I finally cut just one portion and then pulled the rest off before cutting the other side. It looked like this:

Ultimately, you want it trimmed so that you only have the red stitching. I used a pair of scissors to trim it up at the end, and that worked a lot better than the Exacto knife.

Next, find where the stitching begins/ends and cut the leather there to break the “circle”. You should then fold the remaining leather in half, and cut it there. You are able to make two bracelets per baseball, so basically, you should have two pieces of leather/stitching to turn into bracelets. The tutorial above does a better job of showing this, if you’re really stuck.

Next, start unwinding the stitching. These pieces of string will become the “ties” for your bracelet, so don’t trim them! You need the string! I’d suggest undoing about four inches on either side.

When you finish undoing the stitches on both sides, cut the leather that no longer has stitches. From there, you can get super crafty and add a closure, or just do it my way (aka LAZY) and tie knots at the end. When I wear it, I plan to just knot the strings and untie them after wearing.

Final product should look like this:

I’m pretty darn excited about this little bracelet. I can’t wait to sport it at the ball park!

A friend of mine recently gave me the most adorable polka dotted notebook, and upon giving it to me, she said, “It just reminded me of you, since polka dots are your thing.” I was kind of…confused. Until I looked at my blog’s background, my favorite scarf and my newest favorite shirt.

Polka dots as my “thing?” I’ll allow it.

Ever since I saw this Confetti Tablecloth DIY on Oh Happy Day, I’ve wanted to make one. I was describing it to Andrew and when he saw it, he said, “That’s not confetti, it’s polka dots!” I sort of had to agree.

Here’s what you need to make one of your own:

• A tablecloth. Obviously. I bought a round white one at Target since our kitchen table is round.
• Craft paint, in any colors you prefer that look cute together. The colors in the tutorial above are more “jewel toned” but I went for brights.
• A circle punch or some sort of circle stencil and some paper to punch it through and create your stencil.
• Spongey brushes.

What you don’t need:

A cat who really, really likes to walk through paint. Poor Harry had to be relegated to the bathroom for this project because if I’ve learned anything in seven years of being his mommy, it’s that he cannot resist the siren song of paint in his paws.

Start by cutting out your circle templates:

Next, put your paint on a super fancy palette, like mine. Then start randomly painting polka dots. I didn’t really follow a rhyme or reason, because I wanted them to be scattered. I do have more pink dots than any other because I like pink best, so hey, why not? But I basically tried to scatter them all over, and get between 5-7 of each color. Do one color at a time, and rinse your brush between colors:

Your finished product will start coming together. You might have to go back and add a few dots once you’ve covered more of the area and can see where you’re lacking certain colors. Let it all dry and then…

Final totally optional step? Fail at awkwardly staging a tea time type situation:

Whatever! My weird staging might not have worked out, but this tablecloth still makes me very, very happy.

A few years ago, I dated a guy who kept an art journal. It was so amazing to see him work quickly, and beautifully represent a scene with just a few strokes. I have been an avid journaler for years, but I’d never tried adding art into it. I’m definitely not the best artist, but I do enjoy creating images as best I can or using color to add another dimension to my words. Playing with color is extremely soothing to me and I’m having a lot of fun.

Here’s what I like to use:

My favorite brushes as the Niji Waterbrushes. You can find them here, or at an art store. I prefer the medium size. These brushes are the coolest: you unscrew the bottom half, fill it with water, and can paint using watercolor paints! No need for a big cup of water to clean your brush or wet the paint. It’s super awesome.

I’m not too picky about paints, as long as the colors are vibrant and I have tons of awesome choices for blending.

I am picky about paper. I’ve used some cheaper versions of watercolor paper and there’s nothing more irritating than soaking through paper or having it curl up. My newest favorite thing is the Strathmore Visual Journal, designed specifically for watercolor.

I have tried a variety of black pens and I don’t think I can yet declare a favorite. The thin-tipped Sharpies are great, but I’m still making lots of trips to the art store to find ones I like more.

As for getting started, my best tip is to just start. I keep a list of quotes and a Pinterest board of quotes I like and sometimes, I’ll paint and write those over it. Eventually, I’d like to add some collage elements and such, but for now, just the art of playing with paint and words is enough for me.

Do you art journal? Any tips?

I really love adorable plain totes with cute designs. I think they’re super fun and casual. Both ban.do and Modcloth have had their own versions recently, and while they’re adorable, I’m not willing to pay for something I can re-create fairly easily. I’ve made a few freezer stenciled bags ever since I discovered them on Inchmark Journal, and I decided to use that technique to make my own version.

Here’s how you do it:

Supply list: plain tote, freezer paper, Exacto knife, craft paint (I used red!), spongey brush and an iron. I have found plain totes in crafting stores, but I prefer to go the Etsy route and purchase some like these.

First, and this is important: wash your tote bag. And then iron it flat. It’s important. Next, find your template. I used a heart for mine. Then, cut your template out. I’m sure this might be insulting to some of you, but don’t be dumb like me. The reason you use your Exacto knife is not so you can use what you cut out—you want a stencil. I did it wrong the first time. Don’t judge. The final product should look like this:

Put the shiny side down onto your tote bag, carefully centering it and aligning it properly. Next, iron it down. Be careful to get all the edges down all the way (you’re going to be painting, and you don’t want any leaks.

Next, take your paint, and carefully paint on top of the open space. I use a sponge-like brush, and am careful to make sure I get even coats.

Let it dry for at least several hours. When it’s fully dry, remove the stencil by gently peeling it back. Your finished product should look like this:

Done! Super simple. Seriously. You could also very easily do this on a t-shirt, a dish towel, an apron. Whatevs. This is easy crafting.

Over the summer, I attended a week-long teacher training for a program called AVID that I teach and coordinate at my school. It’s one of my favorite things about teaching, because this program is focused on helping students get to college and to become really awesome people on the way.

The thing about trainings is that sometimes, it makes for a long week. I’m not complaining, but when your summer break is harshly interrupted by a return to “real life” it’s a big change. Anyways, this summer was different, because the training “strand” I attended was insanely awesome and helpful. And better yet, it was lead by someone I now consider a friend.

I think that meeting people you instantly “click” with is kind of rare, but it happened with Melissa. She was funny and dressed cute and was super good at training our group and it definitely made the week fly by. At the end of training, we exchanged contact information and got to chatting and seriously had so many awesome things in common: teaching, writing, crafting, love for our family and the San Francisco Giants and a love of cute accessories.

A few months after we became friends at training, Melissa opened up an adorable shop full of custom rings that are absolutely gorgeous called C o m p l i m e n t.

I have one of her rings, and when I wore it out for the first time, I seriously had 10 people ask me where my ring was from. They’re lovely. My favorite part though, is that each ring comes in an adorable little box, stamped with it’s own compliment inside. Mine nearly made me cry:

I feel the same way about her.

Not only are the rings lovely, she also donates some of her proceeds to a scholarship fund for students, donates rings for auctions and uses these beautiful products to do good on a large scale.

Melissa has generously offered to do a giveaway for you, my dear readers!

Here’s the deal: she is giving away two rings. One, for you to choose and keep and the second, for you to select for a friend. She will personalize it with a compliment and send it either to you, or to your friend. How awesome would it be to get this gift in time for a special Valentine’s Day gift for a friend or family member?

Here’s how you enter:

—Go to her shop and check out the rings. Leave a comment with the name of  which one you’d want if you win.

—For an additional entry, “Like” her page on Facebook. Please leave a separate comment letting me know you did that.

—For a THIRD entry, tweet the following: “I want to win a ring from @ShopCompliment that @amy_estes is giving away! #justatitchgiveaway.” Please leave an additional comment letting me know (I will be checking the hashtags, but just in case!).

I will be tallying up the entries on Sunday night, and posting a winner Monday morning. I’m already SO EXCITED for whoever wins, because these rings are awesome, and I couldn’t be more proud of my friend.

What are you waiting for? ENTER! GOOD LUCK!

Last month, I decided to participate in the January Photo-A-Day Challenge that the lovely Chantelle over at Fat Mum Slim organized. I had so much fun with this challenge. I have attempted Project 365 before, but something about having a daily prompt and also seeing the community that has formed on Instagram has been a blast. I’ve been actively recruiting my real-life friends into participating on Facebook or Instagram, and I’m happy to say that many of them will be joining in for February’s challenge, which starts TODAY!

Here are the prompts!

I’m SO excited for a second month, and selfishly, I hope that she continues on for the year. It’s been great fun!

If a monthly photo challenge sounds too overwhelming, I’m also hoping to participate in this My Day In Photos challenge:

If you’re going to participate in either one, please let me know! I’d love to follow along!

Have you ever done a photo challenge?

On Saturday, I hung out with my friend Bryn, who is an awesome scrapbooker and finally got to work on my Project Life album. I’ll be honest: I’ve been a little reluctant to jump in to this. My mom is wildly creative and very talented, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever caught the scrapbook “bug.” On the other hand, I get sad when I look at the pictures I have stored on my computer that never see the light of day besides Facebook, and I also want to be better about documenting my life beyond my own emo journals. What appealed to me about Project Life was the ease of use: everything matches and is ready to go.

I purchased the binder, core kit, and cardstock in Clementine. I also ordered the photo pocket protectors in Style B, which was pretty much all they had left. I’m really hoping that more styles become available ASAP, because it’s kind of a difficult set-up to work with.

Anyways, I started with my title page:

For my title page, I used the journaling cards, and then stamped (using some of Bryn’s adorable stamps!) and embossed the figures and the heart you see. I also used some puffy number stickers. At the bottom right corner, I did a little bit of journaling about how the year started off. All the paper came from the Clementine core kit. Awesome, right?

Next, I just went week by week to do the pages. I aimed to do a few things: a bit of journaling about the week and what took place, and to stamp the dates of the week, using a “normal” date stamp. On my first page, I also included my playlist for the month (I’ve been making playlists every month since I was 22 and have NEVER recorded them, which makes me sad, because I love music so much) and a blurb about the Photo A Day challenge I’ve been doing with Fat Mum Slim, because it’s been such a cool part of my month.

I printed my pictures using Rite Aid’s photo service. Which was okay for normal pics, but definitely didn’t work for Instagrams, which sadly were most of my photos. Thankfully, Bryn has an awesome printer and totally printed a ton of stuff for me. I need to figure out a better solution for the rest of my time.

A few things I want to be better about this month are:

• Taking more pictures! I take a ridic amount of iPhone photos, but I want to use my normal camera more often. I struggled to find things that I’d documented, and I need to do more.
• Holding on to ephemera. I was really glad I had some ticket stubs from our day trip to Chicago, but next month, I want to hold on to more things.
• Writing down ideas as I go. I relied on my planner a lot to fill in gaps and holes.
• Take pictures of myself and Andrew, as well as me with friends and family. I HATE taking pictures of myself. I’m not super comfortable in my own skin and I feel hideously unattractive in 99% of photos. This means I have a lot of pics of soup but not very many photos of me, or of me with those I love. I am trying to include one picture of myself in every spread, both so I can document me (and hopefully changes in my body) but also to get over this ridiculous thing I have with pictures of myself. I also want to do some serious documentation of our awesome time with my family (PREPARE YOURSELF, FAMILY!).

Hi from my couch. I got tired of the stabbing pain in my ear and having a sore throat and called my doctor. Sure enough, ear infection. I started antibiotics and slept for over 10 hours and I guess I really am sick. Boo. I find this wildly unfair, because seriously, who gets an ear infection over the age of six? I had one last year, too. Anyways, I’ve spent today on my couch and after this, it’s time for a nap.

But before all that, I want to share some very exciting mail I got yesterday! On Twitter awhile back, someone mentioned Whimseybox, a BirchBox-style box for crafters. I thought it sounded fun to get a box full of crafty goodies each month, in hopes that it would inspire some crafting outside of what I normal do.

Yesterday, I got my first box. Here are a few pictures:

The box itself was really cute, which I loved…

Inside: pink ribbon, sequins, a slap bracelet, clay and some pretty paint!

A list of all the good stuff, with links to tutorials and a pretty calendar on the back!

I really love this first box! I’m looking forward to painting with the acrylic. I’m hoping I can find use for the ribbon on Project Life and I have no doubts I’ll be able to find something on Pinterest to use the sequins for. Also, I’ve been intrigued by the cool beads I’ve seen made of clay and I’m looking forward to playing with that.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this! Looking forward to next month and dreaming up new projects to play along.

{For the record, I bought this with my own money and was not compensated in any way to write about Whimseybox. I just know lots of you are REALLY creative and thought it’d be fun to share a product I’m using to stoke my own creativity. That’s it!}

I love sending and receiving mail. In the past, I’ve spent hours laboriously gluing paper Christmas trees to cards and mailing them out to my nearest and dearest. But this year, I taught right up to December 23, and didn’t have the desire to spend time making a ton of individual holiday cards this year. Also, I’ve always loved it when people send cards at a bit less traditional times: New Years, Valentines Day, etc. and having a holiday time crunch seemed to be the perfect excuse to send things a bit later.

I have been playing around with watercolor and gouache and decided it’d be fun to combine the two to make a New Years postcard. See also: easier, because I could paint one and have it printed.

I sat down in front of the Christmas tree every night for a few nights and just played with paint.

I wanted to come up with a cheerful sentiment for a new year, but without it being a) too long and b) lame and unoriginal. After playing with a lot of different phrases, color combos and ideas, I finally came up with this:

It was colorful and cheery, which is what I wanted. A bit non-traditional, but my secret (or now, not so secret!) hope was that it wouldn’t get tossed out, but maybe displayed on a bulletin board or something since it didn’t scream HOLIDAYS. I used watercolor for the background and then painted the “Shine bright” in black gouache once it had dried.

I took a photograph of the painting, and created a simple back that looked like a postcard and just typed “Happy 2012!” at the top:

I had them printed through VistaPrint (no compensation here, friends—they were fast and cheap!) and I really liked how they turned out. The finished product was glossy on the front and matte on the back.

I had a great time filling them out for friends and sending them out into the world. I will definitely be using this method again in the future!