light up your life!

One of my favorite crafts as of late is diy lampshades. I love sprucing up old lamps or thrift store lamps with simple projects. I was looking on Pinterest this week for inspiration lampshades & found some awesome ideas I want to try!

this is way too easy.. hot glue tiny pom poms onto a lampshade in a circular motion (or stripes, or any design you choose!)

this one is a washi tape lampshade. so simple! just take your favorite washi tape & start taping! For tape design I was thinking geometric, stripes, vertical lines, etc.

this one is soooo cute. made from a thrift store sweater! for complete tutorial, go here. 

What's your favorite? I can't choose! & I also cannot wait to get crafting.

Happy Wednesday, readers!

xo Addison

accessorizing vday style

I had a strange realization this morning that Valentine's Day is THIS Friday! Can you believe it!?? It came so fast. But no worries because the accessories you need for you special vday date are right at Soel. Don't miss out on these perfect treasures!

scarf $24 necklace $16 essie $9 spiral ring $49 vday card $5 hobo $108

Also, if you find yourself in need of a last minute date outfit.. you've found just the place. We are so excited helping customers pull together beautiful looks for the holiday! So come see us.

& finally.. a few date ideas to get that extra surprise in for your sweet valentine...

-reminisce by recreating your first date together
-window shop during the day & make a secret purchase for one another
-make s'mores or roast starburst over the stove
-surprise your sweetie with breakfast in bed & make your home a spa for a day of pampering one another.

For more ideas visit here.

& enjoy this love filled week!!

See you soon,
xo Addison

for the littles

This diy post is for all you moms, nannies, and lover-of-kids out there! I came across the cutest/simplest idea for a quick & creative activity to do with children. Next time you hear "I'm bored" you'll be ready to blow their minds with this cute & unusual way of using your imagination! Take a look.

You can have them search for little every day objects around the house & create art out of them! It will have them laughing & definitely get their creative juices flowing. Anything from nails for a porcupine, a spiral bound notebook for a dinosaur, to an oreo for a globe! Snack time can be craft time with these silly & fun ideas.

Even if you are no Picasso, your kids will love the simplicity of this activity. Just make it fun! & give them a turn to try the sketching, or even ask them to make a story out of it. Kids have the best imaginations.

What other simple activities are your favorites to do with children? We love to hear your stories!

xo Addison

spring fever

Is it normal that I may already have caught spring fever?? I seriously am so antsy for spring flowers, spring cleaning (which I already started.. ha), & spring clothes.

But most of all? Probably spring crafts! The craft today is the perfect transition from winter to spring. Take a look.

What you'll need:
-mini planter pots (check the dollar store or your nearest ikea)
-gold spray paint (or a color of your choice)
-your favorite wintery plants that you can later change out for spring flowers. or succulents for now & then!
-potting soil

How-to:
1. Spray your pots to desired color. Do multiple coats the darker you want to go.
2. Let dry fully.
3. Pot your plants! Fill the pots with soil & place your choices inside.
4. Water, & enjoy!

These are perfect for party favors, or to spice up your kitchen with some winter to spring facelifts.

Thanks for reading & happy crafting!

xo Addison

diy work out attire.

with the new year officially upon us we are all (hopefully) keeping up with our new year's resolutions. most everyone has probably sworn to work out more or maybe to keep working out or maybe just to have a more active lifestyle. whatever your situation, you're going to need great clothes to wear while doing it, right? although it's great to get all new gear sometimes it's hard to find the right thing or maybe it's just a little too pricey. so i thought i would showcase the cutest DIY's i could find to make your own work out gear. all you need is an old t shirt!

check it out. :)

here are just a few that i found that seemed pretty easy! if these ones aren't your favorite just search pinterest and you'll be sure to find something you  love. 

thanks for reading and hope you get your sweat on this week. 

merry christmas eve!

merry christmas eve all you wonderful soel customers! we hope your holiday is full of happiness and lots of treats. most importantly we hope you have a stress free holiday... so i wanted to help you out by giving you some ideas of cute and easy ways to wrap your presents. because if you're anything like me, you may not have started wrapping just yet. :)

first up is an easy yet totally beautiful idea. use craft paper and twine and wa la you've got yourself some pretty presents.

sensing a pattern? now go grab yourself some craft paper. i feel like this idea would be perfect for that special friend  or neighbor.

and last up, how about a link to the cutest FREE printable of the cutest gift tags HERE.

okay so we really hope you have a great week and enjoy your holiday!

it's all in the traditions!

Christmas traditions can definitely be the key to getting you in the holiday spirit, if you're feeling a little grinch-like sometimes. The holidays can be stressful but we should do our best to enjoy them with the least amount of stress!

This week I have been researching some of the top Christmas traditions you can do to feel more festive.  It's not too late to start your traditions now, & with a week to go til the big day, this 7 idea long list will be perfect for your last minute parties. Enjoy!

Christmas checklist:

1. Have a favorite things party with your closest friends. Set a budget so you don't feel financially stressed, or decide to make t a treat night with your favorite goodies!
2. Wrap up your favorite Christmas books. Unwrap one each night leading up to Christmas (you could do 5 or ten, or twenty five if you have that many favorites!).
3. Dress up for a fancy candlelit dinner one night (even if it's for burgers from take out at in n out).
4. Create a special & memorable Christmas breakfast that your family will always be able to say THAT is what you eat on Christmas.
5. If you have younger children make a field trip to the dollar store with them to let them pick out cute gifts for their siblings.
6. Cut down your own Christmas tree.. it's never too late to get a tree! They are beautiful & sweet smelling & so fun to have around. Even if it means vacuuming pine needles every other day. At least they're Christmas pine needles! ha :)
7. Holiday movie night all month long!!! This one is my favorite. I am such a fan of Christmas movies.. whether they be the classics or the newest ABC family original (well.. that depends). But google the best recommendations for getting festive while watching your favorite actors!

What are your favorite traditions or Christmas memories? I love getting new ideas for getting in the holiday spirit.

ho ho ho 

& xo Addison :)

small spaces. big celebrations!

hey ya'll. hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far! i am feeling a little warmer after all of the layering i've been doing and i hope you are too!

this week i wanted to focus on all you fellow small space dwellers. if you're anything like me your apartment or house is anything but spacious! or maybe you have a need for a smaller tree in a kids room or kitchen? whatever your needs may be i wanted to provide some inspiration for decorating your small space with a great christmas tree!

for our first christmas as husband and wife my mother in law gave us the smallest most charley brownish christmas tree you've ever seen and i instantly fell in love with it and have used it every year since! the following ideas really have me feeling great about my tree :)

these photos have me swooning and i hope you loved them too! have a great weekend and as always, if you can relate to any of our posts make sure to post pictures on instagram or facebook and tag @soelboutique so we can check them out.

diy wall art

Sometimes, your walls just need a little lovin'. I have recently been working on sprucing up my walls at my own home & in the process I have found tons of cute inspiration ideas. Today I wanna show you one of my favorites that I have seen so far. Thanks to Pinterest yet again for the idea, & the original inspiration found here.

& for all you scrabble lovers out there, this one's for you!

How-to:
1- Cut wood squares or buy some pre-cut blocks from your nearest Home Depot. The ones pictured are 9.5"X9.5"
2- Sketch your choice of letters & numbers with a pencil on each square.
3- Use a small paint brush & black paint to go over the sketch you created.
4- Let dry, hang, & enjoy!

& Voila. There you have it. If you visit the link above you will find a more in depth tutorial, but this is how I figured I would do it if I was creating it on my own. I like quick crafts :)

Happy Crafty Wednesday, all!
xo Addison

paper cones galore

I spotted this cute DIY on Pinterest the other day & just had to share.

This would be perfect for spicing up a blank wall in your house, a party you're throwing, or even just for some added festive holiday decor on a budget! Thanks to the original source Oh Happy Day for the how-to on this simple craft.

What you'll need: scissors, paper (a few shades of one color could be fun, as pictured above), stapler, & string.

Step One: Make a Template with a circle. They chose 7" but you can do whatever size fits your space.
Step Two: Trace the template onto a piece of paper.
Step Three: Cut the paper even a few sheets at a time.
Step Four: Fold the circles in half and cut down the middle line.
Step Five: Wrap the paper around the string making sure the hole at the top is small and snug, then staple in place.
Step Six: To make sure the cone doesn’t move around, place a staple on the string (a piece of tape wrapped around the string works too) to hold it in place.
Step Seven: Repeat every few inches until garland is complete.

You seriously will have to check out their page showing picture step by step for the how-to. It made it ten times easier for me to understand & gave me that much more motivation that I can do it! & You can too!

Ok, beyond the pep talk you just read, this craft is too fun to pass up. So what do you say? Let's get crafty & festive this year!

Thanks for reading, you lovely people!
xo Addison

happy halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! we hope your day is filled with fun and a good amount of scary!

for today's DIY we have a cute little tutorial for your little ones. it's quick and easy so you can be done in time for trick or treating tonight.

enjoy! and check out the full tutorial here.

yummy yummy pumpkins

The other day I spotted the cutest way to paint your pumpkins. Carving will always be a tradition right? but sometimes it's fun to change it up with a fresh coat of paint & no mess of carving!

So a huge thanks to Studio DIY for this idea on insta, & for inspiring us in a whole new delicious way to paint our pumpkins! Be sure to check out their blog.. it's to die for full of the best diys!

What you'll need:
-pumpkins (of any size)
-paint brush
-a base paint color for what you want the doughnut part to look like
-paint colors for the "frosting" & "sprinkles!"

How-To:
1 paint your entire pumpkin a base color for what you want the doughnut part to look like (chocolate doughnuts would be a darkish brown)
2 wait for it to dry & begin paint the frosting portion! pick a different color & just paint half of your pumpkin that color. make sure to leave a hole near the stem to make it look like the doughnut hole :)
3 start your sprinkles! go wild with the colors, and paint your little hearts out.
4 voila! your pumpkins are finished & ready to shine in their spotlights on your festive porch.


I loooooved this idea, especially when you want to make your life a little more festive for the holidays!

xo Addison

halloween decor.

hope your week has been great so far. we've been busy gushing over the new shipment we get each day. trust me when i say, you need to get here and snag some great pieces ASAP!

two weeks until halloween and i still don't have any halloween themed decor. FAIL. so i'm going to change that today by making this cute DIY.

cute, right? and seems so simple. the possibilities are endless.

link to full tutorial HERE.

mel.

indulge yourself

About this time of year I start to crave the best chocolaty treats. Lucky for me, I found such a yummy new recipe on Pinterest. it is the perfect mix of salty & sweet, & takes no time at all!

Check it out..

peanut butter pretzels dipped in chocolate! keep scrolling for the recipe :)

another view..

you can even try bite size!

Go here for even more delicious recipes to try! Pinterest linked us to this blog with the simple instructions.

Yield 60 – 80 pretzel bites

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp softened butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Pretzels

1 bag  semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark.. which I love!)

Directions

Combine peanut butter and softened butter in a large bowl with a fork or whisk, or in a stand mixer.  Add the sugars and mix to combine.  At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go.  If not, add a little more of each sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll (about 3/4 cup of each sugar).

Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling.  Roll each portion into a small ball, then sandwich them between two whole pretzels.  When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate.  Return to the tray and repeat with remaining sandwiches.  When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely.  Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

I can't wait to try this out! I know what I'll be making for our next family get together :)

Happy Saturday!
xo Addison

watercolor project.

fall just makes me want to curl up in a blanket and read a good book or write in my journal. anyone else feel the same? well for those of you that said yes, you're in luck! i've found a tutorial to the cutest DIY you ever did see. a way to make your journal a little more adorable.

so, here's what you'll need:

and here's what you'll get:

link to full tutorial HERE.


happy painting!

mel.

TOTE-ally loving this

This week's DIY is inspired by the perfect "everything" bag. TOTES! & no I don't mean "totes" how everyone is using that word now, I mean the actual tote bags that are perfect for each & every little thing you do each day.

You can use them for work, for a to-go lunch, a trip to the beach, as a school bag, when you go babysitting, taking your kid's toys to church, carrying your favorite books to the park, etc., etc., etc. the list literally goes on & on.

So here are a few of my favorite ideas:

attach fabric of different shades of a certain color & sew them onto the tote in the shape of a flower!

tape a shape that you love (a heart is shown here) onto a tote, & paint your favorite color away! too simple.

I really love the mix of neutrals in this one. sew a strap onto the tote that ties into a bow, & add gold painted dots for just the perfect touch.

Before we know it, we'll all be walking around wearing the cutest totes anyone's ever seen & we can be so proud of our DIY talents! Who's with me?

xo Addison

nailed it!

lately i've been paying extra close attention to one main accessory... NAILS. nothing quite like a good manicure in my opinion. whether it's a bold, brave color or a classic nude nail you're always bound to feel a little more confident with a fresh and shiny coat.

so i scoured the internet high and low for my favorite styles right now. most can be accomplished at home, but for some, you may have to hit the salon.

someone please teach me how to do the last one! i feel like it would be perfect for fall with some browns, nudes, and maybe a dark blue.

the best thing about nails is that you can have fun with them without risking permanent damage. so stop on by soel and pick up your favorite colors!

mel.

WOOD you care to craft?

Want a simple craft that will make your kitchen table seriously go from drab to fab? Well this has just become your lucky day so get ready to melt over what I am about to show you.. & feast your eyes on this special wooden treasure of a table runner :)

keep scrolling for the how-to on this beautiful wooden table runner, trust me.. you'll want to!

& here is a close up for details :)

I stumbled across this craft on pinterest because I have been super into crafts that use wood lately. Maybe because it smells like fall in the air & it makes me want to warm up my home crafts with rich textures & colors? Whatever it is, I am LOVING what I'm finding!

Anyway, when I clicked on the link for this picture I found such a simple tutorial for making the runner! So a big thanks to Shanty to Chic for inspiring me by the creativity & the easiness in making it myself!

Here's how:
1. You will need a pack of wood shims from the hardware store, in the lumber section.
2. Then on to staining! In this example they used different stains which looks so so so cute!
3. If your shims are 12″ long you will next need fabric to glue them to. Your fabric strip can 10″ wide (like in the example given). Then, just cut the fabric the length you want your runner to be… Easy!

**side note; I was thinking it would be adorable to use burlap on the bottom to glue your shims to, & then you can have a reversible table runner! If you decide to do this I would keep the fabric the same width as the shims for a better reversible length :)

4. Shims are typically thicker on one end, so make sure to change the direction they lay as to not all be facing the same way when you glue them.
5. Lay them out in a pattern you're happy with, then glue your little heart out! & that's it.

Simple right?? I'm in love with it.

So let's prep our houses for the coming season & welcome fall in with the most open of arms! I cannot wait, what about you? :)

xox Addison

shake it like a polaroid picture.

hello! i hope you have all had a great week and are now fully enjoying your weekend. today i have some simple diy ideas and all you need are pictures.

ever since i was a little girl i have been obsessed with instant cameras. my grandma had an old polaroid camera she would let me play with. and every once in a while she would load it with film and let me take real pictures. it was my little dream come true!

well last week my dreams came true once again and i was gifted with an instant film camera of my very own! i've been going crazy taking pictures and instantly being able to have them in my hand. but now i have no idea what to do with them. so i searched the internet high and low for some ideas on how to display them. here is what i came up with. and remember! you could really do any of these ideas with pictures you have laying around, they don't need to be polaroids!

i hope these photos inspire you  like have me. see you next week!

mel.

let's get craftin'

This week for the DIY I stumbled across something that I am so excited to share. By no means did I come up with it, so thanks to this site we are blessed with the most creative craft.. & so simple too!

All you will need: a blank wall, doilies varying in size, & a bright colored set of thumbtacks! (these can be all the same color, or different colors--whatever you choose).

Check it out!

By simply pinning up doilies of all sizes with your choice of thumbtacks, you can create beautiful 3D wall art, without the pain & mess of paint! In this example they chose orange thumbtacks.

Here it is up close & in different lighting.

I was thinking you could also do this on a board of canvas, or frame it.. so many possibilities! So if you are up for a quick & easy way to update your home, this craft is for you!

xo Addison