Steal like an artist

 

I was standing in the checkout line at Urban Outfitters with the world’s best White Elephant gift (an inkblot test and Bananagrams, the stuff of truly good nerd parties) when I spotted this book. I stepped out of the line to read the entire thing cover-to-cover, then bought it.

 

I think this book is my mantra, validating everything that I thought to be true but backed with the credibility that comes with being a NYT bestselling publication. Everything about my creative side stems from my inner copycat: I learned to draw using tracing paper in Disney coloring books (accepting compliments for my talent and telling NOT A SOUL that it was traced) until I could do it myself. In my high school painting classes, I found the best artist, sat next to her, and stole all her tricks. My apartment and home is a compilation of ideas from other people just like me trying to make a great space on a small budget (many thanks to the people at Apartment Therapy who provide an endless source of ideas to steal).

 

I called this blog ‘The Style Heist’ because I really have no style but just steal it from other people. I thought that I was unique in that, only to find this book that made megabucks for writing out everything I’ve ever thought about my own creative process. And sprinkled in quotes from famous people who have also had those exact same ideas. (And, for the record, they were all self-admitted copycats too.)

 

One of the best points this book makes is that anyone who truly believes that they are original is actually just under-educated or unaware of the influence behind their ideas. Being creative takes practice, and you have to copy people to get good at whatever it is that you are trying to do. The hard part is accepting that you are actually really bad, and putting in the time to practice (and keep copying) to ever get good at what you’re trying to do. It’s a strangely gratifying thought, even after finding out that your first real original idea about how you’re not creative or stylish but just a closet copycat is not even close to unique.

 

For me, I have a whole list of things that I am actively trying to get good at: using my DSLR camera, Youtubing my way through Photoshop CS5, editing HTML code, using my power drill, drawing to scale and proportion, etc. If you have a list like that, you must order this book and read it ASAP. It’s a game-changer. (And it validated my decision to stick it out as a consultant while moonlighting as a writer/blogger/power sander/painter/baker/seamstress, etc.)

 

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What to do with that weird nook in your hallway

 

We moved into a rental house that was built in the ’30s and has all the charm that money can buy (think arched doorways, worn-in hardwoods, antique moldings) and included a whole set of strange nooks and crannies that took up valuable square footage. Exhibit A above is a 3′ x 4′ alcove in our hallway that was the resting place for old gym shoes, a discarded wooden chair that Wes picked up off the curb, and useless boxes of ‘important documents’ that everyone feels obliged to keep but never needs (or opens to begin with, in my case).

 

My natural inclination was to add shelves so at least it could be organized storage instead of a pile of junk. I measured the nook, went to Home Depot and got them to cut some plywood that was sized to fit and picked up a set of L brackets to hold them in place. I bought a power sander and some white paint and went to town but couldn’t make it past the first shelf. Instead, I decided to make it into a writing desk by installing it at table-height. I love how it has become a natural home for that salvaged old chair and some of our souvenirs, brass hooks, picture frames, and my new Jonathon Adler bookends (that I wrote about here).

 

Side note: how amazing is the lion’s head doorknocker? I found it for $12 but don’t have a door for it so I nailed it to the wall for the time being. 

 

 

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$9 DIY Mason Jar Light Fixture Upgrade

 

Since I was just hating on Michael’s and mason jars, it seems only fitting that I ‘fess up to this sad little DIY project to upgrade the light fixture in my “dining room” (quotes because it hardly qualifies). The last time I tried to DIY an electrical appliance, I Youtubed my way through installing a light fixture (otherwise known as ‘create a near-death experience’) and ended up with an always flickering (yet cool) chandelier that was 100% a fire hazard + death trap that would sometimes keep me up at night. It did look good, though. I told myself, “Never again, just fork over the $75 for an electrician next time” and allowed myself to live in a home of bad rental lighting for years.

That is, until I met some friends at a hipster brewery last weekend, happened to gaze at the ceiling, and spotted mason jars filled with light bulbs and hanging from wires. Genius! (Key takeaway: I have made a friend or two in the four months I’ve lived here.) The next day, I went to Michael’s, bought a few $3 mason jars, and went home to see if I could replicate it. It turned out to be an extremely easy project that essentially just involved changing out the original shades – perfect for the risk-averse or accident-prone such as yours truly. See below for how to DIY!

First, unscrew the old light bulbs and ugly shades – but be sure to hang on to the white washers that held them in place, you’ll need them to install the jars.

 

Take the lids off the jars, and pull out the flat metal circle part.

 

 

Using heavy duty kitchen scissors, cut a round hole in the metal circle, wide enough to not-quite fit the washer.

Replace the flat metal circle into the rim of the jar, and attach to the light fixture using the white washer that held the original shade – it will not (and should not) be perfectly flush against the flat metal circle part. It’s OK, as long as it’s screwed in it will hold and a few gaps will let the heat out.

Next, replace the old light bulbs with chandelier lights. (I thought about stopping here – it was bare, but nonetheless an upgrade. Chandelier lights just make better lighting in general, especially over the old energy saving favorite of landlords everywhere.)

Add the jar, and screw it into the lid tight enough to hold it in place (but does not need to be airtight – in fact, it should be a little loose to let out the heat and avoid blowing up while you’re in the middle of a dinner party).

Voila!

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Trends on the cheap, straight from Asia

A few things you should know before you read this. After visiting Asia for the first time and realizing that I could buy all the trends the world can dream up for less than what I pay AT&T for my cell phone bill in a month, I spent weeks scouring eBay for Chinese retailers selling look-a-likes of items I tagged in Lucky. (This is called ‘budgeting’ in my book). Three week lead time for shipping aside, my $4 velour skater skirt and $5 pleather leggings were the stuff of dreams. I also spent weeks searching for the perfect Hello Kitty iPhone case to be like all the cool girls, but then sprung for a Le Sucre Bunny at a Korean convenience store during a moment of weakness.

So, it goes without saying that I love trying trends on the cheap and all things made in Asia. I just discovered a new online retailer called Aupie that reminds me of an edgier, middle-school-aged cousin (think dog purses, baseball hats covered in studs, and sequined panda sweaters) of ASOS, but with better prices and free shipping across the globe.  (Truth be told, the trendy ladies at Aupie are sponsoring this post – but I wouldn’t be endorsing them if I didn’t already have a shipment of pleather and faux gemstones in my name).

Anyway, I put some time into researching their Web site for the best finds, and put some effort into making beautiful, artistic Photoshop collages to give you an idea why you should add this place to your short list of browsing to-dos. Enjoy my limited skills below!

(I just bought the $35 leather-sleeved dress and the $10 gold snake bracelet above, and loved the doctor bag that looks curiously like my favorite Madewell number for 2013 but $200 cheaper.)

Collared baseball tee, $33, gemstone earrings, $10, and blue leather ankle strap heels, $38.

Earrings that look curiously like some J.Crew ones that I bought awhile back, $10, and an embroidered tee that would look great with distressed jeans, $40.

And some winter staples – leather and sheepskin mittens, $16, and short golden wool-lined snow boots, $50. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

How to plan a last minute wedding

So, this title is not exactly accurate given that I had a nine-month-long engagement. However, I planned most of the party in the 12 weeks leading up to my September wedding. I am a procrastinator and have never really been interested in being a bride. For the most part, bridal dresses all looked the same to me and I spent the better part of a year mildly annoyed when people brought up topics like ‘charger plates,’ ‘bustles,’ ‘chiavari chairs,’ or ‘why do you only have four items on your registry?’

Three weeks before my wedding I didn’t have a dress or a cake. It was June before we picked a church and a place to have the party. Save the Dates went out to only half of the invited guests, and we booked our honeymoon twelve days before the big day. So, now that everything is done and it all came together, I feel validated after defending my unconventional planning tactics for months, and would like to share my new widsom with other Procrastinating Brides out there on the internet who once Googled “Why am I freaking out about getting engaged” the night of their engagement because they deeply, truly hated the idea of becoming the Pinterest-crazed bridal stereotype we all fear and loathe. (And yet here I am, using this thinly veiled excuse to share my wedding pics.) See below for my top ten tips for procrastinators or just people who hate being a bride, avoid using the word ‘fiancé,’ and whose nightmares typically include a Honda Odessey.

1. Just say no to save the dates (except for out-of-town travelers), magnets, a color scheme, anything DIY, color schemes, bridesmaid dresses and shoes, etc. In my book, these things are strictly optional.

2. Do not, under any circumstances, read The Knot or look at wedding-related Web sites or Pinterest boards that can cloud your mind with needless details that do not need to be considered, or look at anything else that could potentially inspire interest in driving to Michael’s to buy mason jars and burlap.

3. Avoid people who are planners – these are the people that will tell you that your dream wedding was already booked by someone else and that you are now in the difficult position of choosing to either a. Extend your wedding until 2015, or b. Have a crappy wedding that will make you despise yourself for not listening to them back in January.

4. In your search for venues, use OpenTable: it’s an efficient way to find places with space to seat your crowd – I typed in ‘250’ on a Chicago restaurants search and was given a short list of options that made choosing easy.

5. Book a coordinator. The lady I hired is the best money I spent! She gave me a template that lists every detail that I would have forgotton about otherwise, plus pre-populated options and a deadline for everything up until the big day. Plus she hid all of my mistakes, oversights, and poor planning decisions from me so it never mattered anyway.

6. Visit bridal stores with no intention of buying a dress, and be sure they serve wine. Also keep in mind the hundreds of amazing dresses that you bought off-the-rack and wore the same night. The whole 6 month lead time requirement to order a bridal gown is simply because they all know you will hate it if you have too much time to look at it, think about it, and wear it alone in your bedroom. Therefore, the bridal stores should just be for getting an idea of what you like (ivory silk, lace) and do not like (fabric dragging on the floor, glitter). The wine is for making it fun. (My friend Ashley designed my dress and made last-minute (ok, highly stressful) changes to it just days before).

7. Read Anna Quindlen’s ‘A Short Guide to a Happy Life’ and ‘Being Perfect’ (Spoiler Alert: If you really were, you’d be friendless and super boring). The two short books will come in handy during moments when you realize you spelled the name of the church wrong on the invites that you just dropped off at the post office and will make you love the colorful shoes you picked even more than you already did.

8. Keep it simple for everything – I hired a printer, told her to make everything ivory with black text, and make it match. I told the florist to keep everything ivory and a reasonable height so my guests will be able to make eye contact across the table. When people asked me about things that I had never heard of, I made a policy of saying no. (Thermography? What is this?)

And if you can, get married in a place that is so old and established and timeless that it needs no decoration besides the stained glass, chandeliers, and pretty faces of all your friends and family.

9. Remember the important things, like your grandmother and her rosaries and deep faith in God, love, marriage, family, and the goodness in all people.

10. If all else fails, remember this: no one really cares about your wedding all that much besides you. No one will remember the centerpieces or the flowers. They won’t remember the food or the cake or what your hair looked like or who made your shoes. Whether your wedding is in a backyard, a barn, or a palace, the only thing they will really remember is if they had fun – and the only way that can happen is if the host and hostess lets them by having fun themselves.

 

 

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Why you should be shopping at JCPenney

 
I’ve been following the revolution/evolution and seemingly inevitable downfall of JCPenney, and it’s been an emotional ride: they rebranded themselves JCP to loop in young, hip, cool shoppers (such as yours truly) only to have Forbes call the move an epic fail for estranging their revenue-driving base of frumpy shoppers. They recruited a top style guru from Neiman Marcus to be the new creative director only to have him jump ship a year later. Every business journal is predicting that the former flagship of discount wares is on its way out. But I was just convinced that Forbes has been wrong all along – they’re forgetting that a makeover alone doesn’t cut it. It takes time to get a seat at the cool table.

I went shopping with my new mother-in-law on Black Friday and learned first-hand that JCP has gotten it right, finally: in four days, I’m already a repeat shopper with an obsessive love of the Jonathan Adler collection (like the above Jonathan Adler Foo Dog bookends, $24, jcpenney.com) and an impulsive desire to buy as many $20 silk Joe Fresh blouses that I can get my hands on.

Below is a snapshot of my Cyber Monday shopping cart – I removed the Ikat pillow (honestly, I already have like five of them) and the pony hair Chelsea boots (I just bought some, but regretting that I didn’t hold out for these), but everything else is on its way!

Also, check out this site after you fill your cart for some great coupon codes like 20% homewares and free shipping!

 

Jonathan Adler Ikat pillow, $18, jcpenney.com

 

Pony hair booties, $60, jcpenney.com

Jonathan Adler elephant bowl, $14, jcpenney.com

Damask print skinny jean, $36, jcpenney.com

Gold sequin skirt, $29, jcpenney.com

 

Bleached denim shirt, $11, jcpenney.com

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