DIY Audrey Hepburn Canvas Wall Art

Hello dear people!
    I had the most lovely blog break and confirmed the fact that there are many hours in the day in which to do things I thought I didn't have time for. Among these things was the art of painting things! I am not a terribly fine artist--I don't dedicate enough time to learning to be so--but I do enjoy mucking about with paints now and then, and this month I was able to play with it! Besides the sort of composition that usually comes to mind when one speaks of "painting", I played around with canvas wall-art. I had been vaguely wanting something big and black and white and Audrey-themed. When I was clicking through Pinterest for DIY gift ideas, I came across this canvas-print from Ikea:

//Isn't she a beauty?//

As much as I love Audrey Hepburn and as much as I wanted this canvas print, I knew I couldn't spend $40 (not including shipping/handling) and then I walked into Michael's and saw a stack of seven 12x12 canvases for $20. As soon as I bought the stack for various gifts, I decided to use four to re-create/change this poster into something for My Lair. My vision was that image above projected onto four separate canvases that could be hung altogether, or a few inches apart, or even mixed up if I wanted a strange modern-art effect. (LET US DISSECT AUDREY, MUM!)

What followed was an "eye-balling" test-run on four mini-canvases. That round turned out pretty much a hot mess. I misjudged Audrey's mouth and nose and she ended up looking wretched. Vexed with the product, I didn't know if I wanted to use four of those canvases for something that would probably not turn out brilliantly. But I do have a stubborn streak. So stubborn, in fact, that I voluntarily made the choice to do it the mathematically.

Get that? 

Me.....and math....together.

I printed off the picture of the Ikea canvas which was about a 4x4 square, then folded it into quarters, folded those quarters into four-eight pieces each, and started taking it bit by bit with a ruler, sketching it onto the big canvases with painstaking precision. It was a really strange exchange: one entire "canvas" on my print-out only measured 1 inch which meant that I was multiplying by twelve (or dividing by twelve) to draw what I needed on my own canvases. 1/8" became 1.5" and I would measure angles in a way that blew my brain. I seriously have not done this much geometrical math since graduation...it felt powerful. ;) By the time I was finished with the 2+ hours of measuring and sketching, the thing looked pretty darn good, but I knew the final test would be painting in the shadows and seeing how it looked when finished. 

Guys...I think it looked pretty much amazing... at least, I am satisfied.

For me, the best part about it was trusting to math to make everything correct. Yes, I felt like I was making random angles and marks and blobs on a canvas (especially that darned left-hand piece!) but I knew that if I could just follow the mathematical measurements, it HAD to come out right...and it did! There is probably an easier way to do this project (a projector? Bwahaha) but I found that the satisfaction of doing something on my own without the aid of anything but a little 4x4 piece of paper, a ruler, and a pencil was worth all the inconvenience.

If you want to make your own art like this, you will need the following materials:

• 4 square canvases (I used 12x12)
• A ruler, your image of choice, and pencil
• Acrylic paint and brushes
• A fixative (I skipped this, but I have heard hairspray works to set the paint!)

Good luck! This is a beautiful, fun, chic project and makes a lovely conversation piece for any room. The size (50x50 the way I have it hung) is perfect for an empty wall, and I just love the....Hepburnism! 

Hope you enjoyed seeing my brain-child! I love interior-design/decorating

eShakti product review: My "Hepburnism" dress!

Hello everyone! Yes, I am supposed to be on a month-long social media break but I knew that I needed to break that fast once during the month to post my latest review of eShakti's gorgeous products! When Jane from eShakti approached me about selecting a dress from the Fall/Winter collection I was more than willing, obviously. I have been wanting a LBD (little black dress) for a long time. For all my fashion consciousness, I failed to own one of these versatile closet items! So I knew that I would choose one of the numerous black dresses listed on eShakti's site. 

After consulting with my friend Katie who is an authority on the subject, I chose the jersey-knit fit-and-flare dress in black. I customized the dress to my specific measurements (made SO easy by the site!) and chose a wide-scoop neckline and elbow-length sleeves. The dress came in a surprisingly short period of time and fit like a dream. My favorite eShakti dress to date! I cannot wait to begin styling this LBD different ways. For the shoot I chose my cousin Matthew (www.matthewsphotographyblog.blogspot.com) and he did an excellent job of taking the photos, don't you think? I have no practice modeling so my expressions are somewhat curious but the point is the dress, oui? It was a gorgeous fall day and I had a blast finding random corners, doorways, and bits of town to pose in while Matthew snapped away. 

"Hepburnism". That's what this outfit has. No way to NOT feel classy wearing this comfortable, chic dress! It is breathable, beautiful, and can be dressed up or down per the wearer's taste.

Please check out eShakti's website. The customer service is prompt, the dresses high quality, and the fit impeccable! I also forgot to mention that every dress comes with pockets unless otherwise specified which is just the bomb. In addition to these things, if you would like a necklace like the one I am wearing, you may purchase one in The Warren! "Rutupiae Medallions" are made from re-fashioned bracelets and feature a wax seal depicting pen and inkwell and are available in three colors. :) As you can see, they are classy and work beautiful with this now-favorite gown from my favorite online dress retailer! :)

See you in December! 

The Amazing Sock-Bun :)

 I get tired of having straight hair, sometimes. Actually, my hair isn't entirely straight--it's like....wavy-gone-limp. ;) With the slightest bit of encouragement it will curl and wave very nicely, so I often like to pin my hair up in the morning, wear it up all day, and let it down at night, if I'm going somewhere. (Don't get me started on how guilty I feel when I use a curling iron...I can hear the voice of my hair shrieking at me as the iron clamps down and they frizzle to death. ;)
But there is one problem. Often times I don't have the margin in my morning to spend a long time pinning up my hair--it's not that thick, but there's lots of it. But recently I came across a fabulous help. It literally takes five minutes or less.

Enter the Miraculous Sock-Bun. :) 

It might just be my new best-friend. ;) 

First you take an old, unwanted, clean sock. Cut off the toe.

Oh bother. It's flipped.

Then roll the sock up as if you were pairing it up with another one, and make a doughnut.

 Dampen your hair, then put your hair in a high pony-tail, on the top or very-slightly-back of your head.

Stick the end of the ponytail through the doughnut, and slide it down just a little bit.

Begin tucking the ends of the hair evenly over the doughnut, and pushing them under.

Begin rolling your the doughnut and your hair, spreading your hair evenly over the doughnut as you roll. 

This is a lot easier than it looks.

Pin the finished bun onto your head with a couple of hair pins. 

You can add a pretty headband or ribbon.

 And suddenly you have a bit of an Audrey Hepburn style! :D 

After the morning and afternoon (or overnight, depending on when you set your hair) unroll the bun and take the doughnut out. Sorry for the quality--my room is on the back of our house and the evening sun doesn't come in at all.

 

You could leave your hair in a pony-tail...this is really cute also. :)

 

But I take it down all the way.

You can pull it back in a clip, or use it as the base for any style that needs wavy-curly hair. I love this Sock-Bun method because it looks really cute in the process as well as at the end! :) Try it and tell me how it works.

Movie Review: Roman Holiday

 For Christmas my parents gave my sisters and I Audrey Hepburn's very first movie: Roman Holiday.
Thanks to my dear friend Abigail, we saw the movie earlier this year and loved it to death, so I was very excited to see that it was ours to own now! :)
The plot of the movie is as follows:

The Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is tired of the political poses and duties required of her position in life. A whirlwind tour of Europe has brought her to Rome where her schedule is jam-packed with dull duties and debts to Society. After an especially hard burst of hysterics, the royal physician gives her a sedative, but before it takes effect, the Princess sneaks out of her mansion and into the streets of Rome among the common people. There, her sedative medicine finally begins to work and she falls asleep on a city bench. Later she is picked up by Joe Bradley, (Gregory Peck) a dashing, young, American journalist, who can't bear to leave her sleeping alone on a park bench. He thinks she is intoxicated, and so takes her back to his apartment to let her sleep it off on the couch, hoping to be able to return her to wherever she belongs in the morning. But while Ann is sleeping, Joe Bradley goes to work and discovers that the girl he has left sleeping in his apartment is the Princess! He hurries back to the apartment, determined to follow her all day learning the "Secret Mind of a Princess", without ever letting on that he knows who she is. The plan works. Bradley takes Ann on a Roman Holiday. They have adventures, see the sights, go dancing, cause a major traffic problem, and end up with a dunking in a river. They make a holiday of it and have a grand time. But the days is waning. Their true identities will have to come out soon, and it is all the harder because they have fallen in love.....

:) A fabulous movie, in my mind! Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck had real chemistry in this movie. They were the Princess Ann and Joe Bradley. The smiles are real, the laughter is real, the tears are real. You will not soon find a sweeter, funnier, or more adorable little movie.

Pros: This movie is clean. I can't recall a single bad word, or anything else questionable. They don't turn Ann's night at Joe Bradley's into anything scandalous, as a modern movie-maker might do. Bradley treats Ann with gentlemanliness seldom seen nowadays on the silver screen. The romance is sweet and innocent, and absolutely adorable.

The costumes are so wonderfully vintage.

 

Hahaha! I love this scene, when he's trying to figure out if she's the princess or not! :)

 

The adorable trio: Irving, Anya (Ann) and Joe...

 

The hilarious "Mouth Of Truth" scene whose premise has been pirated and copied into SO many movies, including National Treasure 2... :) 

 

Can you think of anything more hilarious than buzzing around Rome on a vintage motor-scooter? :D 

 

"Soooooo happy!" :)

Awwww....

I'm warning you, it's a bit of a tear-jerker at the end....especially when you keep thinking...."Surely she'll look back....she has to look back..." :D

But it is a dear, dear movie all the same and I urge you to watch it! :)

Cons: Very few. The only ones I can think of is that if you are prone to sleeping on park benches, it suggests that being taken to a stranger's apartment will end up perfectly safe and happy. ;) There is short gambling scene, as well as mentions of champagne, wine, etc. Princess Ann tries a cigarette but can't smoke it... :)

Plot Strength: **** (nothing super intricate, just sweet and happy)
Character Strength: ***** + (5+ stars!)
Overall Rating: ***** (5 stars!)