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helenveyna@gmail.com

    Outfit

    Red Shift Dress

    September 10, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Shopruche Ikat Print Dress
    Lotta from Stockholm Peeptoe Clogs
    Target Belt
    Madewell Leather Bag
    Forever 21 Sunglasses
    I’ve been wearing this shift dress at least once a week, ever since I bought from Ruche about a year ago. I love the Ikat print and hints of teal throughout the fabric, and it’s just one of those pieces that I can just throw on whenever I can’t think of anything else to wear. That’s the great thing about a good dress, it makes getting dressed in the morning so much easier!
    As always, I’m already ready for the weekend! This past weekend was so fun and productive for me, and I’m hoping to keep the momentum going. As you may already know, one of my goals is to learn how to sew so that I can make some of my own clothes. This past weekend I made a good amount of progress on a skirt that I’m making–with a lot of help from my Mom, of course. She is crazy good at sewing, and is even teaching me how to sew without having to use patterns. However, I’m sure it will be a while before I get to the point where I’m that good of a seamstress, that I can just look at a piece of fabric and cut out any shape that I want. For now, I just want to focus on finishing that skirt! I guess I’ll just have to wait a few more days for that.
    xoxo
    Helen Grace
    Food & DIY

    DIY Rose Garland

    September 8, 2014
    I’ve been on a creativity kick lately, which is awesome because I keep saying that I want to make it a priority to work on different projects. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I’ve been keeping myself busy by making fabric flowers. I’ve mostly been using the flowers that I have made to make fascinators and hair clips. However, this weekend I decided to make some flowers that I could incorporate into my home decor. The result was this twine and felt rose garland, which I absolutely love!
    As you can tell, I wrapped the garland around my headboard, and it instantly added a much-needed pop of color to my bedroom. But you can also use this garland as a party decoration, or to liven up any other space around your house. And, the best thing about this garland is that it only costs about $10 to make! Keep on reading to learn how to make your own.
    MATERIALS:
    8 ft of Twine
    Needle
    Thread
    10-12 sheets of felt in any color (this makes about 12 roses)
    Glue and Glue Gun
    STEP 1. To make a felt rose, first you’re going to have to cut out the center petal, 4 small petals, and 4 large petals and a oval to cover the back of the twine. I kind of eyeballed the dimensions, but I’ve included this pattern to help you out if that’s not your thing.
    STEP 2. To make the center of the rose, take the petal with the longer piece attached to it, and roll it up.
    STEP 3. Use your thread and needle to sew the center of the rose together, in order to ensure that it doesn’t fall apart once you start gluing on the other petals.
    STEP 4. Next, start hot gluing the petals around the center of the rose. Start off by using the smaller petals, and continue to do this until you’ve used all 8 petals.
    TIP: While gluing on the petals, try to place them where they fill in the gaps made by other petals. This will make your rose seem much fuller than if you just place one petal over the other.
    STEP 5. Once you’ve glued on all the petals, use your needle and thread to sew together the bottom of your rose. This will secure the rose, and keep it from falling apart much later.
    STEP 6. With the rose still upside down, place your piece of twine over the bottom. Next, glue the oval piece to the back to cover up the twine and thread, and secure the rose to the garland.  Make sure to measure 6-7 inches of twine between each rose. Attach each rose to the garland, and then you’re done!
    I had so much fun making this project, and am glad to be able to share it with you. I hope that you all enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed putting it together, and that you find a way to incorporate it into your home decor! If you do decide to make this project, make sure to use #sweethelengracediy on Instagram, so that I can see it. Have a great rest of the week!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    Outfit

    September Goals

    September 1, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Crocheted Top (Handmade by my Grandmother)
    Asos Tank Top
    Old Navy Black Skater Skirt
    Lotta from Stockholm Peeptoe Clogs in Tan
    Madewell Black Leather Bag

    It’s been so hot lately that I struggle with deciding what to wear because, honestly, all I want to do is lay around in my bathing suit all day. Since I can’t do that, I’ve definitely have a couple of warm-weather pieces that I’ve been religiously wearing all summer. This black skater skirt has become one of my go-to pieces because it’s very light and it goes well with most of my summer tops. This weekend I wore it with this crocheted top that my grandmother made for me a while back; the open stitches are perfect for when you’re trying to beat the heat.

    I can’t believe that it’s September already, and another month has come and gone. I want to start off this month by establishing some monthly goals. The reason that I want to do that is because I always have all of these long-term goals, but I hardly ever stop to think of what it is that I can accomplish at the moment. I’m also hoping that setting short-term goals will enable me to reflect on my immediate needs and priorities. That being said, these are some goals that I want to work towards accomplishing during this month:

    • Last week I blogged about how I’ve been toying with the idea of giving up shopping for a couple of months, and focus on making on my own clothes instead. Well, I’ve decided to take on that challenge for the next six months. I want to do this because it will help me work towards becoming less materialistic, which is something that I struggle with when I’m under stress; I always have this idea in my head that a new top or dress will solve all of my problems. It will also help me cultivate my creativity and improve my sewing skills, so that I can finally move past only making things that are square-shaped such as tote bags, pillows, etc. Plus, almost everybody in my family has amazing sewing skills, so I feel the pressure to also perfect that skill.
    • This month, I also want to start working towards being less of a perfectionist and people pleaser. Over the years, I’ve made a great amount of progress in this area of my life and I’ve started to learn how to roll with the punches whenever something unexpected comes my way. However, I still struggle with self-doubt and feeling guilty for doing things simply because they make me happy. Since I’m currently working on several long-term goals, I want to make sure that I’m in the right state of mind and am able to be my own cheerleader whenever a challenge comes my way. I have to remember that I need to do what’s best for me, and not let other people’s perspective affect my decisions.
    • Although  I want to be less of a perfectionist, I realize there are certain responsibilities that I tend to completely ignore. Therefore, I want to become more organized to ensure that I’m making progress towards my goals. So what I’m saying is that starting this month, I have to stop procrastinating on studying for the GRE.
    • I also want to set the goal to read more often. Since I was an English and Spanish major in college, I used to read 4-6 books a week, and completely gave up watching television during that time. Nowadays, I spend most of my time online and watching television, because it’s so much easier to find the energy to do those things when I come home from work. However, I miss learning and want to make that a priority in my life again.
    That’s it for my September goals. I’m hoping that keeping the practice of implementing short-term goals will help me learn how to better live in the moment, and give me a better sense of accomplishment. Do you all have any monthly or day-to-day goals? How do you manage to stick to your goals?
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace—

    Thanks to all who entered my giveaway with Raina from Raina Roo Etsy. Ashley S. was the lucky winner!

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