diy : rose earrings

I've been obsessed with rose earrings for a really LONG time.  I remember searching for the perfect pair several years ago, and was met with disappointment.  Recently, they've become much more common, and I fulfilled my dream of finding the perfect pair at a Vintage craft fair at Christmas.  

The girl at the booth MADE them, and I though....hey, why can't I do that?  So I did!

I ordered the roses off of etsy (just search: rose cabachons, and there ya go!), and picked up the earring posts at Michaels.  You'll also need some glue....I'm using E6000. (I tried hot glue, which worked, but if you pull too hard on your rose it might come off!)

{Note: Michaels also sells similar roses in case you don't want to order something online.  They're slightly larger, but worked nicely as well!}

Supplies:

-rose cabachons

-earring posts

-glue

-Q-tips

First dab a bit of glue onto one of your roses using (you may want to use a Q-tip or toothpick to help spread it around), and then press an earring post firmly onto the back of the rose.  You should apply enough glue that  little bit squeezes out when you apply the earring post.  Then, use a Q-tip to clean up any excess glue.

(Thanks goes to my roomie for humoring me and helping out by putting together this pair so I could photograph the process!!)

weekly wrap-up : Sunday brunch and packing essentials!

Here's what I did in the week leading up to our big trip to Africa...

Sunday brunch : waffles with some very dear friends! 

it's become a tradition for our group of friends to take turns having everyone over for brunch, 

which must consist of pancakes or waffles, after church. It's wonderful!!

went out & voted for the provincial elections... won't be saying who I voted for though ;)

finished my last final for this school year! & yes, it was a class wholly focused on John Milton...

did some journaling =) 

...had 2 wonderful boys make homemade burgers for supper one night

outfit of the day : peacocks & roses

In preparation for my trip to Africa, I went thrifting to find some long skirts that I could wear during my time there (I'm not allowed to wear shorts and can only wear pants in the city). Needless to say, I am soooo glad that I had an excuse to buy some long summery skirts because I found this treasure of a rose skirt that I absolutely adore! Thankfully, I'm allowed to wear thick tank tops, 

so this will be an outfit I'll be sporting in Africa. (sans the cardigan, of course!)

And this adorable peacock necklace is a find off ebay for just a couple bucks! Isn't it lovely?

& look forward to seeing some photos of this outfit in Africa when I'm back!

ps: clara ♥  

wanderlust : kenya

DESTINATION : KENYA, AFRICA

Hello friends! some of you know this already, but my wonderful husband (caleb) & I (clara) are headed to Africa for a 3-week trip THIS SATURDAY!!!! Yes, tomorrow we'll be flying out of Edmonton and into Nairobi, Kenya & we couldn't be more excited!

The flights are a graduation (slash birthday/christmas/the next 5 birthdays and christmases...haha) gift from my parents since Caleb is finishing his Engineering Degree in just a couple days! 

& from Caleb's parents we received a three-day safari that we are soooooo excited for! 

Here's a little bit of what we're doing over there...

Firstly & foremost, we are going to Africa on a missions trip. Although this is a gift given to us by our parents, Caleb & I wanted to be serving Christ and pursuing something we're very passionate about rather than simply going on a vacation. We have both felt called to Africa, and though this is my first time going, Caleb has been to Kenya before on a missions trip when he was 18! 

Doesn't he look soooo young & cute?   =) 

Most of our time will be spent working with various missionaries, first in Nairobi at an orphanage/school/church then in Northern Kenya with two different tribal groups in Kor and Kurungu; however, here's a list of other adventures we'll be going on as well...

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ADVENTURES : Yes, we're going on a safari & yes, we're going to an elephant orphanage + giraffe centre in Nairobi! I'm just bursting with excitement!

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WEARING : lots of maxi skirts! look out for some future outfit posts with some gorgeous 

maxi skirts I've found while thrifting for this trip =)

in ♡ with : balloons

Jordyn and I have recently been brainstorming ideas for an upcoming video, and we've definitely got our hearts set on having balloons involved.  They're so whimsical and happy, and there's just something magical about them.  

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"If you knew how much I love you, you'd faint."

ps: kelsey ♥

tasty tuesday: cupcakes for two!

Welcome to our very first tasty tuesday!  Every Tuesday we'll be posting a new recipe that we think you'll enjoy.  My specialty is desserts, and Clara and Jordyn are both brilliant cooks, so you're in for a treat!

This week we're talking cupcakes.  Yep, cupcakes for TWO!!  Because sometimes making a full batch is a bad idea.   You know what I'm talking about....you promise yourself you'll just have one.  And maybe you hold out for a while, but suddenly you've eaten 8 cupcakes and are curled up on the couch with a stomach ache filled with regret.... Or is that just me?

Anyways, I got the idea from How Sweet It Is, as she did a version of vanilla cupcakes!  I thought it was a brilliant idea, and so I did a few trial runs with my own favorite chocolate recipe until I came up with a recipe I was happy with.  

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it contains no eggs, so no weird egg measurements or strange egg taste in this small of a batch.  I love it!  Here it is:

diy : polishing silver & vanity displays

Isn't the change remarkable?! 

& the best part of this DIY mini-project is that the whole process requires 

NO SCRUBBING, and it takes less than 5 minutes!!

All you need for this project is: baking soda, aluminum foil & hot (boiling) water. 

Grab a bin/large bowl (or use your sink, depending on the size of your silverware) and line the bottom with aluminum foil. Then add in a couple tablespoons of baking soda and fill the bin with hot water. 

Drop in your silverware (I picked up my pieces from a thrift store for a couple bucks each), make sure it's touching the aluminum foil, and VOILA! Watch as the magic unfolds right in front of your eyes!!

 As sad as it sounds, I honestly did sit mesmerized as all the stains disappeared within seconds. 

I just couldn't believe I didn't have to scrub, rub, scrape, or do anything!

Once your silverware is sparkling clean, give it a good rinse and rub down 

then doll it up and use it on your vanity to display jewelry & perfumes. 

Below, I have my three all-time favourite fragrances:

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden 

Bright Crystal by Versace

Happy silver polishing! :)

ps: clara ♥ 

weekly wrap-up: springtime and studying

We've decided that every Sunday one of us will do a short wrap up of our week in photos!  

It can be so easy to get caught up in the routines of everyday life....so the three of us have decided to push ourselves to take more photos and find the beauty surrounding us each day!

Here are a few snapshots of my week the past couple of weeks (darn you exams!!):

Cherry blossoms.  One of my favorite things about living in Vancouver!

Sister time at the beach.

I <3 my city.

Crooked door.

A lovely end of term present from my roomie.

(And yes....I am a huge Harry Potter fan!)

I spend way too much time making study schedules...

I hope you all have a lovely week!

ps: kelsey ♥ 

outfit of the day : spring style

FASHION! Turn to the left! FASHION! Turn to the right! oooooooooo Fashion!

So I thought I would start this post with a song. I always think of David Bowie's "Fashion" when I say the word.

I feel like this post is a bit ironic because I generally have the fashion sense of a dyslexic squirrel. However, Kelsey is slowly attempting to teach me how to properly dress myself, and I think I am starting to get it.

I was always that kid who wore whatever I wanted whenever I felt like it. Often that meant I would wear sweatshirts on days that everyone else was wearing sundresses, and t-shirts on days that it was pouring rain. Though I still wear what I want, I have a better idea of when to wear it!

the first

hello friends!

we are soooo very excited to be beginning this blog. our names are: clara, kelsey, and jordyn. we are three dear friends (kelsey & jordyn are also sisters) who love art, music, food, photography, videography, thrifting, beauty, and all things DIY. we've decided to put our brains & hearts together to create this blog as a way of further developing our creativity. we sincerely hope you enjoy & look forward to tonnes of beautiful blog posts on all the things we love in life!

& to learn more about us, check out our "about us" page! :) unreal, right? 

sincerely, 

clara, kelsey, & jordyn 

ps: ♥