A Dose of the Delightful

DIY Style: Varsity Letter Sweatshirt with the Cricut Mini

I'm a little nervous - this is my first ever style post! I'd like to make these a regular part of the blog, with a focus on incorporating DIY elements. Hope you guys like it!

Jacket: Levi's. Shirt: J. Crew. Sweatshirt: American Apparel (but there are MUCH cheaper options out there). Bag: Loeffler Randall (old). Sunglasses: Oliver Peoples. Shoes: Sam Edelman (old; similar here). Pants: YSL (best sample sale find ever!)

I had the pleasure of meeting the very kind team over at Cricut at the Maker Faire this fall (otherwise known as crafter's utopia). They were nice enough to send me a Cricut Mini to try out!

I have to confess: in the past, I totally associated Cricuts with scrapbooking or children's crafts, which is to say I wasn't thinking nearly creatively enough! After I saw what the Cricut Mini could do at the Faire, tons of DIY ideas popped into my mind. When I realized it could cut fabric (!!!), the possibilities seemed endless.

For this DIY, I was inspired by the recent varsity letter trend. 

1. Atlantic-Pacific. 2. Style with Benefits 3. ASOS

Here's the how-to:

Materials
Cricut Mini + Varsity font
Sweatshirt (I used one I had on hand, but like I said, there are tons of below $10 options out there. If you want a more fitted look, try a youth size).
Fabric for letter in color of choice
Sewing machine + thread if you're sewing
Heat 'n Bond + iron if you're not sewing 

Steps
1. Create the letter of your choice in Cricut Craft Room on your computer - I sized mine to be 5 in. tall.
2. Heavily starch & iron pre-washed fabric for the letter.
3. Stick letter fabric onto cutting mat - press down REALLY hard! If you're ironing, use the Cricut to cut the same shape out of the Heat 'n Bond.
4. Set Cricut pressure to 5 and number of cuts to 3.
5. Optional: If you're ironing rather than sewing, definitely use Fray Check on the edges of your letter to prevent any fraying. I sewed but used Fray Check anyway to make it easier to handle my letter without worrying about fraying.
6. Sew: Sew your letter to your sweatshirt using a wide, tight zigzag stitch. I went over mine twice to make it extra thick.
or
Iron: Carefully align your Heat 'n Bond letter with your fabric letter and position on sweatshirt. Affix letter to sweatshirt using Heat 'n Bond instructions.

7. Put on your new varsity letter sweatshirt! 

The shot below represents the very first time I'd EVER used a Cricut. It was super easy to set up - the directions are very straightforward, and it hooked up to my Mac without issue.

15 Delightful Picks: Emerald, Pantone's 2013 Color of the Year

Pantone has announced its pick for 2013's Color of the Year: Emerald, a 'lively, radiant, lush green.' Here are 15 ways to infuse a dash of emerald into your wardrobe & lifestyle:

WEEKEND: Boys' striped pocket tee, Gap. Ankle strap skimmer, Schutz, Piperlime. 3-Free nail polish in Hoch, Julep. Flocked dot skinny jean, C Wonder.
DRESS UP: Catherine Malandrino silk jumpsuit, Net-a-Porter. Statement necklace, AUDEN, Shopbop.
DECORATE: Edison industrial pendant lamp, High Street Market. Foo dogs, Chic Shop LA. Vintage Herman Miller Fiberglass chair, hermanmillermodern on Etsy. Malachite nesting bowls, Chic Shop LA.
ACCESSORIZE: Zodiac iPhone Case, JSGD. Bow leather keychain, ksia on Etsy.
NOTE TO SELF: Pocket journal, Moleskine. Fountain pen & cartridges, Kaweco.

I happen to love this color! I think it's great in small doses, like trim on throw pillows or sheeting, small trinket bowls, or a single accessory/item of clothing. 

I've also created a Pinterest board with these picks and several others. Are you on Pinterest? If you'd like, you can follow me @delightfulnat

What do you think of 2013's Color of the Year?

Small Living Inspiration: House Beautiful's The Apartment Book

Living in a pretty small space in NYC (what my family might call 'tee-ninesy'), I'm always on the lookout for ways to maximize space in my current place and ideas for what I'd do if (fingers crossed) I'm lucky enough to have more square footage in my next one.

House Beautiful's The Apartment Book recently came out in hardcover (great holiday gift idea for apartment dwellers, by the way), and it's brimming with inspiration for carefully organizing and maximizing small spaces. Here are some of my favorite rooms from the book (admittedly, many are bigger than mine!).

The wash of purple on walls, molding, and even shutters is a bold choice set off by bursts of red. I'm not a fan of the animal print pillows, but adore the retro brass reading lamp.

Exposed beams, a worn rug, and prettily cluttered surfaces make this space feel warm and homey.

More brass accessories! They add a little drama to these bright blues & greens.

This kitchen feels totally attainable - the use of white throughout makes it feel airy (despite its tiny size), and wallspace is sensibly used with shelves & utility hooks.

Clever and unexpected placement of a desk makes the most of smaller bedroom digs. I also really enjoy the touches of emerald green (Pantone's 2013 color of the year) used here.  

A lovely bureau does double duty as a nightstand in this soft boudoir.

I like the relaxed, earthy elegance of this room.

Clearly, I'm really enjoying brass accents these days. These swing arm sconces are both pretty and functional.

This last one is such a fantasy for me - tons of light and tons of bookshelves. One day...

What do you think of these spaces? Any particular details you love?

Tomorrow! Country Living's Live Holiday Pinspiration Party

I told you guys that Country Living asked a few of us New York City-based crafty bloggers—Jodi Kahn from Simply Sublime, Brett Bara from Manhattan Craft Room, me, Laura Fenton from Little House in the City, and Michelle Edgemont—to join them for their first ever Holiday Pinspiration Party.

CL's Pinterest followers voted on which projects each blogger will make and this is the final list:

Pinata ornaments » 
My jingle-bell wreath » 
Potato wheel wrapping paper » 
Pom-pom gift bows » 
Infused vodka » 

Tomorrow, CL will be live-pinning the party on December 4 from 5-8 pm ET on their Pinterest board, showing you step-by-step how each of us make our crafts. Then, they'll post all the projects on CountryLiving.com.

If you've got the time and are itching to whip up some holiday crafts tomorrow night, or check out what we make and bookmark it for the weekend, I hope you'll join us and Country Living on Pinterest for the party! 

P.s. If you make one of these projects, be sure to Pin it and tag Country Living - they'd love to see your efforts!