DIY wine coozy :) how fun!

some people enjoy winding down to tv. others might do it by going out... but all i need is good music, a glass of wine and inspiration :) i stumbled upon this wine coozy idea a few weeks ago and thought: genius... and cute!

it also makes for a more personal companion when gifting your favorite bottle - and the best part, you can skip the wine bag and/or bow... and customize it any way you see fit! definitely in my realm... and most definitely a dorothy project!

this tutorial i followed is pretty simple and straightforward. using leftover fabric, i found a coordinating print from my stash to balance out the girly pink! the hardest part was probably deciding whether i wanted to use my pink buttons, or the gold ones! hha.

there were also a few "tweaks" between my cozy and the original that is worth noting though...
1) i didn't need to use batting because my coordinating fabric was thick enough.
2) instead of using two buttons, i had a set of four i wanted to integrate and found it secured much better in two points, versus one... as well as looked neater too.
3) rather than fastening with twine or cord, i used two coordinating NEW hair ties and it was the perfect touch to bring it full circle; literally! talk about a minimalistic approach to re-purposing! i'm a happy girl right now! (i'm doing a happy dance too, haha.)

practical. useful. and easy! but most of all, so darling cute!



and it was such a totally simple and rad diy - i made another one! ahah.

guess who went to the oprah winfrey show!?


a few months ago, i was on facebook when a friend asked who'd be interested in going down to attend a live taping of OPRAH in chicago during her last season. never ever having even watched a full talkshow before, i figured if this was a real deal - i might just get a new car out of it, haha, so i skeptically commented. before i knew it, my friend was following up with me for my info as she had to submit it asap... and before i even knew what hit me, we were on our way down to chicago!

actually, we were on our way to milwaukee first... where we planned to spend the night at my sister's and wake up early to drive the last stretch to chicago hoping to beat the morning rush hour. little did we anticipate the arrival of our company was going to be a soiree that night, smh. "makeup over makeup!" was all i could remember that morning while hustling out the door, haha... those details will be a blog post for another rainy day :) lols.


what an inspiring experience though! in retrospect, i can't believe i was fortunate enough to have gone to a live oprah winfrey show this october! her last season! it's only now after seeing her live that i understand why she has such a loyal following across the board! i wouldn't say i was converted, but i do have a newfound appreciation for her as a person who continues to inspire women all over the country. all in all, this was yet another incredibly fun but unexpected trip!

*on a random note, the last time i found myself in the windy city was actually to attend a jerry springer live taping! lols... and let me just say... wow! not something i'm proud of, but quite the outrageous experience one would expect to witness from the audience. yet another rainy day post to blog about! ;D