i love this idea in particular because i thought it was such an easy and inexpensive update for those of you that have a white or off-white, slip-covered, couche or sofa. plus, you might be aware of my love of turquoise…

DO IT!:

• by dying your slip-cover with the color dye of your choice.
• pre-wash your slipcover to make it more receptive to the dye.
• follow the instructions on your package of dye. you could use regular RIT dye but supposedly Dharma Trading Company’s dyes are better and have more color options – you can buy them online here. you can also check your local craft store.
• i’d recommend test dying a white cotton t-shirt first to make sure you like the color.

if you don’t have a slip-cover, you can buy one in white to update your couch and dye it from there! i bought a white slipcover for my office couch from Sure Fit and i like it…but maybe i’ll dye it!

photo by Debi Treloar for Flea Market Style

it’s a tongue twister! …’white leopard, yellow leapoard’ …this was a schlubby outfit that i wore today and thought i’d snap a couple pics of to endorse my mix of animal prints. my love of mixing prints, does not exclude (faux) animal’s…

this scarf i got at a thrift store and due to its thin-cotton-leopard-ness i doubt i will ever get rid of it. i like wearing it with two knots tied near the ends – makes it feel almost like a necklace.

DO IT!:

• Otis & Maclain top
• Target jeggings
• ASOS velvet super high wedge boots
• thrifted scarf
• Paul Smith sunnies
• Mr. Kate Decay Cascade Ring
• Mr. Kate bracelets and strand of raw thai beads

]]> http://www.mrkate.com/2012/02/04/outfit-white-leopard-yellow-leopard/feed/ 1 http://www.mrkate.com/2012/02/03/starburst-earrings-featured-on-refinery-29/ http://www.mrkate.com/2012/02/03/starburst-earrings-featured-on-refinery-29/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:35:09 +0000 mr. kate http://www.mrkate.com/?p=22303 Refinery 29 featured the Mr. Kate Decay Starburst Earrings as a great way to spruce up leggings! we like to pair them with anything and everything! shop them on Nasty Gal or here!

i also love eating soba noodles as my complex carb because they’re made from buckwheat! make them separately from the soup so they don’t get mushy. read more about the health benefits of miso here!

Mr. Kate’s Country Mushroom Miso with Soba Noodles (vegan)

What You Need:

• a couple tablespoons of miso – i like a yellow or mild barley or brown rice miso
• container of vegetable or mushroom broth
• package or two of buckwheat soba noodles
• 2 or 3 leeks – sliced
• 1 turnip or daikon radish – cubed
• 2 cups of button mushrooms – sliced
• 1.5 cups of shitake mushrooms – sliced
• 2 green onions – sliced for garnish
• salt or soy sauce to taste
• drizzle of olive or canola oil

DO IT!

1. drizzle a little olive or canola oil in the bottom of your soup pot and saute your leeks on medium/low.
2. boil water in a separate pot for your soba noodles.
3. add your cubed turnips and mushrooms and continue to saute to release the flavor of the veggies – this will make your soup much more flavor-full then if you just cooked them in the water.
4. add salt or soy sauce but remember you’re adding miso later, which is salty, so don’t over-salt.
5. once your veggies are nice and soft, add your container of vegetable or mushroom broth.
6. cook your soba noodles in the separate pot per the instructions on the package, usually 6 or 7 minutes. strain and drizzle with oil so they don’t stick.
7. in a small bowl, dissolve a couple tablespoons of miso (you can use more or less depending on your personal taste) in some warm water by stirring with a fork. you don’t want to boil the miso because it kills the probiotics.
8. add the miso to the soup and turn off the heat.
9. serve the soup in a bowl over a serving of soba noodles and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped green onions.

YUM! – print the recipe card here!

keep the soup in your fridge and re-heat the next day and the next! usually lasts 3 to 4 days.

hmmm i spy a potential DIY project in the works…

furniture designer Rupert Mckelvie refastens jigsaw puzzle pieces in a new way, and instead of placing them in the “correct” way, he puts them together in his own style – making awesome furniture.  the work is titled Missing Pieces and features a table and a lamp.

the table is made of 4800 jigsaw pieces in total – taken from a compilation of different puzzles: Winnie the Pooh, A Night Sky, the Taj Mahal and the Arc de Triomphe.  everyone knows that annoying feeling when you realize your puzzle cannot be completed because of one stupid missing piece – so Rupert decided to do something about it! he only uses puzzles with missing pieces to complete his projects.

DIY this by just gluing layers of puzzle pieces on a table, lamp, etc!

photographs by James Forshall.

i was thinking about the ladies out there who want to give their man a Valentine’s themed gift but don’t want it to be too “girly.” i thought of what i would gift Joey and was inspired by his new-found love of Old Fashioneds (bourbon drink) and my obsession with nips (little liquor bottles – i love anything miniature)!

you could interpret this with other kinds of drinks too! a margarita box with limes, special salt and tequila, instead of maraschino cherries, could be really cool!

for those of you that don’t drink: you could interpret this and make a box full of something else your guy is into. maybe a box full of accessories for his iPhone and little tags with sexy text messages and song titles! click here for other DIY Valentine’s ideas.

Mr. Kate’s DIY Liquor and Hearts Valentine’s Gift for a Guy

What You Need:

• nips – mini liquor bottles from your local liquor store
• garnish – i used fancy maraschino cherries to go with the bourbon and whiskey but you could do limes and salt with tequila
• ribbon
• red construction paper
• scissors
• hole punch
• shoe box
• craft paper and/or tissue paper or wrapping paper
• paint of glue

DO IT!

1. cut out heart shapes from the construction paper and punch holes in them for the ribbon.
2. write drink-themed, love sayings on the hearts and wrap them around the necks of the nips with pieces of ribbon.
3. wrap the shoe box in craft paper or wrapping paper and put a cut-out heart on the top or whatever you want for decoration.
4. nestle the bottles and garnish inside the box on a bed of crumpled tissue paper, cover with the lid and get ready for a good time!

the members:

• DIY black 3 strand beaded bracelet i made years ago
• fork bracelet Joey got in Cambodia
• 2 Mr. Kate Bark Cuffs
• Native American silver and onyx bracelet from my Grandma’s collection…now in my clutches!

my parents started collecting these old tobacco tins a while ago, and i just jumped on the bandwagon.  i love them. each one has incredible graphic design and colors, they are SO cool.

i recently found this Kentucky Club one at a flea market in ohio over christmas break.  it’s for “pipe lovers.” i read that this one is from the early 1900s!

i love the drawing of the eagle on this one and the typography.

Velvet…. on the side it says, “the smoothest smoking tobacco is Kentucky’s best burley age-mellowed two years into VELVET.”

half and half! Burley AND Bright.  all the designs are so simple yet each very distinct.

- smiley

i wore variations of this same outfit two days in a row…“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”, or in my case, “if it don’t stink, re-wear it!”

i just shot a DIY hair tutorial video for this bun hair-do… stay tuned!

my fit:

• DIY denim shorts made from jeans from the Goodwill
• H&M black tights
• ASOS ABLAZE wedges
• American Apparel chiffon top
• American Apparel infinity scarf
• Mr. Kate Starburst Earrings worn with a Worm Ear Cuff
• Mr. Kate bracelets mixed with a random shell necklace worn as a bracelet
• Mr. Kate Cereal ring and Pussy Willow ring

shop the special Valentine’s Day sale items here!