Not everyone here is from the city, some of us have a little country in our bones.  When the weather warmed up, we instantly started to plan a weekend away from the tall buildings and into nature.

After just a couple hours drive (albeit through the rain), we remained hopeful and found ourselves next to a lake with a camp fire roaring and fishing poles strung.

Okay, so we didn’t catch anything, but the scenery and lack of cell phone service was just enough.  Now tucked away in our cubicles on a busy Wednesday afternoon, we’re grateful to be reminiscing about our quiet outdoor weekend.

Summer is around the corner and it’s got us feeling adventurous. Check out some of our travel-inspired favorites below!

Tee / Watch / Fob / Backpack

Last week we shared how to customize our Summer Wedge with a Neon DIY, and now we’ve asked our creative director, Casey, to walk you through the step-by-step instructions for the glitter version.

Supplies:

Summer Wedge

Glitter – I used Creatology in Carmel from Michael’s

Mod Podge – get the “gloss” finish

paint brush

Instructions:

1. Protect the footbed of your shoe with tissue paper. This will also help your sandal keep it’s shape while you’re working.

2. Apply Mod Podge with a brush directly onto the leather. Be sure you have good coverage similar to the picture shown.

3. Sprinkle your glitter directly onto the Mod Podge. This is not the time to be skimpy- go ahead and pile it on.

4. Repeat on the other shoe and set aside to dry for about an hour.

5. Now that your sandals are dry, brush away the excess glitter with a clean, dry brush.

6. Apply a new layer of Mod Podge directly on top of the glitter. This is the moment when you will panic that you might be ruining your shoes, but I assure you this step is essential to keep your glitter in place.

7. Repeat on the other shoe and allow your sandals to dry overnight.

It was a perfect Mother’s Day weekend, filled with sunshine and lazy afternoons. We celebrated our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and friends with delicious food and a few picture-perfect gifts! Did you take part in our Mother’s Day instagram project? Your entries have been truly inspiring!

Image via @adamshoes

Happy Mother’s Day! In celebration of this special day, we wanted to know all the ways that your moms have inspired you. So, we asked our Instagram followers to post a picture and tag it with #tomomwithlove. We’ve had some amazing responses! These were just a few of our favorites. You can check out the rest of the photos right here.

Image via @lorraen

Image via @mahleewan

Image via @mirandasauce

We were inspired by the playful vintage images in our summer catalog spread, so we decided to try our hand at turning them into postcards. Check out the super-easy steps below and surprise your friends with a custom-made, vintage-inspired postcard.

find our Summer catalog online here.

How beautiful are these Moroccan-inspired patterns against tinted glass? We can’t wait to light up our next outdoor gathering with these hand-painted mason jars from Lit Decor. Mother’s Day is just around the corner and we’re already envisioning a patio tablescape! Each jar is custom-made by North Carolina-based artist Vanessa Cline. We truly admire her intricate craftsmanship and creative use of materials.

Our brand writer, Sarah, came up with a sweet way to treat mom this Mother’s Day. She says: “My mom really appreciates the little things—she doesn’t want jewelry or flowers, she just wants to spend time with me. After we have a big family lunch I’m going to surprise her with a dessert, just the two of us. I think she’s going to love it!”

First, think about your mom’s favorite flavors. My mom loves anything maple-nut, so I decided to bake her a batch of maple-nut cupcakes. I baked a super-simple batch of vanilla cupcakes and frosted them with maple buttercream (it’s really sweet, so use sparingly).

Next, I whipped up some spiced nuts for garnish. Then I put it all together!

You could easily customize this to satisfy your own mom’s favorites. Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, caramel cake with vanilla frosting—the possibilities are endless (and delicious!). For a similar recipe click here.

Image via Feeling Stitchy

Today we are really feeling vintage embroideries—we love the colors, the floral shapes, and the great attention to detail that is inherent in an activity so meticulous. The bunting pictured above was made from old stained and ripped tablecloths. Bonus points for re-purposing!

Image via Cafe Cartolina

The neatest thing about embroidery is that you can apply it to literally anything for a cool handmade touch that isn’t too kitschy. We wish we had one of each of these one-of-a-kind colorful buttons. DIY anyone?

Aviary Needlepoint Pillow

And if you’re in the mood for something tangible, head over to Fossil Finds for a couple cool vintage items.  This bird pillow is our favorite, the diverse color palette will help it go with everything!

How great are these custom industrial bookshelves by Etsy shop Stella Bleu Designs? We love the interesting angles and rough elegance they bring to any space!

images via Etsy.

It should come as no surprise that around here, we’re our own biggest fans! While we’re proud to wear our Fossil head-to-toe, it inevitably means we’ll end up in the cafe line next to someone wearing the exact same pair of shoes. Our creative director, Casey, took on the challenge to customize our Summer Wedge using two of our favorite of-the-moment trends… neon and glitter. This week we’ll detail the how-to on the neon pair. Check back with us next week for the step-by-step on the glitter pair.

Supplies:

Summer Wedge

Nail Polish – I used Essie’s Tart Deco

Painters Tape

Acetone (optional)

Instructions:

1. Tape off the bottom of the shoe. I found it easier to follow the curve of the sole if I tore the tape into small pieces.

2. Tape off a corresponding line about 1/4″ above your first tape line. No need to measure… you can just wing it on this one. You can make this section as big or small as you want to as long as the shape of the two lines are as similar as possible.

3. This step is optional, but I feel like it helps the paint “stick” to the surface better. Soak a cotton ball with acetone and wipe it along the exposed part of the wood you just taped off.

4. Begin painting the exposed area. I used the brush that came with the nail polish, and did 2 coats followed by a clear coat.

5. Immediately remove your tape while the paint is still wet.

6. Clean up any imperfections with nail polish remover, and repeat on the other shoe.

Be sure to check back with us next week for Part 2 featuring the step-by-step instructions for the glitter sandal.

Hailing from Denver, The Lumineers are one folk-rock trio you have to listen to. Their self-titled debut album will have you singing, dancing, and even chanting along. “Ho Hey” was an instant favorite and the video is equally awesome.

One week to go until Mother’s Day! Since handwritten letters are one of our favorite things to give (and receive!), we thought we would ask our talented team here to create their own D.I.Y. Mother’s Day cards. From watercolors to needle and thread techniques, each card is so special and unique. We’re feeling inspired to create our own. Take a peek at the cards right here. After all, it’s the thought that counts.

One of our talented Art Directors, Jon, has been overseeing the restoration of his 1968 Jeep Wagoneer and we couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures when he drove it in one sunny day. We asked what has been his favorite part of the project, to which he said, “owning a genuine American classic” of course! Now if we can only talk him into a road trip….