10 Etsy Shops We Love

1. Beach Blues, 2. Charm & Gumption, 3. Pencil Shavings Studio, 4. Kidecals, 5. Charlie's Nest, 6. Betawife, 7. Silhouette Blue, 8. Saddle Shoe Signs, 9. Junghwa, 10. Shugabee Lane

We love Etsy, you love Etsy, everyone loves Etsy!  Etsy has become a phenomenon with over 15 million active sellers as of the end of last year and it is only consistently growing with 690,000 new sellers every month!  Out of all of the shops on Etsy, we have our Top 10 favorite Etsy shops that we love that we know our readers would love!

Whether you're getting your best friend a personalized jewelry from Junghwa or decorating your new dorm room or your office with some Marquee Lights from Saddle Shoe Signs or a Chalk Board from Shugabee Lane!  Check it out and make sure to comment below to tell us your favorite Etsy shop!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

DIY Instagram Canvas

With all of the cute photo editing apps out there, we are so obsessed with our Instagram (@thesororitysecrets)  photos and couldn't help but think they should be featured on more than just our Instagram account. How cool would that be to actually bring your Instagram photos from your phones to your home walls as a pretty piece of art? We have seen several renditions of this type of masterpiece so with some Modge Podge, paint brushes, a canvas, and our awesome Instagram photos, we decided to craft this up ourselves. In just a few quick steps, you can have an Instagram Canvas decorating your home!

Materials:

• Modge Podge Matte-Mat-Mate
• Paint brush
• Blank canvas (any size you prefer)
• Printed Instagram photos (photo paper preferred)

*You can find all of these materials at Michael's Craft Store.

Step 1: Print your photos on photo paper (this helps the Modge Podge to stick better). If you don't have photo paper, print the pictures straight from your computer to a piece of paper.

Step 2: Arrange your photos on the canvas until you find a layout that you love!

Step 3: Using your paintbrush, lift each photo one-by-one and coat the surface of the canvas with the Modge Podge.

Step 4: Press each photo into the canvas. For extra assurance it is on tight, add another coat of the Modge Podge to the picture (it will dry pretty quickly).

Masterpiece complete!

DIY: Protect Your Jewels

Acrylic Clear Gloss Spray: Krylon.  Bracelets: Forever 21 (here & here).

You know that really cute faux gold bracelet that you love to wear?  Sure, it's shiny and pretty now that it's fresh out of the package.  But once you give it a little too much love, it might start to turn green on you.  Before long, it starts to tarnish... the gold chips away, and there's no turning back.  Since it's not real gold, it can't be polished.  With all of the cute & inexpensive costume jewelry options out there, what's a girl to do?  Just because it didn't cost a lot shouldn't mean that it's disposable.

Low and behold, we came across a solution to the costume jewelry dilemma... clear gloss spray!  We had heard of this trick before, and so we decided to give it a try.  Local craft stores (such as Michael's) carry clear gloss acrylic sprays, usually in the spray paint section.  If you want the results to be shiny, make sure to get the bottle marked "Gloss"- otherwise, the ones marked "Matte" or "Satin" will leave a matte finish on your items.  This will work for all metal costume jewelry; not suggested for real precious metals or plated items, or for use with items that have shiny stones.  Since the spray is clear, it doesn't matter what color the metal is.

To start, take the jewelry out that you wish to protect.  Clean it off with a slightly damp paper towel, and dry off completely with a dry paper towel.  Any dirt or fingerprint marks left on the item will literally get "sealed" inside the clear coat, so try to make everything look nice and clean.  Take your items outdoors, along with something to protect the ground (a flat piece of cardboard or a paper grocery bag, for example).  Lay your items flat on the cover, give the can a few good shakes, and begin to lightly mist away.  Start with even and light strokes about 1-1.5 feet away from the ground, gently covering the jewelry with each mist.  Be careful to not let the gloss spray get too thick or drippy; the coat should be light.  Once evenly coated, do not touch the wet jewelry.  Leave it outside for 1-2 hours to dry, flip the pieces over to the opposite side, and repeat coating the back side with the gloss spray.  After the back side dries for another 1-2 hours, your jewelry is ready to go!  Wait until the jewelry no longer feels tacky or sticky before taking inside to wear.

We hope you love our trick for your costume jewelry... TSS tested & approved!  We know we're excited to give some of our favorite pieces an extra long, wearable life!

DIY: Glitter Starbucks Cup

During the hot summer months, we need to remember to stay hydrated!  To make drinking your H20 more fun, what better idea than to drink it out of a pretty water bottle?!  Thank you to our TSS It Girl, Avery, for telling us how to make our very own glitter Starbucks cup!  "I have not been drinking enough water in the dry Arizona heat, so I figured I would drink more if I was obsessed with my cup," Avery says.  We love this fun, easy (and so pretty!) DIY project... and can't wait to make our very own!  Here's to a healthy & hydrated summer!

How To Make A Glitter Starbucks Cup:

You will need a venti reusable plastic Starbucks cup, glitter of your choice, and spray adhesive.

Step One:  Remove the inside layer of the Starbucks cup.  We don't need it at all in this process until the very end.
Step Two:  Spray the inside of the outer layer with the spray adhesive.
Step Three:  Add loose glitter.
Step Four:  Find a lid (a piece of cardboard or a firm paper plate will do) and cover the cup opening.  Shake until the glitter is dispersed throughout.
Step Five:  Repeat steps 2-4 until you are happy with the coating of glitter inside your cup.
Step Six:  Let it dry, put the cup back together, and enjoy your sparkly new cup!

Want to show off your glitter Starbucks cup?  Share your pictures with us on Instagram, mentioning @thesororitysecrets!

Summer Home Style

Threshold Pintuck Toss Pillow. Ombre Glass Lamp Base - Gully Gold. Seaside Oasis Collection. Stoneware Canister with Lid.

Summer serves up hot afternoons, sand between your toes, and ice cold lemonade. We are so ready to recreate the summer style in our homes that we got so excited when we recently picked up Target's catalog that debuted collections from their home decor line, Threshold. The catalog featured their spring collection and a taste of their summer collection. This summer, it's all about adding character to your home and everything in the line is inspirational and affordable! We are all about spending on a budget and this collection does just that. Mixing classic pieces with a modern twist or implementing the modern beach-inspired accents seems like the right themes for Summer 2013. Take a classic pillow and add an ombre style and you have the Ombre Glass Lamp Base - Gully Gold. Take a simple coral figure and you have the cutest beach-inspired side table accent. The Threshold Collection doesn't hold back, and neither should your place this summer. Welcome summer into your home by exploring the collection with us!

DIY: 3D Canvas Art

We have this thing with 3D art lately. There's something about walking into your home and feeling like you've stepped into an art museum that makes it so much more than a place with four walls. Three-dimensional art is so unique and allows your room to have some pizzazz. One of our latest DIY home decor projects to spice up our wall included a piece of canvas, paint, an empty glass bottle, and some pretty (fake) flowers.

How to make this 3-Dimensional piece of art:

Step 1: Buy a blank canvas from Joann Fabric and Craft Store or Hobby Lobby.
Step 2: With a paint brush, coat the canvas with water (this is to prepare the surface for paint).
Step 3: Pour some paint (any color) onto a palette and proceed to stroke the paint onto the canvas. For a distressed look, use a small amount of paint to coat the area of the canvas stroking up and down.
Step 4: Allow the canvas to dry.
Step 5: Take a glass jar and place it onto the painted canvas.
Step 6: Using a hot glue gun, fasten the glass jar onto the canvas.

Place flowers into the jar and hang up your masterpiece!

Tangerine Dream

Dress: Urban Outfitters (similar here).  Jean Vest: J. Crew.  Shoes: Nine West (similar here).

Scarf: Forever 21 (similar here and here).  Watch: Michael Kors.

Our TSS It Girl, Rachel from Arizona State University, sure knows how to style an outfit.  She was even selected by the Phoenix New Times, to write an article about her fabulous sense of style!  Check out her feature below... we are so flattered that The Sorority Secrets inspires her as well!

Rachel's Article:
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2013/02/rachel_barbos.php#more

So, what is a TSS It Girl you may ask?  Well, we have selected a few stylish collegiate women from across the country to represent The Sorority Secrets, to tell us what's trending on their campus.  We are SO excited to share their "secrets" with you!  Expect many more style posts from our It Girls, coming very soon!

DIY: Valentine's Day Cricut Craft

Product: Cricut Mini

We do not think we're too old to still be sending out Valentine's Day cards {wait, maybe we are??}. Store bought Valentine's Day cards are cute and all, but there is something so much more sentimental about creating handmade cards. This weekend, Karen got a head start on her Valentine's Day cards with the Cricut mini. We are obsessed with the Cricut mini for DIY projects because you can design whatever you want on the Cricut mini's online application and then the mini machine will cut it out for you! Couple your cutout design with pretty pearlized and patterned paper, ribbon, glitter and other embellishments from craft stores like Michaels. Cricut, along with Michaels, offer project sections on their site where you can experiment with a lot of different creations others have produced using the Cricut...so cool!

What do you think of Karen's handmade creation?