DIY Collar Clips

DIY Collar Clips

(fun way to spruce up those collared shirts)

These bad boys were recently created by yours truly.

Let us start off by saying it is ridiculous how easy it is to make these. It was Michelle who stumbled upon this idea and being that we're big fans of collared shirts here at What's Bippin'? She was very excited to have us try to recreate it for one of our craft projects.

Here is what is needed: 

• 1 pair of vintage clip-on earrings (easily found at your nearest swap meet/flea market or thrift store) 
• 1 jewelry chain of your choice (ours were purchased for close to nothing at Wal-Mart, however they are also available at Michael's)
• glue (make certain it is a glue specifically for use on metals)

Measure how long you would like the chain connecting to each clip to be. Shorten to your desired length. On the back side of the earring, with the clip part open, glue your chain to the middle. Allow plenty of time for the glue to dry before closing clip to prevent it from being glued closed. We let ours dry over night just to be safe.

And voila! You now have ready to wear, perfectly functioning, awesome collar clips!

If there is anything we would have done different with this project, it probably would have been to choose the chain first and then the earrings. Finding a chain to match the earrings already purchased turned out to be a little trickier than expected and a bit more pricey. Other than that, it was easy and inexpensive, leaving us very satisfied with the finished products. 

FYI: These also serve as sweater clips.

Music Monday

Michelle:

Today I am absolutely loving Atlas Sound!

His music is just so dreamy and fresh feeling.

A perfect example of that is 'Te Amo'.

Have a listen and feel the instant calming effect.

Lesli:

My pick for today is "Crave You" by Flight Facilities feat. Giselle. Although the original version is good, I am obsessed with the Adventure Club Remix. Pandora pretty much shoved it down my throat enough times that it grew on me and now I love it. So, for your listening pleasure, I give you...

"I walked into the room dripping in gold"

Outfit of the Day

Music Monday

This Monday I'm super excited to share with you all one of my most  treasured discoveries; Widowspeak.

I  found out about this band last  year and fell in love with them the instant I heard their cover of Chris Isaac's 'Wicked Game'. The band has a page on Bandcamp.com on which I had downloaded their first album that is self-titled. I liked it a lot, which is why I'm SUPER excited to have had a listen of their new album 'Almanac'.

It's due to come out tomorrow and I can't wait to get my hands on it! If you're not familiar with them I'd definitely recommend you hear 'Harsh Realm' (my favorite song). You can also preview 'Almanac' in entirety on NPR's First Listen (CLICK HERE to do so).

Hope you all enjoy your Monday!
Michelle


When most people hear the name Amy Winehouse they automatically associate it with drugs, alcohol and a tragic death. Most people totally ignore the fact that she was a very talented individual. Of course she was troubled, but sometimes I feel that's part of what makes these type of artists work so good. It's deeper, more meaningful and more soulful. A former manager of mine once said of  her, "she has more soul in her pinky finger than Alicia Keys has in her entire body" and I happen to agree. I was a fan of Ms. Winehouse's long before her passing and continue to be, which is why my pick for today's Music Monday is "Valerie". Enjoy!

Love to all,
Lesli

Outfit of the Day

Jean vest and asymmetrical chevron dress.

Ombre chambrey button up.

Swap Meet Haul

One of our favorite past times here at "What's Bippin?" is thrifting. We love searching for hidden treasures at second hand stores and swap meets/flea markets.

Recently we took a trip down to what some say is one of the best swap meets in the country: Kobey's in San Diego. We were in search of some needed items for some of our upcoming craft projects and with not a lot of money to spend it was the perfect place.

You never know what you're going to find at the swap meet, which is part of the excitement and appeal, however, it is also the downfall. We have had our share of disappointing swap meet outings where we've left with nothing, making it a huge waste of time. And then you have days like this day, where it pays off big time! On this Saturday morning the swap meet was packed. Tons of vendors, tons of stuff! We found many goodies for close to nothing. Sure, some items were a little rough around the edges, but nothing a little T.L.C. won't fix. Cue "Waterfalls"... I kid, kid.

So, here's what we got:

Vintage Earrings

Vintage Pins & Necklace

Vintage Earrings

Vintage Bracelet

Vintage Sweater Clip

Vintage Sweater Clip

Vintage Tie Clip

Vintage Earrings

Vintage Earrings

Vintage Earrings

Vintage Earrings

Vintage Chain Necklace

Vintage Notepad

Vintage Notepad (open)

Vintage Bentley BX-3 Toy Camera

L'oreal Gorgeous  Gold, Revlon Endless Possibilities, L'oreal Silver Sparkle

The stuff we got was literally purchased at 4 different stands. We didn't even cover half of the swap meet and we would have continued to shop, except we ran out of money. I (Lesli) made a rookie mistake by not hitting up the ATM before going and only had $20 to my name. Next time, which will hopefully be soon, we will be better prepared.

Thrifting is by no means an easy job. It's dirty and grimy, but we endure in the hopes of finding something spectacular we can give new life to. 

Happy thrifting to all! And as the Hunger Games say, may the odds be ever in your favor... unless you're at a thrift store or swap meet near us, in that case, don't take the good stuff. ;)

With Love,

Lesli and Michelle

Music Monday

This Monday I am loving me some Foster the People.

They have been around for a while now. So, it's not that I just discovered the band, however I did just discover how in love I am with their song "I Would Do Anything For You".

Although, they are best known for "Pumped Up Kicks", which is also a great song, I feel that it does not accurately portray the rest of the band's work which is much more positive, up-beat and overall feel good stuff.

"I Would Do Anything For You" is sweet and simple which is exactly how a love song should be.

You can tell the composer(s) was/were in a good place when it was written.

The feeling is contagious, you just can't help but be in a good mood when you hear it.

"I said it I don't know what the plan is but you can share with me

'Cause I'll be listening here to everything you say

I won't turn away and I'll listen, open up my heart and I must say that I love you" 

Wishing one and all a lovely Monday! <3

Lesli 

I'm a bit sad this Monday because I'm sick. 
So one of the best ways I know to liven my mood is listening to music.
Therefore, the song that I chose for that is Devendra Banhart's - Santa Maria De Feira.

This song automatically transports me to a sunny day on the beach. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Happy Monday!
Michelle

Outfit of the Day

Lesli's Bake Shop and Sweets

So, my very first post about baking has absolutely nothing to do with baking. This is due mainly to bad planning on my part and for which I apologize greatly. However, in order to incorporate it into my original "Bake Shop" idea, I have added "and sweets" to the title to make it work! That's what we do here at "What's Bippin?", we make it work! Did Tim Gun trademark that phrase? Hope we don't get sued.

Anyway, I am excited to feature the oh-so delicious Red Velvet Hot Chocolate with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream! A nice twist on traditional hot cocoa and perfect for the cold weather during these winter months. Brrrr... Besides, how can you go wrong with anything red velvet? I mean, really! And on that note, God bless the South for this creation and damn them too! They are the ones responsible for red velvet, right? 

I should start off by saying this recipe was stolen from another blog (give credit where credit is due) and you can see it HERE.

What appealed me to her version was how minimal the ingredients were (I had all but 1 ingredient already!) and how quick and easy it seemed. I've said it before, I'll say it again, the "What's Bippin?" team loves "easy"!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups
 Whole Milk

• 1 dash
 Water

• ¾ cups
 Premium Of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

• 1 teaspoon
 Red Food Coloring

• 1 cup
 Heavy Whipping Cream

• 1 Tablespoon
 Sugar

• 1 teaspoon
 Whipped Cream Cheese

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat. 

Add a splash of water and the chocolate chips, constantly stirring gently. 

When almost melted, add the red food coloring paste and stir some more. 

The color should be a deep red, similar to the picture above.

 When the chocolate chips are all melted, pour the hot chocolate in four mugs and top with the whipped cream.

Preparation Instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl or a stand-up mixer, pour in heavy whipping cream and sugar. Whip on medium with the whisk attachment for 2-3 minutes. Just before it peaks, add the teaspoon of whipped cream cheese and whisk for another 2 minutes. Taste the whipped cream and add more cream cheese to taste. If you like it more tart, I’d say add another 1/2 teaspoon, just be careful to not over-whip or you’ll have butter on your hands in no time.

Following her measurements gave us about 3 full cups. You can maybe stretch 4 by not filling them up all the way, but really I would probably just suggest you add one more cup of milk, make the 3/4 cup of chocolate chips a full cup and add a bigger "splash" of water. I will most likely be trying it that way next time. Another tweak I did was top the cups off with marshmallows right be serving for an added sweetness. We piled those babies sky high and just let those calories roll... or become rolls, whatever, it's delicious, drink it up, who cares, enjoy!

Voila! Easy peezy! All you need now is a good movie, a cozy blanket and someone to snuggle close to.

Love,

Lesli

Decorating Coffee Mugs with Sharpies!

Design and decorate your coffee mugs using Sharpies! 

We have seen this idea floating around cyber space for a while and it looked pretty cool, so we figured we would try it. We have to admit that a motivating factor was how inexpensive it is. You can use any old coffee mug you have laying around or go to your local dollar store and purchase one or two for close to nothing. The other thing you need is Sharpies or similar permanent markers which are also relatively cheap to purchase, if you don't already own any.

Pre-heat your oven to about 400 degrees. Next, decide on how you want to design your mug. After you have created your masterpiece, simply pop it in the oven for a good half hour. This should set your design and make it smudge-proof. Note the emphasis on the word "should". When discussing this craft with a friend who had tried it previously, she mentioned after a few washes the designs begin to fade. So, we were thinking some top coat/sealer should be incorporated into the process, however we found no tutorials including this as a step. We we will wait to see what happens with ours and if need be later look into different sealing options.

Voila! We present our final products...

I personally loved the colored mugs Michelle used as opposed to my boring white ones. Makes for a really nice contrast. We spent about $4-$6 each (we saved a bit with the metallic Sharpies, since Michelle already had those) and we were pretty satisfied with the outcome.