I had been wanting to do it for over a year, but it took the exciting rush of a creative conference to really get my wheels spinning. Should I actually completely uproot my blog? Would I lose my readership base and my subscribers? Would it really be wise to start over after four years at the same blog? But I was itching for a fresh start. I had outgrown my old blog- its design needed reorganized, my content had shifted drastically, and I was giddy over the chance to revise my blog’s entire image.

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As crazed as I am with pom poms, I was afraid of going into withdrawals after the holidays were over. No more pom pom crafts for gift wrapping or pom pom garlands around my house. So how about a nice, winter apparel DIY featuring the fuzzy favorite? This shirt is so easy to make, and only took me a few minutes to put together. Now a favorite top has a fresh spin, but it can easy go back to how it was after my pom pom crazed days are over.

If you still need more pom poms in your life, check out this cute pom pom sleeve sweater idea!

• Back scoop neck shirt (like this one at ASOS)
• 1-inch pom poms of the same or coordinated color
• sewing needle threaded with same color as shirt

So easy! If you’re an experienced crafter, you probably don’t need directions. But if you’re not sure where to start, here’s how I went about it: Thread your needle and begin at the inside of the shirt at the seam on the shoulder where the front meets the back. Pull your needle through to the out-facing side of the shirt, pierce the pom pom through its side, then pull the needle and thread back into the inside of the shirt a couple of millimeters from where you originally drew the needle through. If you want to easily return your shirt to the way it was, don’t pass through that same pom pom any more times. Simply do the same technique to a new pom pom one inch from where your needle is now. If you want to keep your shirt this way permanently, then pass through each pom pom at least a couple of times to keep it secure.

Now enjoy your new top, and be prepared to impress your friends when they ask where you got it, and you tell them that you made it yourself!

The 1960s was the decade when divorce started to become pretty common in American neighborhoods and communities- and not just in the movies. This particular film isn’t exactly what you’d call a romantic comedy. More like a realistic dark comedy. Not dark as in lots of blood or bizarre circumstances, but dark, as in this movie probably hits home for a lot of couples and families. Some of it might seen funny, though it’s really too realistic to be hysterical. Divorce American Style pits two types of families against each other- one type is sort of a satirical commentary on marriage in the late ’60s, and the other is an example of how difficult and unnecessary a breakup can be.

Richard and Barbara Harmon (Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds) are like any couple that has been married for a while. They’ve got caught in a crazy cycle of the wife not respecting her husband in the way he wants to be, and likewise the husband not loving the wife as she wishes to be. Richard has finally become a successful provider, giving his wife more than she had ever wanted, materially speaking. But Barbara just doesn’t feel as happy as she was when they were young and money was tight. Their frustrations with each other bleed into every other area of their life- and their friends certainly aren’t helping.

Richard’s friend encourages him to have an affair, and Barbara’s friend seems so excited about the prospective drama of a divorce and encourages her to talk to a divorce lawyer. Next thing Richard and Barbara know, their marriage is spinning out on control and divorce papers are in the works. But is this really what they want, or are they being strung along by others who have bought into the new cultural norm?

Divorce American Style is, to me, a dramatic comedy. There sure is lots of drama, but nothing seems to be treated very seriously. Even the kids don’t seem to think their parents breaking up is a big deal. But fortunately, Richard and Barbara seem pretty surprised by everyone’s cavalier attitudes. There’s comedic plot elements in the movie, to be sure, but divorce treated as comedy is always a thin line to skate, in my opinion. I think this movie pulls it off well, though from a relational standpoint, I wasn’t too happy with how it all ended. It would be nice to see a movie where the couple actually learns how to rectify with their differences, instead of just living with problems or ditching the whole thing. But, I do like this movie, and I think Van Dyke and Reynolds are just delightful to watch!