A Little DIY… Printed!

Hello Precious readers!

I wanted to share a little piece I wrote for one of my university’s student newspapers. I wrote on some current trends to DIY, taking inspiration from my top 3 DIY reads - http://lovemaegan.com , http://psimadethis.com and of course, http://carboncouture.blogspot.com .

I won’t bore you with double reading, so here’s the link! http://www.theconcordian.com/diy-fashion-update-your-closet-and-save-money-1.1110338 (you can leave comments, too!!!)

It was actually great fun writing my first article for The Concordian - especially since it was on DIY. I’m hoping it’ll be well received, and that I can eventually make a series out of some DIY fashion posts. I will say that it was a completely different experience writing for a newspaper rather than a blog. A challenge, even. I learned that APPARENTLY exclamation marks aren’t so accepted in journalism. Something about how it seems like you’re laughing at your own joke? Who knew! (I almost ALWAYS laugh at my own jokes. Especially the ones that are just untimely and horrible and not funny.) Naturally, of course, full capital lettered words don’t fly. That I already knew.

I brought home for myself approximately 8 copies. I’m a little girl when it comes to things like that, I want EVERYONE to have a copy! I had to sneak copies into the crook of my arm when nobody was looking. I didn’t want other students to think I’m a LOONY TOON. I am pretty sure some of my classmates saw me trying to shove my stack of papers into my bag. Whatever. I am one proud peacock!

And since I know the text won’t stay online forever (or does it? I don’t know how those archive things work), I’ll eventually repost it as its own post!

XOXO

Tags: "press", diy, fun stuff, glue gun, inspirations, my writing, The Concordian

Cold-Weather Cuteness #2: Cozy Fleece Scarf… WITH POCKETS

My friend Rosalie is PROBABLY my blog’s biggest fan - both of my blogs actually. She pestered me to get back on crafting because she was running out of things to read when she’s bored. She is also a lover of the craft making, and has asked me repeatedly to invite her over when I craft. I don’t think she’d be too keen on coming over at 3 a.m. when I can’t sleep and have a weird jolt of inspiration. So, because she’s a really great girl, and because I like her and think she’s awesome, I made her a teensy little present - that actually kills two birds with a stone - because it’s both a wearable craft AND a recycled household objects craft! Wow!

In my house, we are apparent lovers of the glorious fabric that is FLEECE. Back in my summer camp days, I gave the same gift for the gift game two summers in a row: a fleece QUILLOW lovingly handmade by myself - or my mother if I ran out of time/got lazy. My mom once made me a fleece bed cover thing, that attracted both stray hair and sweat. My sister had giant hot pink fleece throw pillows. I made MYSELF a hot pink fleece QUILLOW. See a trend?

So, using all this excess FLEECE we happen to have lying around (I have since put the fleece cover into storage and my sister outgrew the need for HOT PINK FLEECE), I thought nothing would be cozier than a great fleece scarf for Rosalie. And hey, IT’S NO-SEW.

Things You Need:

• A ton of leftover fleece - like old throw blankets, even old fleece bathrobes
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Heart template - or whatever shape you want your pockets to be
• Optional: embroidery floss & a needle

Now, I know I said it’s NO SEW, but I made mine LOOK like it was sewn but it’s really not. A sew trompe-l’oeil!

How To:

1. Decide how thick and long you’d like your scarf to be, and cut it as evenly as possible to your desired length/width. Make sure it’s wide enough for pockets!
2. In an alternating color (or the same, however you wish), trace & cut out 2 patch shapes for your pockets, large enough to fit most of your hand.
3. OPTIONAL: sew stitches around the pocket shapes to look like seams.
4. Glue the patches to the near bottom of your scarf, leaving a wide opening at the top. Put glue ONLY on the edges, you’re making a pocket, silly!
5. Wrap around your neck, sneak some candy into your pocket and go out for an Autumn walk!

   

   Stuff I used

   

   Cut fleece

   

   Tracing a shape

   
   

   

   Cut hearts!

   

   Glue the hearts on!

   

   Finished scarf

   
   

   

   Rosalie's package!

   
   

Estimated Time: 20 minutes, add 15 if you’re faux-sewing the pockets.
Craft Level: Easy - cut & glue!

Tags: cute, diy, easy, no-sew, presents, recycling, scarf

Cold-Weather Cuteness #1: Hat

There once was a time where I’d buy things just to get a present out of my parents. Example: a baby blue cable knit RALPH LAUREN hat with a YELLOW polo person thing. I NEVER wore it. I’m pretty sure I got it on a trip to North Conway, Maine - which dates this chapeau to EASILY 1998. Which makes it okay for me to decorate it and make it wearable. I mean, I AM preppy, but not THAT preppy. Plus, that yellow horse-guy really just doesn’t match anything.

Enter inspirational Elle Woods, of Legally Blonde. This hat is one of her cuter accessories from the movie [okay, ALL her accessories are fab], and I never really got over giant flowers. SJP as Carrie Bradshaw as dressed by Patricia Field? I’m talking to you.

ANYWAYS, onto the craft. I wanted to make this idiotic looking plain hat look more charming.

Things You Need:

• 1 old knit hat that can use some SPUNK
• 1 big flower brooch OR any large brooch OR 1 fake flower [but if it's not a pin, be prepared to use the glue gun]
• T-shirt sleeve scraps [think the pieces leftover from the vest below]
• Safety pins
• Scissors
• Glue gun & glue - optional

How To:

1. Cut the sleeve off of the t-shirt scraps, and trim the seams off and open it so it’s long.
2. Cut 3 approximately equal width strips from the sleeve - and pull them to stretch them out, so they’re long and skinny.
3. Using a safety pin to hold the 3 strips together, make a braid.
4. Cut evenly spaced out small slits around the edge of the hat, where you’d like to weave your braided fabric through - for a weaved ribbon look. Be careful and cut your slits small and fairly spaced out but not too close to the bottom - knits rip easily!!
5. Weave the braid through - using a glue gun, glue the ends to the hat (weave it so the ends are on the inside!).
6. Attach brooch/pin/flower over the point where the ends of the braid meet.
7. Braid your hair, clean your smart-girl glasses, and be Elle Woods for a day!

   

   

   Some things I used

   
   

   

   3 "even" strips of fabric

   

   Pulled strips

   
   

   

   Braided pieces

   

   Almost ready!

   
   

   

   Done & ready for wearing!!

   
   

Craft Level: Easy
Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes, including internet research time on Patricia Field.

Stay tuned for some more cold weather cuteness! Up next: Cozy Fleece Scarf with Pockets!

Tags: brooch, cute, elle woods, hat, recycled

Sparkly Belt Buckle

My Inspiration

I recently took my 13 year old sister on an ill-fated shopping trip, that included my finding of multiple cute $15 dresses and her needing to go into every store to counter my “success”. On our trip, I was unwillingly conned into visiting Joshua Perets - formerly known as PINK to all you Montrealers - a store that deals in sizes that are approximately 5 notches too small for petite me, with clothing casually knocking off Victoria’s Secret’s UBER successful PINK line. The store has, ironically, ONE thing that I crave - a rhinestone covered Scottie-dog belt buckle (it has a belt attached too, naturally). Their logo happens to be a teensy pink Scottie dog (are they cheaply copying Agatha Paris? Likely). Their price tag wasn’t what completely scared me off - it was the fact that my boyfriend had given me an old Scottie dog belt buckle of his (non-fancy) months ago, and I couldn’t rationalize for a split second why I needed to buy a fancier dog buckle WHEN I HAVE ONE SITTING IN MY ROOM ALREADY.

See? I don’t forget everything that comes into my craft vortex of doom.

For the first time - and likely not the last - I’m attaching a craft disclaimer to this one:
You don’t HAVE to use fancy Swarovski crystals like I did. I found them on clearance for less than half price. It’s okay - AND WELCOMED - to use ANY type of “jewel” or “gem” for this. If you don’t happen to have a kitschy old plain belt buckle like I do, you can cover any regular belt buckle, or glue jewels to a piece of stiff fabric in a pattern and glue that to your belt.

There was a time a few years ago when it was SUPER COOL to crystallize your cell phone. I never hopped on that bandwagon, because I had a sneaking suspicion that it was a painstalkingly slow process. I was right. So, here goes, the usual…

Things You Need:

• 1 old belt buckle/belt with buckle
• Jewels or crystals of some sort - bigger = easier, smaller = slower process, but cuter!
• Tweezers, and not a pair you regularly use (they’re going to get covered in glue)
• Heavy duty specialty glue - a hot glue gun will NOT suffice, I used Aleene’s Jewelry & Metal Glue (available in the craft section in Wal-Mart)
• Protective gloves (latex), if you’re messy [highly suggested unless you're in the mood to scrub hardcore glue off your fingertips]

How To:

1. Do a “dry run” of jewels on the buckle. This way, you know exactly how many jewels you need, and in what sort of pattern you plan to work with.
2. Test glueing 1 jewel to make sure your glue is strong enough: my trial run included hot glue (does not adhere), an all-purpose glue from my father’s tool drawer (also does not adhere), until my mother suggested a specialty metal glue.
3. Once you’re sure your glue sticks, place glue on a section and then using your tweezers, set one jewel at a time on the glue.
4. It’s 100% best to work from one corner to the other - or generally in some organized fashion.
5. You can make designs, you can outline the shape, put your initials on it, whatever you like!
6. Once you’ve covered your buckle, leave it to dry in a safe place overnight. Just to be safe!
7. Attach your buckle to an old belt, a piece of ribbon or a scarf and sparkle your way to the cutest waistline ever!

Craft Level: Easy, but for jewel application, you’ll need the patience of JOB.
Estimated Time: 30 - 45 minutes. You’ll need a jewel-setting break.

Tags: belt, embellishment, glue gun, inspirations, jewels

Feather Cuff

My inspiration!

As usual, I was anxiously searching shopbop for things to order online, because June is free shipping to Canada month. Really, I was searching for jeans, but this is what I found, and the wheels in my little head started spinning like mad. Recently, I found a box of all my old costume jewelry - tacky necklaces, ugly plastic bangles, gifts I’d never worn. In this box, I also happened to find a great looking “silver” cuff/bangle bracelet (it’s “silver” and not silver, because there’s no chance that it’s real) that I knew would be too plain for me to wear EVER. My first instinct was to just glue on as many jewels as humanly possible, but then I found the shopbop cuff. Inspiration central! Nothing’s greater than taking an old piece of jewelry and - if possible - bringing it up to the current season with a little bit of glue and zing! That, and anything with feathers is SUPER trendy and SUPER right-now!

Things You Need:

• An old cuff bracelet or bangle - either one works
• Glue gun - can’t get around this one
• Feathers: I used 16 medium sized ones (no more than 3″ long) and 4 small ones (approx. 1″ long)
• Scissors

How To:

1. Starting on one end, do a little test run and see how many feathers you’d like to have across the width. In my case, 2 fit perfectly and leave a little feathery fringe on the side edges. Keep in mind that you’re working with the length of the feather and the bracelet (see pictures below for prime understanding).
2. Put a thin strip of glue directly on the bangle and press a feather onto it. You want the feathery/plumey part to be slightly hanging off the edge of the cuff and the sharp tip to be laying flat on the surface. Repeat and glue as many feathers down for one row.
3. To make the next row - and every row afterwards - place glue on the bottom half of the above feather and continue onto the bracelet. In order to get a cute fluffy feathered look, overlapping is crucial - and also hides the previous feather stem.
4. Repeat glueing the feathers - overlapping the above rows - until you’ve nearly reached the bottom of the bracelet. Trim overly excess stems as necessary!
5. When you’ve nearly hit the bottom, glue a row of smaller feathers lengthwise to cover up the last row of stems and one teeny tiny feather across the bottom to cover up the mini stems.
6. Wear your cuff for some boho-chic feathered fun!

   

   My inspiration!

   

   Supply Mess!

   

   The original cuff bracelet - SNORE!

   
   

   

   Feather placement - trial!

   

   Glueing the first row/layer!

   

   Adding the second row

   
   

   

   Necessary stem trimming

   

   Mini-feathers for extra trim!

   

   Finished feather cuff! Stylish!

   
   
   

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes, depending on your glue-gun abilities
Craft Level: Easy - but finding chic feathers isn’t!

Tags: bracelet, feathers, glue gun, shopbop

No-Sew Fringe Scarf

When it comes to online shopping, I actively scout out shopbop for good deals (next day delivery? HELLO) and recently, inspiration for things I can make myself. I came across this scarf and my first instinct was to click add to cart but I clear stopped myself when I read the scarf’s specs: unfinished hem, 2.5′ wide by 4′ long. Really? $55.00 American? No, thanks.

So, here I bring you an easy no-sew craft: if you can SORT OF cut in a straight line, this is the craft for you.

Things You Need:

• Scissors
• A large piece of jersey fabric (I used this because it falls the best and cuts like a champ): it should measure AT LEAST 2.5′ by 4′. This depends on how big or small you want your scarf (use 2.5:4 as a ratio guide for measurements)
• Tape measure (I have the luxury of a crafty mother with a giant measuring board)
• Large flat surface (I used a pool table, but any table will do)

How To:

NOTE: Not a single one of your cuts has to be exactly straight. Since you’re cutting fringe anyways, perfection and being meticulous about straight and exactly even edges should not be a top priority.

1. Measure out your piece of jersey to the approximate size you’d like it. 2.5′ by 4′ is the minimum and use that ratio to make it bigger.
2. Cut out your rectangle of fabric.
3. Fold your rectangle in quarters, so each of the 4 corners are together.
4. Cut out the corner, a square approximately 5 inches by 5 inches. This’ll make it easier to cut fringes. Your piece of fabric should look like a squished plus sign +.
5. Unfold the fabric once, so it’s still folded in half.
6. Starting on one of the outer ends, cut thin strips up until the edge of that slot. You’ll be making easy snips all along each edge - you’re not cutting them OFF - you’re making fringe!
7. You can make your fringe as thick or as thin as you want - this depends on your patience level. 5 inches long is a good starting length.
8. Do this for the other side.
9. Wear and enjoy!

   

   Scarf on shopbop.com - BOO $55

   

   Supplies Used

   

   Measuring Your Length

   
   

   

   Fabric Folded in 4

   

   Cut The Corners Out

   

   Start Fringing

   
   

   

   Fringe Cutting

   

   Fancy Fringe!

   

   Next Side Cutting

   
   

   

   Final Product Folded

   

   Finished Final Product - Oh, I'm wearing it.

   
   

Estimated Time: 30 minutes of solid cutting
Craft Level: EASY, if you can CUT you can fringe!

Tags: easy, no-sew, scarf, shopbop

Fancy Headbands a la Blair Waldorf

Behind every craft, there’s a story. While I was brainstorming craft ideas to feature on my blog, I knew this would be the first one for a few reasons:

1. Gossip Girl and Blair Waldorf are HUGE these days
2. Headbands are super trendy right now
3. Every single store is selling fancy headbands
4. This is a REALLY easy craft
5. I selfishly wanted some new headbands and wasn’t interested in spending $30+ on a headband

Because this is a real TRENDY item and I know most girls have at least one headband with a bow on it, I wanted to show everyone just HOW easy and quick this is to make. Why spend a fortune on a headband when you can just as easily make it yourself for under $20?

Things You Need:

• Plain plastic headbands - no more than one inch thick (it’s harder to work with bigger ones)
• Hot glue gun & glue shots
• Wide ribbon (can be satin, velvet, whatever you like or have hanging around)
• Scissors

Things You Don’t NEED But Are More Than Welcome To Use Too:

• Buttons (I keep all those extra buttons from clothes and have a random leftover button bag)
• Jewels
• Feathers
• Fake flowers
• Scrapbook-type 3-D decorations

How To:

1. Wrap ribbon tightly around the headband from one end to the other, winding it super tight to approximate how much ribbon you’ll need. Plug in your glue gun too, nobody likes cold glue.
2. Cut ribbon, and give yourself a little bit of extra at the end. It’s easier when the ribbon is too long rather than too short!
3. Put a small bead of glue on the end of one side of the ribbon, on the wrong side (the side you DON’T want showing) and press it to the inside of the headband.
4. Now that your ribbon is stuck to the headband, it’s time to wind it up! Wrap the ribbon TIGHTLY around the headband, moving from one end to the other. Note: you’ll notice that I didn’t officially go from the real ends of the headband. This is because it’s a heck of a lot more comfortable if you leave a bit of plastic at the ends for behind your ears. You don’t want a mound of glue and ribbon poking you every time you wear your fancy headband!
5. Once you’ve reached the other end, secure the ribbon down with a bit of hot glue on the inside. You don’t want glue showing on the outside!
6. Now it’s time for fun. Using extra bits of ribbon, make loops gluing the ends together. I made two loops, one slightly bigger than the other, and wrapped a third shorter piece of ribbon to secure my “bow”. You can make as many or as few loops as you like - depending on how BIG you want your bow to be! Tip: while you’re securing your bow with extra ribbon, pinch it slightly while you’re gluing so it looks snazzier!
7. Once your bow is ready, decide where you want it on your headband. I actually snuck into my sister’s room and borrowed her ready-made bow headbands to see their location. Oddly enough, mass-made bow headbands put their bows really close to the ear. It really depends what sort of look you’re going for. A bow on top of the headband has a bit of Alice in Wonderland appeal, while a side bow is more Blair Waldorf. Once you’ve decided, glue that bow to the headband! You’ll want to hold it down for a few seconds to make sure it doesn’t move.
8. Wear it, and be the ENVY of your friends!

Estimated Time: 20-35 minutes
Crafty Level: EASY, with glue gun use

Alternate options:

• Make smaller bows and decorate them with fancy buttons or jewels
• Skip the bows entirely and just decorate with fun flowers
• Use different colored ribbons for the headband and bows

Wear it and enjoy!

Tags: easy, headbands, inspirations