Quote: Every Time You Wink the Stars Move
Every time you wink the stars move.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Photo by Hide Obara. Text layout by me.
xo
Carly
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25 Fashionable Summer DIY’s
So Summer’s here – and maybe you’ve got the crafting bug? Here are 20 great ways to get your DIY on this Summer: (more…)
DIY Outdoor Ombre Typography Pillows with Tulip Tie Dye
Now that the weather is warming up, I’m dying to redecorate my deck and patio in bold, fun colors. One of the easiest ways to infuse color into your outdoor decor is to craft up some pillows for your patio furniture. 
With Tulip tie dye, America’s Favorite Tie Dye, you can Tie Dye Your Summer in a flash just by adding water for bold, beautiful color! Here’s how: (more…)
DIY Summer Ice Cream Necklace with Polyform Souffle Clay
What says Summer better than Ice Cream? I LOVE incorporating kawaii clay foods into things I make (hence, my Deko Sweets series), and I was excited to work with Souffle Clay to fashion my newest yummy-looking creation! What could be cuter? Here’s how to make your own with this special new lightweight clay:
You Need: (more…)
Leave CommentDIY That Style! Lupita Nyong’o’s Chic Sheath and Textured Clutch
Lupita Nyong’o burst onto the scene in 2013 with her amazing performance in 12 Years a Slave, and has since shown off her amazing style on red carpet after red carpet. Her signature look is bold color, great shapes, simple silhouettes, and matching. This outfit is no different – and is super-simple to DIY. Here’s how:
- For her sheath dress: Make your dress using BurdaStyle Fitted Sheath Dress Pattern 06/2012 #129. To add areas of different-colored fabric, you may have to employ some pattern modifications.Following this tutorial here should help create those long gorgeous vertical waves, similar to the Calvin Klein version. You could also try this dress pattern for a similar colorblocking effect (but just in a different shape). Fabrics to use: Riley Blake Cotton Jersey Knit in Aqua, Organic Cotton Interlock Knit in Turquoise, and Stretch Rayon Jersey Knit in Rich Orange.
- For her triangle earrings: It’s difficult to tell from the photo, but Lupita seems to be sporting a pair of metal (or white) triangle earrings. Here or here are two very similar pairs.
- For her ribbon ring: Make your own out from a strip cut out of embossing metal and glued together in a loop, with a smaller loop glued around the middle (to look like a sweet little bow). You can find embossing metal at Jo-Ann Fabric Stores or here
online.
- For her pebbled clutch: Using my tutorial here, you can add texture to an affordable clutch with Tulip 3D Paints. (You can also just paint a Goodwill find with acrylic paints if you find a clutch the perfect shape!)
- For her strappy color-blocked heels: I’m afraid you’ll have to buy these beauties since they’re pretty much un-DIY-able…but these are a good, affordable version in a heel, or these in a flat sandal.
How would YOU accessorize this cool colorblocked sheath?
xo
Carly
Lupita Nyong’o photo source. Clutch image from here. Collage by me.
FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you click on a link and purchase something. To read my full Disclosure Policy, click here.
Leave CommentQuote: When Your Heart and Your Mind Are Aligned, Amazing Things Will Happen
When your heart and your mind are aligned, amazing things will happen.
-Anonymous
Not sure who said it, or who I’m misquoting or how I’ve re-appropriated it…but this is something I endeavor to live by. To sync emotion and intention.
Photo by Fabio Rose. Graphic and quote by me.
xo
Carly
Please feel free to share & pin my original graphic as much as you like – just please link back here. Thanks!
Leave CommentProbiotics: Good for Your Gut, Great for Your Skin: Meet TULA
You’ve all heard of probiotics, right? Those excellent-for-you bacteria that keep your gut (and the rest of you!) healthy and functioning? Well, taking probiotics internally for optimum health has been a part of many cultures for centuries (with culinary traditions of kefir, natto, miso, sauerkraut, and kimchee, for example)…but how about taking probiotics externally? Would the same benefits we experience when consuming probiotics also come into play when applied to our skin? (more…)
#Throwback Thursday: Summertime 1990
Obviously I have a thing against the sun, even back then. #vampiresforever
So the Internet is doing this thing called #ThrowbackThursday, and apparently I’m the last one to jump on the bandwagon. I decided to post an old photo of me today, just for fun.
The year was 1990, it was around June or so. My good friend Alyssa Hoefener was moving away (Illinois or something, if memory serves), and she had a going away party at her house. I was 11-and-a-half years old, and about 2 months away from moving to Yokohama, Japan. This was the Summer I had been dreading for months.
In 3rd grade I had experienced a growth spurt, and by 5th grade I was the 2nd or 3rd-tallest girl in the entire grade (about 70+ students). Alyssa (left in the photo) was super-cute and petite, and I look at this photo and remember towering over everyone that Summer, and just feeling like an awkward giraffe.
My bangs were impossible so I was into this phase of just hacking them short periodically. Alyssa’s bangs were always cute and 80’s-awesome, but mine just didn’t do that. *le sigh* I remember I had gotten a camera for Christmas earlier in the year, an incredibly basic Kodak something-or-other, and I tended to use it so rarely that I went through a roll of film like every 4-5 months or so. “Photography” was not yet something that I realized one could do as a hobby, haha. I don’t even remember owning those shorts, LOL. Jelly bracelets were the new thing (as opposed to friendship bracelets – soooooo 1989 – and I think my friends and I had this thing about wearing ankle jelly bracelets on our left ankles.
We had ice pops and threw water balloons at that party. I really missed Alyssa when she left. I think I wrote her after she moved and I heard from her once but then that was it. Such was life before the Internet. Now you just Facebook Friend everyone and stalk them silently when you want to see what they’re up to. But I haven’t found Alyssa on Facebook yet. It’s now 24 years and I have no idea what happened to her since then.
You were a good friend to me, Alyssa. Hope you are doing well, wherever you are!
xo
Carly
Leave CommentDIY Daisy-Print Applique Sweatshirt
It seems like an age since I posted I posted about Daisy-Print Inspiration here on the blog…but yes, this print is still trending amongst street style and retailers lately. I DIY’d an oversized sweatshirt in this neat pattern, and though it may be a little out of season by now, you can always do this on a more lightweight material. 
Plus you can customize the flowers exactly how you want! Here’s how:
You Need: (more…)
Leave CommentLife is Too Short to Be Small
Life is too short to be small.
-Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister
Photo by Robin Benad. Text by me.
xo
Carly
Please feel free to share & pin my original graphic as much as you like – just please link back here. Thanks!
Leave CommentWho I Am
Carly J. Cais I am a DIY’er, designer, sewist, maker, and marketer. Chic Creative Life is where I share what I do, and help others bring their unique style into their own lives.
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