I’m so glad that Spring is finally here in all its glory – and floral items are on the top of my must-wear list for the season. But I couldn’t find any chic floral prints that I liked – and that were actually affordable – and so set out to make my own. Applique is the name of the game – and is super-simple to do if you have an iron, a pair of scissors, and a little patience! Make your own on-trend lightweight layer for Spring by jazzing up an old piece from your closet (or thrifted – mine was $2.99 from the local Goodwill!) – and infuse your days with a little flowery fun. Here’s how…
Yup, these last two weeks have been crazy for me, which is why I’m again condensing my Links of the Week into one post. But there’s still DIY to be found!
Do a quick n easy DIY with Because I’m Addicted and her DIY Tuxedo Pants. Heat ‘n’ Bond, an iron, and a pretty ribbon are all that are required!
There’s some great inspiration and ideas as well over on DIY Fashion Accessories. Check out her painted Chevron Flats!
Add some boho chic to your tech gear with Free People‘s tutorial for Wrapped Headphones. Dangling down from your ears they look almost like hair wraps…but aren’t. (Just in time for Coachella, too!)
My boring old Canon camera strap needs a cute makeover…and I’m loving the vintage-inspired DIY Camera Strap from Design Love Fest! Also: when you’re done using your camera, unhook the strap and wear as a long necklace with the swivel hooks at the back of your neck as the clasp. How cute would that be??
The addition of lace to a pair of old shoes makes them so sweet. A Lemon Squeezy Home has the tutorial (and btw, the lace is removable for when you get tired of it!!)
If you have a DIY how-to or tutorial that you’d like to see featured on Chic Steals, please email me at carlyjcais at chic-steals dot com – and I’ll try to squeeze it in to one of my Links of the Week posts! (Tutorials/how-to’s with steps and photos included please! So everyone can share in the DIY goodness:-)
xoxox
Carly
-all photos copyright their respective authors; photo array by me-
Here’s what I’m packing for an entire month of outfits for April/May 2012 in Tokyo!
(items still available or DIYs are linked; Japanese brands are in green)1. Cropped grey sweatshirt [H&M] / 2. Striped puff-sleeve tunic [one clothing] / 3. Three pairs of leggings: Long black leggings [Old Navy] / long black leggings with attached legwarmers (can’t have too many black leggings!) [my honeybee] / grey cropped sweatpants [Forever 21]
1. Pale grey camisole with attached chiffon skirt [YesStyle] / 2. Nude long camisole [SPANX] / 3. Swallow-printed black flared dress [Miss Selfridges] / 4. Hermes scarf [again a gift from my mother-in-law, which is why I’m taking it to Japan to show her how much I appreciate it!] / 5. Seafoam cropped hoodie [unknown, thrifted]
6. Hole-filled cardigan [osmosis, almost exactly the same one available here] / 7. Three tops: Putty sneaker-print LS Shirt [Spiral Girl] / Grey Mickey Mouse T-Shirt [UNIQLO] / Striped LS top [Mossimo for Target] / 8. Bustier Top with peplum [Forever 21] / 9. DIY Denim Shirt fit to my size [tutorial here] / 10. Bug-Print Chiffon Shirt [ASOS]
Not pictured: 2 sets of workout clothes, cobalt blue wool coat [Forever 21], blue bootcut jeans [Old Navy “The Flirt” jeans]
I always end up taking some things that I never wear…but I prefer to have too much with me than too little. Early April tends to be quite chilly in Tokyo, but it can get very warm towards May…so I tackled the problem with bringing lots of layering items.
All in all, that’s 3 pairs of jeans, 3 knit pants, 3 skirts, 2 dresses, 3 tees, 2 blouses, 4 sweaters/cardigans, 3 tanktops, 1 bustier top, and 1 coat. While in Japan I’m hoping that I might get the chance to go shopping and pick up a t-shirt or tunic dress, but if I don’t then I don’t. Hopefully what I’ve brought should cover looking relatively respectable for getting my mother from the hospital and running her errands, as well as any dinners or outings with my in-laws, and then enough dressed-down stuff to work out and take Lil Tot to the park or something. I’m really not sure what this next month will bring…and perhaps I won’t have the wherewithal even think about clothes at all!;-)
While I’m away, I thought what better time to do a giveaway for you guys? I’m so excited to let you know that the amazing (and incredibly affordable!) site SarahAghili.com has partnered with Chic Steals to bring you a giveaway of one of their chic skull bangles.
With their median price of all their jewelry offerings at $8.50, SarahAghili provides fashion-forward, trendsetting baubles that are within anyone’s budget. Houston-raised Aghili began making her own jewelry at an early age, and funneled that passion into an online store that currently stocks everything from women’s apparel to pet accessories, fine jewelry, trend-driven pieces, and men’s jewelry. (They also are in boutiques across the U.S. and Dubai!) Here are some pieces that I love from their jewelry section:
So what’s up for the giveaway? This pretty double skull head bangle!
Gold Double Skull Head Bangle
Feminine but with a bit of edge, this lovely bangle looks great as-is, or stacked with other sparkles and color on your wrist. Stack a bunch of them for a jangly, disco-inspired arm full of metal!
One lucky reader will win the Gold Double Skull Head Bangle seen above.
Edit 4/16/12: The giveaway period is now closed and the winner will be announced shortly.
How to Enter
REQUIRED:
1. Follow Chic Steals on Bloglovin, Feedburner, or Email Subscription, and leave a comment on this post telling me which method you follow. (1 entry)
ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
2. Tweet this giveaway once. Leave a SEPARATE comment on this post with your Twitter username once you’ve Tweeted! (1 entry)
3. Post this giveaway on your Facebook Wall once. Leave a SEPARATE comment on this post with the link to your FB Wall. (1 entry)
Total: 3 entries per person
However, if you do not keep your additional entry comments separate from your required entry comment, they WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
Giveaway open to EVERYONE! (Yes, including my international readers!!! Yay!)
Giveaway period is open from now until Sunday, April 15, 11:59 PM PST.
Winner chosen by Random.org and notified by email.
Good luck!
xoxox
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post; company will be providing the prize (one gold skull bangle) directly to the winning entrant. For more information, see my Disclosure Policy.
No, it’s not April Fools’…this skirt is really made from a lace curtain!!
I’m sure you’ve seen these curtains hanging in people’s houses…maybe you have them hanging in your own house. (I know I did while living in Japan as it’s standard there to have lace curtains on the outside, and patterned curtains on the inside, of the curtain rails there.)
And if you check out your local Goodwill, you can find the most lovely lace curtain panels for a steal.
I found one huge panel for a mere $5.99. That much beautiful fabric for that price is a bargain!!
So I set about using that lace fabric…and I found a ton of uses for it. But FIRST…the DIY Lace Maxi-Skirt, a Spring 2012 staple. And it’s sooooo easy! Here’s how to make it: (more…)
Most of the time, I try to keep the majority of my personal life, sad events, and negativity, off this blog.
The daily reality of life is not fun, or chic, or even 100% awesome; much of the time it is itchy, annoying, depressing in its own ways. But like many of us bloggers, I rally up and do my best to present my bast face to the world and provide you with fun DIYs! Chic ideas!Happy posts! despite what might be going on for me in my personal life at the same time.
But sometimes stuff that’s happening takes over my blogging abilities and I’m overwhelmed to the point of not being able to be Fun! Chic! or Happy! in the slightest.
So here’s what’s been going on with me:
Last weekend, my mother had a spinal stroke [an extremely rare type of stroke] and lost feeling from the arms down.
She’s been hospitalized in Tokyo, and thankfully her doctor believes it was a minor stroke and with medication and physical therapy she will regain use andsome feeling in her legs (though it’s hard to say to what extent, though the dr. is positive). She is being released this Thursday, and needs live-in home care for at least several weeks, and someone to take her to her physical therapy etc.
She lives alone in Tokyo, and the only family we have there are the relatives on my husband’s side of the family, and my cousin [my mom’s nephew)]. There really isn’t anyone to take care of her, and she can’t arrange a home health care worker at short notice.
So.
Myself, Hub, and Lil Tot will go to Tokyo for a month, and I’ll live with my mom in her apartment and take care of her as she recuperates. Hub and Lil Tot will stay with my husband’s family, and visit with the relatives, and try to have an enjoyable vacation while in Japan together.
I have been scrambling in the last couple days (because we only made plans to go on Friday) to book plane tickets, responding to an avalanche of email, return 1001 things to whatever stores I got them, stockpile tutorial photos, pack suitacses for 3 people, eat up the 2 weeks-worth-of-food that I had bought prior to finding out I had to go to Japan, withdraw from this semester’s classes at school, and generally try to take care of the million things that have to be taken care of before we leave in…oh, 9 hours.
As you can imagine, these past couple days have been full of worry and stress and general exhaustion, and I have not had an ounce of ability to blog about anything right now.
My mother sounds positive on the phone and has been able to take some steps with a walker, though has little strength or control in her legs. We’re hoping for the best and that she will be able to gain mobility over the next month or so.
Though I am taking my computer with me to Japan, please understand if I am not able to update very frequently.
Edited to Add (4/5): Thanks so much to all of you who expressed your well-wishes to my mom and family. We so appreciate the kindness!!:-)
Thank you~
xoxox
Carly
P.S. If anyone is interested in writing a guest post while I’m abroad, I would welcome anything from another DIY’er who’d like to share an original DIY tutorial! Please email me at carlyjcais at chic-steals.com if you’re interested! Thanks so much~
Hello everyone!
So the Portland Bloggers’ meetup is having an upcoming event…this time an evening cocktail mixer! If you’re a Portland-area blogger (blogging about anything, not just fashion! Women AND men both welcome!) please email hostess Jenni for more details!
Also, if you are a local business and want to inquire about sponsorship opportunities to help get your name, product, and service in front of a group of connected and resourceful bloggers and a large pool of potential customers, please email Jenni for more details!
I think this might be a good occasion to get out a party dress… In my case…a DIY party dress…
I’m so honored to have been chosen to participate in the Mother’s Day Campaign, sponsored by Martha Stewart Crafts and PLAID. They sent me a HUGE box chock-full of lovely crafting items to create a unique Mother’s Day craft tutorial!
So I made an unboxing video, complete with sound effects supplied by Lil Tot and with Final Cut Pro dropping frames every step of the way due to my slow-as-molasses computer.
The tutorial/s will be posting April 25, so stay tuned!:-D
Two weeks have gone by since my last roundup…and in the meantime, Spring is finally here! It’s been weird weather all last week, alternating between snowing and then hot, balmy days, but now I think it’s officially Spring. The plum outside our house has bloomed, the person I hired to mow my lawn hacked my shrub into a tree-shape by removing the bottom 2/3 of the branches (maybe he thought it was actually a tree???), and I’m spending the week cooped up inside with a head cold that is steadily worsening. At least I’m getting back into the DIY!
So what has everyone else been up to?
Alicia from Dismont Creative made this perfect zippered pouch out of fabric she designed herself…no, not on Spoonflower [where I’ve had a blast designing custom fabrics before]…but with Sharpie Fabric Markers! The final product looks so amazing she could definitely sell them!
I’ve seen it done with markers before, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen it with paint: DIY Saddle Shoes, found on Rookie Mag. How darling are they…and think, you could even do them up in pastels for Spring!
Clones n Clowns did a fabulous reinvention of those Jeffrey Campbell studded Tick wedges everyone was DIY’ing last year…except hers are done with pretty spangled stars! I’m thinking perfect Fourth of July shoes maybe? Or something extra-chic for glamming up the everyday!
Speaking of the Fourth of July, maybe you’d like to make a DIY Free People American Flag Scarf, with Katarina of She Sells Seashells? She may be based in Germany, but her American flag is just a work of art! How about trying it yourself…or making a scarf of the flag of a country that is near and dear to you?
Going on a trip sometime soon? How about a beautifully chic DIY Passport Cover from A Cleaner Closet? You could use any scraps of leather or vinyl you have in your stash…or even raid the upholstery section of your local fabric store for some exotic faux alligator or faux ostrich!!
Maya from Soccer Mom Style built on my post on How to Paint Leather by mixing her acrylic paint with Textile Medium to prevent cracking on a belt that would normally be flexed frequently. Her DIY Pastel Mint Belt is just gorgeous – and a great solution to acrylic paint cracking with use!This DIY Flowered Alexander McQueen Clutch from Make Me Sparkly is just perfect for Spring. (It may be from last year, but it totally looks 2012!!) Love all her work on it!
Chictopian Ellephoto posted a quick n easy tutorial for DIY Lace Pocket Shorts. Beautiful, pastel, and warm-weather-appropriate! Love it:-)
Thanks to everyone who sent me your great projects!
If your project was featured above, feel free to grab a button and share the DIY!
If you have a DIY how-to or tutorial that you’d like to see featured on Chic Steals, please email me at carlyjcais at chic-steals dot com – and I’ll try to squeeze it in to one of my Links of the Week posts! (Tutorials/how-to’s with steps and photos included please! So everyone can share in the DIY goodness:-)
xoxox
Carly
-all photos copyright their respective authors; photo array by me-
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.
I’m so glad that Spring is finally here in all its glory – and floral items are on the top of my must-wear list for the season. But I couldn’t find any chic floral prints that I liked – and that were actually affordable – and so set out to make my own. Applique is the name of the game – and is super-simple to do if you have an iron, a pair of scissors, and a little patience! 
Make your own on-trend lightweight layer for Spring by jazzing up an old piece from your closet (or thrifted – mine was $2.99 from the local Goodwill!) – and infuse your days with a little flowery fun. Here’s how…
