Jun 23, 2011 | DIY
Welcome to the first installment of a new series I’m trying out: Steal That Style!, where I feature a celebrity’s recent outfit and break it down into the Steal-able (that is, similar pieces that are affordable) and the DIY-able. Let me know what you guys think – I’d love your feedback!
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Olivia Palermo was spotted recently at a film screening, wearing this bold ensemble. I look the juicy colors, the pop of print – and the gutsiness of this as a party look. Above is how to get the look for less, by shopping cheap…and creatively crafting.
How to Get Her Look
Stylish Steals
Cuff: Metal Braided Cuff, $21, AlltheRageOnline.com.
Dress: Exhibit A Cutout Coral Dress, $59; or Aryn K Sudden Chill Orange Dress, $83; or Cutest Smile Red Dress, $38; all Lulus.com.
Shoes: Liliana Muses 3 Leopard Pump, $23.90, UrbanOg.com.
DIY Deals
Dress: The dress can be made using BurdaStyle Pattern 1/2010 #128. Choose a bright shantung fabric for the same look. Eliminate the belt and cut the sleeves shorter to about a 3/4 length sleeve (don’t forget hem allowance). Also if you like eliminate the center front seam by overlapping the front piece patterns on top of each other (only overlapping the seam allowance), and cut the front as one continuous piece. If you really like that high-waisted seam, you can always add a piece of black cord trim in the midsection of the dress to thoroughly emulate the look.
Clutch: Take a clutch you already have (or something thrifted), and cover with hot pink satin (example from HancockFabrics.com), using Loctite Vinyl, Fabric and Plastic Adhesive
to adhere it.
Shoes: If you’re feeling crafty and have a pair of beige pumps on hand (or can find a usable pair at your local thrift store), paint your own DIY leopard print using Angelus Acrylic leather paints (ideal), or acrylic paints, covered in a layer or two of Mod Podge Matte
to make the spots weatherproof.
Proof that you don’t need a celeb’s money to look like a million bucks!
xoxox
Carly
All other photos copyright of their respective authors. Photo array by me.
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Jun 21, 2011 | DIY
I had so much material and great sites bookmarked from last week, last Links of the Week was threatening to become a gigantic 2-chapter installment. So I split it up so I could include many more wonderful DIYs and extraordinary ideas this week!
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Flowers made from tights by K.I.S.S. is a great project if you have pretty tights with runs in them. (Reminds me of my Rolled Tights Rose Tutorial, which I shared last year on Cut Out + Keep.) But hers are much prettier and more whimsical!!
Or how about jewelry made from plants? Living jewelry, that is! Though it’s not a tutorial, I’m feeling inspired by Viola Living Jewels, a line that uses tillandsia (air plants) in pieces.
Thera Joyce shared a video tutorial on how to make a tube top from a T-shirt you already have in your closet. Add this to your summer wardrobe, too! Watch it here.
If you like Glee, you’ll love this Emma Pillsbury T-Shirt Refashion project by iCandy Handmade! A prim and perfect refashion.
Brittany shared with me her new DIY blog: Opposite of War. She’s just starting out in the blogosphere and shared her great idea for a pair of Ballerina-Inspired Flip-Flops. Lovely!
Livlig Online is a new site I’ve discovered, featuring TONS of DIY roundups (like One Pretty Thing, except different) with Home, Jewelry, and Clothing DIYs…it could keep me busy for HOURS!
Nichelle not Michelle posted her tutorial for creating a dress from a shirt and a pair of leggings. What a sexy makeover – Meow!
Featured on Chictopia as a “DIY Bikini,” this 3D-printed nylon piece by Contiuum apparently arrives at your door flat, and you have to snap it together. And when I write “printed” I don’t mean that it has a printed pattern on it…I mean that it’s literally printed with a printer that creates 3D objects from scratch!! However, I’m much more interested in Continuum’s D Dress App, an online application that converts any dress you draw with it into dress pattern made up of tiny triangles, available for you to print on your home printer. I’ll have to try this out and make my own avant-garde wearable piece!
Inspired by a piece by NastyGal, Cheap Chic Obsession created a DIY Fringe T-shirt. Easy and chic and perfect for summer!
I love this idea for reuse and recycling! Rather than dump the 400 yards of non-biodegradable fabric from an old balloon into a landfill, Turk + Taylor designed their Spring Collection of clothing using the ripstop nylon from the balloon. How amazing is that??! (Source)
If your project was featured above, feel free to grab a button and share the DIY!
<a href=”https://chiccreativelife.com/category/links-of-the-week”><img src=”https://chiccreativelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/diylotwfeaturedbutton-1.png” /></a>
If you have a DIY project, tutorial, or creation 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!
xoxox
Carly
-all photos copyright their respective authors; photo array by me-
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Jun 21, 2011 | Fashion
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Yup, my family and I leave for Tokyo today – and we’ll be there an entire month. However, I’ll be taking my laptop with me this time, so I’ll still be blogging from the other side of the world. I’m looking forward to a month of tons of walking and exercise, tackling my personal webpage and portfolio, tasting some superb food, hanging out with my relatives, and indulging in some fabulous, fabulous shopping!
See you guys on the flipside!;-)
xoxox
Carly
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Jun 19, 2011 | DIY
How many of us have been drooling over the chic-ness of the metallic Minx manicure since it debuted a few years back?
Being someone who loves metals, I’ve been dying to get my hands on one – well, get one on my hands, really – for ages. But the $40+ pricetag (for a set of nails that barely lasts 2 weeks) has been a big deterrent.
Now, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips have been out awhile in drugstores here in the U.S. – but though there are glitters there are no true metals offered in the line.:-( So I was on the hunt for something similar – that could mimic that Minx look for less.
Enter Nail Rocks Nail Wraps (for a mere $11.55 from ASOS.com). (And with Free Shipping to the U.S. too – how about that?) With a little fiddling (and a home hairdryer) that gorgeous liquid metal manicure can be yours for a fraction of the cost. Here’s how to use them:
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Jun 16, 2011 | Fashion
I am so excited to announce that Shabby Apple is partnering with Chic Steals to give away one of their lovely dress to one lucky winner! I’ve been a great admirer of all of Shabby Apple’s clothing for a long time – especially their beautiful dresses, which truly need no extra pieces to make a spectacular outfit! Feminine and flirty, vintage-inspired and tasteful, these are dresses for the modern woman who wants to feel special every day.
The winner of this giveaway gets to choose one dress in their size from the dresses above: the Bernini dress, the Cider dress, the Trade Winds dress, the Champs Elysees dress, or the La Noche Nigra dress (from left to right)
ARV: $78 – $89 (depending on which dress the winner chooses)
The Bernini Dress / The Cider Dress
The Trade Winds Dress / The Champs Elysees Dress
The La Noche Nigra Dress
How to Enter
REQUIRED:
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me which lovely dress you would choose if you won! (make sure you leave your email address or that your address is in your profile so I can contact you). (1 entry)
ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
3. Tweet this giveaway. Leave a SEPARATE comment on this post with the link to your tweet! (1 entry)
Total: 2 entries per person allowed.
However, if you do not keep your additional entry comment separate from your required entry comment, it WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
Giveaway open to U.S. residents only (apologies to my international readers).
Giveaway period is open from now until Thursday, June 23, 11:59 PM PST.
Edit 6/23: Giveaway period is now closed and winner will be announced shortly.
Winner chosen by Random.org and notified by email.
And if you just can’t wait to hear the results of the giveaway, Shabby Apple is also offering Chic Steals readers an exclusive discount code: chicsteals10off to receive 10% off any order from ShabbyApple.com. (good until 7/14/11) So if you just can’t get these beautiful pieces out of your head, check them all out (including skirts, jewelry, swimwear, and kids apparel) online:
Good luck!
xoxox
Carly
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Jun 15, 2011 | Fashion
I’ve been a huge fan of the blog Vivat Veritas for a long time. Based in Tokyo, blogger Chie is not only incredibly stylish (and nice!), but is also a full-time designer. She runs an Etsy shop filled with her affordable and beautiful dresses – that she designs and makes by hand. On her blog she posts inspiration and outfit photos, behind-the-scenes photos for her lookbook shoots, and hosts sewing giveaways. Add to all of that she’s a brand-new mom, so she’s super-duper busy. And she recently contacted me requesting an interview!
I babble about how my interests of Animation and Fashion Design relate (do they at all?), talk parenting and career…and of course, DIY!
Thanks so much for the feature, Chie – I so appreciate it!
xoxox
Carly
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Jun 14, 2011 | DIY
Again, schoolwork and life has just body-slammed me into submission the last couple weeks, so this latest LOTW is again combining 3 weeks into one.
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Who’s with me, right??!
You guys have been great with sending me your projects and tutorials, so I’ve been able to check out all your creativity and now share it en masse. Thanks so much!
Honestly, WTF‘s DIY Pompon Necklace infuses a bright pop of colored fun into any outfit. Perfect for summer!
Megan Nielsen did a tute on how to make scallop-hem shorts from a pair of old shorts. Check it here and try it on something you already have in your closet!
Violent Lips is a new line of temporary Lip Tattoos. What’s your verdict: Chic or cheap?
The Style Projects has a number of quick n easy DIY projects on her blog (like a Sweat-skirt, Big Curly Hair, No-Sew Scarf, and Backless Zippered White Tee), but I think I like her DIY Bee-Buttoned Cuff the best. It looks just like something from Lanvin’s S/S 11 collection!
Manolo Blahnik Limited-Edition Shoe Earring DIY by Fabric Strips and Ruby Lips is so inventive! (And perfect if you happen to have Barbie stuff leftover from your childhood.;-) Also check out her other projects like her Placemat Tablet Case and Chanel-style Earrings.
Teresa does it made crochet shorts from an old thrifted crochet sweater. Pure genius (and it looks so RTW)! Also check: DIY Zipper Jeans, Victoria’s Secret Buckle Sweater, and Crochet Bag. Can’t miss!
Urban Outfitters constantly rips off other independent artists’ designs. Or is it just coincidence? Read the discussion here and here on the Village Voice Blog.
It will be Father’s Day this Sunday – so if you’re feeling crafty, Michael’s has a ton of projects to make for dear ol’ Dad. Try a decorated wood photo frame, a ceramic mug covered in drawings, an artful ceramic plate, or a can-hugger…maybe these are projects more appropo for the kiddos, but still fun and creative. 
And if your Dad or hubby is into fashion at all, these Giles and Brother cufflinks are pretty awesome (and manly) and only $60.
And if you’re thinking of stealing something out of Dad’s closet – nab yourself a tie, and make this Upcycled Statement Necklace from a Tie, courtesy of Green Eggs and Ham. A lovely – and slightly steampunk! – reiteration of the menswear accessory.
Wardrobe Recycle (a Greek blog – use Google translate if you don’t read Greek) shared her upcycle of a t-shirt to a Princess-Sleeve Shirt, which is actually based on this (in English) video by Fashion Enemy. I love how feminine and pretty her new shirt is!!
If your project was featured above, feel free to grab a button and share the DIY!
<a href=”https://chiccreativelife.com/category/links-of-the-week”><img src=”https://chiccreativelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/diylotwfeaturedbutton.png” /></a>
And since I’m not doing my DIY Roundups anymore, if you have a DIY project, tutorial, or creation 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!
xoxox
Carly
-all photos copyright their respective authors; photo array by me-
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Jun 12, 2011 | Fashion
Hair: Priscilla Midi Bun w/ 2 orange bobby pins
Fitted Tee: Old Navy
Watch: Swarovski
Nails: DIY Minx-style manicure
Jil Sander-style Maxi-skirt: handmade by me
Pointy Flats: Steve Madden
A wild neon skirt like this calls for simplicity in the details! (more…)
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Jun 10, 2011 | Fashion
1. Color T4 Belt ($39.90) / 2. Cast4 Shoe ($59.99)
3. Fletcha Ring ($29.90) / 4. LLuna Necklace ($44.90) / 5. Fox Bracelet ($34.90) 6. Foulard Topping Scarf ($34.90) / 7. Cuba Sunglases ($34.90)
8. Barbados Sunglasses ($34.90) / 9. Pablot Bracelet ($29.90) / 10. Rodi Shoe ($154.90) / 11. Big Handbag ($59.90)
12. Anne Belt ($49.90) / 13. Maldivas Sunglasses ($34.90)
14. Kiti Handbag ($99.90) / 15. Ingles Shoes ($79.99) / 16. Rosal Scarf ($29.90) / 17. HAITYT4 Handbag ($69.90)
Ever shopped at Mango before?
I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting an actual store but now I’m filling my virtual shopping cart as I write, delighted with my new online discovery! Cross-body flap bags, natural-colored oxfords, chic sunglasses, patterned scarves, statement jewelry… Every neutral accessory that’s just perfect for summer is here. And it’s so affordable!
I think I’ve found a new go-to store for everything. (Plus they sell incredibly chic clothing!!)
How about you? Have you ever shopped Mango before? Did it live up to expectations?
xoxox
Carly
Array by FactoryPR and by me.
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Jun 9, 2011 | Life, Score!
Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Dove Go Sleeveless Deodorant Giveaway!
The winners are:
#8: Jordan Bandersnatch
#10: Katherine (prettykeenkate)
#13: Nicole at Mommy Moxsie
Please email me (carlyjcais AT chic-steals DOT com) your full name + shipping address so I can get your Dove deodorant sample to you.
Thanks for entering and congrats to the winners!
xoxox
Carly
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