Mar 14, 2011 | Fashion
care packets of new socks to send to the survivors in temporary shelters
As you all probably are aware, on Friday, March 11, Japan suffered a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast, that brought an enormous tsunami (tidal wave) that washed inland, destroying entire towns and the northeastern coastal areas. This earthquake was an event that happens only once every 1,000 years, and was so strong it shifted the main island of Japan by 2.4 meters and tilted the Earth’s axis by 25 cm so that the days are now incrementally shorter. (!!)
The official death toll in Japan is currently in the thousands, though it is estimated that more than 10,000 people were killed, and many more are currently still at risk with no power, water, or food. More than 430,000 people are currently in temporary shelters, and 25,000+ are still stranded due to high water and debris. Roads, hospitals, and schools were destroyed, as well as an entire airport. Currently in some shelters, there is no power, no heat, and the people there are rationed to one riceball per day.
Since Friday we have been watching the television (actually 3 different internet feeds, simultaneously) with growing horror as in my husband’s home country there is now also the possibility of meltdowns in three or more of Japan’s nuclear reactors, stores and supermarkets are bare of food and provisions, lines for gasoline are four and five hours long, and bodies are washing ashore by the thousands. Though none of the family or friends we know personally were in the areas directly affected by the tsunami and they are all safe, many are experiencing blackouts, no trains running, little food availability, and structural damage to their homes.
There are hundreds of thousands more people who were far less fortunate.
Feeling paralyzed and helpless by a disaster of this magnitude, we wanted to do something to ease the suffering.
~~~To Donate Money~~~
Paypal.com allows you to make an immediate donation of $25, waiving any transaction fees for donations to such organizations as Save the Children, the American Red Cross, Global Giving, and Hands On Network. Alternatively, you can click on the organizations linked above to go directly to their respective websites and dinate there.
Mercy Corps is also another excellent organization that works for disaster relief and is accepting financial donations.
Edit 3/15: Also, you can text your donation from your phone, and text fees will be waived for post-paid Sprint customers:
• Texting REDCROSS to “90999” to donate $10 on behalf of the American Red Cross;
• Texting TSUNAMI to “50555” to donate $10 on behalf of Convoy of Hope;
• Texting WAVE to “50555” to donate $10 on behalf of the World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals; and
• Texting JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to donate $10 on behalf of The Salvation Army.
The same goes for Verizon Wireless customers texting the above numbers, as well as to the following, to make a $10 donation:
• ADRA Relief, by texting SUPPORT to 85944;
• American Red Cross Relief, by texting REDCROSS to 90999;
• GlobalGiving, by texting JAPAN to 50555;
• International Medical Corps, by texting MED to 80888;
• Mercy Corps, by texting MERCY to 25383;
• Save the Children Federation, by texting JAPAN or TSUNAMI to 20222; and
• World Vision, by texting 4JAPAN or 4TSUNAMI to 20222.
T-Mobile also is not charging texting fees to these charities.
~~~To Donate Something Personal~~~
Socks for Japan is a newly-formed organization based in the city of Sano, which is close enough to the devastation that they can physically go to the distressed areas, but far enough away that the post is still arriving. They are asking for new, clean socks – one pair, or more if you can – grouped into envelopes by size and type for quick distribution. You can also enclose a care letter if you like, and they will translate the letters into Japanese, and hand the packet personally to the people currently housed in the temporary shelters. Socks are also in desperate need during times of crises, the sizes are universal, they are small and light and easy to ship, and can be treasured afterwards by survivors as a sign that someone faraway cared. Please click on the link above to find out more about it. (I’ve added the banner to the top of my site as well.)
I’ve already donated some money to Save the Children and the Red Cross, and I am now putting together 38 packets of new socks and care letters to send to Socks for Japan. They are asking for new socks only at this time.
Please, if you can, spare some money (even just $25!) for a donation, and if you’d like to do something more, please find some nice socks to send to someone who has lost everything in the world.
If you can’t donate money or items, please spread the word so that the people in desperate need can receive assistance.
Now is certainly the time to remember how lucky we all are, and, if possible, do a little more for people desperately in need.
****Please share this post with as many people as you can to spread the word!*****
We hope none of you have had friends or relatives affected by these events. Hold your loved ones close and stay safe!
I will resume fashion/DIY posting tomorrow.
xoxox
Carly
~To help the victims of the disasters in Japan, please share this post at the very least!~
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Mar 10, 2011 | By Carly J. Cais, Media
Yay! I think this is the first time I’ve seen a photo of someone wearing one of the pieces I’ve made. Joni looks absolutely beautiful, and I love the sweatpants combination with my cross rings!
On her right hand: Silver Itty Bitty Cross Ring. On her left hand: Silver Sideways Cross Single Finger Ring (Silver is currently unavailable, but Gold Double-Finger Sideways Cross Rind and the Gold Single-Finger Sideways Cross Ring still are.)
Joni has a great sense of style and always looks so chic! Check out her blog:
Thanks, Joni, for featuring my rings! I hope you like them!
(And if anyone else out there has posted photos of themselves on their blogs wearing any of my pieces from my Etsy shop…send them my way, and I’ll feature you here!;-)
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 8, 2011 | DIY
Actually it’s a DIY of a Yazbukey brooch that was featured in the Spring 2011 Z Spoke by Zac Posen show…but that title was a little long.;-)
This is unfortunately the best photo I have of the original. Img by Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com.
Remember those pieces? Or maybe the lips brooch from his Zac Posen Spring 2010 RTW Collection?
Photo by Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse
Yazbukey as well. (Known for their pop-art and attention-getting accessories, the Parisian line Yaz Bukey uses mirrored plexiglass as their main material of choice.) Since the actual watermelon brooch in question never went into production, I was inspired to DIY my own version…though it can’t double for lasercut plexiglass close-up, it’s a pretty good dupe for much, much cheaper.
For the other brooch I bought a plastic fruit slice from Michael’s (in the floral/decorative fruit crafts section),
1) sliced it in half with an X-acto knife
2) rubbed the rough edges off with sandpaper, and
3) hot-glued a pinback onto it.
And I managed to do my nails, too.;-)
Since fruit is such a HUGE trend for this Spring…if you’re not ready to plunge into all the bright colors for the season, why not try a smaller brooch? You can certainly mimic the enamel- or plexiglass look with liberal coatings of high-gloss sealant! (And even try for a Zac Posen lips brooch…or an ode-to-Prada banana brooch..or a Stella McCartney-inspired citrus slice if you’re up for it!) And if you’re looking for super-easy, just find some plastic fruit from a garage sale, Goodwill, or your local craft store and have fun with it!
Thank you to Anita and the whole Free Magazine team for this feature! I’m so excited to have been able to contribute!
Happy DIY’ing!
x0x0x
Carly
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Mar 7, 2011 | Fashion
I’ve been hemming and hawing about DIY’ing these lovely ruffled Christian Louboutins for awhile. It would be so simple to curl and fold up a piece of leather, creating those frills, and stitch the bottom onto a “pad” that you could tie on or clip on to the front of your sandals..
Well, now there’s no need to since Newport-News has come out with their version. Besides the fact that the NNI version is faux leather and they do not have a top strap, the frilly part certainly looks a lot cheaper than the original since (likely in order to save on production costs) they’ve used a double-layer of vinyl simply glued together.
Whereas the Loubs use a double layer of leather, edges folded in and topstitched. It’s a minuscule little detail (along with the strong shine of the faux leather) that is a dead giveaway that these are fakies.
However, once there’s a pretty good replica of a designer item put out there by some mass-market brand, I lose interest in DIY’ing it.
Materials for the ruffle + time trying to find the materials + time executing it + possible mishaps/mistakes with working with thin leather and topstitching it = $$$$
(close enough to $59 that bothering with the DIY seems like a waste. But it certainly could be done should you want to.)
And if you wanted to buy these shoes from Newport-News or Spiegel (sadly, only camel or black is available, not the lovely orangey coral color)…
What do we think? Chic…or just CHEAP?
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 7, 2011 | DIY, Life
There are a number of pieces that have been on my mind for awhile but I’ve been unable to devote the DIY time since this project for my class is threatening to eat me alive. These items, however, are burned into my brain…and are on deck for some upcoming tutorials…
2 T-shirts made into a dress
(found on Outsapop)
Pamela Love Arrowhead Ring
(photo from FashionToast…I think)
(photo from Nastygal.com)
Alexander Wang One-Shouldered Sports Bra
(photo from Style.com)
Miu Miu Embellished Flats
(photo from Net-a-porter.com)
Alexander Wang Mesh Shoulder Insert Top
(photo from Shopbop.com) …(can you tell I like Alexander Wang??;-)
Yves St. Laurent Arty Oval Ring
(photo from Net-a-porter)
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 5, 2011 | DIY
My hubby has a ton of white shirts that have seen better days…and sometimes I steal one or two of them to makeover for myself. But men’s shirts are so shapeless and boxy, and I want something that isn’t as boring as it looks straight out of the package! With a few strategically-placed hooks and some elastic cord, this is a quick DIY makeover that will turn any boxy and shapeless top into a form-fitting gathered tunic or dress. Minimalist sex-appeal at its best!
You Need:
*white tunic-length t-shirt (mine is XXL)
*8 hooks from sew-on hook-and-eye sets
*white thread & hand-sewing needle
*white elastic cord
*marking chalk (not shown)
*measuring tape or ruler
How To:
1. Lay your t-shirt flat, back side up. Measure about 2.5″ down from below where the sleeves meet the sides. (This is what worked for me – you may want to try the shirt on you to make sure this is the area where you want the corseting to end.) Mark.
2. Measure below that mark 1.5″ and make another mark at each side. Repeat twice so you have 4 marks total, evenly-spaced at 1.5″ apart.
3. Hand-sew the hooks on at each part. Since we’re sewing onto the back and the t-shirt fabric will be pulled to the front, make sure the hooks are facing outwards.
4. Try the shirt on. Take the elastic cord , fold it in half, and match its center to your bellybutton. Keep these lined up, thread either side of the cord into the bottom hook on either side of the shirt.
5. Pull to the front, pulling the shirt fabric with it. Cross the cord over at your center, then back into the next hooks above.
Continue to lace the corset-front in this manner, and rearrange the extra fabric of the tee as you go to look neater and more tucked-in to the corset area.
6. Tie the ends of the cords at the top of the corseting in a bow; trim the ends.
Wear with something not overtly sexy – this shirt has all the sex appeal you need!
This project was featured in a recent Crafty Superstar interview on the tutorial-sharing site Cut Out + Keep…
click here to read the interview questionnaire & my other projects!
(I’ll be re-posting all of them here on my blog soon.)
Thanks to Cat and the whole COAK team for the interview! I’m so flattered to have been featured:-)
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 4, 2011 | Score!
Who’s Whooga? you may ask. Whooga is widely recognized as the world’s fastest growing boutique brand of ugg boots. An affordable alternative brand for chilly toes seeking something a little warmer than normal, they achieve this legendary warmth and comfort with their distinct Thermofleece lining. This lining is amazingly soft, warm, and breathable, far more so than other brands of sheepskin boots. And the pricetag? Less than other boutique brands!
Learn more about Whooga boots here, and why Whooga ugg boots are NOT the same as the UGG Australia-brand boots. (I did a double-take too!)
To be entered to a pair of ugg Whooga boots…
Visit their Website and sign up for their newsletter!
(Enter your name and email into the subscribe box and his Submit)
The giveaway is open to anyone who signs up…anywhere in the world!
At the end of the month, a winner will be drawn from all new subscribers to their newsletter.
~~~~~
Can’t wait until the end of the month?
Use this Chic Steals-exclusive discount code: 1583STEALS and receive 10% off your purchase for the next week!
Good luck!
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 3, 2011 | Fashion
Double Cross Itty Bitty Single Earring, Sideways Cross Connection Choker, Large Cross Pendant, Pink Ombre White Faux Fur Tail Bag Charm: handmade by me
Wide-neck Sweatshirt and Zipper-detail mini-skirt: H&M
Faux aqua druzy ring: Target
Double pocket flap bag: Marni
Sheer maxi-skirt: piece of fabric wrapped around my waist
Reversible tights: Hue
Charcoal Boots: limited-edition Doc Martens
I’ve been coveting a long, sheer maxi-skirt ever since I saw the Adriana Chiffon Maxi Skirt on NastyGal’s website awhile back. Breezy, sheer, and dreamy, it keeps the legs under cover even when wearing a short skirt – modest, but kind of understated sexy in a way. I figured I’d just make my own at some point, and then kept putting it off, and putting it off…And then uber-DIY goddess Geneva from A Pair and a Spare DIY’d her own! Inspired, I ran to the fabric store and picked up 2 yards of cheap poly chiffon mesh. But then my serger lost its battle with the 11 children’s chicken costumes (hey, alliteration!) I made for my son’s school play, and I had to take it to get fixed ($160, not counting any parts they may have to replace). So while it’s in the shop, I can’t make any maxi-skirt, since I’m too lazy to bother with French seams and chiffon needs to be properly edged or else the edges will unravel on you.
Today it was a typical Oregon day: cold, clammy, and rainy in the morning, turning to dazzling sunshine around noon – 2 PM, then raining and hailing around 3 – 4 PM. Oh, Oregon! March should be renamed Month of Hail.>:-( In any case, I was cold this morning, so just grabbed my uncut chiffon fabric and wrapped it around my waist, thereby creating a makeshift sheer maxiskirt. It stayed on for most of the day, added a surprising amount of warmth, but shocked Lil Tot as I sat on the floor with him in the afternoon playing Crash Bandicoot racing and the fabric came untucked; he shouted “Mama! Your dress ripped!” So adds another childhood trauma, I supposed. Mother of the Disintegrating Dress.
I love how it shows sheer while walking!
But I digress. I’ve been working on adding some new jewelry pieces to my Etsy store; for example this double itty bitty cross chain earring and sideways cross connection choker.
If I can source any more of these large matte silver crosses (these are so popular for my rings that as soon as I stock them in the store they usually sell out), I’ll make some more long ball-chain necklaces like the one I’m wearing if people like it. All of these coming soon! And I felt like tacking on my pink ombre fur tail (still available for purchase here) to the whole ensemble to break up all the grey, black, and silver.
Completely on the non-affordable end of the accessories specturm would be this Marni bag. I own 4 luxury, high-end bags: a Louis Vuitton rainbow monogram pochette, an Etro wallet, a See by Chloe duffel bag, and now this Marni…all of them gifts, given to me by either my mother-in-law, my grandmother-in-law, or a family friend of theirs. I was so surprised when my mother-in-law went shopping at Nordstrom’s while she was visiting last month – and came back with TWO Marni bags, exactly alike, one in tan (for herself), and one a Valentine’s Day gift for me. She had seen how I was prepping my son’s Valentine’s cards and candy to take to his class at school, and how I had made a cheesecake for my husband and given him a box of designer chocolates, so she misconstrued that Valentine’s Day in the U.S. was some HUGE holiday where gifts MUST be given, and felt bad she didn’t have a gift for me…so she bought one. I was beyond words. It was so incredibly generous of her…a little comical, I suppose, but I didn’t want to rudely correct her and say the Valentine’s Day was not exactly the major gift-giving holiday (well, between in-laws) that she thought it was…I felt so bad that she had felt compelled to spend that much money on me. (Or maybe she just wanted us both to match…?) We all know that I would NEVER spend that much money on a luxury item no matter what…since I’m all about emulating the look and saving the cash!! Right??! Thus when someone gifts me something like this it’s hard for me to accept it as-is, especially when I think of how that money could have gone to better use for my in-laws over a longer period of time, rather than being blown in one chunk on a high-priced impulse purchase (or even bought for half the amount spent by shopping on Gilt.com or somewhere!!). In any case, my mother-in-law did something very nice and selfless for me, and I was very grateful and now have a beautiful Marni bag that I am afraid to use since I’m petrified of destroying it…or spilling juice or animal cracker crumbs onto it…this mindset is very much ingrained in me…
A cheapskate to the bitter end – even in the face of Marni!!;-)
How about all of you? What would you do – or how do you feel when somebody gifts you something extremely expensive and a little outside of your own fashion ethics?
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 2, 2011 | Life, Score!
I’m so excited to introduce Chic Steals‘ newest sponsor for the month of March:
If you missed the Slouchy Hat Giveaway post a couple posts back, the line began as a way for creator and owner Paulette to stay home with her newborn daughter as long as she could, developing over the years from a crafty hobby into a full-fledged line of unique and whimsical accessories.
In her Etsy shop she sells embellished, crocheted hats, beautiful felt appliques and patterns (sewing and crocheting enthusiasts, take note!!), chunky-knit gloves, and appliqued tees. Paulette is a fourth-generation crocheter who migrated from Barbados (the same island Rihanna is from!) to New York, and still creates everything in her shop by hand, crocheting the hats and cutting and embroidering the felt appliques.
She was a featured designer in the Studio Museum in Harlem store in 2009 and is currently working on a large order for a retail chain store in Japan. (!!) Her collection is heavily influenced by the huge variety of natural landscapes, flowers, and birds from her native Barbados. Her upcoming Spring Collection features a number of embroidered appliques hand-drawn and designed to look very organic and earthy. One of her bestselling items (that was just available in the Giveaway) is her signature Slouchy Hat, available in a rainbow of colors with an adorable embroidered applique or sweet crochet flower on the side.
And the winner of the Gray Slouchy Hat with Flower from the Dahlia Soleil Collection is…
Entry #30: abby anderson!
I’ll be contacting you for your info soon.
Even if you didn’t win and are hankering after owning one of her pieces, Paulette has created a discount code especially for you to use in her Etsy store: use code chicsteals2011 and receive 15% off your order!
And follow her on Twitter and check her out on Facebook and show her some love. Thanks for being a sponsor of Chic Steals, Paulette!
{Also, if you are a small business or blogger with a site related to fashion, handicrafts, crafty tools/supplies, affordable shopping, or anything else contextually-related, and interested on advertising or hosting a giveaway on my blog, I still have some sponsorships available for this month! Email me for details.}
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 2, 2011 | DIY
Wow, March already! February always seems to fly by as if on rails, and this year was no exception. I spent a lot of time with my family this month; Hub’s parents came to visit, we went skiing and my son had his first-ever skiing adventure, we played in the snow in the backyard and went sledding on the first Snow Day of the school year, and then we wrapped it up with my son having his adenoids out yesterday, which involved a lot of crying and anxiety leading up to it, but he’s now on the mend and installed in front of the TV once again. (Okay, yesterday was March 1, but still..)
So now it’s March and it’s Annual Craft Month!! I’m so excited – and can’t wait to peruse all the cool crafts and projects that are popping up on Craftzine, ILovetoCreate, HowAboutOrange, One Pretty Thing, BurdaStyle, Angry Chicken, Martha Stewart, and DesignSponge…and the coupons from Jo-Ann’s and Michael’s are sorely tempting me…
Exactly!! So onto the Links of the Week…
Studs and Sequins DIY’d a Lanvin Necklace with her own version: the Watercolor Petal Necklace! Beautiful, dreamy, and feminine…
There are so many great projects over at Michaels.com. This Long Layers Jewelry Set is fantastic – and imagine the possibilities if you replaced the pearls with crosses, or spikes, or skulls, or other hard-edged things…or tried silk flowers, jumbled coral, colorful beads… Also check out the many hundreds of projects they have available on the site for some major creative inspiration!
TipJunkie posted 21 Free Tutorials for Making Headbands. Flowered, sequined, knitted, Anthropologie…check it out if you love headgear!
Ah, Outsapop. Constant and amazing source of DIY inspiration. Love her DIY Balenciaga Shirt idea…so simple, yet so perfect.
New fabulous DIY Blog Alert! Rar Traum Store: haunting, fetishist, bizarre, addictive DIY and inspiration. Check out her Givenchy-inspired Clutch Box attached to glove…and scroll back through her posts for a Pierrot Neckpiece, mesh shades, and off-the-hook embellished punk jacket. (I fell in for a couple of hours, I have to admit…;-)
Ruffled is doing a DIY Wedding Favors Contest. Submit your best handmade wedding favor project ideas here until March 13, and be eligible to win up to $400 in cash prizes!
Maxi skirts are in right now and Sew Much Ado shared her tutorial for making a triple-tiered maxi skirt. She looks beautiful in it!
Sweetie Pie Bakery shared her advice on Designing for Less: how to look at the clothing you want and find and alter patterns to make it yourself instead of buying it. Which is a thought-process that I am always, always using when I look at items in stores…and essential to a DIY frame of mind!
Modanista Junkie made some super-cute sparkly toe-cap pumps. Just adding some rhinestones can make any shoe look expenive (even when they originally weren’t) and cover up any scratches or damage! A great idea.
Blogger Phosphene revamped an old blouse using iron-on dome nailheads and grosgrain ribbon on the M&J Trimming Blog. What a fantastic way to add some edgy and on-trend details to your clothing! (And check out her Tulle Brooch and Gold Pompon Headband too!)
Recent favorite affordable and cute shopping destinations:
I’m loving all of the fashionable indie finds on Moxsie.com…and drooling over the affordable but incredibly chic jewelry on RachelRachelRoy. Yummy!
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 feature it in one of my Links of the Week posts!
xoxox
Carly
-all photos copyright their respective authors; photo array by me-
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