Apr 18, 2012 | DIY
New York, London, Milan, Paris…Fashion Weeks happen all over the world and so is our inspiration!
We are proud to introduce you to the
DIY BLOGGERS FASHION WEEK
What we coveted
What we hand-crafted
…It’s DIY Fashion Week.
WE MADE IT.
And we’ll show you how!
One week. 6 projects. All DIY of current trends straight from the runways.
Coordinated by the amazing Alessia of
Matter of Style,
this week is all about DIY!
First up: the incredibly talented Kristin of Glitter’n Glue and her lovely Dolce & Gabbana-inspired Jelly Sandals. How pretty are they for summer?
Check out Tutorial #1:
Keep checking back for daily projects inspired by high fashion…and mine will be posting on the 21st!
xoxox
Carly
~Spread the DIY love and share this!~
Apr 14, 2012 | DIY
As you guys know, I’ve gone out to Japan for a month to help with a family medical crisis. In the meantime, some very talented and very kind DIY bloggers have come to my rescue with offering up some DIY tutorials to share with all of you while I’m away! I’m so lucky to have such incredible friends who can help out with blog content during this time.
First up, Samantha from Bromeliad Living has volunteered an amazing DIY Macrame Bracelet tutorial – perfect for Summer and all those music festivals coming up. Or just if you like saving a hundred or so bucks in mimicking the original!!;-) Take it away, Samantha!
Hello, I’m Samantha from Bromeliad Living, and I’m pleased to be guest posting for Carly while she is in Japan. Carly’s information-packed blog has gotten me through many DIY projects, particularly the ones that involve inscrutable things like shirt sleeves.
In addition to my personal blog, I write about DIY Fashion and DIY Home Decor for Examiner.com.
Today’s tutorial is inspired by Jensen Conroy’s Macrame and Brass Bracelet ($129; above). My version takes a few bucks and a few minutes to make, and the result is a nice, sturdy, giftable bracelet. Here’s how… (more…)
Apr 11, 2012 | DIY
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…
(more…)
Apr 10, 2012 | DIY
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!
Dying to DIY that hair necklace you may have seen Kim Kardashian sporting recently? The Beauty Department has the how-to for the newest hair accessory on the block!
Four Flights of Fancy has shared some great DIYs on her blog: I especially love the DIY Acorn Pendant! (Couldn’t you just see something like this in Anthropologie??!)
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!!)
Make a pretty art deco watch with Kristina J. Love her choice of chain and charms!
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/2012/04/diylotwfeaturedbutton.png” /></a>
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-
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Apr 5, 2012 | DIY
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…)
Mar 28, 2012 | DIY
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!
<a href=”https://chiccreativelife.com/category/links-of-the-week”><img src=”https://chiccreativelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/diylotwfeaturedbutton-1.png” /></a>
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-
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
