Mar 4, 2012 | DIY
Removable collars have been the must-have-it accessory for the past year now, and I honestly didn’t think there were any more varieties I hadn’t seen. Bejeweled! Neon! Flowered! Pearl-encrusted! Leather!
But this metal collar necklace from a Romwe.com newsletter (above) caught my eye – and I was heartbroken to find it was sold out. (Here’s a similar one if you’re interested.) “I can make that,” I reasoned, and set about doing it. (No soldering involved!!) With just some foam, embossing metal, and jewelry supplies, you too can make your very own chic metallic accessory! Here’s how:
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Feb 22, 2012 | DIY
scanned from Lucky Magazine ad, March 2012
This is so reminiscent of all the hardware-inspired necklaces from Fall/Winter 2009…and the hardware necklace I made using plumbing couplings that same year. Though Banana Republic isn’t that expensive to begin with, getting the look requires only a trip to your local hardware store. 
So glad to see chunky metallic necklaces are in for Spring!!
xoxoxo
Carly
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Feb 21, 2012 | DIY
Hope everyone’s been having a great February so far! Already 3/4 over and Spring is hopefully on its heels soon. I’m feeling renewed by a changing in the seasons, and am recently inspired to get my craft on again after combing through the recaps of the NYFW shows. So what has the Internet been up to in these past couple weeks…?
LookUnderHere created a great tutorial on Youtube for transforming any skirt into something lovely, gathered, and asymmetrical.
How about a lovely Painted Leather Geometric Necklace from Oh the Lovely Things? I had to look twice to figure out how it was constructed and what it was made of; the metallic leather shapes are amazing.
If you’re looking to add a pop of color into your life (that’s totally revertable if/when you tire of it, Make It and Fake It has the solution with her DIY Reversible Neon Heels. (Also check out her archive for a number of other great and fashionable DIY projects!!)
DIY Heart Print Tights from The Pineneedle Collective need not just be for Valentine’s Day! Amazingly, acrylic paint will work fairly well on sheer hose. Who knew??
A Beautiful Mess made some fabulous DIY Suspenders for a guy…but you could easily make them girly with the usage of different printed elastics!
Chictopians Lipglossandblack posted their DIY Fishtail-Hem Skirt, which is so on-trend and perfect for those in-between days when it’s neither warm nor cold. Show off some leg and still look demure!
How cute is this Pompon-Edged Scarf from The Purl Bee?? Done up in pretty fabrics, with bright (or pastel) pompon trim, this is such a unique take on the neck-scarf that everyone, from celebs to teens, is sporting lately.
Though I usually don’t post crafts done by Martha Stewart (since craft tutorials from there are re-posted and shared all over the place), I couldn’t help myself with this chunky Dyed Wooden Beads Necklace. I love how you can vary the colors to make this couture-like look all your own!
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/2012/02/diylotwfeaturedbutton-2.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-
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Feb 20, 2012 | DIY
Bib-style and collar-style, multi-tiered, embellished, spiky, organic, tribal necklaces have been all over the runways for a couple seasons, and it’s high time to add one into regular rotation in one’s wardrobe. But it’s so easy to make one out of bits and pieces floating around in your craft drawer!! This particular project utilizes craft foam that, once covered in paint, studs, buttons, and beads – looks high-fashion and “artsy” without the high price tag.
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Feb 18, 2012 | DIY
counter-clockwise from top right: Free People Vintage Bolo Necklace ($298), Elliot Atkinson Runway (photo by Morgan O’Donovan for DazedDigital), Egoist Cross Stone Bow-Tie NC (1,995 yen), DIY by me
I am such a necklace person; I always feel naked if I’m not wearing a strand (or two or three) of something metal and glittering at my neck. But sometimes I want to break away from the something-pendantlike-strung-on-a-chain rut…and the bolo tie necklace is the perfect piece to do that. Whimsical and retro, this style of adornment has been seen lately in the offerings at Free People and the runway at Elliot Atkinson (and was in countless shops when I visited Tokyo last Summer). Of course you can find bolo ties on Ebay or thrift shops…but you can also make one that’s all your own quite easily – and from stuff you probably already have in your craft drawer! Here’s how:
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Feb 14, 2012 | DIY, Fashion
New York Fashion Week is now in full swing, everyone – and even if we all can’t be there, we can peruse the collections, get a glimpse of what’s to come in a little less than a year, and start formulating ideas for what to buy and what to DIY. Here are a couple possibilities for at-home creativity:
Catherine Malandrino
Cut long rectangles in the front and back of a leather skirt, leaving the side seams intact, and sew (or use leather glue) to affix mesh panels on the inside of the cuts.
Imitation of Christ
This tie-front buttoned tube top would be such an easy DIY…just refashion it from a men’s chambray button-down! (And use the scraps for the neckerchief;-)
Thakoon
Girly up a standard trenchcoat by gluing (or sewing) a swatch of pink leopard printed fabric over the collar.
Zac Posen
Make your own chic capelet like the one at Zac Posen by sewing together the edges of a faux-mink throw and making slits low down where your hands would go. An instant cold-weather topper!
all images from Style.com
xoxox
Carly
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