Feb 7, 2012 | DIY
So January ends with a whimper and now February hits, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. Here in Portland we’re enjoying the characteristic couple weeks at this time of year when the Winter rain stops and we get warm[ish], sunshiny days. That’ll all be over pretty soon and we’ll have afternoons of hail coming in a month or so. Oh well. We can all warm our hearts with a little DIY in the meantime…
Taylor & Demolish did a DIY Rhinestone Collar Necklace. (Boy, it seems everyone’s got collars on the brain these days!!) LOVE it!
Speaking of rhinestone necklaces, you can also DIY your own version of a Dannijo rhinestone necklace using a vintage bracelet and some neon nailpolish with Going West. (I know we’ve all seen nailpolish-coated rhinestone necklaces before…but is Dannijo’s piece inspired by them or the other way around? Which came first: the original or the DIY? Hmmm…..)
Warmer temps are on their way! Make some sassy studded DIY shorts with Jen Ell’s Revenge. I’m feeling the spaced-apart grid pattern she used – a new take on this ubiquitous trend.
How pretty and easy is this Turn a Necklace Into a Headband DIY from …love, Maegan?? Just a couple stitches and a hair elastic and you have yourself a beautiful, one-of-a-kind hair adornment.
Okay – this Cinch Bag tutorial by Sweet Verbena is awesome!! So stylish and unique – and imagine changing the cinching ribbons so your bows are different-colored…or decorated…oooh!!
I received a reader question about creating stylish lingerie, and I didn’t get back to her immediately since there seems to be a dearth of good patterns for undergarments. BurdaStyle posted 9 patterns for the boudoir, which although they aren’t DIY per se, can definitely help get you started on creating your own underpinnings.
DIY EVENT ALERT! This Saturday (Feb 11) from 12 – 3 PM at your local Free People Boutique, customers will get to create a special DIY for their Valentines. Get more info and RSVP at their Facebook page here. (Find your local Free People store here)
Going on a tropical getaway anytime soon? Need a new cover-up for the beach or pool? How about a quick and easy clothing project that requires no sewing? This DIY Caftan video on Craftzine should satisfy all those yearnings and more!
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.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 2, 2012 | DIY
Finally! There’s been some great DIY projects floating around, and though I’ve been super-busy and unable to dive into any of them, I hope those who have a little more time on their hands will try some of these out.
Look What Melissa Made posted this cute-and-easy Chain Collar DIY Necklace. Love how it’s a removable Peter Pan Collar – but wait, it’s a necklace – but wait, it’s a collar! A great way to sweeten up any outfit.
Still got collars on the brain? Try one of the 4 DIY Collar ideas that Refinery29 shared, including adding tips to a collar studding a collar, making a necklace out of leather, and cutting a collar off a shirt and securing with a button.
If you’re in the mood for something fun, short, and poufy, try making a DIY Man Repeller Miu Miu Skirt, courtesy of Chictopian RunwayDIY. Pleating is super-easy to do, and once you try it, I assure you the finished product will be an exact dupe of the original!
Beyond the Open Spaces has a great new take on the ubiquitous DIY Tassel Necklace; she’s added rhinestone chain and a button to make the finished piece 70’s fabulous. Check out her tutorial for matching earrings as well!
The series on sewing basic hems on A Beautiful Mess is really helpful, and can help take your sewing skills to the next level! Also check out her series on basic stitches and basic seams, and sewing leather, knits, and stretch fabric, which totally clarifies the process.
Add a studded ribbon edging to details on your bag with The Inner Sole of Cutie Booties. This is a great way to add some interest and make something look a lot more expensive than it really is!!
Geneva from A Pair and a Spare shared her DIY Metal Neck Cuff how-to on the Harper’s Bazaar Australia website. It uses a piece of aluminum flashing from the hardware store and comes out looking runway-ready.
Since it’s still technically Winter in many areas, you can give life to an old sweater by giving it a Fair Isle-style makeover…with safety pins! Inspiration & Realisation has the tutorial for this Moschino-inspired beauty.
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-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-
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Jan 31, 2012 | DIY, Fashion
Have you guys seen the “DIY the Look” series from tutorial-sharing site Cut Out + Keep? I’m just loving the creativity, the style, and most of all…the celebrity looks on the cheap!!
Find out how to DIY your favorite celeb’s look from head to toe…they have some great breakdowns including Gossip Girl’s Serena van der Woodsen, Evan Rachel Wood, Audrey Kitching, Emma Watson, and Gwen Stefani, for starters. (You may also see some tutorials in there from yours truly!!;-)
Get your craft on and re-create your favorite look!
I’ve been overwhelmed with classes last week and am finally getting back into things, though this week doesn’t look much better. Hopefully I’ll have a DIY Links of the Week post up tomorrow – hang tight!
xoxox
Carly
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Jan 26, 2012 | DIY
A super-easy addition to any outfit, this sweet little gathered peplum is reminiscent of the Jil Sander S/S 2011 collection (the one with all the bright-colored gathered maxi-skirts evoking tulips and flowers). You can wear it with the coordinating maxi-skirt, or alone over jeans, a pencil skirt, or an LBD. It’s also super-easy to make! Here’s how:
You Need:
(more…)
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Jan 17, 2012 | DIY
3 weeks have passed since my last DIY Roundup…and there’s been some great projects in the meantime! I hope everyone’s enjoying a wonderful start to 2012, and if even if you aren’t…things can only get better, right?! So here’s to creativity, craftiness, and a ton of FABULOUS DIY for the coming year!
So in the past couple weeks, here’s what’s been on my radar…
A Matter of Style DIY’d those famous glitter Miu Miu booties – curved heel and all! Just mind-blowingly awesome! See how she did it here.
Smart n Snazzy got her weave on and used pretty sparkly ribbon to create a DIY Bottega Veneta Woven Clutch. I literally can’t tell the difference between her DIY and something from a store – and it’s a great way to cover up an old clutch that’s dirty or ripped. Bravo!
Got an old sweater? Upcycle it into a DIY pretty pair of mittens and a cloche hat, with some contrasting buttons and applique flower. One Pearl Button has the how-to.
I love this little DIY Faux Fur Vest from The Style Projects. With only 2 sewn seams, it’s a quick’n’easy project that will have you out the door – bundled up in stylish, fuzzy warmth- in no time!
In the same gotta-wear-something-to-cover-up-when-it’s-cold vein, Chictopians Lipglossandblack posted a DIY for a blanket-style poncho. This is pretty much the same as P.S. I Made This’s DIY Plaid Cape, except it doesn’t have the collar lapels. Either way you do it, it’s still one stylish cover-up.
Swellmayde‘s Neon Envelope Clutch/iPad Case provides that perfect pop of color for those dreary Winter months. LOVE that she used vinyl and not real snakeskin…all the better for a more affordable (and humane) project!
Naughty Secretary Club embraced the kitschiness that embodies the IFC series Portlandia and created a Put a Bird on It Brooch. As a fellow Portlander, all I can say is…awesome! (And that the dream of the 90’s is obviously still alive.;-)
Outsapop posted a couple videos of people making their own DIY Alexander McQueen armadillo heels. Insane. Utterly insane. But if you ever wanted to make these for yourself, that’s’s how!
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/2012/01/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!~
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Jan 5, 2012 | DIY
From time to time I get “how do I DIY this…?” questions from my readers, and I’m always glad to help out! Though I may not be able to actually make the item in question (due to time or materials constraints), hopefully I can at least offer up some advice to put you on the right path to making it yourself. I received this question on one of my posts from last week:
I have a request, since you are the best of the best, could you maybe make one of these?
Well I don’t know about the best of the best <*blushes*> but I do know how to translate high-priced into DIY-able!! And for $518, that Marcus Lupfer sweater is just begging for it!!;-)
The absolute easiest way to DIY this? Find a sequined handbag and sew it onto your sweater. Seriously! This would give you a working purse attached to your clothing – how neat. Also, since it’s after the holiday season, many sequined evening bags are on sale. Ebay is also a great source for the sequined, vintage-style pouches that this one looks like.
If you don’t want to literally sew a bag onto your sweater…when it comes to sequined and beaded stuff, there often isn’t a way to do-it-yourself with sequins…unless you want to sew all those little sequins on yourself. (I did this for a top I wanted to DIY, and it took forever.) The results are indistinguishable from the original because of the handiwork, but I think it’s a contradiction of the idea of quick-and-easy DIY.
So to DIY this relatively quickly, but still as faithfully as possible to the original, you’ll have to compromise a bit. There’s still a lot of hand-sewing involved…and you potentially could stick a lot of this on using Jewel It! Embellishing Glue…but I’d really recommend sewing as much of it as you possibly can, unless you want stuff peeling off your sweater as your wearing it. Also, because of all the beaded and sequin trims involved, collecting all the materials for this could get pretty expensive. Here’s my list of recommended materials and how to:
Materials:
*gray sweater
*2 black tassels
*1 short plastic-tooth black zipper
*stretchy sequin trim in black, silver, and purple (I’ve used this before in my Sequin Bow Belt Tutorial)
*lightweight gold curb chain
*silver beaded trim (I think this trim from M&J Trimming is a pretty good match!)
*pre-strung silver bugle beads (not the kind loose in the bag; to save you some trouble)
*black acrylic paint
How-To:
1. Use marking chalk to sketch out the size and shape of your bag on the sweater, and mark where the zipper would go.
2. Hand-sew the silver beaded trim from the top of the bag diagonally towards the shoulder, and also on the other side of the bag under the arm.
3. Hand-sew the silver sequin trim to the area below where the zipper will be. Cut short strips and place them vertically, slightly overlapping.
4. Use the acrylic paint to color in some of the sequins in a quilting pattern. Allow to dry.
5. Take strips of the black and the purple sequin trim and weave them together (like a basket-weave) to make an interlocking diamond pattern. Hand-stitch at the overlapping areas to secure.
6. Hand-stitch this interlocked rectangle to the top part of the bag area on the sweater.
7. Cut the top of the zipper accordingly, and hand-stitch the shortened zipper to the sweater, covering up the edges of both areas of sequins.
8. Attach a tassel to each end of the gold chain, cut the chain in half, and-stitch to one side of the bag.
9. Hand-stitch strings of bugle beads in-between the colors in the top part of the bag.
If anybody else out there has a “How do I DIY…?” let me know in the comments, or ask away on Formspring.me! (leave the URL of the inspiration piece, please!)
Thanks for your question – hope that helped!
xoxox
Carly
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