Nov 15, 2011 | DIY
So I was editing that nail video…and realized I first have to put up a DIY Links of the Week post before I throw that up!! (That didn’t sound right, somehow…:-/)
So how about some weekly links of DIY goodness first?!
Add a DIY cap toe to a plain pair of booties with Because I’m Addicted. Minimalist chic at its best!
Are you a UK/Eire resident above the age of 18…and feeling crafty? Create a Dress made out of paper to be featured on Vogue.com and sold at retailer Matches. Submit a photo of your creation by Dec 1 to British Vogue’s Facebook page and garner as many votes from your adoring public as possible. The 10 most-voted-for (Dec 1-9 voting period) get posted onto Vogue.com; and the winner (as chosen by a panel of industry insiders) gets their dress made and sold at Matches. So it’s a popularity contest rather than a design contest…who cares? It’s Vogue.com, dah-ling!!
Say YES! to Hoboken proffers up the sock bun as a way of beefing up wimpy hair buns…and a great substitute for the Odango Cushion I have used for my own buns that many of you asked me about (but was only available in Japan). A DIY accomplished in mere seconds!
Have you checked out Craftgawker yet? It’s such a great place for DIY inspiration – and you can submit your own projects as well!
The talented Alicia from Dismount Creative whipped up some gorgeous sparkly DIY Druzy Jewelry (made of glitter and findings, no less!). Could it be the perfect DIY holiday gift for that special person in your life?
It may be November, but I’m working on a DIY swimsuit for a possible Hawaii trip coming up this Spring. Get a jump on warm weather with 10 Free DIY Swimsuit Patterns, compiled by Craft Foxes.
I’ve been seeing this blog mentioned all over the place lately, and I feel so remiss that I haven’t found it sooner. Ralph Pink quit his job last year to become one of the UK’s leading couture designers, and set up a blog to documenthis journey. He also, incidentally, offers free patterns and downloads, as well as tutorials. Definitely check him out!
Runway DIY just launched her own DIY kits. Available are various styles of earrings, bracelets, and accessories. Super-cute!
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/2011/11/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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Nov 10, 2011 | DIY
This is a long tutorial, so please bear with me!:-)
I’ve had to divide it into 4 stages to make it a bit easier to deal with. The end result is fairly dependent on the boots you started with, and what the hardware you add looks like. (more…)
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Nov 9, 2011 | DIY, Life, Score!
And I am just dying over that Tempura Maki Roll costume by Chictopian ONETWOTRINA!! So creative!
xoxox
Carly
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Nov 8, 2011 | DIY
So Fall is now finally waning towards colder days, and the first week of November has come and gone. Here’s hoping everyone had a great Halloween! [if you celebrate it, that is;-)]
How Does She?’s DIY flowers from rick-rack and burlap are super-sute, and super-fast! Did I mention that the little rick-rack flowers are supposed to take only 15 minutes to make?! She’s linked up a ton of flower-making tutorials in the post – so check it out and be prepared to find a bounty of floral inspiration and must-do project!
The Winners of the Today DIY Style Week from MSNBC were announced, and as Outi from Outsapop so astutely pointed out, the winners are all accessory-making projects rather than clothing projects. Clothing is definitely a lot more difficult to DIY, since there’s such a range of sizing which often can’t be distilled to a “one-size-fits-all” set of how-to instructions. (Maybe also a reason the Today Show didn’t bother with featuring any clothing projects, since specific instructions would most likely not be applicable to a mass audience.) But that doesn’t mean that we definitely shouldn’t try!!
DIY Pearly Sunglasses by the In (ner) Sole o Cutie Boots let you channel your inner Lolita. Try using other items besides pearls, like buttons, beads, gold leaf, or even spikes for a Gaga-esque makeover as well!
Angela Osborn‘s Guide to Dressmaking – 8 Helpful Hints is exactly what it says it is: encouraging taking one’s time, following patterns step-by-step, and making a muslin/toile to deal with any fit issues before cutting into the good fabric. (Among other useful tips!) She also offers up an eponymous line of digital patterns available for download, where you can put those great dressmaking hints to work for you right away!
I love this incredible (and easy!) tutorial for Easy 3 Steps to a 3 Way Shirt from Cut Out + Keep user Emilyyy! Totally doable for even the most sewing-phobic.
DIY Cone Stud Spike Bracelet is a simple accessory that packs a bit of a punky punch. Check out Thanks, I Made It for the how-to!
Jazz up an old cardigan with some handmade flowers for an Anthropologie-inspired piece. Tea Rose Home used some fabric yo-yos, felt, and lace to make her gorgeous creation – how beautiful is that?
Studs and Pearls used Clorox bleach and paints to create an on-trend DIY Galaxy Turban Headband. Out-of-this-world chic at its best!
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/2011/11/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!~
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Nov 2, 2011 | DIY
Another one of my tutorials was featured on the ILoveToCreate blog this week, so I’ve reposted the tutorial here for everyone who might want to try it out! I received a question about how to make a necklush [those looped fabric scarves that have gotten popular recently] a little while ago, and when I went to search for a tutorial that I’d read a couple years back, I found that the tutorial was gone and the blog no longer existed!! So I decided to write (er, re-write) the how-to. Granted, I don’t have a lovely Necklush in front of me so I can’t say exactly how they’re made…but this is my best DIY approximation, which includes a little side-fringe for those who like fringes. Hope it helps!
(more…)
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Oct 28, 2011 | DIY, Fashion
Continued from my first installment, DIY Ideas from New York Fashion Week Part 1 (A-M)…here are some more ideas to spice up your Spring 2012 wardrobe, DIY style!
NAHM: Create a hybrid dress by using an old 70’s-style polyester top and a button-front dress; retain the bodice of the top and add the placket and collar of the dress, as well as the skirt. Cut the hem in an asymmetrical mullet. Don’t forget the ankle socks!
Opening Ceremony: Embroider the shoulder of a white blouse in a kitty fae, and cut out the eyes. Create a gumball-cluster-style hair elastic with brightly-colored beads.
Peter Som: Find a trenchcoat that’s a little small for you at the shoulders and cut off the sleeves. Unbutton and rearrange the collar front; add a belt made from reflective tape and a sliding belt bulk (from the sewing findings section at Jo-Ann Fabrics).
Ports 1961: Fasten a bright 80’s-style suit jacket with neon cording (ended with silver cord caps) threaded through the buttonhole in lieu of a button. Pair with platforms and an equally bright pair of pants!
Prabal Gurung: Sex up a plain white dress with a handmade black corset: use black cord or shoelaces to fashion a Y-shaped harness at the front, and punch holes into a 3″-wide piece of vinyl off corsetry-style lacing.
Rachel Comey: Create a hybrid tee by sewing together two t-shirts of contrasting colors and slit the top one at its shoulders. Use extra black fabric (or 2″ wide elastic!) to create a ladderlike effect inside the slit.
Richard Chai Love: Add interest to a printed blouse by placing strategic cutouts at the shoulders and below the collar.
T by Alexander Wang: Convert a maxidress into a cut-out hybrid 2-piece. Cut off the bottom for the maxi at the front only, with a high triangle in front; turn it into a halter dress by adding a coordinating cord around the neck. Thread the cord beneath the top part of the dress and cut some thinner slits at the sleeve seams.
Thakoon: Cut the front out of a bright trench for the staggered-hem look. Use brown textured duct tape in strips on a simple pair of khaki shorts. Pain half a camel-colored hat white, using painter’s tape to mask.
Tory Burch: Create a skirt worthy of ladies who lunch by adding pinwheels, fabric or otherwise. (Do those look like Reese’s peanut butter cup papers to anyone else?) Add a rhinestone in each center; pair with a cropped white sweatshirt.
United Bamboo: A hybrid suit jacket can be made by sewing together two halves of two different jackets and chopping the sleeves off the top piece. Pair with some sassy leather cutoff shorts!
Z Spoke by Zac Posen: Paint each nail a different color of the rainbow, stud the edges of a bright clutch, and pair with a Springy yellow cardigan flecked with gray fabric paint.
Some of these I’ll probably be doing tutorials for in the coming months.
See anything you’re just dying to know how to make? Leave it in the comments section, and if it’s possible, I’ll make it so!
xoxox
Carly
All photos found at Style.com. Layouts by me.
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