Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Dove Go Sleeveless Deodorant Giveaway!
The winners are:
Please email me (carlyjcais AT chic-steals DOT com) your full name + shipping address so I can get your Dove deodorant sample to you.
Thanks for entering and congrats to the winners!
xoxox
Carly
I created this in record time, spending both yesterday and this morning doing it. A 3-story Haunted House with a mummy and a Frankenstein to play with, 2 beds, a sofa, 2 ladders, an open chimney, and removable log fire. The architecture is based off an existing piece, though I modified the shape of some of the furniture and the house structure. Tracing, colors, details, characters, layout, printing, cutting out, and assembly all by me. (Though some of the texture patterns were downloaded from the Internet.)
Hi everyone!
I have no less than FOUR final projects for my classes due this week (three due at 5:00 PM tomorrow, and the last one due at 5:00 PM on Tuesday). Plus I just made a couple of portfolio pieces to apply for an internship.
I’ve had about four hours’ sleep for the last 3 nights – at 20 yrs old, no prob, but at 30, it’s rough!! I feel like a zombie.;-)
So I’m probably not going to be able to blog about DIY stuff at any great length until after I hand in everything and can breathe a little easier.
Just to let you know – I’m still around and in front of the computer, though editing and animating and drawing like crazy and barely able to answer email/formspring questions/respond to comments etc.
Oh, and I also made a gun out of paper that shoots wadded-up tissues. (It took a little longer than the house since there’s so many moving parts.) It uses 2 rubber bands to sling an internal “bullet casing” forward and launch whatever’s sitting against it into the air (well, sort of towards the floor really).
My son really likes playing with the haunted house.
You’ve all been so kind in sending me your fabulous DIY projects – and I’ll be sharing them all in a big DIY Links of the Week coming soon. Thanks so much for letting me know about your creativity!
xoxox
Carly
Congratulations to the winner – who’s already been emailed for her info.
Thanks so much to everyone who entered!
xoxox
Carly
I’ve extended the deadline one day and y’all have until midnight TONIGHT (Thursday, May 19) to get those entries in!!
Good luck!:-)
xoxox
Carly
So this now closes my Rings Week series – it actually ended up being TWO weeks as I’ve gotten so behind on things.
This is how I store my rings in my closet: right below my clothing, on top of my tights drawer.
Storing rings (or just about anything) I’ve always found a challenge – because the more you have, the harder it is to make the storage look “neat” and “organized.” My solution is to store my rings with thin bands in a velour-lined case, bought from a jewelry supply shop; it keeps them visible, neat, and looks a little luxurious. (This is a tufted ring display, similar to this one here.)
(I stack another box and 3 layers below this one that hold small stud earrings, chain necklaces, and larger necklaces. Similar flocked inserts are sold here, and the trays are sold here.) But lately I’ve acquired a number of rings that have very thick shanks or wide bands or large, wide stones in them, and have had trouble figuring out how to store/display them. (For me, if I don’t have it on display in front of my face, I completely forget that it’s in my closet.;-) At first I tried compartmentalized boxes, but I own such a range of sizes and widths that I was still left with rings that didn’t fit in the boxes, or tiny, delicate rings that were just left swimming in their compartments. So I now keep my larger rings all jumbled together (they’re costume jewelry anyway) in wide, cotton-lined jewelry gift boxes that have come with one purchase or another at some time. 
You can see some of the ring shanks are wrapped with moleskin to prevent them slipping off my fingers.
Right now this is what’s working best for me.
If you like displaying and storing your jewelry in a professional manner, you can certainly just use what jewelry stores do: velour, denim, plastic, or leather stands and cases are all surprisingly affordable and chic. Some people also like buying tiny busts or miniature mannequins to display their favorite pieces, on top of a dresser or armoire for easy access. You can pile all your rings on long spikes (like those desk accessories that you stab finished receipts onto from old film noir movies) for a long n clustered look.
Brass Desk Spike Paperweight from Amazon.com
If you like the idea of a ring tray, Smart N Snazzy has a great DIY for making your own, lined in satin. It gives the standard jewelry tray and utterly regal feel.
The ubiquitous hand-holder. (img src)
Some people choose to display their rings on a branched holder; I’ve seen one shaped like deer antlers or trees; some use real sticks and branches to give their collection an earthy, bohemian feel.
Deer from Urban Outfitters; no longer available.:-(
The uber-talented duo from Dismount Creative DIY’d another Urban Outfitters piece: this one, white dollhouse chairs in a tower-cum-jewelry-organizer (which is also a great option if you like the “branch” setup and like to keep things on display). What an inspiring project!
Do you have any ring storage solutions or ideas that work for you? Please let me know in the comments!
Well this Week of Rings has been fun! Hopefully there’s been some info in there that has been inspiring or useful – and helped us all look at those little decorations for our fingers just the slightest bit differently. Thanks for reading along!
xoxo
Carly
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Ooooh, I’m so upset I missed this!
Though Easter is long since over, here are some lovely Easter eggs designed for Vogue.com by some brands you may have heard of…like Chanel, Jason Wu and Rag & Bone. The assortment uses materials such as buttons, glitter, quartz spikes, lilac flowers, washi paper, and lace to embellish a variety of eggs ranging from ostrich eggs to chocolate to papier mâché to local certified organic hen’s eggs. (I’m partial to the glowing gold egg and the rocker-style biker chic egg with its own mini-jacket myself!) Check out the pretty and file away in the DIY inspiration file for next year…
Which one speaks to your inner fashionista?
And if you’re wanting even more ideas to store away for 2012, there’s always Martha Stewart’s Gallery of Easter Egg Ideas. (62 of ’em!)
xoxox
Carly
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Carly J. Cais I am a DIY’er, designer, sewist, maker, and marketer. Chic Creative Life is where I share what I do, and help others bring their unique style into their own lives.
