Feb 9, 2013 | Media
Along with fellow DIY bloggers such as P.S. I Made This, I Spy DIY, A Pair and a Spare, Studs and Pearls, Glitter N Glue, one of my DIY projects was recently featured on MSN.com’s online magazine Glo!
See the whole slideshow below:
….Google Ads toilet paper ad not necessarily included upon pageload…just on my DIY’s page when I needed the screenshot, apparently. :-/
And if you’re looking for the how-to for that sequin tee I’m wearing, it’s right here:
Thanks so much to Glo.msn.com for the feature!!
xo
Carly
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Feb 3, 2013 | DIY, Media
Image source
I’ve been embroiled in a room makeover that seems to be taking up all my spare time lately – and though I’m re-decorating my home office (at long last!) I can’t help but be inspired by any DIY decorations and ideas around. One particularly inspirational source I’ve found is The Land of Nod – and though I’ve never bought anything from the company, each issue of the magazine transports me away to a lovely, whimsical location, filled with bright, fun things that any child (or even adult!) would be thrilled to lose themselves in. Here are some great, inexpensive ideas for your child’s room – easily adaptable to other rooms in your home:
Add a lacy texture to a wall with doilies (some painted with silver glitter) – which could also be a stand-in for a headboard. Christmas lights can become a makeshift curtain, and drawers in a side table can be replaced with glitter-sprayed cardboard boxes.
A fabric bunting is a colorful and easy way to add some whimsy to a room – as well as your favorite fabric filling up a large frame on the wall instead of a standard picture. Add some colored paper cutouts to a lampshade for a fun and personalized light.
A sweet little woodland vignette can be made in the corner of a room with some painted corrugated cardboard mushrooms and grass.
Instead of a large mirror on the wall, mount smaller gilt hand mirrors.
A wall can be made unique with a number of mirrors of varying sizes and shapes.
A room can be made lively with origami sailboats (or something else!) strung from the ceiling. Also: colored boxes mounted to the wall to hold trinkets and treasures.
An ingenious use for old skateboards: strung together to made a ladder bookshelf.
Make a unique and playful wall shelf using just a tree branch…and a handful of colored sticky dots and paper trees.
When painting you don’t have to do the whole wall: masking off large stripes and leaving areas unpainted can look really modern too.
Speaking of not painting walls, you can also do a unique decoration by painting Contact Paper, cutting out circles, and adhering to the wall. (I did this for Lil Tot’s nursery/bedroom in our old condo – and everyone who visited asked me where I bought the beautiful blue dots that were on the wall! …Which I just peeled off once we moved – and was left with the unharmed white wall beneath.)
Make a faux chandelier swag with colored paper cut into triangles and circles, strung across the room.
I think someone enterprising could DIY this twig mirror with a few branches, some strong glue or nails, and some gold paint…for a lot less than $219, don’t you think?
And likely an intermediate knitter could knit a cover for a lampshade…or anyone could repurpose a sweater to the same effect!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxo
Carly
Images scanned by me from Land of Nod Holiday Collection 2012 catalog, and online from the February 2013 catalog.
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Jan 31, 2013 | Media
If you haven’t heard of it already, you HAVE to check out FASHGIF, a Tumblr blog devoted to quirky animated gifs created from runway photos. It’s the perfect marriage of my two loves, animation and fashion. Spend a little time browsing through the archives…and be delighted with all the whimsical moving creations.
xo
Carly
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Jan 15, 2013 | Media
I am so excited to announce to you my newest sponsor for January: 80/20!
Cristina Rose makes the most beautiful, on-trend neckwear and armwear out of high-quality gemstones. She works out of her studio in Brooklyn, NY, sourcing all materials locally. And her price points are super-affordable! The line is also sold at Art on Dean, Built in Brooklyn, Gowanus Girls, Brooklyn Night Bazaar, Williamsburg Fashion Weekend plus The Love US / Manufacture NY Holiday Shop.
Here are some of my favorite pieces from her shop:
1. Peter Pan Collar Necklace in Black (also comes in white), $30 / 2. Spiked Rocker Necklace with Wood and Swarovski Crystal Beads (you can also choose a pink bead instead of purple), $38 / 3. Uncut Crystal Quartz Necklace, $40 / 4. Asymmetrical Amethyst Necklace with Hexagonal Bead and Copper, $37
Besides sponsoring Chic Steals for the month of January, she is also offering a discount code to all my wonderful readers:
15% off any piece until February 10
Use discount code 15OFF8020 at checkout
Cristina Rose kindly sent me a necklace to style in an outfit…check back later this week to see one of her pretties in action!
And if any of you are interested in sponsoring Chic Steals, there are still sponsorships open for this month. If you are a seller of DIY supplies, crafty goods, sewing books, jewelry, clothing, beauty products, or home wares that are chic, affordable, and on-trend, then you would be a perfect fit for my readers! You can purchase an ad here on my site through Passionfruit’s integrated ad system, or email me if you’d like more information, including current stats. Thank you!
xo
Carly
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Dec 13, 2012 | Life, Media
Though this article went live awhile ago on the New York Times, I just recently came across it. It’s an article that is part review of the disappointing “Craft Wars” TV reality show with Tori Spelling; part indictment of the crafting movement in modern times.
Is the term “crafting” now synonymous with hobbyists making piles of junk, as the author of this article maintains? Does DIY only have value as an antidote to mass-manufacturing? Is Etsy a “False Feminist Fantasy,” as another author accuses in an article [from 2009] quoted in the above? And just how awful was Craft Wars?
What do you guys think?
Stay crafty!
Carly
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Nov 18, 2012 | Media
The book that’s on the top of my nightstand right now- and often follows me to work in my handbag – is Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
by Austin Kleon.
It’s amazing, inspiring, to the point, and life-changing. Besides it being a great book for anybody who habitually does anything creative, I figured, what better topic than for Chic Steals??
I know the name of my blog can sometimes be misleading. As many of you know, it ended up being called “Chic Steals” simply because it started out as a place to house the articles I wrote for FashionTribes.com…which were all called “Carly’s Chic Steals and Fashion Deals of the Week.” That whole title was too long to use as a URL, so I shortened it to Chic Steals. I love to do DIYs inspired by what’s trending now…and yes, I often create dupes rather than my own version. I like to provide the how and the tools to people out there – to get inspired and make their own pieces. It doesn’t have to be an exact dupe either…the great thing about DIY is that the degree of customization is up to you.
Now if you were going to sell anything that is an exact copy of someone else’s work, or sell the tutorial somehow, then that gets into a gray area.
The driving thoughts behind this blog are that we are all still learning. Here is the how – now go off and make it yours. Remix, remaster, remake. And try, try again until it’s something you like.
Make it for yourself. Make it to give someone else. Share the knowledge and the skillset.
I’d highly recommend this book to anyone. It’s a great pick-me-up for when you’re feeling tapped out of creativity, and a great reminder to keep going. And to get better. I always read a little bit, then have to rush off into a project because I’m so.goshdarn.INSPIRED by what’s written here. It’s a great little Chanukah present or stocking stuffer for the artist in your life as well!
Be inspired – get creative – and steal, steal, steal!
xoxo
Carly
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