DIY Printed Flat-Bottom Zip Pouch (Samudra Style)

0.diytropicalzippouch_introphotoI’ve been loving all of the pouches made by Samudra: these beautiful, printed zip-cases that work so well for your most basic essentials – or that can dress up any outfit for a night on the town. I decided to create my own version of the zippered pouch – and to give it more structure, I designed it with a flat bottom (similar to the Samudra style). And to go the extra mile, I also designed my own photo-print fabric from a photo of palm trees that I took on a long-ago trip to Guam, and then edited to make perfectly seamless and repeating. (You can purchase this exact same fabric here – and it was just featured on Spoonflower’s Latest Favorites list on Friday!) Ready for the tutorial? Let’s go!

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DIY Elastic Banded Strappy Sandals

0.diyelasticbandsandals_introphotoWith Summer still in its last throes I wanted to share this quick and easy DIY makeover for sandals with all of you…especially as there is only a few more weeks to wear it before we all start switching over the Fall boots. I’ve seen a lot of sandals that have an ankle strap made of elastic, which is a pretty cool design element, and definitely ups the sexy factor to any shoe. I wanted to convert a regular pair of ankle-strap sandals over to this fun elastic banded-type, which is also a breeze to switch out if you’re looking for a different color or look to the top strap. Just a little bit of hand-stitchery necessary! Here’s how:

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DIY Bell-Sleeve Coat Dress and Sweet Dress Book Review

sweetdressbook_coatdress1 Laurence King Publishing (the same publishers of the incredibly useful DIY Couture by Rose Martin) recently were gracious enough to send me a copy of their newest sewing book, Sweet Dress Book: 23 Dresses of Pattern Arrangement by Yoshiko Tsukiori. sweetdressbook_cover2Translated from the Japanese, this pattern book features 23 tutorials for making a variety of blouses, tops, dresses, cardigans, and even shorts – all engineered from a basic 6 patterns with different darts, flounces, and lengths to switch up the silhouettes. (more…)

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DIY Owl and Leaves Epoxy Clay Gold Leaf Charm Necklace

0.diyepoxyclaypendants_introphotoBack when I worked on the May campaign with Martha Stewart Jewelry, I actually made a couple of pieces while playing around with the treasure trove of supplies I was sent. (Only my DIY Enamel Spring Flower Bib Necklace made it to the blog for the campaign post.) But I also made a few other pieces with the extra supplies (like the DIY Ombre Filigree Earrings I shared here.)

Now here is another fun project using Epoxy Clay (and it doesn’t have to be Martha Stewart brand – any brand will do) and gold leafing, that produces a very chic and polished result. String these lightweight pendants on graduated chains for a pretty, layered piece. Here’s how:

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