DIY Links of the Week 12.12 – 12.25.11

Dec 27, 2011 | Fashion

I hope all of you had a lovely holiday! Mine was great, and could only have been improved by me not being sick. I came down with a horrible cold on Christmas Day (probably staying up too late wrapping all those presents??!). Anyway, I’m going to make an early night of it tonight, and hope that tomorrow will bring some improvement in my sore throat and aching joints. Ugh.

In any case, there’s been some great DIY’s floating around the Internet, so if any of you are feeling more chipper (and healthier) than me, have at!

Wax-coated jeans (for that leather-like look without the leather) are all the rage lately, and Taylor & Demolish did her own DIY pair of wax-coated jeans using paint and gel gloss. You could also conceivably use real wax (Otter wax, made in Portland, OR!!) like Jennine from The Coveted did in this video. I love this on-trend look without the high pricetag!

Remember those gorgeous folded over cowboy boots from Free People? Jen Ell from Jen Ell’s Revenge made her own, and shared the how-to here. Her version is super-cool; love the chains!

Removable collars have been trending lately as a way to dress up any outfit…how about trying some removable cuffs instead? SewPetiteGal has a great tutorial for some DIY studded cuffs that will dress up any shirt, jacket, or dress.

If you can knit and like bows, try out Craft Magazine‘s Knitted Bow Headband (pattern included). Sooooo cute!

Smart n Snazzy has been super-busy with her DIY’s (just scroll through her archive for all the creativity!). Check out her Kate Spade-inspired City Lights Bracelet, that uses a pretty photo Mod Podged onto a ribbon spool. And you could use any photo you want – as long as the backing is strong enough! (Try affixing one to a simple gold cuff for a metallic version!)

Christmas lights broke? Don’t throw them away…recycle them into quirky-fabulous jewelry! Ecouterre has the how-to.

Swellmayde has a quick’n’easy tutorial on a DIY Honorine Jewels Braided Bracelet; a new take on the friendship bracelet that’s been going around awhile. Just lovely!

Though I normally stick to clothing/accessory projects in my LOTW, I couldn’t resist including this fabulous video from LOTA Design on Youtube. 8 Design Projects done in Less Than a Minute Each are all quick, simple, and uber-minimalist decor accents for your home, and I can’t wait to try some of them! Found via Craft Magazine.

If your project was featured above, feel free to grab a button and share the DIY!

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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Yummy (and Easy!) DIY Holiday Baking

Dec 20, 2011 | Fashion

Every year I always make a slew of treats around Christmastime to give to various people in my life: the neighbors, my son’s teachers, the mail lady etc. This year I tried my hand at making Chocolate Fudge with Walnuts (above left), and was surprised at how simple it was! (I bought Nestle Carnation’s Famous Fudge Kit from the supermarket and I think it was the most hassle-free holiday recipe I’ve ever made! Just add 2 T of butter, mix up the ingredients in the box, and it’s done! Genius.) I added some chopped walnuts for texture and it came out beautifully.

I also made Double-Chocolate Peppermint Bark (above right), which I make every year. This year I tinted the white chocolate green to make it a little more fun and Grinch-like. Recipe is here.

I also made Double-Ginger Mango Shortbread, which I haven’t made since we were living in Hawaii 4 years ago and I found the recipe on the side of a butter box. I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free shortbread cookie mix, which did simplify the recipe a bit, but still…the worst thing about making shortbread is the endless creaming of the butter (I don’t have a stand mixer, so have to do it all by hand). I guess because of the gluten-free-ness, it came out a bit dry and crumbly, but the cookies melt in your mouth with the tiniest hint of ginger and chewy bits of mango in them. I thought I took photos but now I can’t find them; trust me when I write they looked (and tasted) as good as they sound!

Tomorrow: homemade gingerbread cookies, following this recipe and subbing in molasses for corn syrup, as well as adding 1/4 tsp allspice…they always come out perfect and gingerbready when I do that. Also: White Chocolate Cranberry-Almond Bark, some of which I’ll give to the neighbors (and some of which I’ll keep for myself!!), and white-chocolate-dipped ginger cookies (I just buy the ginger cookies but they’re still delicious dipped in chocolate!)

In other news, my little boy lost his very first tooth yesterday, and was thrilled to wake up to 2 quarters under his pillow in the little fabric bag he had placed his tooth in the night before. Because of the missing tooth (and another loose one on the bottom), he’s been having some trouble eating, so hasn’t been able to enjoy all the treats I’m making as much as he wants to, poor thing.:-(

What’s YOUR favorite holiday recipe?

xoxox
Carly

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Recent Update

Dec 17, 2011 | Fashion

Hi everybody! So it may have seemed that I dropped off the face of the Earth for a couple days…but in reality I was just working like a banshee on my final projects for my classes. I had a final exam today, and yesterday I had multiple final projects due…one of which took me over 30 hours to complete. Needless to say, for a few days this week I was wandering around with my shirt half-buttoned, wearing mismatched socks, and trying to figure out how I could possibly cram a month’s worth of work into 48 hours.

Amazingly, I did it, finished my projects, did my exam, and I think I did okay.

In other news, I’ve also been working on a new DIY project…a launch of sorts, that I’m really trying to complete and post by Christmas. (photo above) I think you guys are really going to like it!

So please forgive me while I run around crazily to get the last lot of Christmas cards sent off, baking done, gifts shopped for and wrapped, my DIY launch items finished, and take care of everything else that’s going on. My posting *may* be a little spotty for the next week or so, but I am stilll here!

Hope everyone else is staying on top of (or already done with) all you have to get done this time of year…

xoxox

Carly

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Introducing Chic Steals’ Newest Sponsor: ColourMe.com!

Nov 25, 2011 | Fashion

PLEASE NOTE: This post is from November 2011, and after this post was published Colourme.com continued to do business online for a few months. On July 6, 2012 I was alerted by one of my readers that their website has been down for quite some time, and there is no information on where the company went. I have not yet been able to track down the story on Colourme.com, but it’s looking like now the company may have gone out of business. Sometimes online retailing is not a long-lived endeavor.

Carly

You guys may have noticed a new banner in my sidebar: that’s from ColourMe.com, a brand-new one-stop online accessories shop. Having just launched at the end of July they’re new on the scene, but offer a great selection of jewelry, handbags, scarves, belts, and watches, all entirely merchandised by color. This way it becomes easy to accessorize your wardrobe in a variety of different hues, all with the simple click of a button!

The interface tiles items in a similar way to Pinterest, so shopping becomes faster and more visually appealing. They also offer their exclusive “Matchmaker Tool” (above): a clickable tab in all item subcategories that allows you to compare two different items and coordinate them color-wise as you shop. They also offer designer fragrances (and bags by Big Buddha in addition to their own line) – and nothing is over $150.

They have great discounts the more items you buy; purchase 2, 3, or 4 items of the same color & receive 10%, 15% or 20% off your order respectively. Shipping is a $5 flat rate to all U.S. customers, and you get Free Shipping with orders of $75+.

With December only a few days away, now is a great time to snag a pretty, sparkly bauble for your next holiday party – or gift to that special someone. (I’m coveting that gorgeous nude-colored Floret Bag and their yellow Goldenrod Necklace – so pretty!) If you missed out on winning the giveaway ColourMe.com generously hosted here on Chic Steals, you can still get in on the action with the following coupon code:

50% OFF any order at ColourMe.com

use code ChicTreat

So if you saw anything you liked – now’s the time to snap something up! Thanks so much to ColourMe.com for being my latest sponsor, and please check them out!