D. I. Y. REVAMPED

My inspirations

2011-03-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Websites for when I get into that fashion-y mood ^_^

http://shopruche.com/

Ruche has the CUTEST vintage clothing! Unfortunately, it is based online and doesn't have any stores. I rarely buy anything without trying it on (I am hardcore anti-online clothing shopping!), but I love to flipping trough Ruches virtual "lookbook" and surfing their "Indie" section to get ideas for my shopping sprees and insiration for my crafts. Not only is the fashion great, but the photograpy is gorgeous!

http://life.forever21.com/

This is Forever 21's fashion blog. I love their store, and their blog is just as amazing! The D.I.Y and "Street style" sections are my favorite, but its all great. I have a werid obsession with following runway styles, and this blog includes a ton of great pictures from the runway for people who like to predict the next seasons popular styles or take hints from quirky and overdone couture.

How to make tube sock arm warmers

2010-10-25T08:53:00.001-07:00

My dad goes on business trips to other countries all the time, and he always brings back the little travel bag that they give out on the plane. It usually has basics in it like chap stick, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb etc. Something else it always holds? A really cheap pair of tube socks. But it gets worse. They are usually in a dull color. Naturally, people would throw these away as soon as they got home, but i asked my dad if I could have them (don't worry, he never wore them ^_~). I got out my scissors and came up with this pair of cozy fingerless arm warmers. I like to wear them with a big bright ring to spice up the dull gray color, but you can embellish them however you like. You could put bows on the wrist or seam, do chaos stitching down the side, or put an applique. They are the perfect blank canvas embellish howver your heart desires.

Go on a quest for:
A long pair of tube socks. This means that they have to built in heel.
Thread
Needle
Scissors
Embellishments (optional)
Step one: cut the toe-seam off of socks. Cut off as little or as much as you want, depending on how long you want you arm warmers to be
Step two: Slide the sock onto your arm so that your fingers stick out of the end that used to have the toe-seam.
Step three: make a small cut where you think the hole for your thumb should be. Dont cut it to big, because the knit will stretch out to fit your thumb. You can always cut more, but you can never cut less.
Step four: whip stitch around the hole for your thumb WHILE IT IS ON. Just be careful for to prick yourself. This will ensure that you dont pull the thread and make the hole to tight for your
thumb.

Step five: whip stitch around the hole where the rest of your fingers go WHILE IT IS ON. Again, be careful.

Step six: glue, sew, or iron on any embellishments you have chosen, or just wear them plain. Scrunch them up at the wrist for a cozy look.

Make Your Own Ribbon Bow Earings

2010-10-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

I love to buy sets of earings. A lot of times the set will have a few pairs of really cool earings, and then it will have a plain stud with a pearl or crystal on it. Sometimes its just a little metal sphere. Dont get me wrong, i love wearing simple studs, but after you have five pairs of them, you begin to wonder what you should do with the other pairs. Well, this happened to me, and i decided that it wouldnt be hard to make something cool out of a simple little stud. And so was born the D.I.Y. ribbon bow earing ^_^. You can wear these with just about anything. You can use different kinds of studs and different colored ribbon to match different outfits. If you use black or red ribbon with a star stud, it will look a little more Gothic, or you can use sheer pink or blue ribbon and a pearl stud for a more girly touch. Enjoy!

Go on a quest for:
A pair of simple stud earrings and a set of earring backs (I used a plain grey stud, but i have used stars, flowers, crystals, and pearls, so use whatever you like)
Thin ribbon (I used white, but you can use whatever you want)
Clear nail polish (i used milani brand, but pretty much any kind will work)

Step one:
Cut a two inch piece of ribbon. Although you only end up using about an inch of ribbon per bow, it is better to have extra to work with. Tie it into a very small bow. It you have indelicate hands like mine, it helps to tie a larger bow and then tug the ends, then the loops, then the ends, and then the loops again until you get the size that you want.

Step two: cut the ends of the ribbon so that they are slightly longer than the loops. Dab clear nail polish onto the cut ends to prevent fraying. Let dry.

Step three: Peirce the center of the bow with the earring (where the knot is). This might be a little bit of a struggle. Be gentle, otherwise the bow will come undone and you will have to do an entire new one. Lets face it, everyone is going to get frustrated with this step and try to force it. WARNING: forcing it is not worth it. Trust me. It results in pain. My parents have told me that i am not allowed to get body piercings until i move out. Well, i didnt mean to rebel, but i accidentally gave myself a piercing underneath my finger nail when i tried to force the earring through the knot. Please learn from my mistake and BE CAREFUL.

Step four: Dab clear nail polish onto the BACK of the knot in the center of the bow. This will [hopefully] stop it from coming undone. Try not to get to much on the post (needle-like part) of the earring, especially if you have sensitive ears. It really doesn't matter how cute your bow earrings are if you ear gets all red because the nail polish irritates your skin. Oh, and make sure the nail polish dries before you put it in your ear. I honestly dont think any of you are stupid enough to do this, but i dont want to get sued by some noob-cake who got an earring glued in their ear with nail polish.

Step five:
Make one more (DUH). Unless you want to wear one and look like a tard. :)

(A star stud makes it look more punky)

(a crystal dresses it up a little)

(a flower gives a younger look)

how to make a cute flower headband/pin out of your old scrunchies

2010-10-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

I came up with this one when a friends older sister gave me some of her old clothes and other stuff. As usual, i tried to look at what it could be, not what it was (which was not my style). Part of what she gave me was a plaid hair scrunchy. Of course, since it isnt the 1993 anymore, i almost threw it away. I really liked the pattern on it tho, so i stared at it for a while and came up with this. If you decide to make a pin out of it, it goes really good with a no-fuss cardigan with slouchy pockets. Or you could pin it onto the handle of a hobo bag. If you make a headband, it goes better with your hair down or in a messy up-do. Enjoy!

Go on a quest for: (image 2)
Old scrunchies that you will [hopefully] never wear again for the benefit of all who have to see you. (lets face it, they weren't exactly a fashion break-through)
Thread that matches the scrunchy to some degree
Needle
Scissors
A few buttons that complement the scrunchy
A plain headband or pin-back

Step 1 (image 3): Cut the scrunchy in two places as shown in image three
Step 2 (image 4): There should be a piece of cut elastic inside of the larger scrunchy piece. Pull the ends so that they are sticking out of either end of the scrunchy and tie them tightly to form a rosette shape.
Step 3 (image 5): sew the cut sides of the rosette together to prevent the elasic from showing and to keep it from fraying.
Step 4 (image 6): Place a smaller button on top of a larger button. Sew them into the middle of the flower.
Step 5 (image 7): hot glue the flower to the side of a head band or a pin
Step 6: Wear it! Your friends are gonna love it!