THE TURBAND

Recently a couple of my stylish friends have been talking non stop about the turband (turban-slash-headband), which is a trendier alternative to your basic headband and can be tied in multiple ways.

This DIY video is a sneak peak of fashion aimed videos for a new site called LEAF- Living, Eating And Fashion. Enjoy the video and hopefully I will see some of you rockin' your turbans!!

How To Tie A Turband 3 Ways from LEAFtv on Vimeo.

TRASHY OR SEXY?

Cosmopolitan just deemed ripped tights in their "trashy" in the trashy vs. sexy column but I beg to differ! Ripped tights (and clothing) has forever been a staple in the grungy, rock and roll look and I believe it takes an outfit to the next level. 

Disagree with me? Take a peek at what Alexander Wang and Balmain have to show about that: 

Raquel Allegra also came out with a line in 2008 featuring a shredded shirts and tunics!

Camille from childhoodflames.blogspot.com shows you how to get the look for less:

image sources: style.com, refinery29.com

video source: youtube.com, childhoodflames.blogspot.com

CHARMING NECKLACE

I have an entire storage container full of charms, chains, and beads, so when I saw this project on theglamourai.com it was a perfect fit! I love eye-catching necklaces, especially when I get to create and customize them myself.

To start you will need the jewelry tools below. You can find them at arts and crafts stores and they are super inexpensive. This project requires the wire cutters, flat nose pliers and round nose pliers.

 

Then you will of course need charms. I used buttons, earrings that lost their mates, beads, old pendants from broken necklaces, and little trinkets I found when out walking around. If you are going to be using charms that don't already have a jump-ring you will also need a spool of 20 gauge jewelry wire. You can find this at the crafts store.

Now you need a base to attach all of your wonderful charms to. I used several different chains that had either come from broken necklaces or that I bought at the craft store. For this project you are going to need chains of several different lengths, making sure that your shortest chain sits at a comfortable place on your neck. Attach them to your clasp and they should look like this:

Attach your charms to the necklace by opening the chain with the pliers. When you have added all the charms you want you will have your finished product that you made yourself! Mine turned out like this:

DIY: CHALK BAG

This post is for rock climbers!  Chalk bags usually cost $15-$35 (which is out of the price range of a UCD student living on ramen).  Severely torn jeans and socks are usually just thrown away.  Juxtapose those two statements together, have a bit of creativity, and spend an hour or two of time and bingo!  I present the pant leg chalk bag:

Alright, its a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure you could be more persnickety about the stitchery and have a cleaner looking bag (honestly this was an experiment--turns out the idea is good to pursue with another pant leg).

Concept:

A doubled over pant leg with a pocket for a bottom forms the bag. The Levi's label is stitched facing sideways as a belt loop.  The brim is stiffened with zip ties.  The top bunches and buttons together to close securely.

What I used:

• 18 inches of Levi's slim straight pant leg
• A torn sock (good at the toe)
• Embroidery floss
• Two long zip ties
• Safety pins
• Needles
• Scissors
• Climbing chalk

Procedure:

Cut pant leg and back pocket.  Sizing of bottom piece will depend on the size of the pant, brand, pocket design, etc., so don't be too picky about measurements here.  Fold pant leg (to double it over) as shown such that the chalk won't leak through.

 

Safety pin the bottom in and stitch away until the bottom is done.  This part should be done with some care because it will be the seam likely to leak the most chalk.  Here is a before and after.

 

Stitch the label on the outer edge of the bag so it will sit where you want with respect to the pocket design.

Here comes a tricky part:  To stiffen the brim of the bag I stitched along the edge two 14 inch long zip ties.  This probably wasn't the best choice of material but I had it around and they fit.  I'd choose a thin strip of plastic from an extra large bottle if I were to have a second go at this but don't know if that would have its downsides as well.  I zig-zagged floss back and forth along either side of the ties and through both inner lining and outer bag material all the way around.  It looked something like this:

As seen above, I also took a replacement jean button I had laying in my sewing kit and hammered it in place about 1/6 of the width of the bag from the edge through both layers of inner lining.  With two appropriately spaced button holes, the bag securely closes like so:

Lastly, I made a chalk ball out of a sock I tore (ironically from rock climbing).  I simply cut the sock at about 4 inches from the toe and stuffed it with about 2 ounces of powdered magnesium carbonate.  I then bunched the open end together messily and knotted it up.  It will have to be redone in a couple weeks (to be refilled) so I did it haphazardly.

 

And so completes my concept/tutorial  for an environmentally responsible chalk bag--find me climbing with it at the ARC or Rocknasium!

DIY : FASHION FRINGE

This DIY tutorial by Michelle Phan and Chriselle teaches you how to create 3 fringe accent pieces for your outfit! My favorite is the fringe earring which has a combination of pearls and chains. The length gives your outfit much more personality, and not to mention, it has an ombre effect! It also gives off an illusion of a colored hair piece, something I've been thinking about doing without actually dyeing my hair. I love the creativity each of these ladies have as they think fashion forward with a budget. If you are looking for a bold statement piece without the high cost, this is something worth trying! 

DIY - NAIL POLISH SHELF

One of the reasons I love spring is because of all the fun, pastel nail polish colors that come out! Nail polish is a great way of adding a splash of color to your wardrobe, or tying in all the different pieces of your outfit.

If you're like me and like to buy every nail polish color in the color spectrum then you're probably in desperate need of a way to store and show off your pretty little paints. Below is a step by step way of creating your very own nail polish shelf for FREE!

L to R: Boxes ready to be cut!, Cutting off the first shelf,
showing the glued support, ready to use shelf

Step 1: Gather a few box tops that are the same size (The number of box tops you need depends on how many shelves you want to have [The one pictured above has 6 shelves])

Step 2: Cut off each side of the box top about 2 1/2 inches in from the edge

Step 3: Cut out strips of cardboard and use it to glue together the cardboard pieces from Step 2 allowing the first box top to overlap the second one (each shelf should only have 1 1/2” width for items to be put on after the next shelf is put on top).

Step 4: Repeat gluing cardboard strips to keep the shelves together on the other side.

Step 5: Use the bottoms of the boxes (that you took the box top from) and use it to support the shelves you made by sticking it under your cardboard construction

Step 6: Arrange your nail polishes on your new nail polish shelf!



DIY: BEADED WIRE RINGS

What you'll need:

• Small side-cutters (jewelery cutters, nippers, they are all the same thing)
• Needle-nose pliers, round-nose pliers, pencils, etc. (Any tools you have that you think could help you manipulate the wire)
• Wire (start with about 8 inches of around 16 gauge)
• I found working with silver plated copper wire was relatively the cheapest and easiest
• I have pictured many brass rings as well.  They aren't as easy to work with because they are more resilient and tend to discolor.
• Beads (if you want them)
• 5-10 minutes per ring once you get the hang of it
• Lots of patience--if you have a creative mind you will likely try many designs that end up being less than satisfactory
• $10-15 investment which will yield 10-20 good rings

Instructions:

1. Cut off an extra long piece of wire--8 to 12 inches should be enough for almost any design pictured.  As a formerly NASA certified wiring inspector, I have to impress on you the importance of using the right side of the wire cutters.  The "V" side is trash (or your spool, later to be cut off as trash), while the flat side of the cutters is for the ring portion.  This will make your rings smoother and less likely to snag clothing.
2. Find inspiration. (See my pictures if you want some ideas)
3. Go for it.  The size of your design should be dictated by your own finger each step of the way.  It should end up being a little longer than 2 inches in circumference if you are the type to measure rather than eyeball.  Its not a big deal to mess up two or three times before you stumble upon a ring you like that is the right size.
4. REMEMBER: It is much easier to fit the ring to your finger if you design it to have some give.  Just like the majority of the ones pictured, a good wire ring design will allow the wearer to squish the ring together or pull it apart and will still look good.

HOW TO CUT A FRINGE

I've always had side bangs for a good couple of years now. Since it grew out and needed something a little different than before, I decided to cut straight bangs myself. I gave it lots of thought and became hesitant for a while, probably because I did not want it to end up in a disaster. Cutting it too short or making one mistake may ruin the look I want to achieve. As I picked up my scissors, I got so nervous that my hands were shaking! But nevertheless, it ended up better than I thought.

DIY tips and guidelines on how to cut a fringe:

• Gather images of all the types of fringe styles you want to achieve
• Make sure you have the proper materials like a rat tail comb and hair scissors
• Grab only a small portion of the hair in the crown area
• Damp that section of your hair and comb it well
  
• Don't grab too much hair, start with a small amount
• When cutting, always leave the two sides slightly longer than the center hairs
• Dust all the trimmed hair from face and blow dry to style!
  

Here are my inspirational fringes and a youtube video that helped me tremendously:


image source: http://lovekardashian.tumblr.com/ & http://poponthepop.com



Outcome:

DIY PROENZA SCHOULER RESORT 2011 NECKLACE

Proenza Schouler's Resort 2011 Collection featured a statement necklace made of ropes to compliment its India-inspired clothes. Here is a fun little DIY project for the creative side in you brought to you by www.honestlyWTF.com.

reblogged from www.honestlyWTF.com
image sources: www.style.com

SCARVES GALORE

Scarves are all the rage this year, but this simple accessory can quickly break the bank with all the colors, patterns, and styles available. So here is a simple DIY to make a scarf out of an old t-shirt!

Winter is just around the corner, and you know what that means: scarf season!

I’m going to show you how to make a fringed scarf from one t-shirt, all for $0 dollars. Eat your heart out, American Apparel.

What You Need:

1. An oversized, old, and/or unwanted t-shirt
2. A marker (or something to make marks with)
3. Scissors

How to Make the Fringe Scarf

Step 1:

Take the shirt of your choosing and turn it so the side you want to be visible is on the inside.

If you want to hide the decal or whatever, make sure the decal is on the outside and vice versa. However, I just want to make a note that if you use a shirt with a design on it, the design colors will probably become visible one way or another because the fringe will flip sometimes. So If you want a solid colored fringe scarf, use a shirt with no design on it.

Step 2:

Measure out about 10 or so inches and make a mark in the center of the shirt. Then make a mark on each side of the shirt about one inch above the bottom of each shirt sleeve. Connect all three dots in an arch-like shape (see above).

Step 3:

Cut off the shirt sleeves. (This makes it easier to cut out the scarf shape.)

Step 4:

Cut along the arched line you drew earlier and pull apart. (Make sure you cut both layers!) Put the bottom half aside (we will use it later).

Step 5:

Make a mark under the center of the neck hole and then measure about an inch away from both ends of the neck hole and make two other marks. After you make the marks, connect them by drawing another arch. (Don’t stress, it doesn’t have to be perfect, it’s going to be round no matter what.)

Step 6:

Cut along the arch line you drew and pull apart.

Step 7:

Starting at the center, cut a straight line until you get to about half an inch away from the top of the fabric. (Make sure you are cutting both the bottom and the top layers.) Then measure about 2 centimeters to the left or right and cut another line. Repeat this until you get the whole piece of fabric looking like the above picture.

Voila!

It should look something like this:

image sources: http://www.collegefashion.net/page/14/