Bicycle + Taxidermy

Have an old bike and a blank wall? Averse to dismembered animal heads?

Let me introduce you to your next DIY project: Bicycle Taxidermy inspired by Regan Appleton.

Not one for woodworking? Buy your own mount from Appleton here.

Valentine + Garland

Away from loved ones this Valentine's day? Why not send them some love in the mail! Oh Happy Day! has a simple tutorial for these adorable Mailable Valentine Garlands. Just cut up some letters, string them, and post! 

P.S. A new year's resolution I just decided on is doing more of my own DIY's on weekends. There's a whole world of arts and crafts projects out there and I need to get my hands dirty more often. 

A little glitter and glue does that heart good.

xoxo

Sequin + Blazer

Gift Idea # 5

Nothing says "I spent time, money AND thought on your gift" better than a DIY project. And they don't come any easier than this one, from A Pair and a Spare.

SEQUIN BLAZER DIY:

all you need is this:

 and VOILA you get this:

ok ok real instructions here.

Sequin + Eyes

would you do it?

Spotted at Knock You For Six

SPIKE + COMB

I'm in a bit of a DIY mood on this rainy afernoon. Check this ish out: SPIKED COMBS. 

Combs never seem to stay put in my hair, but maybe the spikes will somehow help...

Check out Honestly...WTF's how-to here.

I think I actually might go ahead and try this one out. 

It's got this kind of dinasour-chic vibe going on. 

Like stegosaurus-meets-punk. 

SO in right now.

RAIN + CAPE

On days like today (rainy, grey, sad) it makes me want to want to wear rain jackets. But I never do.

HOWEVER, if I had a ultra-hip SEE-THRU RAIN-CAPE (!!!), I might be more inclined to don some waterproof gear.

Check out A Pair and A Spare's super easy DIY rain-cape here. I'm diggin it. 

re + upholstery

HOW TO REVIVE FURNITURE: 

The Amateur Edition.

So I decieded to re-upholster a piece of furniture after learning how to silk screen in my textile design class. 

Step 1: Find Something to Re-vamp.

I went to my favorite thrift store (Value Village) and found an old rocking chair for $10. But beware,a spider or two were to be found within the layers of fabric. Words to the wise: wear gloves, a breathing mask and closed toed shoes.

Step 2: Un-upholster

There's not much technique to this part. Just find those inner primal instincts and let'er rip. I made sure to save some of the original upholstery nails but trashed everything else.

Step 3: Sand

 Fortunately, I had access to a power sander and sanded off the original stain as much as could. The uneven surface proved to make things difficult, however.

Step 4: Stain and Seal  

 This is the most time consuming part. Several layers of stain need to be applied with several hours of waiting time in between (check label of sealant for specifics). And make sure to rub off all extra stain before letting it dry completely!

Step 5:  Create a Re-placement Fabric: 

 I manipulated this pattern into a three color system: three separate screens for printing- one for black, one for orange and one for red. The screens I had were 8.5x11 so I had to reprint the print several times. I used a simple canvas fabric for the base layer because it's thick and sturdy.

Step 6: Upholster

This was by far the trickiest part. I'm not going to lie, there wasn't much research done for this part. I just tried to use as much logic and common sense as I could to figure it out. I stuffed the seat with as much padding as I could get my hands on, and then stapled the cover fabric to the wood. Finally, I hid the staples with gold upholstery nails. I added a few more here and there for some added pizazz.

TA DA.

before & after.

Collar + Bling

Ever felt like your collar was missing something? I know I have.

 Here's an easy solution:

(Also... I think I found it on a Chinese version of Pinterest....?)

Block + Color

Another ingenious DIY from Honestly... WTF. All you need? Pants, paint and tape. 

Voila!

 Trendy color block pants. 

Try it out I dare you.

Spotted at Honesty...WTF.

Other Great Color Blocking:

Perfect + Pastels

Ever wanted to try some colored tresses but have commitment issues? Well, you're  in luck! Try out this awesome chalk pastel DIY from the Beauty Department. (This site is truly amazing. Check it out if you haven't already)

I'm gonna give it a go. 

Spotted by Selina via Kira at The Beauty Department.

Earring + Holder (DIY)

So.. I needed a new earring holder.

 Typically, I would come back late at night, take off my earrings and just throw them on the shelf because I was too lazy to find a spot on my previously overcrowded earring holder. 

So I went to Target, bought two cheese graters (yes. and they're $4 each) and spray painted them gold (duh.)

TA-DA. a multi-faceted, multi-faced earring holder! Who knew cheese graters would one day have a function other than grating cheese?

so simple.

geniusssss.

boom BOOM. So much more organized and less cluttered! (jokes) 

Next adventure: a ring holder.

DIY + Success!

Happy Almost Thanksgiving! 

Remember a while back when I posted the gold glitter Miu Miu DIY? Well, I finally got around to attempting it and wanted to share the results. So yes, not perfect, but I've never gotten so many comments/compliments on my shoes (except for maybe my Jeffrey Campbells..) and for the most part the feedback was positive! A couple of my sassy friends would just roll their eyes, but haterz gonna hate. Obviously you have to keep the rest of your outfit toned down or you risk the clash of the titans part II. 

Also, side note, these shoes are just cheap white ones from target, and the rhinestones and glitter are from hobby lobby. So yeah, they're pretty darn accessible.

TRY IT.

My Creation

The inspiration: