Posts Tagged ‘DIY’
Thursday, June 13th, 2013
Starting with the spring and rolling into summer…tassels and fringe have been everywhere from handbags to swimwear. I really wanted to experiment with the trend and added a small tassel to my Camo and Leather Clutch post a couple months ago. The tassel was such a big hit that I decided to kick it up a notch and thought it only fitting to create some fun earrings too. Mood has a collection of colorful tassels that really caught my eye. So, I opted for a couple of red ones, added a little animal print and a bold lip, and well….I’m all ready to go! Do you have any fun tassel/fringe accessories? Be sure to tell me how you wear them, below.
SUPPLIES: colorful basic tassel, e6000 glue, decorative end caps, straight pin, earring hooks, and scissors.
How-To:
1. Remove two strings that are holding tassel together.
2. Line up individual strings over your finger — I used 60 per earring.
3. Take another string and wrap it around your group of 60 strings.
4. Double knot this string tight.
5. Take your decorative end cap and slip onto the string you just double knotted.
6. Add a small amount of glue to the very opening of your end cap. (Note: You just want enough glue to hold them in there, but you’ll want to be careful, because you don’t want excess glue seeping out on your exposed strings).
7. Gently slide the end cap down about a 1/4 inch onto the strings, just until they neatly gather together. Let this dry about an hour.
8. Slide earring hook onto one of the strings hanging out of the end cap.
9. Double knot the two strings to secure the earring hook.
10. Add a dab of glue to the knot you just created, for added stability.
11. Once this glue has dried, snip the excess string above your knot.
12. Trim the bottom of your earring to make it all neat and even. Ta-da!
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, earrings, tassel, Trends
Posted in Accessories, DIY | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 5th, 2013
Summer is here and I’m on color overload — and my shoes are no exception. It was when I came across these jeweled and gold brooches at Mood, that I immediately thought of the perfect way to take some closet staples to the next level! Endless fun for endless shoe possibilities. What more can a girl ask for? :)
SUPPLIES: Wire cutters, brooches in pairs of 2 (I have one of each version I used shown here. Be sure to check their design, because they are often purchased individually – therefore color schemes may vary), e6000 glue, and 4 earring clip-on backs.
 Note: Both brooches are available at Mood NYC. The gold brooch is from Oscar de la Renta! How-To:
1. Using the wire cutters, completely snip off the entire pin back and adjoining metal (Note: if it doesn’t come off clean, use a nail file to smooth the surface).
2. Add e6000 glue to the earring backing.
3. After you decide which side is “up” for the layout of your brooch, adhere earring backing to it, and hold in place for a moment.
4. Let glue dry for several hours — I did it overnight. (Note: If your earring backing protrudes out in any way, and is uncomfortable for your foot, feel free use wire cutters to remove it).
 Mood NYC and Mood LA both have a wide selection of brooches that can be converted into shoe clips. Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, Get the Look, jewelry, shoes
Posted in Accessories, DIY | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
This is my salute to camo — it’s really hot right now! We’ve seen it on runways for DKNY and even Valentino; but, I wanted a functional way to wear it. You know, an accent piece that I would get more wear out of then say with a top or a jacket. So, I opted to make a clutch. I combined the camouflage (which you can find at Mood Fabrics, here) with a few textural elements like the tassel and leather (you can grab some great faux vinyl/leather also at Mood, here)…and I’m killin’ a bunch of Spring/Summer fashion trends at once. Tell me what you think. Are you a fan of this neutral pattern?
SUPPLIES: needle and thread, zipper (11.5 inches), rotary cutter, straight pins, faux leather/vinyl, camouflage fabric, silk lining, scissors, wash cloth & iron (optional), and a sewing machine (note: can be hand sewn).
HOW TO:
1. Cut out two camo rectangles (mine were 13 x 10 inches), and two leather rectangles (13 x 3inches).
2. Pin one leather rectangle to camo rectangle. Place raw edges together, right sides facing each other.
3. Flip it over and sew on wrong side. Repeat for other camo/leather section.
4. Cut two pieces of silk out for lining. (Note: I used my new attached camo/leather rectangle as my guide for what size I would need).
5. Take your zipper face down and pin it to the top edge of the right side of a piece of your camo/leather rectangle AND one piece of the silk (Note: If you happen to find a zipper that is too long, feel free to do what I did here to shorten it).
6. Sew these three pieces together.
7. It may be a little tricky to work around zipper head. You’ll want to sew as close to the teeth as possible, so after sewing about an inch, pull zipper head back. (Note: You’ll move it back into position as you go along).
8. Right sides facing, take the other camo/leather piece and silk and lay it on top of the other side. Pin the free side of the zipper to these pieces along the raw edge.
9. Sew the zipper on.
10. Be sure to watch out for the zipper pull like in Step #7.
11. It’s time to sew it all together! Use straight pins to give yourself about a half inch seam allowance on the remaining three sides.
12. Go ahead and sew it all up.
13. Before you get to that last side….be sure to open up zipper a few inches so you can get it open once you are done sewing.
14. Cut corners of bag off at an angle on both sides.
15. Flip bag to the right side.
16. Take a piece of leather about 7.5 inches in length, and cut about 7 thin strips of leather for your tassel with the rotary cutter.
17. Fit leather strips through zipper head.
18. Take one leather strip and wrap it firmly around the head of the bundle of strips three times.
19. Hand stitch this binding strip to the bundle of strips for security. Cut off excess.
20. If your fabric is puckering at all, feel free to iron it out, applying a damp cloth over the leather portion.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. She’s also a finalist in the voting contest for ALL YOU MAGAZINE’S Smartest Shopper. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: clutch, DIY, leather, Trends
Posted in DIY | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 1st, 2013
Was I the only one who sat in awe after the Super Bowl half time show last month? Not only at Beyonce’s performance – I mean Kelly and Michelle were a refreshing throwback — but of Beyonce’s COSTUME? I literally said out loud when she flashed that winning smile at the end….”now THAT’S HOT!” So, I don’t need to tell you how excited I was to learn that the very designer of Bey’s costume (his name is Rubin Singer)….got the guipure lace from Mood Fabrics NYC. Welllllll….that’s all I needed to hear. I marched up to Mood, stalked the fancy lace section, got my hands on a secondhand leather vest, and got to work.
Supplies: Leather vest, guipure lace, rotary cutter, scissors, straight pins, tape measure, straight edge, pen, sewing machine, and/or needle and thread. (Note: you can use fabric paint or spray paint to dye lace if you’d like).
How-To:
1. Wrap lace around your body, or mannequin to estimate where lace will fall and how much you’ll need.
2. I used masking tape here, but it would be just as easy to use straight pics to section off a guide to what part of the design you want to include BEFORE you cut.
3. Cut out the “U” shaped form of lace you’ll be working with — slowly snipping pieces of the lace close to the edge that won’t be included in your design.
4. I wanted a slightly darker shade than what was available, but this step is totally optional. To change lace color, feel free to use fabric paint or even spray paint to do the job. (Note: I tried RIT dye initially, but unfortunately it didn’t work).
5. Use tape measure and pen to mark out the deep “V’s” of leather that you’ll remove from the abdomen area of the vest.
6. Use a rotary cutter to precisely cut the leather.
7. With straight pins, hem the rough edges of the vest that are left after you cut out the V’s.
8. With a half inch seam allowance, hem the leather V’s.
9. Hand stitch lace onto the inner lining of the vest.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: Beyonce, DIY, Get the Look, lace, leather, Ruben Singer
Posted in DIY | 8 Comments »
Thursday, March 14th, 2013
We saw hints of the gold hardware during the Spring Fashion Week, and it really packed a punch during the Fall Shows….so of course I had to grab some chain from Mood Fabrics and make a little something of my own. Whether you use remnants from an old tshirt or synthetic leather cord like I did here….this necklace may be easy to construct, but speaks volumes in the bling department!
SUPPLIES: gold ring chain from Mood (also available in silver), and synthetic leather cord.
HOW-TO:
1. With the two layers, maneuver chain around to decide how you want your necklace to drape.
2. Pry open the ring.
3. Remove excess rings, and reattach it to the main part of your necklace (so, now you have a complete circle).
4. Take your first piece of cord and fold it in half. Place the loop that is now formed at the bottom, through your gold ring that is your anchor point.
5. Slip loose ends of cord through the loop and pull tight. Repeat of opposite side.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, metal chain, necklace
Posted in DIY | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
Now I haven’t been to many sample sales…but I recently checked out the Oscar de la Renta sale, and stumbled upon a beautifully embellished skirt — I mean metal embellishments have been everywhere lately, including the runways of this past New York Fashion Week. Inspired, I grabbed a skirt I had made from an old turtleneck (seen here), and some sparkly ornate trim I had been eyeing at Mood, and I married the two. It’s easy. It’s fun…and it takes any skirt from drab to fab!
Supplies: Skirt, embellished trim, coins, scissors, thread, needles, and chalk.
Editor’s note: Beaded trim is also available at MoodFabrics.com.
How-To:
1. Take nickel (any uniform coins) and mark out your desired layout.
2. Removing each coin along the way, mark out where each embellishment will be sewn.
3. With one long and continuous thread, first hand stitch center crystal into place.
4. Then sew in place middle row of embellishments (Note: the two silver pieces are separate pieces).
5. Next sew into place third row of embellishments below the crystal.
6. Then sew into place bottom/lower middle embellishment.
7. Now sew into place the very top row of the embellishments (Note: by doing this one last, you are able to control the height of each cluster, for perfect alignment against other groupings).
8. Working counter clockwise, sew in between each silver piece, the thin gold embellishments. On the last one triple knot the thread on the inside of the skirt.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: beaded trim, DIY, ornate, Trim
Posted in DIY | 5 Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2013
I’m not sure how many dog lovers we have out there, but one of my favorite pooches to see all dressed up is Swatch of Mood Fabrics. His nonchalant and carefree trot between departments always makes me grin when I’m there. A true sport in a land of endless wardrobe possibilities, Swatch made me want to commemorate some of my favorite looks he’s rocked. From a funny Valentine to biker Swatch, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that that dog has captured the hearts of SO MANY Mood customers. So with some colorful vinyl and snazzy zippers in hand, I created a way to carry him around with me — without further ado, here’s my homage to Swatch :)
 
SUPPLIES: vinyl, rotary cutter, mod podge gloss lustre, magna-tac glue, iron, measuring tape, thread, needles, straight pins, scissors, pen, transfer paper for dark shirts, zippers, silk, images you want to transfer, and a wash cloth.
How-To:
1. Using the rotary cutter, cut out 2 rectangles from your vinyl/faux leather. (Note: Mine were 11 x 8 inches — 1 inch was added to the length of the teeth of the zipper, and height too. I used purple on the backside and off-white on side where my images would go).
2. Mark out a half inch seam allowance (Note: You will re-mark this when silk is applied).
3. For silk lining, I marked out a 10 x 8 inch rectangle.
4. For less fraying, make a small snip with scissors to begin with, and then I hand rip out the rectangle.
5. Putting right sides together, add straight pins to hold vinyl together.
6. Across the bottom, hand stitch along one horizontal. (Note: For neatness, sew along the half inch seam allowance line you marked out — be sure to bring needle back through, last place you inserted it).
7. Cut off excess.
8. Apply Magna-tac glue to the whole back side.
9. Lay silk directly on top of the glued side.
10. Re-mark out half inch seam allowance along sides.
11. Add straight pins to hold sides together.
12. Flip whole thing onto correct side.
13. Apply damp cloth over clutch, and then iron it to flatten it out.
14. For a center point for the double zippers, mark a mid point on the inside of the clutch.
15. Add straight pins to hold zipper in place, and then hand stitch both into position.
16. Lay clutch on top of back side of iron-on transfer with images already printed on it and outline it. (Note: For printing, follow instructions that come with the paper).
17. Cut form out.
18. Peel off images from transfer paper backing, and lay it on to the clutch.
19. Laying something like a t-shirt on top, iron on the transfer paper images.
20. Using a napkin/sponge, apply Mod-Podge to seal it.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: accessories, clutch, DIY, handbag, Swatch, vinyl
Posted in DIY | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
So…I picked up a copy of Instyle magazine this month (for leisurely reading AND because I happen to be in this issue –insert squeals of delight — and I noticed that since spring is right around the corner they predicted that a hot color this upcoming season would be pistachio.
I don’t know about you….but it’s sometimes hard to keep up with every NEW color of every season. Well, that is unless you get a little box of dye and some feather trim from Mood Fabrics and do what I did — give a whole new life to an item I already had. I’ve been itching to make an ostrich feather skirt…and I thought this would be a perfect combo — flirty, fun, and fresh. Oh, and if you can’t get to Mood’s NYC store, you should check out their big selection of feather trim online.
  SUPPLIES: An old skirt, 1.5 inch wide ribbon, at least 8 yards of ostrich feather trim (Note: the amount of feathers you’ll need depends upon desired size and length of skirt. I used about 7 yards here for 2 layers on each of the 4 rows), 1 box of RIT dye, hair dryer, thread, straight pins, needles, Magna-Tac glue, scissors, gloves, and a pot (Note: your sink or a bucket will work too).
HOW-TO:
1. Follow directions on box to create dye mixture. Dip whole lot of trim into the dye at all at once for even distribution of color (I advise wearing gloves).
2. Making sure to evenly coat feathers, remove them from solution after no more than 25 seconds (Note: though they turn pretty quickly, feathers appear darker when wet).
3. Rinse feathers in cold water to remove excess dye.
4. Dry feathers.
5. You can either make a skirt from fabric of a similar color, or you can do what I did and use a light colored thrifted skirt I already had. Dip this skirt in dye.
6. Rinse skirt in cold water to remove excess color, then repeat Step 4 for the skirt too (Note: sticking in dryer is quicker).
7. Eyeball where you’ll place each row before you begin — I made 4 main rows in all. Apply glue to trim, and adhere it 3 inches above the bottom of the skirt — each row 2 inches a part. Glue from one side seam to the other (Note: If towards top you’re finding that the rows aren’t as full as you’d like, feel free to glue a sub-row in between 2 main rows for added coverage).
8. Pin row in place and then continue it around the back. Do this one more time around the whole skirt for a 2 total of 2 evolutions. (Note: for a really full skirt, do 3 layers).
9. My skirt had an invisible side zipper, so I glued back the raw edge that would lie right up against the zipper (sort of like a small hem). Here, instead of making a continuous counter clockwise evolution….I started at zipper, went counter clock wise, and when I reached zipper again, I went back clockwise up to zipper.
10. For added security hand stitch each row onto the skirt as you go.
11. Glue raw edge of ribbon down like you did with feather trim edge in Step 9.
12. For a polished look, glue ribbon around the waist band of skirt to conceal top of exposed feather trim.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, MTVStyle, Essence Magazine, and TJMaxx.com. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, feathers, skirts, Trends
Posted in DIY | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
So I was recently poking around the trim section at Mood Fabrics — so much to choose from — and I absolutely fell in love with this jeweled trim. Not sure of what I was going to create, but assured I had to have it….I immediately snatched up the last 2 yards and headed home. A clutch? Bling up a pair of shoes — there were so many options. But after pulling out this thrifted J. Crew cashmere cardigan, I knew it was a colorful match made in heaven.
Supplies: Cardigan, Heavy Duty Thread, Needle, Trim, Tape Measure, Glue, Straight Pins, Sharp Nosed Scissors
How-To:
1. Cut jewels from trim.
2. Section off the area you want to jewel with straight pins.
3. I recommend playing around with the layout of the jewels so as not to have adjacent colors.
4. Dab a little fabric glue on the back of each jewel and adhere it to the sweater.
5. Using one long continuous thread, stitch the jewels onto the sweater for added security.
6. Using the first side as your guide, measure out the placement on the remaining side.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, MTVStyle, Essence Magazine, and TJMaxx.com. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, Trim
Posted in DIY | 2 Comments »
Thursday, January 24th, 2013
SUPPLIES: Leather, Fleece, Fabric Glue, Velcro, Heavy Duty Thread, Regular Thread, Upholstery Needle, Tape Measure, Needle, Rotary Cutter, Straight Pins, Wash Cloth, Scissors, Iron, and a Sewing Machine.
HOW-TO:
1. You are going to create two rectangles. For the first, pin a piece of leather and felt together, right sides facing each other. My Macbook Pro laptop is 13 in x 9 in (length x height), so I want to make this first rectangle 14 in x 17.5 in (Note: I added an inch to the length for the seam allowance, and then added 8.5 in to the height to account for the flap).
2. Cut it out.
3. Take the first rectangle which is 14 in x 17.5 in, and make a chalk mark 10.5 in from the bottom for the fold line.
4. Make a second mark one inch above the fold line (So it’s 11.5 in from the bottom).
5. To create my top flap, I made a chalk mark in the top center (For me, directly at 7 in).
6. I want the point of my flap to be 9 in in total, so I made a chalk mark 4.5 in on either side of the center line I created.
7. From the 11.5 in mark you made along the side, draw a diagonal up to the 4.5 in marks you made on the left and right side of the center mark.
8. Sew just around the edge of the top flap and about a half inch down the straight away of the sides.
9. Here’s what Step 8 looks like; now remove pins.
10. Turn this flap to the correct side.
11. Measure the desired length of the velcro, add glue, and adhere it to the inner flap.(Note: I add glue to hold it in place, and then later hand stitch it for added security, or sew it on with the machine with the regular thread).
12. Now you grab two more pieces of leather and felt, rights sides facing each other to create a second rectangle –this one will be 14 in x 10.5 in and will serve as the front of your laptop case.
13. Take this second rectangle and sew along the diagonal on one side as pictured (Note: Right sides are still facing together).
14. Step 13 will look like this.
15. Turn this second rectangle on the right side.
16. Take a damp wash cloth and lay it on both pieces to iron out any bulges.
17. Take the second rectangle and pin it to the front of the first rectangle (well…now, it’s more of a trapezoid); right sides together. Be sure to pin it 1/4 in below 11.5 in mark you made (So that’s in between fold line and this second line).
18. Sew the whole thing together on both sides and the bottom.
19. So you are certain you place bottom piece of velcro in just the right place; insert your laptop, stick bottom velcro onto top velcro every so lightly, apply glue, and press it into place. Let dry for a few minutes before removing laptop — I advise stitching it on for added security.
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, MTVStyle, Essence Magazine, and TJMaxx.com. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, leather
Posted in DIY | 2 Comments »
Saturday, January 12th, 2013
Denim has been a mainstay in our wardrobes for what seems like forever. Intially used for work, this durable fabric has been a favorite since as early as the 1800′s….and just about everyone has a denim jacket tucked away in their closet somewhere. Well one night while watching an episode of DON’T TRUST THE B— IN APT. 23 I fell in love with a studded collar black denim jacket Krysten Ritter was wearing. Totally inspired, I took to my closet to scrounge up this thrifted Armani Jeans jacket that I hadn’t even worn; however, I wanted to take it a step further. Yes I’d do studs (galore), but I’d also take this amazing perforated leather that I saw at Mood…and give my jacket the ultimate touch of “cool.”
SUPPLIES
1. Heavy Duty Thread
2. Denim Needles
3. Straight Pins
4. Seam Ripper
5. Denim Jacket (I got this one for .75 cents)
6. Thimble
7. Tweezers
8. Scissors
9. Studs (I opted to mix my metals and use both silver and gold)
10. Leather
11. Sewing Machine
1.Take each lapel followed by the collar of the jacket and insert each nailhead with a thimble in your desired pattern. Remember to separate the layers with your fingers, so as to not have prongs from nailheads protrude to the underside. (Note: I recommend laying them out to begin with to get a visual sense of how many you will need spatially in each row).
2. Cut the denim sleeves from the jacket (Note: Take my advice and measure twice, cut once). You should leave yourself about an inch allowance. Measure it on both the front and back.
3. After you’ve removed the sleeves, take one sleeve along with a seam ripper and take apart the two pieces (I didn’t bother to remove the cuff). This way you can use the two “halves” as a pattern for the two leather sleeves you are now creating.
4. Double up two large portions of the leather. Lay out the two pieces of the sleeve you just took apart, and use the straight pins to secure them to the two pieces of leather.
5. Cut out these 4 forms, giving yourself a couple extra inches for allowance at what will become the shoulders, and then remove the straight pins.
6. Now that you have two pieces from each layer of leather, take the first layer and begin pinning the sleeves together inside out at the seams, just like the denim sleeve you just removed.
7. Now pin the second seam of the sleeve to close it up.
8. Sew both seams on each sleeve.
9. Turn the completed sleeves on the correct side.
10. Make sure the jacket is inside out, and slip the sleeve into the arm hole on the correct side (Note: You’ll know you did it correctly when both finished sides of the sleeve and jacket are touching).
11. I didn’t take my own advice and measure twice before removing denim sleeves. But if you left yourself that inch, you should be able to pin the leather sleeve to the jacket and recreate the same seam as before.
12. Sew the leather arm onto the jacket (Note: Start and finish sewing at the under arm — this way any excess can be concealed here if necessary).
Tags: DIY
Posted in DIY | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
Over the holidays while browsing the lovely pieces on the Stella & Dot website, I happened to fall in love with one of their absolutely stunning mixed metal bib necklaces, but lost a little steam when I peeped the price tag. Not one to let finances dictate fashion…I took to Mood Fabrics for my jewelry supplies, and let the creativity fly to create my own.
Supplies:
Multi-purpose glue, bib template (download here), satin ribbon, tiny individual glass and plastic beads, straight pins, needle and thread, tweezers, felt, black rhinestone chain, loose leaf chains (purchased from another store), clear rhinestone chain, wire cutters, and scissors (Note: I also at the last minute added a bit of gold chain around the neckline for an extra special touch).
Step-by-Step:
1. Download bib template here.
2. Fold a piece of felt or ultra suede in half, and then pin the template to these two layers.
3. Cut out these two forms, and then remove straight pins.
4. Choose one layer of the cut out felt; set the other layer aside.
5. With wire cutters, remove leaves from their chain.
6. Cut rhinestones and beaded chains to desired length (Note: I suggest playing around with beads to get an idea of layout before doing any gluing and sewing).
7. Add a tiny bit of glue to back of chain to adhere it to the felt, following up with stitching where necessary for added stability.
8. Glue beaded black rhinestone chain within the body of the necklace; cutting where necessary to wedge into tight spots for a seamless appearance.
9. Apply a tiny amount of glue to fix leaves in place. Let leaves dry for at least 20 minutes before stitching them into place, and then repeat.
10. Take a needle and feed a single thread through top necklace layer, knot the back, thread tiny plastic beads onto the string, and then remove needle for ease of applying beads.
11. Once you reach your desired amount of beads, add needle back to thread and use it to drive this string back through this layer, and knot the back (Note: I also added a tiny bit of glue to the under side of the finished row of beads just so they wouldn’t move).
12. Cut 2 pieces of ribbon to your desired length (Note: You can cut one side straight across, and then cut the exposed side at an angle for added effect).
13. Apply glue (or clear nail polish) to ends of ribbon to avoid fraying.
14. Turn top layer of necklace over and glue each ribbon about 1.5 inches from top of each side. (Note: Feel free to also stitch ribbon to necklace).
15. Take 2nd layer of felt that you set aside in Step #4 and glue it to the back of 1st layer.
Enjoy!
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, MTVStyle, Essence Magazine, and TJMaxx.com. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, jewelry, necklace
Posted in DIY | Comments Off
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS:
Plumes just make everything glamourous — don’t you think?! From Flappers to the present day, we have been using feathers for ages to dress up everything from hats to handbags to skirts. Want an easy way to update the simplest dress? Try this twist on a Statement Necklace that is sure to be a conversation piece.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1. Hot Glue Gun & Sticks
2. Feather Trim (Note: the exact length of trim needed is directly related to desired length to drape your shoulders.)
3. 4 Different Types of Chain at varying lengths (1 main chain for collar, and 3 other chains that will be cut and used twice each).
4. Needle and Thread
5. 3 Gold Rings
6. Clasp
7. If desired, add 2 gold brooches for accents (I added old earrings that were my grandmothers)
THE PROCESS:
1. First cut feather trim at main gold chain to equal desired length (mine is 18 inches).
2. Hot glue this main chain to the satin ribbon on feather trim.
3. Turn feather with gold chain now attached over, and stitch your clasp to one side (doesn’t matter which, you decide which side you want clasp on).
4. Cut first chain to create Chain 1 (31 inches) and Chain 4 (17 inches); Cut second chain to create Chain 2 (25 inches) and Chain 5 (13 inches); and then cut third and thinnest weight chain to create Chain 3 (20 inches) and Chain 6 (7.5 inches)
5. Add chains IN ORDER from 1 to 6 to gold rings on both ends.
6. Sew and hot glue one ring (with chains attached) to whichever side you did not attach clasp.
7. Open clasp and close necklace with this free ring that has chains now attached. One more step and you’re almost done.
8. Hot glue earrings, 2 brooch, or whatever accents you’d like to add to the base of the feathers for a polished look.
Voila!
Now tell me, what’s your favorite way to rock feathers?
Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, MTVStyle, Essence Magazine, and TJMaxx.com. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.
Tags: DIY, feathers, jewelry, necklace
Posted in DIY | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Creating my new DIY tumblr page has to be one of the best things I’ve done in a while. Since, I’m on it practically everyday, it is a daily reminder of all the DIYs I want to complete. Like this one.
This is the SIWY Jony jean and it screams DIY…and when something screams DIY to me, I move into action!
Cotton jeans
Latex Gloves
RIT black liquid dye (1 bottle from Mood Fabrics)
Water
Stick
Salt (1 cup)
Mild liquid detergent
Bucket
Clips
1. Weight jeans. 1 pound of denim calls for 1 bottle of RIT dye. (Darker dyes (black, brown, purple) call for one bottle of RIY dye while lighter dyes call for half)
2. Wash jeans to remove dirt.
3. Put on gloves.
4. Pour 3 gallons of hot water into the bucket. If the water from your pipe isn’t hot enough, boil water.
5. Pour dye into bucket and mix the solution well with your stick.
6. Place jeans into the dye bath to a point a little below where you want the dye to stop.
7. Clip the top of the jeans to the bucket.
8. Stir constantly for 5 minutes and add 1 cup of salt.
9. Constantly stir the jeans in the solution for 30 min to 1 hour. The jeans should only stay in the solution as long as the liquid is still hot.
10. When you remove clothes from dye bath, rinse in warm, then cool water until water runs clear.
11. Wash item in warm water with mild detergent and rinse thoroughly in cool water.
12. Let jeans air dry.
I’ve heard some horror stories with dying projects but this was my first time doing it and mine came out perfectly! Let me know if you guys try this. I can’t wait to experiment with other colors…oh the possibilities!
Candy Fraser is the fashion blogger of taylor & DEMOLISH. It is a fashion style and DIY blog that breaks the lines behind tailored fashion and destroyed fashion. For more information on taylor & Demolish, follow Candy on Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Bloglovin!! You may also contact her at tayloranddemolish@gmail.com
“DIY Ombre Jeans” was originally posted as “DIY Dye Blue Jeans Black” on taylor & DEMOLISH here: http://www.tayloranddemolish.com/2011/11/diy-dye-blue-jeans-black.html
If you would like to submit an article for review to be posted as a Guest Blogger please click HERE.
Tags: denim, DIY, rit dye
Posted in DIY, Guest Blogger | 2 Comments »
Friday, November 4th, 2011
 Tracy F.'s Ghost Cookie Costume |
We would like to congratulate the winner of a $100 Moodfabrics.com Gift Card to our 2011 Halloween Costume Contest Tracy F and her Ghost Cookie Costume!
Tracy told us her co-worker’s 4 year old son said, “the cookie was bitten into, died, and became a ghost.” She made it with white broadcloth and silver glitter fabric paint.
Thank you so such for everyone who sent in an entry!
You can check out all the entrants at www.moodfabrics.com/blog/?cat=94
|
Tags: costume contest, DIY, fabric paint, halloween
Posted in 2011 Halloween Contest | Comments Off
|
|
|
|
RSS Feeds
RSS Feeds
Email Updates
