DIY
DIY: Tom Binns Painted Swarovski Jewelry
I’ve mentioned it a zillion times and I’ll mention it again: I Love Tom Binns. No, not the man himself (never met him), but his jewelry is hands down my favorite on the planet. He has a series of different collections – you’ve all seen me getting serious wear out of his safety pin bracelets – but it’s his painted swarovski crystal collections that have recently tied down my fickle eye.
Now, these beauties you see above are a bit steep for my bank account (they range between $600-$2,200) so I took matters into my own hands. I bought a bunch of cheap “crystal” necklaces, rummaged through my extensive nail polish collection for some bright colors, sat down in front of the tv and painted my very own Tom Binns inspired necklaces (and earrings!).
Jump on the DIY wagon and do it too! Here’s how:
Supplies:
- Cheap crystal necklaces you won’t mind painting (try this one or this one)
- Nail polish – preferably in bright neon colors
- Pick your colors and get painting! Try not to get too much on each crystal and keep a steady hand. Second coat is optional, though I prefer it.
- Let your colorful jewels dry!
- Wear them in every ridiculous way possible.
DIY One Stars + Another Giveaway!
Converse are a kind shoe I can never have enough of, so when Target approached me about sending over a pair of Converse One Stars to decorate however I wanted, I obviously said yes. While there was a kit with all kinds of glitter, fabric markers, sequins, etc, I realized that I loved the simplicity of the shoe and wanted to keep them that way. So what did I do? I grunged them up just a wee bit by adding three spikey studs to each shoe. I love that there’s now an unexpected surprise in my simple white sneakers and that they could probably double as weapons if I wanted them too.
Well, it doesn’t stop there. Target would love to send one of you splendid readers a Target gift card and a decorating kit in the hopes that you will decorate your very own pair of Converse One Stars as well!
Target.Gift.Card.
WOWEE!
Just like my last giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment below but this time I want you to tell me one place that you would love to travel to someday…
I’ll announce the winner on Thursday!
puncture…
…et voila!
»· The Art of the Bouquet ·«
I’ve always admired the way my Mom can just throw together a bundle of flowers and make the most beautiful bouquet. I’ve never been successful at the art of the bouquet and thus stick to one or two types of flowers when putting together “arrangements.” Well not anymore mis amigos, not anymore. This past weekend I put my Mom’s teaching skills to the test (sidenote: she actually is a teacher) and had her show me the ways of floral arrangement mastery. Read below for the step-by-step guide:
You Will Need:
- flowers – DOY!
- a vase – double DOY!
- clippers – triple DOY!
- patience…
Step 1: Lay out your flower choices and pick your vase, or vah-se, however you want to pronounce it. Wildflowers are big in Connecticut right now so we went with a colorful, long-stemmed bunch.
Step 2: Start by putting your main/focal flowers into the vase. These are the flowers that are going to take up the majority of your arrangement. When making a long-stemmed bouquet make sure you can see some of those purdy stems poking out of the top of the vase – if you’re making a short bouquet the stems don’t matter as much.
Step 3: Fill in those empty spaces with bigger, fuller flowers, interspersing them throughout the arrangement. (This was kind of trial and error for me but I used lilies and hydrangeas).
Step 4: Pick up the entire arrangement and give it a good floof, kind of like what you would do to your hair if you wanted to give it more volume. And there you have it! the art of the bouquet at your fingertips!
»· DIY : Polka Dot Nails ·«
If I had it my way I would get a Minx manicure every two weeks, but I just can’t justify spending that much money on nails especially when I’m more than capable of creating some pretty looney looks on my own! Polka dots have become my most recent nail obsession and you won’t even believe how easy they are to achieve at home! Just three steps and you’re done!
You will need:
- 1 Dark Nail Polish (I prefer to use this as the base)
- 1 Light Nail Polish (the lighter the better for polka dots!)
- 1 Toothpick or Wooden Skewer
- Top Coat
1. Starting with the darker color (I’m using Zoya Nail Polish in “Caitlin“) give yourself a regular manicure with two coats of polish. Allow to dry.
2. Using the lighter color (I’m using Sephora by OPI polish in “IM Beauty“), dip** the tip of the toothpick or wooden skewer into the polish and lightly dab little dots onto each nail (I usually go for about 5-8 dots). Allow to dry.
**Careful not to get too much on the toothpick or else you’ll wind up with giant dollops!
3. Apply top coat and let dry.
Boom! You’ve got yourself some festive polky-dot nails!
DIY • Multi-Layered Necklace
Tom Binns is easily my favorite jewelry designer. From his safety pin cuffs (you can see me wearing one in practically every outfit post) to his brilliantly colored necklaces (see here & here), I just cannot get enough of his designs. Unfortunately, many of his pieces are out of my price range and I am thus forced to sit and stare at them like a puppy dog in a window hoping that my pleading eyes will magically place one of his swarovski crystal necklaces around my neck. I realize that this plan is a bit ridiculous (ok, a lot ridiculous) so I decided to take matters into my own hands and created a multi-layered necklace inspired by his designs. Since I don’t have access to swarovski crystals, I improvised with candy colored beads and a design that imitates many of his pieces.
You will need:
- atleast three different kinds of beads
- 24 gauge craft wire, metallic flex wire and illusion cord
- pliers, metal clippers, tweezers
- lobster claw clasp and 5 inches of gold round link chain
1. After deciding which bead you want to use as the main part of your necklace, string them onto the illusion cord (I strung about 36 beads) and fasten one end of the cord to the lobster claw and the other end to the gold round link chain.
2. String the same kind of beads from Step 1 onto metallic flex wire (I strung about 30 beads). Fasten each end of the metallic flex wire to the strand you made in Step 1. I counted six beads in on each side of the first strand before fastening the second strand.
3. Bend craft wire into half moon shape and string on the next set of beads (I strung about 18). Make two of these.
4. Fasten the craft wire onto the strand of beads you made in Step 2. I counted six beads in before clasping the craft wire and left six beads between the two sets of craft wire.
5. Finally, using the illusion cord, fasten your ornamental beads into the middle of each half moon and one in the center of the necklace.
Voila!
