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Handmade Suitcase Challenge, on the way home!

1 Feb

Last hotel-room outfit update, for this little trip. (Off again, next week, though.)

When I packed, I thought this outfit was the most boring of the batch, but it turns out to be my very favorite of the week.

–“Wear the Shift” shift dress, made by me.

–“Que Sera” cotton cardigan, made by me.

-Bowtie Pendant, made by Cheri Lewis, of San Francisco.

I like that even though it’s all neutral colors, the textures play well together and the patterns keep it from being boring.

Houndstooth fabric against patterned tights and lacy knit cardigan, even the scalloped pattern on the bowtie necklace adds something similar, yet different. I will totally wear this again, and am happy that my mini-challenge led to new wardrobe discoveries.

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DIY bargains: the jewelry edition

14 Jan

I’ve been looking at over-sized plastic chains. *Ahem*, I mean resin chains…that seems to be the preferred terminology, when plastic is used as a medium for jewelry. Big ones. Faux tortoiseshell ones. Chunky ones, like these:

(Clockwise from upper left: Pono, Luxe Collections, Pono, Anthropologie)

The lightweight, uh, resin, lets them be upsized to outrageous proportions and still be comfortable to wear. So I looked, and I looked…and then, when I was browsing in a favorite bead supply store, what did I spy?

Oversized tortoiseshell plastic chain, by the foot!

“Ahoy!” I said. “I can make my own!”

And so I did:

For a moment, I wanted to run back and buy a longer length, to make some extras, perhaps list them on Etsy. But alas, I have no time for Etsy. If you are in a like-minded DIY spirit, you can get tortoiseshell plastic chain from Toho-Shoji, at 990 Sixth Avenue in NYC (at 37th) for $5.50 a foot. They’re also online, but I don’t see the tortoiseshell varieties. Some nice wood chains, though, shown on their website.

I love that crafting sources follow the same trends as fashion, so whatever is in, likely the materials are “in”, too, and available somewhere or other, if one keeps one’s eyes open.

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Starting off easy: DIY fabric-covered bangle bracelets

18 Dec

I love bright,  chunky bangles in all different sizes and materials. Recently I’ve been giving some of my old ones a makeover by covering them in fabric.  I see lots of online tutorials about wrapping bangles in strips of fabric, but I thought I’d post my version, which doesn’t leave raw edges visible.

You need:

-plain bangles to cover. I used thrifted metal and plastic ones, but since I’ve covered all my old ones, for this batch I used wooden blanks from DIY bangles. The advantage of these is that they come in different sizes, both circumference and thickness, so it’s easier to fit those with small or larger hands.

-scraps of fabric. I like to use up my most obnoxious ones: faux fur, upholstery velvet, anything with texture and color.

-sewing machine (optional) and needle and thread.

-hot glue (optional)

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