DIY CUT-OUT TANK TOP

A.k.a the 'side boob' tank, complete with twisted straps. This festival essential, as well as year round basic, is this week's project for Harper's BAZAAR Australia. I made it from a cast-off mens t-shirt, super super simple.  Perfect worn with a black lace triangle bra peeking out the side. Head over and check put the tutorial.

Clicky clicky for the tutorial over at Harper's BAZAAR

DIY SCARF PRINT SHORTS

With Coachella and a whole number of other summer festivals on the horizon,  your thoughts are probably turning to festival outfit planning, and how you can get your 'pocahontas goes to burning man' look down pat.   I've been lusting for a pair of scarf print shorts for agessss (remember this post?) and have decided that they are to be my uniform for this year's festivals. I've been seeing them everywhere in stores actually, but what's better than when they're quick and cheap to make yourself?  I mean, surely we don't want to be wearing our nice, expensive digs when we sit in mud (guaranteed to happen) or have sweaty men rub up against us in the crowds (if we're lucky). These simple scarf print shorts are perfect festival get up. So get amongst it!

You need:
- A cotton or silk style scarf - mine was a big one from H&M
- Elastic to fit around your waist
- A pen
- Scissors
- Thread
- A ruler
- Sewing pins
- Craft paper
- a pair of shorts to trace the pattern.

I recommend using a sewing machine for this project but if you are really super keen you could probably do it by hand also. Don't have a machine? Beg, borrow or steal - this project is worth it! Also - if you have a selvedger you should use that to finish the edges, but I don't and was happy with a rough look. They're for jumping up and down at festivals right?

1. First make the pattern by folding your shorts in half (front pockets on the outside) and then tracing them onto the craft paper. Look at you making patterns and stuff! So fancy!

2. Your pattern should look like this. Now add 2 cm (approx 1 in) to the bottom and sides of the pattern, and 4 cm (approx 1.5in) to the top (ie waistband) of the pattern.

3. Cut your pattern out. 

 

4. Fold your fabric in half, keeping in mind where you want your scarf pattern to sit. I would have liked to line the pattern up at the front with two right angles of pattern on each side of the shorts but I had first time jitters and went with the patterned hem instead.

 5. Pin the long straight edge of the pattern along the fold.

 
6. Cut out the fabric along the pattern.

7. Now cut out another piece of fabric using the pattern so you have two identical pieces.

 8. Pin the two pieces together right sides facing each other.

9. Sew the fabric with a straight stitch along the two curved edges - following the pin line shown below. You want to be quite careful how you sew these pieces together because you want your pattern to match up perfectly. Note that this seam will be the front seam of your shorts and the most important place for the pattern to match up.

10. Fold the shorts in together so the two sewn seams are facing each other. Then sew around the crotch where you can see the pins in the picture below.

11. Make the elasticated waistband by pinning the waistband down a few cm, sewing with a straight stitch and then threading with elastic. I squeeze my elastic onto a knitting needle to make it easier. Then sew the elastic  ends together and then sew the waistband shut.

12. Finally, finish all the raw edges with a zigzag stitch to reduce fraying and stop the shorts from splitting.

And there you have it! Possibly the easiest sewing project to do in the world - I actually first learnt it in Hom Ec in year 8. Once you have the process down pat go crazy experimenting with colours, textures and embellishments. If you want your shorts to be more full than mine ie with more fabric in them, make the pattern wider in the waistband by but keep the length the same.

Have fun!

DIY SPIKED NECKLACE

Ok so you probably remember the spiked bracelet I made a few weeks ago (see here). After wearing it a few times and terrifying my friends and boyfriend that I would take an eye out whilst waving my arms around (as I do), I decided it was destined to become a new project. One that presents a little less risk to friends and family.  I love that with DIY you can just keep reinventing your projects. I made a necklace out of it - enjoy!

Click here to see the tutorial for this re-do over at Harper's BAZAAR

These pics are actually outtakes of a couple of shoots I did for Lane Crawford as part of the American Apparel pop up store. More on that shortly.

DIY TASSEL GARLAND

I've been crushing on tassel garlands recently - the confetti system ones in Lane Crawford are lush! I recently had a go at making a little set of my own. This was one of my project's you'll find in Cosmo Australia this month - along with a bunch of others.

You Need: 

• 10 sheets of assorted coloured tissue paper. 
• A rotary cutter 
• 2 m of twine or rope 
• Clear sticky tape 
• A cutting board 

How to: 

1. Take a sheet of tissue paper and fold twice to form a smaller rectangle. 
2. Orientate the long fold of the rectangle away from you on the cutting board. 
3. Using the rotary cutter and leaving a centimeter at the top, cut the tissue paper into 1 cm strips. 
4. Unfold the rectangle and orientate the spine or uncut part of the tissue paper toward you. 
5. Carefully roll the spine up to form a roll of tassel with fringe on either side. 
6. Use stickytape to secure the roll. 
7. Fold the tassel in half to create a single tassel. 
8. Twist the tassel at the top to create a hole in the top. 
9. Thread the twine through this hole to attach the tassel to the twine. 
10. Repeat the steps with the other sheets of tissue paper. 
11. Arrange the tassels on the twine, using tape to secure.

These are perfect for hanging over the bed or on an inspiration wall, although mine were relegated to the office when my boyfriend saw them and thought I was turning into Zooey Deschanel and was going to start singing my feelings and stuff.

Make sure you grab your copy of Cosmopolitan magazine (if you happen to be in Australia) to check out my other projects in the DIY spread.

Have fun!

DIY DIPTYQUE INSPIRED TUMBLER CANDLES

Ok so I'll be the first to admit that to me, Diptyque candles are the ultimate. No other candle smells as good, and once used they make a perfect jewelry/make up brush holder. What more could a girl want? But a recent foray into frugality (more frugal than usual that is) has left my diptyque candle fund severely depleted (girl's gotta eat right?), so I decided to have a go at making my own. Whilst not a lot could compete with the real thing, I did my best to get some scented candle action in my life. To me the difference between diptyque and other candles is the quality of scent, so if you're going to splash out on anything spend your money on some good quality essential oils to add to the wax mix.

You need:

- A glass tumbler

- Wax beads

- A wick

- Tape

- A knitting needle or pen

- Essential oils (I used rose and vanilla - feel free to get creative and mix your own scents!)

How to: 

1. Fill the tumbler with wax beads.

2. Put the beads in a pyrex jug in a pot of water and bring to boil.

3. Add your essential oil. For each candle I added around 10 drops of oil.

  4. Using some wax, fix the wick to the bottom of the glass.

 

5. Tape the wick to the knitting needle/pen balanced on the glass so that the wick doesn't collapse when the wax is poured in. Then pour the wax into the tumbler (careful, it's very hot!!) and let it set overnight.

6. If your wax dries with a dip in the middle (which can happen when it shrinks), heat a little more wax and fill so the surface of the candle is flat. Finally, cut the end of the wick to around an inch long.

Enjoy!

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DIY POM POM ANKLET WEDGES

I recently made a pair of multi-colored pom pom anklets and paired them with these amazing Tony Bianco electric blue suede wedges - talk about festive footwear! The anklets are removable and can be worn with any shoes you like, and can lend a harajuku/mexican fiesta air to an otherwise classic outfit. Although for these pics I decided to pair them with my cobalt J Brand skinny jeans - because sometimes more is more, right?

Click here to see the tutorial over at Harper's BAZAAR 

Click here to see the tutorial over at Harper's BAZAAR

BEFORE & AFTER: THE ASYMMETRIC HEM MINI SKIRT

I noticed a little while ago that a subtle new skirt shape was popping up amongst many of my favourite brands - the asymmetric hem. Rather than a big cut out, this asymmetric shape has just a small triangle of fabric peeking over the edge of the hem - but it's this tiny detail that gets me. Today I'm going to share with you another before & after project - turning a (frankly tent-like) thrifted skirt into my own version of the asymmetric mini.

You may not be able to see it clearly in this photo but the original skirt had a waistline that was a little less than double my own, and that was a key element which allowed me to make the split hem.

A number of different asymmetric hem skirts inspired this project - including these two below - the Ellery 'Wei Wei' wrap skirt and a Kahlo navy leather number. I was also lightly channeling the amazing skirt shapes in the Proenzer Schouler AW12 show (recap here).

You need:
 - An oversized skirt with a zip in the back (rather than the side). Look for one at least 1.5 times the size of your waist. I was super happy to find this Stella-esque printed number in my local thrift store for less than a dollar.
- Scissors
- A needle and thread (and sewing machine if you want to change the length of the hem like I did)

 How to: 
 1. First I cut the skirt to mini length and hemmed it.

2. I put the skirt on (I have done it on the hanger here so you can see clearly) and wrapped it like a kilt or the way you would a towel, doubling the excess fabric over at the front.

3. I then pinned the folded edge to the front of the skirt, but first put it on a diagonal angle so that the hem dropped down to create the asymmetric shape.

4. Finally, I ironed and then stitched the top edge of the folded section to the front of the skirt, leaving the side edge free to allow for movement. I made sure to create a clean line along the waistband.

Wearing: DIY mini, Country Road Singlet, 'Karissa' Tony Bianco heels