Make a Statement Without Saying a Word

Happy Friday! Here's a mood board to show you another way to wear a collection of brooches or a bunch of vintage buttons:

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Gather them up to make a necklace or bracelet! Attach each to a chain, felt backing or ribbon for a unique piece to wear, give or sell.

Check out this other fun inspiration from the Bloomingdale's catalog:

Wear all your brooches at the same time to mimic a bib necklace or jewel-encrusted top. I think this looks better editorially than in the practical world, but hey, it just might work.

Have a fancy weekend, my dears!

Cuff Collection

Sometimes, I find plain bangles from the Dollar Store. While they are cute as they are, I usually itch for a blah to TADA! make-over. 

Here are some pegs on how to give them a face lift:

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(1), (2), (3) Graphic Elements - use a permanent marker to draw some artwork or fancy them up with alphabet/numeral stickers.

(4) Neon Lace - cover the bangle with lace for texture and dimension. Create a lace "body suit"; slip it on the bangle and stitch ends to close.

(5) Decoupaged Design - glue on some paper cut-outs to the face of a bangle and coat with several layers of Mod Podge. Allow to dry before use.

Wrist Candy

The same way interior designers assemble vision boards when developing looks for the home, I like to put together images for my blah to TADA! crafting.

Today, I'm thinking of ways to use up some embroidery floss from this project. Here are more ways to turn the humble thread into fashion accessories:

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(1) A bevy of beads - string some beads on several strands of thread, while making knots in between each bead. Finish off with a tassel and a favorite charm.

(2) Bangle Fest - give plain bangles a new look by covering them in different colors of thread and securing the edges in place with a glue gun.

(3) Braided Cord - braid or crochet long strands of thread to create this piece that can be used as a necklace or bracelet. Decorate the ends with tassels or small pendants.

(4) One Word Affirmations - find a charm of your favorite word {rescue this from an old necklace} and string this on thread in your favorite shade. Wear this daily and believe in its power. 

(5) Color Collection - Braid different hues of thread into a long necklace or multi-strand bracelet, and hook on a few charms. A warning -- your friends might drool with envy when seeing this!

Looks Like Candy

Hooray, we made it to Friday!

 Yesterday, I made this pastel-hued necklace from a

blah necklace of wooden beads. All I did was paint

the beads, and added a few plastic ones to 

create something TADA!

I had a few extra beads left, so here's what I did:

I strung them on a piece of wire, looping the

wire at the ends to prevent the beads from

slipping off and...

 ...to accommodate strips of ribbon that 

will act as the strap.

 TADA! Another necklace!

 They remind me of candy on a string.

The bow at the back adds an 

ultra-feminine touch.

May you have a colorful Labor Day weekend!

Color Infusion

I hope you're having a stress-free day.

Today, we're giving a new look to this blah necklace. 

All we need is paint and a few brushes. 

To make painting easy, I use these bamboo skewers.

I paint several coats, letting them dry in between. 

Empty egg cartons are TADA! -- they make sorting colors easy.

Here's my color palette so far.

Maybe I'll add a few plastic beads from my collection. 

Gather the beads on invisible string. 

Alternate colors for contrast. 

Make a closure clasp...I've used beads and a button.

TADA! A brand new necklace!

Red Dots

Recycling old things into jewelry is one of 

my favorite hobbies.

Today, I'll use this:

An old t-shirt

And these:

A bunch of bottle caps

...To create a fun necklace.

Here's what we need to do:

Cut out some circles from the t-shirt {I made 16}. The circles should be twice the size of the bottle caps' circumference. 

We'll wrap the bottle cap inside the cloth circle, a technique we've used here and here. Make a running stitch on the edge of the circle, pull the thread lightly so the edges gather up. Put in the bottle cap inside the "pouch" and pull the thread tightly. Finish with a knot. Repeat to cover all 16 circles.

Play around with how you want to configure the circles.

 Once you've decided, sew the back side of the 

covered caps together.

Here's what they look like sewn together. 

Sew on a chain with clasp and TADA!,

a handmade necklace!  

Keep it plain...

Or add some buttons, pins or brooches

to dress it up. 

It's an inexpensive way to add a pop of color to a plain look.

Have a nice day!

A Bit of Blue & Gold

If you're a frequent visitor to my blog {thanks, by the way!}, you know that I like necklaces. Wearing necklaces can give some TADA! to an otherwise blah outfit.

Here's a necklace that I never wore.  

It's made of wooden beads.

I think it was too short and the shade of orange didn't complement the clothes in my closet. And you know what that means -- make-over time!

I'm adding a few more beads, also from another old necklace.

I've chosen to paint the beads in a royal blue, inspired by this, this and this. For easier handling, I used skewers to aid me in painting and drying the beads.

 I put several coats on all sides of the beads and let them dry.

Then, I strung them on invisible string and added 

gold beads as accents. 

 It's a little longer now because of the additional beads.

A whole new necklace, and all I paid for was paint!

TADA!

Alternative Fashion

Do you watch reality TV shows? I like them a lot! 

via mylifetime.com

I prefer the exhibit-your-ability types like Project Runway because it gives you a peek at how the fashion industry works. It's focused on design, but lately, they've infused hints of its business side like production and pricing, making you say, "I never knew that."

via mylifetime.com

The season starts with a bunch of unknown fashion designers {some are established, while some are just starting out}. 

via mylifetime.com

It's set in New York City where the contestants gather inspiration, shop for materials, sew their garments, show off their designs, and yes, they all live together in an apartment. 

via mylifetime.com

In every episode, they are presented a challenge {ex. make a red carpet look} and end with a fashion show. The winner gets immunity from elimination in the next challenge, and the loser gets kicked off. The cast gets whittled down to the top three designers who show a collection at Fashion Week {every fashion designer's dream!}. The winner, aside from bragging rights, gets prize money to start their own line, plus a few more goodies to help their fashionista dreams come true.

One of my favorite challenges is the "unconventional challenge". Instead of buying their materials at a fabric store, they are brought to places like the supermarket where they must shop for items that they have to transform into a dress. Totally, blah to TADA!

All this week, I'll show you the weird places where the contestants have shopped, and the creative looks that were produced.

Okay, let's start with the supermarket. One designer bought a gazillion ears of corn to make this:

via second city style

 blah: corn husks

TADA!: cocktail dress

via queen city crafts

 On the runway, it's an eye-catching frock.

via darling darling files

The mastermind behind the dress, Austin Scarlett.

See you back tomorrow!

Plastic Fringe

One of the things on my bucket list is to see a show during New York Fashion Week. I still don't know how to get a ticket, though. This is the reason I like to visit special fashion exhibitions at The Met. This year, it's all about two Italian designers, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada.  It's the closest I can get to seeing haute couture up close, and indeed, the dresses are mind-blowing -- talk about well thought of and well-crafted.

At the "Schiaparelli-Prada: Impossible Conversations" exhibit, these are some of the dresses that caught my eye:

via idiosyncraticfashionistas

This dress by Miss Prada is made of nude silk organza embroidered with orange and dark red plastic pailettes. It reminds me of fish scales.

via idiosyncraticfashionistas

This skirt, also made by Miss Prada, is made of silk twill and black felt with plastic fringe and orange feathers at the bottom. It's plastic but doesn't look cheap at all.

via labelholics.com

Miss Prada's focus on many of her designs is on the back. Her coats and dresses have something protruding like this brown-orange ombre' wool cloquet with orange feathers and plastic fringe. It's very dramatic.

I thought the plastic elements {pailettes and fringe} were quite quirky. It's the inspiration for today's blah to TADA! craft:

blah: plastic boxes that once

contained salad greens

Cut out the curved sections in favor of flat sheets. Then cut them into 1/2 inch-wide strips in varying lengths. {Just be careful, the edges might be sharp}.

Make holes at one end with a craft punch. 

Attach the strips to a necklace chain with jump rings. You can put 2 to 3 strips {use different lengths} on each jump ring to create several layers.

 TADA! A fringe necklace!

It gives the illusion of lucite pendants.

But only you and I know what this 

necklace is really made of!