DIY Torn Cross Denim Jacket // TUTORIAL

Used to be available at NastyGal

Supplies:

- a denim jacket that you are willing to sacrifice

- an exacto knife (possibly extra blades)

- disappearing fabric ink marker

- tweezers

- sand paper (optional)

- dremel (optional)

Directions:

1. draw the shape you want to look destroyed on the back of your jacket with the fabric marker. The example above is a cross. Don't pick anything too complicated because it will get hard to recognize the more the shape is destroyed/distressed.

2. start slashing horizontally from one side of the shape to another.

3. if you do like an inch at a time, you can pull out the individual blue threads (the weft) with tweezers.

4. if you have a dremel, use the sand paper attachment to sand away the weft (blue threads) slowly not to rip the warp threads (white threads).

5. roughen up the edges with sand paper if you want a more distressed look.

Boom! You have an edgy new jacket that's uniquely yours!

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DIY Striped Sweater

Supplies:

- a sweater you want to jazz up

- fabric paint (not acrylic, fabric is more flexible)

- foam brush or paint brush

- painters tape

- iron

- tpins (or sewing pins)

- newspaper

- a flat surface to pin your fabric to/work on

- blow dryer (optional)

Directions:

1. prep your workspace with newspaper so you don't get your paint anywhere. 

2. pin down your shirt so it's slightly stretched. pin the arms down next to the shirt if you want the stripes to continue in the same place. 

3. put newspaper in between the shirt layers so the paint doesn't bleed through.

4. tape off your stripes the thickness you want. use your iron to press down the tape for a crisp line.

5. paint on your fabric paint in thin layers. if you paint it on too thick it will feel weird when you wear your sweater again. 

6. let it dry completely before you flip it over to paint the other side.

7. once you've painted both sides and let both dry completely, remove the tape. 

8. most fabric paint requires heat setting put your iron in between the layers to iron the back side of each stripe for the time that it recommends on the bottle. usually it's 2-3 minutes. 

Boom! Rockin new comfy sweater for the winter weather! 

ps: this would be super cute if done with metallic for those holiday parties! also neon for that nude/neon trend!

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DIY BLEACHED AMERICAN FLAG DENIM

Denim like this has been popping up all over lately and stores are charging outrageous prices for something that all of you at home could DIY very quickly and easily with supplies that you probably already have lying around! Read on for the how-to!

American Flag Jeans - $68.00

Supplies:

- pair of jeans

- bleach

- water to dilute the bleach

- sponge brush

- bowl to put diluted bleach in

- a ventilated place to work

- tape (painters tape or masking tape works best)

- iron

- cardboard (cereal boxes are easy to work with)

- some way to make a star (sponge stamp or stencil) 

- gloves while handling bleach

Directions:

1. first you need to set up your work area. lay out your jeans on a nice flat surface. place the cardboard in between the 2 layers of denim inside the jeans so the bleach doesn't bleed through to the other side randomly. dilute your bleach with water in a bowl. don't dilute it too much. check bottle for diluting instructions.

2. tape away stripes down 1 half of the jeans. to make sure it's a very crisp line, iron over the tape with an iron (no steam). this just melts the sticky stuff on the tape a little more so it makes the seal better)

3. use your sponge brush to fill in the stripes between the tape.

4. figure out how you will do the stars. i would say a sticky stencil of some sort so you can get crisp edges. if it is a sticky stencil that you use, remember to also iron it down so you can get the same crisp edges as the tape! :) fill in with the bleach. 

5. i would let this sit over night. if it's not working as well as you'd hoped. add more bleach with less dilution. let sit again over night. 

6. carefully remove the stencils/tape that you used and hand rinse the bleach off. wash by itself in a washer (or wait to do a whole load of hand bleached things so you don't accidentally bleach things you wouldn't otherwise want bleached).

BOOM! you have a custom pair of flag jeans! :)

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DIY Balmain Denim Jacket // TUTORIAL

It's finally here! My first ever full tutorial!!!! :)

I hope you all are excited because I worked very hard on this jacket and how-to so all of you can have awesome statement jackets like me! 

Remember: This is just how I interpreted Balmain's style. Please just use this as inspiration and make your own awesome, one-of-a-kind jacket! :)

- scissors/fabric shears

- pliers (needle nose preferably)

- lots and lots of various studs and spikes

(studsandspikes.com)

- various safety pins

- xacto knife/blade of some kind

- seam ripper

- pins

- sewing machine (not shown)

- thread/bobbins/etc (not shown)

- adhesive (E6000 preferably)

- bleach/bleach pens

- pens such as sharpie (not shown)

- paint (metallic looks sweet on dark denim)

- fabric to add on to jacket (optional)

- a denim jacket to makeover

- lots of free time

1. Here's my denim jacket that I will be giving a makeover. I got it from goodwill for like $5.

I laid it out on a table to see what I had to work with. It's good to plan in advance kind of what you'd like to do to your jacket because sometimes after a certain point it becomes very difficult to go back. 

2. I decided to cut out the yolk of the jacket. Cut it out nicely and very close to the inside of the seam so you have a good template for the next step if you choose to replace it with another fabric.

3. Take the yolk you cut out and lay it over your replacement fabric. I used lace. I just pinned mine to it and trimmed around it, leaving about half an inch on each side so I would have more than enough to later attach it back onto the jacket.

4. Un-pin the old yolk from the new yolk. I then pinned my new yolk (the lace) to the underside of the denim jacket so it would look flush with the jacket. This part was rather tricky.

5. After you have pinned the new yolk to your jacket, now is time for the somewhat challenging part -- sewing the dang thing. Because this was lace that had a little stretch in it and again, the fact that it was lace, I set my stitch to a very tight zig-zag. After all this work, I didn't' want that lace to go anywhere. I used black thread that was unnoticeable on the other side of my denim jacket. You may want to do a test stitch to check how visible the stitch is on the other side if you have a lighter wash denim. 

Finished yolk :)

6. I then studded around the yolk. The seams here are usually very thick so I used an xacto knife to push through so the stud would stay secure to the jacket.

7. I knew the back of my jacket would be my focal point. I grabbed some extra news paper and laid it over the back of my jacket. I traced/eye balled what the 2 side panels would look like. I then cut out that template.

8. I then laid out that template and traced it twice onto my leopard print fabric with a metallic sharpie. I again added about half an inch to each side for later hemming. I only did this because my fabric frays. If yours does not fray, feel free to skip this step.

9. I hemmed these panels with my sewing machine using a zig-zag stitch. Again, I only did this because my fabric frays. Skip this step if your fabric is awesome and you do not need to do this.

After I hemmed my panels, I pinned them the best I could to the back panels of the jacket. They aren't perfect because I eye-balled it. 

10. I then used a straight stitch to attach these panels to the jacket. You could use a zig-zag stitch if you wanted. 

11. At the same time on the front of the jacket, I used a seam ripper to take off one of the pockets. I then used that pocket as a template and traced it onto the leopard print fabric. I left a seam allowance to hem it. I then pinned it to where the old pocket used to be and sewed it using a straight stitch.

12. I decided to somehow put my logo on my jacket. It could have been the exact thing, but I decided to abstract it -- with safety pins :)

I printed off a cut out of my logo the size that I wanted it. I then cut it out and traced it onto the back of the jacket where I wanted it with a fabric marker. You could use chalk as well. 

13. I then played around with different sized safety pins and how I would like to conquer this crown so it looked like a crown. I succeeded!!! :)

Caution: please close all of these safety pins with a needle nose pliers. You could get stabbed in the back if you do not take the time to complete this step. I recommend closing sections at a time as you complete them rather than at the very end. 

14. Remember what I did for the back panels of the jacket? I did the same thing for one of the front panels. I eye-balled it, traced it, cut out the template, traced that template onto my fabric leaving a half inch on each side, hemmed it, pinned it to my fabric, then sewed it on using a straight stitch.

15. Between a lot of these steps I took breaks of studding and spiking various places of the jacket:

- the back panels

- the front pocket

- the collar

- the arms

- the cuffs

Here is MY final jacket! :)

top pocket and collar detail

left front pocket detail 

finished crown detail

spiked elbow detail

front panel detail

full back shot

full front shot

I will always keep adding on to this jacket as I gather more materials and such. I want it to be super over the top like Balmain :)

But for now... it is finished!

------------------------------------

Dear readers,

If you make a jacket, please send me your pictures! I'd love to feature you on my blog! :)

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I'M GETTING MY OWN APARTMENT!!!

Coming up this fall I will be getting my own apartment FINALLY!!!

You know what this means?
SO MANY APARTMENT DIYS!!!!!


I've been making a list of things that I need to buy, DIY, or already own.

Here are some DIYs to look out for this summer:

1. DIY curtains & shower curtains.
these will feature a bunch of different surface techniques for you to create completely unique curtains and shower curtains for super cheap!

2. DIY rugs.
these will be for various rooms like bathroom, closet, kitchen, entry way, etc. so they will utilize different materials that suit each specific space!

3. DIY wall/art pieces.
I know a lot of you are looking for ways to not only spice up your wardrobe, but your living space as well! I hope to have a lot of different types of decor DIYs to spice up your walls and such in various rooms where you live!

4. DIY pillows/throws/comfy things
a lot of things i've been inspired by lately are all comfy things like blankets and throws. a lot of them are also super expensive. broke college student here. i have a big need to DIY these for cheeeaaap :)

If there are any more things you'd like to see me DIY please let me know :)

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DIY Braided Chain & Embroidery Thread and Nylon Cord Necklace

As soon as I saw this necklace here on Shopbop.com, I fell in love. I realized I needed to make a tutorial as soon as possible as soon as I saw the price. Read on to see how to make your own!

$84.00 at Shopbop.com





Supplies:
- embroidery thread in at least 3 different colors
- nylon cord or mouse tail cord (the one above is rainbow)
- small chain
- jewelry pliers or needle nose pliers
- jump rings (bigger ones that you can get all the thread through)
- clasp of some kind
- super glue

Directions:

1. first you need to make a very long braid twice as long as you want your necklace to be. make this braid a little longer because you can always cut excess off. use whatever 3 colors you wish. the above necklace is made with a braid of blue, yellow, and black. be original and make yours unique :) make sure to tie the ends securely. use a dab of super glue inside the tie for extra hold.

2. decide how many chains you want. the one above has about 3-4 very small chains side by side then doubled (which makes it appear to be 6-8 chains thick). you could make yours smaller if you don't want as much of a chunky braid.

3. attach a big jump ring to the clasp. put your chains through the jump ring so the there is equal chain on both sides and it rests on the jump ring in the middle. put the strands together and you should now have a doubled strand.

4. do the same thing as above in the same jump ring with your braided embroidery thread.

5. using the middle of the embroidery thread that is in the jump ring, put the nylon thread through that and make it even in the middle and then put the 2 strands together so it's doubled (like the last picture above).

6. now braid your chain, cord, and thread like you would normally. do this carefully so it's all even and nothing bunches up. this is a very thick braid.

7. Finishing the braid: As you are about to finish your braid, slip both the embroidery braids through the other (ending) jump ring. then tie the nylon cord around the braid right above the jump ring. then tie around the chain right next to where you tied the braid. use the above last picture for reference (the left side). tie off the nylon cord and use super glue to secure the knot if you think it'll come loose.

8. let the ends of the braids hang free (like the above necklace) or you can cut them off if you don't like that look. be creative :)

Make it yours, make it unique, make it awesome, make it chic. 

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DIY Cut Out & Studded Denim Jacket

Bored with all the plain old studding you are seeing everywhere?
Well, I sure am. Especially since it's been a trend for at least a year and it's finally now hitting the midwest and I am officially in need of something a little newer.
Still keeping the studded look, but with a new twist. :)



Supplies:
- denim jacket (the thicker it is, the better the cut-out shape will be)
- chalk, disappearing fabric pen, or sharpie
- template to trace or you can free hand it
- shears or possibly a rotary cutter
- studs (square, circle, spikes, etc)
- pliers (to help fix the studs)
- (optional) sewing machine & thread

Directions:
1. lay your denim jacket out as flat as possible
2. draw the pattern you wish to cut out (like a heart or a cross) on the back of the jacket where you'd like it to be. the center will probably look best.
3. carefully cut out the shape using whatever you feel most comfortable with
4. optional: sew along the edges of the cut out about .5" - 1.0" away from where you cut so it won't just continue to fray past a certain point. the more room you leave, the more it will fray.
5. border your cut out with studs! They could be spaced a certain way or just right next to each other.
6. boom ya got a fancy new jacket. go rock it the next time you go out! :)

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DIY Distressed & Paint Splattered Denim Shorts

I also just found these here over at topshop.com for a ridiculous $68.00.

I know we can make these for way less. Shall we? :)



Supplies:
- denim shorts or pants that you are willing to cut into shorts
- scissors
- sand paper
- exacto knife
- acrylic pant or fabric paint in w/e color you wish
- bleach (optional)
- tarp or outside place that you don't care to get paint on
- paint brush or something to splatter with

Directions:
1. cut your shorts to the length you want
2. distress with a knife or sand paper
3. lay your tarp down or go outside to where you don't have to worry about dripping paint
4. there are a couple different ways to splatter paint. you can just do it with a paint brush or you can mix it with water and it'll be a little more fluid but it won't be as thick or as opaque on the denim depending on how watery you make it.
5. let one side dry completely then do the other side.
6. (optional) add some bleach effects in some way to give it a better surface quality. either splatter it or dip it. have fun with it and make it yours! :)

rock your new one of a kind fancy new paint splatter shorts!

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DIY Neon Bias Tape Hem Denim Shorts

I found these here at topshop.com for a ridiculous $64.00

I think I can do a lot better than that! :)



Supplies:
- denim shorts or pants that you'd be willing to cut into shorts
- scissors
- sewing machine
- thread (contrasting or matching)
- bias tape in the color you want on the bottom. neon looks sweet!
- measuring tape
- pins

Directions:
1. cut your denim to your desired length (shorts or pants). try not to fray it.
2. measure out the length you'll need around each leg hole with your measuring tape.
3. cut the bias tape for each leg.
4. pin your bias tape to the bottom of each leg hole.
5. sew it with a sewing machine carefully.

say hello to some brand new one of a kind shorts!

a pair of these in black with neon accents would look sweet for even a spring/summer casual going out look!

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DIY Dip Dyed Lace Blouse // EXPERT

I've also been seeing lace everywhere lately. Whether it be in a blouse or skirt or even trousers (if you can pull those off...more power to ya!) How about spice it up a little bit and dip dye the button up part or maybe even the top of the skirt or bottom? I'll tell ya how to go about it below!

This tutorial requires you to know basic construction of clothing and a sewing machine.



Supplies:
- something lace with a cotton solid trim
- multiple dyes of some sort in the colors you wish to make your different dips(rit will work if you don't have access to anything else)
- something to put the dye in that you won't eat food in again
- paper towel or something to put under the bowl in case of spillage
- rubber gloves
- seam ripper
- sewing machine
- matching thread (in the color of your dip dye or white or maybe even a contrasting thread)
- scissors
- sewing pins

Directions:
1. lay out your shirt. figure out which aspect of it that you wish to add a colored dip dye to (collar or button up part).
2. seam rip out the part that you wish to dip dye.
3. keep the garment in a place where it won't be moved if you think you'll have trouble lining the part you just ripped out again
4. put on your gloves.
5. prepare your dyes. if you just want two colors (say hot pink and deep red), use two bowls (or whatever you chose to use) and put one color in each.
6. dip part of it in 1 color for the time directed on the dye box/bottle/packet.
7. once that part is dyed, carefully dip the other half in the other color for the time directed on the dye box/bottle/packet. make sure there is no white showing between the colors (unless you want that effect of course)
8. carefully wash out each half of the piece of fabric in the sink until the water runs clear. careful not to just throw it in the sink, you don't want all of your dye separation to go to waste!
9. lay flat to dry. use a blow dryer if necessary.
10. pin your piece of fabric back onto the garment the way it originally was.
11. sew it back on!
12. boom! you have a fancy new completely unique statement piece!

Image courtesy of Pepper and Chips

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DIY Hair Rings

I've never come across these before now, but I love them!
What a cute way to jazz up your braids?! The next time I'm going for an edgy look or going out or something I will very likely be copying this look!

Rather than spending almost $10 - $15 on only 10-20 rings from Regal Rose, follow my tutorial below and get your own for much cheaper!



Supplies:
- wire cutters
- wire in the gage and color of your liking. (you can get this by the foot or yard or probably by the roll from any store like home depot, lowe's, or I'm sure even infamous wal-mart has wire). make sure it's not so thick you couldn't bend it with your fingers.
- a cylinder of a decent length that you can wrap your wire around. thickness depends on how wide you want your rings to be. i'd say something like the thickness of a glue stick or a Crayola marker)

Directions:
1. take your wire and wrap it around the cylinder you chose as close together as you can.
2. cut the wire if you have extra.
3. slip the wire spring you now have off the cylinder.
4. cut down one side of the wire all the way down the spring
5. you should now have a bunch of rings.
6. boom! put them in your braids!

Happy DIYing to you!

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DIY Round Studded Heels

Round "studs" are easy to fake because they available in most craft stores in the scrapbooking section!



Supplies:
- scrapbooking embellishments that look like the ones on the shoes above
- E6000 glue
- heels you are willing to permanently alter
- stick glue or double sided tape

Directions:
1. figure out where you wish to put your embellishments on your shoes. do you want just the heel or just the main part of the shoe and not the heel. you decide! :)
2. if you are like me and like everything to be perfect until you glue, I would suggest making an arrangement on your shoe using the stick glue or double sided tape before you use the E6000.
3. once you have figured out your layout, start gluing your embellishments on!
4. let dry completely for 24 hours or so to make sure the hold has had time to set.
5. Wah-bam! New, one of a kind shoes for your weekend adventures!

Courtesy of JakandJil

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DIY Sharpie Chevron Skirt/Shirt // UPDATED

Chevron is HUGE lately & I've been seeing it a lot lately.





Supplies:
- sharpie/fabric marker/or pigment of some kind
- white or contrasting skirt/shirt that you don't mind permanently altering
- cardboard or something to put in between the front and back of the skirt
- fabric chalk or washable fabric marker
- straight edge

Directions:
1. lay out your shirt/skirt
2. draw straight lines with your chalk or w/e you decided to use vertically about an inch or so apart (as wide as you want your chevron lines to be)
3. use your sharpie or fabric marker to draw chevron (like the picture above) in between each line.
4. let dry and then do the other side of the skirt/shirt. then let dry again!
5. wah lah! new awesome graphic chevron tee!




Courtesy of JakandJil

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