DIY cat ear beanie with spikes inspiration

So I saw this pic somewhere, probably tumblr, and decided to make my own! (Black cat ear beanie with studs - far left)

I just used some screw back spikes from ebay. :) Since it was a knitted beanie (also from ebay), I didn't have to cut any holes! I just stuck the screws through the little gaps in between the knit.

Yay for super easy! :D

DIY high-low skirt

A really cute summer trend is the high low  skirt (or handkerchief skirt).

I read about it on Universal Doll and was immediately inspired to do a project! Honestly, it's so simple and easy, ANYONE can do this.

Check out a reference image of several popular gal brands doing the high low look:

So let's make our own! You will need a long maxi skirt and some scissors.

Spread the skirt out, and cut out a large triangle. You can go up as high or keep it as low as you want - you will just need to adjust the angle accordingly. I chose the keep mine a bit low and just show ankles and shoes. :)

Here is what it looks after you cut it and bring the skirt fabric back together.

And there you have it! Very simple!

I found a light weight tiered skirt at an outlet store, but you can get yours pretty much anywhere as this type of skirt is easy to come by! Try Target, or even your local thrift store. :)

If you do this project, I would love to see pictures of your finished project!

How to Dye Hair Extensions - Tutorial

I love to change my hair color! It's something fun and easy to change your whole look. If you've bought hair extensions (which can sometimes be expensive) you might feel stuck. After all, if you dye your hair then your extension won't match

If you have human hair extensions (and they haven't been treated to be un-dyeable) then you can consider dyeing your extensions to match. Usually only 3 shades in either direction (lighter or darker) is recommended so it doesn't damage the hair too much. 

I decided to try bleaching an old set of extensions to match my current hair, and here's how it turned out...

How to dye human hair extensions:

What you need:

Bleach or dye

Dye gloves and old clothing to wear

Paper towels to clean up any spills

Bowl and Brush

Two large plastic bags

Hot towel from dryer

Heavy item (such as a large book)

Flat work surface

Clear sink and an extra towel for drying

Step 1.  Prepare your work surface by spreading out one of the bags. This is where you will lay your hair and apply the bleach or dye. Have hair extensions laid out and brushed/clean nearby. Throw your towel in dryer so it can get nice and hot.

Step 2. Put on your gloves and mix up your dye or bleach. Make sure you have on old clothes that you wouldn't mind getting dye on and keep paper towels nearby just in case.

Step 3. Lay out flat your first piece of hair. While hold the top of the extensions, use your brush to apply the bleach in downward strokes (much like you would do on your own hair). Be sure to thoroughly saturate and evenly coat your hair.

Step 4. Lay down your next piece on top and repeat the same process of applying bleach as you did in step 3.

  
Step 5. Do this until all your extensions are coated in bleach.

Step 6. Cover with second plastic bag.

Step 6. Cover with hot towel from dryer and put a book or a heavy flat item on top.

Step 7. Leave under for 10 minutes, then check to see if your hair has reached the desired color. If it's not ready yet, leave in dye and check every five minutes until the color you want has been acheived.

Step 8. With gloves still on, take your hair to the sink to rinse in cool water. Take each piece and hold the extension at the top as you run cool water through the hair. Use your finger to massage the dye out from the hair or the top of the extensions. Lay on a dry surface when finished rinsing each piece.

Step 9. Once all extensions are completely rinsed clear of dye, pat dry with a towel and then allow to air dry.

Step 10. When your extensions are dry, gently brush and wear as usual. VIOLA!

 

I hope this is useful for someone out there! This was quite fun to do on a day off. Have you ever tried to dye extensions before? Any steps you would add? Let's hear it! :)

Murua t-shirt project

I found this gorgeous Murua shirt on their web-store. If you look closely, the earrings are "3D" - real dangle parts!



So I want to try and make my own - which of the below would work the best?



Thanks for the feedback! As soon as I complete, I will post a tutorial!
:)

Deco Madness and Tips

What have I been up to these last 10 days? Well, sorry for not blogging more often (I'm sure you've heard that line before), but I promise I've got good stuff for you guys to read now! ^_^ Quality, not quantity, right? I've been very busy with starting school, but mostly I've been toiling over jewels and charms. Specifically for my phone!

Here we can see my old phone on the right versus my new phone cover on the left.


For the one on the right (my old one and first attempt at deco), I used stick n' seal glue and then switched to super glue. I used 5mm jewels bought at a Michael's craft store along with some charms I found in their button section. Not bad for a first try, I think.

For the one on the right (my new one), I used stick n' seal only for the large pieces and super glue for the jewels. I used 2mm jewels and charms I bought from Yuki. (Hint - she ships from Japan to US, and sells GAL mags, just sayin'.)

My old phone looks sloppy in my opinion. I actually screwed up quite a few times, so I ended up gluing jewels on top of other jewels to cover it up. Oh, such a heavy phone case because of that. @_@

For my new one, I was super careful. Not only that, but I knew what I was getting myself into and had learned many valuable lessons from my previous phone deco adventure.

Here is what I learned:
*For large parts, use a very strong glue. Super glue will not cut cut it.
*For smaller, detailed work, use a glue that doesn't dry too quickly. I used super glue, but epoxy would hold better. You will need to move and adjust as you go.
*Use tweezers - touch the tip to the glue (just so that a very tiny amount is on the pointy tip of one side of your tweezers) and use it to pick up and place jewels. It will stick to the tip, but once you place it in the glue on your surface, it will detach from the tip of your tweezer. I've tried special jewel sticks, manicure sticks... it just didn't work well.
*Lay out your large parts first and glue them down. Then glue the jewels around them.
*Be patient! My first phone only took me a couple of hours, but my second case took me several nights... probably 8-10 hours total. Its worth the wait!

What handy tricks have you discovered while deco-ing?

30 Day Blog Challenge

30 Day Challenge - thanks to Ayame. :) This should be a fun way to get me used to posting everyday!

Later tonight will be my first post - in my halloween costume! ^_^ I dressed up as a "mad scientist".
Anyway... here's the list:

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

Day 02- A picture of something you cannot live without.

Day 03- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.

Day 04- List 15 songs that represent your life’s soundtrack.

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to.

Day 06- A hobby you have.

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why.

Day 09- Something/someone you’re proud of.

Day 10- A story about a past relationship.

Day 11- A picture of something you dislike.

Day 12- A picture of your room & don’t cheat by cleaning it. Share a secret.

Day 13- Write a letter telling someone something you could never tell them.

Day 14- A picture of something you ate and 10 confessions.

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle & share the first 10 songs that play.

Day 16- Something you could live without.

Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have.

Day 19- Nicknames you have & how or why you have them.

Day 20- If you had 3 wishes, what would they be.

Day 21- Share a picture from your day.

Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else.

Day 23- What is something you crave.

Day 24- Share a story about your past that you are ashamed of.

Day 25- What I would find in your bag.

Day 26- Places you want to visit before you die.

Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned.

Day 30- A picture of you today & 20 goals you want to accomplish.




Yep, I'm going to be doing this! It seems like fun~

Closet Makeover

This post has been a long time coming! I have finally finished reorganizing my closet space. It was pretty bad before... clothes, shoes, purses, and random junk just all over the place. It feels so good to walk into my closet now!

I donated all the purses I don't use anymore and stored the rest away in this purple clear tote.


I did the same thing with my shoes and organized them with this shoe rack. Can you believe I got rid of over 30 pairs of shoes?!


Everything up top got thrown into boxes. I have a tote for renfest stuff, a bunch of feather boas (don't ask why), and a box for all my scarves.


I hung up my vintage silk kimono so as to admire it more often.


I've saved the best for last! I deco'ed a cork board and put up mag clippings. This is my inspiration board! This is some thing fun and easy to update.


Anyone else have any luck with cleaning out their closet?