Friday DIY - Free People Inspired Double Pom Pom Beanie

hey wow...it has been a long time since i did a friday DIY.  if you have followed me for a while you know i love the free people brand, however, cannot afford the Free People brand. 

therefore, i am left to make the things i like myself.

today i bring you the Free People inspired Double Pom Pom Beanie.

how cute is that!? it looks like little fluffy ears.  Click here for the original

double pom poms across the sky...err sorry getting carried away.

Supplies:  Pom Pom makers (I prefer Clover brand found here or at local hobby stores), yarn, scissors, and a premade beanie (not pictured)

You can use any beanie you have laying around or you can make one (patterns for crochet and knitted).

Step 1 - Make your pom poms with a yarn that matches your beanie...or not.  I didnt photograph this step because depending on your pom pom maker it will be different....just follow the directions on the package. i used the XL for mine - size is up to you

Step 2 - When you tie off your pom poms be sure to leave your tails long (about 6-8inches)

Step 3 - poke your tails through the top of the beanie...you may need to use a crochet hook or yarn needle to get it through the knit.  my beanie was pretty loosely knit so i could just pick the tails through with my fingers.  your tails should now be on the inside of the beanie. 

the spacing is up to you!

Step 4 - Tie your tails together or secure to the beanie in some way.  if you knot them together they are only pulling on each other, not the knit of your beanie.  In the picture below you can see i tied the tails into a bow.....that way i can take them off whenever i dont want them there.

Step 5 - adjust as needed.  Do you need to move them forward or backwards on the hat?  Move them closer together or further apart?  You decide.



I know this tutorial has been alittle slap-dash, but i wanted to show you something cute that can you can do quick over the weekend. 

 A few suggestions:

→Use a snug fitting beanie...the one i used here is very loose and floppy...not as awesome as it could be

→Make your pom poms as full as possible.  The XL pom pom maker that I used takes forever to fill up....and lots of yarn!!  I got impatient so they arent as full as i'd like. 

→Another tip that my mom taught me is to use waxed dental floss to tie them up with (the knot wont slip as easily) you can always tie a yarn tail to it before you take the pom maker apart.

Enjoy!!  I would love to see how yours comes out.

today i bring you a fun and easy Anthro knock-off DIY. 

i originally saw this DIY here and wanted to try myself and pass it on to y'all.

Supplies: paint (spray/acrylic), jump rings, ribbon, scissors, beads(large and small) and plastic teardrop shape crystals.

1. spray the crystals well. i recommend doing this in several light coats.  use a clear protective top coat if you wish

2. open and add the jump rings to your crystals.  i used a heavier gauge ring since the crystals are large and heavy.

3. thread 3 small beads before and after each crystal.  both strands of the necklace will have 10 crystals (more or less if you like).  i added additional small beads on the bottom strand to make up the length gap (pic for step 4)  tip: i would cut you ribbon extra long to allow for length adjustment

4. thread a big bead on both ends to combine your strands (see the bottom strand-it has 7 little beads on right/left of the crystal to made up the gap in length between strands).

5. adjust the two strands - the top strand should hang about 1" above the bottom to create the staggered look. tie a knot above the big bead to keep everything in place.

hold it up and tie a knot in the back (i may go back and make this a clasp closure later) when you are happy with the total length.

Wear with pride!! i wore mine to work and have gotten tons of complements!!

let me know if you have questions or need more explaination.

friday DIY: How to make your sunnies not give you a headache

does anyone else get headaches from tight sunglasses or headbands? or is it just me?

i dont have a big head but for some reason its really sensitive to pressure.  whenever i attempt to wear plastic or thick framed sunglasses or headbands i get an instant headache....that doesnt necessarily go away when i take said sunnies off....its annoying.

needless to say i have several sunglasses that i own and cant wear because, while they didnt give me a headache for the 30 secs i had them on in the store, they give me a headache when i actually wear them for longer than 30 sec outside the store.....bummer

i voiced my annoyance to my mom one day and she said...."just take a nail file to them"....wha?

folks....listen to your mother....she is brilliant!!! 

this worked like a charm on my favorite pair of sunnies....that i havent worn since i bought them 1 year ago. (yes they are my favorite even though i didnt wear them...the color is awesome!)

all you have to do is take a corse nail file to 'em.

no seriously thats it.  all you need is for the arms open wider (so its not so tight). 

the arms on plastic sunglasses usually meet the hinge at a blunt flat 90 degree angle.

(1.) starting the outside edge, file...file...file until you start to make it more of a 45 degree angle.  it doesnt take much.

(2.) make sure you are making the angle even all the way across....it doesnt matter that much but it makes it 'look' cleaner when you are finished.

try 'em on....do they fit better? if they are still too tight then file some more

this may not work on all glasses (mainly for plastic frames).....use your better judgement....but man this worked like a charm on mine.  i was able to wear these all the way to work today with no headache!!!

DIY: Free People inspired prayer flags/fun summer bunting

Ombre Prayer Flag Bunting

so this DIY is almost a full week late....or i guess you could look at it as a day early (since i usually do them on fridays)

pic from the Free People Blog

if you follow my blog regularly you know i have mentioned that i like the brand Free People....mainly just for the pretty pictures on their blog, but if i could afford their clothes i would wear them all the time.  i especially like their store design team....always something cool going up in their stores.  so today's DIY is an inspired tutorial on how to make their current

prayer flag-ish displays

i decided to use some spare cotton muslin fabric i had used as temporary curtains and do a dip-dye (ombre) technique on the fabric strips.  if you dont want to do any dying then you can cut up old clothes or t-shirts and skip ahead to the end.

1.) cut up your fabric...they dont have to be the same size.....just long enough to tie onto your clothes line and blow in the wind.  i cut my fabric approx. 1"x10" ....some strips were skinny and some were fat and definitely not cut in straight lines.  once they are cut soak them in warm water so your dye will bleed nicely

2.)  mix your dyes according to the package instructions.  i used the RIT powder dyes because it was cheaper and i was buying several colors.  i used some big popcorn/utility bowls added the powder and hot water (*notice the trash bag underneath the bowls....it kept my kitchen counter very clean!) wear your gloves or your hands will be colorful for days!!

3.) gather a group of fabric strips and fold the whole bunch in half. 

          >if you want the ends of the strips to be the darker part of the ombre effect - submerge them about halfway in the dye and let the rest (folded part) hang over the side of the bowl.  since they are wet they sort of cling and hold themselves in place, but if they fall in then fine....its not supposed to be super perfect.....imperfection is beautiful.  this is the basic ombre technique.

         >if you want a two-tone ombre effect - submerge the whole cluster of fabric strips in your lighter color (ex. green) and leave til you get your desired color saturation.  then submerge only the ends in the darker color (ex. blue).  since the fabric is wet the colors will blend nicely!

4.) mix it up!!  play with different colors and combinations.  make some lighter and some darker.  its your call....have fun with it

5.) once you have all of your fabric dyed and rinsed in cold water (to set the dye) hang your strips out to dry.  when i did this it was very hot (as always) so i just laid mine out on the brick of my patio...they were dry in under an hour.  Aren't those colors so pretty?  Now all you have to do is tie them on to your clothesline with a square knot....i spaced mine about 2in from each other. 

6.) put up some hooks with the screw threads on the end (i used a nail to make a pilot hole with).  at one end of your line tie a looped knot and hook it.  i zig-zaged my line across my patio......once i knew how long to make it i cut my line and tied another looped knot on the other end.  (tip: if you use an acrylic clothesline, like i did, you should burn the cut ends so that it won't unravel itself - for natural fiber rope use some hot glue on the ends so it won't unravel).

yes, i have knitta tagged my bike...i will finish one of these days

 isn't that fun? now if i want to have a patio party all i have to do is run some twinkle lights along my line for some great ambiance.  for more fun with ombre dying check out an awesome DIY on Hontestly WTF - they do an ombre dye job on some denim shorts or my favorite stylist Kris from Glitter 'n Glue .

dont forget to share your pics!! i wanna see what you create

friday DIY: pretty flower halo!

finally....i had time to put together an original DIY. 

this week i made a pretty flower halo. ive seen halo type headpieces in fashion/blogs a lot lately and i think they are so whimsical and fun....why not?

sure you might have to build up the courage the wear it out in public...but hey...who cares what someone else thinks....wear whatever makes you feel pretty.

supplies: ribbon, silk flowers, felt, scissors, glue gun and extra glue

Step 1. Pull your flower buds off their stems (they should just pop off) and seperate each level of petals from the "post".  Note: if there are any plastic "shapers" (like the clear piece at the bottom left of #1) keep them you will need them

Step 2. Glue your you petals together (sans "post") with hot glue.  be sure to glue your plastic "shapers" where they were originally (this will give you flower shape instead of being flat) - watch out for that hot glue...it hurts real bad!!

Step 3 and 4. Now you need to remove the post from your stamen area? You should be able to just push it out the top....you can see this in #4. 



Step 5. Now that you have the "post" removed, glue the stamen part to the middle of your already glued together rose (from step 2). Now do a mock layout of how you want your flowers arranged so you know where to glue them

Step 6. Cut a strip of felt long enough to get the length you want (i did a partial halo, but you can make one that goes completely around your head).  My strip was about 1.5 inches wide.  I chose a tan felt because my hair is blonde and it would blend better.  If you need to glue two strips together to get your length thats fine...i had to.  Start gluing your leaves first and then your flowers.  make sure that everything is secure.

Step 7. Finish gluing your flowers.  My flower bundle had little tiny roses and some green bud things so i glued those around to fill in bare spots and add more texture and depth.

Step 8. Cut off your excess felt so that it doesnt show from the front.  Since I did a partcial halo i cut two pieces of ribbon and glued one to each side of the felt so that the halo could be tied on.  if you want a full halo carefully measure your felt so that it will wrap around your head comfortably and glue your ends together to form a floral ring of glory

Step 9. I glued a little cover over where my ribbon was just to make it more neat looking...but you dont have to

Step 10. Stand back and look at the glourious halo you just made.  Pat yourself on the back and have a celebratory drink of your choice.  This is also where i tried it on and looked for places i needed to glue down leaves/petals to cover the felt.

yay your done! you can see the front and the back (in the mirror).  Hope you enjoyed this DIY

Please send me picks of yours i wanna see what y'all came up with.

wishlist:wednesday

this weeks interwebz surfing has yielded the following wants:

this crocheted hoodie from Free People

this leather clutch/pouch purse from American Apparel in tan

this beautiful cartigan from Anthropologie....why must it cost so much?

this print from Shepard Fairey - the OBEY guy....i want it jumbo sized

i think thats all i bookmarked this week....but there is always more...always.

ps...i have a really cute and fun original DIY coming up on the blog on friday...be sure to stay tuned!  if you want a sneak peak head on over to my twitter (@mistres_cupcake) or my instagram (ezzimcgee)

friday DIY: Design Sponge's aunt peaches' straw cluster chandelier

this weeks DIY comes from Design Sponge .  i saw it a while back and wanted to make it myself....so i decided since i didnt have an original DIY for you this week i would pass this one on to you!

Materials:

one bolt of 24-gauge wire
120 drinking straws
1 yard of 10-gauge wire (you can also use an old wire lamp shade or heavy gauge wire coat hanger)

Cost: $2.50 + light source (depending how you configure your base, this can attach directly to an existing fixture, including an ugly, old ceiling light)
Time: 3–5 hours, depending on size and scissor skills (80% of time is spent cutting straws)


Instructions
1. Cut straws into non-uniform sections, removing any bendy parts (is there a technical term for these?)

2. Use a small pair of scissors to make vertical incisions around the straw, leaving a 1-cm band in the middle. No need for precision here, just work toward the maximum number of incisions while leaving yourself something to grip on to later.

Note: you will find that straws from restaurants and soda fountain dispensers tend to be larger, sturdier and easier to cut than the ones you buy at the grocery store.

3. Run a 10” length of the 24-gauge wire through the remaining/unsliced tube and bend in half.

4. Use your fingers to twist the wire around itself, locking in the straw at one end.

5. Make your base by shaping the heavier 10-gauge wire into a loose spiral (wrapping around a sauce pot works well). You can also skip the spiral and go for a free-form bird cage shape, or just use and an old wire lamp shade. If you are hanging a pendant light through the base, use the lighter 24-gauge wire to form a star shape at the top, as this will allow you to slip the bulb in later.

Caution: whatever shape base you choose, just make sure there is at least a 6” open radius around the light bulb (you don’t want one of your straws touching a hot bulb!)


6. Wrap the twisted wire around your lamp base and secure. Note, 70% of the straws here are secured so that they remain suspended 4” off the base; the other 30% range from 1” to 10” to give it a more non-uniform, organic feeling.

And your done!!

if you wanted different colors...like maybe a glittery metalic...you could spray paint it either before or after.  i think its pretty with or without a lightbulb.....and so cheap!!