Tag: Easy

Back To School 2018: DIY Preppy Backpack

It’s that time of year again, the one that students dread and parents love: Back to School Season. The fall semester starts in about a month so it’s about time to start creating some great new school supplies, for a great price! I am going to start this series with an essential: the backpack. Today, we are creating the perfect, basic, preppy-style backpack which is perfect for every student who wants to update their backpack for the new school year!

Today’s Look: The Preppy Student

What You’ll Need:

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut zipper tassels already on bag off with scissors. Then, loop leather cord through zipper and cut to desired length, making a loop.

 

Take thinner cord and tie in a knot around the loop to hold it together. Wrap thin cord around and then tie in a knot twice to secure. Cut off excess of both cords. Repeat for all other zippers on bag.

Step 2: Take white grosgrain ribbon and striped grosgrain ribbon and layer them on top of each other, then glue with E6000 glue. Wait for it to dry a bit, then you can begin to line your backpack with it.

Glue ribbon to the inside part of the zipper flap and then fold to begin lining the backpack along the zipper.

Continuously glue as you go until the ribbon is all the way across the top of the backpack. To finish, fold over flap and glue, the same as when you started the ribbon.

Step 3: Using the same ribbon layered and glued on top of each other, glue to the side pockets of the backpack (if there are any) using E6000 glue. Tip: Use binder clips to secure ribbon while drying to make sure it stays in place!

Step 4: Now we are going to apply the letters! Lay out your monogram in the desired order and lay a thin piece of fabric on top in order to protect the letters from the iron.

Then, use your iron to press down onto the patches for about 20 seconds, or until they are attached to the bag.

Remove fabric for the finished look!

 

DIY: Embroidered Off-The-Shoulder Top

There’s no way you haven’t seen these off-the-shoulder tops in every store and every fashion pin in 2017. They’re so cute and summery and actually really easy to make. You don’t even need a sewing machine. Wait, what?!

 Totally crushing on this top from the Alexis 2017 Resort Collection

All you need is:

An oversized T-Shirt

Scissors

Embroidered Floral Patches

Elastic

Iron

Needle and Thread

Safety Pin

Also, keep a measuring tape handy.

1

Cut the T-shirt right under where the sleeves begin, in a straight line. You’ll be using the bottom half. Then, cut the sleeve in a straight line an inch or so from the armhole. Using the cut piece as a reference, use it to cut the second sleeve.

2

Now, place the embroidered patches where you want them on the piece you cut and iron it on. I did one big piece near the hem and cut the second patch into smaller flowers for the sleeves. Use a thin cotton cloth to cover the patches while you iron and hold down the iron for 20 seconds at a time. Repeat as necessary. Do not use steam.

3

Using a measuring tape, measure across around the upper chest. Then, measure your bicep. That’s the fullest part of your arm. Cut 1 piece of elastic a couple of inches smaller than your upper chest measurement and 2 pieces an inch smaller than your bicep measurement. For example, I had  30″ as my upper chest measurement and 10″ as the bicep measurement. I cut my elastic to 1 x 28″ piece and 2 x 9″ pieces respectively.

 

4

Taking a pair of scissors, snip two small holes (big enough for the elastic to go through) near the seam of the hem. That’s the pre-stitched part of the piece you cut. Then, attach the safety pin to one end of the longer elastic and use it to pull it through the hem. Make sure you secure the loose end so it doesn’t get pulled in. Scrunch as you go along as there will be more fabric than elastic. Repeat this step with both sleeves. Once you’ve threaded the elastic and come out through the second hole, secure it by stitching it to the fabric.

5

The final step is attaching the sleeves to the body. Match the seams of the sleeve and the body and sew on either side at about 1/2″.

Pair it with some denim cut-offs and show off your new embroidered off-the-shoulder top!

DIY: Velcro Patches

Never had a tattoo because you can’t commit to a design? Feel the same way about trends? Me too. I love looking at all the beautiful things designers grace the runway with every season but I can never manage to semi-permanently adopt a hot new trend. Patches have been a staple since the spring of 2016 and they don’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon. So I thought to myself, what can I do if I want to cover my things with unicorns and emojis without really committing to the trend? The answer is *drumroll* VELCRO!

Fun Fact: The word Velcro is a linguistic blend of the French words velours (“velvety fabric”) and crochet (“hook”). It’s one of those companies (yep, it’s the company name) that’s become synonymous with the product.

You can watch the video below to see how you can use Velcro to attach patches and scroll down for more details.

 

Here’s What You’ll need

Velcro

Patches

Scissors

The thing you want to put patches on

1

Cut the Velcro to the size that you need. You can cut both sides of the Velcro so that you have a matching set.

2

Peel off the backing for the adhesive and stick one piece of Velcro on the accessory or clothing and the other on the patch.

3

Now you just have to attach the two pieces like you would do with Velcro normally. Switch ’em out for different patches.

*Note that the adhesive might not stick to some materials.

Kind of a no-brainer huh? I love simple life hacks.

You can also do it with shoes:

 

 

 

DIY: Flower Studded Shoes

Ahh it’s that dreaded time of year when you start seeing all those back to school ads. Time to start thinking about finishing your assigned summer reading and mentally preparing for another school year. A cool new wardrobe is just the thing you need to help you look forward to the first day of school. Keep reading to see how you can make these adorable floral studded slip ons to strut into school with.

What you’ll need:

This daisy velvet trim

Small gold pronged studs

Scissors

Pliers

Shoes

1

Start by cutting the trim into individual flowers. You can do this by cutting them where they join together.

2

Place the flowers on the shoes to see what placement looks good.

3

Using the stud, push it through the flower and through the shoe. On the back of the flap you can see the prongs protruding.

4

Using the pliers flatten each prong until it’s curling in. Repeat for all the flowers.

You can also try different placements as shown below:

 

That’s it! You’re done.

 

DIY: Faux Leather Keychain for Dad

Shopping for dad can be quite the task but we have a DIY that’ll make your life easier. It’s the perfect father’s day gift – stylish yet functional. This minimal keychain will be your dad’s new favorite accessory.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Vinyl Trim like this one

Screw on Studs like these

A keyring

Scissors

Step 1: Cut the vinyl trim to the length you want your keychain to be x 2. For example if I want the keychain to be 4 inches long I’m going to cut 8 inches.

Step 2: I wanted to add a point at the end of the key chain so I cut off 0.75 inch at a 45 degree angle.

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Step 3: I then placed the key ring inside the folded trim and made a hole at the center of the ring.

Step 4: Push the screen into the hole and screw the stud on from the other side.

Step 5: Pull the ring back down and make a hole on the other side of it. Repeat the stud inserting process.

You can experiment with different styles with the same tools.

Now steal your dad’s keys and surprise him with his brand new key chain.

DIY: Vintage Trim Cuffed Jeans

Have you ever wandered into a store and found a beautiful jacquard trim or a vintage trim, but didn’t know what you could use it for? Your jeans of course! This DIY is cool because of its semi-permanence. Cuff ’em and show of the trim or un-cuff ’em and have your jeans back and no one’s the wiser. Watch the video below to see how to make them and scroll down for more details.

What you’ll need:

A Pair of Jeans

A Vintage Trim/Jacquard Trim

E6000 Glue

Scissors

Step 1: Measure the bottom of your jeans. Add two inches to that and cut the trim to that measurement.

Step 2: Apply glue to the end of the trim and fold it over once at about an inch. This is to hide/seal the frayed end.

Step 3: Apply a line of glue to the jeans at the seam and at the top and bottom of the cuff. Start glueing the trim all around. E6000 takes some time to dry and it helps if you don’t jostle the fabric too much.

Step 4: Repeat Step 2 when you get to the end and glue down the end to the jeans.

 

That’s it, you’re done!

DIY: Rose Embroidered Vans

What do you do when a cool new pair of shoes hits the market and everyone has a pair? You customize yours so you can be a dolphin in a sea of sharks. The new Vans Old Skool sneakers are ultra cool and since they’re unisex it seems like EVERYONE is wearing them. And they should. But what if you could take it to the next level with a feminine touch with this rose embroidered patch.

What you’ll need:

Vans (or any sneakers you wanna switch up)

Rose Iron-on Patches

Iron

Glue (If the patch is being stubborn in places)

Scissors (If you want to trim the patch to fit the shoes)

Also keep a cotton cloth handy for the ironing part.

Step 1: Decide how you want the patch placed on the shoe. I chose this single rose embroidered patch to be placed along the side of the shoes.

Step 2: Making sure the patch is where you want it, place the cotton cloth over it. Press down with the iron, supporting inside with your hand. Hold down for 20 seconds. Repeat if necessary.

Step 3: Do it on the other side and repeat with the other shoe.

And you’re done!

 

DIY: Tassel Wall Hanging

Wall hangings have been all the rage the last year or so and the trend doesn’t seem to be dying down. Whether it’s a woven tapestry, macrame or fringe, a handmade wall hanging is a beautiful addition to any room. I decided to use the stunning colorful tassels we have and make a simple hanging that is vaguely bohemian.

What you’ll need:

A dowel or sticks (I used long thin sticks from the floral section of the craft store)

Twine/Cord

Tassels (I used multiple colors but you could also try the all white or all black look)

Step 1: If you’re using multiple thin sticks, bind together a few to make it more sturdy. You can skip this step if you use a dowel.

Step 2: Decide how you want your final hanging to look. Do you want them all the same length? Do you want a ‘V’ Shape? I chose to do an asymmetrical upside down ‘V’. Keeping your design in mind, tie the cords to the sticks and cut to whatever length you need.

Step 3: Using the loops, attach the tassels to the ends of the cords.

Step 4: Tie a cord on both ends of the stick to hang the hanging from.

And you’re done!

DIY: Faux Bee Embroidered Pillow

Ok, so we didn’t actually do the embroidery, hence the ‘faux’. But our way is better for those of you who don’t have the time or the skills to embroider something. Check out how to make this super cool bee embroidered throw pillow:

 

What you’ll need:

A pillow cover

Embroidered patches – We used this one

An iron

 

Yup, that’s it.

Step 1: Place the patches how you want them.

Step 2: Iron the patches for 20 seconds each on high heat (no steam). Repeat if necessary.

(Use a thin cotton cloth over the patches, to protect them)

And that’s it, you’re done. No joke.

Check out how to make this pillow and two others in this video:

DIY: Tassel Pillow

Have an old pillow you want to give some life to? Just grab a few tassels and add them all around. Tassels are a fun addition to a lot of home decor projects. Check out how we updated this pillow:

What you’ll need:

A pillow cover/pillow

Tassels

Needle and Thread

Step 1: Starting with a corner, sew a stitch from the back of the pillow and then sew it back through.

Step 2: Using the loop on the tassel, fasten it to the cover by repeating the first step.

Step 3: Just add more tassels all around the pillow.

And you’re done!

Check out this video for more ideas on making cool pillows: