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Back To School 2018: DIY Preppy Backpack

Posted on July 25, 2018August 20, 2018 by Kaylee Naedler

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: Dorm Room Décor Round Up

Posted on August 31, 2017July 26, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

Dorm Room Décor Round Up

After a long day of classes followed by a long night of studying in the library, what you need is to come home to some peace and quiet to recharge before tomorrow’s craziness. There are a few different style directions that you can take to make your dorm as comfy and inviting as ever while still maintaining all of your spunky personality.

Come home to a bright, colorful jungle and escape your surroundings with this DIY: Jungalow Dorm Room This décor option is for those adventurous spirits that like to travel and explore the unknown. Think tropical birds, bright blues, deep greens and fun, eclectic prints.

Rest and rejuvenate with DIY: Modern Dorm Room which will take you 10 years into the future when you’ve landed that sweet job and are living in your contemporary dream home. This style is for those with the latest fashion and decor tips at their fingertips who have an eye for modern design and know how to spice up any room with their trendy finds.

If you identify with the artists and bohemians all around you and love to wander, DIY Bohemian Chic Dorm Room will further express your free spirit. This room is all about earthy colors, rich textures and a fringe wall hanging that will bring your inner maverick to light.

The room where you’ll spend over 1/3 of your day should express your inner self and be home to your creative genius. Whichever option you choose, you can be confident that your dorm room will tower above all others in its unique, chic beauty.

DIY: Jungalow Dorm Room

Posted on August 25, 2017July 26, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

If you love plants and the word “Jungalow” is unfamiliar to you, you should get acquainted, quickly. The true queen of Jungalow is Justina Blakeney, with her ‘jungaliciousness’ (her word) decor and homes. It combines bright colors and organic textures with nature. It’s not a hard look to achieve and if you can’t keep plants alive just find some real looking fake ones. Besides, if you’re in college, looking after yourself is hard enough. I have two easy DIY’s to add some color to your Jungalow.

Beaded Jungle Lamp

I found this fabric in our fabric drawer and I couldn’t believe how perfect it was for this DIY. I decided to sew a lampshade for it that fit one of the frames I had. You could just modify an existing lampshade or buy one for cheap at a thrift store. And you can substitute the printed fabric for solid colors if that’s more your style.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A lampshade

Beaded Fringe

Sequin Patches – We used this, this and this

Sewing Machine or Strong Fabric Glue

Iron

1

First, start by placing your patches on your lampshade. Since I made mine I could lay it flat, but if you have a pre-made one you can pin your patches to it for placement. Once you have them where you want them, cover them with a thin cotton cloth. Using an iron on it’s hottest setting, press and hold down for 20 seconds at a time. Repeat if necessary. Be careful, the metal of the lamp will get hot too. For all those of you who own a hair iron, you can use that too.

*DO NOT do this while the lamp is still plugged in.

2

Once all the patches are ironed on, start pinning the beaded fringe to the fabric. If you’re going to be gluing it to the lampshade you can skip this step. Pin the fringe and the fabric with their ‘right’ sides facing each other.

3

If you’re using glue (I suggest Sobo Craft Glue or E6000), start gluing the fringe in sections to the inside of the lampshade for a neater finish. You can use binder clips to keep it in place while it dries. I would sew a few stitches by hand just to secure it.

If you’re sewing it to a lampshade, sew along the pinned fabric, removing the pins as you go along.

Now plug that lamp in and watch the beads catch the light.

Jacquard Bed Scarf

You must be wondering what a bed scarf is. Trust me, the term is new to me too. I just called it that decorative quilt-like thing at the foot of the bed. So that’s what a bed scarf is. I decided to use all the beautiful jacquards that we have and it totally goes with the Jungalow theme.

You’ll need:

Jacquard trim – We used the following:

1 ½” Ivory and Gold Jacquard

30MM Metallic Jacquard

2″ (50mm) Sun Moon Jacquard

Embroidered Metallic Jacquard

50MM Imported Wine Metallic Jacquard

53MM Fine Imported Jacquard

1 ¼” Metallic Jacquard Red/Gold

40MM Metallic Jacquard Red/Green

Tassel trim

Scrap fabric – You can choose a print you like that complements the jacquard

Scissors

A sewing machine – If you don’t have a sewing machine you can glue the trims together but I strongly recommend sewing

1

Plan the arrangement of your trims. Take a picture when you’re done so you know the order you want them in.

2

Take the first two trims and lay one over the other, overlapping very slightly. Now sew along the edge making sure you’re sewing both together. Repeat this process with the all the trims.

3

When you’re done with all the jacquard, place the tassel trim with the tassels at one end of the scarf, facing away from the edge; right side facing down. Next, take the scarp fabric and lay it over the the tassel trim, sandwiching it in between.

4

Sew along about 1/2″ from the edge. You can leave the fabric in the back unfinished and cut it to about 2 inches or you can do a double fold and sew it. Repeat this for the other side of the scarf. I added a top stitch just to make it more sturdy.

And Voila. Jungalow done.

DIY: Modern Dorm Room

Posted on August 23, 2017July 11, 2019 by Sourya Venumbaka

Just because you’re in a college dorm room doesn’t mean you need to live in a basic box. You can have the future apartment of your dreams, in college, at a fraction of the cost. Just hop aboard the DIY train like everyone else on Pinterest and make your dorm room look classy beyond its years. I have three new DIYs for you that are easy to make and will have a big impact!

Gingham Lamp Cord

Gingham is back and how! This quirky plaid print looks great on clothes and home decor alike. So when I saw this plaid ribbon I had to do something with it. I decided to make a decorative cover for the bare wire of a lamp.

What you’ll need:

Plaid Ribbon

Vinyl Tape

Scissors

Glue Gun

Lamp cord

1

Glue the length of the ribbon to the length of vinyl. This is to give it a strong backing. 2 yards of ribbon made us about a foot of the final covering.

2

Now cut 8″ strips of the backed ribbon.

3

Next, using your glue gun add glue to 1/2 at the end of the strip, plaid side facing up. Now make a loop by attaching it to the other end.

4

The next piece needs to be glued in a similar way but you need to pass it through the first loop before closing it. You’re essentially creating links. Repeat this process with the remaining loops.

5

When you’re done with all the links, thread your lamp cord through them, making sure you follow an even threading pattern.

Now lights on!

Faux Metallic Leather Basket

This catch all leather basket is perfect to have on your night stand or in the entryway. You can just toss your earphones and keys in here so you’ll always know where to find them on your way out.

What you’ll need:

Metallic Vinyl Tape

Scissors

Glue Gun

1

We’re making a basket that is 8″ wide, 6″ long and 5″ tall. See the below above for the measurements of the pieces you need to cut. Since we want the walls of the basket to be 5″ tall, using a pencil make a light mark at 5″ from both end of the base strips.

2

If you’ve made a basket before or used a basket weave for any project this will be simple. Even if you haven’t you just have to know it’s an alternating pattern. 1 up 1 down.

3

Apply a little glue at the joints as you go along so you can have some stability and the strips won’t be able to move out of place.

4

Once you’re done with the base strips ( 3 x 18″ + 4 x 16″) you’ll need to start weaving the sides of the basket. To do this, glue the 28″ strip to a base strip at the right angle formed by the base strips. Make sure this strip is alternating with the parallel strip. For example if the strip next to it is going under, you have to start by glueing the side strip over. This is the point of the basket weave, to interlock and create a sturdy structure.

5

Repeat weaving in and out till you’re all the way around the basket and glue the end piece. You can crease the corners to give it a more defined shape. Do this with the second strip as well, making sure it’s alternating with the previous strip.

6

To finish the ends, fold down and glue the remaining on inch wither inward or outward.

Aaaaand you’re done!

Faux Leather Strap Shelves

This might be the easiest of them all. Add a sleek touch to your shelves by adding these faux leather straps. They look good and are also actually functional. Double yay.

You’ll need:

Vinyl Tape

Scissors

Glue Gun

Shelf

Screws

Drill (If you don’t own a drill you can use a screw driver and do it manually)

1

Measure how high or low you want the shelf hung. The longer the strap, the lower the shelf. Our strap was about 18″. When measuring, keep in mind the strap at the back will be straight while the one in the front will be longer because it’ll be at an angle. Mark the short end and the long end.

2

After you measure, cut the strap. Cut a second piece for the other end.

3

Glue the strap about 1.5″ in. Make sure you align the marks you made earlier with the edges of the shelf. Next, glue the sides.

4

When you figure out where you want the shelf, using a drill, drill the back strap at the top and the bottom. You can have a friend help you keep the shelf straight while you do this. Repeat for the other side. Then, drill the front strap to the wall in the middle of the other. Make sure you’re shelf is straight while you do this.

Ta da!

DIY: Bohemian Chic Dorm Room

Posted on August 18, 2017July 26, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

Yes, yes, I know, you don’t want to think about school. You just want to keep enjoying your summer and pretend that it’s never going to end. But sadly, it must. Maybe a cool new dorm room is just what you need to make the start of school less daunting. Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to give you awesome budget-friendly ideas for decorating your dorm room. You can choose the one that suits your style the most and then put your own unique spin on it. The first one in the dorm decor series is a chic bohemian dorm room that can express your wandering spirit and bohemian aesthetic. We have three easy tutorials to bring bohemia straight to your dorm room.

Fringe Wall Hanging:

Woven wall hangings have been making the rounds all year and some of them can be time consuming and hard to make. We came up with an easier way to achieve the cool textured effect that you can customize and complete in less than 30 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll need

Various Colors of Bullion Fringe – Based on the width of your final hanging, buy double or triple that amount so that you can color block

We used these:

6″ Pink Bullion Fringe

6″ Loden Bullion Fringe

3″ Dark Beige Bullion Fringe

3″ Spruce Bullion Fringe

Scissors

Board – A piece of wood or sturdy cardboard would work. We made ours 11″ x 17″

A Glue Gun

1

Cut all the fringes to the width of the board you have + 2 inches.

2

Once you’ve planned how you’re going to lay out your colors, starting at the bottom, glue your first line of fringe. To finish the ends, glue the excess fringe around the fringe to the back.

3

Keep repeating this process until you get to the top and finish off the top edge by gluing the last fringe slightly higher, so it’s peaking out over the edge and covers the board behind. The aim is to not have the board show through at all.

4

Now just find a spot and hang up this beauty.

Tassel Trimmed Basket

This DIY is so easy I don’t think you need step by step instructions. But I’ll give them to you anyway.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A Basket

Tassel Trim

A Glue Gun

Scissors

1

Start by applying glue on the top edge of the basket.

2

Place the tassel trim over the glue and press to secure. Make sure you align it to the edge. When you’re done, cut the excess and add a little glue to the cut end to prevent fraying.

3

Repeat this process, working on small sections at a time so the glue doesn’t dry out.

That’s it. Now go put some plants in it and show off your awesome project on a window sill or a side table.

Pom Pom Pillowcase

This DIY is a little more advanced (you need to know how to sew on a sewing machine). If you don’t have access to a sewing machine you can glue the trim on. This tutorial can also be applied to curtains, cushion covers and duvet covers. You can use bigger pom poms for a duvet cover.

What you’ll need:

Pillowcase

Pom Pom Trim

Scissors

Sewing Machine (or fabric glue)

Pins

1

Measure how much you need for the pillow case. You can either sew it in sections or per side. Cut according to what you decide. We decided to sew it as one continuous piece for 3 sides and do it separately for the open side.

2

Pin the trim to the pillow case edge. Make sure you’re not pinning it to the part the pillow has to fit through. Stick to the very edge, along the seam.

3

Using a sewing machine sew the trim along the edge of the pillowcase.

*An even more advanced option would be making the pillow case from scratch and sandwiching the pom pom trim between the fabric for a more finished look.

DIY: Velcro Patches

Posted on August 4, 2017July 26, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

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

Posted on July 31, 2017July 26, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

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: 3 Ways to Use Frames In Your Dorm Room

Posted on June 28, 2017July 26, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

One of the most versatile things you can find is a frame. You probably already have plenty lying around or you can get them for a couple of bucks at ikea or if you’re adventurous you can find them at yard sales or thrift stores. I put together 3 ways you can use a frame in your dorm decor but this is just a starting point for you guys to come up with your own unique ideas.

LACE DRY ERASE BOARD

This one is super simple and quite useful. You can hang it on your wall and write yourself a note or on the outside of your dorm door for people to leave you messages when you’re out.

Here’s what you need:

A frame with glass

Cardstock (thick paper) in a light color

Wide lace like this one

Scissors

1

Take the backing out of the frame and lay it on the cardstock. I used a corner so I would only have to cut two sides.

2

Using a pencil trace around the board and cut out the resulting rectangle.

3

I used this Chantilly lace which was wide enough for a 11 x 14 frame with some extra. With the glass in the frame (facing down), place the lace and then the cardstock on top. Then carefully insert the backing to hold everything in place.

And that’s it. Now get your self some dry erase markers and make a to do list.

TRIMMED POLAROID HANGER

With Instax and other companies making affordable polaroid cameras, polaroids are a nice way to collect memories and document your travels. What you need is a cute frame where you can hang up your awesome polaroids.

Here’s what you need:

A frame

Braided trims in 2 colors (more or less, depending on the size of your frame.

This Rococo trim

Scissors

A Glue Gun

Clips to hang your polaroids

1

Measure the trim to fit from side to side of the frame and cut all of them equally.

Apply a small amount of glue to the right side of the trim and attach to one side. Let it dry for a minute. Then, pulling it tight, add glue the other end to the other side. Be careful with the hot glue though!

Repeat with the other two trims and you’re done.

Hang up your polaroids and show them off!

Velvet Ribbon Art

Want a sophisticated and tactile piece of art for your dorm room that’s not going to break the bank? I have just the idea for you. All you need to do is figure out your color scheme and then just play with the different velvet trims in different widths till you like the layout. You can see the one I made for some inspiration:

What you’ll need:

A frame

Velvet ribbon in various colors

This adorable velvet daisy trim

Tape

1

I used half a yard for each of the strips for a 14″ tall frame. Measure the inside area of the frame and add 4 inches to that measurement to know how much you’ll need for each strip.

2

Starting with one side start taping the ribbon taut onto the backing of the frame. I did it directly on the backing because it’s sturdy and won’t bend when I pull it tight.

3

Keep going, experimenting with different widths that you can change by overlaying the ribbon differently.Add the daisy trim in between for some dimension. The back is going to look messy with all the tape so if you want a cleaner more permanent solution use a glue gun and glue all the ribbon evenly.

And that’s it. Pop the backing back into the frame and hang your art up.

DIY: Decorated Graduation Caps

Posted on May 12, 2017August 2, 2018 by Sourya Venumbaka

Graduation time is here! Nothing is more exciting than putting on your cap and gown and walking across the stage. But those plain cap and gowns they give you are a bit boring, now there is nothing wrong with being just another cap in the crowd. But if you want your family to be able to spot you from the bleachers, go out in style by decorating your cap. Here are two great ideas on how to stand out and show your individuality.

Cap #1: Decorate with Patches

Customize your cap with some of your favorite things, and what better way to show your style then with patches?

What You’ll Need:

Graduation Cap
Patches
Iron
Thin cotton cloth

NOTE: Make sure you know which is the front of your cap so your design sits properly.

Step 1: Grab an assortment of patches in various sizes and play around with the layout until you’ve got it right.

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)

Viola! You’re finished.

Cap#2: Decorate with Rhinestones

What You’ll Need:

Graduation Cap
Monogram print out
Rhinestones
Iron-On Rhinestone Trim (we used this one)
Iron safe transfer paper
Iron
Tweezers

NOTE: Make sure you know which is the front of your cap so your design sits properly.

Step 1: Choose the font and size you want your monogram (or quote) to be and then print it out . Make sure to print the “mirrored” version so it is the correct way once it is on your cap. For this we used the font Paduka Script

Step 2: Place your monogram under the transfer paper and peel back the protective layer to reveal the sticky side.

Step 2: Fill in your monogram with rhinestones. Put the rhinestones flat back up, jewel side down, so that the top of the jewel is on the sticky part of the transfer paper.

Step 3: Transfer to your cap. Carefully put your cap over the transfer paper and flip both over. Then position your monogram where you would like it to go.

Step 4: Iron on. Place a thin cotton sheet over the transfer paper and iron your monogram onto your cap. About 30 sec in each place then move around until its on there good.

Step 5: Lay out your trim. We cut this trim so it was a little thinner. Measure each side with the trim and make sure to account for any overlap in corners so that the trim lays flat all around.

Step 6: Iron on your trim. Just like with the rhinestones, place a thin cotton sheet over your trim and iron on. Holding for about 30 sec or until it is not loose.

That’s it, you’re all done!

Now go strut your stuff across the stage and congratulations!

Professor Patches Inspiration

Posted on November 3, 2014August 2, 2018 by M&J Trimming

When sitting in a college classroom, most people look to their classmates for fashion inspiration. You see a cute bag across the way, a nice pair of boots on your neighbor next to you, but rarely do you look at the person at the very front of the room. We’re talking about the older professor in the stereotypical tweed jacket with the suede elbow patches. We’re taking a cue from that academic style, and imparting it into some of our favorite fall fashions in the way of elbow patches! Elbow patches instantly add a little something to an otherwise typical sweater or cardigan.