laura: DIY lace shorts

One of the easiest DIYs ever is lace shorts. All you need is a pair of shorts, lace, a needle and thread... and it's pretty much self-explanatory.

I think adding a touch of lace to the bottom of shorts makes them more feminine and delicate-looking. I have another pair of teal shorts that I think would look good with some cream-coloured lace.

By the way, can you tell I like taking hazy, out-of-focus pictures? I don't know... sometimes I prefer being blurred into obscurity. Anyway, I'm waiting patiently for the weather to get a little less BIPOLAR, so I can start wearing these in the summer. =D

laura: DIY Rug Clutch

Here's another DIY that I wanted to share with you all!

I went to a dollar store that sold home accessories and found some thick cloth rugs that were woven out of recycled jersey t-shirts. I think people in Hong Kong usually use these as door mats. For this DIY, you can always just use a thick cloth fabric of your choice.

basic materials:

-2 cloth rugs (or thick fabric)

-felt material (or some kind of inner lining)

-thick velvet ribbon

-needle

-thread

step 1: fold in the ends of one rug and place the black felt fabric on top. then, sew along the edges of the black felt (to conceal the rough edges of the rug).

it should look like this. you should have a straight edge where the rug and felt are sewn together.

step 2: next, fold your clutch (almost) in half. shift the top layer/half down so that the bottom half sticks out more at the top. then, cut a piece of velvet ribbon that is the same length as your clutch.

step 3: fold the velvet ribbon in half and sew the bottom ends together. this will create a little "corner" that will make the rest of the ribbon easier to sew. hand-stitch the velvet ribbon onto the edge of your clutch (on both sides).

now you should have something that looks like this...

step 4: take the other cloth rug and insert one end into the clutch. this second rug will be the outer flap.

then, sew a straight line across, attaching the second rug to the top of the clutch.

step 5: i wanted my clutch to have a flap that looks like an envelope, so i cut the second rug into the shape that i wanted. (however, if i were to do this again, i would sew a reinforcing line/hem before cutting, since the material started unraveling right away).

step 6: use more of the black velvet ribbon and sew it along the edge of the envelope flap. (this will also help to cover the uneven edges). i used light pink thread to hand-stitch the edges, but you can always use a darker colour for a more subtle look. well, that's pretty much it! you could stop here...

...but i decided to add a few more flourishing details to finish off my clutch. i bought some black lace an interesting triangular button.

I ended up covering my light pink stitches with a layer of the black lace and added the button at the tip of the envelope flap.

...so there you have it. a colourful clutch made out of rugs!

I also went to the outdoor market at Sham Shui Po for the first time on Sunday (they mostly sell fabrics and shady-lookin' electronic devices, wires and tools), and out of a large mountain of clothes that were selling for $3CDN, i wrestled out a bright NEON sweater that complements my rug clutch. also because i just so desperately wanted to look like a highlighter.

Since we're on a roll, here's some more NEON for your viewing pleasure...

do YOU like wearing neon?

laura: DIY coat buttons

It's been cold lately. Very very cold. I've been living off hot coffees and disposable heat packs and wearing 10 layers of clothes. No one told me Hong Kong winters would be like this. HAHA. Ironic, coming from a Canadian, but hey, in Canada there's something called indoor heating, which is absolutely non-existent here. So alas, I am doomed to suffer the consequences of being too cheap to buy a small portable heater because I'm stubborn and keep telling myself that the cold spell will only last a few more days so "I'll tough it out til then", only to keep waking up to the morning chills. Anyway, I did buy a coat, which I guess is a cheaper/more fashionable option to a heater.

This coat was around $20CDN (um, Hong Kong shopping = ridiculously cheap). It even came with a detachable fur collar, and you can unzip the midsection to shorten the length of the coat. The only thing I didn't like were the silver buttons - they were made of a cheap plastic and were sewn on badly. But I knew that was an easy fix and in my mind I already had big plans for this coat... big plans... <>...

Moving right along then.

Silver has never really been my colour. I prefer gold or bronze jewelry because I find the warmer tones match better with my wardrobe. So I decided to rip off the silver buttons and replace them with gold ones.

I found these gold + pearl buttons in one of those alleyway markets where people set up stalls and sell random odds and ends. I love exploring quaint little markets over big commercial malls, any day.

Of course, all I needed for this was simply a needle, thread, and half an hour.

...I'm quite happy with the result. It's probably hard to tell from the pictures, but the new gold buttons make a really big difference and totally change the look of the coat.

Changing the buttons on a coat is so easy and it's simple DIYs like these that can improve the look of old pieces in your wardrobe.

=)

laura: floral wreath inspiration

I've always loved the whimsical look of floral wreaths. I'm going to eventually make one - (once I find a place to buy silk flowers in HK... any suggestions?) - but for now, here are some images of what I intend to create.

images above from k is for kani

The ones below aren't exactly wreaths, but those floral hair decorations could be easy DIYs by super-gluing a delicate silk flower or a vintage brooch onto a sturdy hair clip.

image from Belle Magazine

...and HERE is a great tutorial by Blooming Leopold on how to make your own wreath!

All you need is some floral wire, floral tape, and silk flowers! I also thought that you could use "bark wire" as well (google it) for a woody wreath.

Floral wreaths are perfect for field-frolicking! Can't wait till the weather gets warmer!

images from google =P