Mixed Media Pearl Necklace DIY Tutorial

My current obsession revolves around dramatic necklaces.  I have been collecting jewelry odds and ends for several months now and I wanted to put them to good use :) so I decided to make a mixed media necklace.  This one uses 2 types of bronze chain, pearls, various charms, and crystal tube beads.

Here's how I would wear it:

Top: Black T-shirt Turtleneck, Old Navy, Sm (they make the softest tee material!)

Jacket: LOFT Twill Cropped Military Jacket, Olive Green, 0P

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny Cropped Jeans, Dark Wash, Sz 4 Tall 

Leather Boots: Born (so comfy)

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Nikki

I soooo love these Gap jeans and have been wearing them all the time (washed between each wear of course LOL).  They stay slim all day and don't at all develop the unsightly bagginess that other jeans tend to succumb to at the end of the day.

 And a close-up of the necklace:

Check out the tutorial after the jump!

Nautical OOTD and DIY Beaded Pin

Left:  ROCKSTAR Sushi Striped Embellished Epaulet Tee, Neiman Marcus, $121

Right:  DIY Beaded Pin + Boat Neck Striped Tee from Old Navy, Sz XS, now $8, Ann Taylor Khaki Trousers, Sz 2, Banana Republic necklace

When I saw the tee above in the Neiman Marcus I HAD to try and recreate it.  It combines everything that I love - nautical stripes, epaulet, and beading!  I already had a striped tee in my closet so I set off to create a pin to go with it.

 What do you think about pin placement?  I think it looks better on top of the shoulder except that the edges don't lay flat there.

Here's the pin by itself - DIY tutorial to follow!

 These AT trousers run very large.  I usually wear a Sz 4 in pants but these are Sz 2 and are still a little roomy.  Nonetheless, the material is very soft and I like the semi-wide leg cut.  Plus they were on sale for $20!  :)

Peplum Jacket Sewing Project

Peplum Jacket, DIY

Ann Taylor Floral Front Shell (seen here on AN and here on PAG)

Black Skirt, DIY

Pearl/Ribbon Twisted Necklace, DIY

DKNY Studded Leather Sandals

For this jacket, I used a nice black and white boucle fabric from Fabric.com.  I was happy that it was a nice and soft fabric rather than itchy.  It's always a tiny bit nerve-wracking to buy fabric online as I always shop by feeling my fabrics.

I took these photos last week and I think I can already critique a few things.  One, I think maybe I should belt my skirt if I leave the jacket open.  Two, I think this would look better with tights and pumps rather than bare legs and sandals.  Thoughts?  I'm trying to learn from all you fashionistas!  :)

Want to make your own Peplum Jacket?  Check out McCall's Pattern M5936:

A Walk on the Wild Side: Animal Print Top Project

Now I've never been one to sport the animal print look but I've been inspired by bloggers like Ping, Curls-And-Pearls, ExtraPetite, and LittleNashua (just to name a few) so when I saw this leopard-esque printed fabric at Joann's of all places, I had to get it.  You may recognize this silhouette from my LOFT fitting room review here as similar to the Bow V-neck Top.  Though I think the bow gets a little lost in the print, I love that it peeks out when wearing a cardi or blazer.

 The bow

And with a cardi and black pencil skirt.  I think I'll pair a black cardi and khakis next time for more of a contrast on top.

Thoughts?  Are you pro or anti-animal print?

Leather Wrap Bracelet DIY w/ Tutorial - Version 2

You *might* remember that I did another version of this Chan Luu inspired bracelet here.  I really liked the way it looked in general but didn't feel like it was very "me" when I wore it.  So this time I wanted to use a more monochromatic palette as well as less-Boho type beads.

Here's what it looks like on.  I can wrap it 5x around my wrist if I want it to be completely flush to my skin or wrap it 4x for a looser fit.

This was version 1 - I like version 2 much better!  The key differences are leather color (from brown to metallic pearl) and bead type (multi colored rounds vs. silver faceted crystal).  What do you guys think?

Want to make your own?  Check out this awesome tutorial from Ruby Mines (sorry this link no longer works, to see my version of the tutorial with video, click here)!

Sewing Project: Belted Capelet

Though we had highs in the low 60s just a few weeks ago, we are now back to high 80s!   Nevertheless, I am gearing up for cooler weather projects.

I saw this DVF capelet at CUSP and fell in love with it!  The price is $395 and I didn't want to spend that much on something that I considered relatively trendy (versus say a classic trench) so I set off to make my own.

I knew I wanted something pretty neutral so I chose this black and white specked suiting material from Fabric.com for the project.

I found a pretty close pattern from McCall's - M5764 using View D (on model).  I would recommend this pattern to anyone who's interested in replicating it.

                                   

I think it turned out pretty decent!

By the way, the jeans in this picture are those Gap cropped skinny jeans with zippers I bought on Columbus Day.  They are the perfect under-boot jean!  I've purchased jean leggings before for this purpose but they did not look like denim at all.  The only bad thing about them (like all of my jeans), they get looser and baggier as the day progresses so I might purchase a pair in a smaller size next time around.

My next project will be a peplum jacket using McCall's M5936 so stay tuned :)

Cowl Neck Cardi DIY Project

This week's project is a lightweight fall cardi made out of a soft t-shirt material.  The buttons are deliberately placed off-center so that the right side of the cardigan takes up more of the front than the left.  The cowl collar features snap buttons and there are 3 large silver buttons for the cardigan closure.  

Cold-weather tops are definitely more involved, but I'm hoping with practice, it will only get easier :)

I should have arranged the collar a little better but I was too focused on snapping the pic.  Here it is buttoned as a cowl neck.

With the collar unbuttoned, it has this large floppy look that for some reason really appeals to me.  It's a little...pilgrim-esque?

Cluster Pendants on Long Necklaces DIY

My current obsession revolves around long necklaces with cluster pendants (and pearls!).  I feel like they add a certain amount of flair to any kind of outfit.  The one above is made from some spare pearl beads and bright silver chain.  All you really need is to cut 3 (I think mine was about 3", 2", and 1") lengths of chain and then add headpins to your beads.  Loop the ends of your headpins into your chain (you can also attach this first to jump rings).  Then add some beads to the middle portions of your chains until it achieves the look you are going for.

The second pendant I made was refashioned from a White House Black Market keychain of all things.  I originally purchased it as a bag charm but found it overwhelmed my purse a bit.  So I removed all of the charms, added some chain and jump rings, and voila!  Instant necklace.

Twisted Pearl Necklace DIY Tutorial

I have an obsession for pearls and absolutely LOVE any kind of dramatic neckpiece.  I just feel like it livens up any outfit and really adds some visual interest.  For this particular piece, I was inspired by a rope twisted necklace that I didn't really think was "me", but wanted to "girlify" a necklace using a similar twisting concept.

Instructions after the jump...