DIY Chain Bracelet

The Inspiration:

Photo via I Spy DIY

This DIY chain and rhinestone bracelet created by I Spy DIY.  I absolutely loved it and decided to take a stab at this myself.

The Supplies:

All courtesy of Michael's: a gold and a silver chain.  A strand of rhinestones.  Some suede string.  A clasp.  And some jewelry pliers.

The finished product:

My photographs don't quite do it justice, but I was very pleased with myself.  The bracelet came out perfectly!  I can't wait to try some other suggestions from this great DIY blog!!

DIY Costume Ideas

My favorite part of Halloween is the costume-watching. Each year I am always amazed at the creativity.  Personally, I always feel so much pressure to think of something good for myself and it ends up being a total last minute thing.  I try not to spend much money on something I'm only going to wear one night.  So I'm always on the lookout for something cheap and easy to throw together.  These two great options would be easy to throw together!  They are cost-efficient, and each one includes at least one piece that you would actually get a lot of wear out of!

I love this Hamburgler costume from What I Wore.  I think it would be so much fun to slink along the streets of Chicago in this!  And it seems to be pretty simple.  Just red gloves and black boots.  The tie would be so easy - just glue hamburgers to a red thrift store tie.  The mask you can buy anywhere this time of year, or just make out out of a scrap of black fabric!  Just the hat and cape would take a bit of thought to find cheap versions - but I'm sure it can be done! (she used a cheap black bath towel for the cape!)  Especially with this Forever 21 striped dress that you would absolutely wear again and again!

A few years ago, me and my red-haired friend dressed up as the 2 girls from Scooby Doo.  I was Velma, and it was one of the easiest and most fun costumes ever!  It is a bunch of items that you would definitely wear again, so you don't feel like you are wasting money on silly things.  Just a red skirt, orange tights, black flats and and orange turtleneck.  I think this one from American Apparel looks perfect!  And with fake glasses being so "in" this year - you'd look more chic than geek!

What are you going to be this year?

Crazy Comic Makeup!

If this isn't great Halloween inspiration, I don't know what is!  A MAC Makeup artist did this model's hair and makeup to look like Roy Lichtenstein's famous comic book painting.  I believe this is several years old now, but it is still just as amazing as it was back then!  Can you imagine how long it must have taken?

Image via Killahbeez

Image via Art 98

Designer Pumpkins

Over at Refinery 29, they did a roundup of designer pumpkins.  Lots of sparkle and glam in these gourds!  It's such a fun "adult" way to carve and decorate pumpkins for Halloween!  Here's a few of my favorites!

Louis Vuitton Pumpkin

Miu Miu Pumpkin

More Celebrities and Pumpkins

For the first time in years, I've actually got the urge to carve pumpkins for Halloween.  But of course, this is the first Halloween that I live in a huge condo building with no front stoop to display them on.  Sad!  However, if I did have a stoop, I would most definitely be using these celebrity pumpkin templates from TMZ.  Can you imagine seeing Susan Boyle's face lit up on a pumpkin on someone's front porch? So funny!

Susan Boyle

Pee Wee Herman

Audrina Patridge

DIY Glitter Sunglasses

The inspiration:

Alexander McQueen Sunglasses

Jimmy Choo Oversized Sunglasses

The supplies:

A pair of cat-eye sunglasses and some glitter glue in any color you prefer!  I found using the actual glitter glue pens was much easier (and less messy) than applying the glue and the glitter separately.

These are from Charlotte Russe (only $5!!)

It was SO simple - just apply the glitter glue to the top outside corners of the sunglasses to add just a touch of glam and sparkle.

The finished product:

Okay, so it doesn't take a skilled DIY-er to pull this off, but I am obsessed with anything glittery and since I couldn't find a pair of glitter-accented sunglasses in my price range, I decided to make my own and thought I'd share the process with you :)

Stylish Recycling

I am always on the hunt for DIY projects and now that I have my own sewing machine, the DIY possibilities are endless!  I am absolutely drooling over this mustard blazer made out of an old baggy men's sweater by Dee Construction.  Sew impressive! Haha!  Thank goodness she posted a tutorial, I might have to try this myself!

Can you believe she made THIS:

Out of THIS:

All photos via Dee Construction.

DIY Jeweled Cuff

The inspiration:

Trina Turk Gold Cabochon Cuff

Judith Ripka Prism Cuff

The supplies:

Craft Tacky Glue, a simple gold cuff bracelet (this one was from H&M) and an assortment of pretty craft jewels (which I found at Michael's).

I played around with several different combinations of the jewels until I found a pairing and an arrangement that I liked.  Then I simply glued them on, let it dry and it was ready to flaunt!

The finished product:

A bold, sparkly bit of arm candy!

Front Door Fashion

When I first moved in with my boyfriend and we began discussing redecorating ideas, one of my first ideas was I wanted to frame the peephole on the inside of our front door just like they did on Friends.  I've always wanted to do it, but was never able to in a rented apartment.  Since he owns this place, it seemed like the perfect time to make it happen.  Sadly, he shot the idea down rather quickly so I've been looking for new ways to spice up the entry way.

The famous Friends framed peephole via Joe&Cheryl

In my search, I came across this gorgeous front door on Likainen Parketti's site.  It's not in English so unfortunately, I cannot read her whole design process, but I did discover that she did this entirely out of tape!! So amazing!  My boyfriend is on board with this new project, so now I'm on the hunt to find the right tape and then I think I'll try it out!

Via Likainen Parketti

P.S. Did you know that you can actually buy the same style of frame that they used on Friends?!  I had no idea, but you can buy one just like it on Amazon!

Neon Makes Everything Better

I am obsessed with this fluorescent silverware from Sania Pell! It is such a unique twist to add neon to something vintage!  And it sounds so simple to re-create!  She just bought a bunch of old silverware and just spray painted the handles with some hot pops of color. So easy and the results couldn't be cooler!

Stencils

I have been looking into options to update the backsplash in our kitchen for some time now.  I've found a lot of great ideas, but I couldn't decide on anything.  Tiling seemed like the most attractive option, but also the most difficult and expensive.  So we decided to just paint.  But then I couldn't decide on a color - too many options!  Then I came across this photo on Apartment Therapy of one reader's bathroom which she stenciled.  It is so gorgeous!

Photo via Apartment Therapy

I decided this was the perfect answer.  So I officially purchased the same stencil today from Royal Design Studio and I'll be heading to Home Depot over the weekend to purchase paint.  We are definitely going with a gray and yellow combo.  Maybe something along the lines of Behr's Chickadee and Martha Stewart's Mushroom.  I'll let you know how it goes...

Dining Room Table Makeover

Lately I've been playing with the idea of painting my dining room table or chairs or both.  I go back and forth on the colors, whether I should go for neutrals like black or white, or add in some bright colors. I think it's definitely best to start with the table since it's much easier to paint, and see what colors I want to add in after that. I've scoured some design sites and found some awesome inspiration...



Via Apartment Therapy

Via Unpatterned

Via Design Sponge