Last year, I had so much fun painting this birthday card for my friend Wendy. This time around, I decided to make her a set of Russian dolls in outfits worn by Eleven in the Netflix show Stranger Things. And as an extra surprise, I added an inspirational quote from the show for Wendy to find as she opened each layer. I think they turned out so cute!
I would say that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Throughout the year, I will be sporadically inspired by something that could be the perfect Halloween costume. And as the holiday gets closer, my creative juices really start flowing as I hone in on the one idea that feels uniquely me.
It is an exhilarating feeling trying to figure out how to take a thought in my head and bring it to life as a wearable object. Over the years, I have been a Facebook Fairy, a Harajuku Baby Doll and more recently Bruno Mars, each I remember my boyfriend being confused by the concept, but impressed by the outcome.
Well, this year my inspiration came early. At the Met’s Camp exhibit over the summer, I was completely smittened by a Vaquera outfit in the shape of a Tiffany & Co. pouch. I remember thinking it would be really fun to make my own version.
Sketch it out – initial drawings of the Tiffany & Co. pouch, which I will say are pretty close to what I made.
I visited a couple fabric stores in New York’s Garment District in search of fabric in the iconic Tiffany blue color. I was surprised to realize that the blue is more of a turquoise blue. I wanted to a fabric that would not wrinkle easily, have some structure, but still flowy – I found exactly that with a neoprene fabric in the perfect shade.
Same same, but different. For yarn, I went to Michael’s. You should have seen me at the store for a good hour trying to pick which one would most compliment the fabric I bought. The yarn colors did not match exactly so I would go back and forth, trying to figure out if it would be better if the yarn was darker or lighter than the fabric.
Once I got all the materials, I could start crafting. I cut two mirrored pieces for the pouch and pinned them together.
Because I do not have a sewing machine nor do I have space for one in my tiny Brooklyn apartment, I had no choice but to hand sew everything.
At times I was cursing because a 5 minute sewing machine job was becoming a 2 hour hand sewing job, but I just loved knowing that with each stitch I was getting closer to what I was imagining in my head. I think that is a important lesson for life – that small steps may feel insignificant but as they add up you are moving closer to the thing you want to achieve. So little by little just keep moving forward.
Next, the elastic band to create the gathered look when the ropes are pulled. I measured the appropriate length around my upper chest area and sewed both ends of the elastic band together. Note to self: make the band a bit tighter than you think is necessary. I almost boob-flashed everyone when my pouch nearly slipped off while dancing. ECK!
Another “make it work” part. I realized the elastic band would need to be stretched in order to properly sew onto the fabric. I had to get creative and figure out what I could use to keep the band tout and spotted my garden stool. Yes, it looks a little strange, but it worked out perfectly.
I thought a lot about the wording that would go on the pouch. The obvious choice was the Tiffany logo but I wanted to do something unexpected. I toyed with options like ‘Shine Bright & Co’ and ‘Rosie & Co.’
While brainstorming, I saw that Tiffany was in hot waters for an image of model FeiFei Sun that I believe the company was wrongly called out for. Then, the word ‘freedom’ came to mind. With all the shit going on in the world, in our communities and at our borders, it felt like the right word: freedom of expression, of the press, of religion, of a fair election/trial, of going to places without getting hurt or killed, freedom of just being your authentic self without judgment.
Using a printed guide, I cut felt into the shape of each letter, ampersand and period. Oh, how tedious this was.
I lined the edges with some fabric glue to prevent the letters from fraying. Once I was happy with the placement of the letters on the pouch, I secured them, making sure the glue did not peek out from the edges.
I have a distinct childhood memory of me trying to braid two strands of hair and feeling disappointed when the twist became undone because I did not have the proper technique. Thanks to my always handy YouTube I figured out how to make a yarn rope, the key being that you have to twist each strand in the same direction before you start twisting them over each other. I made two ropes and knotted them on both ends.
After looping the ropes through the arm holes, I trimmed the ends so that they looked even and clean.
The finishing touches were my hairdo inspired by the glamorous fashion of the 1950s and Midge Maisel from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, some bling bling earrings, and a white bow as a nod to the iconic Tiffany gift box.
My costume came out even better than I could have hoped for. So simple, so charming, so me. Teehee – I wish I could wear it everyday. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, making a Halloween costume is such a creative outlet for me that allows me to be my most authentic self as a creative. This project did just that. Happy creating!
The warmer summer weather calls for soft wavy hair, floral dresses and, of course, cute bikinis. I decided to "Chanelify" a plain white bikini, taking it from a boring plain swimsuit to a glamorous beach set that Karl Lagerfeld would surely approve of. And at a fraction of what Chanel bikinis cost, your bank account will definitely approve.
I drew inspiration from the French fashion brand's Spring 2013 Ready-To-Wear collection in which many of the pieces were adorn with iconic pearl embellishments. The looks are incredibly simple, yet gorgeous in execution. And even though the collection is already two years old, the pieces look completely timeless.
white bikini (mine is from Old Navy)
roughly 14-18 gold edged pearl shank buttons (Mine are from Dills Buttons)
white thread
needles
pins
scissors
sticky parts of post-it notes cut into rounds that are the same size as your buttons or small round stickers
seam ripper (in case you mess up with your sewing)
Position your cut post-it dots evenly around your bikini top. Each cup ended up having seven dots, but the number may vary depending on your cup size (I bought a size small top). Make sure to look at the dots at different angles to see that they are all positioned evenly from each other.
Once you are happy with how the dots look, you can move onto the pinning part. Carefully pin each button in the same location as the post-it dots, adjusting as needed. Again, make sure that all the buttons are positioned evenly from each other.
Lastly, sew each button securely. I had to watch this video on how to properly sew a shank button to make sure I was doing it correctly. You will need to loop several times and knot securely.
All that is left to do is to hit up your favorite beach in your freshly DIY-ed bikini. I loved wearing mine in Mexico and I am sure you will too on your next vacation. And do not forget to wear sunscreen!
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
I am a huge fan of Charlotte Olympia and really wanted to try making one of her signature Pandora clutches. This is a quick and easy high-fashion inspired project that requires just a few items to recreate.
If you are not familiar with Charlotte Olympia, you must do a Google search. The British luxury shoe and accessories brand makes some of the world's wittiest fashion pieces, each a masterful work of art.
This particular safety-pin adorned Punk Pandora perspex clutch is the inspiration for this project. It is the perfect mix of punk rock and sophisticated glamour.
Begin with a clear perspex clutch and fabric pouch. You can make yours from scratch or be like me and get a set from Etsy.
Decide on what colored safety pins you would like to use. They come in literally any color and finishing. I looked for the most vibrant colored gold ones I could find, each measuring in at about 7/8 inch long.
The pinning process requires some strategic thinking. You want to make sure that the pins are facing different directions so that the overall look is random. The closer the pins are to each other, the more dramatic the finished clutch will look.
And just like that, voila! This eye-catching clutch will be the perfect accessory for your next outing at a fraction of the cost. Definitely give it a try. Happy pinning!
Sometimes I let a new project find me. I wait for something to spark an idea that puts me on high-alert and begs me to design it. This project definitely made its way to me when I came across this meticulously-crafted flower alphabet. A beautiful interpretation of the English alphabet, of 26 symbols that we continuously put together to form our everyday thoughts.
Thévy Guex
I combed through Pinterest boards and found numerous variations from illustrated birds and foods to strategically positioned safety pins and rubber bands. Each incredibly unique, charming and smile-inducing.
Andrea Kalfas
Vidhya Nagarajan
Zumra Waheed
Florent Chau
Karen Bueno
Jenny Kyvik Hutchens
I could not wait to get in on the action and decided to create a handbag version showcasing iconic bags from the world's biggest names in fashion. Anyone who knows me knows that I love handbags. This project would be just the thing to satisfy my bag addiction without breaking the bank.
Some letters were no-brainers - G for Gucci, H for Hermès, V for Valentino. For others like the letter C I had to tearfully choose amongst my beloved Chanel, Céline, and Chloé.
Preliminary brainstorming and sketching
A: Anya Hindmarch
B: Balenciaga
C: Chanel
D: Dior
E: Emilio Pucci
F: Fendi
G: Gucci
H: Hermès
I: Issey Miyake
J: Jason Wu
K: Kate Spade
L: Louis Vuitton
M: Mulberry
N: Narciso Rodriguez
O: Oscar de la Renta
P: Prada
Q: Alexander McQueen
R: Ralph Lauren
S: Salvatore Ferragamo
T: Tory Burch
U: Urania Gazelli
V: Valentino
W: Alexander Wang
X: X-patterned tote
Y: Yves Saint Laurent
Z: Zac Posen
I did not stop here. I was preparing to leave my job and decided to design personalized goodbye cards for roughly fifty of my colleagues, many of whom who share my bag addiction. I thought it would be perfect to utilized my freshly-designed alphabet to spell my coworkers' names on each card. Here are a few examples:
Clark (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Anya Hindmarch, Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade)
Claire (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Anya Hindmarch, Issey Miyake, Ralph Lauren, Emilio Pucci)
Michael (Mulberry, Issey Miyake, Chanel, Hermès, Anya Hindmarch, Emilio Pucci, Louis Vuitton)
Oceane (Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, Emilio Pucci, Anya Hindmarch, Narciso Rodriguez, Emilio Pucci)
Signing away, one card at a time.
And for my collegues located in other parts of the world, I also created an email version of the goodbye card for them. Can you figure out what the handbags spell out?
