DIY Midsummer Flower Crown It’s officially Midsummer and honestly, what’s not to love about time-honored celebrations, especially when it involves wearing wildflowers around your head, drinking vodka and dancing around a maypole? Naturally with our love of cultures, customs, and DIYs, we’ve partnered up with our friends at Kanon Organic Vodka on a sweet flower crown DIY for their annual Swedish Midsummer festivities and for the ultimate contest. Participating is as simple as liking Kanon’s Facebook page, picking your favorite Midsummer tradition, sharing it with your friends, and winning a chic Phillip Lim bag, gorgeous Pamela Love jewelry or much much more! Update: the Kanon Midsummer Contest is now over so here is the full tutorial! You’ll need:a variety of fresh flowers trimmed down to 3″ stems2 pieces of 16 gauge floral cloth wiregreen floral tapefloral shears or scissors To begin, you’ll create the base of the flower crown out of two pieces of floral wire. Your flower crown is finished! Happy Midsummer’s Day!
DIY Wrap Bracelet You should all know by now that we are all about stacking bracelets on our wrists. The more, the better. In fact . . . the most, the best! With that being said, we’ll show you how to master a version of the ever so popular wrap bracelet. It’s so simple and addicting, you’ll soon be churning out these wristlets with your eyes closed. Clearly this arm party train isn’t stopping and it’s about time you get on board! You’ll need (for a double wrapped bracelet) :* Lengths will vary depending on the size of your wrist (see comments for suggestions). Fold the length of leather cording in half to form a loop. Place the ball chain along the leather cording with the end of the chain meeting the end of the wrap. Continue wrapping while checking it for fit around the wrist. When you have reached the end of the ball chain wrap the linen cording around the leather strands 2-3 more times. Thread the hex nut through the strands and tie a second knot. Trim with scissors and your wrap bracelet is finished!!
DIY Friendship Bracelet For several months now, we’ve been receiving emails requesting a friendship bracelet DIY. Well, friends, ask and you shall receive! Today, we’ll give you a step by step tutorial on the classic chevron pattern. If you used to whip up friendship bracelets like a champ in grade school and have since forgotten how, consider this a refresher course. And if you can make these with your eyes closed and arms tied . . . umm, can we still be friends? You’ll need:embroidery threada safety pin or tapea pair of scissors Start by cutting several strands of embroidery thread at about 24 inches each. Start on the left side with the outermost color (shown here in red) and make a forward knot by creating a 4-shape over the 2nd color, loop it under and back through the opening. Pull up and to the right to tighten. Now pick up the outermost color on the right side (show here in red) and make a backward knot, creating a reverse 4-shape over the 2nd color, loop it under and back through the opening.
DIY Proenza Schouler Scroll Necklace Were you blown away by Proenza Schouler‘s entire Fall 2011 Collection as much as we were? The juxtaposition of digitalized and geometric Native American inspired prints with decorative, Victorian-like statement necklaces was all kinds of genius. And of course, the jewelry had the wheels in our DIY minds spinning ever since. Erica of PS I Made This recently made a beautiful version of Proenza Schouler’s scroll necklace in white and today, we’re tackling a version in black . . . it’s all about the yin and the yang, right? You’ll need: The hardest part of this project is finding decorative mouldings that are small enough to use. Lay the mouldings on a wooden block and carefully drill holes through each marking. In a well ventilated area, spray an even coat of flat black paint over the mouldings and charms. Connect each piece with a jump ring using the pliers. Your Proenza Schouler inspired necklace is finished! Scroll-ed! (top image from here, rest of images by Honestly…WTF)
DIY Ombré Denim Dip dyed ombré denim has been popping up here and there and not only do we love the look, it’s super easy to do yourself! We’ve combined Tory Burch‘s dip dyed jeans and Miss Unkon‘s ombré 501s as inspiration for a pink infused DIY that could be done in a jiffy. Start by rinsing your shorts with water. A bottle of RIT liquid dye amounts to 1 cup; you’ll dye your shorts with the lightest shade first and darkest shade last. Pour 1/3 of the cup of dye into 2 gallons of hot water and mix. When dyeing dark denim, you will want to use less water for a darker dye. Ring out the excess dye and add another 1/3 cup of dye to your bucket. It’s that easy: ombré dip dyed denim shorts! DIY Net Bag After crushing hard on this vintage net bag spotted by Phil Oh on the streets of NYC, we knew we had to attempt to DIY it. Sprucing up a reusable cotton bag from the grocery store with some hardware and carabiners? Sign us up! In just a few simple steps, we’ll show you how to make our rendition of the net bag – perfect for a stroll in the park. Supplies Lista cotton net bag (also available at Whole Foods)2 carabiners (if you can’t find gold carabiners, you can spray paint them)8 sets of 1/4″ screw postsa flat head screwdrivera pair of scissors Start by cutting each of the straps down the middle, creating 4 loose straps. Carefully pierce a small hole through each mark with the tip of the scissors. Push the screw post set through both holes and tighten with a screwdriver. Add another set of screw posts about an inch of the way down for more support. Your bag is finished! Attach keys, charms or pom poms to one of the carabiners and you’re all set!
DIY Luv Aj Handpiece When the lovely Amanda Thomas of Luv Aj offered to show us how to DIY her signature handpiece, we were ecstatic! Not only are we huge fans of her jewelry, we’ve been dying to adorn ourselves with this ring and bracelet combination. Thank you for the awesome tutorial, Amanda! This season, the best seller in the entire collection was the Polished Pyrite Handpiece. You’ll need: Now that you have all you need, let’s get cracking. Now for the bracelet portion- everyone’s wrist is a little different so you can ball park the length. So now we need to attach all the smaller chains together: Open up one of the smaller jump rings and loop the shorter piece of chain and connect the jump ring on both ends. Don’t close the jump ring yet though, we need to add the two longer strands of the thin chain to the same jump ring. Grab the thick chain you cut for the bracelet portion and find the middle. Repeat the same step on the other side. Voila!
DIY Miu Miu Sneakers Do you remember the last time you Sharpie-d or embellished a pair of sneakers? For us, it had been far too long so when we saw Miu Miu‘s latest glittery sneakers for fall, we were anxious to bling out our own pair using a pair of classic Vans as our canvas. But honestly, what fun is it unless you can DIY a pair too? Leave a comment and we’ll select a reader, at random, to choose their own pair of DIYable Vans. You’ll need: Start by taping the edges of the shoes, covering the rubber soles. Add one part course glitter to two parts Mod Podge into a small plastic cup or tray. Stir the mixture thoroughly with a paintbrush. Remove the tape. Sport your new Miu Miu inspired glittery sneakers with or without laces! Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to DIY your own pair of Canvas Authentic or Slip-On Vans! (top image by Bruce Weber via Tumblr, rest of images by HonestlyWTF)
DIY Bow Tie A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated FNO by DIYing bow ties and neckties from scraps of denim at Madewell – because honestly, who isn’t borrowing a bit of inspiration from the boys this season? Today we’ll be showing you, who may have missed the event, how to DIY a bow tie with luxurious, Dolce & Gabbana-inspired velvet. Before you know it, you’ll be well suited and ready to channel your inner Marlene Dietrich! You’ll need:a 6″ x 3.5″ piece of velveta 0.75″ x 2.5″ piece of velveta 1″ pin backa glue guna rulera pen Start by drawing a vertical line and a horizontal line, dividing the rectangle into 4 equal quarters. Flip the piece over, while still pinching the backside, and place a drop of hot glue in the center. Place another drop of glue on the front side and fold the fabric closed. Turn the bow on its backside and glue the tip of the velvet strip to the center. Glue a pin back to the back of the bow. Your velvet bow tie is finished! Boy, oh boy . . .
DIY Woven Chain Bracelet Chain link bracelets, with colorful threads woven through them, have been popping up here and there. We adore Aurèlie Bidermann‘s Do Brazil bracelets and thought it was about time we graduate to the ultimate “grown-up” friendship bracelet. With a curb chain bracelet and some embroidery thread, we’ll teach you how to make your own woven chain bracelet. You’ll need:a curb link braceletembroidery threadtwo bobby pinsa pair of scissors Cut 2 sets of 15 strands of embroidery thread, with each strand measuring four times the length of the bracelet. Lay the second color (blue) over the first color (coral). Repeat the steps until you reach the end of the bracelet. (top images from here and here, rest of images by Honestly…WTF) DIY Gold Leaf Faux Jewelry Inspired by a shoot styled by Mandy of Oracle Fox where gold leaf was applied in the form of makeup and jewelry, I immediately had to try it myself. It’s an instantaneous and temporary solution for a lack of bling. Plus, it looks super fly! This technique may even come in handy this Halloween season when you decide you’ll want to dress up as a Fendi-bot . . . or C-3P0. You’ll need: Start by cutting the sheet of gold leaf into half inch strips. The gold leaf will not adhere to anything without an adhesive agent so an application of spirit gum is necessary. Pick up a strip of gold leaf and press the gold side onto the tacky area with pressure. Remove the tape and use your fingers to smooth out any loose flakes. Voila! (top image via Vogue.com, rest of images by HonestlyWTF; bottom image Jennifer Fisher Spike Ring & Zoya Edyta polish)
Fashion Frances May was one of the first independent shops i discovered online, many many years ago now, whose inventory and general vibe i really fell in love with. which is thrilling to me because they are now a proud sponsor of the blog (yay!) they just recently relaunched their website – showcasing big beautiful images and wonderful lookbooks – as well as their usual collection of amazing clothes for men and women. they have also just launched their first in-house collection, a collaboration with Portland designers Church & State. Rachel Turk & Nathaniel Crissman of Church & State and Pamela Baker-Miller of Frances May put their heads together to re-interpret favorite Church & State silhouettes with a Frances May twist. the lookbook was shot by Caesy Oney. you can shop the entire collection here. if you had to tell me tomorrow that i could only wear pieces from Frances May for the rest of my life, i would be totally okay with that.
Honestly WTF Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday! I can’t wait to spend the week relaxing with the family, playing board games, wrapping presents and making gingerbread garlands . . . what do you have planned? (photo via John Lewis) Cotton candy or bubble gum pink? Showing up on discarded furniture on the streets of Milwaukee are lyrics by the master love song balladeer himself, Lionel Richie. I love wrapping presents. You’ll need: DIY Color Blocked Pants Color + block = the 2 words in fashion most commonly used this season. It was just a matter of time before we’d incorporate this much loved trend into a DIY. And thanks to Tommy Ton‘s color blocked pants, spotted at New York Fashion Week, we were finally inspired to give an old pair of chinos a much needed makeover! You’ll need: Depending on the length of the pants, measure 12-16 inches from the bottom hem to the calf. Start painting, using generous amounts of paint. Once the legs have been painted, allow it to dry completely. Fold the bottom of pants twice into a cuff. Ready, set . . . color-blocked! (top image via StreetFSN, rest of images by HonestlyWTF)