Home DIY Inspiration: Decorating With Toys

Don't know what to do with all your old dinosaur set or gumball machine plastic figurines? Besides turning action figures into flower stands, apparently the thing to do is spray paint them a metallic/neon color, then turn them into magnets/necklaces/rings/table decor.

Adore. I'm so breaking out the spray paint tomorrow.

(how cute is the flower headpiece on this elephant??)

(do you see the army men in this photo??)

Photos via: WeSeeRainbows, Threadbanger (x2), Sugar and Cloth, Martha Stewart, PB Teens, HGTV Design, The Sweetest Occasion (and here), The Good Machinery, This Is Colossal, GoHausGo

DIY: Blinged Out Beanie

This whole sequins and sweaters thing I talked about a couple weeks ago is becoming more true than I dare to even say.

So instead, please direct your attention to this uh-mazing photo (again by the Sartorialist - I'm obsessed, okay??) of a woman (I'll bake cookies to whoever can tell me who it is) wearing a blinged out beanie. Let me repeat that. BLINGED. OUT. BEANIE. I mean, lookit her hat! And her arm party, and the neon chunky statement necklace and the layering and ugh. I want it all. Especially that hat. Cue my most loyal life partner in crime modeling my latest DIY.

World, this is Sumo my teddy bear of the last 15 years. Sumo, this is internet fame.

What you need:
A beanie
Lots of rhinestones
Glue and/or sewing thread and needle

What you do:
1) Try on your hat and fold up the beanie "brim" however far your want. I chose this awesome F21 one with a neon interior. ¡Viva la neon!

2) Organize the rhinestones by color since you're kind of a freak for stuff like that.

3) Play around with how you'd like the rhinestones to look on your beanie.

4) Carefully glue down each piece, stretching the hat a bit. I'm probably going to go back and also stitch everything down since I don't want to be dropping rhinestones all over the place.

5) Voila! I will hopefully also be posting an alternate method of creating this look sometime soon, so stay tuned. Like always.

This is me being blogger-posed sad that this is the only human-model photo I've taken of this hat, and it's nowhere near as cute as a teddy bear. In other news, I'm now accepting applications for a photographer who can do more than count to ten and flash an orange light in my face.

Outfit Post: DIYed Neon Shirt and Pleated Skirt

Look! A semi-legit outfit post! With outdoorsy pictures and everything! Though it was super weird taking these, and I'm pretty sure my neighbors thought I was insane, so I snapped these in like five minutes and ran back inside. Enjoy!

Just got this pleated skirt the other day and not sure that I'm super in love with it, but for now I'm keeping it.

Also, I need to start wearing more jewelry. My newest mission. Speaking of which, make sure to enter my jewelry giveaway! (It closes on Friday!)

DIY: Neon Trimmed Shirt

Adding neon trim to old shirts (or shorts, or skirts!) that need an update is such an easy way to bring something from frumpy and boring to snazzy and eye-catching. This is what the shirt looked like before: a lot of eh.

I apologize in advance for the really crappy photos. I did this project way late at night... Promise I'll feature it in an outfit post soon though!

What you need:
Shirt
Fabric Glue
Bias Tape

What you do:
1) Decide where you want your trim. I chose to just do the front and back shoulder seam, but you could do the cuffs too or even the side seams. Did I mention that this shirt also wrinkles at the drop of a hat?

2) Glue the bias tape onto the shirt (or sew if you have matching thread/a working sewing machine...) and let dry.

3) Neon really does make everything better.

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway!!! 

DIY Inspiration: David Koma Spring 2012

Cut-outs and tribal and neon colors and leather AND amazing hair??? David Koma, you are my idol. I mean, seriously, this is amazing. Take a sharpie or fabric paint to some sheer cloth or neons maybe? Adding mesh inserts, leather pleats, or leather fringe to a plain skirt or dress (and don't forget on those shoes!)? Yes, please. My favorites are the sheer-front pants, and the full-skirted dresses, just beautiful.

Huge kudos to 5 Inch and Up who brought this beautiful designer to my attention!

Backstage photos via 5 Inch and Up, runway photos via Style.com

DIY: Giraffes on Parade Scarf

I could have purchased this scarf at Target for a mere $15.

Neon pink with an all-over giraffe print? Yes please!

But noooooooo, I couldn't justify spending that much on a tiny strip of sartorial frivolity. (Yeah, I don't get my brain and its logical inconsistencies either sometimes.) Soooooo I decided to make it myself.

What you need:
Long piece of pink cloth such as linen (I sewed two strips of fabric together - more on this later)
Black fabric paint
Paintbrush (kind of optional, but convenient)
Foam board
A "handle" of some kind

What you do:
1) Trace the outline of whatever shape or animal you want (woolly mammoths, robots, or koalas, anyone?*) onto your foam board and cut out.

2) Attach your "handle" to one side of your foam board stamp, keeping in mind which way you want your zombie or kitten to face when you print it. I used rolled up cardboard, but use your imagination.

3) Paint black paint all over your foam shape, then place down on your fabric. You'll probably have to use your fingers to push down the extremities of the "stamp" especially if there are a million limbs like my giraffe.

4) Lift the stamp off. If you want, go back with a paintbrush to fill in all the areas your stamp might have missed. I left mine like they were since the blotchiness looked giraffe-like anyways.

5) Repeat until you've got yourself a herd, including on the back side of your fabric if you want.

Looks very Ralph Lauren, huh?

6) Notice that the two strips of fabric you bought (on two separate days) are actually neither the same color, nor the same weight linen.

It's a slight difference, but definitely there.

7) Shrug your shoulders and sew them together anyways. Use some FrayCheck if not using a knit fabric.

8) Wear to the beach! (pictures of final product forthcoming, once I'm actually at the beach...)

*Credit to my friend Ben for the koala suggestion

Officially In Love

That's right folks, I've met the brand of my dreams and she goes by the name of Sass & Bide. See her in all her brilliant glory below:

So wonderfully stay-at-home-artist-mom-ish. 

Grecian meets Converse meets sea urchin bracelet. LOVE. IT. Remind you of anything (Emma stone, the neon edition, sorta)? 

Just the perfect amount of maroon peeking through. Note gold metallic stripe along pant leg. 

A nymph fairy and her orbs of light. In a black sequined dress. Perfection. 

My inner marching band geek is freaking out about the tailcoats on this shirt, and the striped stripe down the pants.  

The pants folks, the pants. The floral shirt pattern is just subtle/huge enough to be awesome.  

This is the leather jacket that I've waited for all my life. I want, I want! 

Again with the pants stripe, this time with a built in sash. Oh yes.

All images via Sass & Bide