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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

holiday armor


[ :: Studded cardi c/o Sienna Couture :: Forever 21+ cami (here) :: Forever 21+ skinny jeans (here) :: ]
[ :: Cynthis Rowley bag (similar) :: Jeffrey Campbell heels (here) :: Nordstrom bracelet (here) :: Noir ring :: ]





[ :: Studded cardi c/o Sienna Couture :: Forever 21+ cami (here) :: Forever 21+ skinny jeans (here) :: ]
[ :: Cynthis Rowley bag (similar) :: Jeffrey Campbell heels (here) :: Nordstrom bracelet (here) :: Noir ring :: ]

Perpetually obsessed with studs. Old news. Sometimes you just need as much pseudo-weaponry, armored-clothing as possible to battle the stresses of the holidays. Nothing says don't-mess-with-me-I'm-Christmas-shopping like a porcupine inspired look!

Happy Holidays! ^__^

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Black and white Monster High boots

I've been perfecting my boot making techniques. These are based on the boots described in an earlier blog post, so I will only explain the improvements I made.

The first boots are made of thin, stretchy lace, so I used slightly thicker fabric treated with sealer to form the heel and toe parts.


Here are the lace parts with the back seams sewn. Note that I folded the top of the fabric to make the edge neater. The fold looks OK with fabric this thin. I glued the back seam to the fabric at the heel to make sure it keeps in the correct place.


Here all the gluing is done. I left the toe parts last and glued the lace into the thicker fabric as the boots look better that way. PVA glue is transparent when it dries, so you can't see it. The outer soles at the bottom of the picture are made of leather.


The heels are made of wood, and I painted the heels and soles with off-white acrylic paint. I was only going to paint the heels, but the sides of the outer soles looked too dark compared to the fabric, so I ended up painting everything.


The other pair is made of using the same fabric as in the earlier blog post. I only used sealer treated fabric for the toe parts in these. Thicker fabric like this does not require additional support, if you're making the toe part round. However, a pointed one, like in these, requires additional support to keep its shape. I also made these thigh-high instead of just knee-high.


The boots with soles glued in place. I glued the upper fabric to the support fabric also in these. That required being careful with the glue, so it wouldn't seep through as that would have been clearly visible on matte fabric.


The outer soles are again made of leather and the heels are made of round pieces of wood (if you're lucky, you can find stuff in crafts shops that only require cutting into length and painting, like in this case).


Front view of the boots.


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

a stark departure


[ :: Vivat Veritas wrap (here) :: Old Navy tank (similar) :: Gap skirt (similar) :: Topshop necklace (here) :: ]
[ :: Axel clutch (here/similar) :: Forever 21 & H&M bracelets (here/similar) :: Jeffrey Campbell heels via Solestruck (here) :: ]





[ :: Sheer wrap c/o Vivat Veritas (here) :: Old Navy tank (similar) :: Gap skirt (similar) :: Topshop necklace (here) :: ]
[ :: Axel clutch (here/similar) :: Forever 21 & H&M bracelets (here/similar) :: Jeffrey Campbell heels via Solestruck (here) :: ]

I'm all about multi-tasking pieces and absolutely love this kimono wrap from Vivat Veritas, a small etsy shop based in Japan. Chie is a dream to work with if you have specific size or design requests, and she's so, so nice.. It was lots of fun working with her on this wrap dress/cover up! I love that it can be worn over a slipdress as a slouchy wrap dress, tied in front as a v-neck cardi/dress, or worn open over a swim suit as a beach coverup. So many possibilities.

I paired this ethereal, wispy all-in-one with my go-to jewelry, an oversized minaudiere-style clutch (which I totally got ripped off on while in Greece), and the deadliest spiked heels EVER.

 On a completely different note, thanks for all the lovely comments about my photo in Lucky Magazine's January 2013 issue! ♥ you guys!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Cork soles for Nefera

I decided to finally use the card-woven band I made for Nefera's shoes, shown in this first photo:


For the soles, I wanted to use something that requires similar amount of effort, and also something that made it possible to glue the straps to the sides of the soles, so I made the soles out of cork. You can find details about how to do that in an earlier blog post.

I treated the band with sealer, so it could be cut at any place without the ends fraying. However, that made the band very stiff, so gluing the straps required applying more pressure than usual.


Here are the shoes with the strap that goes behind the ankle not yet glued to the sole.


 All straps glued in place and buttons attached for closing the ankle strap.


Unfortunately, closing the ankle straps left a gap. If I had used rubber bands for the loops, this could have been prevented, but rubber deteriorates, so I used cotton yarn. I had to shorten the ankle straps a bit, because they were so stiff that I had to avoid any overlapping. I'm considering moving the buttons back a bit to close that gap, but for now, the shoes are finished.


Another view of the finished shoes.


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

sparkle & shine


[ :: Forever 21+ top (here) :: Forever 21+ leatherette skirt (similar) :: Jason Wu x Target clutch (similar) :: ]
[ :: Topshop necklace (here) :: modcloth shield ring (similar) :: Senso studded ankle boots via Solestruck :: ]





[ :: Forever 21+ top (here) :: Forever 21+ leatherette skirt (similar) :: Jason Wu x Target clutch (similar) :: ]
[ :: Topshop necklace (here) :: modcloth shield ring (similar) :: Senso studded ankle boots via Solestruck :: ]

HIIIIII GUYS. I'm a little hyped up on dark chocolate truffles, apple tea, and Christmas music right now, so I'll probably read this over in the morning and question everything I wrote. Oh well.

For long-time readers of my blog, the fact that I love anything embellished with studs or rhinestones is nothing new. This blouse is one of my most frequently worn tops since it pretty much goes with everything. Skinny jeans, shorts, pencil skirts, tucked into flared skirts, everythaaaangggg. love love love.

Back to the important stuff...IT'S THE HOLIDAYSSSSSSSSSSS. So happy. ^____^

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

better late than never


[ :: Modcloth dress (similar/similar/similar) :: Forever 21 denim jacket (similar) :: Kenneth Cole clutch (similar) :: ]
[ :: Forever 21 tribal bracelet (similar) :: H&M cuff (similar) :: ]




[ :: Modcloth dress (similar/similar/similar) :: Forever 21 denim jacket (similar) :: Kenneth Cole clutch (similar) :: ]
[ :: Forever 21 tribal bracelet (similar) :: H&M cuff (similar) :: ]

Oh heyyy. Just crawling out from the hole I've been hiding in while online shopping (Cyber Monday was intense, guys.) Highlights: spiky shoes, sequin dresses, leather skirts, and chunky scarves. This week is going to be like Christmas! lol. Did any of you score big shopping the crazy sales the past few days? Either way, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend! ♥

Finally getting around to posting outfit details from the looks featured in Seventeen! Unfortunately none of the items are still available (If you can believe it, this dress was first featured on my blog in 2010 here!), but the look is easy to recreate with pieces you probably already have in your closet! Just find a girly dress, denim jacket (leather works, too!), some rocker-y accessories, and you're good to go. ♥

As always, thanks for reading! :D

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Italy Photo Diary


Hey guys! Just got back from vacationing in Italy, Turkey, and Greece! Being as scatterbrained as I am, I forgot to schedule my posts before I left, so real outfit posts will be coming soon, promise! >_< In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few photos from my trip. Our first stop was Italy, which was INCREDIBLE. We didn't stay nearly long enough! Since we only had a few days, we crammed in as many must-see places as possible. Hope you enjoy! :)
|| Click through for photos :) ||





[ :: St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City :: ]
So gorgeous! I could spend hours in there. Also went to the Sistine Chapel (!!). So amazing to see all the things I've only read about in books!


[ :: Spanish Steps, Rome :: ]

[ :: Trevi Fountain, Rome :: ]
Caeser's Palace didn't do this landmark justice. lol.


[ :: Pompeii, Italy :: ]
One of the eeriest places I've been. We got here super early and there was hardly anyone around!




[ :: Capri, Italy :: ]
My favorite stop in Italy! So beautiful. Can I retire here? I'll sleep outside Miu Miu if I have to.