DIY Decorated Translucent Bag

Translucent bags are fun. I've been seeing them and wanting one of my own for a while now, haven't you? Here are a couple cute examples of some transparent bags :

Buy this Here

Buy this here

I must admit though, I was a little hesitant to have all my junk out there for everyone to see. 

From I Hate Blonde's Blog

I knew I wanted to get a clear bag, but I also wanted to spice it up a little bit. So how could I get the best of both worlds: a cute clear bag, and not to have everything in my purse showing? I came up with a plan:

From NastyGal's Fall lookbook

Stickers! Luckily for me, my boyfriend collects them. So as someone who likes to work on a budget my first stop was Value Village. I found a bag that was only partially transparent-perfect! And it was only $2.99.

Yes it's Mary Kay. Yes I cut this tag off immediately.

The first thing you'll need are some stickers. 

Next, stuff your bag with something so it has a shape. I put a pillow in mine.

Then start sticking! Don't be afraid to overlap stickers, or cut them up to change the shape. 

Last but not least, dress up and fill your bag with cute stuff. I really like keeping a scarf in the bag, then it's easy to disguise things. It's also great if you have a cute wallet or a few extra little pouches/pockets that you keep in your purse anyway.

Leather jacket- June, Nordstrom Rack

Fringe shirt- H&M

Hooded zip sweatshirt- Ross

High-rise studded shorts- Forever 21

Nylons with back seam- Nordstrom Rack

Leather boots- Steve Madden, Nordstrom Rack

Beanie-H&M

Skull scarf-Ross

"SEX" earrings- Love Culture (originally said sexy but one was missing a 'Y' so I edited them)

Gold chain- Forever 21

Gold rings-various

Thanks for reading! XOxo

The Summer Flannel- How To Wear Your Winter Fave

As a  Seattle dweller it seems necessary to take note of the plaid shirt. Summer doesn't seem to be the season to wear a long sleeved cotton button-up, but this piece is standing it's ground. How? As an accessory.
Guys and girls alike are donning their favorite plaid shirts as an accent piece instead of a staple. The 90's era is all the rage right now, so it only makes sense that we would see plaid displayed in an oh-so-grungey way. What do you think of the look?

Fashion Blogger Le Happy

Leila Hurst for MissKL.com

Colton Haynes

As seen on NastyGal.com

Thanks for Reading!

XOxo

DIY Studded/Spiked Armbrace Legbrace, or Garter

I have had a few inquiries about the leg garters I've created and I promised this post a while ago, so I'm sorry for the wait!

Anyway, as many of you are aware I am a huge fan of accessories. I love finding new ways to wear things, and I truly believe that accessories can make or break an outfit. Shoes, jewelry, clutches, hairbows and headbands, makeup, I go nuts for the stuff. Maybe because (with the exception of purses and shoes) accessories are usually cheaper than clothes-thus it's easier to justify the purchase. Or maybe because accessories are amazing.

Naturally when I discovered that girls were making decorative garters and "leg braces" I was excited to get on board. The first pieces I came across are selling on Etsy for about $40 each. If you want to buy one, go check out Fox and Owl. They probably didn't pioneer the idea, but they're doing the best at it that I know of. But I didn't want to pay $40 for mine. If I were making them, I would probably sell them for close to that because that's how business works, but to me making them looked like more fun.
I started by making a few studded garters. Then I decided to try making one for my arm.

This post will show you how to make an arm "brace." I'm putting brace in quotations because it doesn't actually function anything like a brace. Maybe I'll come up with a more creative name later, or you can feel free to leave suggestions for me! After you look through this tutorial you will be armed with all the information to make a garter for your leg, or a brace for your arm, or something even cooler!

What You'll Need:

• Black Elastic (or whatever color you like)
• Pyramid studs, or spikes, or both (I buy mine here. They ship from Seattle so it's really fast. You can buy cheaper from Amazon, if you have time to wait until they come from China.)
• A needle and thread, or a sewing machine.
• Scissors
• Pins (if you can't do it without them)

What to Do:

• Take a piece of elastic and measure around the area you want to decorate. Make it a little snug. 

• Sew the elastic into a nice circle. 

• Trim the elastic down so there is a minimal overlap. If you're only making a garter all you have to do now is decorate it!

• Repeat this process with another piece of elastic that is measured to fit the area nearby. 

• Measure the distance in between. Cut a third piece and pin the pieces together so they don't move while you're sewing.  Attach the connecting piece on the inside so you don't have edges showing.

• Add spikes and studs as you like them. I like to place them strategically to cover any visible stitches. 

Screw on spikes are very easy to add. Just pierce or cut a small hole, and slide the screw through. Then screw on the spike!

Pyramid studs stab right through the elastic. No need to make a hole first. 

I use pliers to bend the pyramid spikes nice and snug with the elastic. Make sure they are tight!

• That's it you're done! Wear it proudly! But be careful if you used spikes ;)

Double-wrapped version and single studded garter.

If you'd like to do something different, try substituting cute buttons or beads for spikes or studs. You could also use fabric and velcro or snaps instead of elastic. I just use elastic because it's the easiest to fit.

Thanks for reading! 

XoXO

Coffee and Cupcakes Streetstyle featuring Wu-Tang Muscle Tee

Most outfits are designed for their destination. My sweet love and I went for Sunday treats and caffeine to keep our day going. I decided Wu Tang Clan was the best choice.

Streetstyle

Gold

Details.

Muscle Tee, rings, zip-up hoodie, diamond earrings: Forever 21

Shoes: Creative Recreation- Nordstrom Rack

Jeans, Varsity Jacket, gold belt: Ross

Hat: Rebel Eight- Karmaloop.com (borrowed from the boyfriend)

Purse: Kate Spade- gift

Light makeup was done on purpose for a masculine feel. Gold belt to tie in shoes with earrings. Shirt graphic was a bright yellow so I felt gold worked better than silver. A neutral grey was easy to add for warmth while still leaving the focus on the tee and gold accents. The varsity jacket was chosen on purpose to accentuate the urban feel. Rings, purse and earrings kept it girly.

Thanks for reading!
XOXO

DIY Flower Crown- a Creative Guide

I love spring. Mostly because that means it's almost summer.
The best thing about spring besides the weather is the beautiful flowers. And what's the best thing to do with something lovely? Wear it, of course!
Here's a guide to making your own fun floral headwear.

What You'll Need:

• Fake flowers
• A headband, if possible matched to your haircolor
• Glue gun
• Scissors
• Needle nose pliers 
• Cute fabric (optional)
• Beads or gems (optional)

What To Do:

There are a lot of options with this project, so let this serve as more of a guide than an a step by step how-to. Be creative!

Start with a pile of flowers.  I selected a variety, but all in the same color family. More colors could be fun too. These are mostly roses, with some lilies and smaller bright wildflowers thrown in. All of these flowers are from the dollar store. 

Good luck keeping kitty out of them

Get your headband all ready to go. I used a headband that I don't wear anymore. It had some jewels attached to it so I removed them. 

My old headband

Now it's time to fire up the glue gun. While it's warming up. Pull the flowers off their stems. Using the scissors, trim the bottom of the flowers. Try to make them as flat as possible by trimming close to the petals. If you like, set aside some leaves.

Trim the green plastic down to make it flat, but don't cut it all away or the flower will fall apart.

Not all the flowers can be flat on the bottom, but still trim the plastic down as much as you can.

You can modify the flowers before adding them to the headband if you like. This is when you would use gems or beads to add to the flowers.

Using the hot glue gun, I attached some of the jewels from the headband inside the flowers.

I also glued some of the smaller flowers inside the large ones.

This is when you can use fabric also if you like.

Pick a cute fabric, and try to get it away from your kitten

I made a bow with a large piece of the fabric and some hot glue

Small squares of fabric can be made into little flowers by putting a dot of glue in the center,
pinching the glue with the pliers (so you don't get burned) and twisting the fabric.

Start on one side of the headband, and attach pieces using the hot glue. Use pliers for some things so you don't get burned!

If you made a bow, attach it to one side of the headband, if not just start with a flower

Keep adding flowers. Be sure to fit them close to each other so there aren't any gaps.

You can add leaves too, but make sure not to neglect the back side of the headband. 

The finished piece at my best friend's bridal shower!

Tea party. Everyone wore hats. I won for "most beautiful" hat.

 I made a second one as well to wear for a more casual event or even an every day outfit. This one is just flowers and leaves on a black band. 

From the front. Some fabric flowers in this one too!

The back view. Lots of leaves!

What it looks like on.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Have fun and be creative making your own flower crown! 

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo