Think Outside The Cloth

DIY Braided Belt

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Posted on September 10, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Hello!

It’s been a while since I’ve written, but it feels good to be blogging again. During my break I visited New York City, celebrated my birthday and enjoyed the last warm days of summer hanging out with friends. I have to admit I fell out of habit and became unmotivated to write, but I did manage to create some new DIYs and I’m excited to share!

This DIY braided belt is a nice transition back into things because it’s easy to make, and it requires very few supplies. Read on to learn how to make it.

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Necklace Organizer

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Posted on August 14, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

coverphoto

For a quick and easy necklace organizer use a memo board and push pins to hang and display your necklaces.

For extra support for the push pins, glue a piece of cardboard to the back of the board.

I customized the frame by adding droplets of different coloured nail polish. You can also customize your board by adding a piece of patterned fabric to the corked area.

How do you keep your accessories organized?

– Shanel

2014 Toronto Caribbean Carnival

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Posted on August 4, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

This weekend was the 47th Annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival, or better known as The Caribana Parade. The parade is a stylish, high-energy street festival which celebrates Caribbean culture. Thousands of people of every shape, size, age and colour jump, wave and dance or “play mas” in decked out colourful and bold costumes. The process involved in making the costumes is a huge creative project which involves a lot of planning, detail and creativity. I usually play mas but this year I attended as a spectator. Seeing all the beautiful costumes and creativity gave me a lot of inspiration for new DIYs. I’m excited to share my pictures from the 2014 Caribana parade.

Beautiful Costumes from the Tribal Knights Mas Band

Me before joining the crowd

The event is near and dear to me as both my parents are from Trinidad which is where the colourful tradition started. Mas bands (the people who make the costumes) prepare a year in advance. Each band comes up with a overall theme for their costumes which is then broken up into different sections. Some of the larger bands can have 20 different sections with up to 100 individual mas players!

The costumes in each section will have the same color scheme and appearance. Mas band workers and volunteers spend many hours sewing, gluing and applying decorations like jewels, glitter, sequins and feathers. Participants who want to play mas have to pay for their costumes. Each costume is then fitted for each individual in the band. The costumes do not only have to look beautiful, they have to be durable and adjustable so they can fit many different sizes while people move and dance.

Happy mas players pose with their section

There is also some construction and welding involved in the process. Each band has a “King” and “Queen” member who wears a large elaborate costume made with light materials like aluminum. The King and Queen costumes are built on wheels that are pulled by a mas player. The day of the Caribana parade the costumes and themes are judged by judges who at the end choose a winner.

Queen costume making her way down the road

Mother & son having a good time

The Caribana parade is full of culture that you can taste, see and, hear. There are many Caribbean dishes to enjoy. I got a chicken roti which I devoured. Soca, calypso, and reggae music are played for mas players and spectators to dance to and enjoy.

Jewel leg piece

Yum chicken roti

I was a bit sad that I missed out on playing mas this year because it’s so much fun, but there’s always next year! I definitely didn’t jump and wave as much as I did when I played mas but I enjoyed taking in the festivities and food.

Me in my costume in 2011

Shoes I DIY’d to match my costume

Which street festival is your favorite to attend?

-Shanel

Printed Strapless Dress

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Posted on July 29, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

There’s a few different ways you can wear a printed strapless dress, and it’s very easy to do because your not limited by sleeves or pant legs. Try wearing it as a skirt or top, and mix and match it with different pieces.

I picked up this dress from H&M about four years ago (gosh time flies!). I love how colourful and summery it looks so I’ve worn it multiple times with different clothing pieces.

Because it’s strapless I like to wear bit more accessories than I typically would, so I paired it with a necklace and a body chain. You can DIY your own body chain with my tutorial here.

-Shanel

DIY Sunglasses Chain

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Posted on July 24, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

sunglasses chain pic

Sunglass chains are not only practical but they can look pretty chic too. I lost a pair at the beach once and I’m determined not to loose any this summer. The chain will help keep your glasses close when you’re not wearing them, and it’s more secure than wearing them on your head.

I spotted this project on A Pair and Spare. I had no idea where to find rubber fittings, so I of course improvised and attempted to make my own. You’ll see in the photos that my elastics have a bead. I thought it could be used to tighten the elastic around the frames but it didn’t hold when I put the sunglasses around my neck. I liked the way they looked so I kept them.

The Supplies

Gold linked chain
Jump Rings
Sunglasses
Small rubber hair elastics
Scissors
Pliers
Beads are optional

The Steps

Open up a jump ring with the pliers, attach one end of the chain and the elastic. Close the jump ring.

Repeat the steps with the other end of the chain.

Put the elastic around the end of the glasses and slide the elastic up until it fits snugly. Depending on the thickness of the legs you may have to wrap the elastic around twice like I did with my glasses and then slide it up.

final step

Voila you’re done!

-EssDotElle

That’s Creative — Flash Tattoos

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Posted on July 15, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Flash Tattoos

Remember those colourful fake tattoos you sometimes wore as a kid? Meet the grown up much sexier version, Flash Tattoos.

You may have spotted these jewelry-like tattoos popping up on bodies this summer. Lasting 4 to 6 days Flash tattoos are temporary, waterproof and easy to apply. Each collection includes 3-4 designs which gives you many possibilities to get creative with the layout and locations of your tattoos.

I think it’s neat how Flash Tattoos combines the concepts of tattoos and jewellery into one stylish idea. It’s also a simple way to add some shine if you don’t want to wear your jewelery to the beach. Definitely creative thinking.

You can order Flash Tattoos at flashtat.com.

Source: http://www.flashtat.com/about/

Image source: http://www.flashtat.com/dakota/

-EssDotElle

Tip – Break in or Stretch New Shoes

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Posted on July 9, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Your shoes should fit when you buy them, but if you need to quickly stretch or break them in there’s an easy way to do it. Read on to learn how.

In the corner of your eye you spot the perfect pair shoes, you ask for your size and hold your breath hoping it’s in stock. Your excitement builds when you see the box coming towards you. You try them on, maybe walk around in them for a bit and they seem to fit perfectly. That’s when you decide “I’ll take them!”

You find the right outfit to compliment the shoes, and then suddenly while your out your feet start aching in pain. Okay, maybe it’s not that dramatic but I had a similar situation happen to me recently, and its not fun.

Here’s how you can avoid the above situation and quickly break in a pair of shoes or stretch a pair that are too snug.

The Supplies

A new pair shoes
A thick pair of socks (or double up on a regular pair)
Blow Dryer

The Steps

1. Put on the socks

2. Put on the shoes

3. Turn on your blow dryer

4. Test the blow dryer on a small area. If the heat doesn’t affect the shoe continue to the next step.

5. Aim the dryer towards the areas that are too snug while wiggling your feet

6. Repeat until you have your desired fit

Bonus tip. It’s best to go shoe shopping at the end of the day, or at the end of your shopping trip because your feet tend to swell slightly over the course of the day due to standing and walking. This will help to ensure that you get a comfortable fit.

Here’s to happy feet 🙂

-EssDotElle

DIY Pattern Pocket

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Posted on July 7, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Pattern pocket tees are trend I’ve noticed popping up in mens fashion, so I decided to give it a go and make my own. This project is a no-sew DIY, and It’s an easy way to add some character to an basic t-shirt. I picked up my t-shirt from Forerver21 for $4.

Click to Take it-N-Make it

Tank Top Transformation

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Posted on July 3, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Tanktransformation

Sometimes when I feel like I can’t find anything to wear I like to Think Outside the Cloth and find different ways to wear one piece of clothing. This trick is a quick and easy way to transform your tank tops into a bra-crop top.

The Steps

tanktransformationsteps

Remove your arm from one side of the strap.
Pull the strap down to the bottom of the shirt.
Pull the strap under the bottom of the shirt, and pick up the strap from the inside.
Put your arm back through the strap.
The top will now be crossed in the front and back of the shirt. Move the crossed part to the middle.
Adjust so that it’s even on both sides.

Here are some photos of when I’ve used this trick in an outfit.

I stuck dangle earrings in the middle of this top to add some shine. Check out my 7 Alternate Jewellery Uses for more tips.

Do you ever wear one piece of clothing in different ways? Share in a comment below 🙂

-EssDotElle

Happy Canada Day!

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Posted on June 30, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Even though Canada Day is officially tomorrow. I thought I’d share a quick way to do a Canada Day themed DIY. Follow the steps in my Graphic Print DIY, but instead use a maple leaf.

Print out a picture of a maple leaf, cut out the leaf and trace the outline with a marker onto the sponge. Evenly spread fabric paint onto the sponge and stamp your maple leaf onto shirts, shorts, scarfs or whatever you like! You can find a maple leaf outline here.

I’m showing my patriotism with a Canadian flag tank that I found at Winners.

Happy Canada Day!

-EssDotElle