DIY | Think Outside the Cloth

DIY Ring Holder

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Posted on December 27, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

I hope everyone had a great Holiday! Now that Christmas is over I always feel the need to declutter and clean, so that I meet the New Year with a clean and tidy space. The first thing I’m tackling is my big basket of accessories which I sometimes loose my rings in an abyss of bracelets and necklaces. But there is an easy solution – DIY Ring Holder!

I hope you saved your small gift boxes because this DIY Ring Holder is super easy and it’s a useful tool for storing all your rings and pretty little things.

The Supplies

Small box
Old shirt, or any material
Scissors

The Steps

Lay your material flat. If you’re using an old shirt or pants cut along a seam and open the material up so you have 1 layer.

Put the box on top of the material, and cut a strip which is the same width as the box. The strips of material should be anywhere from 10 to 12 inches in length.

Tightly roll up the strip of material, and place the loose end down in the box. If the roll is too long for the box trim off some of the end.

Repeat, cutting and rolling the strips of material until you have a few rolls which fit tightly in the box.

Fill with your rings!

If you’re also looking for an easy DIY Earring Organizer click here.

Do you have any traditions that you like to do before the year end?

-Shanel

DIY Embellished Sweater

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Posted on November 18, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

As winter quickly approaches I’m slowly entering a hibernation phase which has led to a lot of cleaning and organizing. I was going through my clothes when I realized I had FOUR plain grey sweaters that look almost identical, so it’s only natural that I had to DIY one. As I did some more cleaning of my craft stash l found a bunch of left over gems from this DIY Jewel Frame, and so this project was born.

I loved how this DIY sweater embellishment turned out. The supplies and steps are very minimal, but with different coloured embellishment and layouts you can create a really unique look.

The Supplies

2 Different coloured Gems
Fabric glue
A small Stick
A piece of scrap cardboard or bristol board

DIYSweateremblishmentsupplied

The Steps

Lay your sweater on a flat surface. So you don’t glue both sides of your sweater together, place the scrap material on the inside of your sweater.

Take your gems and layout your design. I tried a few before I decided on a “V” shape.

Begin gluing down your gems. Use the stick to press down on them.

Let it dry.

DIYSweaterembellishment

How do you like to add some sparkle & shine to your outfits?

-Shanel

Where to Look for Last Minute DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

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Posted on October 23, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

Where has the time gone? Halloween is a week away. If you’re still not sure what to dress up as try DIYing your own costume.

You don’t have to be super crafty to make your own Halloween costume. When you think outside the ~~box~~ cloth it can be easy to create a unique and inexpensive look. DIYing or customizing your Halloween costume gives you the chance to add your own touch. When you’ve bought your costume out a bag there’s always a chance someone else could be wearing the same one. Then you could instantly find yourself in a who wore it better showdown. And nobody wants that.

Here’s a list of tips and places to look for inspiration for DIY Halloween costumes. Some of the suggested costumes were created inexpensively by myself or friends.

Shirt Printing Company

Use a shirt printing company to print the logo of your favorite beverage or food on a piece of clothing. Most companies just require a high vector file version of the image. You can purchase the clothing item to print on from the printing company or bring your own clothing to print on. Then you can add or make your own accessories.

Costume Idea: My friend Sofia printed the Tim Hortons logo onto a dress and she made earrings out of sugar packets. And no that’s not coffee in her hand.

Thrift & Vintage Stores

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Vintage and thrift stores are a good place to find unique pieces for a low cost. It may take some creativity and searching to piece together an outfit, but the efforts are well worth it. No one will have the exact costume as you.

Costume Idea: Try dressing up as someone from a different era, like the 80’s. Search the isles for bright, colorful and shiny items.

The Dollar Store

The dollar store is a great resource for Halloween accessories. I’ve seen wigs, face paint, wings, face masks all inexpensively priced at the dollar store.

Costume Idea: DIY 3 Blind Mice Costume

3BlindmiceHalloweenCostume

3-blind mice is a cute group costume you can easily make with dollar store supplies. Here are the supplies you’ll need,

Dark sunglasses
Black eyeliner or face paint
Headband
A sheet of grey felt or construction paper
A sheet of pink felt or construction paper
Glue or tape

The Steps
Use the grey paper to cut out a large circle to create the outer part of the mouse ears. Use the pink paper and cut out a smaller circle to create the inner part of the ear. Glue the pink paper to the grey piece to complete the ear. Glue or tape the ears to the headband

Use black face paint or eyeliner to draw a nose and some whiskers on your cheeks

Tape or glue the ears to the headband.

If you want to, you could even make walking sticks.

Your Makeup Bag

DIY Gothic Halloween costume

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Wear your Halloween costume on your face. Makeup can be used to create some spooky Halloween looks.

Costume Idea: Draw spider webs around your eyes with black eyeliner. If you’re not skilled in the makeup department many cosmetic stores will do your makeup if you purchase a product. There are also a lot of great tutorials on YouTube.

Raid A Closet

RunawayBrideHalloween

First raid your own closet to look for any old clothing items that could be used for a costume.

Or try raiding someones closet with a totally different style than yours; like your grandma, boyfriend, etc. You may find something that could work as a cool costume.

I took my first communion dress and with a bit of cutting and sewing. I was able to turn myself into a runaway bride. I completed the look with a Ring Pop engagement ring.

Costume Idea: Your graduation dress you wore once? Dress it up once again with a sash and crown and turn yourself into a prom queen.

Old Uniforms

Halloween Weed Brownie

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Get creative and use parts of old uniforms from school, work, sports, or organizations.

Costume Idea: Weed Brownie. This weed brownie costume is a hilarious and clever way to make use of an old Brownie sash.

I hope you’ve been inspired to make your own Halloween costume.

What are you dressing up as this year?

-Shanel

NYFW Dash of DIY Inspo

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Posted on September 13, 2014 by Think Outside The Cloth

With the recent finale of New York Fashion Week. I decided to scope both runway and NYFW street style looks for some dashes of DIY inspiration. Even though winter hasn’t started (**shudders) the collections made me excited for what styles are to come for Spring 2015. Check out the pics below for 2014 NYFW looks and DIY inspos.

Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2015

I could see myself twirling in these dresses all day long! To get this flirty fringe take a maxi skirt or dress start from the bottom and begin cutting long narrow strips up to the thigh. Stretch each strip as you go.

As a sucker for colours this statement clutch looks like a bag of fun (lol see what I did there?). To don this as a DIY find a plain clutch and brightly coloured fabrics. Create a stencil with paper, cutting out different sized and shaped pieces. Trace the outlines of the stencils on the different coloured fabric and cut out. Use a good fabric glue to stick the cut outs on to the clutch.

J. Mendel Spring 2015

Love love love this dress. To DIY it grab some black, yellow and white fabric paint and some paint brushes. Create diagonal strokes with the different colours. Try it on a skirt or shirt.

I like how delicate and feminine the lace makes this outfit look. Take a maxi dress cutting out the sides of material, replace the cut out with lace by either sewing or gluing with fabric glue.

DKNY Spring/Summer 2015

Mesh is no longer just for the gym. For a sporty-sexy look get a bunch of mesh fabric and overlay it on a mini skirt that’s either stretchy or has a zipper. Sew the mesh along the sides and to the top of the skirt, like this DIY.

Thom Browne Spring 2015

To get this look simply get a badminton racket (because they are smaller and lighter than tennis rackets) and a headband. Cut the head band tying each end to the side of the racket and wear on your face. LOL I’m totally kidding but if you want to give this a go please make sure to send me a lot of pictures, or at least tag me on Instagram at @outsidethecloth.

Do you have any favorite collections or looks from 2014 NYFW? Let me know in the comments below :).

-Shanel

Sources: Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4, Image 5, Image 6, Image 7

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