How to wash and Iron a Vintage Suede Jacket
Instructions to launder suede at home Vintage suede jacket My mother gave me this gorgeous suede shirt/jacket. She told me it was washable suede. How does one know when suede is washable and when it is not? Sorry, I can't help with that. She had washed it successfully...
Charm Wrap Bracelet
How to make an adjustable rope bracelet Charm wrap bracelet These wrap bracelets are everywhere right now. And they are the easiest to make. The hardest part is trying to tie it on your wrist with one hand. They usually come in leather or a pretty print ribbon....
Stone Rings
Semi precious stone rings Stone rings This idea is NOT mine. And usually I can't remember where I saw an idea that inspired me. In this instance I can. The reason is because it comes from one of my favorite DIY fashion bloggers. Her blog is called A Pair and a Spare....
Braided Hair Band
How to make a fabric hair band Braided hairband I mentioned in the last post that I would show the hairband my niece made. You can see it on her - here. She took three pieces of ribbon and braided them. On the one end she made a loop. The other end slips through the...
Pin Stud Earrings
How to make earrings from glass pins Glass head pins as stud earrings Not sure how I came upon the idea to use glass head pins as stud earrings. But it's a dead easy way to get a small coloured pair of stud earrings. In the picture my niece is wearing a pair of white...
Tea Dyed Scarf
How to dye with tea Tea dyed scarf I mentioned that I had made a scarf out of an old sheet and some tea. You can see it on the right of the picture. Tea gives the most amazing neutral colour. I was happy to tie dye the scarf but I'm not sure you would get even and...
African Maxi Length Skirt
FREE maxi skirt sewing pattern Maxi skirt I have mentioned how super easy it is to make maxi skirts. I've also mentioned that I've been making them. The point of this blog is that I am trying hard NOT to to acquire new clothes. I'm supposed to be recycling or up...
Change a Watch Strap
New strap gives new life to old watch Bright green watch strap The colour block trend is huge right now. I'm a bit of a coward when it comes to "out there" style. Much as I admire fashion risks that some people take, I am unable to follow where the fashion forward...
Restyling Shoes
Flower shoe decoration Add a rosette to a pair of pumps I hope that my days of being offline are finally behind me. Switched to a different ISP and am crossing my fingers as I type. The shoes in the photo aren't exactly dull. Sparkly silver sequins are a a bit of a...
How to Make a Tie Dye Scarf
Tie Dye This morning my Internet connection was repaired. Nine days after it went down. My service provider - Mweb, and ADSL line provider - Telkom, left me in the lurch as they wasted time blaming each other. I just hope all is finally well and I don't lose my...
Home Made Shift Dress, Scarf, Sling Bag and Bracelet
DIY fashion outfit Home made shift dress, scarf, bangle and sling bag I was reading an on-line fashion newsletter. One of the - I don't know how many - that I subscribe to. The gist of it, is that fashion bloggers are having an almighty influence on the fashion world....
How to Make a Friendship Bracelet
Friendship bracelet tutorial How to make a friendship bracelet I am lucky to have great relatives. One niece is a follower of this blog and another niece showed me how to make the really cute friendship bracelet featured in this post. Lucky me! The completed...
Easy Maxi Length Skirt
Free maxi skirt sewing tutorial Easy to make maxi length skirt I am loving the new maxi length skirts. They are a great way to give a retro feel to an existing wardrobe and so easy to make. Wearing them takes a bit of practice as they are gathered in the waist, thus...
Rosette on T-shirt
Embellished rosette T-Shirt Rosette on T-shirt I have been using these old white cotton sheets I inherited for all sorts of revamps. How about this idea? My friend was wearing a bought T-shirt with a flowing sort of S-shaped design stitched to the front in a sheer...
Net Underskirt, OBI Belt, Flower Brooch and Lariat Necklace.
Home made outfits Net underskirt, OBI belt, flower brooch and lariat necklace. It's time to put some of the things I have made together on my model. Starting from the bottom of the picture. First is a net underskirt. It's so dead easy to make. Whether you make a...
Faux Designer Jeans
How to add blog to your jeans Using tape to embellish the pockets Most high end or designer jeans come with fancy artwork on the pockets. Why not be your own designer and amp up the pockets on your jeans?And have a one of a kind pair of jeans to boot....
Beaded Bracelets
Easy beaded bracelet tutorial Beaded bracelets I have gone bracelet mad. But then so has the rest of the world. I've been mixing up beaded bracelets with plastic ones as well as different types of friendship or string bracelets. Am loving the effect of...
Anti Brassiness Shampoo and Conditioner
Use gentian violet to tone down brassy hair What you need My hairdresser always advises me to tone down the brassy colours in my hair with silver shampoo. The salon was out of stock last time I wanted to buy but he gave me a great tip. Make your own for a fraction of...
Out of Africa Earrings
Isabel Marant inpsired earrings What you need to make these earrings Just got back home around 40 hours ago from an epic overland tour of 4 southern African countries. I missed my blog but hey, I wasn't going to let an opportunity like that pass me by. And since it...
Vintage Dress with Cardi and Stone Necklace
Eco friendly clothing vintage dress with stone necklace My model is back at work posing for me again. She is only wearing three items and two are eco friendly. She gets a 66% eco rating for her outfit. The dress is one of those lucky finds. It is handmade, lined and...
Earrings
How to make bead earrings Components to make earrings My trips out to the fashion retailers have become more of a source of inspiration for me than actual shopping trips. There are some things that are not so easy to make. I'm not going to lie, I don't think I would...
Make Your Own Cheek and Lip Tint
How to make lip and cheek tints What you need to make tint A few years back you couldn't buy Benetint in South Africa. Then you could. And now it's gone again. I love it so much that I set about making my own cheek and lip tint. What's so nice about water based tints...
Restyle Sandals
Add trimmings to brighten up your sandals Adding embellishments to sandals I was in a fabric shop come haberdashery last week. It's a luxury I allow myself every now and again. Wandering around and looking at the various fabrics and other items. This particular store...
Fabric Bangle
Ribbon covered bracelet Fabric wrapped bangle I really wish I could remember where I first saw this idea. I can't claim credit for it. But I love it. Like many people I did rather over invest in bangles the last year or two. I got a lot of them. This cute idea...
Applique Tank Top, Rosette and O-ring Bangles
Vintage and DIY fashion clothing Applique tank top, rosette and O-ring bangles Every couple of posts I haul out my ever growing stash of DIY clothes and accessories to dress up my model. It's all good and well to make these things but how do they look as part of an...
Plaited Rope Necklace
How to make a rope necklace Plaited rope necklace I am loving the rope and thread jewellery that is around at the moment. There are a few posts in my blog now with items made from rope, wool and thread. The inspiration for this was a similar necklace a friend was...
Fabric Paint
Fabric painting tutorial Fabric paint on T-shirt I showed this revamped T-shirt on my model a short while ago. See here - hand painted T-shirt. The sleeves and neck were trimmed to make it into a tank top. I mentioned that I had not yet laundered the shirt and...
Bead Bracelet
How to make a beaded rope bracelet Bead bracelet This is a dead easy way to make a bracelet. I used a fairly strong waxed thread, one small button and glass beads. You need to make a loop at the one end just big enough for the button to fit through. Not too big that...
Adding Ankle Ribbon to Flat Ballet Style Pumps.
Add ties to ballet pumps Ribbon to pumps Ballet inspired fashion is gaining momentum as fashion follows art and film. My flat black suede pumps could do with a makeover. I stitched black velvet ribbon to the back of the pumps. The ribbon ties around the front of your...
Harem Pants, Statement Necklace and Skinny Belt
Eco fashion clothing Button harem pants I'm having another dressing up session with my model. This is meant to be a relaxed, fun Sunday afternoon scratching for bargains at the flea market type look. The quilted silver bag, the silver cuff and the fine white...