Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Thrift Store Handbag Upstyle DIY

A few weeks ago I got to thinking about designer goods.  They're wonderful except for one thing.  The same magazine that enticed you to buy it is the same one that tells you it's out of style in just a few months. That's terrible!  So I decided it's just much more fun to take inspiration from the designers and let people create their own personal style instead.  This handbag is a mix of Chanel, Marni and Fendi and I think this project is a terrific way to spruce up a bag you might be getting ready to donate.  Have fun and remember to always spray paint outside!
From thrift store find to designer inspired handbag!
Here's the video so you can see how it's done.
I also made a read white and blue version


You'll need
Clear lacquer spray (I used Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer)
Krylon White Primer
Krylon Fusion for Plastic in white
E-6000 glue
Cabochons or flat back gems
Blue painter's tape
Ruler
Craft knife
Old handbag 
Lay out several pieces of 10" long tape on a cutting mat. 
With your ruler, cut it in half lengthwise. 
Evenly add the thin strips of tape to the handbag starting at the center 
and working your way out. 
Next, add your tape in the opposite direction. 
 Press the tape so that there are no bubbles or places where
it's not stuck to the bag.
 Lightly coat your purse with the clear lacquer.  This will seep under the tape and 
prevent the paint from bleeding underneath the tape when you spray it.
 Next, spray your purse with a primer.  This will help the other coats of paint stick
 to the bag perfectly and evenly.
 Finally coat your purse in a gloss white Krylon Fusion which is meant
for plastic and works very well on purses and shoes.


 When it's dry, carefully remove the tape one piece at a time.

 If you want, you could stop here with this terrific grid design.  Or you could......
 Grab your E-6000 glue and add cabochons, studs or flat back gems to the bag!

Let everything dry for one hour and you're done!
For 150 more accessory ideas, grab yourself a copy of

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Recycled Paper Jewelry DIY

I've always been a fan of Cristian Lacroix.  Maybe it's because he invented the pouf skirt!  I mean, how could you not be a fan of that piece of fashion history?  I truly love his jewelry pieces.  They are a mixture of Baroque and a dash of Tony Duquette splattered with gems and stones.  What's not to love?  These pieces are made with magazine pages and some easy to find supplies.  Lately I've been having a love affair with cabochons but these pieces can easily be made with flat back gems.  Try them both and see what happens. In the mean time, make sure to subscribe to my blog because I'll be sending out some fun tidbits and very good news soon.  Happy DIY'ing!


Christian Lacroix inspired Recycled Paper Jewelry
Some vintage Christian Lacroix jewelry from the 1980's
Learn how to make them here!
You'll need:
2 1/2" wide magazine strips
White glue
E-6000
Gold Metallic Krylon spray paint
Needle nose pliers
Flat metal cuff
Clip on earring flats
Ring finding
Cabochons or flat back gems
Roll your magazine stips (at an angle) into thin straws 
 Secure the end with a small dab of white glue
Make a TON of these! 
 Grab your needles nose pliers
 Starting from one end of a straw, roll it tightly around the tip of the pliers
 Secure the end with a dab of white glue
For larger rolls, connect 2 or 3 straws together 
See the difference? 
Grab your E-6000 
 Using a dab of E-6000 and then a dab of hot glue, add your beads
to the cuff in a pattern you like.  
The hot glue keeps it in place while the E-6000 dries
 Spray your pieces (outside) with a gold Krylon metallic 

You could stop here.....OR......
    
Glue on cabochons and or flat back gems
Make earrings using only 4 beads and gluing them together with hot glue and E-6000 for 
the clip-on earring findings 
The earrings.....BTW, these look great on me. 
You're done!
For over 150 more jewelry ideas, grab a copy of
The Big Ass Book of Bling! 














Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Bejeweled Hand Mirror DIY

Every glamour girl I know needs a bejeweled hand mirror on her dresser.  This one was super easy to make and I got most of the supplies at the dollar store.  I was going to add some jewels to the handle, but I thought it might get in the way so I kept them on the upper part of the mirror.  I'll bet you have tons of broken jewelry pieces you could use for this project.  If not, head the the jewelry section of the dollar store and go nuts like I did.  I'm thinking this might be a perfect bridesmaid gift, too. 
My mom is going to love this! 
Here's the DIY video!
Dazzling!
You'll need
Hand mirror
Various jewelry pieces
Wire cutters
E-6000 glue (the best stuff) 
Gather your supplies 
Clip off any earring backs or pins with the wire cutters 
 Play with your arrangement until you're happy with it.
 Carefully glue on one piece at a time 
with a generous amount of E-6000 glue
 Make sure to only glue one piece on at a time!
Finish by adding pearls and gems in the open spots so that none of the 
back of the mirror is exposed.
 You're done!




Wednesday, May 8, 2013

CREATIVE OPTIONS for MOM!


Feel like mom needs a bit of organizing?  Are her craft supplies everywhere?  Why don't you enter to WIN mom a selection of CREATIVE OPTIONS organizers for Mother's Day! It's easy...

1. Just send Creative Options some love from me. Tell them they're awesome!

2. Tell me here why your mom is the BEST! 
That's all! Oh, if you want to comment on my latest video with CREATIVE OPTIONS, you can do that, too. It's up to you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0KMBvaxcv4

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Make Your Mark comes to PBS this fall!

We're still doing our weekly DIY videos every Saturday, but today I wanted to
 share some very special news with you!
Make Your Mark is coming to PBS this fall in a 1/2 hour version with 5 projects per episode!
  I'll still be doing my weekly Youtube videos and the PBS show will be available on line at PBS.org so in case you miss it, you'll be able to view it there.  We're so excited to bring you this show, it's been a life long dream of mine to be able to share my creativity with all of you in a much bigger way.
I can't wait for you to see this show!
We have terrific guests, too.
Peter Marr.....excellent carpenter!  Peter makes the larger projects with me that
require power tools and jigsaws.  He's a great guy and you'll love him!
 Kelly Nishimoto from Something Borrowed Something New on TLC.
Kelly is my BFF and my former co-host on My Celebrity Home which aired on the Style Network. 
She's super fun to hang out with and she visited several times on set 
to help me make some beautiful fashion accessories.
 Kritsten Turner from GlitterNGlue.com stopped by, too!
This girl is nuts and we had a blast creating in the studio together.  
Meiko!
Meiko came in and sang a song from her new album, The Bright Side,  and
together we figured out how to make something really special.
 Rob and Corinne from Threadbanger!
Threadbanger stopped by to say hello on the hottest day of spring, and we worked on
some fun home decor projects together.
Kristen and I posing for the camera.  Snazzy!
Make sure to put Make Your Mark in your DVR and double check
to make sure your local PBS station is carrying us.
See you soon!