{DIY} Birthday Headbands

What do you do when your birthday falls on DIY Tuesday? You guessed it friends, make celebratory headbands, of course! So grab your glue and plastic letters (everyone has those, right?), because it's cake time!


SUPPLIES: PLASTIC LETTERS (AVAILABLE AT MICHAEL'S) | PLAIN HEADBANDS | E-6000 OR GLUE GUN

TIME: 1 HOUR | DIFFICULTY: EASY

Start by mapping out where your letters will go on the headband so that everything is nice and evenly spaced out. Using a generous amount of glue, press each letter down one-by-one until they set in place. The hardest part of this project is waiting for the letters to dry, especially the lightweight ones without bases (I'm talking about you, I's and T's), so be patient... It's worth it!

 

After about an hour of gluing and drying, you're done! I would advise letting your headbands set overnight for best results, propping them up on something to keep them upright as they dry. My advise would be to check on the letters periodically during this time to correct any tipping letters (case in point: that pesky 'I' in 'Birthday Girl').

I'm not entirely sure what today has in store for me, but I'll be working a half-day in the morning before playing hooky with Mr. AiF for the rest of the day. All I know is there better be cake! And you can bet I'll be wearing this headband as I devour every last bite... xx

Photos by Adventures in Fashion

{DIY} Faux Crystal Pendant With Gold Leaf Detail

My baking clay obsession is alive and well, and has manifested itself as a faux crystal pendant this time around... #cantstopwontstop. I'm so in love with how this project turned out and just can't get over the transformative power of gold leaf — not to mention the fact that the way it catches the light is totally mesmerizing. Sound like something you might like to make/wear/stare at? Read on for full instructions!


SUPPLIES: FIMO CLAY | GLASS GLITTER | GOLD LEAF PEN | SCULPTING TOOL | PLIERS | EYE PIN | 
JUMP RINGS | CHAIN | CLASP

TIME: 1 HOUR | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE

Start by rolling the clay between the palms of your hands to loosen up the material. Slowly mold it into your desired shape, and once you're happy with the look and size of the pendant, chisel little pieces out of the clay to resemble crystal formation.

When you're happy with the overall look of the pendant, carefully cover the clay with clear glass glitter. You're going to want to cover it completely, so take your time and slightly push the glass into the clay to help it stay in place. Once evenly coated, insert an eye pin into the top of the pendant and press down until only the loop is visible.

Bake the pendant in the oven according to package instructions for about 30 minutes, then allow it to cool fully. I love this part because the clay takes on a darker hue, especially around the edges, and the glass really shines through. To keep all those little shards of glass in place — and to add a little extra shine — apply a generous coat of clear nail polish over the entire surface.

When the varnish dries completely, it's time for the fun part — gold leafing! I'm seriously obsessed with my gold leaf pen and have no idea how I've made it this far in life without one before. Simply apply a thin, even layer of the stuff onto the top of the pendant and watch it transform from blah to bananas in no time... magnifique!

Once everything is nice and dry, add jump rings and a clasp to your chain, then attach your snazzy new pendant to it using a large jump ring... Done like dinner.

Thanks for reading friends, and if you're looking for more DIY ideas incorporating baking clay (I'm obsessed), click here, here and here! xx

Photos by Adventures in Fashion

{DIY} Givenchy-Inspired Floral Clutch

The minute I saw the Givenchy Antigona Floral clutch, I knew I had to have it... and then I saw the price tag. Ouch. So after a few moments of internal tears, I decided to put my DIY cap on — no, not this one sillies, I'm being metaphorical. The result is nowhere near as heavenly as the original (#sigh), but for the fraction I paid for it, it doesn't have to be! Plus all that money I saved had me laughing all the way to the bank... and by bank, naturally I mean Sephora.

SUPPLIES: CLUTCH (MINE'S FROM FOREVER 21) | ACRYLIC PAINT (RED, PINK, WHITE, GREEN + BLACK) | BRUSHES

TIME: 1 HOUR | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE 
 

This one's a little direction-light, as it really just boils down to painting flowers onto a black clutch. I picked mine up from Forever 21, but thrift stores are always a great place to look (as are the depths of your closet — hey, you never know!). Anyway, back to business. My advice would be to start by painting pink blobs in varying sizes across the clutch, building depth as you go by adding strokes or red, black and white. Much like Ambular's face, this one really is "full of Monet," so don't be intimidated by the way it looks from afar... Just get in there and start having fun!

Same goes when you're building the leaves — use light, circular motions and add dimension with little specks of black and white. I decided to paint little white dots to fill the empty spaces, and dabbed them a bit when they were nearly dry to create a halo effect. Ultimately you need to remember that DIY is meant to be fun, so just go for it and see how it turns out. You might end up with something completely different from what you had first envisioned, but who knows, you might just like it all the more.

{ Optional: When you're done painting, you can add a coat of Mod Podge to help seal and protect the paint. The glue will also help add a nice sheen to your clutch, so that's always a bonus! }

Et voila! Mad savings, plus a chance to relive your high school art glory days... Win win. xx

Photos by Adventures in Fashion

Creating volume with your flat iron

 I usually use my flat iron to curl my hair (see my video tutorial) but lately I've been wanting sleek straight hair instead of my usual curls.  I usually just blow dry my hair straight and leave it but it's been so bleh lately and no matter how much teasing I did, I'd never get the volume that I get when I curl my hair.  I finally put two and two together and thought about giving my hair volume the same way that I curl my hair but just leaving it straight instead.  Whenever I thought about using my flat iron to straighten my hair, I always had the idea of just taking it straight down and getting straight hair that way.  It never occurred to me (until now) that all you need to do is to just lift up at the roots before gliding it down which is where the volume comes from.  Really, it's that simple!  And this may be something that a ton of you already know but since I just recently discovered it and now love doing my hair like this I thought I'd share my tutorial.  It only takes a few simple steps to have sleek and voluminous straight hair.

The tools: Solia 1" Flat Iron | Blow Heat Protective Styling Mist | Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo | Teasing Brush

 

Make sure to spray your hair with the heat protectant spray before you start.  (I skipped showing you the bottom 2 layers as it was easier to photograph the top 2.  The technique is the same)

 

The trick is after you lift at the roots, bring it down in a curve, kind of like you are drawing the letter C.

 

At this point, you should have a lot more volume all around and sometimes I just stop at this step depending on how cooperative my hair is that day.

 

I need the dry shampoo for the texture in my hair to hold the tease but if you don't need it, you can skip it.  The teasing should be very light as you already have the volume there, you just want to bring it up a little and smooth it out.

I completely wasn't thinking and didn't take pictures of the sides and the back of my hair for comparison but if the pictures don't show it well, it really does give good volume all around.  I know it's not revolutionary or anything but for someone with very thick hair that gets weighed down a lot, this has been a great and easy way for me to style my hair and keep the volume without a lot of product and teasing.  I hope it's helpful for some of you too!

I'm wearing a J Crew top and our brand new Luxe Chain Crystal Necklace - it's my favorite piece, I wear it all the time!