Photo Charms - Personal Christmas Gifts With Style From Zazzle

I have been looking at ideas for personal Christmas gifts this year, and have found what I think is a brilliant way of making a really unique piece of jewelry for a loved one. Photo charms! These pretty trinkets are from Zazzle, and can be personalized with any pictures, text, or artwork, that you like, or even a combination of all three.

I was lucky enough to receive a gift voucher from Zazzle, (thank you Zazzle!) and ordered three charms to test them out.

I have a lovely charm bracelet which I am slowly filling with crystals, shells, and 3D silver charms. I make all of the crystal charms myself, using gemstone beads and wire. How cool would it be to be able to add photos to my bracelet too!

Easy Earring DIY - Daily DIY Challenge

Make A Pair Of Beaded Loop Earrings

This is a nice easy earring DIY which takes about 15 minutes to complete.

I make a lot of jewelry and lately have been making these cute beaded loop earrings. They can be as simple or as extravagant as you like, it all depends on the size and style of beads that you use.

Handmade Designer Dog Coat

This post has now moved to my doggy fashion blog

Make A Dog Coat From Old Trousers

Fashion For Dogs!

This post has now moved to my doggy fashion blog...

Spider Web Top Tutorial

I've been busy making two versions of a spider web top for Halloween, one for me and one for my partner. They were quite easy to make, just a little time consuming (though using a craft knife instead of scissors to slash the t-shirt, makes it much faster, as long as the knife is sharp enough to cut the fabric cleanly.)

These creepy concoctions are a simple way to make a cool last minute Halloween costume. They can be worn over bare skin, but I think they look the best with a contrasting color top under. Red looks really effective against the black web, so does white. A white T-shirt made into a spider web top looks great with a black base.

A large men's T could also be used in this way to make a spider web dress, after Halloween I intend to fashion my partners spider web T into a cute dress/beach cover-up. (this was not to be, see update at the bottom of the post.)

How To Sew Straight

Well, I've dusted off my sewing machine, despite being terrified of it. I intend to become really good at sewing if it kills me. I have already nearly sewn through my fingers when I forgot I had my foot on the pedal as I was threading the needle, then pressed it. :0

All my life I have been using sewing machines, and all my life I have been f#@!#?g up everything I try to make, plus various sewing machines I have broken along the way.

It started off at school, I actually did sew through my own fingers numerous times, and let me tell you a sewing machine needle is huge! Very ouchy! I used to pin my fabrics together then I would refuse to tack (by hand sewing). Instead I decided I would pull out the pins quickly as the sewing machine went along, thus avoiding the need to tack.

Custom Fashion

The term 'custom fashion' is quite broad, in that there are many ways to design or create your own fashion items to wear, or even to sell. Maybe you want something special and completely unique, or perhaps you are planning your own fashion line but are unsure on how to achieve this at a low cost, this post looks into some easy ways to get started.

No Sew T-Shirt To Cute Tank DIY

This T-shirt was given to me by a Rastafarian guy who's website I am helping to build. It is pretty random in it's design, with a line drawing of lifeboat men. Not something I would pick out at all TBH.

Hmmmm, I thought as he gave it to me, my mind swirling with ideas of chopping it here or there...,

This is a no sew t-shirt tutorial, and is really easy to complete, all you need are; a sharp pair of scissors, ribbon or cord, and a large t-shirt.

Easy Rhinestone Wedge DIY

Turn a pair of cheap wedges into pretty rhinestone prom shoes, with this easy tutorial. 

I found these cork heel wedges in a cheap shoe store for just $18 and jazzed them up with rhinestone accents. The rhinestones cost just $3, and it only took one hour to complete the pair.

For this rhinestone shoe tutorial you will need, UHU glue, rhinestone strips or single rhinestones, and a pair of heels to up-cycle.

How To Make A Pendant From Found Objects - DIY Fashion Challenge

*I am running my daily DIY fashion challenge weekly now as I am really busy at the moment.

Wire wrapped pendants are simple to make (if a little fiddly). The great thing about them is that you can harness almost any found object and turn it into something wearable. I have made wire wrap pendants out of a multitude of items in the past, sea glass, shells, pretty stones, crystals, and even out of pieces of ancient pottery that can be found scattered in the fields near where I live.

Today I will be making a new pendant, I make jewelry to sell, but also like to make it for myself too, I will be making a cute pebble pendant to add to my collection, and showing you how to make one too.

Shirt To Top D.I.Y - D.I.Y Fashion Challenge (more pics to come...)

This shirt to top DIY is one of my own, which came about when I messed up a previous idea that I had. Luckily my partners denim shirt was sooo huge I had plenty of fabric to play with after the 'accident'. 

I did say that I would not be doing any sewing in my fashion DIY's, but I changed my mind half way through when I realized that I would not be able to get the top off without a zip opening on the side.

No Sew T-Shirt D.I.Y - Fashion DIY Challenge

For the first of my fashion DIY daily challenges I decided to go for something simple, a no sew t shirt DIY.

I found this neat no sew T-shirt tutorial on the web (which I followed but altered slightly), and thought it would be the perfect way to upcycle a mens t-shirt that was too small for my partner, and way too big for me.