DIY PRADA INSPIRED PLATFORM SNEAKERS

Recently I had the pleasure of working with FOAM Magazine on a DIY project for their magazine (see here for their online post), a pair of raffia embellished creepers (aka platform sneakers).

I know I wasn’t the only person who fell in love with the prada platform brogues complete with raffia edging. I decided to get crafty and have a try at making a similar pair. Never one to copy something exactly, I made a black and white version to pay homage to the A/W monotone colour trend, and stuck with only a slight platform – you can always do more of a platform by adding more layers of foam if you like.

You’ll need:

A pair of lace up canvas sneakers (try a cheap shoe store or supermarkets)

Foam for the platform – I used a pair of old flip flops

2 shoe soles – I cut them off a very old pair of sneakers but you can also get them from a cobbler or buy an extra pair of canvas sneakers in a different colour.

Flexible glue and a hot glue gun

Raffia – I used plaited straw raffia from a craft store.

A stanley knife and sandpaper for adjusting shoes/foam for the platforms so they fit together.

Step 1. Glue the sole and the foam together using the flexible glue. Then glue the sneakers to the foam.

Step 2. Press the three layers together and let dry overnight. I weighed mine down with some bricks to apply the right amount of pressure.  

Step 3. Once the glue has dried, hot glue two layers of raffia around the edge of the shoes to completely cover up the foam. Make sure any join of the raffia is centred at the back of the shoe.

Step 4.  For a finishing touch I threaded the sneakers with the black laces from the old shoes I took the soles from. You could use any colour laces – neon would be fun!

And voila, your very own raffia embellished creepers!

Wearing: gifted J Brand Jeans, DIY raffia creepers, mens zara singlet (sorry boyfriend’s friend, you’re never getting it back), DIY gold pendant (tutorial to come!), Ebay Cat Eye sunglasses, studded pouch bag.

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DIY: DELICATE PEARL BOW HAIR ACCESSORIES

Today I'll be showing you guys a simple way to create pearl bow adornments for your hair - it can be made as a barrette/clip, or glued to a headband to create a pretty, elegant accessory. I've been trying to make something from pearls for quite a long time (for me) and I've always failed. Thank goodness I created something right today or else I'd go crazy... anyway read on to find out how!

You will ned some basic stuff to make these cute hair bows:

Pearls or faux pearls - about 25-30 pieces

Wire - 10-12 inches of pliable wire

Jewelry pliers 

Hair pin or Barrette base or Headband base
Hot Glue gun

Take your wire and find the center. Fold it to mark where it is. On one side, thread about 10-13 beads (depending on the size of your beads and the size of the loop that you want). 

Make a loop and then secure the wire by twisting the loop once or twice. Do the same on the other side.

If you're planning to make the headband bow, you may stop threading the pearls here. You'll be left with two spokes of wire.

Thread your bead as shown in the photo. Pull the wires taut and twist tightly on the other side.

Cut the excess wire off and stick it to your headband base.

Ta-da! Easy peasy cute headband. Now for that other bow...

Remember you were left with those two wire spokes? Well, thread about 3-4 beads onto one side.

Next, loop the end to secure the beads. Cut off the excess wire and then do the same to the other side.

Glue on the middle bead with hot glue or super-strength glue.

Glue it onto your barrette base or hair clip and you are done!

This is a really cute accessory for those days when you just feel girly and want to dress up or for attending an event. What do you think - loving it or hating it? Share the love and leave me lovely comments! Heehee. I love hearing from you guys - anyway, I hope you guys have a great week! :)

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HOUNDSTOOTH SHOES DIY

Houndstooth is by no means a new textile, however, it has hit the fashion trend radar once again and seems to be popping up in every magazine I open as of late. Most blame Lady Gaga and her outrageous head-to-toe houndstooth ensemble. And she may have brought it to the masses attention but the dress & shoes she was wearing were from the Salvatore Ferragamo Autumn/Winter 2011 collection wherein Houndstooth was one of the main prints seen in fine and exaggerated proportions. Chanel & YSL touched on it as well for 2011 {and it’s a Staple for Gwen Stefani} but Ferragamo sold it this season, in my opinion. I recommend watching therunway show, it’s GORGEOUS. I would wear every single look. You can buy Ferragamo’s gorgeous snakeskinHoundstooth shoes for $950 OR you can make your own. Here’s how…

* A pair of pumps. **A moderate pointy toe will work best.
* Cotton houndstooth print fabric. I found mine at JoAnn‘s and what I thought was black and white noticed when I returned home, was navy. 
* Mod Podge original. You may also use a fabric glue but Mod Podge works the best.
* Craft Sponge brush
* Scissors
* Patience… this is not an easy one.

* Cut out two irregular shapes {a pentagon of sorts}. My measurement is for a 3″ heel. Adjust for longer or shorter heels. **Make sure your print/pattern direction is the same on both.

* Using your sponge brush, lay on a relatively thick layer of Mod Podge to your heel. Do one at a time.

* With the triangle side up, place your fabric on your heel and smooth out.

* Cut a slit in the fabric {on either side} where the heel meets the shoe in order for the fabric to lay smoothly. **If your fabric is buckling anywhere else, make a similar slit to smooth it out. Let dry. Once dry, trim the edges leaving about 1/8″ around each of the sides.

* Next up is your toes! FIRST Cut two large rectangles from your fabric. Mine were about 18″ x 24″ – I wear a 9, measure your shoe accordingly, you should leave ample room for error on all sides. **Mod Podge the front toe of ONE shoe.

* Decide which direction you want your print to lay. **Remember to match the other shoe the same direction.

* Giving yourself over an inch of allowance on each side, lay your fabric over your toe and smooth out any bubbles. Do the same to the other shoe, allowing this one to dry and set into place.

* Once your toes are set enough {they don’t have to be completely dry but at least steady and immovable} cut a triangle out from the excess fabric at your toe, leaving at least 1/8″ allowance {longer than the sole}. **Press the front down to set in place. {see below}

* Adding more glue to your edges and toe, fold and glue down each side, creating an envelope flap type of crease… fold over your edges twice to prevent fraying, and/or add more glue.

* Wrap your fabric loosely under your shoe then carefully cut a small slit in the opening. **Making sure you’ll have enough fabric to cover both sides of your shoe, make the slit larger so that each side will lay flat.

* Beginning with one side and one shoe at a time, add your glue and carefully smooth your fabric over each side. **Wherever it buckles, snip the edge like we did with our heels to allow the fabric to lay smoothly. Just don’t snip too far!

* Once your shoe fabric is set in place, trim off the excess leaving at least 1/4″ just to be safe.

* Glue one side of the back/ankle down then the other flap over it. **Create a nice, clean, fray-free seam by folding over your edge first and centering it with your shoe’s real seam.

* Trim excess fabric around entire shoe to 1/8″ or less. **You may choose to cut your fabric just above the shoe’s natural sole {so the sole will show} or flap it over the edges. I did both, depending on the area of the shoe.

* Adding extra Mod Podge to the inner edges {that I left a little less than 1/8″} press down. **Do this around all of your edges.

* I wasn’t sure how exactly to merge the seam of the heel with the seam of the shoe so I created a ribbon to hide it. **Cut a strip about 24″ {to be safe} long by 1″ wide, glue,fold,glue, fold until you get a ribbon, then cut in half. **You’ll need two 6″-12″ ribbons for each shoe. **You can also choose a contrasting or solid fabric or ribbon if you like. **Adding a good amount of glue around the seam, I carefully create a bow of sorts to hide the seam. I glued them to the inner side of the heel for extra support.

* The very back of the print of the heel/shoe lined up perfectly, though the sides do not. I’m okay with that 

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