Wolf + Lace

Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

How To Color Glass Jars and Bottles

Turquoise is my favorite color and I have a small collection of blue-green glass bottles and jars in my home, so I was excited to discover Martha Stewart's Glass Paint so I can make some more! For this project, you will need a glass jar, Martha Stewart's Glass Paint (I used Liquid Fill Transparent Paint in Bright Sky), and rubbing alcohol.

First, clean the outside of the jar with rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt, dust, grease, oil, etc.

Then, cover the entire jar with paint. It's best to start with the sides and cover the bottom of the jar last.

I used the transparent paint, so it will dry clear.

Try to work fast because this paint tends to dry pretty quickly. If you are working with a jar that has flat surfaces, I recommend doing one whole side at a time, rather than what I did, which was to go around the top half and then the bottom half. On this side, you can kind of see the line where the paint started to dry.

Also, make sure you pop any air bubbles because they will dry like that.

For the paint to be permanent, let it air dry for 21 days before washing or visit the Martha Stewart website for the oven curing instructions.

Click here for more DIY ideas.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

How To: Distressed Jeans DIY

I love the worn-in look and it's pretty popular right now. Destroying your own jeans is a lot cheaper than buying them in the store and it only takes a short amount of time. Here's a quick DIY on how to put holes in your jeans.

For this project, you will need:
-Pair of jeans
-Chalk or fabric marker
-An old book or hard surface
-Razor or precision knife
-Tweezers or pliers

Jeans that are made of 100% cotton work best because they fray and hold shape better, but you can still use jeans that are made of a cotton blend. If they have spandex in them, it takes a little extra work to make them look frayed and they tend to bunch together if the jeans themselves aren't form-ftting. So if you are using jeans that are a elastane or spandex blend, they should be skinny jeans. If you are using jeans that flare at the bottom, try to only make holes in the upper part where they fit tightly. The jeans I used in this tutorial are actually 2% elastane.

Denim is made of two different threads woven together. The vertical threads are blue and horizontal ones white. The goal is to remove the blue threads while keeping the white threads somewhat in tact.

Step 1: Use the chalk to lightly draw horizontal lines on the jeans where you want to make your cuts. For an asymmetrical shape, make your lines different lengths and space them out differently. The chalk should come off in the wash, but press lightly just in case.

Step 2: Slide the book into pants leg. This will give you a hard surface to work on and prevent
you from cutting through to the back side of the jeans.

Step 3: Use the razor to make cuts along the chalk lines.

Step 4: Use tweezers to loosen some of the white threads on top and bottom of each cut. I used needle nose tweezers for this step because they make it easier to dig out the threads. Loosening the white threads prepares you for the next step and also creates a frayed edge. The number of threads you loosen depends on how long you want your frayed edge to be. I made mine about half a centimeter long.

Step 5: Use the tweezers to pull out all of the blue threads in between the two cuts. I used tweezers for this tutorial, but pliers may be needed for stiffer fabrics.

When you're finished the first section, it will look something like this.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the other sections.

Different lengths and spacing between the lines make different shaped holes.

For a thin line, make two very short cuts.

After you're finished, throw your jeans in the wash to rough them up even more.

Tada!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!

Follow my Fashion Tips board on Pinterest for more ideas and DIY's.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

How to Decorate Your Home for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is this week! Here is how I was able to decorate my home on a budget...

I spend a lot of time looking at interior design blogs. Some of my favorite blogs are the ones that post a lot of photos of Victorian, Vintage, and Shabby Chic homes, and I think these styles are perfect for Valentine's Day. I wanted to create a scene that has a cozy, romantic, nostalgic vibe. To do this, I used flowers, candles, and DIY and vintage items in warm, soft colors.

I think thrift and vintage shops are the best places to find items to decorate with if you're on a budget. Many times, you can find better quality items at lower prices than you would find in a regular retail store (Check TheThriftShopper.com for stores in your area). I like unique pieces and I am a huge fan of vintage, so I usually only shop at mass retailers and dollar stores for basic items and crafting supplies. In these photos, the pillar candles and all of the supplies used to make the paper hearts were from Walmart, and the flowers were from Dollar Tree.

Roses are one of my favorite flowers and a classic standard for Valentine's Day. These pink ones are from Dollar Tree. I was very happy with the quality of these. I don't buy a lot of fake flowers because with many of them, especially the lower-priced ones, you can tell that they are fake. When I do buy them, I look for ones that have blooms that look natural, disguised plastic connectors, and stems without an obvious mold line down the side.

The books were a last minute idea. I went to a couple different thrift stores looking for vintage books with romantic key words in the title, like "dear", "classic", and "poets". I found these at a local shop for only $2.50 each. If I had more time (and a larger budget!), I probably would have tried to get copies of classic novels, love stories like Romeo & Juliet, Wuthering Heights, or any Jane Austin novel.

The birdcage, teacup, and tablecloth were also thrift store finds that I've had for a while.

Valentine's Day isn't complete without candy hearts!

Here's a quick and easy DIY for Hanging Paper Hearts. All you need is colored paper, string or twine, a pair of scissors, and scotch tape.

First, cut a heart out of the colored paper.

Then, cut two pieces of string, one shorter and one longer.

Tie the shorter string in a bow onto the longer string, tape to the back of the heart, push the bow down to the base of the heart, and hang!

Light some candles for Valentine's night.

How did you decorate for Valentine's Day? Post your links in the comment section below!

Take a look at my Holiday board on Pinterest for more ideas!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Studding DIY Inspiration

I have started taking the studs off of old belts as I'm getting ready to go on a studding spree. I've already done this pair of shorts (also worn here) and I'm starting a cross design on a vintage denim jacket. Below are a few images I found as inspiration.