DIY Swan Pumps

I actually noticed the Manolo Blahnik Swan Pumps (online shopping is just evil) before finding out that they are related to Twilight. Whether you are a Twilight fan or not, you cannot blame me for being obsessed with THE wedding in Breaking Dawn.  It's just soooo dreamy and perfect (plus or minus the vampires depending on if you are a fan).  But not every one is married into the Cullen family (they are rich for ridiculous reasons).  And not every one can afford the $1200+ price tag.

So to further indulge my obsession with rhinestones and crystals, I decided to set out and make my own Swan-like pump. I searched online for shoes suitable for the project.  I actually ordered three pairs (and returned two) before deciding to stick with white satin (by Badgley Mischka).

Then came the most difficult part of the search.  I had to look for lace appliques that would give me shapes similar to the ones on the swan shoes.  Instead of going creative, I decided I should play safe and base the DIY version on the original shoes.  From the pictures online, the stones on the shoes seemed to be sewn in, but I figured I should stick to my routine and use the trust-worthy glue (industrial strength of course).

And after one night of magic - I am proud to present my own pair of special occasion/not-sure-for-what-function-yet shoes (definitely not for my wedding because according to my mother, I fantasized too much about my future non-existent wedding)!

Jewelry Display Board

Because of my recent summer holiday/unemployment period, I have the luxury of doing projects that have been on the back of my mind.  So today, poor Kenny had to get up early to drive me around to gather "ingredients" for making this board.  I couldn't decide between painting the board and using fabric, but since I love the natural cork color, I decided to go with the latter (maybe I will paint it when I get board again). 

Things needed: Corkboard (from TJ Maxx ~20USD), Lace (1/2 yard, ~2USD), Thumb Tacks and Push Pins (~2-3USD each)

Now the board is proudly displayed next to the vanity table.  Would everyone agree with me that the board needs more statement necklaces? *wink*

Loaves of Bread Etsy Shop

Here's a few of my recent projects available on Etsy! Glitter rose thank you card shown above.  And other rhinestone projects.  I wish I have better lighting in some photos. 

Poor Mr. Clock-Turned-Mirror

Hello Summer!  Summer is the time for home improvement right? Maybe I will come up with a project or two myself later.  Recently, it has been rhinestones and rhinestones and rhinestones for me.  And did I mention I sell my first item on Etsy? *clap clap clap* (Maybe I will share some products I made up here later!)

But today I am sharing a photo of my new decorative mirror.  It was a beautiful clock, as you can probably tell with the silver studs.  Poor Mr. Clock fell down from the wall last year and ended up with twisted arms.  He had to go through emergency surgery to remove his arms and replaced it with a new mirror face.  It took me a while to locate the right size mirror AND figure out how to glue it firmly enough (glue gun failed me so this is now glued with superglue for glass).  Now Mr. Clock-Turned-Mirror finds his purpose again!

Sequin Heart Brooches

I am attracted to things that sparkle.  After rhinestones, sequin seems to be the way to go.  I first saw these sequin heart pins on pinterest or someone's wedding album (I can't remember).  It's such a cute idea to wear these as brooches.  The only thing that kept me from starting this little project was that sequin trims in different colors took me some time to find (even online). They turned out to be harder to make than I have imagined.  So after battling with the sequin trims and my glue gun, I have my first two sequin hearts!  They say practice makes perfect; so more sequin hearts to come in the future! :p

Bunny Mason Jars

I got these mason jars from TJMaxx to get rid of the annoying resealable bags on the bathroom counter top.  And then for the sake of color-matching/getting rid of leftover spray paint, I sprayed them white (not quite perfectly).  I thought they looked okay but wanted to do something fun with them.  So when I saw these cute bunnies from a toy shop during a road trip, I brought them home.  After leaving them in them in the glass cabinet (on display) for nearly half a year, I finally glued them to my mason jars tonight!  Hopefully, these "bunny on snow" jars (yes I named them..) will add a little bit of life to my dull daily routine.

Toms Wedding Shoes!

Ta-dah!  November has been very exhausting, but it did not keep me from finishing my favorite project of this year - Toms crystal wedding shoes for Nicole!  After maybe 12 hours of labor, 3 packs of  Swarovski element crystals (about 1440/pack), 2 syringes, 1/2 tube of glue, the shoes were just in time for bridal shower.

Burlap Wreath for Christmas!

The occasional-crafter is back!  Since I am staying in Boston for Christmas this year, I was determined to do something to my "vacation house" in Marina Bay.  I also wanted to make something that is not too expensive.  I saw a similar burlap wreath when I was doing my Google search and decided to make my own variation.

All the supplies are purchased at Michael's for under $15 (ribbons are leftover for a beer "cake" we made for a friend's 21st birthday).  It's simple - twist and pin, twist and pin, twist and pin! Happy December!

 

Wedding Toms Sneak Peek

October is gone in the blink of an eye.  And I feel like I haven't accomplished much.  Projects, papers, exams in school are not even half-done.  I always wonder how and why we cramp everything in the last month of the semester.  Anyway, I am glad that November's coming up since winter is my favorite season (if I can magically make every day a sunny day, I don't mind the snow).  Can't wait till Thanksgiving (eating and shopping: two of my favorite things combined!); but this year, I also can't wait till December because of my birthday (it always happens in December for some reason), friends' visits, Christmas, and adding to the list this year - weddings!

I saw this pair of pretty rhinestone converse online and really wanted to make one! I am glad my friend took my offer on that.  Today when Hurricane Sandy was visiting, I pulled out all my supplies and started gluing rhinestones! Now I am half-done, awaiting some more rhinestone deliveries. 

By the way, I used real Swarovski crystals, which makes it... expensive (of course if it's for a friend it does not matter).  But I am currently researching ways to make it cheaper.  I heard acrylic rhinestones are cheaper but not as sparkly, so I might give those a try next time. 

More photos to come : ) 

$22 Glass Display Cabinet

I love precious moments. I don't know if it's because I am heavily influenced by my mother, or the precious moment children Bible that I had.  I tried not to buy too many because of the frequent moving, but somehow I ended up with a lot of figurines from friends and spontaneous purchases; and they ended up on my shelves catching dust.

So one thing that I really wanted for my new "playhouse" is a glass cabinet to house all my figurines.  After diligently searching on Craigslist, I got this glass cabinet originally from IKEA for $22! (And it comes with the light too!)

To go along with the white with a splash or red/orange theme in the living room, we had to spray the top and bottom pieces white. Personally I think it looks great! 

 

Completed Bathroom Photos!

This sounds weird, but welcome to the bathroom!  With the new espresso frame for the mirror, we got the ikea RIBBA picture ledge as shelves to hold bottles and stuff.  And in case you haven't noticed the bathroom sign, that was a surprise find at staples when we were waiting for the print. 

And finally, featuring my third printable, specially made for this bathroom! Still experimenting with illustrator... currently in the process of making a christmas card (because it is going to take me a long time) and a banner for the blog! 

Lastly, just a photo of laundry area with the pretty wooden letters I got from Michael's! Thanks to the numerous pictures I saw on my favorite site!

Bathroom Mirror Project

 

This was how the bathroom looked like.  In need of some "personality"...?  I started using my two most valuable resources - time and internet to see what I can do about this bathroom mirror.  And I came across several blogs that has great tutorials on framing mirrors with moldings.  So I made my "driver" (because I still don't have the courage to drive in Boston) drove me to the BIG store again and wandered into the molding section (next to all the woods and building materials.. I had to admit it's quite scary). I was sick of painting then so when I was relieved to find this dark brown/espresso molding.  I only need two 7-feet molding (total cost ~$18 dollars).

Measured out the length. And my first time using a miter box ever! I did not even know how to pronounce the word - a staff at home depot taught me : p

 

My first cheap cheap seven-dollar miter box.

With liquid nails and caulking gun (of course I did not do this part myself).  Don't you think it looks so much better already? Even with the painter's tape?

I don't have a good picture of the completed bathroom yet (because technically this is my play-room/house not my living space).  But hopefully I can upload a nice picture with all the decorations (and of course featuring my 3rd printable!) soon.

P.S. I am not really a pro in home improvement/DIY projects, so it's better to read tutorials like this one from Elizabeth & Co.

August was Kitchen Month

This was how the kitchen looked like.  Since we don't have the $$$ needed, we cannot upgrade the appliances or cabinets.  But this dark green laminate countertop makes me sad every time I see it, so after some research online.  We bought a countertop transformation kit from Giani at around $60-70 (much cheaper than the other brand in home depot at ~$150).

So we painted the countertop with a black primer that comes with the kit, waited a day, and sponged some pearl white paint onto the countertop.

 Next is sponging on a dark black paint.

And it ends with a bronze paint followed by a clear coat on top.  Looks like granite to me! ... at least it's much better than the original green laminate!

So after my "success"with the countertop, I decided to give mosaic tiles a try.  I remembered seeing flowers made out of tiles on the bathroom wall of some fancy restaurants and thought I could easily recreate something similar... and that thought costs me be two weeks.

I went to the big orange and white store again and got a roll of fiberglass mesh (at the windows section), a huge bottle of glue, some thin-set mortar for glass tiles, caulk x 4 and waited at home for the grey and white tiles that I ordered online to arrive.  I measured out the dimensions (including the light switches etc) and lay out the pattern on the floor.  Then we glued the tiles to the mesh using regular craft glue (with parchment paper underneath), left it overnight to dry, and with the help of Kenny (..hehehe...), put the tiles up using thin-set mortar.

Then the problem came, we used a caulking gun and some caulk we got from the store and thought it looked perfect!... until it dried and we realized we bought clear caulk instead of white. And now we have to go back and get some other ones to finish this up.  But still! Don't you think it looks nice (ignoring some uneven-ness)?

 We also got this fancy set of LED stick on lights with switch at Costco for within 30 dollars.

Thanks to Pinterest (yet again) and the inspiration it gave me, I got this plate rack for $1 at a crate and barrel sale and I am loving my organization of the lids!

Then it's time for some more decorations. Printed these from Over the Big Moon, except I used illustrator to make the last spoon print vertical. And I am loving the Coca Cola print, so much for being a dietitian.

 Anyhow, I am loving the new kitchen!

Printable Number 2!

I really should have gone to bed, but we might actually be able to get into Kenny's new apartment tomorrow! Just the thought of that can keep me up all night... so I made my second printable :) Enjoy!

Julia's First Printable!

Thanks to Pinterest (again!) and my summer holiday (free time!!), here comes my first printable! I am quite happy with my first product, makes me feel better about spending the evening learning a new software (although the first few words still look better on my computer than when exported).

And I decided to go with a Bible verse.... in pink! Just because they are my favorite book and color.  Now I just have to find a place for it in my tiny apartment.

P.S. I am not sure how to share a file yet, but I am happy to share it with anyone!

Not as thrifty chalkboard!

Thanks to Pinterest, I came across so many different versions of chalkboards on the DIY page.  So when I was planning out Kenny's new condo's decoration, I had to put in a chalkboard!

I decided to go back to Jessica's "Little Baby Gavin" tutorial since it was those creative and cute pregnancy pictures that caught my attention at first.  I went to different thrift store whenever I passed by one, but never had any luck picking up good frames for the project. So when I walked into Joann the other day and saw the sale going on, I decided to buy a frame instead.  I used chalkboard paint and a foam roller but the surface looks a little bumpy but I am quite satisfied with my first official DIY. Might repaint it later but for now... I can't wait to write on it!