Bow-tastic!

I know I said I was going to start off easy... but even I surprised myself with this one... (Before making this, I did not have the confidence in myself to produce something that was of a good standard!)

This piece looks so well!!! I'm so happy with it! I was thinking about this project for a long time, but now I am so happy it turned out so well! (I could also have worn it as a headband piece but I didn't have time to take a photo!)

This was the last of the first cotton print fabric I ever bought and I was so glad that I had enough in my scraps to make it! It is such a gorgeous paisley print with enough lilac to make me feel pretty!

Oddly, I found the instructions on lovesewing.com unclear. It seems to skip steps and I had to just improvise, for example, the bow itself seems to just be seamed in the tutorial. But I actually sewed it right sides together and left a gap to flip it inside out.

I also found, when marking the fabric, that the measurement were a bit small. So I added a bit of extra bit to each amount... even still, I think the next time I make one, I'd like a bigger bow, and a longer tie...

I have to admit that I would have not have had the motivation to do this on my own. I ended up giving this piece away as a birthday present. I was making this piece anyway, when I was informed of plans to attend a friend's birthday, albeit, slowly with lots of procastination. But once I confirmed that I was going to head out for the birthday, I instantly focused my attention on finishing the project and I ironed everything before sewing (which I don't always do! I know... big sewing faux-pas!)

But I feel the best motivation for doing anything is when you are doing it for others rather than yourself.
What's the point of having a gift, a passion, a talent... if you don't share it?

I hope that the girl I gave this to, feels as pretty as I did when I wore it!

Bina :o)

DIY: Earring Holder

I have a tonne of earrings hidden away in my wardrobe... But there are a certain few that I LOVE LOVE LOVE and I would wear on a regular basis... you know which ones I mean... [the ones that as soon as you put them away, you take them out again and wear them around!].

So here's an easy project for you to store your favourite pieces and keep them within easy reach! :)

Here's a few things you need:- frame

- PVA glue
- fabric
- decorative pieces

I used the glue to stick the lace over the top of the frame! This will be used to hang earring.

I formed a second pouch along the bottom of the frame by glue-ing the lace to the frame (from the inside).

I then added a few pieces to decorate the frame. (I originally sewed the flower to lace and then glued it to the frame afterwards to give it extra support.)

This is what you should end up with.

Here is what the pouch looks like...it can hold stud earrings as well as rings and bracelets etc.


It is such a quick and easy project to do. Let me know if you try it out!

Bina :o)

Dress Form Tutorial

Hi guys,

I have badly needed one of these forEVER (well, that's what it feels like!) And I had been doing a lot of research online about looking into buying a dress form when... guess what! The internet came to my rescue! Make your own body form... (one that is FAR more accurate to your body shape...AND significantly cheaper....yes please!)

All you need is duct tape, scissors and a tshirt (or black plastic bag).

Saw this idea originally on Threadbanger. This video is great! :)

But also, I read that there was another video available on Mimi Goodwin's blog.
But for some reason, Mimi's video would not load for me.

So I decided, since I was gonna be making one anyway... I might as well make a video for others to check out as well! :)



Note: This is not an original idea by me, it is simply my attempt to produce something I need in a cheap and resourceful way! :o)



Hope this video helps you!

Special thanks to my bestest buddy for helping me tape myself up! lol!

Bina :o)

Making Photo Collages

Need a present ASAP?

I have found that nothing says 'personal' like a photo collage and I've become a REAL fan of making photo collages since my secondary school days. I don't have a tutorial on how to make one... but it's pretty self explanatory! Bit of Prittstick, fancy paper, frame, the pictures and boom...Photo collage done!

I'm always collecting bits and pieces of scrapbooking paper with the intention of using them in future photo collages... Here's my little collection... (I've reused A4 covers and dividers from folders).


Here are a few photo collages that I have made over the last few years...

(Enter pic here)

This was made for Dilu's birthday back in 2006.
We had taken a class trip to Dingle where we got to meet Fungi the dolphin :o)


This was made for Kim's 20th Birthday in 2008.
We (Dilu and I) printed the photo using a Kodak Picture Kiosk in our local pharmacy.
These kiosks are great, because they give you the option to print photos in miniature sizes,
allowing you to put four pictures on the one photo card.
We finished with feathers around the frame, stickers randomly placed
and a personalised message in the middle!


I made this for Jess when she graduated in 2009.
We got to know Jess via Matt and she was leaving for home (back in NY) and
we had all bonded over Trinity Ball that year, so I felt we had to do something small.




This was recently made for Matt's Leaving Do last week.
(Hence why I had to wait to post this up!... Couldn't post it before he received his surprise pressie!)
Matt was leaving for home (back in NJ) and was starting work in Philly
so we had to get him a going away pressie!
We used personalised messages from each of us and
positioned the mini pictures around one main picture of Matt.

Looks good, doesn't it?

I don't think it matters whether you print on photo paper or not... I've done both (depending on my funds available lol!)... And I found that printing colour on normal paper works as well as printing on photo paper! :) Below, the former is done with photo paper, and the latter is done with normal A4 paper. Really does not make a difference, it still looks good!

So next time you need a good present... try this out!

Bina :o)

Happy Valentines Day

So it's that time of year again, the holiday that Hallmark just loves!!!

As a solo lady, I decided to embrace my single status and celebrate it. So I made a heart keycharms for my friends who were also celebrating their first V-Day without a b-f.

It was made from baby pink polymor clay. I decided to paint it red, but I didn't have any acryllic paint! :( I was informed (through a bit of websurfing) that poster paint (or any water-based paint) DOES NOT WORK!

But all I had was watercolours or regular poster paint! :( So I tried it out anyway, and it's true... poster paint sucks on polymer clay! The paint just slides off; it can be wiped off really easily! So I dapped the paint on using the spokes and let it dry and applied some clear nail polish. And it gave off this really cool effect!!!

Because I was making it for my friends, I wrote 'Me' on one side and 'You' on the other. I also made some mini hearts, I added some links and made the keyring. I had a few left over and made myself a phone charm! :)

Who says Valentine's Day is for couples...?

Happy Singles Appreciation Day!!!

In the words of Beyonce,

All the single ladies, PUT YO HANDS UP!

And if you really hate all this Valentine's nonsense... Happy Chinese New Year!!! :)

Hope you're having a great day however you decide to celebrate today!!!!

ARGH!!!! Unfortunately for me, today is sorta tainted by sickness! I went out last night... and feel a bit flu-ey today!! Who am I kidding?! I did it, I ATE CHEESE!!! (I'm not supposed to eat cheese... but I'm NOT lactose-intolerant!) I had cheese on crackers last night before going out... So today, I AM suffering! lol!!!

So I had to drink the yucky Disprin water that's supposed to make me recover! :( And I'm staying in my PJ's all day!!! Muhahaha!Luckily for me, my mom just opened up the box of Lindt choccies!!! Yum yum!

Whatever you decide to do, have a great day!!

Bina :o)

It's TAF Week!!

It's Trinity Arts Festival Week this week!!!

This usually means nothing to me... absolutely diddley-squat... but not this year...

In all my years at Trinity College Dublin, I have never really done anything as a part of this amazing festival... so I thought this year, it'll be different!

I read a little schedule. And they have so many amazing events on this year!

Yesterday, I visited the Provost's House!!! This probably means absolutely nothing to you, but it's definitely one thing I can cross off my list... Originally, I actually wanted to meet the Provost and get a photo with him... (I think I'll try do this at Trinity Ball when he's dressed in his finest! lol!) If I can't do that... what's the next best thing? ... getting into his gaff! haha! Oh yea!

And today, I went to a 'make your own jewellery' session! And I made this beautiful piece!

Unfortunately, I ended up having to choose jewellery making over a talk with Apprentice Star Bill Cullen! But all was not lost, I ended up bumping into him on Front Square! yay! totally starstruck! Eep!

Tomorrow, there's a clothes customising workshop on... but unfortunately, I have to do an on-site meeting for a college assignment... Also gonna miss Thrillah! Which was set to be the biggest event ever... (sorry Richie!).

I'm still buzzing from the jewellerymaking!!! :) :)

Check this shizzle out! :D

Bina :o)

Brrrr!!!

It's sooooo cold!!! Brrrrr!!!

But atleast my head is warm! :)

I made myself this neat lil number! It's a crochet headband with a flower to decorate! :)

Surprisingly, it does exactly what it says on the can...! (Well you know what I mean! lol!) ...it really does keep my head warm, despite the gaping hole that is usually present with a hat! lol!

Anyway, I'll leave ya with this ...

Check out the cuteness of what I found one morning last week... lil birdie footprints... next to my giant boot footprint! lol!!!
Bina :o)

I got Andy Warhole-d!

Eeep! It was the first time I "andy-warholed" myself!! :o)

It looks kinda messy! I think I used too many levels... I'm not very experienced on Photoshop, still learning how to do things... but hey, as they say...

practice makes perfect!

Actually, I just figured out what I needed to do there as I was typing...lol!

I forgot to do another filter cutout! Whoops! Atleast I know for next time! I thought it didn't look right... atleast I know now! hehee!!

Bina :o)


UPDATE:

I re-did it... think it looks a bit better... what do you think? lol! Bina :o)

Before: ................................................................... After:

Much better, no?
I think the colour choice was definitely an improvement!

Ah well, it was only something to do to fill up some time! lol!

Hope you're having a good day!
Bina :o)

Oooh... Another Zipper Brooch!

I promised my friend I'd make her a zipper brooch after we saw some on a top in River Island... so I had planned to give it to her for xmas! But I haven't had the chance to meet up with her and also, I haven't even gotten round to making the zipper brooch until today!

"YIKES!"

But I finally sat down to it... and decided to freestyle a little bit with it! So I did a star with a trail and added a bit of lace...?

What do you think of it?

Bina :o)

Feather Hairband

I have this fashion safety pin from a dress I got years ago for my debs.

I didn't think it suited the dress, so I took it off and pinned it on my curtains, and for the last four years, there it hung!
Until, I did my hair for a night out last night, and I felt like something was missing! And this feathered pin just happened to catch my eye! Don't ask me how... I hadn't noticed it for four years... Life went on, and I did not miss this feathered piece!!!

So I attached the pin to a gold chained hairband that I have and it looks amazing... like a hairband version of a fascinator!

Was a pretty cool idea to jazz up my hairstyle!

Bina :o)

Bunch of Roses

I made clay roses! Eeep! It was my first time playing around with Sculpey! I had heard of Sculpey and Filo but I wasn't sure where to get some! So I went to the local craft store and bought me some!

Beautiful Clay Roses

They're so gorgeous! I didn't have any proper paint so I used nail polish to colour them... They look very pretty! This was only the test run so I don't know what to do with them now!

But next time I think I might make earrings or punch some holes and turn them into pendants... Hmm... we shall see! Eeep! Excitement!!

Bina :o)

Goodbye boring plain hairbands!

Like every girl out there, I buy elastic hairbands in packs... They're plain and boring but they keep your hair out of your face! I have so many! And I thought I might jazz one of them up!! :o)

And I was having a bit of a room clear out, and I found a magical fairy wand I had from a dress up party! It had a cute cute butterfly on top and seeing as I was going to throw the wand away, I thought... why not do something with it...?

Butterfly Elastic Hairband

So I took it off the wand and attached it to my elastic hairband... looks cute, doesn't it? [The butterfly had a lot more feathers and ribbons and strings of pearls attached to it when it was on the wand... I just removed them, and put them aside for another rainy day! ;op]

I actually saw a tutorial a while ago on how to make wings for a halloween costume, using wire, and an old pair of tights. It seemed pretty easy so I figure a mini-version [like the one above] would be grand to do! Might try to do it from scratch when I have a spare moment!

Bina :o)

My very own zipper creation!!!

Finally went out to Hickey's Home Focus and bought myself a zipper to try out those zipper brooches!

Zipper Flower Brooch

And it looks exactly like the one in the picture from an earlier post!! Eep! Looks fab on clothes as well!!! :o)

I think next time, I might try to do something a bit more original, shouldn't I? lol! :)

Bina :o)

Necklace? ...You mean Brooch!

I got this necklace for about £2.00 last summer when I went to London! [Bought it in MKOne before it fell victim to the recession!] But it didn't really suit as a necklace... It just didn't seem to sit right or something...

Before: Necklace

So I had a brainwave... turn it into a brooch?!
I just re-used the chain links and found a pin... Looks a hundred times better as a brooch, doesn't it?

(Pics up soon!)

After: Brooch

Bina :o)