Category Archive for "DIYs" | XO Style Stalker

DIY Embellished Accessories | Flowers and Pom-Poms

By XO Style Stalker 22 Apr 2015 0 DIYs, Fashionspiration Accessories, bun wrap, clutch, Collars, Crafts Permalink 0

Well hello there! After cultivating all of my possible blog post ideas I realized that I really wanted to do some sort of DIY for you guys. I have a pretty nice-sized Pinterest board of all the future fashion DIYs I want to try, so I thought why not? Instead of copying the DIYs on this board I actually made my own. Well… I actually ended up just raiding through my large selection of craft supplies and adding whatever random tidbits I could find to whatever accessories that were in reach, but same-difference. Hopefully you’ll enjoy all the fun ideas, and the end result, so I really recommend trying these out!

DIY #1: Floral Collar

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I’ve been wanting to do any sort of DIY project with a collar for a while, but I could never figure out what. Originally I was planning a Miu Miu inspired collar, but quickly tired of the idea after seeing them all over the internet. When thinking of possible accessories and bits I could embellish, this collar immediately came to mind.

The whole project is very simple, and quite fun. I just got some colorful felt from a craft store, in a variety of colors. Then I used the template listed in this DIY, and taped it to the felt with masking tape. Just so you know, it was easiest to cut the felt when it’s thick and stiff, so having masking tape on the edges really helps. Then all I did was hot glue small, flat, fake flowers from one side to the other, (with a few leaves in between) making sure the flowers slightly overlapped, and the colors were spread out. I thought that the collar looked best when the flowers were laid down and flat, so I glued the edges of the petals down to ensure this. Lastly, I cut 2 strips of 15 inches of ribbon, and glued down 1 inch of this to the felt. Once everything was dry, the DIY was done. I really love all the colors, and the shape of the flowers, they remind me of little fairies.

DIY #2: Pom-Pom Clutch

If you couldn’t already tell I have a love for flowers/pom-poms, and novelty items, especially clutches. It only seemed fair to make some sort of tribute to one of my two loves, so here we have it. This is probably my favorite DIY out of all 3, so I really hope you try it.

I picked up this really simple bag from Forever 21, making sure that it seemed like a material hot glue could attach to. It was pretty simple, the only thing you might not remember is to put masking tape or painters tape on the zipper so that you don’t hot glue it closed. Then I just hot glued the pom-poms to the clutch and allowed time for it to dry. It’s easily customize-able, just because of the fact there are so many colors, sizes, and features of pom-poms that no two of these project will ever look the same.

DIY #3: Floral/Pom-Pom Bun & Hair Wrap

Once again, I was inspired by Pinterest for this DIY. My hair is too short for a bun, so I sort of re-imagined this for ponytails and such things. Out of all these DIYs it is probably the most simple, and versatile, but that doesn’t mean it’s not as good as the others. Since these are so easy to make, and cost so little, you can make a large bulk, so that there’s room to pick and choose.

I didn’t have any suede lace or daisies like the DIY said, so I decided to try to make it my own way. Twine was the thickest ribbon type of material I had, so I decided to use that. This was such a laid-back project, since I just eye-balled everything, and didn’t do any real measurements. I unwound a significant amount of twine, but didn’t cut it off the spool, since it’s better to have too much then too little. After that I started gluing flowers and pom-poms about 1/2 a foot or so from the end of the twine, until it looked like enough to cover 3/4 of a bun or ponytail. Then for the pom-pom hair wrap I went in and glued the sides of each individual pom-pom together. After guesstimating, I left another 1/2 foot at the end of the twine, and chopped it away from the spool. Once everything was dry you can tie this with the flowers at the front of the ponytail or bun, and you’re done!

I guess you could add more flowers and twine to make a headband too.

Well that’s a wrap! See what I did there? Which DIY was your favorite? Which one do you want to try out? Let me know in the comments below, and send me a picture if you ever try one of these.

3 Ways to Style a Necklace | Mink and Stone

By XO Style Stalker 01 Jan 2015 2 DIYs, Fashionspiration, OOTD 3 ways to style, design jewelry, Fashion, how to style, mink and stone Permalink 0

I’ve partnered up* with the brand new jewelry company, Mink and Stone to show you my 3 favorite ways to wear the same necklace, most likely your favorite, over and over again. But instead of creating a uniform revolving around your necklace, I’ve shown you 3 different, easily re-created styles in which to wear your necklace.

Just a quick heads up, I found not all the colors are the exact way they appear when you design the necklace on the website. For example, the silver heart I ordered appeared darker and more grungy in person than online. Also, these are probably necklaces you treat yourself to for things like As on midterms, (pretty solid logic there) because they’re handmade, (not mass produced) and cost more than necklaces you might find at Forever 21 for example.

Casual

Casual is probably my go to style on the weekends, despite how much I dislike to admit that to myself. It’s quite easy just to throw on a pair of jeans, boots, and a sweater. But a 1-of-a-kind necklace, a couple of bracelets, and/or rings on top of that, will really make your outfit a lot less uniform. I’d recommend statement pieces, like I mentioned in this post, or quirky pieces like mine from Mink and Stone.

Dressy

Probably my favorite of the three, dressy does take some creativity. But I’m not talking about floor-length gowns, and 4 inch heels. I’m more about mid length dress, and some sort of cover, whether it’s a sweater, or a kimono, unless it’s really warm outside. In the fall and winter pairing Oxfords and quirky knee-length socks, along with some really cool jewelry is a great way to doll up your outfit, without being too boring. To keep it simple, add a minimal amount of necklaces and rings, but I really like to wear lots of chunky rings, and layer necklaces of all lengths.

Business-Like (Yet Quirky)

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A blazer, flats-the workplace uniform. I don’t actually have a job, but whenever I have nothing else to put over a shirt, a blazer has become my go-to. Instead of buying multiple different styles (of blazers) in multiple different colors, why not not to add small inexpensive touches to an outfit. Pins and shoe clips are simple, affordable ways (even for me, someone without a job) to make your blazer and shoes more fun. But to go even further, or avoid the purchase of anything else, why not find a really nice, interesting go-to piece, (like I’ve mention about 400 times in this post) to spice things up.

*This is a sponsored post, as Mink and Stone has gifted and/or compensated me to write this post. All opinions are my own, as I truly love the idea of designing your own piece of jewelry. View my full disclaimer here.

DIY Embellished Detachable Collar

By XO Style Stalker 16 Dec 2014 0 DIYs, Fashionspiration craft, detachable collar, DIYs, easy, embellished Permalink 0

As both a holiday and fashion fanatic, I can often be caught flipping through the pages of the Family Fun magazine for the crafts around this time of year. Easy, affordable, and most of all, covet-able crafts are my specialty, especially when I’m looking for last-minute gift ideas. It would be inexplicable if I didn’t happen to recreate the DIY Embellished Detachable Collar I saw in a magazine, considering my love for both collars, and affordable crafts.

Tips

Cut 20 inches of ribbon
Use Tacky Glue
- Dries Clear
Use masking tape to cover the template-it’s easier to work with
Use masking tape to tape the template down
Thin, flimsy felts are hard to cut
Stiff fabrics can feel a little weird around the neck
- But they don’t hurt

This is super simple, you don’t even need steps, and a really great gift idea. I recommend grabbing as many pieces of felt as you can find, because they’re amazingly inexpensive, and once you start making these DIY embellished detachable collars, you just won’t be able to stop!

Have a happy early holiday!

I was inspired by the Family Fun Magazine for this DIY, but I made it my own with different embellishments, and little

extra steps to insure the best possible collar. See the template for the collar here.

OOTD-All Neon & Hazy

By XO Style Stalker 30 Sep 2014 0 Celebs, DIYs, Fashionspiration, OOTD all about that bass, Fashion, flower crown, heeled boots, long cardigan Permalink 0

Before I bore you with a million and 1 pictures of me, please stop. From now on, every OOTD will feature a new song I would like you to listen to. And in return for my wonderful music selection (I’m the next best thing to a DJ) I am asking you to comment your favorite song of the moment.

Just because some people will not open click to listen to YouTube, I will embed the songs at the end.

Shoes: Saks Fifth Avenue// Cardigan: Forever 21// Dress: Old//Necklace: TopShop//Crown: DIY//Bracelets: Alex & Ani

I knew I could look really sophisticated, and modern, and all that good stuff made for adults. Well, being 12, I get to wear all the silly, stupid, DIY, attention catching crap I want. And I can totally get away with it, because I’m “discovering my identity.” The people at the optometrist looked like they were trying not to stare at me. And just to entertain myself, I pretended I had no idea why. But just because I’m pretty sure they thought I was stupid, I made sure to mention I was taking 9th grade math, somewhere in the conversation. You know,*insert sarcasm* casually.

Listen To- All About that Bass

P.S. This is the same dress I wore in my popular OOTD, Neon in the Winter?!?!

P.P.S. I found out that PS stands for “postscript” in vocab, so stay in school. Or continue using Google, whatever floats your boat.

DIY Flower Crowns/Headbands

By XO Style Stalker 19 Sep 2014 0 Celebs, DIYs, Fashionspiration, OOTD crown, DIYs, Fashion, flower, headband Permalink 0

I was quite the busy crafter yesterday. With my tripod came 100 hot glue sticks, so I decided to put them, and my Martha Stewart, skills to use. And you know while I was doing all that I decided to channel my inner Tavi Gevinson. Because you know, that’s a perfectly good use of my time. And a perfectly good way to procrastinate homework.

My sisters actually wore these to school, and apparently they’re worth something. I mean besides the like $3 they cost me to make. Apparently, their bus driver wants to buy one for her daughter. So I guess I have a business now.

P.S. That big jewel on the top is actually part of a broken earring of my grandmothers. Well, it got broken after it got into my custody. Oopss!!!

My “Studio” Tour

By XO Style Stalker 08 Sep 2014 0 DIYs, Fashionspiration, Random lifestyle, room tour, shrine, studio tour, teen blogger Permalink 0

As I’m writing this, I’m also not-so-secretly eating some apple pie I made last week, and it’s distracting me, so I think I’ll have to put it down. Okay, I’m ready now. After seeing all these amazing teen bloggers, I’ve pressured myself into buying a tripod, (so OOTDs to come) and taking more pictures. You know, the good kind with my camera, and not my phone.

After finally finishing the “redoing” (I say like that, because I didn’t rearrange, or repaint, but I did swap some furniture, and get some bits and bobs, so call it what you like) my room or if you want to be nice, studio, and I’m pretty proud of myself. Plus I needed to busy myself, so I could stop pretending I have a good English accent.

Polaroid Camera//Fujifilm Camera, Jewelry Tier (TJ Maxx)//Jewelry Tree (TJ Maxx)//Wooden Name Hooks (Pottery Barn) shown here

Dresser and Jewelry Area: My dresser is a key part of the blogger experience. It’s pretty much the only place I get ready in the morning. I lay out my clothes the night before here, the jewelry, whatever homework I have to turn in. It’s also a really good backdrop for rainy days when I have to photograph inside. Basically all my little blogger bits and bobs go here.

Dwarfs (Disney World)//Sleeping Beauty Set (Disney World)//Lanyard and Pins (Disney World and New York)//Mickey Mouse(Unknown)//Postcard (Disney World)

Disney Shrine: I will not lie to you. My favorite place in the world to go on vacation is probably Paris. But the most reasonable vacation spot, is probably Disney. And I’ve been there quite a lot of times. So I took the journey into our cold basement filled with spiders and collected all my Disney memorabilia. I didn’t realize I had it all until I put it out for the world to see. But I’m missing one of the Seven Dwarfs, so that’s kind of sad. P.S. That perfume box is filled with fake flowers for crowns. Post coming soon!

Pink Pillows (handmade)//Yellow Pillow(Target)//Small Pillow (Pottery Barn Kids)//Bedspread (handmade)

Bed: This is usually where I am. Not gonna lie about that. Whether it’s online shopping, watching YouTube, going on Tumblr, or Tweeting, it’s all done in my bed. I almost always have my laptop here, unless I have my phone, and it’s the only place where I get any “real” work done.;)

Lamp (Target)//Unicorn (Thrift Store)//Chalkboard Paper (Magazine)//Frame (Unknown)//Letter Tray (Container Store)//Mugs (my kitchen)

Desk: Sometimes I blog at my desk, and sometimes I blog in my bed, it all really depends on how I’m feeling and time of day. But the most functional space for that is this desk. It’s where the real magic happens. Notes are made, people emailed, brands tweeted, inspiration hit. I have a shag locker rug on my desk partly so my arms don’t hurt, but partly to cover up the years of creativity that has taken place on this here very desk.

And I’m all for not doing my hair.

My Candy Coated Fashion Obsessions

By XO Style Stalker 21 Aug 2014 4 DIYs, Musings and Rants, OOTD creme de la crop, evita nuh, jelly jelly beans, self constructed freak, style blogger Permalink 0

Thinking about Tavi Gevinson gets me thinking about how boring my wardrobe is. Sure, there’s pieces I love, and hate to grow out of (which means giving it to my sisters… *tears*) but then there’s pieces I’d LOVE to throw into my sisters’ possessions. I mean THEY’RE BORING!!! But then I’m not sure I could be brave enough to wear the adventurous pieces I love (or afford them), especially at the torturous place known as school. So until someone gives me a spending allowance for my blog (I’m gladly taking offers) so I could go on weekly or monthly shopping sprees, I think I’m just going to have to admire bloggers with weekly allowances (and a job). Paying for this blog is costing me, I only get $4 a month technically now (help me, I think I need to start a business)!!!!

Sorry for my shameful, (or -less) blogger promotion. Wait, no, I’m not that sorry, these people definitely deserve your attention.

Marlena, of Self Constructed Freak, reminds me of a little doll; (even though she’s 21) her clothes are adorable! Plus she makes a lot of them. It makes me jealous I can barely thread a sewing machine, let alone create a wardrobe, (but hey! I’m working on it, not really, but I like to tell myself that).

My Ode to Marlena’s Closet

Rainbows and clouds,

Those tights are so loud.

Socks so cute I might have to sing,

Look at that beautiful gumball kid ring!

Felt ice cream, and a glittery pin,

Oh my gosh!

Let the obsession begin.

Evita Nuh, of the Crème de La Crop, has a million different styles, some days she’s ‘swag,’ others she’s nerdy, and some days she’s just plain awesome. Especially since she practically makes her own editorials, which is another thing I can be jealous of. And just looking at this small gallery of pictures, you can tell that she has quite a lot of accessories, (meaning quite a lot of money, another thing I envy). OMG! THAT’S SO RAVEN IS ON, AND I’M DYING BECAUSE THERE IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING GOOD ON DISNEY CHANNEL NOW (BESIDES GIRL MEETS WORLD SORT OF) AND I LOVE THIS SHOW, AND HAVE TO ASK FOR A BOX SET FOR CHRISTMAS EVEN THOUGH MY SISTERS SCRATCH ALL THE DVDS WE EVER GET, UNLESS I KEE THEM IN MY ROOM FOREVER, (EVEN BARTOK THE MAGNIICENT, WHICH I LOVE) *exhale.*

Okay, maybe I’m not ready for Susie Bubble’s wardrobe but who doesn’t want a candy printed dress, or a pink translucent skirt. Plus, I saw her hanging out with some Spangled Glasses wearing people, which already makes them pretty cool in my book. And one day, when I stop caring what the heck all those prissy popular Aeropostale wearing zombies think, I will definitely be wearing some of those glasses. And even though I’ll need a guide dog (I’m that visually impaired, that’s right, my nerdy glasses have thick prescription lenses) I’ll still feel great.

I-Need-to-Clutter-My-Room-and-Make-Crowns Kind of Way

By XO Style Stalker 14 Aug 2014 0 DIYs, Fashionspiration, Musings and Rants crowns, diary, hotel chelsea, petra collins, photo shoot Permalink 0

I really can’t be bothered to get on the computer and write anything but this blog post (so be grateful peeps because you’re getting special treatment and exclusive stuff) because 1) I am a lazy bum, and 2) I am the most uninspired person on the planet. No no no, that is not true. At the moment I am quite inspired in an I-want-to-be-just-like-you-and-do-everything-you-do-and-ahhhhh-I-need-to-clutter-my-room-and-make-crowns kind of way, and guys imagine all that in a really high fangirl voice. Guess what my current inspiration is!?!? No that’s wrong, who? I will not demote my favorite person ever right now to an object. Neither will you, stop thinking like that! *evil stare* So as you can see it might not be a good idea for me to be on the internet right now because I have lost my mind, and I might start an evolution or something like that. Hahaha, like I would ever have the time or energy or effort to start an evolution. See what I mean, I’ve gone crazy?!?!?!? You must send your condolences to Wackytown, and address it to the weirdest person there.

Okay okay okay. Now unless you’ve been living under a rock forever and ever (okay for 7 years, but that might as well be forever) you know who this is. Now shame on you if you don’t *waggles finger* I am thoroughly disappointed in you. But I guess I’m going to have to give you a crash course (because I want to watch her again, now be quiet and pay attention).

Okay now you know why I am the world’s most inspired person ever. Because well… You can see why.

I am now giving up my life as a not-technically-but-self-diagnosed-OCD-room decorator, and turning to the dark side. The week I get home will be the week I clutter and organize (I know what I said, and NO, that is not an oxymoron) all the little trinkets I have, like snow globes and souvenirs and candies, and you get the point.

Oh, and if you were too lazy to read my intro paragraph, then poo on you, (kidding, kidding, but seriously read it) but otherwise, you’ll hear me again. The week I get home and clutter/organize my room is the week I go to the craft store and buy hot glue sticks and junk, then head over to Target and buy a million headbands, then head to my basement and gather all my childhood toys so I can creep people out when they sit on my head all day and stare at you. Mwahahaha!

I’ve got a lot to do to prepare for my newfound life, and no, that does not involve 7th grade, or flute, or homework (but if you’re my parents, then it totally does). I’ve got to get my Martha Stewart on, and clutter/organize, and creep people out in the market to prepare for school, and start a diary again. You know so I can never finish it and then add it to the collection.

Then I’ve got to convince my parents to book me a day at Hotel Chelsea so I can steal the shampoo bottles (which are really up for grabs, so I’m not a thief after all, all you people who jumped to conclusions) and then off to the local store and buy about 10 bouquets, so my window looks like this.

Oh, and after that I’ve got to invent and build a working time machine so I can wear clothes like this.

Then I’ve got to discover a problem with media today, and create a new version just for teens.

Salted Caramel Gelato & Majestic Owls

By XO Style Stalker 25 Jul 2014 2 Beauty, DIYs, OOTD braid all the way around head, cake, cucumber, Dove soap, fake flower Permalink 0

I had to get all fancy this weekend. My dad won some really big national award, so I wore a dress and painted my nails and everything. With fancy clothes and fancy shoes comes fancy hair.

Fancy hair gets a lot of compliments. Vintage hair gets a lot of compliments. Complicated braids get a lot of compliments. When you put all that fancy complicated nostalgia together you get a lot more compliments than usual. So much you start making automated responses and your eyes glaze over.

It looked like that. (via)

I enjoyed some fancy desserts at Standard Market. Namely salted caramel gelato that tasted like summer and happiness. But I couldn’t resist embracing my inner baker and taking pictures of this cake.

Plus I adored the way these fake flowers looked in the empty vase next to that majestic owl statue so I stuck them there and took pictures like I was some fancy photographer. You know you do it too.

I enjoyed smelling like cucumbers.

I got frustrated trying to find something to wear and ripped all my dresses out of my closet.

Summer Night In: Create, Read, Apply, and Wear

By XO Style Stalker 21 Jul 2014 0 Beauty, DIYs, Random Baby Lips, background, beauty, Bic, Cetaphil Permalink 0

Hiya!

I was reading one of my favorite blogs and I saw a post that was really cool and fun to read as a viewer and a blogger. It seemed like a lot of fun, but finding the time to do it was very hard. I know it’s summer and I should have all the time in the world, but I just don’t. Anyway, the post was a “Girls’/Summer Night In,” which could easily be a tag, as it’s very fun to do and customize. So I present to you… My summer night in!

To Wear: PJ Top (Forever 21 Girls)//PJ Bottoms (xhilaration)