By looking at this gold statement ring, you would never guess that it was the result of a DIY project. I am very big on gold accent jewellery at the moment, and if you're a bit of a hoarder like myself you may very well have random rocks hiding somewhere in your trinket box (I've kept some from field trips and I think I even kept some minerals and rock samples from a kitchen company once when we renovated our house.) that have no particular use. Until now ^_^
Make sure you check Creme de la Craft as they have excellent DIY posts using everyday objects.
I was first drawn to the embellished sunglasses trend when I saw Dolce and Gabanna's Baroq embellishments, I however did not have 500 dollars to spare on extravagant sunglasses. The first thing that I thought was that I need to try these on, and the second was the annoyance that I had just spent 40 dollars on a pair of cat eye
sunglasses from Sportsgirl, and they didn't even have any embellishment
on them! My third thought however was that I could mostly likely make these myself andd surely, plenty of other savvy DIY bloggers had the same idea. This is the perfect way to update your sunglasses while making the most of your beloved little craft items. Here are my favourite DIY embellishment posts that, if anything look even more decadent and adorned than those featured on the runway:
My favourite so far from Her Tiny Teeth! The mix of the roses and the pearls in a match made in embellishment heaven, and I have plenty of both hiding away in my trinket and craft boxes.
Tokyo Street style is perfect inspiration for kitschy DIY fashion. The images above are a few street style pics that caught my attention that didn't result in kiddie keyring vomit overload ie:
Not knocking the Rilakkuma side bag, because I've actually been eyeing it on eBay, but the rest is personally too swag for myself :3
It is amazing what some glitter (which I have endless tubs of at home from my my primary school projects) varnish glue and a ring base can get you. What I love most about this DIY is that I have a few broken rings lying around the house that would be perfect for this DIY. I've been meaning to repair them for the longest time but I think this might be more fun, and will certainly become a great addition to my basically black wardrobe. Glitter is so fun and pretty and whilst I have to fight every urge in my body to dress head to toe in glitter (especially glitter digital print, I am a sucker for a good digital print), accent jewellery is perfect for livening up your outfit, which works best for me as I do rely on lots of black in my wardrobe.
The Blenders Ln Artists Market is a little gem that I visited in the city which featured lots of little independent stalls. Running in the summer every Wednesday afternoon (I'm not sure when the next market is running, I think November from what I've gathered on their Facebook.) Among the bevy of talented artists and stall owners, the Pimp My... stall stood out to me the most. Firstly, the little sewing machine was perhaps the cutest sewing machine I have ever seen and secondly who wouldn't be drawn to all the little trinkets, fluoro threads and buttons on offer. Half of me felt like I child again (cue Devendra Banhartt's I Feel Just Like a Child playing softly in the back)with little plastic figurines (half from Kinder Surprises no doubt)and so I was intrigued as to what this stall had to offer.
The service was to "pimp" any item of clothing that you already had on you, or maybe something that you brought from home, with a already divinely cut patch, decorated however you like; whether that be with little toy solider, dinosaur figures or mix matched buttons. My favourite is the heart patch with a little figurine in the middle. If i hadn't have spent my last dollars on the cupcake stall next to it, I most certainly would have pimped my shirt with a cute heart patch and a little dinosaur friend.
I thought it was time that I practice what I preach and gather my all of my trinkets and knick knacks from my room. What should have taken a swift five minutes turned into half a day of cleaning. I spent most of time texting my friends every time I found something that they had given me, or something that reminded me of them or something we had bought together. To say the least lots of people didn't even remember what I was talking about, but they obviously meant something to me if I still had them three years out of high school.
It felt good though. Even though it was hard to move my little trinkets and keep sakes from the cute tins that I kept them in or the old display dishes (yes, I hoard pretty ash trays and vintage plates/decorative bowls in the hopes of storing jewellery in them, of course this is my life now) to one box, but I truly did feel a little more accomplished after. It was just nice to make space and know that I was going to make something worthwhile out of years and years of neglected keepsakes. Besides, how much can I admire something with it hidden away, covered in dust? This way they're given a new life and a new purpose.
Sorting through my junk also gave me time to do something productive (other than stare at this computer screen and perve on John Snow) and finally listen to the new Strokes album. Is anybody as obsessed with the new album as I am?
"I'm a lady, she's a lady, you're a lady. We're the ladies"
-Shoshanna, Girls HBO Season 1
(I should probably warn you right that I will make as many references to Girls, Shoshanna in particular, as possible because I am obsessed. It's gotten to the point that most of my responses start with "oh right, like that episode in Girls." Yes, I am a bit of a freak)
Here are a few of the ladies that I interviewed as research for my project.
♥ I S A B E L ♥
What accessories do you buy most/look for when out shopping? um accessories would include necklaces probably the most, but in particular chain necklaces, then rings and probably bags
One average how many items of hair accessories/jewellery do you buy per month i would probably spend like 20 bucks a month like usually i don't buy things here and there, i'd buy like 4 things and leave it for a while, and then buy another 5 things at the spare of the moment
How much do you think you spend on accessories (hair accessories in particular) per year? per year omg i'm so cheap like 50 - 60 that's literally it i'm not huge on jewellery How often do you break beloved/favourite/coveted jewellery and hair accessories? all the fucking time usually those little link chain things with the hook. that shit always breaks on me. either that or it goes rusty and i just end up throwing majority of my shit out
How much of your room/clutter is comprised of small trinkets and knick knacks? my whole room is comprised of knick knacks everything is a knick knack with the exception of my bed
What is the reason for not parting with that clutter/knick knacks? (Sentimental value? Keep as craft items? Repair) um knick knacks usually just represent something, like examples could be sentimental value or wanting to repair them but never getting around to it etc. and when you have that knick knack its like a cute little memory that you don't want to part with
♥ E L I Z A B E T H ♥ What accessories do you buy most/look for when out shopping? I mostly buy rings and necklaces because they're easier to fit than bracelets.
On average how many items of hair accessories/jewellery do you buy per month At least once a month, either online or in stores. How much do you think you spend on accessories (hair accessories in particular) per year? A couple of hundred dollars perhaps. I don't really notice how much I have until I realise I have no room to store things in anymore.
How often do you break beloved/favourite/coveted jewellery and hair accessories? Ever so often, but I just find a new piece to replace it with.
How much of your room/clutter is comprised of small trinkets and knick knacks? I'd say about 80 percent of my room is made up of small trinkets and knick knacks and I love it.
What is the reason for not parting with that clutter/knick knacks? (Sentimental value? Keep as craft items? Repair) Sentimental value. I still have all the beaded bracelets my sister made for me when I was really young even though I never wear it.
♥ B R I D G E T T E ♥
What accessories do you buy most/look for when out shopping? Earrings and necklaces
On average how many items of hair accessories/jewellery do you buy per month? 4 a month
How much do you think you spend on accessories (hair accessories in particular) per year? $500
How often do you break beloved/favourite/coveted jewellery and hair accessories? Once a month
How much of your room/clutter is comprised of small trinkets and knick knacks? 30%
What is the reason for not parting with that clutter/knick knacks? (Sentimental value? Keep as craft items? Repair) Repair and sentimental value
♥ T A Y L A ♥
What accessories do you buy most/look for when out shopping? Rings and earrings
On average how many items of hair accessories/jewellery do you buy per month? 3-5
How much do you think you spend on accessories (hair accessories in particular) per year? $80-$100
How often do you break beloved/favourite/coveted jewellery and hair accessories? Often, as items purchased are quite cheap to buy
How much of your room/clutter is comprised of small trinkets and knick knacks? Quite a lot.
What is the reason for not parting with that clutter/knick knacks? (Sentimental value? Keep as craft items? Repair) To keep and re-use them in other accessories, to fix them, to keep them for future outfits.
♥ J U L I E ♥
What accessories do you buy most/look for when out shopping? Rings and necklaces that are quirky or different
On average how many items of hair accessories/jewellery do you buy per month? ummm..maybe 1 or 2?
How much do you think you spend on accessories (hair accessories in particular) per year? not much (not big on hair accessories)
How often do you break beloved/favourite/coveted jewellery and hair accessories? not often
How much of your room/clutter is comprised of small trinkets and knick knacks? half? lol! jewelry hanging from everywhere
What is the reason for not parting with that clutter/knick knacks? (Sentimental value? Keep as craft items? Repair) too pretty to throw out, sentimental, could be worn for different occasions
How interested would you be in attending a floral crown/jewellery making workshop where you can bring friends and learn how to make something new from something old? would be fun and exciting and good as it will de clutter more jewelry a little
Rather than consume (hehe see what I did there) more glue, paper, printing and ink than I already do whilst studying fashion and maintaining numerous folios and sketchbooks, I have opted to document my process and development for Treasure-Club via blog posts. In the next weeks to come, here you can find my inspiration, thought process and let's be real, cute cat gifs.
For many, the idea of product life cycle spans from the moment you buy something to it's end use, or for most: when you just stopped using that certain shade of lipstick/the-latest-fashion-must-have that you only wore once and never again, but what many often forget or fail to realize is that there is more to the story. . You would be surprised to learn the number of resources required for even the most average of products, as well as the impacts and effects of manufacturing. So what can be done? Ideally, consuming less would be the perfect solution, but is easier said than done. So other than give up shopping and the satisfaction that if gives, what can be done?
(in case you missed that, it's the first line. the answer is consume mindfully):3
♥ CREATE MORE ♥
But how can we consume mindfully? And no, I don't mean asking how that magazine is feeling today before you buy it, but by being mindful of what consumption means for the economy and the environment, and what we can do to soften the blow. Treasure Club suggests creating more! As ironic as that sounds, bare with me, I suggest that we have our cake and eat it too. As per example in the video above, product life cycle generally is a carousel of Material Extraction to Manufacture to Packaging to Product Use concluding with End of Product Life but why end there? Why not creating more with what you already have? Recycling is more than just newspapers and old ink cartridges. Making something new out of something old is an initiative that I think would not only be fun, but super effective.
♥ DE-CLUTTER ♥
I think the rise in hoarding-type reality shows pretty much says it all. It is natural to hold onto belongings and difficult at times to part with even the simplest of items, but overall the general consensus is that to avoid living your life as a recluse confined by the piles of junk in your house (have you all seen the Hoarders episode where her house was full of so much junk and gathered dust and mould THAT SHE HAD A WEAR A RESPIRATOR AT ALL TIMES? yeah, well it gave me a mini panic attack) de-cluttering is definitely a start.
