Photo by sparetime
Need to rustle up a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift, you slacker? Knit up a salacious pair of edible panties from licorice laces with this quickie (pun intended) tutorial from the crafty folks at Knitty. (Candy Tree makes organic, gluten-free sweets, by the by.) If you can’t CO—that’s cast on—to save your life, try cobbling something together with fruit roll-ups. Bon appetit!
Pennies are good for more than squashing on train tracks. Dutch designer Michiel Cornelissen likens them to “little industrial gems”—the perfect components for statement jewelry, in fact. His do-it-yourself coin necklace is a three-dimensionally printed bauble with slots for holding 111 5-cent Euro coins, which are made of copper like American pennies were pre-1982. “Copper can oxidize and become darker over time, which can actually give a great look,” Cornelissen says. “If you prefer lighter, shinier coins, submerge them in vinegar for a few minutes. Stir well, rinse the coins in hot water, and dry them. It’s magic.”
[Via MocoLoco]
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
Old Christmas lights
Pliers
French hooks
Necklace chain
Jump rings
Thumbtack
Wire and beads (optional)
TO MAKE EARRINGS
1. Remove lights from Christmas strand. Take your tack and poke a hole through the plastic end part of the light.
2. Thread a jump ring through the hole.
3. Thread the French hook through the jump ring and close up with a pair of pliers. …
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
Felt, fabric, or ribbon
Ruler
Needle and thread or a hot glue gun
Scissors
Brooch pin or large safety pin
Embellishments (optional)
…
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
A pair of gloves (preferably one you already own)
Conductive thread (available in smaller quantities on the author’s site)
A needle
Scissors
STEP ONE
Cut 16 inches or so of your conductive thread and thread it through …
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
Fabric strip (about 4 x 40 inches, depending on size of marbles and desired length)
Embroidery floss
Glass marbles and/or smooth stones
Scissors
Sewing needle (with wide eye to fit embroidery floss)…
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
A glass-bottle charm
A small seedling
Tweezers
A jump ring
A chain necklace
Some dirt
STEP ONE
Pop the cork …
Ever wished you could turn a perfect leaf, quirky knickknack, or beloved memento into a piece of jewelry? There’s an app clamp for that. “Pick a Jewel” by FIFT is a necklace affixed with a tiny clip that allows you to transform lovely objects from your everyday life into cool, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Wear a rosebud from …
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
Add instant oomph to an ordinary pair of pumps or flats with a set of shoe clips that fickle pickles can swap at will.
Now that Halloween is over and you’ve filled up on sugary sweets, a ghoulish pile of non-recyclable candy wrappers remains to haunt you. Here’s a trick for bringing your dearly departed treats back from the dead: Turn the discarded plastic packaging into wearable gems. With a little bit of tracing and cutting, you’ll have brand-new, low-cost beads that will last you long after your sugar buzz is gone. Click below the fold to learn how.
WHERE’S WALDO
Be the lovable guy everyone is searching for by donning a few simple pieces you probably already own.
COSTUME COMPONENTS
Red-and-white striped shirt
Jeans
Red beanie
Black-rimmed glasses
Camera with strap
Cane (an umbrella would also work in a pinch)…
STEP ONE
Grab a collared shirt that you already own (Sigl used her boyfriend’s). Fold the collar in half and mark the middle/halfway point with pins.
STEP TWO
Place …
If you’re packing your fall and winter boots away for the summer, you’ve probably experienced the dreaded syndrome known as “boot slump,” that is, when the tops of your floppier knee-highs flap over lifelessly, causing ugly creases and taking up extra room in your closet. Even sturdier rain and ankle boots aren’t immune to losing their shape without the proper tension. But why invest in expensive cedar or plastic boot-shapers when you can make one for free in seconds? Roll up your favorite magazines, especially those hefty fashion tomes, for an instant fix.
Popped buttons and ripped seams don’t stand a chance against Sara McBeen’s wearable repair kits, which are cleverly disguised as a necklace, ring, or carabiner. The California native, who is working on her master’s degree in industrial design at Pratt, wants to remind people that quick mends can prolong the life of our clothing and possessions. Equipped with needles, thread, duct tape, and nylon cording, each kit acts as a visual prompt to inspire action. “They also act as a badge of sorts that makes a statement,” McBeen tells Ecouterre, whom we met at the Model Citizens show over the weekend. “The wearer is a ‘fixer,” someone who takes the time to mend or fix things.”
No need to get your limbs in a twist—if your favorite cargo pants are looking more bedraggled than retro, set them on a better path with a little omwork. In this exclusive excerpt from ReMake It!: Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap ($12.95) by Tiffany Threadgould you’ll learn how to transform your ’90s throwback into a functional, one-of-a-kind tote for your yoga mat. Now get downward dog with your bad self. Namaste.
Fans of MacGyver’s infamous resourcefulness will revel in these sleight-of-hand tricks anyone can pull off with a hooded sweatshirt. Even the most average of Joes (or Josies) can morph his or her topper into a computer sleeve, backpack, strap bag, pillow, and dare we say it…baby carrier on the fly in mere seconds. Could the hoodie be the cape of the everyman?
Here’s the perfect opportunity to give your local shoemaker some love. Jennifer Rieker, a German designer, has developed a modular system that relies on the craftsmanship of a shoemaker to stitch the inner shoe. Shipped flat in a vegetable-tanned leather envelope, which doubles as the inner liners of the shoes, each “Creo” kit includes shoelaces, a pair of recyclable thermoelastic polymer soles, two inner footbeds made from cork, latex, and jute, as well as a booklet detailing the materials used. The design’s primary goal is to integrate the wearer in the production process. By employing a local tradesperson to sew part of the shoes, Rieker says, the customer is acquainted with their origin and provenance. “In addition, the dialogue between the user and the shoemaker should encourage the user to take care [of] and repair his belongings more often,” she adds.
A silent yet infinitely powerful force of nature, magnets are driving a new kind of fashion revolution. Leading the charge (pun intended) is Brooklyn designer Kellar Williams, whose Klik Klik Jewelry collection lets your inner designer toy with thousands of possibilities. Each kit consists of 300 nickel-plated neodymium magnets—the most powerful magnets in the known world—that snap together like magic, allowing you to create whatever you fancy in an instant.
It’s time to think in circles with Italian architect-artist-designer Gaetano Pesce, whose first foray into footwear design echoes his trademark modular designs. Working with eco-friendly shoe company Melissa Plastic Dreams, Pesce has created an ankle bootie composed of interlocking vinyl spheres, any of which can be snipped off with scissors at will. Although the shoe is available in an array of funky, candy colors, its biggest appeal is its versatility. The best part? It allows you to alter what you already own instead of buying something new.
Think of Justina and Faith Blakeney as the Serena and Venus Williams of T-shirt surgery. The sisters are not only the founders of Compai Design Studio, a Los Angeles-based creative consultancy, but they’re also the authors of several do-it-yourself primers, including 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special. Here, the sisters Blakeney demonstrate how easy it is to make your own necklace-scarf hybrid from a T-shirt that’s lost its luster. The no-sew method takes a mere four steps—and the fourth step is completely optional.
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