A Bird's Leap: July 2013

Monday, July 29, 2013

DIY One Hour Semi-Pleated Maxi Skirt

When I was packing for Finland I wanted to take a maxi skirt with me. I knew I wanted to have one in silver; it looks so good with white and leather. I tried a silver skirt on at American Apparel, but figured I could save a few bucks. I ended up spending about 10 dollars on the materials, whereas the skirt was almost 70 bucks at the store. Theirs was super nice, though, and had teeny tiny pleats which I don't know how to recreate.

We were so busy with all the preparations for the trip, that I forgot to sew the skirt. On the day of our flight I just threw the fabric in my suitcase; I could always sew it with Mom's machine. This one beautiful dewy morning I quickly put it together before we headed out to Helsinki with some friends. Making it didn't take more than an hour, and I'm super happy about the result!

(Leather belt by Mango, white tube top from H&M. The necklace is a combination of DIY projects. Here's one and the second one will be added shortly).

How to:

Note: Make sure the pathway stays wide enough for the waistband to have a little wiggle room.

Gorgeous friends! Miss you.

DIY Bohemian Chain Hairpiece That Doubles As A Necklace

My sister and I had a shoot with Tiffany a few weeks back, and I needed an accessory that would work for the shoot. I ended up making a chain thingie that can be used either as a necklace (or an add-on necklace) or as a hairpiece. LOVE how it turned out! I keep adding it on every time I use a silver colored necklace.

I used pliers to attach the two bigger jump rings to each other. If I had used only one big jump ring to attach the chais to to they would get all jumbled up. I attached three different lengths of chain to the rings. You could use a different type of chain for each loop, too, for a different look.

For a hair accessory, just pin the chains to your hairdo. The top ones on each sides have to be pinned across pretty tightly so it stays on, but the other ones can be a bit more loose.

Or add on to get more layers with another necklace:

(The measuring tape pocket watch is another DIY project)

I made a similar necklace earlier, but I attached charms on it.

PS: For more shots of Tiffany, head on over to my photo shoot blog.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Take Me to Helsinki!

Guys! We get to go to Finland after all! Like really soon. Like in 7 hours we'll be sitting in the plane.

Finland is all about the blue waters and the white snow (even though there's no snow in sight right now!). I like blue and white in combination, when it's not in a sailing kinda theme. More of a tribal and/or Grecian feel is perfect for me!

Right now I'm obsessed with lace, studs and tribals. And putting them together in an outfit is the best! The white/light tops with lace neutralize the bold prints, and you can look laid back, bohemian, travel-y, and romantic at the same time. Combining the tribal with a studded top brings a little bit more edge.

I like shopping on a budget, and these items varied between 10 and 35 dollars. Not too bad!

So let's break it down;

What to pack for Helsinki in summertime:

Light dress with polka dot tulle from Papaya.

Tribal patterned shorts, powder top with lace and Grecian feel tunic with zipper from Forever21.

White top with studded shoulders from Charlotte Russe.

The little white dress will be perfect for hot days. Otherwise I'll combine the tunic with regular jeans, or a white lace/studded top with either of the shorts.

Tribal blue&white bag & scarf from Target.

Tribal shredded jeans from Nordstrom Rack (by fire los angeles).

Bleached shorts from Forever21.

Well I just HAD TO have this bag; it's a perfect carryon bag. A scarf can come handy as a coverup, whether it's to protect you from the sun or the summer evening chill. Some jeans and shorts are a must; staying with the blue&white makes color co-ordination a piece of cake.

I'm also bringing a couple maxi skirts (black, coral) to wear with basic white/black tops/tube tops, and a black maxi dress in a stretchy fabric (more on that dress later).

I might not be able to do blogging during the trip since it's a pretty short one and there's so much to do and so many sweeties to see, but I'll keep you guys in mind and try to come up with something fun.

Heippa!

PS: The bamboo ladder is a DIY project from a previous post.

DIY Compass Pendant Necklace

You guys know how travel sick I've been lately, so I wanted to continue with the travel theme. A compass pendant necklace seems to pull together many outfits!

What you need:

I got chain (Bead Landing), some compass coins (Tim Holtz idea-ology, 5 pieces), gears (Bead Landing "Found Objects", 5 pieces) and a customizable pendant with glass (Industrial Chic by Susan Lenart Kazmer). I discovered that a couple of the compass coins, gears and time pieces (below) fit pretty much exactly into the pendant! I bought everything at Michaels.

You can just as easily use timepieces (Tim Holtz). I made a pocket watch pendant with this method for my sister as a good bye gift when she left.

How to:

Glue the compass and the gear together with a small amount of good glue. Let dry.

Hold together the compass, gear and one of the glass pieces that came with the pendant. Put glue around the edge, and put inside the pendant and snap shut (make sure you have N facing upwards!). Put glue on the snap-thing. Let dry.

Put your chain on (using pliers helps). Done!