Posts Tagged ‘DIY’
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DIY eyelash tinting - the ultimate in beauty on a budget
Last week I talked about how my ongoing beauty maintenance (tinting and shaping my ultra-blonde lashes and brows every four to six weeks) is a constant drain on my wallet. I’ve already given my beloved (but rather pricey) beauty therapist the flick after calculating that I was shelling out £720 over a 12 month period. So I visited the London College of Beauty Therapy for a much cheaper series of treatments that would cost a total of £180 over a year - a massive saving of £540!
But now I’m starting to wonder … can I go cheaper? And the answer, of course, is a resoundingly yes! I’ve been researching some DIY treatments, and found a home eyelash and brow dye kit from Boots. The best part? It costs the grand total of £7.10, and there’s apparently enough product to last for 12 months. Potentially a saving of another £172.90.
So I put the kit to the test tonight to see if it (a) was relatively straight-forward and easy to apply and (b) stands up to professional salon standards. The verdict? Not half bad. Granted, it was another beauty “chore” and involved a bit of time on my part, but it was really nothing compared to the time taken to actually get to and from salons in London.
Applying the tint itself was really easy, but I had to enlist the help of my husband to really get the job done right. So I would recommend calling a friend if you want to try it at home. And the results were quite good. Admittedly, the dye itself isn’t as dark as my usual therapist, but I might try topping it up again tomorrow. Considering I’m saving a grand total of £712.90 per annum, I’m not really complaining! Next up? My brows.
Total spent: £7.10/annum
Cost of eyelash and brow tinting over 12 months: £720
Total saved: £712.90/annum
Posted in Beauty
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Learning new crafty skills
There’s no two ways around it: I love craft. I could wax lyrical about cute crafty stuff that’s being made RIGHT NOW all over the world, but at the end of the day I always wish I could make more of my own stuff. And the only thing that’s really stopping me is knowledge and experience.
I’ve been a big fan of Sublime Stitching’s cool embroidery kits for a couple of years. In fact, I even own a mod ‘60s kit with graphics of scooters, targets and cute dolly birds. But the sad fact is that I don’t really know any embroidery stitches, and I’ve never used an embroidery hoop in my life. In the meantime, plans for making my own gifts (embroidered tea towels, pillowcases, T-shirts and baby all-in-ones), have been put on hold, whilst I continually resort to panicked present purchases at the last minute.
But that’s all about to change, because I’ve just enrolled in an embroidery workshop at The Make Lounge in North London. I’ve been meaning to check out The Make Lounge for a while now, so I’m pretty excited now I’m all signed up. I love the fact that all sorts of crafty groups have been sprouting up all over the world, where people get together to learn new (forgotten) skills and bond over slipped stitches and French knots. The Make Lounge offers a myriad of exciting craft classes, from making your own sexy knickers to creating your own festive fascinator. Click here to see their full line-up of workshops.
I’m hoping that I’ll finally get the confidence (and inspiration) to make some really beautiful, personal gifts for family and friends over the coming year. And maybe save some money while I’m at it!
The Make Lounge
49-51 Barnsbury Street
London N1 1TP
Tel. 020 7609 0275
Email: create@themakelounge.comAll images courtesy of The Make Lounge.
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Make your own instant (bang-on-trend) wardrobe update for £5 or less.
Guess what? I’ve been using a needle and thread! (cue murmurings of shock and horror). And I’ve been using tea as a make-do method for home dyeing. Yes, I have. In fact, I discovered a good strong brew of proper builder’s tea is the key to this season’s predilection for nude and neutral shades!
After hitting the various haberdashery and cheap jewellery shops of London’s Soho I spent no more than £5 on a couple of bits and bobs to create my own bang-on-trend instant wardrobe updater.
So here’s a free tutorial of my (totally humble) take on this season’s key fringe trend. Wear the necklace with a plain vest or dress for instant fringing (and straight from the catwalk) style.
You will need:
• 1 plain link necklace (I got mine for £1.25 from one of the budget jewellery shops on Berwick Street in London.) For a tougher look, you could get a length of chain from the hardware store and tie it with a ribbon at the back of your neck.• Fringing of your choice (The minimum length I could purchase was one metre, which was enough for optional layers – or extra necklaces for thrifty gifts!) If you’re in London, I recommend visiting Kleins haberdashery at 5 Noel Street, W1 (Tel. 020 7437 6162).
• Needle and thread in a colour that matches your fringing.
• Optional: tea bag and white vinegar for dyeing.
How to make it:
1. The fringing I found at Kleins was actually a stark white with tiny gold beads. A little too Texan cowgirl for my liking. I couldn’t find the on-trend nude/neutral shade I was after, so I decided to experiment with some home tea dyeing.
2. To dye the white fringe an antique-y nude colour, soak it in a (cooled) cup (or bowl) of strong tea. Take it out every couple of minutes until it’s turned the exact shade you’re after. Five minutes did the job for me. Don’t leave it in for too long unless you want it quite brown! Take it out and set it in a cup of water with white vinegar . I’ve heard that salt is also quite effective for setting the colour. Leave to dry on a piece of kitchen towel.
3. Cut the fringing to the length of your choice – experiment by pinning it to the necklace to see what kind of effect you like best.
4. Thread the needle and carefully hand-sew the fringing to each link of the necklace. At the end of the length, secure it with a double knot. That’s it – you’re done.
Watch me make the necklace on the video below.
Make your own instant fashion update! from OolaMoola on Vimeo.
Total spent: £4.75 (1 metre of beaded fringing £3.50; Chain necklace £1.25)
Cost of similar-style fringe necklace on Net-a-porter: £215
Total saved: £210.25
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How-to: A wedding dress for less than $200
Okay, I know under $200 might be pushing it. Unless you’ve gone all Oxfam chic (which is fine) and also plan on NO alternations/additions/cleaning of the garment, any British woman would be hard pressed to find any sort of luxury dress for so little.
The reason my dress was so cheap? It was handmade and not by someone who shows during Paris Couture Week. It sounds counter-intuitive, but if you have the talent at hand to do it, you can get a perfectly fitted, handmade dress you can use forever at a fraction of the cost. And it’ll be couture in the proper sense of couture:
cou·ture
n.- The business of designing, making, and selling highly fashionable, usually custom-made clothing for women.
How did I do this? By doing a DIY wedding must: use personal favours (a brilliant reason to not ask people for too much in daily life. Favours are best used when truly needed). My wonderful Aunt Kathy is the most skilled, creative dressmaker I’ve come across and she offered to make my dress. Hurrah! For my wedding, we were thinking of a classic cocktail shift with a bit of accoutrement at the waist nipping it in. Nothing too fancy and something that I could definitely use again.
After trying on endless dresses at the shops, we got a feel for what looked best and headed to the big fabric store in the not-so-nice neighbourhood to which serious sewers go for their goods and began the search for cut-out organza by the yard. We stumbled across this fabric and the dress was born — a shorter, updated version of Hepburn’s Funny Face dress with black embroidery, a detachable organza belt and bow and a giant red flower pin (into which genius Aunt Kathy sewed an antique button to cover the ugly plastic center).
The materials cost approximately $190.00 for the white organza, black organza, flower (from the fake flowers section at the habberdashers), liner fabric and tulle. Aunt Kathy had the extras (pin back for the flower, hook clasps for the belt, zipper, thread, extra fabric for collar, boning) sitting around her work studio. If this dress had been commissioned by someone to whom I am not related or BFF, it would have been priced well over $1,000.
Plus it fits my every curve perfectly. There’s no loosing weight or having last minute alternations to let it out (not to mention my self-confidence remaining in tact as the fit makes me feel so good, and that is priceless). I also opted for non-traditional fabric and style… it’s short (my dad says I look like a cupcake). Both of these help to save money on fabric and the labour costs if you are paying someone to create it for you.
Not everybody is lucky enough to have an Aunt Kathy (although everyone needs one. I thank god that she’s mine). So calling in this sort of favour is not always an option. But rack your brain when you start your planning. Do you know someone who sews or someone who knows someone who sews? Friends will always cut friends a deal and as long as you’re not Bridzilla, the process isn”t difficult: buy fabric, have fittings. If you aren’t blessed with friends who sew, there are still elements of this that you can take with you to the shops for cheaper off the rack gowns.
First, opt for a cocktail dress (or a simpler pattern and cut) instead of a tiered silk, trailing confection in a bridal showroom. Less fabric + less-complicated pattern = less expensive. If it’s a dress that’s not specifically marked as a bridal gown, all the better. Chances are it’ll be priced like a regular dress instead of in the highway robbery price range common in the bridal industry. Go to a department store instead of a specialty store or shop on Etsy for an affordable wedding dress. I found many a white wedding dress on the US department store website Nordstrom.com ranging in price from $88 to $570.
Additionally, if you buy/make a dress you can wear for other occasions (to other weddings, black-tie affairs, etc.) then you’ll continue to save money as time goes by. Who wants to pack their wedding memories into a box to collect dust anyway? Every time you wear it you’ll be reminded of the big day. Now isn’t that better than never seeing it in the light of day again? Detachable details (like the belt and bow) can help make the dress look different each time it’s worn.
The golden rule to remember when calling in personal favors to help you economise for the big day is that you can’t just take ‘em and run! Even if you don’t pay someone with cash, you need to acknowledge what they’ve done for you and thank them in a tangible way, whether it’s with a bottle of wine, a week of foot massages, making cupcakes… whatever. Use your talents to give them something they need just as they have used theirs to give you something you need. It’s like a bridal barter system. If you’re worried you’ll forget to pay them back or they don’t know you’re giving them something, give them a thank you card with an IOU. For me, my gift will be creating an Etsy site for my Aunt Kathy to sell her wares. It’s incredibly bad manners not to reciproate and no one’s going to help you again if you just take the favour and run.
And that is the story of how my bridal cocktail dress (and the dresses of all my sisters and cousins for every major life event) came about.
Total spent: $190.00 (£124)
Total saved: $810.00 (£532)
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Fashion, Weddings
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How the DIY wedding adventure began…
It all started in a midwestern high school way back in ‘97. Seriously. However, there were eleven years of romantic whimsy and wanton deviance of all sorts between our awkward adolescent fumbles and a two-week courtship in December ‘08 that led to an impassioned engagement and subsequent whirlwind wedding taking place this month (and, no, I’m not preggers, before the thought even enters your mind)!
Which, in very short form, brings us to here and now, with my fingers furiously and nimbly crafting away as my mind goes through a mini-checklist of ‘to dos’ for the forthcoming DIY nuptials.
Getting married is hard work (but the prep is satisfying too and I am silly excited to become Mrs. Teas). No doubt about it, dears. Even with shed loads of dosh, I bet it’s still a full-time job. The minutiae of it all boggles the mind. The Future Husband (henceforth referred to as FH) and I decided to do it on a temporal (out of necessity) and monetary budget (out of principle. I would rather die than spend a mint on a wedding), having only four months and limited finances to pull it off. Now, if you truly wanted to do DIY, you could just elope and carry a crate of wine to a mate’s house for a cozy party but doing that would have broken my mother’s heart and I don’t want that on my conscience. If elopement’s not an option, then I’m hoping my blow-by-blow posts might shed some light on how to make a wedding look fabulous without costing a fortune and leaving you insolvent before the words ‘I do’ even leave your lips.
The challenge: spend as little as possible while creating a stylish, intimate wedding by hand where possible; maintain my sanity; have a good time (I outright refuse to be so stressed out that I don’t enjoy the lead up to the big day or the day itself. What’s the point if I don’t enjoy it!?).
The checklist:
- Booze
- Cake
- Centerpieces
- Decor
- Dress
- Flowers
- Food
- Games
- Glasses/utensils, etc.
- Guest book
- Guest Favors
- Hair and makeup
- Honeymoon
- Invitations
- Judges
- Marriage license
- Music
- Parents gifts
- Photographer
- Rings
- Suit
- Tables/chairs, etc.
- Thank you cards
- Venue
- Vows
(You’ll notice a few things missing, like ridiculous engagement ring, rehearsal dinner, bridal party and all its trimmings, shower et al. The first and easiest way to cut down on the price of your wedding is to cut out all the unnecessary faff.)
And now the fun begins. Tools needed are: elbow grease, creativity, an eye for bargains and a well of personal favours. To date, we’ve nearly completed our wedding checklist for just shy of $10,000 (approx. £6,000. Sounds like a lot but add up everything and it’s a steal, really). The average cost of a wedding in American in 2009 is apparently $30,000 says the Bridal Assoc. of America. (And let’s be honest… I don’t know many who’ve spent even close to 30K… as FH has said, 100K is just an entry figure in the parlance of so many people. Stats are misguiding and this one is a national average and thus includes the full spectrum of weddings. Plus, it doesn’t include the price of engagement rings, which men spend too much on.) So, in reality, we’ve planned ours on a fraction of the typical spend on a big wedding nowadays (we still have 100 people coming. Big families).
And it’s friggin’ fun.
How are we doing it? Visit this space to find out.
(We’ll break down the numbers below for you post by post as they’re written since this in a sort of reverse chronological order.)
Total spent: £6,280 ($9,500 at today’s exchange rate)
Total saved: £13,554 (based on the average cost of an American wedding at today’s exchange rate)
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DIY tutorial of the week: make your own statement neck piece
Statement necklaces are big this season, and are excellent for adding interest and detail to a plain t-shirt or dress. I recently spotted a really cool plaited jersey neck piece in an East London boutique for about £60, and thought I would have a go at making one myself. It actually turned out waaay better than I had initially planned – with a bonus ‘rose’ detail that came about by accident when I was trying to work out what to do with the ends.
It’s relatively quick and simple to make and you don’t need any specific skills – apart from the ability to plait. I wore it on Sunday and attracted loads of comments from people wanting to know where I bought it!
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to making one yourself.
You will need:
• 90cm x 150cm of jersey fabric in colour of your choice (if you want to make a longer necklace, you will need more than 150cm in length)
• Extra scraps of jersey to make two ties – I had enough left over because I bought a metre-length of 150cm-wide fabric
• Water-erasable fabric pen
• Scissors
• Gaffer tape (or someone to hold your braid)
• Ruler
1. Lay your fabric out flat and mark out 30cm points along the shortest length. Do the same on the other side.
2. At your first 30cm point, rule a line with the water-erasable fabric marker along the longest length so you create a 150cm x 30cm strip.
3. Cut along the line so you end up with a length of 150cm x 30cm fabric.
4. Rule another line at 30cm along the shortest length – this should divide the length of fabric in half. Cut along the line. You should now have three separate strips of fabric measuring 150cm x 30cm. Dab out any visible pen marks with a wet cloth.
5. Gather the ends together and gaffer tape the ends to a chair – leaving around 10cm of fabric loose at the end. (Warning: make sure the chair doesn’t have a varnished or painted surface as the tape may damage it. You might want to choose some other surface, or alternatively, ask someone to hold the end for you.)
6. Start plaiting the three lengths of fabric together. Ensure you keep the tension consistent so the plaiting is even.
7. At the end of the plait, use a narrow scrap of the same fabric to secure it by tying a double knot. Ensure you leave around 10cm loose.
8. Unstick the plait from the chair and use the ends of one knot to tie a double-knot around the other end. Do the same with the other end of the plait. You should now have a plaited loop.
9. Line up the ends of the plait in your hand and trim it to make sure they’re even.
10. Pull out and fan the ends to create a flower shape. That’s it – you’re done!
TOTAL SPENT: £9.10
COST OF DESIGNER NECK PIECE: £60
TOTAL SAVED: £50.90Check out the video below to see how I made it…
Make your own statement neck piece from OolaMoola on Vimeo. -
What would grandma do? Make a granny blanket!
Last year the crafty blogosphere went a little bit nuts over Cath Kidston’s £160 vintage-style crochet square blanket (see left). I actually liked the colour palette so much I cut the pic out of the catalogue and stuck it in a scrapbook for inspiration. Now, I can’t crochet to save my life, so I’m not exactly an expert on crafty stuff, but a lot of bloggers were talking about how easily you could make one yourself – and for a whole lot less than the hefty £160 price tag.There are a load of online resources to help you get started on making a crochet square from scratch. One of my absolute favourites is Pip’s tutorial for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS over at Meet me at Mike’s.
It sounds unbelievably straight-forward, and Pip gives excellent advice on such matters as crochet hook size and exactly what kind of yarn to buy. She’s also posted here as well.
She also links to some other cool resources for making granny blankets. Check it out – it might just get ya hooked (geddit, geddit?).
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DIY tutorial of the week
We are loving this ultra-thrifty ottoman re-upholstered with an old tartan skirt. Totally genius DIY! The step-by-step tutorial is courtesy of ModHomeEcTeacher over on Curbly.com. We found it on the utterly brilliant Design Sponge blog. Let us know if you’re tempted to make it!
Posted in Decor
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DIY tutorial of the week: Spring basket
Check out this timely and super-pretty Easter craft tutorial over at MayaMade. We love the detailed instructions and awesome step-by-step images. Let us know if you made it!
Many thanks to MayaMade for sharing her super-clever tutorial with us, and to Meet me at Mike’s for telling us all about it!
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Designer-style walls for £30
I would love to wallpaper one of the walls in my living room. I particularly love the hand-finished garden birds wallpaper by designer Louise Body. The only problem is that her wallpaper starts at £95 a metre.So I was particularly delighted to discover that Louise offers a wallpaper sample service, which really got my thinking about alternative options. You can select up to six different A4-sized samples for a total of £6.50, plus an extra £1 for postage. Well within my £30 budget!
I paid via PayPal and waited for my samples to arrive. In the meantime, I researched some framing options online. IKEA is by far the most affordable in terms of quality and style.
When my samples arrived, I took them along with me to IKEA to choose the frames. The black RIBBA frames were perfect, at £7.43 each for the A4-size. Only thing is that I needed three of them for a good “collective” effect, which would take me slightly over budget. Still, I decided that I would be saving lots of money anyway, so I went ahead and bought three at at a total of £22.29. Read full post
Posted in Decor, Uncategorized
