Wicked Wednesday: DIY Knotted Crop Top Tutorial

Okay, so I saw this tutorial on dropdeadgorgeousdaily.com and I thought it was very clever of the creator. I absolutely love the look of the top she "revamped". I didn't completely understand the instructions and the step-by-step photos were quite small (no offence to the person who posted it!). But I got the gist of it and wanted to give it a go. I took photos throughout the process and thought that I could make an even better version of the tutorial.

dropdeadgorgeousdaily.com

First, you need an old tank top/singlet (preferably of a stretchy material) and a pair of sewing scissors. A friend gave me this blue top and it is one size too large for me, so I thought this would be the perfect way to make it fun and wearable.

 Step 1. Hang your top up against a flat surface so that it is easier to work with.

Step 2. Grab your scissors and start snipping away! You want to make the bottom half of your top into a fringe. I find the easiest way is to start with the middle, cutting the bottom half of your top into half. Then, take one side and halve it again. Keep halving the strips until you get them to a width that you like. The smaller the strips, the more knots per row.

Here's one way to do it. Grab a thick strip, fold it down or away from you into half. With two/three fingers holding the ends (to keep it as a fold), insert one scissor leg into the slit/hole and cut upwards.

When you're done cutting and snipping, you will end up with a fringe top.

Step 3. Now, become sailors and make some knots! Grab two strips that are adjacent to each other and loop it. Then bring the tail behind and pull it up through the loop to make your knot. Keep doing this until all of the strands are knotted: there you have your first row. 

Step 4. When starting the second row, make sure you grab two strands, each coming from a different knot (but that are next to each other). Repeat Step 3 to make your second row.

Step 5. You may tug at the knots to make the top looser if it is starting to get tight and narrow. Repeats Step 3 and 4 to get the third and fourth rows.

Step 6. I got tired of standing to at around the third row, I moved to a table and chair. I lay the top down on the table and continued knotting (yes, it can be done!). I did up to 6 rows but I should have stopped at 4 like the creator did. Why? Because the fit was so tight that I could barely put my head through to start with. My advise is, don't pull your knots so high and tight, it'll be easier to wear.

Step 7. When you are done with your last row, cut off the tails.

There you have it, your very own handmade Knotted Crop Top. I took a photo of it before I tried it on. Like I said, it was a struggle to put the top on because of the narrowing. I ended up cutting away one row. Below is a close-up of the knotted design. 

What do you think? Will you give this a go?

Triple S: Pop Out!

I was making a birthday card for a friend when I thought of a neat little trick. I wanted to make one of the accents "pop out" and I didn't have any sponges or styrofoams around. Also, it's a pain to stack little bits of cardboard to achieve the same effect.

An epiphany struck me. Remember I bought a bag or assorted buttons for really cheap? Some of them have defects on them. I'm really glad I didn't throw them out because they proved to be useful in this case.

I glued the button to the base and then glued the accent onto the top of it. I used PVA glue, which less messy and just as firm as UHU glue.

Ta-da! There you have it. A 3D/pop out accent. You no longer need to run out to buy sponges or styrofoam. Plus, we're saving the environment by using these defective/unwanted buttons!

Do share any crafty tricks that you have!

Winner + A Crafty Giveaway CLOSED

Sorry it took so long ladies but I've finally decided the winner for my Caption That Photo contest. It was really tough because I liked all of the entries! Fear not if you're not the winner for this contest! I have a HUGE giveaway coming for the 4th birthday of this blog!! So stay tuned!

And the winner is... Alice!

The winning entry:  "I told you not to be so rough last night..." "Grin and bear it, babe."

Congratulations Alice, you've just won yourself a Rimmel prize pack. Please reply my email within a week to claim your prize or a new winner will be chosen.

Now, on with my next giveaway! This one is for the arts & crafts lovers out there.

The winner will get a range of stickers (for their scrapbooks/greeting cards/art projects) and a Greeting Card Creator software (for Windows XP but Windows 7 should be able to run it).

Rules
1. You must follow my blog (via Google Friend Connect).
2. You must be an Australian resident.
3. You must be 18 or above (or have your parents/guardians consent if you are under 18).

Just fill out the form below to enter this giveaway! Giveaway closes 30th of June 2012.

Good luck!

P.S. I don't believe I have many international followers but if you are one, please leave a comment below to let me know. This is so that my next giveaway will be an international one! 

Giveaway Update CLOSED

I know I said I will add more products to the prize pool if the number of entrants to my giveaway hits 50, 100 and so on. We're not at the 50 mark yet but I've decided to replace one item and add two more as well!

I will be replacing the Natio eyeliner with a Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner. I'm also adding a small eye shadow palette, Maybelline Hyper Diamonds. If you've followed my blog long enough, you'd know that this blog isn't just about beauty. It's about arts and craft (and basically anything that I fancy). I'm now throwing a rub-on sticker pack into the prize pool.

So if you weren't already excited about this giveaway, now's a good time to start! To enter my giveaway, click here and follow the instructions!

Enjoy.

Birthday Surprise!

My best friend Nop, who lives in a city several hours of air travel away from me, visited me during the Christmas period. I spent a wonderful two weeks filled with tears, laughter and sheer madness with her, doing things that we have and haven't done before. I was quite sad on the day she left. I was emotional and a bit choked up on tears that were threatening to escape but I did my best not to show it. Because I knew that it would not be too long before I see her again. Plus, we email each other a lot.

So after dropping her off at the airport, my mum and I got home and sat down for lunch with my brother. I was halfway eating when there was a loud knock on the door. My mum went to check and found that the postman was delivering a package. I took one look at the writing at the front and immediately knew who it was from. The cute little stamp of Christina and her cat also confirmed it.


It was a birthday present from Christina, Myra and Megan! Although my birthday was more than a month ago, I didn't mind it one single bit. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised, thrilled and touched to received this beautiful present. (Note, I am not being sarcastic here. The paper bag only looks ugly because it took some battering on its way to me.)


They bought a scrapbooking materials set from smida paper (my favourite craft store) for me! I didn't bother taking a photo of all of its contents but this is what it looked like before I opened the packaging. It was a already opened (because the seal/sticker was broken) and I believe it was the customs going through the package to make sure no illegal items were being mailed in.


My friends also included a card. A Christmas/Belated Birthday card. Christina made it herself. Isn't it beautiful?



Now here comes the funny part. Inside the package was also another little package for Nop. Nop, who was visiting me, has already flown home on the same day this package arrived (literally a couple of hours after she left)! I did tell Myra about her visit and if the timing had been perfect, we would have received this package while she was still visiting me! Oh well, I'll just have to mail it to her. I must admit that I'm dying to find out what's inside though!


So I would like to say a very big thank you to my three friends. Best friends. For this wonderful and delightful birthday surprise. Even from a different continent, you guys managed to brighten up my otherwise dim (not exactly gloomy) day! And you may or may not have already stopped referring to me as your best friend (and I don't blame you), ever since my lack of presence but I can assure you that I have always and will always refer to you guys as mine.

Do It Yourself: Bookmarks

A couple of weeks ago, my dad handed me a few of his optical seminar freebies, this included a hand sanitiser (which I was happy to receive), a writing pad and a set of mini cardboard laminated pamphlets (I'm not sure if there exists a word to describe the thing). Anyway, my dad suggested that I use them as bookmarks. A dose of inspiration hit me. I decided that if I was going to use them as bookmarks, I might as well make them pretty ones!

Here's how I did it:

1. Remove the chain and separate them out. (Duh! Well, I just had to match the photo with a step)

2. Flip the "bookmark" over and use the end of another one to trace out it's "end shape". Do it just below the metal eye because you want to get rid of it.

3. With a pair of scissors, cut the "bookmark" following the line that you have just traced. This removes the metal eye and you're left with a rectangle "bookmark" that has rounded corners.

4. Select a card stock with the design/pattern/colour that you want on your "bookmark".

5. Flip your card stock over and lay your "bookmark" over it, faced down as well. Trace the shape of the "bookmark" onto the card stock. Tip: align the bookmark with the corner of the card stock so that there's less tracing and cutting to do.

6. Cut the shape out from the card stock.

7. Line the top side of your "bookmark" (the side with the advertising) with double-sided tape. You may use a glue stick but I find that they are not adhesive enough. They are many other types of glue that work as well. Align the cut-out and the "bookmark" at one end and then slowly smooth it down (just like how you would stick a protective film on your smart phone). It should fit perfectly... assuming that you did everything perfectly.

8. For me I didn't do it perfectly, so I had had to trim the edges a little afterwards. But that's no biggie. So voila! A pretty bookmark!

As you can see I made a few. I gave one to my mum and one to my dad. I did this a few days ago and yesterday, I made two more but I can't be bothered to take another picture and post it up here. After all, you get the picture already (excuse the lame pun). Enjoy!

Blog Of Interest

I apologise for the lack of activity on this blog. I promise you 3 new posts once my exams are over. (Ugh!!! Can't wait!) Out of guilt I've set my Health Law notes aside and am hastily putting together a simple post for you. I sure have poor discipline for a uni student...

Sportsgirl is one of the many wonderful clothing chains in Australia. The apparel they sell are gorgeous but unfortunately exorbitant to poor uni students like me. Currently, I'm eyeing one of their silky grey tops, waiting to pounce the moment its price falls below $50 (SALE!). In order to stay informed of any impending sales, I subscribed for their electronic newsletters. Hey, it's free and they email it to you!

Yesterday, I checked my email and found myself looking through yet another Sportsgirl newsletter. What caught my eye was not the expensive new Winter wear that they were advertising but was an ad for a DIY competition. I won't waste time explaining what it's all about. You can check it out yourself: http://www.sportsgirl.com.au/blog/post/2011/3/win-a-sportsgirl-winter-wardrobe/freebies

One of the links at the sidebar of the webpage grabbed my attention. 365 DAYS OF CRAFT was what it read. Apparently, this really creative lady in Melbourne decided to make 2011 a year full of craft. Every night, she would make something, take pictures of it and post it on her blog. I checked out her blog and it proved to be interesting. She is capable of transforming trash into treasure, tea towels into cushions and scarves into skirts. If you're someone who really loves getting your hands busy and dirty with craft work but you're out of ideas, you should check out this blog. It'll give you ideas, if not inspiration. http://www.365daysofcraft.com/

Buttons

Doesn't the title just make you think of that Pussycat Dolls song? This post is about buttons, literally. Or more like buttons that I bought. Yes, I have to boast about it because they were two big bags for a really good price. I probably won't need to buy anymore buttons for my artwork for the next ten years!

Aren't they beautiful? Well, I hope I'll be able to make good use of them. I'm not as good as Chris or Nop at arts and craft. I'll get there. Just need more practise! On a side note... And I know that it's way past Christmas. I made this snowflake Christmas decorations, thanks to the materials Smida Paper provided for me! Isn't it lovely? I gave it to my parents and now it's hanging at the "fan knob" in the dining area.