Idiosyncratic Style

Who holds the key to your heart? Maybe it’s your one true love, but what about all the other great loves of your life? Your parents, siblings, best friends, children… chances are there are a number of people who have claimed a little piece of your heart. This Valentine’s Day celebrate ALL the people you adore with a beautiful token of affection; a key to your heart.

- Use an old house key, interesting vintage key or decorativekey from a craft store
- How you decorate it is up to you, be inspired by the muse you are creating it for
- Try paints, textured paints, gems, studs, fabrics, scraps of paper, feathers….
- Let the creativity flow, use anything reflective of your relationship with each one
- You can give the key as a trinket or incoporate it into an item the recipient can appreciate - necklace, keychain, bracelet, earrings, a pin, cuff links…

Keys I made inspired by all the people I love...

Wrap the key thoughtfully, attach a little note and send the package in the mail, no matter how close they are. The many loves of your life are sure to be delighted.

Lately, sequins are shining all over the place. If you’re not ready to unleash your inner showgirl, but want to play around with a little sparkle, try adding a dash of razzle-dazzle to your winter outerwear with this DIY project.

Supplies:
Winter hat
Pack of individual sequins
Thread that matches your sequins
Sewing needle

Instructions:
Place a sequin face up on the top side of the fabric.
Start with your needle on the back side of the fabric and come up through the hole in the center of the sequin.
Make sure to leave a tail on thread on the underside.
Put your needle back into the fabric just above the top of the sequin.
Double knot the two ends of fabric tightly at the back and cut off the excess thread.
Sew the sequins on uniformly or scattered randomly, it’s up to you.

If you plan to cover the entire hat, understand that it will take a while, so be patient and have fun with it or line up a great movie marathon to keep you entertained. If you don’t have the time or patience, be sure to choose only a small portion of the hat to cover, just focus on the trim or create an easy design to realize.

Wear your new sparkling topper with your regular winter coat to help you shine your brightest on even the gloomiest winter day.

Studded Head Scarf by Jennifer Behr

Riff off Jennifer Behr’s head scarf and rock your own one-of-a-kind studded headband. All you need is a stretch headband, metal studs of your choice and, to save your fingers, small pliers or even the back of a spoon.

Just poke the studs through the fabric and use your pliers to fold back the pegs. If your headband’s fabric won’t allow an easy poke through, use a seam ripper to pull a thread loose before poking through. It’s that simple.

Wear it with an over-worn band tee and boyfriend jeans or try pairing it with an opposing texture like girly lace. The fun is in the styling, so play loudly, take risks and dance to the beat of your own idiosyncratic drummer.

This time of year it is easy to get lost in commercial stresses, so tap into the real spirit of giving by scoring points with mother earth and using your creativity to bring some handmade presents to your home, your friends and yourself this christmas.

Deck your halls with a beautiful recycled wreath and make snowflake ornaments from bits of paper. A fluffy snowball light is festive, yet pretty enough to use all year round. Real estate agents everywhere know that nothing says happy home like the aroma of fresh baked good, so be sure to whip up some tasty treats.

Schedules fill up fast and to keep your dance card full add a little something extra to your sartorial repetoire. Try wearing embellished knee socks, a luxe faux fur vest or a victorian inspired bib necklace as part of your party look this season.

Do your part to cut down on high-volume waste and decorate ice cream containers into reusable gift boxes. Fill the cartons with yummy pepermint bark or eco-friendly laundry detergent that’s sure to please almost anyone.

For far-away  friends and family consider making a re-usable felt envelope, perfect for sending smaller gifts like new friendship bracelets and cute ipod covers in the mail, letting them know they are missed. 

Do you celebrate a “green” christmas or have any DIY ideas to share?

Fashion does not have to fall on the cutting swords of minimal budgets and a lack seamstress’ skills. Check out these amazing and simple DIY projects from talented bloggers all over the web and let your Idiosyncratic Style shine.  

FOR THE LADIES

Outsapop Trashion - Cozy and Chic Felt Paillete Sweater

The Coveted - Vintage Inspired Hats from Shoulder Pads

Happy Together - Dainty Clutch Purse from a Placemat

FOR THE DREAMERS

Brick My Lane - Dreamy Ruffle Scarf from Fabric Scraps

Houndstooth and Tortoiseshell - Marching Band Inspired Vest

Cute Little Disaster - Rose Cocktail Ring from Paper Clips

FOR THE ROCKSTARS

…Love Maegan - Killer Leather Spats for your Boots

Carbon Couture - Thakoon Inspired Mirror Embellished Skirt

Park and Cube - Rodarte Inspired Rocker Tights

Don’t have a ton of cash to shop accessories this season? Create your own one-of-a-kind layered necklace at almost no cost. Inspired by of the moment designers, you can make your own version to showcase your idiosyncratic style.

(clockwise from left) Tom Binns, Abs and Janice Savitt

STEP 1: GATHER SUPPLIES
Look through your jewelry box for pieces of jewelry that you don’t wear or are bored with. If you haven’t got a lot to work with, check out thrift stores for small bags of broken jewelry or even find some cheap pieces from a mall jewelry store. You will also need small jewelry pliers and some fine jewelry wire that can be found at any craft store. You can also pick up new jewelry closures and extra lengths of various interesting chains at reasonable prices.

STEP 2: PREP YOUR PIECE
Start to take apart all the jewelry you have acquired. Separate all the bits into different groups (closures, chains and charms). Choose a design theme for your necklace, something to keep you on point throughout the creation process. Seperate the pieces that support your design theme (tone, style, bling…)

STEP 3: BUILD YOUR NECKLACE
Choose your base, a length of chain you will use to build the rest on. I like to use small safety pins to secure pieces together temporarily, because sometimes the design changes as you work. Once I am sure of placement, I then use the jewelery wire to neatly secure the pieces together. If the safety pins support your design, go ahead and leave them in or add them later. Try to have a lot of fun throughout this process, play with the placement and the pieces you use to find the most interesting combinations. Be sure to securely fasten a closure to the ends of the necklace.

STEP 4: WEAR YOUR CREATION
Your new necklace is simple enough to wear for day and cool enough to wear at night, so wear your new designer necklace anywhere with the pride of knowing you made a unique piece that no one else will have and you didn’t even have to open the wallet, just your mind and creativity.

The Gun Metal Tangl Necklace was made for less than 20$.
The Layered Nautical Necklace was made from found objects and cost 0$.