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.

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.

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$.
The Layered Nautical Necklace was made from found objects and cost 0$.

This beautiful DIY project was created by Carbon Couture.

Supplies:
Tulle
Bead or rhinestone appliqué (found in the bridal section)
Needle
Thread
Scissors

Instructions:
1. Sew the appliqué on a square piece of tulle fabric.
2. Following the appliqué edges, cut excess, leaving approximately 3/4″ of fabric.
3. Flip the appliqué over and sew a ribbon of tulle strip on each end.
4. Try on your necklace, tying the ends in a bow behind your neck and line it up.
5. Cut the excess ribbon off each end of the tied bow and Voila!

Thanks so much to Cara, for allowing me to re-post this pretty little project.
The original post Tulle-ing Around and more can be found at Carbon Couture.

Extra Credit: Make a Vera Wang style tulle bracelet, too.

The large bangles that have been all over the Spring 09 runways have me inspired to create one in my own idiosyncratic style. You can create your personalized statement piece with this 10 minute make-over using items you probably already have in a drawer somewhere.

Step 1: Dig through your jewelry box and find a boring plastic bangle you may have prematurely retired.

Step 2: Gather some supplies. You will need a glue gun (or tacky craft glue if you prefer) and your choice of ribbon, long scrap of fabric, wide string or even a cool shoelace. I have chosen a piece of leather because my bangle wanted to be reincarnated as a rock star. The leather strip already had clean folded edges, but you can use a fabric with a raw edge for a more deconstructed look.

Step 3: Start with one end of your strip and glue it down to the inside of the bracelet. Press it down firmly and give it a second to really adhere.

Step 4: Wrap the strip around the bracelet at a slight angle across the face. Each time you loop around, use glue just on the inside to prevent uneven surfaces or glue markings on your fabric. Take the time to line up each loop so it lies directly next to the previous loop or slightly overlap it to ensure there are no gaps of plastic showing through.

Step 5: Once you have looped the strip enough times to completely cover the bangle just trim off any excess and glue the end firmly inside the bracelet.

Extra Credit: Get creative, make a few different bangles and pile them all on your arm together as seen on 3.1 Philip Lim and Zac Posen runways.