absurdly peculiar

I keep on blaming the Holidays for having a slump in the DIY idea/inspiration department.  I mean there are so many things you could technically DIY, but I haven't found a project that excited me, until this baby was brought home to me: Someone in my family asked me if I wanted this and the answer was no.  I know, I know...I can use it for so many things... groceries, library books, a lunch bag...etc. but lets be honest, it is plain ugly. I started thinking how it would either end up in a dumpster or be kept away in some part of the apartment (pretending that it will eventually be whipped out for something but truthfully, it will never see the light of day like so many of the free advertised tote bags I have).  So instead of dumping it/never fufilling its life purpose... I decided to fix it so it can live up to its potential. Lucky you, ugly tote bag! Inspirations for the design came from research for my Distracted... post; specifically, from the following:

I just recently found out about DIY gift exchanges and thought about how cool that would be. But then I would need to make friends with people who actually enjoy doing DIY projects because I believe my friends and family in LA  would be too lazy to agree to this idea.  So instead of exchanging gifts I thought about giving DIY gifts. DIY gifts are amazing because 1) The giver saves money 2) A lot of thought and time is put into what the giftee shall receive 3) Very few people in the world will have a present exactly like it. So here are some ideas for people who haven't bought their gifts for friends yet and would maybe like to save some money. They could also make great stocking stuffers. You have 2 days left, which is plenty of time to buy materials and make one of these babies below! 1. Box Braid Necklace - Honestly WTF 2. Braided Hex Nut Bracelet - Honestly WTF 3 & 5. Polymer Jewelry Pieces - Absurdly Peculiar 4. Braided Woven Curb Chain Bracelet - The Dapper Bun 6. Po

I found a purse that I probably bought years ago and never used. The material was probably very cheap and so it started tearing and peeling... so instead of throwing it away I decided that it needed to be fixed. Here are photos with my new and improved purse from my random photo shoot (as in I jumped out of the car and someone took these photos within 3 minutes time...I know, so professional).

Kina Grannis - In Your Arms I was strolling around a craft store and noticed they sold pieces of 8.5"x11" leather for decent prices. I've been wanting to make a clutch for a while and I felt like this was the perfect material to work with. So I bought brown and black leather pieces as well as some leather cement glue. I also drew a sketch of what I kind of wanted it to look like... but in reality, it was just an excuse to use watercolor pencils. Things you'll need: -2 pieces of leather (size depends on how big or small you want to make it) -leather cement glue -scissors -binder clips -ruler -pencil/marker -scotch tape -paintbrush -something heavy, like a textbook or two

I was on GiltGroupe a couple days ago and was surprised... wrap bracelets by Chan Luu were selling for over $100 and were originally priced at over $200. Now I am not condoning people who choose to spend that much money on a wrap bracelet...seriously, if you have the money why not..but it's just that I don't happen to have that kind of cash to be spending $200 on one wrap bracelet! I was even more shocked at the pricing because a couple weeks ago, my friend sent me a DIY for wrap bracelets from HonestlyWTF . She actually made one recently for around $8. I know, Chan Luu probably used real gold and silver trinkets or what nots... but why pay $200 when you can get the same look for less? 

YES! I finally was able to accomplish one of my projects on my To-Do List. I decided to take a break from job apps and stop by the craft store yesterday.  I picked up some pieces of felt, which were on sale for 5 for $1! And I decided I would work on my DIY collar. This is what the finished product looks like and the many ways I decided to style my outfits with my new accessory: ( Note: You might think... really? You made a collage of yourself? I swear I am not vain and I really do not like taking this many pictures of myself but I thought it was a good way to show the versatility of the detachable collar!) For this project you will need the following: -A piece of felt -Fabric Glue -Some sort of embelishment (beads, sequins, buttons) -Scissors -Tape measurer -A wide paint brush -A needle and thread

My jewelry page is finally up! I am currently making handmade polymer clay pieces. Here are a couple pictures of those pieces and other jewelry items that I have available: [Polymer Clay Pieces | Golden Egg & Tooth Pedant] [Feather Earrings] [Skull Necklace | Revamped w/ 18K Gold Leaf Paint] Be sure to check out my Jewelry Pieces page here !