DIY: Alternative Wedding Wishing Well

I'm back! After more than a year of absence on the blogosphere.  And I sure hope to stay active online for good, especially on this blog.  Anyway, I recently worked on a project for my good friend, Rob.  He's getting married tomorrow and wanted a wishing well at the reception.  This is the final product:

For all of you who have no idea what a wedding wishing well is (I didn't either), apparently, it's a receptacle that you place at the reception to hold the monetary gifts from your guests.  It works exactly like any other wishing well except the proceeds go to the bride and groom afterwards.  I volunteered to take care of this for them but wanted to avoid making my life difficult so I searched for some alternatives online.  Aside from wells, people have also used, mailboxes, suitcases, and birdcages as alternatives.  I decided to go with the latter because I figured it would be easier and, at the same time, would fit the elegant theme that Rob and Pam wanted for their wedding. Here's how I did it:

1.  First, I scoured Dapitan Arcade (small year-round bazaar with mostly decorative items) but could not find a birdcage there.  I found some very nice glass lanterns but they were a bit above the budget.  Next, I visited a nearby pet shop and looked at cages there.  There were limited designs but I was almost about to buy one when I decided to consult Rob first.  When he told me to go with my instinct, I decided to go back to the petshop.  But on the way, I chanced upon a beautiful birdcage about a foot tall. Jackpot!  This set me back by P500 (including transportation).

2. I looked for ideas online and decided to make small floral pom poms out of paper.  Got the instructions from Martha Stewart's site.  I realized that the Napkin ring version was actually big so I decided to go even smaller afterwards. As a result, I have tons of leftover tissue and crepe paper.   Aside from the paper, I used copper wire that I already had, pliers, and scissor.  That's it!  (I spent around P70 on the paper but there was so much left, it probably just cost me P20!)

 

3. After much rearranging, I finally decided to simply place two bright pink pom poms at the bottom of the birdcage to cushion the envelopes.  Then I took a sheer purple and a light green satin ribbon and tied it on top of the cage to complete the look.   Don't want to over do it!  (Ribbons are free, courtesy of our magpie tendencies)

4.  Something was still missing though.  Wishing wells aren't all that common here in the Philippines, so I knew I had to put some sort of sign or label.  I decided to do some watercolor calligraphy.  I copied the words "Cards & Well Wishes" from a calligraphy font from my laptop to practice first, then proceeded with the watercolor.  (Bought this cheap watercolor set and a pricey calligraphy pen some months ago so it doesn't count).

5. Then I looped some wire, placing a gold butterfly charm at the end, then used the wire to secure the card to the top of the birdcage. Voila!

6.  After that, I decided to go a step further by personalizing a few sheets of paper (just in case the guests want to write a quick note to go with the cash gift.  I used the back of some old brown stationery I found lying in the house, cut off the part with the label, then typed the name of the bride & groom on top of the notepad. (Stationery is practically free! It wasn't mine but nobody was using it haha.)

7.  I also attached the extra pom poms I made to the cap of my pen so that even that would go with the theme. Haha!  (I'm gonna spend a bit to buy more pens.  That'll be around P50.)

8.  I still need to buy some envelopes and figure out how I can organize the paper and the envelopes on the table.  Will need to go to the bookstore today!  But I tried to make a stamp out of old styrofoam to personalize the envelopes.  I'm still not too sure about this because it's not as clean or fancy as i hoped it would be.  What do you think?  My alternative is to just leave them blank.  (Envelopes will probably set me back by a P100 max.)

Yay!  It was so much fun doing.  Total project cost, once I buy the envelopes, will probably be around P700. So it's only P300 less than the wishing well for sale, but this one means a bit more 'coz it's from the heart.  Best wishes to you, Rob and Pam!!!

DIY: inspired by Alexander McQueen

(yet another overdue DIY post)

i receive a ton of email every day, maybe half of which are all related to fashion.  anyway, i remember receiving one about nail polish trends sometime in June.  one of the girls featured there was Drew Barrymore.  anyway, the nail color article was interesting enough, but what really caught my attention was Drew's Alexander McQueen dress:

i don't really go anywhere so I'd never really get a chance to wear something like this.  and even if i did have an event to attend, chances are that the McQueen brand people wouldn't be willing to just lend me this dress.  but i loved it so much that i knew i had just one option: DIY!!!

i've had this lace dress lying around for months.  one of my last purchases before i started Project 365.  i bought it at an ukay-ukay near BIR Intramuros for Php 50.  Btw, the owner of the place was Ilocano and they played Ilocano music in the store.  the ukay was also very decent--spacious, clean, well-ventilated. aaanyway, i bought it because i saw some potential in it.  i especially loved the crochet detail on the neckline.

however i try to pretend not to care what everyone else thinks about me, i'm still an insecure girl.  and whenever i'd try the dress on (after washing in boiling water and detergent, mind you), my ate cla would always say "yuck" or something along that line of thought.  so i knew i needed to do something to try to elicit a more favorable or at least neutral response from the people who would be seen with me while wearing it.

i decided to try to make my version of the McQueen dress.  first I carefully cut out the lining (too lazy to rip the seams), making sure not to snip the stitches so the dress would remain intact.

then i prepared a dye bath--using 4 packets of black Venus dye this time.  i figured it wouldn't matter so much if it was in a small basin. in the event that there would be unevenness in the color, it would look like the intended result, much like the intricately designed lace of the original dress.

unfortunately, i learned through this experience that color fastness is something better achieved, not just with quality dye, but also with a proper process.  but since i had neither, i ended up with gray lace.  the only thing that did turn black enough was the crochet trim on the neckline and at the hem of the dress.

i tried to see what it would look like with yellow fabric underneath, but gray doesn't make the color pop out as much.  so i decided to just use the crochet trim instead.  i had 1 1/4 yards yellow cotton voile lying around at home (i often have fabric-buying urges)--also one of my last purchases before Project 365--so i didn't even need to buy that.  i cut out a simple pattern for the bodice using a hybrid of the lining (which was more loose) and my bias dress pattern from FIP (more fit).  since cotton voile is pretty sheer, i used up all my fabric to make two layers (i'd suggest at least 1 1/2 yards next time, especially since bias uses up more fabric).  

with the help of my trusty portable Brother sewing machine (which we got several years ago from credit card points), i was able to make this top:

it's definitely one of my favorites :) it's dressy but i can also wear it with jeans.  i can belt it, tuck it in, or leave it as is. DIY rules!!!

DIY: pseudo chambray shirt

back when i made this a few months ago, i had been reading about the resurgence in popularity of the Chambray (a kind of cotton aka Cambric) shirt among the fashion crowd in the West.  Denim shirts of various washes were also a big craze (and i guess still are depending on the styling).

this was my inspiration:

not having the cheese to afford yet another item, and also having an abundance (okay 4 is not exactly that much) of white collared shirts, i decided to DIY instead.  here's what went on:

one of my white shirts was less traditional than the others.  it had a different kind of yoke and huge sleeves!  i liked it for a while but then i realized that i would sometimes look like i was swathed in hospital bedsheets.  this was the shirt i decided to dye, using the Venus dye available at National Book Store (i know, sorry but that's the only one i know of.  i'm searching for dyes online but it's gonna be real costly what with the $ and the shipping, etc.)

i used two packets but you can go darker if you want.  if you're not really sure, i suggest you go light first; you can always intensify the color later.  now, having limited resources and a slightly overbearing mother, i couldn't follow the instructions to the letter.  but i think it went ok. 

it would be a lot better if you use a bigger basin though, to keep the fabric from clumping.  mine did, and at the underarm area too! it's not that noticeable but if someone looks very closely, you'd think i had sweat stains even if i had just put the shirt on.

and voila! don't mind how i look though. haha.  you can belt it, tuck it in, leave it untucked, or unbutton it too :D hope you like!  DIY is pretty easy.  the first thing you need to do is just determine what project you want to make and i'm sure you'll find SOMETHING in your closet or somebody else's wardrobe that you can reconstruct.  it's so rewarding and pretty cool too.

coming up

sorry about the complete lack of posts lately. been quite busy.  not too busy to be frugal, on the contrary in fact! just too busy to blog about it.  here's what you can expect soon:

my current projects:
since necessity is the root of all invention (or something like that), i came up with 3 new articles of clothing! the first is a modern white button-down which i turned blue, the second is a green maxi dress using fabric i already had (it's just practice for the blue one that i really intend on wearing but i'm writing it down here to make it look like i've been extra productive), and the third (my favorite) is a top inspired by an alexander mcqueen dress worn by drew barrymore.  i'm really excited to wear the last one! the first, i already have 2x, the 2nd, i can't figure out when to wear hahahha.

Christmas shopping:
so, as predicted, my dad is giving me a bit of shopping money for Christmas.  mukha na daw akong pulubi joke!  but i plan on using this wisely.  i've already spent almost a quarter of it (i'll show you on what), so i'll be listing the stuff i plan on getting too. 

Christmas gift ideas:
i didn't anticipate this, but i've all but used up my gift budget for the year--and it isn't even Christmas yet!  i have so many wonderful friends that i couldn't help but show them my appreciation earlier in the year.  so now i need to get creative (fast) for the yuletide season.

Wedding planning:
no, i am not not single anymore.  i'm referring to my ate but since i am helping her with the details, i figured i could post something about frugal weddings.  not that that's what my sister is gonna do--she can afford to go all out.  but i'm anticipating that i either won't have enough resources or won't want to spend that much on a grand event.  simple is good, but also difficult (especially when your family is as big as mine).  so we'll talk about tips and ideas on making it a fab and frugal affair all the same, without hurting anyone's feelings.

project alert! hand painting on silk

as you know, i am a frustrated artist and am also hopelessly enamoured by the thought of wearable art.  i almost took up fashion design, you know? well, i would've tried out for it had my mother allowed me to but apparently there's something wrong about an honor student even contemplating a career in the arts.  anyway, enough with the ranting.  besides, i really am thankful that i didn't end up studying fashion--i enjoy it but i don't think my calling is in prettifying other people.  that's just for fun!

anyway, i have a new project in mind. several weeks ago, i dyed a blouse of mine just so i would have something "new" to wear (i'll write a post about it one of these days). a few days after that, i found myself buying a book on Shibori, which is this Japanese technique for dyeing or something. it's really cool and i cannot wait to try it out. something that i also definitely want to try is to hand paint silk scarves. i really love the watercolor effect, and it makes for great gifts too!



Waratah scarf

unfortunately, there really is a limited supply of materials here.  the only dyes i've actually seen are those powder Venus dye packs in National Book Store, which i used to dye my blouse.  but we don't have a lot of crafty stores here so i'm anticipating the difficulty in getting my hands on special silk dyes :(  i might try to experiment with the Venus dyes though, see how it goes.  i really want to try this out.

btw, if i ever get to France, i would just love to take a silk painting class.  if not, i'd settle for self-study.  i found several interesting tips online at wikihow and HGTV, among others. I also found some silk painting starter kits.  these dyes are darn expensive though!  I'm also trying to choose whether to go with dyes or paints. wee! i'm so excited for this project! wonder when i can finally get my hands dirty with this one? :D

DIY: draped skirt

so i was chatting with keet earlier today and we got to talking about a lot of different, wonderful things, including the skirt that i was wearing at work that very hour.  of course, she couldn't see it.  anyway, i'm really proud of this skirt because i only bought it for P20 at a nearby thrift shop aka ukay-ukay, but now it looks like a thousand bucks! i know, i know, whatever happened to humility right? hahaha. i'll just show you...

thanks to my office mate Jonas for taking the pic!

anyway, this skirt is a bit avant-garde so it really isn't for everyone.  my own sisters hate it.  but my female office mates like it, and so do several of my other friends so there you go.

turning your own plain skirt into a couture piece is easy enough.

You'll need:
- a circle skirt, preferably in a soft/flowy fabric to produce better drapes
- dressmakers' pins
- sewing needle, thread in the same color as the skirt, a pair of scissors

Instructions:
1. fit the skirt and try to imagine where you would like the draping effect.
2. using the dressmakers pins, just bunch up the skirt in certain areas and pin tiny parts of the fabric together.
3. make sure to check in the mirror if you're getting the look that you want
4. once you're finished draping with the pins, take your needle and thread and sew where the pins are positioned.
5. remove the pins and voila! you have a draped skirt that's one-of-a-kind.

*tips, you can go shorter too, to create a more bubbly look.

hope you found this DIY article useful.  will try to come up with more. y'all know i love to get crafty and all.