Fashion Me Fabulous

Do you have some old, goopy nail polish sitting around? The kind that takes forever to properly dry and goes on too thick? Well, you can still use it. I saw some cute colored bobby pins in a magazine, but they were $15 for a pack of 20. When you can buy a tub of 300 for less than $3, that's insane. Instead of paying that crazy markup, I slid some of the many bobby pins I already own flat-side up onto a card. I grabbed one old nail polish (red) and one new one (pink) and coated the pins. I left the pins and polish in the bathroom and added a coat every time I went in there. You'll need lots of coats to get a good color, and the old polish works best.  The card is important to keep the pins upright, but make sure you don't paint the pins to the card. If you end up with a lot of paint, just wiggle the pins around so they don't stick. Voila! You saved $15 and have a new accessory for your hair.

Last year I wrote a post about d0-it-yourself fashionable Christmas gifts , which seemed to be a big hit. (Check out that post since all the ideas would still be great for this year). Since the, the internet has gifted us with a whole slew of new DIY ideas for cheap and chic gifts you can make yourself. What's not to love about saving money and avoiding the holiday shopping frenzy while giving loved-ones unique, handmade gifts? Super Budget-Friendly Sometimes DIY can actually cost quite a bit more than we'd like, but doing something yourself can also allow you to transform everyday items into fabulous fashion. P.S. I Made This took scissors to 2 yards of fabric to make a cute cape . Paperclips can become fashionable earrings with the addition of some string and earring wires. A re-purposed picture frame, a small piece of chicken wire and a couple cute hooks can team up to make a wall-ready jewelry display . Jewelry Turn a shirt collar and some jewelry chain into a chic collare...

Since deciding to throw myself into sewing , to follow the path of millions of women, to develop a practical skill for myself, I've been flipping through every sewing book I see. For the clueless beginning sewer like myself, I cannot recommend enough Stitch by Stitch: Learning to Sew, One Project at a Time by Deborah Moebes. All introductory sewing books have a couple pages on tools you need. Stitch by Stitch includes 18 pages on tools. Rather than present a list of tools she always uses, Moebes lists tools you must have to sew with a machine (seam ripper, hem gauge), tools that aren't necessary but will make sewing easier (rotary cutter, ruffler foot), and tools that not everyone likes but some people find essential (pattern weight, seam roll). The author also explains why there are different pins and what they are for, types of thread, and why you should invest in scissors and an iron. From here, the book has another 24 pages on getting to know your sewing machine (“You an...

I'm writing this on a lazy Saturday morning. My sewing machine is staring at me over the top of my lap top. Had it a tongue, no doubt it would be sticking out. The little bastard and its army of scissors, seam rippers, bobbins and rulers taunt me. Hubby got me a sewing machine for Christmas because I wanted to be able to hem my own pants, to make my own curtains, to play with pillowcases. Then life got busy and it sat around for months untouched. But a few months ago, unhappy with where I am in life, I decided sewing was my way out. That if I worked at it, I could follow in the footsteps of millions of women (my grandmother included) who used their needle and thread to earn an income. I spent evening after evening practicing stitches, learning how the fabric moves with the feed dogs, feeling the tautness of my bobbin thread. I also spent countless nights lamenting my wobbly cuts, yelling at the gnarl of thread caught in my machine, crying over a task that seems insurm...

Tomorrow is Father's Day. If you're giving dear old dad another necktie (my dad is impossible to buy for so I actually considered it), he may have a few you can clean out of his closet and use for new, fashionable pursuits. We all know neckties can make excellent belts, hair ribbons and even skirts, but necktie crafts don't have to stop there. Green Eggs and Ham has a tutorial for this stunning necktie statement necklace (pictured right). DIY Network has a video on how to make a tote bag out of neckties and cloth napkins. If you want a necktie only bag, try this necktie purse from Sonya Style . Instead of threading a plain tie through your belt loops, craft a fancier belt like this necktie corset belt (pictured left). For even more necktie craft ideas, check out Artful Ties , a blog filled with unique ideas for upcylcing old ties.

Already Pretty knows how to have fun with fashion, and she's sharing tips on how to dress joyously ! (pictured) Joanne Faith offers 5 tips for Rocking at Online Shopping . Fashion Cents shares videos on how to shop and sell at consignment shops. If you're dying to try feather hair extensions on a budget check out this DIY hair feather tutorial from North on Harper. For everyone with summer travel plans, best of bklyn is showing you how to pack for a two month trip in two suitcases .

Book: Simply Sublime Bags: 30 N0-Sew, Low-Sew Projects by Jodi Kahn ($1 3.57, Amazon) Overview: If you ever wanted to try your hand at making your own purse, but you have little or no sewing skills, start with this book. From purses lined with duct tape to potholder glasses cases to the chic place mat bag on the cover, you'll find project made from affordable materials that actually look like nice bags. Pros: About half of the book offers true no-sew and low-sew projects that can easily be made by anyone who is new to sewing, crafts or DIY anything. Best of all, the materials are common-place and inexpensive so you don't have to make a big investment to try things. You'll find bags made from pillow cases, place mats, ribbon, old T-shirts, wallpaper, candy wrappers and even a bubble mailer. The bags get upscale touches from craft store purse handles, zippers and closures, which are easy to find and often on sale or clearance because of changing styles. You won't find...

My income has been nonexistent to pitiful for the last three years, which puts a huge damper of my favorite time of year--Christmas. I love Christmas partly because I love gift giving, but gift giving is tricky when you don't have any money. Handmade gifts have been my standby for a while now, and I'd like to think I'm getting better at keeping them from looking too handmade. Also, some of the best gifts I've received have been handmade by my friends. Here are some fashionable DIY gifts, make of which can be made without advanced crafting skills or a sewing machine. Some of these can even be fashion from materials you may already have. Katie if Interrobangs Anonymous, made a shredded jersey circle scarf out of a jersey dress. The people at Method had a similar idea with a variety of results . Turn an old sweater into a fun and comfy skirt . If you have any sweater leftover, you can even make upcycled sweater boots or sweater mittens . Keep your friends and family warm...

Installation and performance artist, Robin Barcus Slonina, is making a dress for every state in the Union. She's made 8 of them so far: A corn dress for Minnesota, a garbage bag dress for New York, a prairie dress for Iowa, a casino chip dress for Nevada, Pine Cone dress for Maine, a willow dress for Wyoming, a red dress made form 28 red dresses for Illinois, and a white pine dress for Wisconsin. Follow her work on her blog: State of the Dress . The Cut Blog has a round up of the best and worst of October fashion magazines . See highlights like details from Alexander McQueen's last collection and horrors like ridiculously priced ice climbing outfits. If you recently unpacked your sweaters only to discover an old favorite is no longer wearable, turn it into a DIY sweater tote . Katie, a 28-year-old blogger at Interrobangs Anonymous, blogs about her grey hair and why she doesn't dye it anymore . I recently wrote about one-year fashion projects. The two women of 365 Fashion R...

Garage sale season is here, and thankfully it will stay most of the summer. I adore garage sales. You never know what you're going to find. Plus, you can haggle, which usually works best if you ask for a "bulk" price when buying several items. While I keep an open mind when it comes to any type of treasure shopping, I do have a list for garage sales. This way I can remember to look for certain items and I can eliminate mediocre finds that don't fit my needs. The List: Clothes I don't buy a lot of clothes at these sales because trying them on can be tricky. However, I will pick through any vintage items I see. I'll also take a look at things that are easy to try on like coats or a dress I can slip over what I'm wearing. Nice winter coats are usually marked pretty cheap since garage sales take place in the summer and no one wants to about coats. Jewelry I hunt for two types of jewelry. First I look for quirky, unique piece of costume jewelry in good shape. T...

It's spring, which always gives me the itch to clean up my wardrobe a little. It also gives me an urge to go on a shopping spree, but my budget has been spree-free for a few years now. This means I won't be throwing anything out during my spring cleaning. Instead, I'll be attempting to re-invent and revive some stuff I already have. Here are a few projects I'm looking into. I have some white and light colored tights with stains from some black shoes so I give them new life with Bust's DIY Tie Dye Guide . I'll be hunting thrift stores and garage sales for beads and buttons so I can try some embellishments like this on a few stained/ripped items I have: DIY Beaded Hoodie or Button Embellished Top (pictured). I don't trust myself do to with with tights (and I avoid bleach), but I have some old black leggings that could work with some DIY baubles . This one is way beyond my skill level, but if you are sewing savvy, you can turn an old men's skirt into a su...

I can't spend the money on a necklace tree right now, so I made my own. I had a broken frame on hand, but you can pick up a multiple photo frame for cheap at Goodwill and paint it whatever color you want. Separate the frame from everything else, tie a ribbon to it, hang it from a hook. Viola! My favorite necklaces are on display and off my dresser.

I was reading Style Bubble and found myself dwelling on one of Susie's images. Her focus with this DIY look was the neon/sheer layering; mine was the nightgown feel of her dress. Vintage nightgowns are usually less than $5 in my area, and most have built in sheer or lace panels. I can't help imagining layering them with metallic leggings and a sequin top. I think it would be sexy and funky with a vintage twist. Of course, other people could just think I'm running around in my sleepwear. What do you think of the idea? Wearing a Vintage Night Gown as a Dress by Fashion Me Fabulous

I've been eying feather hair clips since I saw Kenley wearing them on Project Runway . There are some lovely and rather affordable feather pieces available on Etsy and few other places, but money is too tight to justify even that purchase right now. Once I saw the headbands Jael Paris made , I decided to try making the clips myself instead of buying them. All of my supplies were easily found at Walmart: Feathers: 77 cents a bag Thread: 89 cents a spool (match thread to felt) You could use glue too. Felt: 20 cents a sheet (match felt to either feathers or hair) Hair clips: $1 a package or free is you already have them Total: $3.63 with a ton of supplies left over I bought white feathers and brown feathers. I like the brown feathers better but they were smaller and harder to sew than the white ones. There were also only a few pretty feathers in the bag of most blah, flimsy feathers. The white feathers were easy to work with, but I don't like them as much in my dark hair. Disclaim...

I was sick of not wearing feathers in my hair. I'm a feather nut and I feel plucked at a time when I wouldn't get such crazy looks for wearing something I love anyway. While I'm very creative, my masterpiece projects look like preschool craft time in reality. With that in mind, I came up with a very simple solution for making feathered headbands. You'll need: -- A non-slip headband. I bought wide elastic ones that match my hair. They were two for $2.99. -- Feathers. You can buy packs of them for under $2 at any craft store. I had some left over from making masks in high school. -- Embellishments. I chose a shower puff ($.50 at the grocer) but buttons or old jewelry would be another good choice. -- Hot glue or needle and thread depending on the type of headband you picked. becca is a supermodel. For the one on the left, I spread the loofah across to give the impression of a veil. The veil with the black feathers made me think of film noir femme fatals. In light of that,...

I'm not super crafty, but I am super cheap. Since I only work part time, I need to occupy myself with something other than Mahjong and the desire to shop. Because I love feathers but can't really afford most of what's on the market, I want to try Fashionista's DIY feather jacket . Their solution for keeping the jacket machine washable is brilliant. Fops and Dandies (which I can't link you to anymore) did a project with adding fringe to a vest. I'd like to buy some of this ready made fringe from the craft store and see what all I could do with it. (I picture myself going into Goodwill and holding it up to items with great shape and horrible prints.) The Queens of the Kingdom of Style are brilliant, and I've written about their DIY projects before. It's been months and I still can't get the idea of working with shower puffs out of my head. I have no idea what I'll do with them, but I'm pretty sure it will be awesome sauce. Give me some time, a...

The ladies of Fashion Me Fabulous dream big, but frequently don't have the know how to makes those clothing ideas a wearable reality. If you crave some do-it-yourself inspiration, here are some bloggers with much craftier fingers. -- I'm particularly fond of Kingdom of Style's shower poof skirt, but her blog is full of great ideas for tailoring vintage finds from Grandma-land to Chicville. -- The Flicker group DIY Clothes has plenty of forums and photos. -- Designer do-it-yourselves are my favorite part of Fashionista . -- Crafty Crafty can teach you how to make cool accessories and more. -- Follow A Dress A Day on her sewing adventures. She also has lots of great tips and links for you seamstresses out there. -- Garbage of Eden has a new D.I.Y. every week.