DECONSTRUT | Taking things apart and making it your own

DIY CORSET | Dior dustbag to a corset top

18 February 2021 No Comments

Corsets have been super trendy this past year and I don’t see them going away with the obsession with Bridgeton. To try out the corset trend, I decided to try my hand at a more luxurious approach to creating a corset. I’ve always loved designer items but I’m not in the market to be spending the money to own brand label names in my closet. I thought this would be the perfect tutorial to upcycle designer dust bags into a top to satisfy that designer itch. I went on Poshmark and secured some dust bags and was ready to start making my new designer corset top!

I believe that my set of Dior dust bags were for a pair of shoes (who knew designer shoes came with dust bags!). The dimensions of the dust bag were 13in x 14in. I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t have enough material to create the corset. But since it came with two, I knew I could use the second one if needed. Thankfully, I didn’t need to destroy the second one and can make another corset for a friend or maybe for my shop (*coming soon). The dimensions of the dust bag are of the utmost importance when searching online. It is recommended to get a dust bag that is close to your torso width for the best fit. Since my waist is approximately 25″, a 13″ wide dust bag would be sufficient in covering my chest.

I decided to rework the pattern by thenavarose in her corset tutorial which is amazing and you should definitely check it out! I have also included my own version of the pattern in this blog post. The pattern is by no means perfect but it is what worked out with my Dior dust bag.

TIME | 3 hours

COST | $$

DIFFICULTY | Easy-Medium

DIY, Youtube

DIY | COWL NECK TOP

14 October 2020 No Comments

This cowl neck top was the reason I decided to revisit TikTok and because you guys asked for an in-depth tutorial, here it is! Sharing my quick and easy method of making an open back cowl neck top that will be sure to make its way into your closet as a favourite! If you’re curious as to the TikTok I’m referring to be sure to click here!

Be sure to watch the Youtube video for a little surprise!

TIME | 1 hour

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Easy

DIY, Youtube

DIY | TENNIS SKIRT – NIKE EDITION

24 September 2020 No Comments

Matching Nike tennis outfit in white, tennis skirt DIY and DIY sports bra

White Nike Tennis skirt paired with Nike long sleeve crop top

Tennis skirt paired with long sleeve Nike crop top

I was definitely obsessed with the preppy vibes this spring and summer and the comeback of the tennis skirt as an everyday basic. I fell in love with the Nike tennis skirt look; worn with crewneck sweaters, crew style socks, and white sneakers. It seemed like every girl had a white pleated mini skirt in every Instagram post and I wanted to be her. After looking up the famous Nike tennis skirt which was sold out or was being resold at extraordinarily high prices; I knew I had to try my hand at creating it myself. I wanted to have the Nike branding to keep that cool “it girl” vibe and I’ll be showing you have you can achieve that by leveraging an existing Nike garment.

In DIY-ing the tennis skirt I wanted it to be a functional piece. I decided to create a pair of shorts underneath. The skirt is in theory actually a skort, though completely optional, I do recommend it if you recreate it in white.

Not one to miss out on a matching moment, the full DIY tennis outfit wouldn’t be complete without a matching top. For part two, we will create a match sports bra to go with the tennis skirt using the leftover fabric from the leggings. [A tutorial is coming soon!]

I love how this DIY turned out! So much so, that I’m already planning to make a black version of this DIY tennis skirt for fall!

TIME | 3 hours-ish

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Easy – Medium

DIY

DIY | OPEN BACK TIE TOP

2 August 2020 No Comments

If anyone knows me they know I love a good back detail. Somewhat of a surprise when someone turns around, a unique back detail is a great way to elevate any basic! In this DIY, I take an old boy’s long-sleeve tee and make it into a super cute and trendy top which will have all your friends asking where you bought it.

With the top being quite covered in the front, the open back adds a sexy flair and unexpected twist to the crop top. This can definitely be done to a short sleeve or sleeveless top as well. Its the perfect tutorial for a quick thrift flip! With minimal sewing, this DIY packs an impact with little effort!

TIME | 30 mins – 1 hour

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Easy

DIY

DIY | PRINCESS POLLY TIE TOP

16 June 2020 No Comments

Youtube thumbnail - DIY Princess Polly Top

Adding lace to the tie top DIY - sewing progress

Close up shots of the tie top with lace detailing

Super cute and flowy, this remake of the Princes Polly vintage tie top is the perfect addition to a summer wardrobe! The lace details give it a cute and girly vibe and the cropped length makes it perfect paired with high-waisted jeans and cut-off shorts. This tie top will be a summer staple in my closet and I can’t wait to wear it all season!

I had picked up a remanent piece of satin fabric from a local fabric store prior to the quarantine and it was the perfect thing to use in recreating this tie top. The original Princess Polly tie top retails for $60 CAD, where as it cost me less than $7 to recreate it. So if you want to save some money and create something cute this is the tutorial for you! I recreated the top from scratch, but I do think this top can be easily recreated by flipping a tee in your closet. No need to go get fabric or anything new to make this cute little top!

TIME | 1-3 hours

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Easy

DIY, Youtube

DIY | NIKE SOCKS IN 3 EASY WAYS

11 May 2020 1 Comment

So you’ve heard of customizing your kicks, but have you ever thought of customizing your socks? DIY Nike socks and take them to the next level with these 3 easy customization methods! These techniques are not exclusive to socks but can be applied to any other items in your closet to elevate and make things unique!

The three ways I customized my Nike socks were the following:

Bleach tie-dye
Rhinestones
Embroidery

I wanted to make these tutorials quick and easy so that everyone can try them out. Some of these can be done in less than an hour and others within an afternoon. There’s a little something here for everyone, you can even combine these tutorials and make one mega unique creation! Get creative and make it yours!

TIME | 1-2 hour

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Easy

Video tutorial

DIY Nike socks 3 ways video tutorial

DIY, Youtube

DIY | I.AM.GIA. ONE SHOULDER CUTOUT BODYSUIT

30 April 2020 No Comments

Being a frequent Instagram user, I’m always scrolling through posts that feature a lot of popular insta-baddie clothes. One of the most well known brands being I.AM.GIA. had me falling hard for their Jupiter and Saturn bodysuit from their 2019 collection (currently sold out but was sold for $97CAD). This tutorial is definitely a bit late to the party, but I still love the style of this show-stopping cutout bodysuit. It’s definitely a super unique piece and I have definitely seen an uptake in the one shoulder style popping up all over the fashion world. Guaranteed it will still be big this summer!

This bodysuit was definitely a challenge, as I upheld this (self imposed) standard to have it at production quality with all seams and stitching hidden. You could definitely simplify the process if visible stitching on the garment front isn’t a big concern. It was quite the twisted and confusing adventure trying to decide which parts to sew first for a flawless outer surface on the bodysuit.

Read on to see how I created the I.AM.GIA one shoulder cutout bodysuit!

TIME | 1-2 days

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Hard

Review

REVIEW | PHOTOWALL SWEDEN | Printing art for your walls

22 April 2020 No Comments

Being the avid photographer that I am, I have mountains of digital data on multiple hard drives that never see the light of day. I have all intentions when taking photos to share them, and maybe to one day print them out; but often I don’t know where or have the time to do so. When Photowall Sweden reached out offering a print I was really excited to get my work onto my walls. Photowall Sweden offers many different types of prints but the ones that interested me the most were the custom options of canvas and poster prints. I think canvas prints are great if you’re looking for an impactful piece of wall art, whether it be your own image or someone elses.

Read on for my full review and a special discount code at the end!

Created in partnership with Photowall Sweden.

DIY, Youtube

DIY | CUSTOM EMBROIDERY | Shark edition

10 April 2020 1 Comment

Up close detail shot of shark embroidered on a sweater

Spending this much time at home has resulted in me picking up new hobbies and embroidering and cross-stitching seems to be a calming task for days I want to be away from a screen. Embroidery may seem like something a grandma does, but with a modern twist can be the coolest edition to your DIY-belt of skills!

I decided to embroider a crewneck I had on hand with this cute shark detail that I had spotted previously at Aritzia in a past season. The result is super cute and with my own twist makes it one of a kind! Read on to learn how to embroider your own clothes and create cool custom pieces!

See here for a previous post in which I embroidered a T-shirt!

TIME | 1 hr

COST | $

DIFFICULTY | Easy

Nails, Youtube

NAILS | FLAMIN’ HOT

24 March 2020 No Comments

Up close view of flame nails on both hands

I’ve been dying to try out the flame nail art trend since the summer and with the current self-isolation means of the world, I’ve managed to grow my nails long enough to attempt this! So here’s a fun video that I filmed and some accompanying images. I think it turned out not-too-shabby for a first attempt! I will definitely be trying this flame nail art design out again in different color combos as spring and summer roll on in.