Leather Bow Tie Cuff

I recently made a bow tie cuff out of leather and seriously can not stop wearing it. 

What you'll need:

10" X 4" piece of leather

One button

Hot glue gun

Needle and thread

So first off with your strip of leather (you can buy perfect size strips of leather at your local craft store as I bought mine from Michaels Crafts) cut off a straight 1/2" piece that will soon be the center tie of the bow. 

With the remaining leather, cut one elongated oval like shape.

Next, pinch together the center:

 Take your needle and tread (thread color doesn't matter since it wont be visible) and sew your pinched section together. 

Then take your 1/2" strip that you previously cut and wrap it around the center pinched section that you just sewn together. Fasten the strip around with dabs of hot glue. You may need to trim the 1/2" strip shorter.

Finally, at one end sew a small button on, and at the opposite end cut a slit about 1/2" long. The button and slit will be what holds the cuff together when wearing it. 

INFLUENCERS

I love this video. I love how it not only recognizes how influences effect or inspire creativity but I also love the broadness of it. So much around us can influence us all to do so many different and diverse things, and I think that those who recognize it possess much more creative possibilities. But, at the same time, I think that recognizing your influences is freeing, and should never make you feel as though your stuck in a cage, but rather open up more ideas. So much is around us and the possibilities are endless.

Rhinestone Earrings

Yes, I took my love for bedazzling and created some cute and colorful earrings.

Supplies:

Multicolored Rhinestones

Jump rings

Earring hooks

Hot glue gun!

Ok so first off find and abundance of multicolored rhinestones, I bought a huge bag from my local Micheals craft store for around $12. (The bag will last me a while though!) 

On one rhinestone place a dab of glue with your hot glue gun on the back side. Place half of a jump ring on the blob of glue and sandwich it all together with another rhinestone of any color. Hold the two stones in place locking the jump ring in. Wipe off any excess glue. 

For each earring I made 13 of these, but that's just personal preference. 

Mixing regular jump rings in, hook together the sandwached rhinestone pieces in random orders. You can place more to one side or make it however long you want. My earrings just barely touch my shoulder. 

Once you have placed as many rhinestone pieces as you want hook on the actual earring hook and wear in style!

Bill Cunningham New York Trailer

All Things Designed

I feel very fortunate that throughout my college career I have been able to take classes that allow me to study design, good or bad. Overtime I have developed some favorites and although it may be a long list I thought I would share some. Here are just a few products, architects, buildings and furniture pieces that I love. 

First off, I have developed a love for architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe. I love all his work from the Bauhaus in Germany, all the way to buildings in Chicago. Perhaps his most iconic piece of work however, would be a chair. The Barcelona Chair. This is a chair that when I get my real big girl job, this will be my first purchase. Classic, functional and timeless.

Next up would be a building here in the U.S. that was highly influenced my Mies Van der Rohe. This building, The Glass House was designed by American architect Philippe Johnson. Although it would be hard to live in, I love how it seams like their is nor barrier between the walls and nature. 

Johnson studied under Mies so inside of the house his influences are very present. 

Now on to the fun stuff...

Nothing in my mind can top the work of Barcelona native, Antoni Gaudi. Much of Gaudi's work contains colors and forms unimaginable to the built world of architecture. This work,  the Casa Batlló, is so playful it just makes me want to run around in it and touch every surface, although it would be highly frowned upon to do so. 

Next up, perhaps a useless object, but never the less a dynamically entertaining juice squeezer by Philippe Stark. Stark himself gives criticism to the juicer, but its interesting design with no cord attached offers a unique interpretation on making juice, so get squeezin.

And finally, perhaps the most odd looking of all objects, Up 5 armchair, or otherwise known as "the ball and chain chair," by Gaetano Pesce. This chair offers an interesting take on the phrase, "the old ball and chain" of relationships. Ironically, this chair is extremely comfortable with its gigantic size. 

I could go on and on about designs that I love but I thought I would try to keep it short and sweet, so I hope you enjoyed!

Bedazzled Shoes????

YES, my love for shoes has met my obsession with bedazzling. 

About a month ago I had a formal event to go to and I wanted a unique pair of kicks. With that want, and my college student budget, I began thinking of ways I could decorate a pair of heals to be truly my own. So, I came across a few ideas and knew right away I must bedazzle! 

I was mainly inspired by these mirrored shoes, but I thought more on the rhinestone side of decorating. 

So, I purchased a pair of regular black pumps from my local Ross ( I think they were like only $12, I was so happy). I then grabbed my bag of rhinestones and my glue gun and got to bedazzlin. 

It was definitly a tedious task, but I geekishly enjoy this kind of stuff. Anyways, the entire project took me a good two days work (with lots of breaks), but I was very satisfied with the end result! 

Again, all this project took was a pair of cheap heals, a hot glue gun and bag of rhinestones. I had previously bought the rhinestone in bulk at my local Micheals craft store for around $10.

I love my shoes so much I think I might start decorating more shoes, in even brighter colors!

"Your'e gonna be an old woman some day... don't worry about it!"

Is That a Real Lemon?

YAY! So for my first DIY blog entry I thought I would do something that I recently made and can't stop wearing! It's my lemon necklace! 

Ok, so this item was super easy to make and very inexpensive. Since I just used a long silver chain from another necklace, all I had to buy was fake lemon slices ($2.99) and a pack of silver jump rings ($1.99). Both items I found at my local Joann's fabric and craft store, but they can also be found at any Micheals craft store. 

1.) Once I gathered all my supplies, I poked a small hole through and through of one lemon slice with a thumb tack.

2.) After making a hole relatively the same size as my jump rings, I hooked one ring through the holes and closed the ring.

3.) With no glue necessary, the lemon pendant is ready to be placed on your chain of choice. (I chose I long necklace chain)

As I love this item so much I have thought of other things to do with fake lemon slices, such as earrings (cut one "slice" in half), or even a key chain. And of course, if you prefer something besides a lemon, an orange slice or even lime slices would make a cute accessory.

Introduction

I am a 22-year old Northern California native, but I have fallen in love with the anything but "banal" state of Arizona.

I have always been attracted to all that is visually stimulating.

Fashion, pictures, graphics, art, nature, architecture products and interior designs.

My love for such things brought me to study design and architecture at Arizona State University.

I feel that anything designed and produced should bring joy, passion, warmth and content to all those who view it.

If I could do one thing pertaining to that, I would make others appreciate the beauty of all things design.