My last major DIY project was all about home décor… and the decorating bug hasn’t left me yet!

I’ve finally moved into my new apartment in NYC which is now filled with issues of Elle Décor and House Beautiful. The furniture is moved in (…and up 5 flights of stairs) and my apartment is finally coming together. However, I could not help but feel depressed when I looked at my bare, lonely, and artless walls. I was envious as I flipped through the pages of decorating magazines to see how small living rooms and dorm rooms were so fabulously decorated with different pieces of art.

But my budget doesn’t exactly allow for me to splurge on fancy art or even framed posters. So instead, I found my own cheap and chic way to spice up my walls and décor. So if you’re looking to spruce up your room or update your walls on a budget, here is an easy and fun way to make your living space unique! Read More »

I’m officially a college graduate and am joining the masses of recent grads sobbing audibly as they scroll through their Facebook photos from the past 4 years moving to a new city and a new life. As I pack up my boxes once again, I’ve realized that my college dorm décor may not exactly suit for the real world.

I want to update my room style from posters of David Beckham and Edward Cullen (I love you, RPatz – if you’re out there….call me. Seriously….) to shabby chic art, furniture, and frames. I want my room to scream “I’m a fabulous adult” and not “I frequent college poster sales,” and I don’t want to spend a lot of money to do it.

Instead of bringing along a DIY corkboard (perfect for any college dorm), I decided it was time to display my favorite college mementos, pictures, and reminders in a more sophisticated way. So I scoured the internet and the few flea markets that exist in my neighborhood to get design ideas until finally I came across an old miniature dress form.

Dress forms have been a symbol of chic fashionistas since sewing was invented. To me they scream modern yet vintage décor, and can be used for more things than just designing clothes. Instead of traditional frames or tape to mount my favorite pictures and mementos on a wall, I transformed the dress form into its own display board, frame, and jewelry case.

So here is an easy, creative, and inexpensive way to step up your style and display tidbits of your life. Read More »

Ever since the beginning of Gossip Girl (pre and post threesome) and the sensational style of Blair Waldorf, hair flair has rocked the fashion world. What is hair flair, you ask? Um…only the most vital/amazing/and necessary accessory any woman can own, obvi.

Hair flair can transform an entire outfit and conceal your unwashed hair on days when you just don’t have time to shower (i.e. after a particularly long Tiki Tuesday). More importantly, unlike those expensive skinny jeans you picked up at the Nordstrom half-yearly sale, hair flair will always fit regardless of those holiday pounds, the freshmen fifteen, or the beer belly you’ve been sporting since football season (curse you keg stands and beer pong).

Well, if you want the same accessories as the Upper East Siders but don’t have the same cash monay, don’t worry.  Here is a thrifty way to get the fabulous look without paying the big bucks. And if this particular style isn’t for you, something is wrong with you we’ve got another awesome DIY hair flair project you can do instead.

What You’ll Need:

Stretchy headbands/headwraps: You probably have one of these lying around, but if not, these are super cheap and you can pick them up at drug stores like CVS, Long’s, Duane Read or at any beauty store. My favorite brand to use is Scunci No Slip-Hair Grips because they come in packs of 4, are comfortable, and easy to decorate. Use a black headwrap to keep it classy or a bolder color to add some extra pop.

Fabric: A foot or two of any type of cloth fabric in any color/design you want! Most craft stores sell fabric squares meant for quilting, which are perfect for creating your hair flair, as your fabric needs to be cut in a square shape before you begin. Bonus: Many craft stores (Michael’s or JoAnn’s) have tons of leftover fabric scraps that you can get for super cheap. Just ask one of those ladies with the scissors! Read More »

Yeah, that's right. This cork board makes people want to party.

A dorm isn’t a dorm without the staple brown cork board on the wall. You post reminders of exams, pictures of your friends, phone numbers (of that hottie you just met!), and other important info on your life.

Problem is that the ugly brown cork board is a little bored. I know it doesn’t match the rest of your gorgeous room decor, so here is an easy and creative way to transform that ugly board into an artistic and functional piece of wall decor.

What You’ll Need:
*2 Sets of Cork Tiles: You can find these at Wal-mart, Target, or any office supply store. They usually come in sets of 4. You can make your cork piece as big as you want, but I usually use 8 tiles (so, 2 sets).
*Spray Paint: Use any color you want. The spray paint will be for the background color of your piece.
*Art Paint: Again, choose any colors you want. This paint will add accent colors and design on the cork tiles after they are spray painted. Skip this step if you prefer to have a plain color cork piece!
*Ribbon: Use any color/design you want. Just make sure the color of the ribbon goes well with the paint colors.
*Small paint brushes Read More »

Okay girls, brace yourselves. If I told you that you could design your own clothes, try them on and buy them, all while taking notes in class, would you believe me?

Well I’m pinching you and it’s still true.

Thanks to Ralph Lauren and his preppy-meets-chic Rugby line, you can now download an application to your phone that allows you to design your own clothing, try it on by uploading a picture of yourself, and then order it. You can also design your own stuff right on the website, for all you students “taking notes” during class (Yea right…).

You have a huge selection of pieces from sweaters and jackets to t-shirts and dresses (a totally adorable hooded, polo dress might I add!) to choose from and you can completely customize it all with patches, embroidery, numbers and your name.

But your design doesn’t end there. It’s then posted on the website in the “Make Your Own Gallery” for everyone else to see (and to buy if they like it enough!), and you can share it through Facebook and email so all your friends to check out! No joke, people could be walking around in something you designed.

Seriously, is this not a fashionista’s dream come true? Create, share and buy your own designs at the click of a button? Now I not only have the ability to make the clothes that I want to wear, I also have something to keep me awake during calculus.

Thank you, Ralph. Thank you very, very much.

OMFG.

Project Runway is finally coming back tomorrow night. They’ve kept us waiting for-freaking-ever and now it’s all coming back in a MAJOR way.

…with a few slight changes.

The show will still have supermodel Heidi Klum, fashion designer Michael Kors, and Elle fashion director Nina Garcia returning as judges, as well as the additional guest judge each episode. But after five seasons in pedestrian-friendly New York, the hit reality competition for aspiring fashion designers has moved to both a new city, car-jammed Los Angeles at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and a new network, Lifetime. And now that the lawsuits between the Weinstein Company, NBC Universal (owner of Bravo), and Lifetime are thankfully over, we can enjoy our fashion porn in peace once again.

Like most, I was a little peeved when PR left Bravo, but the new star-studded L.A. setting has provided some amazing new opportunities: major guest judges such as Christina Aguilera, Eva Longoria Parker, Rebecca Romijn, and Lindsay Lohan and some fresh inspirations for new challenges. As Michael Kors has hinted, ”L.A. can be the most laid-back and the most glamorous. It’s the land of bikinis and gowns.” As such, this season the designers will take on challenges centered on the beach and the red carpet, and also create garments as a tribute to movies and Hollywood.

I am still not quite over the fact that I have to watch Lifetime (the same network my mom boasts as her fav), but I gotta say: I’m really excited to see what this new season has to offer. Read More »

[My first foray into Blik Graphics...so cute!]

Back in August I showed you how to do a little dorm decorating without screwing up your walls (you do want to get that deposit back, don’t you?) Well now that you’ve got one wall decorated, what are you going to do with the other three?

Enter Blik Graphics, the perfect dorm room/rented apartment/ my-parents-would-kill-me-if-I- wrecked-my-bedroom-walls solution. Blik makes cute, stylish decals that are easily removable and don’t damage your walls or pull off the paint. Most of their designs are meant for one-time use (i.e. once you pull them off you can’t use them again), but I recommend trying their Re-sticks, which, as the name suggests, can be used over and over again. That way, come June, when you’re ousted from your dorm room, your decals can come with you! I usually stick mine on wax paper to prevent them from getting messed up in transit. Read More »

We are getting so close to the finish line, I can feel it! (And it feels great, considering how crap-tastic this season has been). There are only 4 designers and the big Bryant Park runway show left! Oh wait.

Just kidding.

There is also a wedding gown. And…wait for it…a bridesmaid dress, too! Hahahaha, suckers. You thought all those challenges were done and you were free, but those crazy cats at Bravo had to put you through the ringer one last time.

But I am getting ahead of myself. How can I not talk about Tim’s home visits?! He watches Korto drum in Arkansas, takes a bike ride with Leanne in Portland (and wears a helmet, which pretty much makes up for the entire season), does nothing with Kenley cuz she has no friends or family, and hangs out with the Jerrel crew. It was all very exciting and touching and blah, blah, blah. Read More »

Lauren Conrad takes another stab at Fashion Week.

Jessica Simpson is dowdy.

Looks like the real drama on 90210 is happening off-screen.

Not sure who to vote for? Figure it out.

Short Shorts Girl makes us laugh.

A Winehouse burrito.

In your FACE, healthy people.

4 inch heels: hot and dangerous.

Brad and Jen are back…at least for drinks.

Chick flicks you can watch with your boy-toy.

Betsey Johnson runway show: crazy and fabulous.

As I began watching last night’s episode of Project Runway, all I could think was “I hope Keith doesn’t make anything with those dumb strips of fabric.” Oh, and I hope Stella goes home/gets paint thrown on her by PETA people.

What I should have been asking myself was “which company bought their way into an episode this week?”

The challenge was to take parts and materials from a Saturn Vue Hybrid and make something innovative from them. Because taking car parts and designing an outfit makes a great designer. I am sure Michael Kors learned how to do just that before he hit it big.

The designers went to town filling baskets with all of the materials. Tim reminded them to be extra innovative, which many ignored as they all attempted to use seatbelts in their designs (much like the tablecloth fiasco of episode 1).

Everyone heads back to the workroom where Keith – stressed by his poor performance…the entire season – breaks out the ‘tude. Not only is he rude to the other designers (yelling at them about the sewing machine) and to his model (basically calling her dumb even though it is his shoddy construction that causes the problems), but he talked back to he judges.

Aw HEEEELLL no. Read More »