For this week’s DIY project, I was inspired by my downtown fashion conscious and too-cool-to-be-a-hipster hipster friend, Landon. This guy is like half artist, half designer and totally rad. He just may be the perfect man, especially with his newest creation: paint splattered boyfriend trousers.

Designers like Tory Burch and the late, great Alexander McQueen also rocked paint splattered pieces in their collections. For mucho dinero. For those of us on a college or recent-grad budget, these trousers will give you the same designer look without paying $180 (or more!) for a pair of designer digs. (Plus, you get the glory of designing them yourself…and that’s free!)

What You’ll Need

1. An old pair of trousers. If you want to go for a boyfriend slouchy pair (which are inherently more chic), try to steal an old pair from a brother, boyfriend, or random man on the street. OK, maybe not a random man on the street, but I bet you can find a great pair at the Salvation Army….

Tip: The paint splatter look would also look great on jeans!

2. Craft paint: Pick any color you prefer. Try neon colors for a modern city look, pastels for a vintage look, black and white for something a bit more understated, or whatever colors inspire you. You can get these at any craft store like Joann’s or Michael’s.

3. Paintbrush or toothbrush: Use old ones or pick up some new ones up at your local craft store or CVS.

What You’ll Do:

1. Get your inner artist on and go crazy on your trousers. You can splatter paint (for the effect seen above), or use the paintbrushes, toothbrushes, or use your finger-painting skills to decorate the jeans.
Tip: Using old or frayed paint brushes will help spread the paint out evenly so it isn’t too thick.

2. If you wanna distress your pants more (after the paint is dry, of course) grab some sandpaper and rough ‘em up a bit. And if you really want to explore your inner rock star, try adding studs around the pockets for even more designer details!

3. Cuff the hems and slip ‘em on. Pair these with a loose white tee or tank, a blazer, and a sick pair of heels. Then tell everyone how awesome you are… and look. Just try not to be afraid when people try to rip the pants off of you (unless its a hot man, like, say, Chase Crawford… then just go with it).

Wanna see some more DIY projects? Click here and channel your inner artist!

They’re making a statement on necklaces, earrings, bathing suits, purses, and anything else you can imagine. Whether metallic or color, safety pins can add an extra edge and funk to your wardrobe!

I needed inspiration on how to best incorporate this season’s look into my college wardrobe, so I looked to my all time favorite DIY craft heroes, the ladies over at P.S. I Made This, and they did not disappoint!

Here is an inexpensive, easy, and fun way to transform your plain tank-top-and-jeans-typical-college-girl look to runway ready diva. Seriously, it’s so easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of this sooner.

What You’ll Need
An old tank (or new!): any color, any style.
I went with black for a sleek look that I’ve been seeing all over the runways.

Safety pins: Get varying sizes in the color you choose. Use gold, silver, or color if you want to make a bold tank. You can pick these up at your local hardware store, craft store and most convenience stores!

What You’ll Do:
1. Grab a bunch of safety pins and start making little pin clusters by hanging multiple little pins off of one larger pin. Make multiple clusters of varying sizes. (You can do all one color, you can mix colors, you can do this however you like!)

2. Now, pin the clusters and other individual pins onto your tank. You can do what I did and pin them in the shape of the neckline of your tank, so they are pinned along the edge of the hemline. Or have fun making your own designs with pins all over your tank. You can even add a little sex appeal by cutting some slits in different parts of the tank, yank on them to open them up a bit and use the safety pins to pull ‘em back together. Hot.

3. Wear your new tank with attitude and enjoy the knowledge that if you do drop it a bit too low, you’ve got plenty of pins on hand to fix that tear in your jeans.

A few pairs of old jeans are probably taking up some of your precious closet space right now. They don’t fit, they’re out of style, and you haven’t worn them in years. But don’t be so quick to throw them out! And stop spending all that extra money on overpriced new ones! Jeans are the easiest clothing items to update. Here are some ideas:

1. Turn them into shorts or a skirt. This DIY project is actually pretty easy, especially if you know how to use (and have access to) a sewing machine. If not, enlist the help of a friend who has such talents. To turn jeans into shorts, you just have to cut them to the appropriate length and then sew a new hem (then pair them with the perfect accessories for an adorable summer outfit!). Making a skirt can be a little more complicated, but still do-able. For step-by-step instructions, visit this site.

2. Roll ‘em up. Possibly the easiest option out of these three, cuffing your denim is a simple way to solve the problem of jeans that are too short. To avoid looking overly casual, pair this look with heels. Wear a long, slim fitting top to balance it out.

Shoes & Top – Charlotte Russe
Jeans – Express

3. Rip ‘em up! Don’t you hate when jeans get an awkward hole in them? One that is totally, obviously not really supposed to be there? Well, solve that issue by just ripping a few more holes! This is another DIY project that is totally easy – anyone can do it! Plus, your parents won’t be able to harass you about spending $50 on ripped up pants. Click here for step-by-step instructions.

These ripped Acne jeans are $375 at net-a-porter.com. Rip them yourself for free!

[Main photo courtesy of  The New York Times]

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