6/20/2012

Recent Instagrams

Here are some of my recent instagrams from the past month.
TOP TO BOTTOM:
1. Homemade Toppoki/Deokbokki/korean rice cakes / 2. Spicy ground beef burrito from Chihuahua's / 3. Chicken katsudon from Yabu / 4. A simple dinner outfit / 5. Mustard and polka dots for Father's Day / 6. Flowers for Mother's Day / 7. Found my dog, Max in the basin (weird, must have been cool) / 8. Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette, a gift from my auntie (LOVE THIS) / 9. Ethnic fabrics for my next DIYS (loving ethnic prints right now!)

You can follow my instagrams @j_teng if you want LOL :D

6/11/2012

DIY: Bleached Ombre Shorts


Here is one of my DIYs for the Ombre trend, Bleached Ombre Shorts ( I have another DIY in mind that I hope to do this month). I have been seeing a lot these shorts at F21 and they cost about P700-900 which is way above my budget for a pair of trendy shorts. Luckily I found this old pair at the back of my closet while cleaning out stuff for the garage sale. It was perfect for this DIY! See steps below:

 Materials:
1. Old denim shorts
2. Bleach
3. Basin
4. Gloves
5. Laundry soap
 Please WEAR GLOVES FOR SAFETY! Don't be like me who was too excited to not find a pair of gloves. Don't worry though, I made sure that I did not touch the bleach with my bare hands. First step is to pour bleach into your basin, best to use white or transparent ones so that the basin doesn't get bleached as well. I poured about a cup full of pure bleach since I wanted a light to dark ombre effect. You can also use a half bleach, half water ratio for a less bleached effect. Next, dip the end of the shorts onto the bleach for about 3-5 minutes or depending on your desired effect. The smell of bleach is really strong, similar to chlorine so it is best to do this outdoors or in well-ventilated areas. 
 After dipping in bleach, check the shorts to see whether you are getting the desired ombre effect. I wanted the ombre effect to reach the zipper line so I dipped that area for about 2 minutes, this created the gradient effect. Bleach can destroy your fabric, be sure to do this by area/parts and to keep checking the garment.
 Don't forget to check the back side as well if you have achieved the desired ombre effect. RINSE, RINSE, RINSE out with water, the three text rinses means to rinse out the bleach three times! I hung my shorts to semi-dry before washing with laundry soap. Again, the smell of bleach is quite strong so wash the shorts with laundry soap twice when needed.

TADA! Wear your bleached ombre shorts out! I think these would look great with cropped tops :)

PS. I finally changed my template into something more presentable LOL. It still needs a couple of changes here and there, learning and reading html/css takes so much time especially when self-taught!

Will you DIY your own pair of bleached ombre?


6/07/2012

FRINGES for Spring

One of the trends for Spring 2012 is FRINGES! I am a fan of fringes and I still have a couple of pieces in my closet. I love the boho-laid-back-look, fits my personality a lot. Here are some interesting fringe finds from the net and I hope to draw inspiration from this for my next DIY.



Will you be wearing any fringe-inspired looks this season? 


   

6/05/2012

DIY: Ribbon and Chain Multi-strand bracelet

If you have been browsing around other DIY blogs, you may have seen this bracelet already but what makes it different here is that I used ribbons instead of leather cords. Using ribbons allows you to use brighter and bolder colors. See steps below!

Materials:
1. Super glue
2. 2 jumps and 1 clasp
3. File clip
4. Chains (19.5 inches or any length that will wrap around your wrist 3x) 
5. Ribbons (width of ribbon will depend on your chain, I think mine is 1/8 inch)
6. Pliers

Steps:
1. Attach the jumps and clasp at each end of the chain.
2. String the ribbon (the length of my ribbon measures about 2 1/2 times the length of the chain) into the first chain and tie 2 knots. Leave the other end of the ribbon hanging, this will later be cut off and glued.
3. String the ribbon onto the next chain, making sure that the ribbon goes over chain and is inserted into the hole. Once you get it through, make sure the ribbon is tight against the chain before moving on to the next. Also, make sure that you string the ribbon in one direction (lol ONE DIRECTION <3) so be sure to check the back side to avoid any ribbons from flipping.
4. As you continue stringing the ribbon, use a file clip so that the bracelet does not move around.
5.  Tie 2 knots once you reach the end
6. Cut the remaining ribbons left and glue to chain.

These bracelets are best when worn when stacked and can also double as a necklace as well. You can use different chain colors such as gold, bronze, black or silver to mix and match with ribbon colors. 

Get creative :)