DIY: Padded Clothes Hanger

I did this little DIY day before because I was in need of a bit fancy/ padded hanger to shoot a few garment pics on. The hanger came out a bit droopy at the shoulders, but is fine for strappy dresses I guess. I wasn't fully happy with the outcome, as I needed it for photographs, but if you are looking for cute additions for your wardrobe or just want to make those wire hangers prettier, this is the DIY you might want to try.

Also the fact that I didn't need to buy or source anything from outside makes it worth the while. I spent around 15-20 mins and it was done. The hanger I used was a wire hanger I got with my drycleaning, the cotton pads are the 'Dove' make up remover pads, the wlite tissue is a roll from the dollar store that I had some left from around Christmas, also I wrapped it in a rough piece of cotton cloth to add some bulk . Other than these, you just need scissors, scotch tape and maybe transparent glue.
Below is a step by step picture description of what I did and how...



I started by taping 2 cotton swabs together on the sides of the hanger, after I bent the hanger to get the desired curved look, as available in the market...



A detailed photo of the first two swabs taped over the hanger



finished with 2X3=6 swabs taped to a side



added 2 cotton swabs from the bottom to the far corners and then placed 2 extra on top to give extra padding at the ends of the hanger...



Also taped 2 cotton pads to the top most part, here's the tissue I used to wrap around



Covered the hanger with a rag, left over piece of cotton, if you like it, you can use a long strip of printed cotton fabric as the final wrapping too...

DIY Men's Shirt

Fashion DIY of the WEEK

I had an old shirt of S in the closet that had been well worn and seen it's days and I was keen on making a reconstructed top using it. Since plaid is so in this season and this shirt had a beautiful color combination, it gave me the perfect slate to work with.

I started by cautiously cutting out the sleeves, cuffs and collar close to the seams, so as to leave a neat edge and not waste fabric as you never know when you might need a spare inch that got wasted away.

Next, I cut out the back yoke, again close to the seam, cut a straight line in the front matching the back yoke, all this while keeping the shirt buttoned up in the front.

Then I placed some tucks in the front pieces to adjust the width to my size, as I was looking for a slim fit around the chest and made a big box pleat at the center back, stitching it down till the waist length. This gave me a fitted upper silhouette and flare at the bottom. I had to remove the top most button to get the piping and finishing done neatly, I am yet to attach it back, my laziness gets the better of me at times.

The top rests right below the hip and so flares out beautifully. Then I cut out straps for the shoulders using the fabric from a sleeve that I saved before, also made an extra flare for the front using fabric from the second sleeve and making two triangular panels diagonally, stitching them in a cut I made in the front panels.

I used the cuffs as a design detail, attaching them at the sides and used the collar for the neck. I opened up the collar stitched its label inside out, that gives it character and stitched it sitting over the front panels like a necklace. I used the fabric from the yoke that I had cut out earlier for piping and finishing details.

The whole rugged feel and character it gets from an old worn out shirt makes it even beautiful. It goes perfectly with fitted denims or shorts and will be a staple in my wardrobe this summer. It was a shirt I gifted S years back and I am happy it got this makeover rather than going in the trash!

Happy DIY'ing everyone! Be Yourself! Be Awesome!xx

DIY weekend: Ikea Rast and more

Last weekend we decided we wanted bedside stools to complete the look of our bedroom. Finally after major discussion revolving around budget and choices we ended up buying the Ikea Rast 3-drawer dresser, shown below.

We painted them green tea and ocean blue, with stains we had left over from previous crafty adventure, around the outside base and gave the drawers an awesome antique/ distressed look with antique stain we bought off the counter from Ikea store.

Here are the pics of at least a $1000 project we achieved in just $90. Any one from pottery barn or restoration hardware checking these out? I find they fit pretty well in out eclectic home and are comfortable plus the added bonus of extra drawer space.

Also I made this pretty little thing with some old left over piece of plywood and simple jute twite. The jewelry hanger is on sale. You can also purchase it at Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/124297844/hanging-jewelry-organizer-with-cork

Also if you are interested the Rast Ikea chest finished in green tea or ocean blue is on sale for Toronto locals only at $250, that counting the effort and talent that went in making it from plain jane Ikea to a rustic looking home decor piece.

Cottage chic with a rustic feel to it, distressed look achieved using antique glazing paint and green/ blue stain. Took us a total of 2 days to get the look, dry it perfectly and enjoy our latest creation.



Creative juices flowing with old wine corks and jute twine



The original Ikea Rast when purchased from the store

Visit our Etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/StyleScribbles

weekend DIY

So the summers are at their peak and we were looking to do something new and fun for the weekend, now three months in Toronto and we are kind of still furnishing and decorating our new home. The dining area had been an empty space to play ball with the dogs for a while now and after much discussion we realized that we will never settle for the classic dining table and wanted something more sleek and simple yet different for our space. The final verdict was that we need a bar height table, that will more often be used as a bar than for dining ;), with stools facing the TV, right behind the leather couch.
We had been looking around online as well as local stores for something that matched our style, fit and budget. With not much success, we figured it was time that we dealt with a little DIY of our own. Now, having never built anything, let alone a whole table to be a place for conversations and fine dining, we wanted to keep it simple to make sure it turned our sturdy enough. Our basic design was a 40x16x75 inch plan that finally became a 41x16x78 inch bar.
We used pine, specifically knotty pine for the rustic, roughed up look we desired and select pine for the base, also we chose to stain it with a single layer of green tea color with a lot of rubbing it off and sanding involved after, so now the table looks like it was probably the pride of a road side pub for years before we rescued it (love that look).
Initially we were suppose to border it on all four sides, but considering we have no tools to cut/ chop wood/ planks at home and we got them all cut to size at the home depot, our borders for the length came our about 2-3mm longer than required and we just simply chose to avoid and put them only on the two shorter edges (sides) looks cool though (check out the pics at the end).
Also, the green color we chose, out of many reasons, one was the eclectic feel that our living room has till now and the fresh/stark contrast it will be to the rest of the stuff. We also used brass screws, angle joints and corners from the top, making them as visible as possible, as opposed to the normal thinking of hiding any nails. Also being first timers at it and crazy as we are, we let the glue stain our sides, the crooked edges go willy-nilly and we refused to fill any gaps created during gluing. All this turned out to give exactly the kind of feel we wanted for the table. It looks like it's right out of an old country hotel at Jaisalmer in India (those of you not familiar with this place, Google now), or from a crafty resort in some artsy town.
Okay, enough talk, check out our newest treasure (such tables if in the size we wanted were going for CAD500-600 +delivery and we made ours in just CAD150/- sweet I'd say!
P.S. We are yet to buy the bar stools, we were planning on white (it will seat three comfortably, so three stools). Also S has now gotten such a hang of it and it was so much fun and therapeutic that we have decided to build our own TV unit (in a turquoise/ sea blue) and coffee table (in chalk white stain) soon.
Oh and there was a piece of the wood left, we stained it to match the pub table and will make it into a tray with door handles on the side to grab it, soon. That chair with a green piece of wood sitting under the money plant- that's it, also the money plant has been planted in an empty coffee tin.