Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

July 1, 2016

DIY FRIDAY: EASY VINYL CLUTCH







OUTFIT DETAILS: TOP  ||  JEANS  ||  WEDGES (available in a few sizes right now -- hurry before they're gone!)  ||  CLUTCH (made by me, tutorial below)


I'm excited to share a really simple and fun DIY project today! This little fold over clutch makes such a great gift, and it's really versatile -- you can use it as a clutch, a diaper and wipes pouch, or a wallet, and you could make it any size!

If you make it as a diaper pouch gift, stock it up with diapers and wipes before you bring it to the baby shower. If you make it as a clutch gift, throw in a pretty lipgloss and some cute sunglasses!

Click through below to find the really easy instructions.

photos by rad and happy

April 29, 2016

DIY FRIDAY: THE PERFECT SLOUCHY TUNIC [SEWING TUTORIAL]









OUTFIT DETAILS: TOP (MADE BY ME)  ||  SIMILAR JEANS  ||  SHOES  ||  HANDBAG

Summer is all about simple tops for me -- lightweight pieces you can just toss on and go, but that still look great and purposeful. This slouchy tunic is exactly that, and it's super flattering to boot (and helps hide that soft post-baby stomach I'm working on)!

This is such an easy project you could whip up in an afternoon, and then make about ten more of them to live in all summer long. Plus, you could make them long sleeve, short sleeved, sleeveless, or whatever you want. So many possibilities! 

Click the READ MORE button below to find the full tutorial!


April 22, 2016

QUICK FIX FRIDAY: UPDATING AN OLD (OR TOO LONG!) PAIR OF JEANS IN 5 MINUTES


Fringe and olive | Merrick's Art

Fringe and olive | Merrick's Art

Fringe Tank, Perforated Heels | Merrick's Art

Raw edge jeans and perforated booties |  Merrick's Art

OUTFIT DETAILS: SIMILAR JACKET (only $36!)   ||  FRINGE TANK (hurry, it's selling out fast!!)  ||  GAP JEANS  ||  HEELS (similar here and here)  ||  VINCE CAMUTO BAG  ||  SUNGLASSES 

Today's five minute tutorial accomplishes two things. One, it instantly updates an old pair of jeans, and two, it's an easy way to shorten your jeans without having to hem them. So you can weed through your old jeans and make them fresh and new in five minutes!

I've shared a few ways to update your jeans in the past, like how to make a baggy pair of jeans skinnier, hemming jeans while keeping the original hem, and distressing your own denim, but today I'm going to share how shorten them up and keep the hem raw, which is a fresh, modern look.

I've had these jeans for four or five years, and I just never wear them anymore. Now with this quick and easy update, I absolutely love them and plan to wear them all the time!


Click READ MORE below to find the tutorial!


April 8, 2016

DIY FRIDAY: LEMON PRINT FIT AND FLARE DRESS SEWING TUTORIAL









DRESS: MADE BY ME (TUTORIAL BELOW)  ||  SIMILAR BAG  ||  SUNGLASSES  ||  HEELS 

photos by rad and happy


I've had the idea for a lemon print dress in my head for over a year. And I would have made it way back then, but I could never find a fabric that I liked. I searched online so many times and could never find exactly what I wanted, and then one day a couple of months ago I had a breakthrough -- I could paint the lemons! I've been wanting to make my own textiles for a long time, and after making my fabric for my Valentine's Day dress, I was itching to try it again. 

So for the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I schemed about this dress, not wanting to make it until I delivered so I knew what size to make it. Then as soon as San was born and my mom was here for a week and a half to help with the kids, I took advantage of a few nap times to pump this dress out. 

When I designed this dress, I knew I had to make it nursing-friendly, so I put a zipper in the front. I chose a chunky plastic sport zipper since it added a fun visual element in the front and I love how it adds a little bit of sportiness against the sweet print of the dress. I finished it just in time for Easter Sunday and wore it to church, which you can see here, but I had to grab a lemonade from our local Lemonade for this shoot -- it was just a perfect fit!

I cannot wait to do more textile stamping this summer -- I have a bunch more fun ideas, and plan to do a full video tutorial on my youtube channel on the entire process. So stay tuned for that.

But today I'm excited to share the step by step tutorial to make this dress! 


Click READ MORE below to find the full tutorial.




March 18, 2016

DIY FRIDAY: SLOUCHY HOSPITAL T-SHIRT DRESS








About a year ago one of my friends sent me an image of a mom in the hospital, wearing a super slouchy t-shirt dress. She was close to expecting baby #2 and asked if I knew where she could find a similar one. I pointed her to a few different places, but I'm not sure she ever found one.

Anyway, I've kept this slouchy tee dress in the back of my mind for all this time, and decided a few weeks ago that I should make myself one for my impending hospital stay. It's perfectly slouchy and soft, easy to pull down to nurse (since it has a wide neckline), and basically feels like pajamas but makes you look a little more pulled together.

Also, we took these photos when S was only 24 hours old (obviously when I was still in the hospital) and I'm already missing how tiny and new he was!


photos by rad and happy

Click READ MORE below to find the easy step by step tutorial!




March 11, 2016

DIY FRIDAY: HOW TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET FROM GROCERY STORE FLOWERS


Flowers are definitely one of my love languages. I love filling my house with them because they make my house feel like a home, and just make me plain happy.

Sometimes a simple bouquet of one kind of flower is all I want, but other times it's fun to make a bouquet that's a little more complicated and unique, especially if you have a special occasion like a baby or bridal shower. And it's actually really easy with flowers from the grocery store!

Try these step by step instructions to make a perfect and beautiful bouquet from store-bought flowers!


1. Choose the right flowers. You'll want a hero flower (mine were these beautiful blush roses), a secondary flower (I chose white hydrangeas), and some greenery. The goal is to have a variety of sizes, shapes and heights. 

TIP: One of the keys to making a really stunning bouquet is keep it to one or two colors. I love a monochromatic bouquet, like the one I made here, but you could also choose a colorful hero flower and then keep the rest neutral and green. The pre-made bouquets at the grocery store often have a lot of colors going on, which makes them look less luxe and show-stopping.


Step 2. Prep your vase and add flower food (which usually comes with grocery store flowers) to the water in the vase. Now cut all the ends off your flower stems and remove any low hanging leaves -- leaves in the water equal bacteria, so get rid of anything that might touch the water.




Step 3. Once all of your flowers are prepped, it's time to assemble. First, place your hero flowers in the vase. They should all be roughly the same height, but the once in the center should be the tallest by a centimeter or two.




Step 4. Next, add your secondary flower. This should fill your vase up quite a bit. Use the same height rules for these flowers -- they should be slightly lower than the hero flower around the edges of the bouquet.




Step 5. Now it's time to add some dimension and depth with your greenery. I found a bouquet at the store that came with several different greens, so I bought that instead of purchasing several greens individually. The tall green leaves add some height, the little wax flowers are great for a good size contrast, and the green flowers add some neutral color and fullness to the bouquet.






Once all of your flowers are in the vase, arrange as needed to make it nice and full, and again make sure no leaves are touching the water.

To keep your flowers alive as long as possible, trim the ends of the stems about 1 cm every 3 days, and change out the water every 2-3 days (adding more flower food if you have extra).


March 4, 2016

DIY FRIDAY: 5 DRESSES YOU COULD MAKE FOR EASTER

Easter is only a few weeks away, but there's still time to make yourself an Easter dress! It's one of my favorite traditions and I'm so excited about my idea for this year's dress. Hopefully I have at least a little of my waistline back so I can make it and fit into it by Easter!

Today for DIY Friday I'm sharing five of my favorite dresses that would be perfect for Easter. Plus, if you don't know how to sew, snag The Modern Girl's Guide to Sewing right here for 25% off (with code EASTER25 this week only!) so you can learn how to sew and impress everyone on Easter Sunday with your handmade dress. 


















Which one is your favorite?? If you make one and post about it on social media, make sure to tag me (@merricksart) so I can see! 

Happy Friday!
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