DIY: Flower Crown

Flower Crown

Back view

This is another Rookie-inspired DIY project that has been on my to-do list for FAR TOO LONG. And now, it's done. And now, I'm happy. And now, I am itching to make more.

Crochet roses

I made this flower crown using crochet roses that I made in various sizes, felt, a plain headband, and ... lots of glue. Perhaps next time I will make one using really big, plastic flowers.  Now let me put on this flower crown and a white tutu, and then leave for an imaginary afternoon tea in my imaginary secret garden. x

P.S.: The photos were taken before I dyed my hair pink. My hair tips are still pink!
P.P.S.: Someone asked me about how I achieved the original black and blond ombre look in a comment on my original ombre hair post. I can't help you at all because a friend did it for me! I simply provided the dye and the hair. :P

Pretty Flamingo

Wearing: Handmade Floral Bib necklace (seen here) and new shoes from Rubi

This is the official photo of me with pink hair. That's right. It's pink. Read my lips, PINK. Spring has arrived in Sydney. The flowers have bloomed, and so has my hair. Ugh, I love this look so much more than the previous ombre look. I endeavour to maintain this look for as long as possible. 

LOVE IT SO MUCH

Yes, I need to maintain this look because the pink dye I used is a semi-permanent dye. But it's really quick and easy to apply, so I don't think that this is going to be an issue. 

Name of the dye: Pretty Flamingo

xx

DIY: Ombre Hair (Like a ray of sunshine)

// Green woollen jumper, thrifted (and rather itchy) / Black dress with tiny polka dots, Valleygirl, $15 //

I have mixed feelings about my DIY ombre hair. I am not sure if I actually like it or not. To make matters worse, I have received quite a bit of negative comments from my friends. Honestly, I do not care about what they think. Well, I did, initially. But then I decided that it didn't matter because this is what I have been wanting to do and now that I have done it, I am glad that I did. Have I just made this sound awfully complicated?

Ok, to put it simply, there are times when I love my new ombre hair and there are times when I am unhappy about it. Mostly, I am unhappy when I see another Asian with the same hair on the streets. I wanted ombre hair because I wanted a different/unique look. But I guess that's silly of me because ombre hair is all the rage at the moment. I should have known better. So, rather than creating a signature look, my ombre hair has, to some extent, reinforced my status of a quintessential Asian in Sydney. 

The hair dye

Less than 5 minutes after washing it out

Regardless, I just want to show everyone here my new hair. Oh, and today is one of the days that I am loving my new hair. xx

Happy - for now

DIY: Embellished Hair Ties

All right, one tutorial post before uni starts again tomorrow. (And before I die of heart attack while waiting for the result for my test...) T_T


This is a really easy DIY project. I whipped up 4 of these hair ties in less than 30 mins. I call my hair ties the "Tiger Hair Ties" because of the tiger prints of the scrapbook trimmings I used. Best of all, it's such a cheap and easy way to make a pretty hair tie! I got the scrapbook trimmings from Spotlight in one of those $1 or $2 discount bin.

Materials: 
Elastic hair tie
Ribbon/ Yarn/ Scrapbook trimmings
Crochet hook
Black ribbon


Steps:

1. Get a hair tie. You can use any boring black hair tie you have lying around the house.
2. Tie the trimming to the hair tie with a simple overhand knot.
3. Insert the crochet hook through the hair elastic and under the trimming.
4. Hook a loop of the trimming from the under the elastic.

5. Bring the trimming over the crochet hook. This is called a yarn-over stitch (YO).

6. Using the crochet hook, pull the YO stitch through the loop on the hook.
7. Repeat Step 4
8. Make a YO and pull it through the 2 loops on the hook.

9. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 until the entire hair tie has been covered.
10. Cut the trimming and hook it through the loop on the hook. Tie this tail at the end to the tail that was made at the beginning.
11. Glue a bit of black ribbon around the point where the start and end meet for a clean and secure finish.

I like to make my hair tie as big as my wrist because sometimes I like to wear them as if they are bracelets. :) Now, go forth and gather your materials! Go crazy with your choice of trimming/yarn/ribbon! ^_^ I'd love to see your creations!

DIY: Flowers in your hair (Part 1)

DIY INSPIRATION: Flowers in your hair by gwenstella

Hello my lovely readers! :) I've been in a really good mood lately because the weather has been really great over here in Sydney. The winter chills are slowly fading away, and spring is finally in the air! But I guess the majority of you who are reading this is on the other side of the globe, where summer is turning into fall. Well, that's all right, because this DIY project is perfect for spring AND fall! ^_^

So, without further ado, here's the how-to:


Materials:
1 x hair comb
Several mini flowers (You can get these flowers from most craft shops. They sell them in a bunch!)


Steps:

1. Gather your materials

2. Begin from one of the ends of the hair comb. Get one flower and wrap the wire stalk around the bottom of the comb.

3. The back will look like this as you continue to wrap more flowers around the bottom.

4. Continue with more flowers.

5. Continue until the bottom of the comb is completely covered with flowers! :)

So there you go, a simple way to add flowers/floral accents to your everyday outfits. I have ONE SINGLE STALK left from this project, so I'll be writing another post on another way to put flowers in your hair! Stay tuned!

DIY: Ethnic/Bohemian Headband

I've always wanted to get a headband like this. But I am not really keen on spending $5 or more on one. So, being the crafty and stingy person that I always am, I decided to make one myself! I made one under 15 minutes last night and wore it on my day out with my friend today! The best part is that I think I am the only one in the world who has this headband because I bought my trimming from a rather unknown craft store. HAHAHAHA.

Materials:
Elastic
Wide ribbon
Ethnic-inspired trimming (choose your favourite design!)
Sewing machine/Sewing needle and thread (I think it's better with a machine. The stitches are tighter and sturdier!)


Steps:
1. Get your materials!

2. Now we need to cut 2 pieces of the ribbon. How much is enough? Just enough to do the following: Fold over to cover the end of the ribbon, wrap around the sides.
3. Now wrap the trimming around your head (across the forehead) to see how much trimming you need to make one headband. For your references, my head measures about 21” and I used about 18” of the trimming.
4. Cut 4 inches of the elastic.

5. Now you have: 2 pieces of ribbon, 4” of elastic and 18” of trimming. You should burn the ends of the ribbon to prevent them from fraying!

6. Start sewing! Wrap one end of the trimming as shown and sew the top to secure the ribbon.

7. Now sew one end of the elastic to the same edge.
8. Wrap the ribbon around the sides (just like what you have done earlier to test the amount of ribbon required) and sew the bottom.
9. Sew the top again!

10. Do the same for the other end of the trimming with the other end of the elastic!

11. Done!!!


I really really love the design of my trimming. (^_^)v

DIY: Sequin Flower Hairpin/Bobby pin (pseudo-vintage/Victorian!)

Ooh, I just can't get enough of my new hairpin. 

The iridescent quality of sequins makes it sparkle so much under the sun, it's hard to get a clear picture of it on my hair. 

Ooh, and it's pseudo-vintage/Victorian! How can you not make one for yourself!?

MATERIALS

Sewing needle

Thread

20 x Sequins

10 x Seed beads

5 x Small plastic pearl beads

Glue

Felt

Scissors

Plain hairpin/bobby pin

STEPS

1. Thread a long piece of thread through the eye of a needle. Tie the 2 ends of the thread together into a knot.

Bring your needle and the thread through a piece of felt. This is the point where the middle of the flower lies.

Insert beads and sequins through the needle in this order: 

1. small pearl bead 

2. small seed bead 

3. sequin with the concave side towards the eye of the needle 

4. sequin with the convex side towards the eye of the needle 

5. small seed bead 

6. sequin with the concave side towards the eye of the needle 

7. sequin with the convex side towards the eye of the needle

2. Insert the needle through the felt again. The point of insertion should be just a small distance away from the point of the middle of the flower.

3. Pull the thread all the way and make it tight. (BUT NOT TOO TIGHT!)

This is how your first petal should look like from the side.

4. Repeat the same for the subsequent petals.

You can make as many petals as you like. I like to have 5 petals because it makes it look like a sakura.

5. Tie a dead knot at the back of the flower.

6. Cut off the sequin flower from the piece of felt and trim the remaining felt such that the no felt can be seen when you see the flower from above.

Cut a small piece of felt and insert it between a plain hairpin/bobby pin. This piece of felt should be smaller than the back of the flower.

7. This is how your flower should look from the top! You shouldn't be able to see any of the felt.

If you find that your flower seems a bit floppy, you could fold the flower into half to reveal the felt at the centre of the flower. Then add a small dab of glue to the felt and push all the petals towards the centre again!

8. Use super glue (or whatever kind of adhesives that you are comfortable with) to stick the small piece of felt between the hairpin to the back of the flower.

Enjoy your lovely, new, pseudo-vintage hairpin!