Happy Friday, everyone. If this new year is all about you taking over the world, find inspiration with this collection of superhero headbands by Janine Basil on Etsy. Janine’s shop features everything you love about geek culture, but covered in glitter and rhinestones and turned into fashionable head gear. Check out one of my favorites below.
One of my goals for the year is to be smarter about my purchases and buy pieces that will update items I already have in my closet. Fashion doesn’t have to be expensive to be stylish – in fact, style is something you just can’t buy.
But with the help of some lower-priced retailers, I’ve found I don’t need to splurge and break my budget to keep my outfits looking current. Below, I’ve included a short list of some of my favorite places to shop, both online and in stores, to update my wardrobe seasonally with great pieces (like this $15 yellow clutch from Forever 21).
What are your favorites? Let me know if there are any shops you think should be added to the list!
1) Forever 21: The obvious choice. A great, inexpensive one-stop shop for apparel, accessories, and shoes.
2) Lulus.com: This budget-friendly online retailer has a very charming boutique-y feel.
3) H&M: Those of us in Miami are still waiting for our own H&M but will happily travel and pop in wherever we can find one in hopes of catching one of their fairly regular celebrity designer collaborations.
4) Modcloth: While some of their items may run a bit on the pricier side, their sales usually offer up some great steals. This is also the place to find quirky tees and accessories.
5) Rebi’s Closet: (Local to South Florida) Aside from being owned by one of my favorite people, I love Rebi’s Closet for consistently having unique pieces at amazing prices. And she’ll come to you!
6) Target: Target has quickly built a reputation with their beautifully affordable designer collaborations. (Yep – I, too, scored a $39 Missoni bag and will proudly tote it around town.)
7) Plasticland: Self-proclaimed purveyors of kitsch curiosities and retro clothing, for both your closet and your apartment.
8 ) BP at Nordstrom: On more than one occasion, I’ve scored the best statement necklaces at an average price of $15; this is much more affordable than the higher priced counterparts throughout the rest of the store with the same quality and detail.
My husband and I decided to be a bit more frugal with our Christmas gifts this year, which inspired me to channel my inner Martha and create for him the ever-coveted (and perpetually sold-out) fanboy item du jour – the Assassin’s Creed Hoodie.
Now, I wish I could say I did it all myself, but it would have been truly impossible to create and assemble without the help of my blessedly patient grandmother. Without her, Tony would probably be wearing no more than a pinned-on patch of red stick figures scribbled in magic marker. So if you’re not an expert with a sewing machine, I strongly suggest asking someone for help.
Below, I give you our attempt at creating the Assassin’s Creed Hoodie from scratch with nothing more than some basic items and a simple sewing machine. I know not everyone has a Cuban Abuela handy, so if your embroidery skills are not up to couture fanboy status, you can always purchase an iron-on logo from sites such as scifigeeks.com or alltheragefaces on Etsy and place them on the hoodie as you prefer.
I hope the step-by-step process is easy for you to follow but please feel free to email me with any questions. I’d love to also see any pics of your completed versions. Best of luck and happy crafting!
What you will need:
1) A basic hoodie: You can find this at any Target or Walmart store for little more than $10. I purchased two because I wanted to be sure I had enough fabric to create the beak at the point of the hood. (This actually worked out because I was able to make two hoodies – one with a beak and the other without.)
2) A sketch of the Assassin’s Creed Logo or an iron-on patch.
3) A basic sewing machine and basic embroidery machine (only if you will be embroidering the logo instead of ironing it on). Note: You will also need threading in the colors of your choice and paper cloth backing if you choose to embroider the logo.
4) An alphabet in your preferred font.
5) A pencil, ruler, pair of scissors, some pins and tracing paper.
6) An iron.
How to do it:
1) Place the hoodie on a flat surface and make sure it is free of any wrinkles or debris. Lightly iron if needed. Set aside.
2) Take the extra hoodie and carefully remove the stitching from the front pocket to release the fabric from the body of the hoodie (You can now use this as a second hoodie with a different logo).
3) Fold the fabric into the desired size and shape of the beak you will be attaching to the hood. Pin in shape and set aside. (If you will be ironing on the patch, skip ahead to step 8.)
4) Take your pencil and tracing paper and sketch out the logo. You can print out the logo and trace over it to make things easier (I had to eyeball it and fold it in half to ensure symmetry because I didn’t have a printer handy. Tracing it should be much easier and take less time. Also, if you will be making a second hoodie, you can use the alphabet to trace the year like we did in the 1499 version.)
5) Transfer logo sketch to paper cloth for embroidering.
6) Take ruler and carefully measure center of chest for pinning. Pin the paper cloth logo design to the hoodie to keep it in place while embroidering.
7) Embroider logo in desired color (we used red). Once embroidery is complete, carefully remove pins, peel off excess paper cloth and trim any excess string.
8 ) Once you have your logo in place, take the beak and carefully pin it to the hood. Use a basic sewing machine to attach the beak. Once the beak is attached, remove the pins and iron lightly.
Voila! It may not be exactly the same as the commercial version, but those guys are starting to get a little annoying with their lack of inventory anyway.
Happy New Year, everyone! Just like many of you, I’m so excited to start 2012. Last year was such a busy time for me, working on so many projects that thankfully helped me make the transition I am just now beginning – I am officially a telecommuter as of today, dedicating my efforts to this blog and AP Creative Services, my upcoming business venture (more on that coming soon!).
I feel so motivated and can’t wait to share with you all of the exciting things I’ll be working on this year. But for now, thanks for reading and I wish you all a beautifully exciting 2012. Cheers!