DIY: Balmain on a Budget

PART I

Ahhh Balmain! So this blog post is another DIY shirt, something similar to the Celine Shirt from my last post! After looking at such a beautiful ready to wear spring 2013 collection designed by my hubby Olivier Rousteing, it made me look back at the other pieces before his beauty took over! So Christophe Decarnin did his thing at Balmain for like 9 years, and his last collection included this gem. The tank goes for like a gizzzilion dollars... close to $1500..So I decided to make my own, it's actually from SS11 if you wanna check it out!!


My Balmain Inspo...

So this is what you'll need:

Sorry y'all was super excited to use this new 3D filter app on my phone.  But thats the white tank top!

• White tank top! Mines an old one from American Eagle, racer back
• Paper (something a bit more stronger than regular paper but thinner than cardboard, like you know that kleenex tissue box type of cardboard? That!
• Sharpie Marker
• Some paint (navy blue and red)
• Paint brush
• Scissors  

Total Time: 2 hours to complete and a day or two to dry!

Step 1: Draw stars on your paper and cut them out (cut a few cause they'll eventually get soggy from all the paint.

Step 2: Either laying your shirt on the floor or have it hanging (like mine) visualize the center and tape it straight down and to the right *leave an allowance for the stripes at the bottom* I left 5 inches! 

Step 3: With the cut outs in hand plop some blue paint in a cup or paper plate and saturate your paint brush.

Step 4: This part is actually fun, you pretty much place the star anywhere in the area you decide to be your "50 states"and paint over the star, pretty much stenciling your shirt. When the stars are done it should look something like this:

Step 5: Now once the stars are complete, instead of having bright red stripes run across your shirt, mix it in with the blue giving it that deep red almost purple but still red colour. Mix that with some water for your first stroke to see if you like the shade. Your consistency should get thicker when you've got the right colour!

Step 6: Let it dry!

Alright. so the next two photos are just a closer look on the 'distressed' look I was going for! 

Alright, this is how I styled it!

The Details:

Balmain Inspired Tank

Ripped Boyfriend Jeans-Celebrity Pink

Wilfred Reusable Tote

Sand/Offwhite TOMS

Extras:

Matte Leopard Sunglasses- Le Chateau

Butler Please- Essie Nailpolish 

Rose Gold Mesh Watch (The Moment on Karmaloop) 

I hope you guys enjoyed this DIY and if you have any questions let me know in the comments below or hit me up on twitter (@sewitums)

Corny, I know! But I love me some Lana Del Rey...Enjoy!


xo!

What to do with a TOMS flag...

MAKE A TRAVEL POUCH!

Spring is quickly approaching meaning you're either going to purchase a pair of TOMS or bring yours out again to rock for the season! For those of you with a pair of TOMS, you all probably know that the shoe box comes packed with a bumper sticker and a flag. After playing around with my sewing machine and folding the edges of the flag, I created my own toiletry travel pouch! This also counts as my first project with my sewing machine so its perfect for beginners just like me!! After purchasing a zipper for $3 my project was underway and didn't even take long!! In this blog post I've posted all the supplies you need and the steps to take to create your very own TOMS pouch!!

Below are all the supplies you're going to need!

• An Iron
• One TOMS flag
• A Zipper
• Needle and Thread or a Sewing Machine
• Measuring tape.

*As a TIP: if they dont have your exact zipper in inches, go with a longer one because you can stuff the excess zipper on the side.

Alright, the first step is to iron the flag just so there aren't any creases when you fold horizontally or vertically. Then measure how long your zipper should be.

For the Sewing part: Fold the flag horizontally inside, and sew both sides. Once sewing is complete the pouch is inside out.

Because my zipper was an inch off I made sure to leave some room so I could stuff the excess zipper on the side...TIP: To guide your zipper accordingly make sure you iron the edges of where you want your zipper to lay making it easier to sew.

The final step of this project is to stuff some tissue paper or newspaper inside so it keeps its shape and does not worp. 

Your final TOMS Travel Pouch should look something like this!

This DIY was actually ALOT of fun, so if you plan on purchasing TOMS hold on to your flag!!

XO.