by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 7, 2009 | Beauty, Craft, Hair, Hime Gyaru, Storage/Utility-Tutorials, Tutorial
Why aren’t there more options for headband storage?
If you are anything like me you have a billion alice bands/head bands/what ever you call a bow on a rigid frame that goes on your head… and as adorable as they look they are really annoying to store!
They get tangled and if you just throw them in a drawer it’s hard to see which is which! So here is my solution, I’m going to make a gigantic roll shaped like a cute piece of candy to hold them all 😀
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 This is what it’s going to look like at the end:
So first thing’s first, get all the materials. I’m doing a no-sewing version because my machine is packed up but if you replace the glue gun with sewing it will work just as well.
What you need to make my version of headband storage:
-Fabric -Foam for the inside (I am just going to recycle an old yoga mat but you can buy proper foam) -Ribbon or wool -Lace and flowers to decorate -Glue gun or sewing machine
Now if you’re doing a no-sew version like me you’ll need tape too. You can double your tape as a stylish accessory 😛
Ok let’s get started! Lay out your yoga mat (ignore these steps if you’re using foam for the middle) and start rolling.
You should make sure that the size you’ve rolled will actually fit the headbands so test one out to be safe ^_^
Once you get the right size it’s time to tape it in place.
Now you should measure and cut the fabric out. You need a large rectangle which is long enough to wrap around the mat and wide enough so that it hangs off the end like the wrapper of a piece of candy. Make sure to leave a few inches extra for hems etc.
You should be able to mock it up like this:
Now after you’ve cut out your fabric it’s time to decorate the ends on the candy piece. I like frilly things so I used some frilly cotton lace.
Use your hot glue gun to fix it in place. If you want you can hem the edges but because they are going to be covered with lace (and I don’t have my sewing machine out) it doesn’t really matter.
Taadaa lacy edged 🙂
Ok now let’s make it up. Lay the mat on the fabric, make sure it’s straight and tape it in place.
Roll that baby up!
Fold the ends over and glue/sew it in place.
Now you should grab the end with your hand…
…and give it a good twist. Just like making a real candy ^_^
Grab the wool/ribbon and tie it in place.
This is what you should have now.
It kind of looks like candy but I think it needs a nice candy stripe 😀 So grab some eyelet lace and glue it to the wool/ribbon.
Roll it around in a nice spiral and glue it to the other end ^_^
I hid the ugly ends by gluing a cute flower over the top, of course that’s optional.
So this is it!
Now you just need to add all your headbands and you’re done 😀
Tadaa! Candy head band holder 😀 What do you think? Nice and easy to store and they are all displayed nicely.
How do you guys store your headbands? Am I nuts for needing something this big? XD The sad part is that this one is full now and I think I need another one >_< Let me know your headband storage ideas! |
by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 2, 2009 | Beauty, Craft, Nails, Notices
It has been quite a while since I did a post just on nail art hasn’t it?!
I think that’s probably because I’ve been so crazy busy with moving house and everything else I just haven’t had time to do anything fun and time consuming like that. Now that we’re all settled in I’ve finally had a chance to have a little relax and do something for myself ^_^
Yep leopard print! I’ve been a little bit obsessed with leopard print lately!
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While I was doing this I videoed everything so if anyone’s interested I’ll make a tutorial. It’s a lot easier than it looks!
Everything was done freehand, I think that the black tips and orange jewels really make it pop, and it looks amazing in the sunlight!
Also I want to give everyone the heads up that I’ll be moving to my own domain soon so you’ll all have to update your RSS readers and favorites etc. Don’t worry I’m going to make it worth your while though… The week that I move over I’m going to post something cool every single day of the week that you guys have been requesting. Lots of tutorials and things and a competition. It’s not quite ready just yet but I hope you’ll all still visit me in my new home 😀
Also don’t forget to vote for my new camera’s name on the side bar! It’s neck and neck at the moment ^_^ Hope you enjoyed the nail art in the mean time!
by VioletLeBeaux | Nov 9, 2009 | Craft, Hair, Hime Gyaru, Nails, Outfit Of The Day
Well as promised here is my outfit for the Nuffnang awards in all of it’s minute details!
I put so much time and effort into this outfit that I think it deserves it’s own post if only for my records heeheee!
The dress:
I was so torn on what dress design to go with. I wanted something Hime Gyaru obviously but I wanted it to also feel like I was wearing a million dollars rather than something I’d made. Originally I wanted to buy a dress but I couldn’t find anything I liked so I improvised.
This is how it all started out:
I cut one of my basic patterns out of a stretch cream satin for lining.
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Then I added the pink flower silk chiffon over the top in the pattern I wanted. I had no end of trouble with the chiffon, I wanted to throw it out the window so many times!
I feel the need to tell you all that I hand pleated the ribbon for the straps (and back up shoes). That’s right hand pleated. No where that could ship fast enough/was within driving distance sold pre-pleated ribbon! WTF?? I really wanted it though so I stubbornly decided to do it myself.
This is the neckline of the dress (yes blacked out the cleavage for protection of your eyes :P) The flowers are all hand sewn on and made of paper, in the middle is a giant heart shaped pink jewel which I just LOVE. The bust has a slight sweetheart line with a row of gathering to make it interesting.
There is also a 3 layer tiered petticoat which I made for this dress specifically. It’s out of cute dot tulle similar to my wrap. I wanted it to have a slight bell shape but nothing as extreme as Lolita so I kept it to 3 soft layers.
The whole outfit
I think this is one of the only photos of me without the wrap. I don’t normally show my shoulders or cleavage so I was a touch uncomfortable without it ^_^ James is taking a photo of my nails.
I made my wrap from some lovely dot tulle (different from the petticoat) which was edged with white pom pom fringing. The pom pom fringing was a super large pain to get as well! I swear that all the fabric shops in Brisbane keep a list of things that I desperately want and all collude with each other to not stock them…
The bag
This is how my bag started out. I got it on sale at Charlie Brown for around $20
I hated the ugly gold chain on the straps so I removed that and added a rose to make it match the rest of the outfit. It’s made of the softest faux leather I think I’ve ever touched.
The alternate shoes:
I found 2 pairs of shoes on sale at Wittner. This first pair was my back up pair, it took me forever to decide whether to wear these ones or the others because these were more comfortable but they didn’t go with the dress well while the others were stunning but were half a size too small *_* |
Anyway these were $40 marked down from around $170. Before decoration…
After decoration… Notice the pleated ribbon again 😉
Detail shot: Yep I’m so detailed obsessed that I glued diamantes to the buckles ^_^
The real shoes
Now this is how the shoes I actually wore started out… On sale for $30 originally like $150ish.
After the Violet treatment…
They are so pretty but holy bajeebus are they painful! Seriously I think I hobbled around for half the night but it was totally worth it XD
Detail shot:
Interestingly enough these shoes tested by deco abilities. I couldn’t use plain old epoxy glue because it was too brittle, every time I put on the shoes a bunch of jewels cracked off. So I came up with the solution of glueing with epoxy first and then doing 3 top coats of plain old craft tacky glue. This gave it the flexibility to move with my feet 😀 Totally interesting right?
The nails
I didn’t get too many detail shots of my nails because I completely forgot about them ^_^ The are a pink base with a touch of glitter, white lace with ceramic flowers in pink and white on the very tips. The white lace even has little roses on it!
Funny story- I ran out of nail glue so I had to rush and get some for the flowers. They didn’t have my usual brand so I just grabbed one marked “Professional”. Turns out what they meant by “proffessional” was actually “rubbish and doesn’t stick to anything”. This lead to all kind of shenanigans with little roses flying off and having to dig around under heavy cabinets to get them back before the night. Lesson: Once you find a good nail glue stick with it!
Thought I’d show you my other nails for the trip while I’m here 🙂 These are blue and blue glitter stripes with silver tips and blue/silver diamantes.
Some of the small diamantes are heart shaped.
The jewelery
My choker, brooch and one of my bracelets were all custom made by the beautiful Celeste from Little Waltz. I commissioned Celestewith a jumble of ideas even before I had a dress and she made the most beautiful pieces for me!
This was the package that arrived from Little Waltz. Everything was packed super well.
The choker is pink pearls with a silver crown backing and a large flower over the top. There is a little chain with more pearls hanging down. The brooch has Swarofsky crystals dangling down in a vintage metal base and a beautiful pink cameo. She also included 2 absolutely beautiful bracelets with diamantes and little bells which jingle whenever I move. When I wear them I feel like a fairy!
I would absolutely recommend Little Waltzfor anyone needing custom or off the shelf jewelery, the designs are wonderful and the craftsmanship is just beautiful. Celeste handled all my panicky emails wonderfully and couldn’t have been easier to work with! The craftsmanship on the jewelery is immaculate and the prices were really reasonable, I’d give it all a 10/10!
The face
I decided to keep my make up fairly simple for the night with some false lashes and a hint of pink eye shadow. Lip gloss was of course a must too! 1000 Hoursent me some lashes to test out so I decided it was the perfect night to take one of the sets for a test run.
This was the set I was wearing, “Wild Damsel” you can buy them at Priceline for RRP $8.95. I used a different glue because of my allergy.
Of course here are some shots of them in action…
I found the application of these to be very easy, they held their shape quite well so it wasn’t a pain to reuse them next time. They were very easy to clean with warm water and with the help of my heated curler they were the perfect shape. I think if you wanted them more or less curled it would be quite easy to achieve. 1000 Hour sent me a couple of other products so I’ll be reviewing them soon for you all too!
Shot to see the length…
Well that’s a wrap everyone! I’ll be back to blogging as normal now that most of the move is out of the way 😀
Hope to see you all at the next Nuffnang Awards next year!
by VioletLeBeaux | Nov 4, 2009 | Craft, Decoden, Inspiration, Life, Other-Tutorials, Travel In Style, Tutorial
I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in my time and I love exploring new and interesting places but I always try to travel in style.
I try to make my everyday life as beautiful as possible and traveling is no different. You won’t find me in sweat pants and thongs (or flip flops for my American readers), I want to feel as pretty leaving a 7 hour flight as I do going out to dinner!
So with my recent trip to Singapore I thought it was the perfect time to show you all how I travel in style. This is a compilation of tips I’ve picked up on my travels and my “must have” items for along the way.
First thing’s first…
Take something lucky
I’m not a superstitious person by nature but there’s a story behind this one! The day before we went to Singapore James and I were doing some last minute shopping in the city. I was feeling a little light headed so we stopped at McDonalds for some fries. As I was walking away I checked my change and what should be there but a Singaporean 10 cent piece!!
I was so surprised, normally if I get anything foreign in my change it’s New Zealand currency. This seemed so random and fateful that I kept it in a special compartment in my bag the whole trip!
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On the plane:
Take some good headphones (and an ipod if you want to listen to *good* music). I hate airplane headphones, they are usually uncomfortable and don’t block outside sounds. Also they aren’t anywhere near as cute as mine! Headphones are super easy to deco, even if you have little ear bud ones a few diamantes will jazz them up nicely!
Keep hair and make up simple but elegant.
If you want to do make up, take a kit with everything you need for touch ups before landing. Keep in mind that you might need to sleep in what you’re wearing. I love false eye lashes because they are hard to mess up even in your sleep! On flights to and from SG I wore little individual lashes on the corners of my eyes for a little punch with no effort (review on the lashes soon). I did my hair in Kitty Rolls which were comfortable, survived sleeping but still looked cute.
Below are some of my travel essentials. Clear zip pouch with make up and liquids, letter writing kit, wet naps, face washer, mini sewing kit and bag tags for checked in luggage.
A cute travel document holder is an essential.
I would be forever loosing my boarding pass or passport if I didn’t have something this bright to remind me! I deco’d this one myself.
And of course a matching passport holder helps too 😉 These are all made of suede so they feel soft enough to be used as a pillow if it’s an emergency!
A sleeping mask
Something overly cute suits best! I want to be adorable even when I’m asleep so I picked the sugariest thing I could possibly find ^_^
A jacket
Take it on the plane with you, seriously. Even if you’re going to a hot destination the plane is always freezing and those little blankets don’t help. Good protection against the rain too.
Things to keep you entertained.
I take pens, note book, DS and games and well as my little UFO hand massager which is awesome for when you just want to relax. I am a very fidgety person so I take as many little things to play with as possible. With this I can continue my Japanese lessons on the DS then practice kanji or sentence structure in my note book.
Candy!
Candy is good to pop your ears in the plane and also tastes great. And they are a good conversation starter if a cute boy is sitting next to you 😉
<
p style=”text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);”>Beating the climate bug
- Pick clothes that are appropriate for your situation. Fabrics that don’t wrinkle or require ironing are great for long flights but synthetic fabrics are horrible in hot climates! On the plane to SG I wore a cotton printed cord dress with a lace cardigan over the top.
- Fabric choice is important. While in the heat in SG I wore thin stockings, cotton dresses and cardigans. Everyone was sweltering in the heat, even though I was wearing more layers I was cool because I was wearing fabric that could breathe.
- Layering is the key to being ready for any weather! Cardigans are awesome, you can dress them up or down, take them off if you’re hot or add a jacket if you’re cold.
Weapons of choice:
A fan
I picked this one up for $0.70 and added bows, diamantes and lace. They are compact and can be invaluable in the heat. They can also be used to hide yawns behind in boring situations, keep your coughs or sneezes to yourself or whisper gossip to a friend 😉 Keep it in your hand bag!
A singlet
Singlets are the ultimate versatile piece of travel clothing. Wear during the day if it’s hot, layer with a cardigan to go out to dinner, use as pajamas or as swimmers if you’re in a pinch. Cute pajamas are surprisingly important, if you have luck like mine you’ll end up outside at 2am for a fire drill chatting to the other hotel patrons so this is probably not the right time to sleep in the nude 😉 Be prepared for anything because holidays are all about going with the flow!
Sun protection eg. a sun hat, sunscreen etc.
The sun is mean and evil, stay away from it! No one likes sun burn, it’s icky. Don’t stop protecting your skin just because you’re on holiday. ‘Nuff said.
Sunglasses
… ok maybe not “‘Nuff said”… These are only half for the sun protection though. The other half is looking damn good! There is nothing classier that popping on some nice sunglasses when you’re not feeling 100%. Hide the bags under your eyes from the 7hr flight and look like a rock star 😉
A handbag sized umbrella.
These fold down so tiny there’s not much of an excuse not to have one. This one has an aluminum frame so it’s super light and is perfect in unpredictable weather or in place of a parasol.
A scarf
I carry a scarf and a face washer with me pretty much all the time. The face washer was a gift from a friend in Japan, the lady’s bathrooms there don’t have hand towels so most girls carry their own but it’s also useful for mopping up spills on nice dresses, fixing make up, using as a small pillow and the list goes on!
The scarf is not only useful but looks damn stylish hanging off a handbag! Did your hair get ruined? Then wear it like a 50’s movie star. Forget the hot rollers? Use it for pin curls. Sudden hay fever attack and not a tissue in sight? Well you get the idea…
Other travel musts:
Gifts for the new friends you meet!
I didn’t get to hand any of these little babies out because we were just so busy but I really wanted to give them to the organizers at Nuffnang. It’s a really great idea to take something from your home country. These little kangaroo and koala toys didn’t cost much but I hand glued a bow and diamante to each to personalize them. That way your friends will have something cute to remember you by 🙂 And you won’t feel awkward if someone gets you something nice because you’ll have something give back!
Slippers
You never know where you’re going to have to walk in your hotel. Whether it’s for that proverbial 2am fire drill or you want to visit a friend down the hall, you never know who’s icky feet have been there before you. Cute little ones like these only cost me $10 and they fold up to practically nothing in your suitcase.
Nail repair kit
I am a big believer in preparing for any situation, James says I should have been a girl scout. That’s why I carry a nail repair kit with spare nails, glue clear polish and anything else you might need.
Bags within bags within bags within bags…
This is important because it keeps everything nice and separate in your suitcase, no searching through the make up bag for a hair band because they have their own bags! Being organized is key to a fantastic wardrobe, if you are well organized you can find all the right accessories at a glance… and there are is always room somewhere in here for more little bits and pieces you buy along the way.
Tiny cute bottles.
These cost $1.50 per pair and they are some of the best things I’ve ever bought. This way you can take all of your usual bathroom liquids with you. You can even get ones with spray lids for things like curl enhancer. Very cleaver.
Business cards:
You never know who you’re going to meet while out and about and if you’ve got a blog or business then it’s a great idea to have a couple of business cards with you. Mine are double layered so there is my blog card on top and by graphic design card on bottom. They stand out because they are fastened with a bow in the top corner ^_^
Foreign currency
Don’t go anywhere without it. Some places don’t accept credit cards etc so make sure you check before you go, it’s always useful to have some foreign currency on hand for taxis etc anyway.
A bag full of cables for your various gadgets.
Definitely important so you can charge your ipod/laptop/phone etc. A power point converter is also a great idea. The most important part of this is the bag, don’t bother going searching through your whole suitcase just grab the bag. On the way home the bag also be used as carry on luggage for all that extra shopping 😉
Luggage:
I hate not being able to find my luggage at the other end. I’m also paranoid because I’ve had luggage stolen before and no matter what compensation you get there are some things which can’t be replaced. So if it can’t be replaced, don’t pack it. I also hate that all luggage pretty much looks the same. Ideally I would have liked one of these babies by Hideo Wakamatsu but as we only discovered how broken our old cases were the day before we left, I didn’t really have time to shop for a new one :(… It’s made my dream list for next time though, in fact I would go as far as to say that this is my dream suitcase! (click the image for the specs)
So in lue of one of those beauties we borrowed plan old suit cases from James’ parents. To make it more memorable I tied some old crappy acrylic lace around it several times. James laughed at me but it worked, we spotted our bags in like 2 seconds at the other end and were out of there!
Super bright bag tags help too if you can’t afford a whole new suitcase.
When you get home…
Unpack everything as quickly as possible otherwise you’ll get lazy and it will never get done! I’ve left a suitcase for weeks before because I was tired when I got home and then got busy at work, don’t fall into the trap! It only took me like half an hour to unpack both of our cases this time.
So hopefully you’ve enjoyed some of my silly tips and they make your next trip even more fun!
Do you have some fun tips to share with me? What are your favorite tips to travel in style?
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by VioletLeBeaux | Oct 18, 2009 | Craft, Decoden, Life, Notices
WE ARE GOING TO SINGAPORE FOR THE NUFFNANG AWARDS THIS THURSDAY!!!
That’s right everyone! We both won tickets to the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blogger Awards with our Pringles competition entries! OMG SO EXCITING!
Thanks so much to Nuffnang for paying for our tickets and accommodation! We are so grateful for everything and can’t wait to meet all the other bloggers going! ![]()
And OMGOMGOMGOMG we leave this Thursday! So much packing to do!
This is the first formal event I’ve ever been to (I didn’t go to my highschool formal) so I can’t even say how excited I am to be able to get dressed up. I’m putting the final touches on my outfit over the next few days but I’m going to keep it a surprise for you guys!
So you can understand why I haven’t been posting much this week, I’ve been busy making arrangements!
Over the next few days as I pack I’ll be putting together a post called “Violet’s Traveling Tip’s” so you can see how I travel in style ^_^
A sneak peak of what I’m going to take with me…. I deco’d my DS Lite this week 😀 Here’s a mini tutorial on how I did it (with some bonus photos down the bottom)!
First I got my diamante case of doom!
I arranged all of the biggest charms first and glued them down with epoxy. Don’t worry I’m just decorating a case. I used a bunch of random charms, some bows and pleated ribbon on the bottom.
Then I filled in all of the gaps with smaller jewels and pearls. 
I gave everything a few top coats with clear nail polish. 
After it was dry I popped it back on the DS.
Tadaa! 
Now some bonus pictures from our adventures with the stupid car! Poor little car being towed to it’s final resting place 🙁
Me at the mechanic paying for it all. They were so nice and only charged us a tiny bit! I would totally recommend them if you live in Brisbane check out Mechanix Plus in Wynnum ^_^ 
It actually hailed this week ! My back yard was covered in ice, if you know Brisbane’s climate you know how rare this is! I’m almost glad we didn’t have a car to get damaged XD
Well that’s it for now! Join me next week for my epic travel post!
Oh would you guys prefer that I set up a couple of automatic posts for while I’m away? Or would you just like me to set it up so my twitter updates here so you can get a blow by blow of all the fun we’re going to have?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH SINGAPORE!! Thank you Nuffnang!
by VioletLeBeaux | Oct 1, 2009 | Art, Competition, Craft, Travel In Style
Hey everyone! This is the second part of my Nuffnang Blog Awards competition entry. This one is all about Singapore!
So why do I deserve to go to Singapore? Well I don’t know if I deserve to go above all of the other entries as there have been some really awesome ones but I would really like to go! I’d love to actually get out of the house and meet some fellow bloggers in person for a change ^_^ The most important reason I would like to go is experiencing another culture! Singapore is completely different to Australia and I’d love to be able to meet new and interesting people.
The second part of this post is all about my perfect day in Singapore!
When you’re traveling you should always take comfortable shoes with you as you never know how much walking (or shopping!) you’re going to have to do. I find it really difficult to find comfortable shoes that are also really cute 🙁
So I made my own! I bought a cheap set of white runners from Big W for $25 and added glitter, pearls, diamantes and bows 😀
I’m always doing photo posts on my blog so I thought I’d do something a little different this time so you can see things from the perspective of my new shoes ^_^
I like to look nice as much of the time as possible. So even when I’m flying I wear nice comfortable clothes. On my day in Singapore I’ll arrive at the airport looking cute as ever 😉
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