DIY: Lucite Box Clutch

If you saw my last outfit post, you know that I've been crushing on lucite/perspex clutches since I saw the Alice & Olivia version on Solange Knowles. The pricetag is a bit steep, and even though Etsy has a version that is a dead ringer for the original, I knew I could DIY it. And after seeing the genius tutorial from SwellMayde, I had to give it a try for sure! I made this beauty for a little less than $20. Not bad for a newbie, huh? 

I love the idea of striped insert, but I wanted a brighter option, so I used this watercolor pouch from F21. This is totally optional, but I really like how it looks! Below are the step by step directions.

Supplies:

- Two  9 1/2 x 6 1/2 Lucite Trays (I used two that I purchased at my local Container Store)

- Two 2" gold hinges

- One decorative hasp

- E6000 jewelry adhesive

Steps:

1. Apply adhesive to the bottom part of each side of the hinges. Note - It's easiest to do these one at a time!

2. Place each hinge onto the longer side of the tray (I placed mine about 1 1/2 inches away from the corner). Be sure to do this one tray at a time.

3. Apply adhesive to the bottom of the decorative hasp set,

4. Apply hasp to the center of the longer side of the tray, allow to dry completely.

This was such a fun and quick little weekend project - will you try it?

DIY: Above the Knuckle Rings

I've been craving dainty, minimal jewelry and really wanted a pair of above the knuckle rings, or midi rings as they're commonly called. I didn't want to spend much, since I'm great at losing rings in the strangest places. So I did a little eBay searching for jewelry wire and decided to make my own. I love that my version is adjustable in the back, so the ring can fit any finger. But I have so much wire left over, I'll likely keep making more! Read on for the how-to.

DIY Gold Leaf Topcoat (Rococo and Zoya Inspired)

As much as I love this Rococo 24kt Gold Leaf topcoat, I don't love the $48 price tag.  Zoya also has a similar topcoat coming out soon, but I couldn't justify spending that much on a small bottle of nail polish. So I thought I'd try to create my own with just a couple of ingredients.

Rococo Topcoat

I bought a couple of baggies of gold leaf flakes from eBay (this seller was only 99 cents each!), and added them to my Julep Quick-Dry Topcoat. Here are my results:

I used my new topcoat over a current favorite nail color of mine from Revlon called Rain Forest. Rain Forest is a gorgeous, deep emerald green color with gold glitter. I thought the gold leaf would be amazing paired with this green, and I love the result. I applied quite a lot for a chunkier gold effect, but you can add as little as you like.

A few tips:

- If you have trouble picking up the glitter on your brush straight from the bottle, you can also sprinkle some of the gold flakes onto paper and pick them up with a wet brush.

- To get a smooth finish, you want to make sure the gold flakes lay flat on to the nail.

- I used about half a bag of the gold flakes, and depending on how big your clear polish is, you can use more or less.

If you try this DIY, I'd love to see it! Comment below with a link to your blog post, tweet me a pic, or leave a pic on my Facebook page!

P.S. Have you entered my C. Wonder giveaway?

DIY Phillip Lim Inspired Clutch

One of my absolute favorite bloggers and Youtube guru, Evelina Barry is at it again with this genius DIY inspired by the sold-out Phillip Lim Breakup clutch. I love that she makes it look easy enough for anyone to complete, including the DIY challenged like me! I'll be trying this ASAP.

DIY Inspiration: Studded & Chain Linked

Studded socks and chain linked oxfords? I think I've found a use for that bag of about a million studs I just bought. Now to find gold chain links. Stay tuned.

photo via

DIY Satsuma Candle

Such a beautiful, simple idea. I'm not sure if can find Satsuma oranges in my area, but I'd love to try this. See the full instructions over at Honestly WTF.

images via Honestly WTF

Love: Wine Bottle Light

If you hate throwing away the beautiful bottle that housed your favorite wine, why not turn the bottle into a fun home decor piece? By drilling a hole in the bottom of the bottle and placing a string of lights inside, you can turn it into a soft lighting piece!

Wine Bottle Light

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