Musank’s Projects

DIY Fabric Flower Accessories on a Productive Sunday

Posted on Jan 22, 2013 in Do You DIY?, Musank's Projects | 0 comments

Last Sunday was unexpectedly a VERY productive weekend day. Obama took his second official oath, San Francisco 49ers beat Atlanta Falcons (we’re going to the Superbowl!!! Still cannot fully believe it. It’s amazing.), and my friends and I got to finish three DIY Fabric Flower Accessories projects. What an enjoyable Sunday spent at a good friend’s house!

It’s so much fun when you have your girlfriends helping you (they’re previously featured on Three Girls, One Camera post), good wine and cheese for light refreshments, the football games playing live on TV, and easy-to-do DIY projects that are both relaxing and rewarding. Basically, we were using the same methods I used for making the Evelyn headband (minus the button at the center). This time, only glue was used; there’s no stitching involved. 

DIY Project: Zebra Clutch

Posted on Jan 2, 2013 in Do You DIY?, Featured, Musank's Projects | 0 comments

This was one of my last DIY projects in 2012, but the zebra clutch conception began earlier this year when I pulled out a copy of Japanese magazine “Cotton Friend” Winter edition 2009 – 2010 vol. 33. There’s a how-to guide for a silk/linen purse with peacock feather embroidery on page 13 that’s really cute (and looked easy — more on that in a moment).

Then I remembered a friend gave me a “leftover” faux-fur zebra blanket, which was originally bought for making stage costumes (don’t ask). So with a little adjustment in the pattern, I made this zebra clutch with that faux-fur zebra at the outside and charcoal grey mid-weight cotton/rayon fabric with dull shine (I got a good size roll for $5 from ISDA and Co. outlet at South Park) combined with fusible interfacing for lining. Later on, I decided to add lace trim for finishing.

Musank Styles: 2009 – 2012

Posted on Dec 1, 2012 in Featured, Musank's Projects, Thoughts | 0 comments

W has just celebrated 40 years of style (dubbed “W – The First 40 Years”), so I’m following suit with my own 5 years worth of personal styles. Just kidding :)

As we’re approaching the end of 2012 (my gosh, it’s so fast!), I’m rounding up my fall and holiday gifts shopping. The holiday gifts planning (which also includes two DIY projects) is a topic for another day, but I’m looking back at my past favorite looks (I dubbed them “Musank Style”; no connection whatsoever with Psy’s Gangnam Style :) in order to know what new pieces work effortlessly well with pieces I already have.

Looking at my wardrobe is one thing, and looking at my personal style over the last 5 years is another. My style is not necessarily on trend or commercial, but they are personal. One thing I remind myself as I skim through the pictures in Adobe Lightroom: I love dressing up in front of a camera and directing my own photoshoot, no matter how candid they are. And these favorite shots help me determine how I add pieces to my wardrobe.

DIY Project: Feather Hair Accessories

Posted on Oct 10, 2012 in Do You DIY?, Featured, Musank's Projects | 0 comments

So now summer’s over and flower hair accessories may seem too…uh, summer-y. You add layers to your outfit, the colors go deeper, and the thicker wool coats go out of the closet. As a navy-black-grey-white wardrobe owner, my daily fall outfits can be very drab, especially if I forget to bring a scarf. But the idea of putting feather hair accessories to complement my fall wardrobe always seems appealing; it’s romantic and a bit sexy, but not overdone.

I also like versatility; that’s why the feather hair accessory featured on the left also functions as a hat adornment or a brooch (you can also attach it to your belt, if you’d like). But more on that later. The progress I made on making feather hair accessories come in stages, and it started with watching this Threadbanger video.

Pretty straight forward, right? Felt or paper for base, feathers, a hair clip, a fancy button for the pointed end, and glue. So that’s exactly what I did for my first feather hair accessory:

Before Summer Ends: Fabric Flower Hair Accessories DIY

Posted on Aug 15, 2012 in Do You DIY?, Featured, Musank's Projects | 0 comments

The weather’s HOT this August (even for San Francisco….sometimes) and I couldn’t help thinking that fall season is just around the corner. By bye pre-Fall catalogs, hello Fall 2012 catalogs and Back to School promotions. Too fast.

But at least I can celebrate summer one more time by posting one of the most classic, timeless DIY projects: fabric flower hair accessories. Plus, living in the San Francisco Bay Area (with its generally mild weather all-year long) gives us a great backdrop to wear these anytime.

It’s pretty easy to look for tutorials online, and with good reasons. They’re easy to make, versatile, and you can easily infuse your own personality into them by choice of fabrics, colors, techniques…the possibility is endless. My favorite go-to place for fabric flower is Craft Snob, and that site kept me busy for a while. If that’s enough to keep you busy experimenting, go to Tip Nut and you’ll have some more….distractions. But then again, these fabric flower hair accessories take relatively short time to make and the reward is instantaneous, so why not make some?

Glitter Shoes DIY

Posted on Jul 19, 2012 in Do You DIY?, Featured, Musank's Projects | 2 comments

Frankly, 2012 has gone too fast and we’re apparently in store for a crazy Holiday 2012 season. Well, if you want to do a head-start for a good holiday season diy, I highly recommend doing glitter shoes DIY. Not only it’s fairly easy and fun to do, it has great rewards in store for you (I got so much compliments!).

This blog post from Pixie in Pumps started it all. I followed the instructions (including the nail file and all), and I bought $10 Target shoes on clearance for the experiment. After I was done, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

DIY Project: Tulle Puff Hair Accessory (and more)

Posted on Jun 27, 2012 in Do You DIY?, Featured, Musank's Projects | 2 comments

Looking from the responses I got from my San Francisco civil wedding outfit and seeing summer flower accessories posts like this, it’s clear that summer wedding spirit is in the air! But one thing that I didn’t mention was that I actually contemplated on making my own wedding headpiece. (Of course, this was before I found that polka dot fascinator headband from L.A.) At that time, I was determined to make my own tulle puff hair accessory.

When I was looking around the web, I came across this french pouf DIY from love Maegan. Now, those who love DIY cannot not know LoveMaegan.com. She’s super creative and one of the main reasons I started doing DIY projects.