My DIY gallery and a blogiversary

After five years of blogging, I finally broke down and made a DIY Gallery. It was a ton of work but not impossible to do. It's worse if you wait five years.

I made a DIY thumbnail photo gallery tutorial if you want to give it a try, complete with screen shots, code and so forth.

Thanks to Laura at Laura's Crafty Life for the html code to get me started and to Erica at Caught on a Whim for a gallery layout inspiration and for pointing me to Laura.

It's all there in a gallery now, five years of projects, no matter how poorly executed or badly photographed.

By the way, does it feel like everybody's blogs got incredibly beautiful and professional all of a sudden? I'm still in awkward blog puberty but it was worse in 6th grade . . . I mean in 2011. I think I've come so far and then you see somebody else's fabulousness. But then again, their parents probably did that science fair project for them . . . I mean, they probably paid a nice professional for a solid design.

Thank you to my loyal readers for sticking with me. All 10 of you.

A few fine florals

First day of spring. Feels like the dead of winter.

But in honor of the date, a few florals.

Florals are everywhere but they can be iffy. You want something 1600s, not 1980s. Here are a few that qualify: (clockwise from right) 1. Floral top. 2. Floral pillow. 3. Floral clutch. 4. Flower motif.
 

DIY trends for Fall 2013

I know. It's almost spring. Who cares about fall? When it's still not even 40 degrees in New York, I do. Also, I'll post this now then you can forget about it until some gloomy November when you need a project.

My favorite trends were iridescence (easy to love, hard to spell), the closely related trend of bugs on everything, and portraiture.

Source: web.stagram.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Above, iridescence in the form of a London street fashion clutch and next from Tory Burch. Below you see both iridescence and bugs in Tory's dragonfly shoes.

Source: web.stagram.com via Samantha on Pinterest

There was beetle mania at Tory Burch. Beetle fabric below.

 

Source: toryburch.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Beetle fabric and beetle bag.

Source: vogue.com via Kira on Pinterest

Beetle necklaces.

Source: vogue.com via Sin on Pinterest

Lanvin was also all over insects. In addition to butterfly dresses and more beetle fabric, there was this craziness.

The last trend probably wasn't even a trend, just something I want to try - faces. First, there's the Dolce and Gabbana mosaic portrait fabrics.

Then this interesting necklace I saw twice on street fashion sites. Anybody know who makes it?

Are there any trends you are loving (or hating?)

More DIY Fashion Month inspiration

 



A whole month of fashion weeks certainly merits two posts, especially since the French did not get to weigh in on the last one.

 

DIY collars have been around awhile but two variations could be a cutwork and beaded collar like the Valentino one above or a textured color-contrasting one like the Miu Miu one below.  

 



 

Then there have been lots of fun things with fur, like shoe pom poms. 

 

Very bright fur hats at Chanel.

 

 

And lots of fluffy furry bags. 

 

 

 

This one is practically a lap dog with straps.

 

 

 

Then there are new variations on multi-color fur.

 

 

DIY fringe necklaces have been done. How about DIY ombre fringe?

 



 

Alert reader Nicola Lynde pointed me to Celine for DIYability. First the jewelry - simple bands with a single round stone.

 

 

There's also this fairly simple but interesting cape.

 

 

And a lot of crazy dresses with sleeves as belts. I can see my bloggie friend Donatella knitting one of these up already. For us less talented DIYers, this might be an idea for an oversized thrifted dress.

 

 

Add two buttons to your coat hem a la Chanel.

 

Fabric paint something Picasso-ish like Dior.

Check out those sleeves.

At least three people were photographed with this necklace. You might try a variation of this tutorial to make something similar.

More big metal necklaces.

And a simple yellow rope necklace.

 

And a big ornate collar necklace.

 



 

Add polka dots to a vintage bag like Miu Miu.

 

 

You might do a  trompe l'oeil version of the bag below with a plain white tote, a sharpie and a straight edge.

 

And check out the Elvis necklace.

 



And a photoreal clutch. I am so on this trend. Get a tutorial here.

Images are via Style.com and Fashionologie.com

Pinned It/Wore It - Fur chubby

Welcome back to fashion mythbusters, where we take lovely outfits found in Pinterest and actually try to pull them off.

This edition of Pinned it/Wore it comes to you courtesy of the stylish gal below spotted during New York Fashion Week.

Source: theautumnissue.com via Samantha on Pinterest

She looks sporty and warm and adorable.

The cropped fur has popped up all over the place this winter. Here are a few examples.

Source: profreshstyle.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: harpersbazaar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fabsugar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: style.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fabsugar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fabsugar.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: fashionologie.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: devorelebeaumonstre.com via Samantha on Pinterest

A little research led me to the information that this style of coat is called a "chubby." Take that as a warning.

Here's my attempt with a thrifted animal print coat.

Zipping didn't make a difference.

The photos where I'm not turned slightly to the side I won't even post.

The coat had a yummy caramel color and was warm. But it was also a size too big, which wasn't helping.

Final review: I felt like a woodchuck.

This test caused me to recollect that there has never been a time that a cropped puffy coat looked good on me. As my mother would say of certain styles: "It's not doing anything for you."

I'm 5' 5". Presumably a tall thin person might look good in this coat. (But then again don't they look good in everything?) If you're craving wild animal print or fur, I think the average woman is better served with a longer coat.

But, if you like this look and don't mind possibly channeling a bottom-of-the-food-chain ground mammal, I would first check out thrift stores since many of today's fur coats are deliberately designed to look like something that fell out of grandma's closet.

However, here are a few new coats that I might be tempted to try.

A faux Mongolian fur coat that's also available in black.

A cool multicolor fur hoody that looks all Prada-esque

And a luxe looking tricolor faux fur (on sale).

Have you pulled off a chubby without looking, well, you know?
 

DIY Fashion Month inspiration

 

New York, London, Milan and Paris have all had fashion weeks through February, which means lots of aspirational trolling through the catwalks and streets from the comfort of my sofa.

Here's a few ideas to send you digging through your craft stash.

Add pom poms to your shoes.

Incorporate a granny afgan and needlepoint and somehow still look hip.

Add furry tails to your scarf.

Add a tail of fake dyed hair.

Puffy letters for your hat or bag.

Add nubby things and a single cord to your purse.

Add just about anything to the bottom of your shoes.

Dolce & Gabbana added an entire bird cage.

Shred your ski mask.

Make a doggie bag worth taking home.

Add a faux fur muff on a chain.

I don't know what D &G put on this purse, but I want it.

Add pins to your whole dress.

Source: marieclaire.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Make a fringe leather peplum.

Source: marieclaire.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Make a "cool" necklace like Lanvin. Or add some enormous insects to your top.

Add anything you could hang on a rearview mirror to your hat.

Did you see anything that inspired you during Fashion Month?

All photos unless otherwise indicated are via Style.com.