Coloured jeans: fashion fad or fashion fave?

g star orange skinny jeans

Every now and then, a celeb trend emerges that rocks everything we know about fashion. When we saw Princess Eugenie in that designer hat, when David Beckham wore his headband, or when Sinead O’Connor shaved her hair off, for example – we all try to decide whether we too might be able to pull off the look, or whether it’s just another fashion fad destined to fade before it filters down to us mere mortals.

With coloured jeans currently hitting the newspapers, celeb mags and now inevitably our high street shops, it’s become clear that daring denim is here to stay. So, throw away the rule books that state that dark jeans are slimming, and forget everything you’ve learnt about acceptable colour combinations - because color is in, and it has taken over the world of denim.

If you fancy giving coloured jeans a go, but haven’t quite mustered the courage to buy a mustard pair (as seen on Victoria Beckham) you should try wearing a pair in purple. It’s only a couple of shades away from your familiar indigo jeans, and from there you can work your way into more adventurous tones – such as the fab bright orange Arc 3D super-skinny GStar jeans available at Very.co.uk.

Of course, then there’s the inevitable question: what should you wear with your new jeans? Remember that the jeans are the statement, so it’s best to team them with slightly more neutral pieces – whether that’s a black vest top, a cream blouse or a nude jacket, as Cheryl Cole wore last summer with a pair of mint green skinnies.

You should also avoid over-accessorising or – heaven forbid! - wearing a matching jacket. Otherwise, you may run the risk of looking as though you’ve just arrived from the nineties. Once you’ve mastered these simple rules, the world of coloured jeans is your oyster. 

And, if you can’t find the right colour in the right style, why not simply purchase them in white and dye them yourself!

How to stop and prevent custome jewelry discoloration

fruit necklace H&M

They're trendy and very inexpensive so we don't have to think twice before buying them. I'm talking about  the jewelry we can find in high street shops. Unfortunately after a couple of times we wear them they start to reveal their value. The very thin metal coat that make them shine starts to come off revealing the color of the metal underneat. To make them last longer you can

• store them in boxes so oxygen and sun light don't make them fade faster
• Keep them dry 
• wear them over a garment so they don't discolor against skin 
• don't spray perfume over them

These are all good advices but today I want to talk about another method I tried to stop jewel discoloration.
I coated a necklace with clear acrylic spray paint. The coating should give to the jewel an extra protection against air and rubbing.
Clear nail polish can also be used but you will eventually obtain a thicker layer of paint and you'll have to repaint it from time to time.
So today I hope I stopped the early aging of this necklace. I'll keep you updated on how much longer its life will be.

Sicuramente non dobbiamo pensarci due volte prima di acquistarli, sono tutti quegli accessori che troviamo nelle grandi catene di negozi. Sono trendy ed economici e spesso ci fissano dagli scaffali vicino alle casse mentre aspettiamo in fila. Purtroppo però, dopo averli indossati un paio di volte il sottilissimo strato di metallo luccicante (che li rendeva così attraenti) si consuma e il metallo di cui sono realizzati viene in superficie. Scolorito qua e là e a tratti abbrustolito il gioiello non si può più indossare. C'è qualcosa che possiamo fare per allungare la breve vita della nostra bigiotteria?

Possiamo

• Conservarli nelle scatole così  sole e ossigeno non accellereranno il processo di ossidazione
• tenerli all'asciutto (niente feste in spiaggia per loro!)
• indossarli su una maglietta così non scoloriranno sfrofinando sulla pelle
• non spruzzarci sopra del profumo 

Oltre a questi suggerimenti per la loro conservazione oggi vorrei  condividere con voi un altro metodo che ho tentato per prevenire l'ossidazione della bigiotteria. Ho spruzzato uno strato di vernice acrilica sulla collana creando un film che dovrebbe proteggerla dall'aria e dallo strofinio. Si potrebbe utilizzare anche lo smalto trasparente per ricoprirla ottenendo però uno strato più spesso di vernice. Bisogna inoltre ricordarsi di ripassarlo ogni tanto.

Con questo metodo spero di aver bloccato il precoce invecchiamento di questa collana. Vi terrò aggiornati su quanto durerà la sua nuova vita a riparo dagli agenti atmosferici.

As you can see the metal underneat the gold coating started to show
come potete osservare la collana è scolorita qua e là

I used an acrylic clear spray paint to coat the necklace

Use it at open air. Spray at a distance of 20 cms.  Make sure to spray a thin layer of paint. Let it dry and spray again if needed.
Usate la vernice all'aperto. Spruzzate da una distanza di 20 cm solo un sottile strato di vernice. Aspettate che asciughi, spruzzate di nuovo se necessario.

DIY idea: beach cover up

Victoria Secrets beach cover up

How can we be fashionable on the beach? Wearing this pratical beach cover up by Victoria Secrets for example. It  looks just like a pretty dress.  Looking twice it also looks like an easy DIY. It's just a rectangular piece of stretch fabric with two straps attached. There is already a tutorial on how to make it on the net made by La vie en rose and found by true blue me&you.

Come essere chic anche sulla spiaggia? Indossando questo pratico copri costume di Victoria Secrets per esempio. Si trasforma in pochi gesti in un abito e guardandolo sembra anche molto facile da realizzare: basteranno un rettangolo di stoffa stretch e due bretelline. Potrete trovare altre spiegazioni su come realizzarlo su La vie en rose.

Clear ice jewelry DIY

ice bones statement necklace

clear porcupine earrings

"Ice stalactite" earrings

With these jewelry I wanted to play with the shape and transparency of the material I used. The effect I wanted to obtain were ice scuptures.
Yesterday on my facebook and twitter I asked you to guess what was the raw material I used in this diy project. I gave you an hint: I told you it was clear, cheap and it could be found in a club. Plastic glasses and bottles, straws (actually a possibly fun material), rubber or perpex were the answers. Thanks for playing with me. Now that you see the jewelry I made do you recognize what they are made of? If not drum rolls and you'll find the answer and the tutorial after the jump!

Ieri su twitter e facebook  vi ho chiesto di indovinare il materiale che ho utilizzato per realizzare questi nuovi gioielli. Il suggerimento che vi ho dato era: è trasparente, economico e si può trovare in un locale. Avete risposto bicchieri e bottiglie di plastica, cannucce (effettivamente sarebbe divertente provare ad usarle), gomma e plexiglass. Grazie per aver partecipato al gioco. Ditemi, ora che li vedete, riconoscete di cosa son fatti i gioielli? Troverete la risposta e il tutorial giusto dopo il click!

yes, cocktail forks - con le forchettine da cocktail!

I needed plenty of them - ne sono servite tante

I cut their teeths manually then I used a soldering iron to melt plastic - Ho tagliato i denti delle forchette a mano e ho utilizzato un saldatore per fondere la plastica

At open air I heated plastic untill it melted and then I pressed  forks together- All'aperto ho scaldato la plastica fino a quando è diventata morbida e ho premuto le forchette una contro l'altra per unirle.

Forks can be cut in any point and pieces of every size can be obtained. They can be also pierced with heat. When the center part of the necklace was finished I added two rows of crystals on it, a couple of small pieces and an organza ribbon to tie it around my neck. - Le forchette possono essere tagliate in ogni punto e si possono quindi ottenere pezzi di ogni dimensione. Una volta finita la parte centrale ho aggiunto due striscie di cristalli e un nastro di organza per legare la collana al collo.

I did the same thing with forks' teeth. I heated and sticked them together until I obtained a spiky cluster of frosted nails. Ho ripetuto lo stesso procedimento per gli orecchini. Ho scaldato e unito i denti delle forchette fino ad ottenere un grappolo di punte.

Stalactite earrings have been obtained melting more forks together.

Gli orecchini con i ghiaccioli sono stati ottenuti fondendo insieme più forchette.

Matter Of Style on Altered Couture

Matter Of Style on Altered Couture summer 2012

my lion head shoes have been featured

color block wedges

Yes! A few of my diy have been featured on Altered Couture Magazine! I'm super excited and honored to be part to this magazine full of diy inspiration! I would like to thank the magazine Editor Beth Livesay for choosing me! It's been a pleasure to collaborate with her! My diy shoes had to celebrate! See more pics of the party (and more of the pages I'm in) after the jump!

Alcuni dei miei fai da te sono stati pubblicati sulla rivista americana Altered Couture! Vorrei ringraziare l'Editore Beth Livesay per avermi scelto! Le mie scarpe diy hanno organizzato un party per festeggiare. Troverete altre foto del party (e altre foto delle pagine in cui compaiono i miei progetti) dopo il click!

face wedges diy

someone partied too hard - studded shoes diy

Baroque sunglasses DIY

Draped skirt DIY

Leopard jeans DIY

Shoes have been selfish and didn't invite my others diy  that have been featured! Here they are!

Egoiste! Le scarpe non hanno invitato al party gli altri diy, ma eccoli qui sulla rivista!

DIY idea: neon rope details

via Blonde Salad

This is an easy way to add a touch of neon to a jacket we own. A few colored ropes are braided together and then sewed on the edges and cuffs. It's also an easy way to make colorful DIY bracelets.

Ecco un modo semplice per aggiungere un tocco neon al guardaroba. Acquistate qualche metro di cordino colorato e intrecciatelo. Cucite la treccia su polsini e bordi della giacca. Potete utilizzare lo stesso procedimento per realizzare velocemente dei braccialetti.

HE WHO HESITATES…GETS PUBLISHED

HE WHO HESITATES…GETS PUBLISHED

by Marsheila Rockwell

That’s not always true of course, but it’s a good rule of thumb for aspiring writers who may not yet be able to tell when an idea is ready to pick off that tree we all have growing in our backyard, and when it still needs to ripen a bit.

This concept of “the ripening idea” was one I first learned from Orson Scott Card’s seminal How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy back in college, and it has served me well ever since. You see, when that lovely idea first blossoms on the tree, it looks so shiny and perfect that you just want to pick it, even if you don’t have a clue what you’re going to do with it.

My advice? Same thing I’d have said to Eve, or Persephone, or the Fairest Of Them All – resist the temptation! Chances are good that your shiny, delicious-looking idea is not ready to be consumed just yet, and if you try, you’re only going to give yourself indigestion (and likely any editors you submit your unripe story to, as well).

More than that – be suspicious. When an idea seems to sprout full-grown on the idea tree, it’s usually because, even though it looks new and fresh, it’s anything but. “Bullocks,” you protest indignantly, “there are no new ideas – just old ones repackaged in new ways!” And you’re right, of course, but when you pick the idea off the tree the minute it catches your eye, you’re not repackaging it – you’re regurgitating it. And that way lies rejection.

Instead, whip out your handy-dandy notebook, make note of the idea and its location on the tree, and write it down. Keep an eye on it. Watch it grow. Do the same with other shiny ideas that bloom. Periodically shake the tree, and see what falls to the ground. Those ideas? The ones that fall easily, but don’t bruise when they land? They’re the ripe ones. But even they probably aren’t quite ready to be made into a story yet. Not by themselves.

But don’t despair. You’ve probably already got some ideas that you plucked off the tree before they were ready. Some of those went bad and you had to toss them, but some are still usable, if you can find the right ingredients to mix them with – one of the ideas that just fell when you shook the tree, perhaps? That idea from two years ago in Vegas (not everything stays there), a dollop of that one you had three months ago while stuck in traffic behind a garbage truck trailing toilet paper streamers (don’t laugh – that actually happened to me), and two quick shakes of that idea that first caught your eye just last week (the one you wanted to write about right away, but didn’t, because you read this article). Those three ideas, blended together – that’s your story. The one that’s going to get published.

See? Those guys selling Guinness were right – good things really do come to those who wait. So pour yourself a glass to celebrate your sale. Cheers!

Marsheila Rockwell's story, Epidora, will be featured in next month's issue of Penumbra.


"Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell is the author of three novels for Wizards of the Coast (Skein of Shadows, 2012, The Shard Axe, 2011, and Legacy of Wolves, 2007), as well as the Arabian-flavored, female-centric sword & sorcery series Tales of Sand and Sorcery, available from Musa Publishing. Find out more here: http://www.marsheilarockwell.com/."