Copycat: Anthropologie Pompom Sandals Hack

I showed you guys last week a pair of Anthropologie sandals that I was obsessed with:

Inspired by these sandals, I wanted to make a version of my own! I loved the red color, so I snagged some raffia at Joann's along with a pair of Old Navy sandals (this Old Navy pair could totally work as well) to get the project going!

The key to matching the Anthropologie sandal is getting a pair with a strap down the center, so T-strap sandals would work wonders. But, any other strappy version would work as well as long as you've got spots to put down your raffia pompoms in whatever design you'd like.

I started off with the raffia, wrapping it around my pointer finger and my pinky, and then tying a knot in the center to hold the pieces together. I made an assorted batch of pompoms in all different sizes because I couldn't quite decide how big I wanted them.

I trimmed the edges, added a little glue in the center just to hold everything in place, and then began stitching them to the sandal. I took some matching red quilters thread and started to stitch the pompom to the shoe. I didn't actually sew the sandal, just looped the thread around the straps, into the pompom center and the raffia strands.

I wanted my pompoms to be a bit larger after testing out sizing on the shoe, so I picked three similarly shaped raffia balls and stitched them all down to the top of the sandal.

They looked like little fireworks on my feet, making them fun footwear for this weekend!!

Sandals for the 4th?? You betcha!

Super comfortable and full of flair - the perfect combo for a pair of statement flats!

My Free People dress felt like a contemporary costume that I wore in high school, so I jumped. Not so easy to point my feet in this, but I still got some decent air :)

Bali Week: Miu Miu Starfish Sandals DIY

This was one of my favorite projects that I worked on while I was away! Because the weather was hot and humid (oh, how I miss that humidity now that I'm back...) I knew that I was going to be in sandals and flip flops the entire time and wanted to craft a snazzy pair for the beach. I've been obsessed with these fab Miu Miu sandals since seeing them a few years ago...

...and got all the supplies to DIY my own!

Supplies:

- A pair of metallic Old Navy sandals (they're on sale for $15 now!!)

- A vial of gold glitter I grabbed at Joann's

- Red felt

- Mod Podge

- A paper starfish pattern (I grabbed mine online, here)

- Rhinestones (This assortment is from Darice's Big Bag of Bling, aka the best name ever!)

- E6000 (I used a travel size version)

I started out by tracing the starfish pattern onto the red felt. I pinned it to the felt to make it easier to trace.

With my felt cut out...

...it was time to glitter bomb the starfish!!

I painted a layer of Mod Podge to the felt piece, trying to leave a bit of red trim free from the adhesive to match the trim on the original pair. Then I poured on the glitter and "painted" it to the top of the felt.

I made three layers of the glittery/Mod Podge mixture (letting them dry a smidge in-between, just so I could see the spots where more glitter needed to be put) on the starfish and then let them sit overnight to fully dry.

Not such a bad view from the drying spot!

PS, I was crafting on that little cushion right outside my door. Kind of a dreamy little spot to be creative!

Once the glitter/Mod Podge was completely dry, it was time to affix the rhinestones! I pulled a stash of big and little oval and circle shapes from my bag o'bling...

...and figured out a pattern that would cover the starfish best. I started to glue down my stones one by one until they were all attached.

Not too shabby!! It's getting there!!

I let my stones dry for a few hours and then stitched the starfish to the top of the sandals. I stitched the top point of the starfish to where the "T" strap begins at the ankle (in photo below) and then connected the two bottom points to the strap by the toes.

After my sandals were complete, it was time to take them for a spin!

I think the essence of the original sandals are totally there. And quite a refreshing cost difference too, as the Miu Miu's were priced at $585.

I took these to the beach in Jimburon where a BBQ feast of grand proportions was en route.

While waiting, I had to get an ear of grilled corn from a dude peddling them on the beach.

That corn was legit. Like so legit I want the beaches in Southern California to pick up this trend :)

Dinner arrived and included fish and the biggest prawns I've ever seen and calamari and veggies and rice and more veggies and dipping sauce and watermelon and Bintangs (Indonesian beer). It seemed to be never-ending yet so amazingly delicious. I was the best kind of full after this meal.

The sunset was golden and magical...

...and so were my new shoes!!

Copycat: Charlotte Olympia Cat Bag DIY

When I saw these kitty clutches by Charlotte Olympia in December, I immediately fell in love and put them on my little vision board of things to remake.

The day is finally here!! With this fabulous black suede clutch, I have the perfect base to use as my copycat clutch. Get ready for this cat-tastic DIY!!

 I started off with a silver marker tracing the cat's features onto the bag. I trimmed out little templates for the eyes and used those to trace around.

Then the silver sketching kept going until all the kitty's features were drawn on!

With the tracing done, I added the ears to the top of the purse next. I trimmed out ear shapes from pieces of black and light metallic leather, cutting a smaller shape in the metallic shade and then gluing it to the larger black ear. I affixed the ears to the purse using a little E6000 glue and let them dry for a few hours.

Now it was time for more tracing, using a paint pen. I used Tulip's Beads in a Bottle pens for this one just to get a thicker consistency on the purse, but you could always use a Sharpie or Krylon paint pen or whatever you've got in your stash.

I made my way tracing over each area, leaving some dry time in-between just to prevent smudging.

I let the purse sit overnight to make sure all the paint was fully dry before moving on to the eyes.

To match the Charlotte Olympia purse, I found two gems in a lavender shade...

...and glued them to the center of the eyes.

My 'lil cat is all ready for some fun.

Hello, kitty!

I just loved how it turned out!

It has all the essence of the black acrylic Charlotte Olympia version...

...in a clutch form which I'm an even bigger fan of! I can use the fab handles or just grab the bottom of it.

With some paint, gems, and a steady hand, this clutch is purr-fect!!

Ooh, and did I mention that theirs is $995? Not too shabby completing this fun DIY for a just a few bucks!!