Remake: Springtime Watercolor Skirt

Springtime is officially here and I've been SO inspired by watercolor prints as of late. I've been seeing all kinds of gorgeous dresses in stores...

(from L-R, Rhyme Los Angeles $98, Isaac Mizrahi $138.50, Kay Unger $700)

...that I wanted to create my own version!

I started out with a white skirt (it's a fab white cotton Gap one) that I picked up at Goodwill...

...and got together my dyes in multiple shades of springtime colors! Before adding dye to the skirt, I wet it completely to help the dye bleed into the piece in a natural way, à la watercolor paints.

I diluted the shades in cups of water...

...and got to painting! I started off with the lighter colors, painting them on with a sponge brush, letting them bleed and blend into each other.

I continued with some green (to give an essence of leaves) and violet (for a flower effect) before letting the piece completely dry.

I gathered my accessories along with my DIY'ed skirt to create the perfect Easter ensemble!

The sunnies are Forever 21 (these are similar) and necklace is by Honey Rose & K, this really cool line of vintage repurposed jewelry. It was made from a pair of vintage earrings, repurposed into a necklace using a beaded tassel and chain! How genius to take earrings and turn them into something that looks like this? Sidenote, they're actually having a 30% off sale on Tuesday between 3-7pm if you want to score some new pieces -  I need to start looking at all the vintage jewelry that I have and get to brainstorming!

It was 80 degrees where I was, so all this skirt needed was a tank and some sandals!

I totally feel like this has a rainbow sherbet palette and should be scooped onto a cone!  (Mmmm, cone!!!!!)

It's really such an easy project that even kids can get involved with! Just let them go paint-wild!

I love that my new skirt puts me in such a happy mood. Nothing like bright colors, warm sun, and some good Easter company to bring a smile to my face!

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!!

(For those wanting a bit more detail of the dye process steps, head on over HERE to the Rit Studio to see a full rundown of the dye process.)

Bali Week: Straw Hat DIY

It's time for a straw hat DIY reveal!

I started with this basic straw hat (this one is from Old Navy!), a pair of white and yellow Martha Stewart paints, and a paintbrush. (Sidenote - as I'm not a paintbrush connoisseur, I just picked the one that looked like it would be the easiest to work with when I was at Joann's! It kind of reminds me of a concealer brush.)

After leaving the beachfront setting in Lembongan, I headed up to Ubud which has quite a different backdrop. Instead of ocean, you've got rice paddies. It's dreamy.

I was lucky enough to be in town for the Balinese New Year called Nyepi, which was the happiest of accidents. The festivities begin with villages creating "ogoh-ogoh" demonic creatures out of paper mache and bamboo, parading them through town, and then burning them at the end of the festivities. People are in the streets singing, dancing, cheering, drinking, and just celebrating.

This ritual is meant to purge the negative elements to bring about a clarity with nature, with God, and with the rest of your fellow neighbors.

After the festivities are complete, comes a day of silence where everyone stays inside and enjoys a day of self-reflection. You're not allowed to use fire (no cooking!), work, travel, and lights have to be kept dimmed. This means every store, restaurant, shop, market, and even the airport is closed and you're not allowed in the streets. Police patrol to make sure everyone is abiding by the rules. For the tourists, we could roam our hotel grounds but were unable to leave. For me, it turned out to be the best day to get in some meditation as well as some crafting!

I set up shop in a little hut right nearby the pool...

...and got painting!

Ubud has such a green and botanical/jungle vibe going on. While I let my hat dry, I explored the grounds in my new favorite Thai pants that wrap and tie at the waist...

...and met new BFFs that I didn't know I had.

After my bit of art therapy (painting is the most therapeutic activity!) was complete, I had a new hat with that extra bit of flair that I was looking for.

I've been seeing daisies everywhere lately and knew that's what I wanted to top my hat with.

There were also similar flowers on site which opened each morning with the sun and closed each night at dusk. (I think they're smaller versions of a water lily, but if anyone knows for sure, I'd love to hear!)

I wore my hat with an easy jeans and T-shirt ensemble to stay as cool as possible...

...and then matched it up with my new daisy leotard (I got this at Forever 21 right before I left) for some daisy on daisy action. Because I was planning to totally Bob Ross those daisies on my hat, I knew this cotton piece would be the perfect complement.

I love the idea of a using fabric paint on a basic piece like this straw hat. It would have looked adorable with some polka dots, stars, stripes, hearts, or arrows too!

Yeah, I just might need to pick up another one for round two!

Bali Week: Straw Hat Teaser

I had a little fun giving this basic straw hat some love while I was away!

I thought a little bit of flair was perfect for vacation mode!

This is Marisa in vacation mode...

Finished project will be posted this afternoon, but you can check out a little teaser on Instagram to tide you over :)