DIY Nail Dotting Tool

There are a lot of crazy nail art images floating around at the moment, most of which seem almost impossible to create yourself. But with the right tools and a little bit of creativity, these looks are surprisingly easy to achieve! This post is based on the dotting tool, but there are many other ways you can create interesting styles so have a look on nail art blogs or even pinterest for other ideas. Below is a really simple way of creating your own dotting tool using pins, but for different sizes you could also use the end of a bobby pin, a pen nib, or even the end of a pencil for a large dot.

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With this simple tool, you can create amazing looking nails so simply. Below are a few ideas to get you started, from simple polka dots to slightly more complex designs. Will styles will you try out first? Or are you already a nail dotting pro?

Top left / Top right / Bottom left / Bottom right

DIY Your Desk

I don't know about you, but there's something ridiculously satisfying about making something yourself. Especially when you would have spent a silly amount of money on something similar in a shop, that turns out to not be quite as nice and not be exactly what you wanted.

When it comes to decorating your home, most people will have an exact idea of what they want but more often that not you see things that are a little too big or a little too pink or a little too dull. By making it yourself you can save yourself a small fortune and get it the exact size, pinkness or wackiness that you want! Below are a few ideas of desk area DIYs that are easy, fun and allow a lot of personalised styling.

Chalkboard wall / Cake stand storage / Framed pictures / Pallet desk / Pen tins / Taped desk

Starting with the desk itself, why not make one from scratch using an old wooden pallet? This also allows storage underneath for things like books, boxes and stationary. Or if you already own one but are getting bored of its unexciting white top, you could cover it in different coloured tape or even going one step further and decoupaging the top!

Storage wise, decorating some tin cans can give a really cute, unique look to your desk. Or if you have a lot of stationary that needs to be kept to hand, try popping it all in different sizes jars and putting them all on a cupcake stand so it can be kept neatly all in one place.

Finally for the surrounding walls, if your a pro note maker but keep getting lost in little pieces of paper, you could paint one of the walls with chalkboard paint meaning you can have it all right in front of you, and once you're finished with it you can simply wipe it away! Or if you already have a wallpaper up you love and still want to make it a little more personalised, why not get a large, fancy picture frame from a charity shop, paint it white and fill it with a cork board so you can pin up postcards, love notes and Polaroids.

by Alex from Bambella Blog

101 Fashion Tips Ever Girl Should Know

I was having a little look on Pinterest recently as I seem to do nearly all day everyday now, and came across this list of 101 fashion tips every girl should know. I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to fun little tips and tricks so couldn't resist having a read. I'm not going to list them all as you can head over to the page here and have a read for yourself, but I just wanted to share a few of my favourites with you all!


1. Remove odors from vintage or thrift clothing by spritzing them with a mixture of one part vodka, two parts water.
2. Cut down your closet by 25% by asking yourself this one question: “If I were shopping right this second, would I buy this?” If the answer’s no, out it goes. — Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, Founder, Clos-ette and Clos-ette Too.

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3. Snap clip-on earrings onto flats for an instant evening shoe, or onto shirt collars for DIY embellishments.
4. Spray tights with sticky (read: cheap) hairspray to avoid holes and runs.
5. To stretch tight shoes, fill two freezer bags with water and place into each shoe. Let it freeze overnight. As the water freezes, it’ll gently expand your shoes.

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6. Looking for an easy trick to make your bare legs look longer? Try pumps the same color of your skin, which gives give the illusion that your legs extend a few extra inches.
7. Freeze jeans inside a plastic bag for two days to zap odor without running them through the washing machine.
8. If the garment you’re ironing has delicate buttons or detailing, cover them with the bowl of a metal spoon and press the surrounding fabric.
9. When it doubt, always choose the smaller denim size, since jeans stretch with wear.

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10. Before bed, pour two or three tablespoons of baking soda into sweaty workout sneakers and tilt the shoe to distribute the soda evenly. This will eat any odor and absorb perspiration.
11. A good tip when cleaning out your closet: Ask a friend whose style you admire to come over and help. She/he might offer new insight on how to wear certain items before you toss them.
12. If you’re unsure about an impulse or sale purchase, leave it at the store. If you’re still thinking about it when you wake up the next day, buy it.

What do you think about these little tips? Are there any you already knew or are you as in awe as I am at these creative ideas?

by Alex from Bambella Blog

Necklace DIY by Megan

Hey lovely people,

This week I did a DIY: Sunflower Collar Tips post and I used a chain from a three-part necklace I bought in Topshop. Well, I felt quite silly letting this second part of the necklace go to waste just because it had no clasps on it. So instead of going online and buying a packet of jewellery clasps for one necklace, I decided to make my own way of tying the necklace together.

DIY: How to make a cute tea light

Here's a quick little tutorial on how to make a cute D.I.Y candle holder with some scraps lying around your house! This will look really nice either in your bedroom/bathroom to create a relaxed atmosphere or hanging up in the garden for late summer nights with your friends!

The tutorial is super simple and easy to do - and the end result looks lovely and so homely! 

If you enjoy the post be sure to check me out: 

My blog is all things beauty, health, anxiety & lifestyle

- mgnhndly.blogspot.com

- @mgnhndly

What you need:
- lace material (any colour you want!)
- Sticky fixers / or super glue

- metal wire

- chord string - any colour you want

- old glass jar

- curling pliers 

- cutting snips 

Step 1:

-wrap the lace around the jar

- when desired length is found, cut the lace to this length

- stick the lace in place at the point of joining - I used a piece of sticky fixer but you can use a dab of super glue (wait for it to dry before step 2 though!)

Step 2:

-Using the chord, tightly tie around the lace sealing with a bow

Step 3:

- Cut the metal wire using the snips to the length of 2 times the circumference of the jar 

(so that it wraps around twice)

Step 4:

- Create one loop that will securely fit around the jar lip using pliers

- Make it so that you can tighten the loop once it is fitted on the jar

Step 5:

- Form a handle with the excess wire

- Secure with a loop using your pliers

- Apply to the jar lip, once on adjust to a secure fit using your pliers

- Add a tea-light candle and ta-da! Your D.I.Y tea-light holder is done!

DIY Crop Top

I picked up this plain white men’s t-shirt from Primark for just £2 so I could give myself a little DIY task. I find these are so cheap you can just experiment with them however you want to and it doesn’t matter if they go wrong. Luckily for me I really like how this DIY CROP TOP turned out. I wanted to go for an off the shoulder look but I also wanted to make it cropped so decided to do so with a secure knot in the centre, this top was pretty oversized before I altered it but tying a small knot is just so simple and really gives the garment a more defined shape. I also love the look of the knotted centre.

I hope it’s pretty straightforward to follow the steps I’ve given you if you do want to try this out for yourself. I wanted to get a top that was big on me so opted for this men’s one in a small but you might want to get it bigger or smaller depending on the style you’re aiming for. This makes a perfect little summer top and goes great with trouser or even a nice midi skirt :) I wore mine with my pale blue polka dot trousers when I went to the beach with Ashley last week.

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- Thanks to Stacey from  Pretty Delicate Layers for this DIY!

Galaxy Print Shoes DIY

I've been really busy in the last week or so with work and well err shopping, so have only just got round to posting my DIY galaxy print shoes I had a go at! I've had great feedback from them and they were dead easy and quick to do!

1. You'll need a pair of black or navy shoes, I got navy ones. You'll also need tape, and paint dye for the navy/black shoes you'll need a bright pink, cobalt blue and white. Don't bother buying a purple as you can just mix the blue and pink. 

2. Tape up the sole of the shoe to keep it neat when painting and take the laces out

3. Mix up your colours, I mixed up a lighter pink a lilac ad a lighter blue, these colours seem to take better when they are lighter. I used a brush to paint my shoes, you may find it easier with a sponge, but I often paint with the same technique used to create the galaxy effect so find it easier with a brush instead of a sponge. However I did use a sponge to take off excess paint 

4. Start dabbing on the paint in patches blending it in as you go, at first it wont show really at all but just let it dry a few mins and go back over it and it'll start to show. If you end up with harsh lines were it's not really blending dab it with a sponge and it will blend it better. 

                                     

5. Just keep going over your shoe until your happy with the effect and the colours are strong enough for  you. 

6. Lastly add some little white marks for the "stars" the paint dries quick but i still left mine over night until taking off the tape and ironing. Then admire your handy work!

- Many thanks to Natasha from A Design Rookie for this DIY. Twitter: @adesignrookieee.

DIY Multicoloured Fan

A cup of water // A paint palette // Paint brushes // Red, blue + yellow paint // Wet wipes // A fan (obviously)

Remove front cage of fan and use wet wipes to clean any build up of dirt and fluff. The paint won't stick otherwise and plus, it looks horrible. Hopefully none of your fans are as dirty as mine.

Paint the wings red, blue and yellow. It's important you use these three colours as they're the primary colours so they'll mix together to give purple, green and orange too when the fan is spinning. Other colours would probably look cool, but they won't have the same effect.

Paint one coat and leave it to dry over night. Paint a second coat the next day and leave it to dry, depending on the paint you're using it might drip when spinning so it's better to let it dry and be safe.

A lot of paint will get on other parts of the fan other than the wings so make sure to use the wet wipes to clean it up once it's dry to give it a neater look.

Replace the front cage of the fan, plug it in and turn it on and enjoy!

- Big thanks to Megan from The Big Megowski for this colourful DIY!

DIY Lipbalm

Hey there!

I'm Maxine from Sugar 'n' Chic and I'm here to share a huge beauty secret with you! It's quick, easy and perfect for everyone!

I know in my bag a beauty staple has to be either a lip balm or moisturizing lip tint! And I thought how great would it be to create your own custom lip balm/tint! So after researching for a while I decided on a super easy and great way to make your own lip balm from what you already have at home. So are you ready to make the most perfect lip tint ever! Lets get started.

And voila! Your lip balm is done. Store it in a cute jar, put a ribbon on it and it makes a perfect gift! If you liked this DIY I'd love to have you take a peek at my blog www.sugarnchic.blogspot.com where you can find even more doable DIYs. If you have any questions, don't be a stranger! Feel free to comment or email me any of your questions or concerns! Let me know how your lip tints turn out, I'd love to know! xx

DIY: Floral sunglasses from Lily

So, we're soon approaching spring and HOPEFULLY the sun will be out in all it's glory. That means it's time for the sunnies to come out in full swing! I lusted after Dolce and Gabbana's Baroque-inspired fall show and they had THE most fantastic sunglasses. So in honour of this I decided to do a lil D.I.Y  to create my own.

All you need are a pair of scissors, cocktail stick(s), and super glue - I tested these two out and the bondloc was the best (it dried quicker!)

Of course the flowers! I bought all of these little trimmings in Hickeys (a Herbadashery and Fabric store) in Galway - there was loads in each packet and they were super cheap. I did intend on using ceramic flowers but I couldn't find any anywhere (apart from on jewellery - which was too expensive). I was quite eager to do this post so I was too impatient to look on eBay and then wait for the post but there are some on there if you search “ceramic flowers”.

And finally, the glasses themselves! I bought these beauties in Pennys/Primark for only €1.50!! BARGAIN!

Firstly cut off the buds from the stem...and the leaves if you want.

I used a cocktail stick to apply the adhesive and, the tag from the glasses as a surface to squeeze the glue onto.

Then apply it onto the back of the flower bud. (I also put a layer of glue onto the glasses because they were quite slippery - it helped make it stick better)

So that's what it looks like after the first two buds are stuck on - I glued the biggest buds at the corners and then stuck smaller ones around them.

And then...

HEY PRESTO! The final result.

- By Lily at http://latestlil.blogspot.ie