DIY tribal nails

Manicures are so pampering, but it's hard to squeeze time and money out for such luxury regularly. The more intricate your nail designs, the more expensive it'll be - so why not do up your own? The best part is that it's so simple, and you won't even need to limit your choices to a commercial design book ♥

Black and mint nail polish - no frills $3 each

Gold OPI - Free from a local fashion event

Hair pin - from home

Nail art dotter - $1 (picked up from a local art store) 

                         (Optional, I didn't use this)

For this design, it's really a simple tri-step process. Base mint coat, with a middle strip of gold and then the intricate details with the black nail polish in the middle. (With drying time in between coats as per a normal manicure) What I would like to share would be how to do up the details with easily available tools you have at home! For me, I work best with the tips of a hair pin. With a steady hand and patience, you can come up with a lot of designs ♥ The back of the hairpin is good for wavy designs, while the front tip is good for dotting - you can adjust the size of the dots by the application pressure. It's not the best tool around, but it's so inexpensive and you can experiment around without a cent! If you mess up, you can purchase one of those nail markers, which can last for pretty long. Other alternatives include a nail art dotter from a local art store or nail shops, or using a traditional pencil with a pushpin stuck onto the back eraser portion.

I have heard a lot of raving about using Scotch magic tape to do up clean neat lines (good for stripes) on nail designs so maybe I'll try that next time, ciao!

DIY ombre denim shorts,

Dip dye shorts have been quite a sensation recently, and what better to jazz up a pair of mundane denim shorts than to create the Ombré effect ♥ The french word ombragé stems from the English word umbrage, which simply means shaded. I love using stark contrasting colours for this, because it eventually creates a soft gorgeous blend - no matter how different the colours may be at first!

Fabric dyes: $6 each

Denim shorts:  Old pair collecting dust in my wardrobe

Time taken: Less than an hour

I got my dyes from Art Friend (members discounts make my day) but you can get any cheap dyes you find at your local art store. Take note that some cheap dyes may not produce very vibrant colours, so it's good to invest in some good ones! I used Flamingo pink and Ocean blue for this DIY. Here, I've chosen to dip-dye my pair of old denim shorts, which are extremely loose for me, it's probably at least a quarter larger than my actual size. Also, the time taken might vary because it takes some time to dry.

Step 1: Dampen the pair of clean shorts, preferably immersing it in warm water for about 5 minutes. This helps the shorts to take in the dye a lot better later.

Step 2: Create your dye potions, follow the instructions given on the packets and make sure the dye is equally dissolved in the water (different amounts give rise to various proportions) You may also adjust the intensity of the colours by adding more water. Another good tip is to make the water warm so the dye is absorbed faster, and to use non-staining pails!

Step 3: Dip-dye half of the shorts into the darker potion, if I dip it after the lighter potion the colour may run down and affect the intensity and I didn't want that. If you want brighter colours, leave it inside longer! Patting it doesn't help.

Step 4: Leave it out to dry, but not in direct sunlight because strong sunlight may cause the effect to fade. I placed mine on a hanger and left it in the shower for a day.

Voilà, fini.

Tip: Please wear long gloves so the dye doesn't stain when you submerge your hands in, I had different coloured stained hands for a week! (Along with my newly manicured gelish nails)

Going one step ahead, you could create the rugged look by cutting the ends of your denim shorts and tearing the frayed ends. If you make any mistakes (mess ups are natural), you could use clear nail varnish to patch up the ends or just let it be! I'm tempted to make my own with an old pair of denim black jeans, and using the leftover material for a new Macbook sleeve or a pencil case. I'll share more on that if I ever get down to doing it ♥ 

DIY organizer skin,

Ever wondered about what to do with paper bags with gorgeous prints but you can't bear to use to store junk in? My DIY calendar organizer (from here) has suffered the woes of being haphazardly tossed into my bag - a whole term of it! Time to give it a new soul with a few simple steps the old school way ♥ 

                                    Rope brown twine:   Any Art store, Daiso sells it for $2

                                    Paper bag:                 Free from retail therapy

                                    Clear plastic film:      Leftover from my sister's textbook wrapping

I always make it a point to have an abundant supply of rope twine and parcel paper (the crisp brown kind) because they exude such simplistic charm which I simply adore. Besides, you can always ink on the parcel paper to transform it into something personalized; and  It's also really useful for pretty much any situation.

Pick a side you're happy with, start cutting and wrapping it around your organizer (you can even use an exercise book!) Remember the protective plastic film, if not it wouldn't weather through the term. And viola new skin, so pleased with it even though it's something so simple :)

DIY organizer,

Breathe out the past. Brand new slate for the New Year (even though it has already been two weeks in), time for rejuvenation I reckon. And so, I dedicated small pockets of the last moments of 2011 to create my DIY makeshift organizer. All you need are a pair of steady hands, fine tip pens and some scrap paper to build one from scratch. The magic of Art is really all about transforming with what you have to work with right? (Work still in progress as evident in the pictures)

I believe 2012's going to a beautiful year, with the advent of so many prospects -  Close friends' 21st, heartwarming weddings and hopefully making it to United Kingdom in 2013. So many special dates to fill up in the calendar ♥ 

Arabic print paper from Holland Village (old shopping mall): $3 per roll

Brown scrap paper: Taken from a photo album Christmas gift

Memories forged in the upcoming year: Priceless

DIY home fountain,

When no one's home, I make it a point to spread my notes around the coffee table next to the fountain because it's the water sounds are just so soothing! Plus, it's highly therapeutic having it in the background. This is mumsie's DIY project though, she has been into plants and semi-precious stones lately. She calls it a makeshift fountain but I think it's not really a makeshift because it's very well done :)

Here's how it looks like with the rubber tubing visible, you can play around water plants and twine it around the tube so it becomes unseen. All you need is a rubber tubing, water motor, pebbles collected from various places or you could go to your local aquarium store (get creative) and a large dish and viola, you get your own DIY fountain!

Happy New Year's eve everyone ♥