As you know (if you've stepped out into the stores at all) color blocking and neon are everywhere this spring...dresses, shirts, skirts and even ballet flats are featuring the trends. For this week's tutorial, I asked Merrick from Merrick's Art to share her DIY color-block tee, which conveniently features a combination of both trends.
A few weeks ago, I saw Molly, from
Urban Nester, wear a
neon color-block top from Gap and I instantly loved it. I've been itching to pull out my fabric paints for a while, so this was a good opportunity.
I used a long sleeved plain white t-shirt that I almost never wore, and altered the sleeves (
using this tutorial) to 3/4 length. Then here's what I did:
Materials:
- light plain colored t-shirt
- fabric paint
- tape
- sponge brush
Step 1: mark the location where your fabric paint will end (mine was about 8 inches from the shoulder seam), and tape it off. I made the mistake of not taping on both the inside and outside of my shirt, so my paint bled a little bit, so make sure you tape off the front and the back, on the inside and outside.
**if it was summer and I was able to hang dry my shirt outside, I would have used RIT dye and dip dyed the shirt. I think this would have worked a little bit better. I'll definitely be trying this again when it warms up a bit more...
Step 2: Lay your shirt out on a board (or something that can get stained), and using watered down fabric paint, sponge your paint lightly on to the lower half of your shirt.
Sponge the entire front of the shirt, then flip the shirt and sponge the back.
Step 3: Hang dry for several hours.
Step 4: (optional) because mine bled a little bit, I painted a white stripe across the top to camouflage the mistake, and I love how it turned out.
Wait at least three days to wash, and then wash inside out.
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| the green is much more vibrant and neon than it appears in this photo. The actual color is much more similar to the hang-dry photo above. |
Next time I think I'm going to style it with my new leopard belt, just like
Molly did.
Happy painting!
Hi there! I'm Merrick from Merrick's Art and I'm so thrilled to be over here on Kristina J while she's gone to South Africa!
Thank you for having me, Kristina!
A few weeks ago, on my blog, I posted about filling your closet with versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to make endless interesting outfits. One that I specifically mentioned was the favorite Little Black Dress (LBD) -- a very versatile piece that probably all of you own.
I have several LBD's, some fancy, some more casual. The one I want to show you today is kind of in the middle, but I can change the entire look of the dress, making it either very casual or very dressy, and all very not-boring, by adding a few key pieces. Check it out.
Here's the dress by itself (cute, but snoooooze):
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| dress: downeast basics |
By adding a few basic pieces, the LBD is drastically changed into five very different outfits.
Let's break it down:
1. Casual
The way to casualize any dressy item is to pair it with something much more casual. By wearing a simple, striped t-shirt underneath the dress (which I think is a very casual layering style), I added a pop of pattern without going overboard. A pair of casual boots or flats continues to keep the outfit simple and understated. And finally, a top knot and minimal or no jewelry will keep your outfit super casual.
2. Sophisticated
For this outfit, I wanted to create the illusion of a shift dress, which I think is pretty sophisticated. I paired it with a simple collared button up (layered underneath), and a blazer (a nice cardigan would work just as well). Pretty, but conservative shoes, simple and sophisticated jewelry, and a snazzy pair of specs (hopefully yours are cuter than mine) make this a pretty, sophisticated look.
3. Funky
Nothing says funky to me like two crazy colors paired together. Here, I chose mustard and fuschia, and then added a pop of pattern with some edgy leopard print. To keep the outfit funky, rather than crazy and weird, I chose some fun, but more subtle wedges. I also went light on the jewelry to avoid going overboard.
4. Feminine
In my opinion, you can't do "feminine" without lace, bows, or pearls. I incorporated all three with a little lace poking out the bottom, a big polka dot bow at the neck, and a stack of pearl bracelets on one arm. Pretty earrings, curled hair, red lips, and black heels make this a timeless feminine outfit.
5. Dressy
Because this LBD is leaning more toward the casual side, I needed to pair it with something very fancy so they met in the middle and ended up "dressy." A gorgeous velvet blazer was the perfect piece, and it immediately ups the dressiness factor. Because the blazer is so dressy, I paired it with understated jewelry -- one diamond tennis bracelet (fake!) and simple crystal and pearl dangly earrings. Just to make the outfit a bit more dressy, I threw on some black fishnet tights. Then with a simple up-do, an easy smokey-eye, nude lips, and patent leather black heels, this semi-casual LBD is suddenly ready for a special night out.
. . . . .
All of the clothing items I added to the LBD in these five outfits are pretty standard pieces that most of you probably have sitting in your closet right now. Wearing each of the pieces by themselves can be pretty boring -- learning how to put them together and creating different interesting looks is how you express your personality through your clothing, have fun with your clothes, and make one piece work a million different ways; and that's the name of the game. Now go start playing!
Kristina J. Copyright 2014
