diy: passport cover

I had the day off yesterday and was eager to spend my time knocking out a dress makeover project.  FAIL.  Five hours into the task and it was a disaster.  Empty-handed, I rifled through my materials stash and commanded myself to come up with something redeeming - easy, no more than 30 minutes, etc.  The result: a quick sleeve to protect my passport from those harsh airport elements.

I made use of leftover materials seen here and here, and I get to take this baby for a spin this very day!  Follow the instructions after the jump and be prepared to dazzle border patrol.

diy: chiffon-edge leather collar

Just a quick post before kicking off a lovely weekend in Venice!  This is (obviously) another take on the good old collar necklace project.  I simply 1) used the collar from a favorite white shirt as a template and cut the collar shape from a piece of scrap leather, adding about 1/4 inch at the top, 2) folded down and glued the extra material at the top, and 3) sewed some chiffon around the edges, exactly as I did here.

I've been trying to be better about squeezing in DIY time into my erratic, all-over-the-place schedule, with decent results thus far, so more projects are definitely to come.  In the meantime, I'm off to enjoy La Serenissima for a bit.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

diy: leather-trim pocket sweater

When I really like an idea, I work it to death. One of the first projects I posted on this blog was a linen tee to which I’d added a curved hemline and a bit of pocket adornment. Now that’s it’s cold, I applied the exact same template to give new life to a thrifted wool sweater. Thus, my summer tee now has a super-cozy big sister! And, as I’ve previously divulged, I have a full-on obsession with attaching pieces of scrap leather to everything in sight, so slapping some leather on this sweater was more or less inevitable.

Instructions after the jump!

inspiration: leather details

You know that thrifted leather skirt that I raved about the last post?  It is undergoing reincarnation as we speak.  And it gets to live on not as a single garment, but as a component of several!  If I were an old leather skirt with a busted seam, I would choose this as my fate for sure.

As a prelude to the next few leather-associated DIYs, here’s a peek at some of my latest inspiration:

 

So simple and cozy, and just a bit luxe.

Next up: Grandpa’s wool v-neck, revamped!

Top row: 1. Topshop Faux Leather Patch Sweatshirt  2. By Malene Birger long sleeve top

Bottom row: 3. Leather sleeve cardigan  4. Peter Jensen jumper sweater

diy: leather pendant

This short and sweet post over at OutsaPop Trashion was a good kick in the pants for me.  DIY has lately become widely seen as a “movement” and a serious form of fun and self-expression, and that's great, obvs.  But, more than that, it can also really empower us to reduce consumption in so many aspects of our lives, major and minor.  Not to get preachy or anything (eh, too late).  In any case, there’s so much good crafting material out there that doesn’t require any new production, and it’s extra satisfying to repurpose it to make something that we'll use and love.

I knocked out this simple pendant while sidetracked from crafting a late-to-the-party leather collar (soon to be blogged).  This is a nice little project for using up scrap leather (here, from a thrifted leather skirt), and it just takes a few minutes.