Jun 13, 2017 | DIY

This post contains affiliate links, wherein I make a small commission if you click through and buy something. My FTC Disclosure is here.
Lately there’s been a plethora of crafty accessories all over the stores. Colorful tassels, fringe, pompons, and embroidery evoke a 70’s Summer with an 80’s pop flair. This means that any wily DIY’er can easily create the look for less and craft up accessories that look fresh, fun, fantastic, and on-trend this Summer without breaking the bank.
Take this Loeffler Randall Tassel Pouch – a big, trendy investment at $225. (And now totally sold out – for good reason! Similar in beige with silver tassels here.)
Why not be inspired to create your own fun version at a fraction of the cost?
BUY – Original
Loeffler Randall Tassel Pouch, $225 (similar here)
DIY – Your Own Version
YOUNA Small Leather Crossbody Purse, $15.99
1/10yd Custume DIY Craft Leather Fringe Tassel trims, $0.99 per 1 yard piece
Loctite Vinyl, Fabric, and Plastic Adhesive, $10.50 for 2
Pick up some suede tassel trim from your local crafts, notions, or leather working store – or from eBay here. (At $0.99/yard – plus a little wait for shipping – eBay is definitely the most affordable options_though if you can buy local, go for it!) If you’re buying on eBay I recommend these colors from the seller to truly recreate the Loeffler Randall look: Yellow, Watermelon Red, Blue, Orange, Purple, Dark Purple, Pink, and Beige.
Use a plain black zip pouch as your base (or try my DIY Leather Laptop Sleeve to make from scratch – just add a zipper closure to the top instead of an elastic!)
Roll up the tassel trims, spreading some Loctite Adhesive at the base to hold the rolls. When you feel the roll is full enough, cut off the remainder. Allow to dry, holding closed with a piece of tape.
One dry, fan out the pompons (you may need to trim the end of the tassels shorter) and use a generous dab of Loctite on the base to secure to the pouch. If you’re worried about adhesion, a hand-stitch using black polyester waxed thread and a leather hand-sewing needle will secure those suckers on there!
Pair with some natural wedges, some washed skinny jeans, and a wrap top make of striped shirting – and you have yourself a foolproof day-to-night Summer outfit!
Happy DIY’ing!
xo
Carly
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Feb 21, 2014 | DIY
Spring is almost sprung – and what better way to usher out those Winter blahs than with beautiful pops of color? Add a bright center to a faux stingray textured clutch with Tulip Neon 3D Paints from i Love to Create and add a dose of fun into your evening (or prom!) accessories.
(Plus it creates the look of elegant stingray skin – without any of the unsustainability and cruelty of the shagreen industry.) (more…)
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Oct 13, 2013 | By Carly J. Cais, DIY
I’ve been loving all of the pouches made by Samudra: these beautiful, printed zip-cases that work so well for your most basic essentials – or that can dress up any outfit for a night on the town. I decided to create my own version of the zippered pouch – and to give it more structure, I designed it with a flat bottom (similar to the Samudra style). And to go the extra mile, I also designed my own photo-print fabric from a photo of palm trees that I took on a long-ago trip to Guam, and then edited to make perfectly seamless and repeating. (You can purchase this exact same fabric here – and it was just featured on Spoonflower’s Latest Favorites list on Friday!) Ready for the tutorial? Let’s go!
You Need: (more…)
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Sep 19, 2013 | DIY
It’s that time of year again: September is upon us, there’s a slight chill in the air, and the kids area heading back to school with brand-new notebooks, pencils, and Justin Bieber folders. Okay, maybe scratch that Justin Bieber part – but September always feels like a time of renewal, reinvention, and a brand-new routine. One always needs a ton of pouches and satchels and bags to navigate the beginning of the year – so why not DIY something totally trendy and useful at the same time?
Wander & Hunt is a new DIY supply shop, featuring on-trend DIY kits to create awesome projects for a fraction of the cost. (You may have noticed they feature kits designed by Geneva from the popular DIY blog A Pair & Spare – which is doubly fantastic! If anyone has their finger on the pulse of DIY trends, that would be Geneva. 🙂 I was sent the DIY Transparent Satchel Project Kit to play with – and had a blast making my own!
I’ve tried to create a clear pouch made from vinyl acetate AKA PVC before – and found that it’s actually a lot harder than it looks. With every cut of your scissors, you leave an obvious ragged edge. Punching holes puckers the surface, and you need to have a fairly thick sheet of PVC to hold up to being made into a usable bag.
I was happily surprised when I opened the Wander & Hunt kit and found that the edges of the acetate were pristine (laser-cut would be my guess) so instead of a raggedy-looking homemade craft, you can make a very polished off-the-rack imposter. Plus, since the holes are pre-punched (and a bonus screwdriver is included in the kit – yay!), attaching the studs to form the shape of the bag is a breeze.
In all, it took me 11 minutes to actually make the bag from start to finish – which is record time for a project that looks so complicated yet yields such a satisfying result!

The satchel can actually fit a couple notebooks, a phone, a pencil case, and some makeup – a great size for toting everywhere!
The DIY Transparent Satchel Kit is available from Wander & Hunt for $69 – and all orders over $100 from Wander & Hunt ship FREE worldwide. You can customize your bag with either gold or silver hardware…or pick up some extra supplies (like some glue-on gemstones in settings!) to customize the front flap further. It’s a great project for a fashion-forward handbag perfect for school, work, or play…and no complicated measuring, cutting, or punching necessary.
Happy DIY’ing – and Happy Back-to-School!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent a DIY Transparent Satchel Project Kit from Wander & Hunt for review purposes, as well as some other DIY supplies for future projects. I was not compensated in any other way for this post, and the above opinions are my own. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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Aug 21, 2013 | DIY
DIY kit company Darby Smart recently sprung onto the scene and is making waves with their fashion-forward packages of fun DIY projects you can make at home. Instead of a monthly subscription to their kits (which many other companies are using as a business model as of late), you can buy a Darby Smart kit any time, and for anyone! Inspired by Pinterest projects and catering to the community, the kits provide the materials and supplies to make chic and polished crafts for accessories, jewelry, and home decor. And at Darby Smart, anyone can become a kit designer! Designed by amazingly creative designers, bloggers, and crafters, the submitted projects are voted on by the Darby Smart community and then the most popular are turned into kits for sale.
I was recently sent the You-Nique Monogram Tote Kit to play with and create my own DIY stenciled tote. I decided to create a tote with a badge, with my personal mantra “DREAM IT / MAKE IT / DO IT” emblazoned on the front. Using the stencils and the glitter pen provided, I added some paints and glitter from my collection to create something with a throwback 80’s feel.  Â
And that’s the piece I created!
I had a lot of fun with the kit, which was easy to use, and I was impressed with how long the glitter pen held up and how much ink was in it. Plus – and here’s the BIG PLUS, folks – the tote is not the cheap kind of canvas tote you’d find for $5.99 at the craft store…it’s actually a heavy-duty canvas piece from Baggu, with inner snap, pocket, and adjustable shoulder strap. An extremely good value for the price of the entire kit.
And Darby Smart is also graciously offering 2 You-Nique Monogram Tote kits to give away to my readers!
Edit 9/1/13: Giveaway is now closed and winners are announced. Thanks!
How To Enter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, please Pin your favorite kit from the Darby Smart website to show extra enthusiasm! (Not required for entry into giveaway)
Good luck!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent one You-Nique Monogram Tote Kit (retail value: $31) to review, and 2 Tote Kits will be sent to the winners of this giveaway, courtesy of Darby Smart. I received no other compensation, and the opinions above are my own. See my full Disclosure Policy here.
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