10 Easy No-Sew DIY Projects for Summer Tees and Tanks

Jun 1, 2020 | DIY

It’s June and Summer is coming! For many, hot weather is already here. I’m dipping into my archives today to share with you 10 no-sew DIY Summer projects for t-shirts and tank tops – so you can look cool, calm, and collected despite the rising temperatures.

10 Easy No-Sew DIY Summer Projects for T-Shirts and Tank Tops

1. Cut Out Skully T-shirt

Although the skull-back style is a little dated by now, you can accomplish the same things with just a pair of scissors and your imagination – butterfly and ladder shapes are always popular! Choose a t-shirt or tank top made of thin, stretchy fabric so the cut edges don’t unravel.

2. Petal-Front Top

This is one of my most popular projects – it’s so charming and ladylike! All you need is a fabric flower (or two) and fabric glue to recreate the look. So pretty peeking out from under a cardigan!

3. Avant-Garde Artistic Button Embellished T-Shirt

This is a time-consuming project that packs a ton of visual punch with buttons and fabric glue again. Try different images (a rainbow, a flower) to make out of buttons – and choose colorful ones from your button stash! Also a fun project to make with kids.

4. Happy Ice Cream Face Applique T-shirt

If you have some fabric scraps on hand that you love and want to showcase – this applique t-shirt project is for you! All it requires is iron-on fusible web and an iron to attach.

5. Patriotic Punky Iron-On Tank

For a punk look you can go old school, slash a tank and safety-pin it back together. I had a military-style iron-on that was begging to be used for this project!

6. Butterfly-Embellished Tanktop

A cute applique like a butterfly or other insect is made more adult by adding a studded trail behind it…you could do rhinestones instead and a unicorn applique for complete over-the-top girliness!

7. Scribble Tee

This was one of my first T-shirt makeover projects – super-easy and hides the flaws on an old dingy T-shirt pretty well!

8. Corseted T-Shirt

9. Tribal-Print Festival T-Shirt

10. Sequin Trompe L’oeil Peter Pan Collar T-Shirt

Hope that gives you some ideas for your next Summer T-shirt or tank top makeover!

Carly

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8 Fashion Trends for Spring & Summer 2020

Apr 20, 2020 | Fashion

This post contains affiliate links – and I receive a small commission on sales from readers clicking through these links. My full Disclosure Policy is here.

So many fashion trends were on the Spring & Summer 2020 runways that seem recycled from past years. Well, that’s pretty much to be expected with fashion – what goes around, comes around! Though I’m not suggesting you indulge in ALL these trends ALL at once (then you would be a slave to the Fashion Industry’s whims)…you might find inspiration to pull out of your own closet, give a dust-off, and enjoy again.

The weather is warming up, the birds and insects are coming out of hiding, flowers are blooming, the world is in lockdown. Let’s look at some pretty things to lift our spirits, shall we?

8 Fashion Trends for Spring & Summer 2020

1. The Crochet Dress

Seen on the Spring runways at Marni, Fendi, and Jil Sander (just to name a few!) this 70’s revival received a modern update this year. Pretty, airy, and feminine, these can display a little – or a lot! – of skin to the warm breezes of Summer.

2. The Bra Top

Underwear as outerwear showed up at Dior, Givenchy, and Giambattista Valli. Channel the high-end designers by sporting a demure bikini top or bra that looks less like lingerie and more like a cool lounge top. Even if you’re naturally shy, you can still pull off this fashion trends for spring & summer 2020 by layering under a blazer or lightweight Spring coat.

Recommended: Padded Lace Longline Bralette, $13

3. Yellow Neon

I’ve always loved this color and certainly don’t need the latest crop of designers telling me to go wear it! Though Courreges, Marni, and Balenciaga got with the program this year, neon yellow will always be a neutral in my mind – and something that is cheerful and sunny even on cloudy days.

4. Ruffled Tiers

Prairie-style for days, these ruffled tiers are super-sweet volumes of indulgence at the Christopher Kane, Roksanda, and Alexander McQueen shows. I feel lighter and happier when covered in ruffles (seriously, can you EVER have too many??) and this is truly a welcome trend.

Recommended: DIY Babydoll Dress from 3 Men’s Shirts, $0 if you own 2 button-down shirts already!

5. Bermuda Shorts

Kind of an update on the cropped clamdigger-length pants that were everywhere last year and you had to have model proportions to pull off well >: ( …the longer-length shorts that hit around the knee are a new iteration. Bottega Veneta, Chloe, and Altuzarra offered their interpretations…and paired with a cute color-coordinating blazer these shirts give off a cool, laid-back 2020 vibe.

Recommended: Board Short in Black, $40

6. Polka Dots

Another graphic print I just adore – they almost act as another neutral when paired with a more busy print, and help a color POP when layered together. Dries Van Noten, Sacai, and Maison Margiela shared their pretty Spring versions of this sophisticated classic.

Recommended: 80’s Vintage Polka Dot Smock Top in White, $39.90

7. Vests

Vests are already a wardrobe staple for me and I’ve been wearing them for years – so happy to see them back in fashion! Something tailored, fitting, and chic is the name of the game – at Celine, Max Mara, Gucci, and Rag & Bone.

Recommended: Jersey Cropped Suit Vest,$29

8. 1960’s Wallpaper Prints

I’m personally not a huge fan of 60’s wallpaper prints…which showed up in the Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Gucci collections…but I DO love a tropical oversized print! Nothing says Summer so much as large flowers and palm trees! (Evidenced by my DIY Printed Flat-Bottom Zip Samudra-Style Pouch tutorial using my Palm Tree Print Fabric, available on Spoonflower.)

Recommended: Tropical Print Paperbag Waist Belted Shorts, $8.95 (!)

The nice thing is – if you DO want to purchase any of the above – they ALL can be bought online – and all delivered to your home. Except of course the DIY Babydoll Dress – which you can make yourself from 2 button-down shirts on hand!

Carly

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Start Off Your Pretty Summer Fashion Wardrobe – Win a $25 Gift Certificate

Jun 5, 2017 | Fashion

FTC Disclosure: This is a paid post in partnership with Nakturnal, with the prize of a $25 ARV gift certificate to the e-tailer Mixology. The content and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, where a purchase made after clicking on a link earns me a small commission. My full Disclosure Policy is here.

Hi again, friends!

Things have been super-busy over here at Chic Steals (for good reason – I have a TON of cool announcements on the way!) but I’m popping in briefly to talk about Summer fashion finds – and to offer up a $25 gift certificate to get your shopping started. So let’s go!

Lately I’m crushing on ruffles, layers, sparkles, and LOTS of pink. I don’t know why…it just feels like a girly, feminine summer to me so far, and lots of frilliness and silliness is totally making me happy. With that in mind, I’ve been browsing the Mixology website lately – a mom-and-pop fashion boutique that features awesome brands at affordable prices (right up my alley 😉 and a lot of fun, girly pieces.

Here are a couple of my pretty pink, frilly, sparkly picks for Summer:

1 // Decker Flamenco Top, $29

2 // Curved Modern Hoop Earring, $38

3 // Agile Employee Dress in Milkshakes, $89.99

4 // ASOS Hunky Dory Pom Block Heeled Sandals, $72

5 // BlueStripe Bow Waist Ruffle Skirt, $22.99

6 // Get it Right Black Halter One-Piece Swimsuit, $49

7 // Oscar Daniel Triangle Choker, $48

8 // Valentine Ruffle Heart-Shape Bustier Shift Dress, $70.40

9 // Skinnydip Cateye Sunglasses in Pink Velvet, $48

10 // Sparkle Star Field In the Universe Tote Bag, $20 (designed by me!!)

Mixology has some great, affordable picks (like that hot pink ruffled flamenco top and triangle choker necklace above, that went straight onto my wishlist). And I have a $25 gift certificate for one lucky Chic Steals reader to get a head start on your Summer shopping there!

WIN A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE – HOW TO ENTER

1. (Required) Leave a comment on this post telling me what your fashion crush is for this Summer. [one entry allowed per unique email address]

1. (Optional) Share a link to this post on any of your social networks (like Facebook or Twitter) and comment back on this post with the link. That comment will earn you 1 more entry. [one extra entry allowed per unique link to live social media post]

(Optional) Share this giveaway with a friend and ask them to comment on this post with your email address in the comment. This will earn 1 entry for you, and 1 entry for your friend. [one extra entry for your unique email address per unique friend’s email address]

Winner will be chosen at random from comments on this post.

The giveaway is open from now until July 7, 11:59PM PDT.

*Please note: Mixology offers $8.99 flat rate shipping for all orders under $75, free shipping for orders above $75 for the contiguous 48 United States. All international shipping will be shipped through USPS. The $25 gift certificate can be used for merchandise only and does not cover shipping costs or International customs fees for orders.

Good luck!

Carly

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DIY Anthropologie Colorful Summer Tassel Necklace

Jul 3, 2014 | DIY

Tassels, tassels, everywhere! I officially declare 2014 the Year of the Tassel. They’ve been having a HUGE moment again, and I love their undone, boho-chic feel. Casual and cool at the same time. It’s very easy to make your own tassels – or even better yet, make your own fun colorblocked tassel NECKLACE (just like this $128 Anthro Fanned Botanique Necklace [no longer available]). Here’s how:

You Need:

embroidery thread in 4 colors (I chose cobalt blue, navy blue, goldenrod, and metallic gold) / 3/8″ diameter natural rope, 1 yard long / 1 1/4″ goldtone D-ring / scissors / tape / glue / toothpick (optional)

How To: 1. Start wrapping the embroidery thread around the bottom of the D-ring, using 2 fingers to create the right length. Wrap around many times until you get a thick bundle.

2. Slide your fingers out from the bundle.

3. Snip a short piece of thread and tie around the bundle, close to the D-ring.

4. Wrap both ends of the thread multiple times around where you tied, and tie the ends together with a double knot. Leave the ends loose for now.

5. Use scissors to trim the bottom of the tassel flat.

6. Fluff out the threads in the bottom of the tassel.

7. Repeat Steps 1-6 for 2 more tassels in your first color. Repeat for 3 tassels in your second color. Repeat for 3 tassels in your third color. For the third tassel in that color, I made it using half metallic threads (since the metallic thread frays easily but isn’t as “fluffy” as the regular embroidery thread).

8. Use a dab of glue on each double knot you made in Step 4.

9. Snip off the ends of the threads close to those knots once dry.

10. Place the D-ring with the tassels in the center of your rope piece.

11. Use the metallic thread to wrap around each side of the straight part of the D-ring, many times, to secure the ring to the rope.

12. Finish each wrap by double-knotting the thread at the back. Dab with glue, and snip off the ends.

13. Try on the necklace and decide how long you want it. Use a piece of tape wrapped around the rope pieces to secure it to the length you like.

14. Cut off the excess rope.

15. Use a contrasting thread color to wrap around the rope ends and completely conceal them. End using a double knot, dab on glue, and cut the threads.

You’re done! A bright, bold accessory for breezy tops and easy dresses this season is only a couple wraps and snips away. You can you any combination of fun colors, and totally switch up the look of the piece by adding pompons, charms, or other accoutrements to make it all your own!