Life is too short to be small.
-Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister
Photo by Robin Benad. Text by me.
xo
Carly
Please feel free to share & pin my original graphic as much as you like – just please link back here. Thanks!
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I love this. Just found it and it couldn’t resonate more.
“You never realize how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.”
xo
Carly
xo
Carly
I find incredible inspiration in the work of Shelley Miller, especially in her Objects of Desire and Scopophilia series (even though that was from quite awhile ago [2005-6!]) Edibles + art? Edible art? Plus handbag design? Just too amazing for words.
From the copy on her website:
The rich, sugary cakes are subtle, almost passing for the real thing. They are almost camouflaged in the same way that the products in advertisements are overshadowed by the beautiful people surrounding them. It begs the question, what are we consuming?
Objects of Desire (2) · 28” × 28” C-print mounted on Di-bond.
Handbags constructed from pound cake, chocolate, sugar ingredients.
What breathtaking pieces. (And perhaps they can serve as inspiration for a DIY cake for a fashion-loving friend at some point in the future…?)
And a piece from her Cargo series: a sugar sculpture on an outdoor wall in Montreal, that degenerates over time while exposed to the elements.
The handiwork on all her pieces is simply amazing. You can see more of her thought-provoking and detailed work on her website here.
xo
Carly
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Every year on New Year’s Eve I republish a list of all my DIY’s that I shared on this blog during the past year. This time around, I decided to do a Best Of list as well, to share some of my favorite content from this past year with you:
How Do You Maintain Your Life While Facing Stress? 5 Ways to Deal When It Seems You Just Can’t was a great post that offered tips for dealing with complete meltdowns and crazy stress (I’m sure we all experienced a little of that during the holiday season!)
DIY Watercolor Kitten Tee with DecoArt Ink Effects was a super-fun project with amazing, watercolor-style results. Speaking of cats, the DIY Cute Cat Beret project was a way to use a 99-cent Goodwill pirate’s hat (found just after Halloween) and make it into a darling little beret and jump on the cat-themed bandwagon.
DIY Holiday Chocolate Bark: 4 Recipes to Gift Last-Minute can be made any time of the year, thank goodness! That Tropical Coconut-Pineapple Macadamia Nut Bark was akin to ambrosia…and the Godiva-Inspired Caramel Cashew Bark is already a staple in my candy-making repertoire! Also for the holidays, I made some DIY Glittery Ornament Napkins and some DIY Easy Pinned Sequin Ornaments.
In December I launched a bimonthly podcast about bringing creativity and craftiness to your daily life, called Creatively Chic. You can listen to both episodes that have launched here.
I also partnered with Echoed.com to create a Stories area on my site (now located in the upper left-hand corner) where anyone can upload their DIYs! Post your tutorial or your finished project to share with everyone – and create a link back to your site! Vote, share, and comment on those stories to get a ton of inspiration and meet some other DIY’ers in the community!
Some of my favorite books (and accompanying reviews) from this year: Steal Like an Artist, DIY Couture, New Dress a Day, and Mod Podge Rocks!
I got an iPhone for my birthday and joined Instagram! Slowly becoming an addiction. I also was featured as the first DIY Fashionista on Cut Out + Keep’s new series! What an honor.
I designed some repeating Universe Prints on Spoonflower.com and ordered fabric swatches to test the prints. I still have to sew them into something beautiful!
3 Reaons Why Your DIYs Are FAILS: The Spore Sweater Resurrected offers some tips for how to get past mistakes and failures when making your own things. Plus there I shared my resurrected Spore PomPon Sweater…a project 8 months in the fixing!!
I shared tons of DIY inspiration, including From the Archives, DIY Inspiration from Street Style Photos, DIY Ideas from New York Fashion Week S/S 2013, DIY Fashion Week Street Style, DIY Inspiration from J. Crew August 2012 Catalog, and DIY Ideas from Fashion Weeks Around the World for Autumn/Winter 2012, among many others.
DIY: Sequin Trompe L’Oeil Peter Pan Collar T-Shirt is a great way to jazz up a plain tee really quickly.
In 2012 we also traveled to Tucson, AZ, Timberline Lodge, OR, and Tokyo, Japan (part 1 of Japan photos here). I was also able to go to the Japan Hobby Show 2012 while I was in Japan too, which was so inspiring.
5 Easy DIY’s Even a Beginner Can Master can get you started in making your own things, with easy, fun projects that are simple to start, simple to collect the tools and materials, and a snap to finish.
My son Lil Tot had so much fun making the Kiddie Craft: DIY Milk Carton Bird Feeder from Parents Magazine. It’s a great little project to do with any little one in your life! (Or even for your own yard;-)
Now that Spring is on the way you may want to update your wardrobe with flowers, and this DIY Floral Applique Cardigan for Spring would be perfect.
If you have a spare curtain laying around (or find one at the thrift store), a DIY Lace Maxi-Skirt…Made From A Curtain! is a simple and quick project.
DIY Mixed Media Bib Necklace with Tulip Beads in a Bottle was another project I did playing around with a new material. Tulip Beads in a Bottle is so fun!
So here is a comprehensive list of all my tutorials from 2012 (29 in all):
Clothing
Sequin Trompe L’Oeil Peter Pan Collar T-Shirt
Lace Maxi-Skirt from a Curtain
Upcycled Colorblock Chiffon Top
Accessories
Preppy Initial Back-to-School Keychain Bag Charm
Dolce & Gabbana Flowered Sunglasses
Jil Sander Gathered Removable Peplum
Jewelry
Rhinestone-Wrapped Neon Tasselled Earrings
Jumble Chain Choker Necklace with {styled} by Tori Spelling
Handbags
Stenciled Convertible Tote/Backpack
Shoes
Luxury Jones Belt-Wrapped Cowboy Boots
Beauty
Nails Inc. London Magnetic Manicure
Home Decor
Glittery Christmas Ornament Napkins
Recipes
Holiday Chocolate Bark: 4 Recipes
My DIY’s from 2011 (46 Tutorials)
(some of them may be missing photos b/c of my move to WordPress awhile ago – if you see any posts missing photos, please let me know! {Leave a comment on the post} Thanks so much!)
2012 has been a great year for me…hope it has been just as wonderful for all of you!
So, as I raise my glass of sparkling grape juice, I wish all of you a very Happy New Year! May 2013 bring even more wonderful things for everyone~
xoxox
Carly
Carly J. Cais I am a DIY’er, designer, sewist, maker, and marketer. Chic Creative Life is where I share what I do, and help others bring their unique style into their own lives.
