DIY projects

Handmade Love – Tomorrow!

February 10th, 2012 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

handmadelove Handmade Love   Tomorrow!

Don’t forget, our Handmade Love event is tomorrow! Stop by your local fp store and make something special for your sweetie, and pick up an outfit for Valentine’s Day while you’re at it :) Check out a full list of stores and what activities they’ll be doing, and RSVP for the event of your choice here: Handmade Love

If you attend one of the events, we’d love for you to live tweet the action and any pictures accompanied by the hashtag #FPHandMadeLove -  we’ll be compiling images and links to the posts we love for a recap on the blog a week after the event!

Check out tutorials for each of the projects pictured above.

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DIY Valentine’s: Handmade Love

February 8th, 2012 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

Our Handmade Love event is this Saturday! Make sure you check out your local store’s facebook page (a full list can be found here) to find out what DIY Valentine craft they’ll be making – and stop by on Saturday to make something special for your friend/loved one and pick up an outfit for your night :)

Each store will be doing one of the following crafts, and I put together tutorials for each one – so if you can’t make it out to our event, or don’t have a local store, here are four great DIY Valentines that are sure to warm any heart!

DIY Embroidered Cards

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What you need: paper, needle, thread, scissors, envelopes (optional)

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I found this raw edged paper at my local crafts store, and used some dark red embroidery thread and  a regular sewing needle.

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I free-handed the hearts, but here’s a useful tip – if you want to write something, or make sure your heart is done perfectly, use pencil on the back and follow the pencil lines as you sew.

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Aren’t they sweet? You could also embroider the envelopes you put them in.

DIY Unraveling Letter

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Inspired by this project.

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What you need: wooden spools, letter stamps, ink, ribbon or fabric – I found all of the above at AC Moore.

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Cut your length of ribbon (you could also wait until after you stamp it, to be sure you have enough room).

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Use the stamps to write out your desired message or quote, tape or glue the end of the ribbon (where the quote/message ends) to the spool, and wind!

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DIY Fabric Scrap Gift Tags

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This project was inspired by Creature Comforts blog – and you can download the manila tags and word template over there as well.

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For sturdier tags, print the manila tags on card stock. Then simply cut your piece of fabric and word/phrase of choice, glue them on and you’ve got a personalized gift tag to make your present extra special.

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DIY Mini Book

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The last project was inspired by one of our Love Letter submissions. Make your best friend or loved one a mini hand-stitched book full of quotes, photos and memories :)

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What you need: Various pieces of paper (again, I got this paper at my local craft store), a needle and thread, glue, scissors, and photos and other embellishments of your choosing!

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Stack up your pages in the order you want them, and stitch them together along one side. The paper I used was kinda thick, so I had to poke the needle through some of the sheets one at a time, but it wasn’t too difficult. Once you have your book sewn together, you can start adding photos and quotes and other fun stuff :)

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I had so much fun making this – I want to start making them for friends and family as birthday cards!

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I hope you guys are feeling inspired! Now check out our website for a rundown of all the stores and what projects they’ll be doing, as well as other activities, and from there you can RSVP for the event of your choice!

We’d love for you to live tweet the action and any pictures accompanied by the hashtag #FPHandMadeLove -  tweet us links of your posts about the event accompanied with the #FPHandMadeLove hashtag, and we’ll be compiling images and links to the posts we love and recapping them here on the blog the week after the event!

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Handmade Love at Free People

February 3rd, 2012 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

tumblr lytkjzhHZn1r724qyo1 500 large Handmade Love at Free People

When it comes to Valentine’s Day (or any day for that matter!) there’s nothing better than a handmade gift from the heart. On Saturday February 11th, head on over to your local Free People boutique and make something special for your Valentine. While you’re at it, pick up the perfect outfit for your night – whether you’re going out with the girls or a special someone, we’ll help you get ready! Each store will be hosting one of four different DIY events. In addition, some stores will be featuring live music, refreshments, food, or special raffles, so be sure to check out what will be going on at your closest Free People boutique. Keep an eye out for more info in the coming days, and next week we’ll show you the DIY projects we’ll be doing!

To RSVP visit the facebook event page.

Image.

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DIY Gold Chain Rings from A Pair and a Spare

February 1st, 2012 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

diy rings DIY Gold Chain Rings from A Pair and a Spare

I have been into really thin rings in a big way lately – I keep spotting them on blogs and tumblr, and I love how delicate they look. Rumi rocks two little gold bands in the left photo, and on the right are a set of three that my dad gave me for Christmas (it’s crazy – he has the best taste in jewelry). So when Geneva (DIY master of A Pair and a Spare) and I were discussing ideas for guest posts on each others blogs, I jumped at the chance to post her awesome gold chain ring DIY. They have a similar delicate style to the bands above, and you can deck out your fingers with as many as you want!

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You Need:
- Beading or long nosed pliers
- Around half a meter of delicate gold chain
- Small gold jump rings (relative to the size of your chain)

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How to:
1. Take the chain and wrap it around your finger to measure how much chain you will need for the ring.
2. Cut the chain to the size required for the ring.
3. Open your jump ring.
4. Put one end of the chain onto the open jump ring.
5. Put the other end of the chain onto the jump ring.
6. Close the jump ring.

Now repeat this process for a few of your other fingers, including making smaller rings to sit above the top half of your finger. Enjoy!

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Another fun thing you could try – use another piece of chain to connect the rings above and below your knuckle!

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All images via A Pair and a Spare, except for top two. Thank you Geneva!

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DIY: Aztec Nail Love

January 27th, 2012 / Posted by fp jemma / Permalink

Remember when we posted the DIY Aztec Nail Art Video, well we’ve had some people try it out for themselves and they have been uploading onto instagram and tagging #FreePeople.  It’s so lovely seeing all the nail art being created and the different twists people are adding to it, here are some instagram shots and if you fancy trying it this weekend, upload your photo onto instagram and tag it with #freepeople so we can see!

Happy Friday Guys!

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Go here for the tutorial: DIY Aztec Nail Art

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DIY Denim Phone Case

January 18th, 2012 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

I don’t know about you guys but I beat my poor phone up – it spends most of its time in my somewhat large bag, along with many other things that knock around with it, and I’ve seen enough cracked phone screens to know that I need a more protective case for it. I have a bag of scrap fabrics that are left over from past projects and old clothing, and from it I chose some pieces of denim to make a little case for my phone. It was so easy, I ended up making two! Next up, iPad!

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What you need: a piece of fabric large enough to fold over your phone with room to spare, needle and thread, and any other embellishments you feel like using.

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I folded the denim over my phone, with the reverse side facing outwards, and left about an inch of room on each side.

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I left the phone where it was, and used that as my guide to sew around the phone on three sides, leaving the top edge open.

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Once you’re finished sewing, turn the phone inside out! I trimmed some extra fabric off the top and then decided to add some pretty trim.

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These little feathers were the finishing touch!

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For the second one I used some pockets that I had cut off an old pair of jeans. All I did was sew them together, and it works perfectly!

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So easy, and my phone is much more comfortable now :) I love the idea of making a patchwork one… maybe that’ll be next!

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