DIY: 4 projects for your to do list

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Now that I’m fully settled back into my academic course and Dundee, the way I spend my time has gradually moved from marathoning episodes of Teen Wolf to ward shifts and socialising (a.k.a. adult life). I do actually appreciate it, as I’m ready to start back at medicine and see friends again, but I forgot what it’s like having no time, at all. Still, even if I can’t find the time to actually do them I’ve been dreaming of all the new projects I want to start.

My recent DIY interests have tended a lot towards interior design, as I’m currently decorating my new flat and remembering that decorating is expensive. I collect knickknacks the same way other people breathe, but there’s a lot of empty wall space for someone who is too skint for the picture framers – I realized that I have quite a few rolls of electrical tape though, and wondered about making a mural out of it, maybe in the shape of a stag’s head or more abstract geometry like the above pre-made one from Urban Outfitters. I also recently got a new/second hand desk (thanks, Uncle John), which (having been reading The Interior DIYer’s post) I might cover with some contact paper so it better matches the furniture the flat came with; contact paper and electrical tape are both perfect DIY tools for the renter, as they won't mark and can be changed whenever I feel like an update.

It’s probably no surprise that I own a couple of veils already, but it probably is that I don’t own a true bird cage one – I really like the vintage feel they lend to all outfits, but all of mine are actually attached to hats. Most DIYs I’ve found for this are on wedding blogs like this double clipped version, but you’d better believe that mine is going to be black and firmly everyday wear. For the coming months, I actually really like this vintage babushka pattern, but I’m so woefully inept at knitting I feel like it might be a daydream project for now. Experienced knitters, any advice? 

Is anyone else looking forward to future DIY projects? Can anyone train me up in knitting, please? Hopefully I'll be posting all my projects on instagram when I finish, so keep an eye for them on there! 

     

DIY: Free printable week planner

If anyone of my readers met me in real life, you'd be surprised by how much of a train wreck I am; I regularly forget important things to do, make myself late, and double book myself constantly. I've got better over the years, but a lot of the classic organisational methods don't work for me; planners sit unused, and you can't make me remember to fill out calendars regularly.

The method I've had most success with over the past year is making an editable combined day schedule/to do list in the notes on my phone, which seems to work purely because how little effort goes into it. I decided however that it's maybe time to take this into the real world, and sat down one afternoon to whip up a week time planner that suited me - and given I know (hope) I'm not the only disorganized mess out there, decided to share it with everyone else.

In it, I've included the working days of the week, two 'to-do' lists (urgent and normal), and a space for doodling - because what's a planner that doesn't encourage creativity? The layout is minimal enough that you can make of it what you will, and not feel to constrained.

Like to download? You can find it in this drop box folder by clicking the image below - just make sure to credit me if you want to recommend it to others!

Does anyone else struggle with forcing themselves to stay organized? What methods do you use? Let me know in the comments below!

     

DIY: Heart Pasties

You need -

• Paper
• Scissors 
• Craft Foam
• Crystals
• Super glue
• Paper clip/hair clips

Step 1 

Make yourself a template for the pastie from the paper; I drew around the top of a beer glass and shaped it into a heart from there, but the size will be individual to you. Make you cut a slit up to the centre, and check how well it fits in the mirror.

Step 2

Trace the outline of the template onto your foam sheet, and cut around it. 

Step 3

Fold one side over the other, and glue it in place; hold in place with a pin or paper clip. 

Step 4

Bedazzle. 

Lining the inside can be an additional step, which is best if you're performing with them (i.e. you're sticking them on with glue), but you won't need to if using double sided tape. Happy Valentine's Day. ❤






Fiona C.

How to: Learning to let go of DIY projects

I love making things with my own hands; there's something about knowing that you've created an item which produces a special meaning. I'm not alone in my love of DIY and crafting, and it's easy to understand why - not only can it be cheaper and produce objects you might not be able to buy, but it's enjoyable and there's a certain pride in getting to use something and say 'I made this' to queries.

However, sometimes crafting projects can become more trouble than their worth. Occasionally, the task might be more difficult than previously thought, you can't get the materials you need or you just lose interest. Any of these reasons can lead to unfinished pieces, and you are left in flux about what to do. Do you soldier on and wait it out, or do you cut your losses before you waste any more time?

I'm the world's worst for leaving projects once my enthusiasm has faded. I also have a bad habit of forgetting I may not have the tools or skills for the job, and it can be demoralising to have to accept defeat on something I was determined to make. Whilst it's something I have improved at, I think every crafter should learn when to recognize that something isn't getting finished and is preventing you from moving on to other projects.

So, is a project worth sticking with? Run it through this check list -

• Have you lost interest? Do you feel obligated to finish it so you can move onto other craft projects, but just can't face doing so?
• Are you lacking the means to finish it? Can you get the materials to finish it soon, or does the lack of affordable and appropriate lace for the edging on your bell skirt mean that you have to wait it out until something appears?
• Have you realised you don't have the skill level to finish it? Did you forget in your enthusiasm that making your own furniture is harder than it looks?

Accepting your defeat doesn't have to be associated with negative emotions; I often find it freeing to admit that, no, I am probably not going to finish making those goggles, and I should stop fretting over them. To best help you let go of DIY projects, there are a number of steps to follow -

• Remove them from your craft space. Before you do anything, separate the projects you aren't going to finish from those you are. If they are hanging about your craft space doing nothing but making you guilty and causing clutter, there is no point to keep them hanging about. Out of site, out of mind.
• Decide whether to bin or to store. Some projects are just failures, whereas others you might want to store in case the situation changes and you want to take it up again. Storage obviously also depends on the space available to you, and before putting in the bin consider if you can cannibalize the resources used for other purposes.
• Review stored projects annually, or however often is appropriate for you. If the situation changes, and maybe you're a bit more experienced with needle felting now or have finally bought the machine part you didn't realise you'd need when starting, you can always pick it up again.

Hope this helps!




Fiona C.

Tutorial: DIY Pentacle Hoop Earrings

It's been a little quiet on the crafting front, as I've been busy with work and too tired in the evenings to make myself do much. However, I've been wanting to feature more DIY projects on An Honest Drug, and even more wanting to encourage everyone else to get into crafting as well.

Not having pierced ears, other than a few ear cuffs I don't really wear a lot of earrings; outside of a few select places it's difficult to get clip on earrings and some styles aren't possible to make. Nonetheless, a few weeks ago I saw a DIY on Mooky Chick for pentagram earrings, which have been incredibly popular recently. However, I didn't want to use wool, and so devised a means of making my own pair - and just for you, followers, I turned it into a tutorial!

How to remove pilling

I was somewhat unsure of the necessity of this post; I assume most others have their lives far more under control than I, but after seeing a much reblogged tumblr post bemoaning this issue I realised that I should never really overestimate the human race, particularly when someone like me can not only write a blog and actually get followers, but can also get into medical school.

I suffer from the unfortunate curse of loving wool, cottons and jersey fabrics, which have the bad luck of looking like this after a couple of wears –

This is known as pilling, or bobbling. It’s my personal hell. The day I finally learned how to get rid of them was a jump in my quality of life the size of which hasn't been seen in Glasgow since the city introduced a proper plumbing system in the 19th century. It’s for this reason that I’m posting my solution here, lest anyone still be suffering.

A bic razor, drawn lightly across the fabric, is your knight in shining armour. Be careful you don’t press too hard and damage your fabric, and if you want to be fancy you can get one of these things, but it’s relatively idiot proof. There’s various other pieces of advice floating about on the internet regarding how to remove them, such as Velcro rollers, duct tape and scissors (eek!), but this is my favourite.

A word about pilling –

Pilling happens when loose fibres work their way out of fabric as a result of wearing and form balls on the surface. Some fabrics are more likely to do so than others, and certain sites (such as cuffs, under the arms or where it rubs other items of clothing) are more susceptible than others.


As ever, prevention is better than having to deal with it, and there are effective measures that you can take; turning fabrics inside out when washing is the best known one, but the process of washing itself can produce pills, so treat fabrics delicately, wash by hand where you can and avoid dryers.

Hoping this helps!





Fee

Wardrobe Feature: DIY Spiderweb Leggings

I haven't even had a chance to edit my photos, as my internet is at rural speeds. Updated versions forthcoming.

First things first - apologies for not having this post up quite on time. I spent the weekend helping a friend move into their new flat, and had neither the Wi-Fi nor time nor energy to get it up sharp. On the plus side, I had a very pleasant few days, and discovered that Dundee charity shops produce far better finds when not being picked clean by students (haul post potentially forthcoming).

Several of you mentioned wanting to see more of my finished DIYs for my craft challenge, which I'm quite happy to acquiesce to - hopefully it will keep me motivated to continue finishing them! If you want real time updates on my progress, I regularly post projects on instagram and facebook as I complete them.

There is always one craft which outstays its welcome, and these leggings were it. I started these in first year of university, only finishing them at the start of this summer. This was mainly due to the pointillist style (though I'll admit there was an element of laziness there too); finish a line, let it dry. Repeat. There were still a lot of accidental smudges.

Included - everyday outfit for myself. 

I originally saw leggings like these in topshop, but couldn't afford the £30 price tag at the time. They're a good example of why you shouldn't always DIY everything - though they were theoretically easy, the time put into them probably negated that. Similarly, I've been bankrupting myself buying fabric for other future wardrobe additions, so whilst it's easy to say, 'I could make that', you may be forced to eat those words. On the other hand, I decided that the design stood out more when it only covered one leg, so DIY does have its advantages.

Is anyone else undertaking craft projects this summer? When do you DIY over buying?




Fee


P.S. Welcome to Night Vale is doing a European Tour! More info on their website.

Summer Craft Challenge: 1-4

I apparently have a thing for challenges; as soon as I finished Red and Black week and plans for a series of make up posts (coming soon), I decided on a whim yesterday to attempt to complete one hundred craft projects over the next two months. My overzealousness knows no bounds.

In all seriousness, though; I didn't get through an awful lot of crafts this year at university, and I wanted to motivate myself to get some done. I'm expecting to get fifty done before I run out of ideas, but dream big and all. Thus far I've made two jacket patches, refreshed a t shirt and made a terrarium (which I'm very pleased with).

I'll probably do occasional summaries of this on the blog, but for the most part I'll be posting about it on my facebook, possibly twitter, and also my new social media platform - instagram! I'm still unsure about whether or not I'm planning on keeping it (especially since I found out that it's owned by facebook), but I like thus far how it's prompting me to actually change out of pajamas and make myself presentable.

Apologies for the brief (and early) post - I'll post a real one tomorrow on schedule, but I just wanted to let people know about what was happening on other social media channels. Oh, and also to gloat about my terrarium. Look at that stone circle and those adorable little sheep.


You can find me on facebook here, twitter here and now instagram here. Is anyone else taking advantage of more spare time to catch up on crafts?





Fee

Red and Black Week, Day 6: Red and Black Gradient Make Up Tutorial

I can't decide whether I should be appalled with myself or not; a whole year since I last did my two tone red and black make up for last year's R&B Week, and I still haven't purchased red eyeshadow. I'm not sure if it counts as lazy or thrifty, but it's probably the former. So before we start, I would like to clarify that there is probably a reason that they don't market lipsticks for use as eyeshadow, and I wouldn't recommend it for use on a regular basis for health and safety reasons.



As mentioned above, my most successful post of last year was my two-tone make up look on the final day (see here), and I wanted to do another make up look for this year; red lipstick is a classic, but red eye shadow is more difficult to pull off. I don't tend to incorporate red into my club and night time looks, so this was a challenge on that level too, which I relished.

Excuse the frizzy hair. 

I'm overly pleased with this look! To contrast last year's effort, I focused more on gradients as opposed to colour blocking, and in honour of our wonderful host Ms. Kitty I included her signature black-lined red lips. This look can be split up into its components and each part worn on its own, but I've done a brief tutorial for you guys on how to do it for yourself.

Red and Black Week 2014, Day 1: How to mix different colour shades in one outfit

I can't believe that it's been a whole year since I last took part in Sophistique Noir's Red and Black Week; it's an honour to take part again. Red and black is the most classic of bold gothic colour themes, possibly because of the associations with blood and vampires, but not one I indulge in a lot nowadays; I accessorise with red a lot in the winter with hats and scarves, but over the past year I've been paring colour back to bare black, particularly with summer coming (what an oxymoron). 

One of the reasons I and many other people struggle with red (including, from memory, the host of our event, Ms. Kitty) is how difficult it is to mix different shades of it. Unlike other colours, such as green or purple, red has the peculiar ability to make one look like a Frankenstein's monster when not matched properly. Even more famously, the eternal goth problem of mismatching blacks is an all too common issue. If you have a small wardrobe or are lazy like me, you can't be bothered meticulously matching shades everyday. But I've compiled a list of tips for getting around this -

Take care of your clothes

One of the main reasons mismatching blacks become a problem is fading; this can change the midnight black of your once favourite item to a dusty charcoal. The main culprits is washing, which removes some colour each time, as well as drying. Red doesn't fade quite so badly, but does notoriously run in the wash! The Everyday Goth has post on keeping blacks black, which can be easily applied to other colours.

Red and Black Mash-Up by anhonestdrug

Mix textures, fabrics and prints

One of the suggestions often given to make all black outfits visually interesting is to include multiple fabric types and textures; this can also be used to make different shades of the same colour work, as it separates them from one another. Above, I mixed patent oxblood leather creepers with a natural finish red leather jacket, and a velvet skirt with a cotton crop top - the difference in shades between them isn't as noticeable.

Oxblood and Fire Engine by anhonestdrug featuring buckle boots

Keep different shades far away from one another

This may not always be practical, but physically distancing items from one another makes it less obvious when colours don't match. I tend to use this in make up a lot; the red of my lipstick often doesn't match other reds in my outfit, but because they're separate it's not noticeable. The same principle goes for this gorgeous skull bag.

Sourced from pinterest. 

Dye it!

If all else fails, re-dyeing your clothes may solve the problem, either to correct fading or change the shade. Be careful to match the dye to your fabric type and check trimmings and stitching beforehand.  For small patches of fading on black clothes (particularly around seams) I typically use a sharpie to fill it in.


Have you got any tips for mixing different shades in the one outfit? What do you think of my first polyvore sets? Let me know in the comments! You can find my previous Red and Black Week posts under the theme posts tag.




Fee

DIY To Do List



Sources - one, two, three, four and five.



 

Inspired by The Mutant Stomp Friends, I've decided to do a DIY to do post; I already have a To Do List on my blog featuring what I'm doing, but I have a bad habit of forgetting to update it and it's not very current. So I'm going to rely on you, readers, to hold me accountable for all the things I want to finish in the next month or so. 

Craft: Dried Roses

 

Flowers are a very decadent item; they only last a short time, but for their brief life they bring so much colour and scent into a room. It's always so sad to see flowers wilting; if I can't have their fresh beauty for longer, then I will make sure it lives on indefinitely.

 







 

To celebrate both the first day of spring and an anniversary, I decided last month to dry a bouquet of roses I was recently given by the gamer. I love the art of preserving flowers; I pressed them as a child in books, and now hang them up to dry on a line in my tiny room in Dundee. I'm a sentimentalist at heart, really.

 

For those wanting to dry their own flowers, I would recommend waiting until your blooms have opened up properly to make sure that they don't get blighted by mildew when drying (these ones were a challenge, and I had to pry them open a bit more with a pair of tweezers). Hang them upside down on a clothing line for a week or until dry (or when you get tired of constantly bumping into them when you try to go to your desk), then take down and arrange them into a bouquet or otherwise.

 

 

 

Have you ever preserved flowers? Did you do anything for the start of spring? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

 

 

 

Fee

 

 

 

P.S. Did you know that I have a facebook page now? You can get all my blog posts on there, as well as lots of other things I don't feature on here. It would mean lots if you were to like it!

 



5 tips for Low effort Trad Goth Style

Victorian goth and cyber goth are often viewed as the more high maintenance looks due to the masses of fabric/accessories or heavy makeup, but the original style of the eighties is in my opinion equally hard work. Having tried to do the dramatic hair, make up and clothing on a daily basis (bearing in mind this was originally a club style, not really an everyday one), I can tell you that it's a complete nightmare.

Lots of generic tips for making your life easier do apply to us all (lay out what you're wearing the night before, use one versatile everyday bag all the time instead of switching between several), and I'd certainly recommend evaluating how much time you're willing to devote to dressing up. However, there are ways to make life easier for yourself when you're in a rush and don't have time to perfect your deathhawk or pick which pair of winklepickers suit your outfit best -

Eyes OR lips

I've never really agreed with the fashion 'rule' of picking lips or eyes to focus on - particularly for going out - but for reducing the amount of effort necessary to look fabulous, choosing between wearing lipstick or eye make up can be useful ( lipstick feels pointless when I'm going out for a meal, and eye make up takes so much time in the mornings). Hell, Siouxsie Sioux, Ancient Goddess from beyond the stars deemed it worthy of gracing her face, so it's good enough for the likes of us. Feel free to go as dramatic as you wish for your choice, however!

Less hair, less fuss

Teasing takes a lot of time. Even with the new faux side cut I learned how to do from a Kazlovesbats' video (way quicker than my usual), it's decidedly more effort than my usual rolling out of bed and yanking a brush through it. If you don't want to give up your teased hair for accessories, hats or other styles (though these are also valid choices), cutting down on the amount you have to tease may be the answer. Side cuts (fake or real), hawks and shorter haircuts are less effort to style, and save you precious time in bed in the morning (I also regularly wear the style you see here, which is suitably gothy and unbelievably low effort). Speaking of having time in the morning...

Crimp the night before

I've always sworn by the adage my mother taught me - 'five minutes at night is ten in the morning'. Getting ready before bed when you don't have to rush can stop stress the next morning. For those goths who are inseperable from their crimping irons, putting in many small braids the night before can be very useful (and are also a good way to get the crimped look if you don't want to make the investment in crimping irons yet) - and as a bonus don't damage your hair as much.

Go easy on the ripped tights

Ripped tights are an easy way to take an outfit from plain to Patricia Morrison, but on the other hand they're a nightmare to get on if you slept through your alarm and are in a rush - this also applies to layering tights and other clothing items. Decorated leggings can be a good alternative for the lazy.

Put the effort into one stand out piece

This is possibly the best piece of advice I can give you; putting the effort into one standout piece of clothing (usually a patched-up jacket, coat or a vest, but it could also be a bag or other item) that you can just throw on when you don't want to make an effort and still look GAF is always worth it. Not only that, but the DIY and effort you put into it will make it a far more personal item that means far more to you as a result.



Thanks for reading!





Fee

Christmas Crafting: Knitted Scarf

I'm sad that I didn't get to make more presents for people this Christmas, but I did my best - I still made fudge, peppermint creams and a phone sock for Ben, but I hope to do better next year.

I did made a scarf over the holidays for my godfather - 10mm needles with Rowan Wool (extremely soft and squishy). The pattern is pretty simple for beginners, and grows like a weed.



As you can see here.

Knitting is something I've been doing for a while, but I wouldn't be able to stick it out for anything larger than a scarf or hat/gloves - jumpers, quite honestly, sound like a nightmare.






Fee

Holly and Candles: Merry Christmas 2013!

Merry Christmas, everybody! Equally, Happy Hanukah/solstice/winter festivities/same old boring day to you. I'm taking a break from blogging over the holidays (I'll still have some posts, but they'll be queued and probably less regular) to take on some shifts at work and build up my blogging queue again. I'll be back full throttle again in the new year, of course!

I thought I would share these photos I took yesterday of my mum's real holly table and mantelpiece decorations which I did for her this year - it's normally my dad's job, but he hates it and passed the responsibility on to me this year. My finger tips are sore and swollen from being jabbed constantly, but it was lots of fun!

Anyway, I hope you're all with loved ones and enjoying yourselves - have a lovely time!


Fee

Christmas Crafting: NES phone sock

It's always the case around Christmas that I make up for my lack of crafting during the rest of the year (I've got out of the habit with a heavy workload and poor health, unfortunately), and it's no different this year. Thankfully, I've got an accomplice in the gamer, who I've recently infected with the crafting bug - I can't stop him coming up with t shirt designs now.

I made this NES phone sock for his christmas present (we traded a present each early, so no worries about spoilering him). It was made with the use of basic hand stitching, my glue gun and a lot of curses and time. I hate stitching on felt and I'd have fixed things if I had more time (it took longer than anticipated), but he assured me that he loved it. We also made some Mario themed baubles together (and have plans for death star and pac-man ones), but I won't post that until we've completed the set.

Finally, I'm back to knitting - this time a scarf for my uncle. I love the pattern I'm using, and the wool is wonderfully cosy and soft. Photos when finished, though it's not quite as exciting as this phone case.

Anyway, that's the last of this quick post, so hoping all your crafts are going well too!



Fee

8 quick fixes for your blog

Although this isn't my first blog, I'm still improving how I write and what I can do with my blog as I go. Although content is the number one thing you should be focusing on, there's a lot of ways to make your blog more professional, better looking and above all more yours.

Most advice online focuses on how to draw more traffic and make money out of your writing ('use keywords! Try Adsense! Link to and comment on other people's posts!'), and there's little on all the wee things you can do to give your blog some TLC. So I decided to write my own list!

1. Edit your theme.

I'd hope that no one is still using the default blogger theme! Even doing small edits to your theme, such as changing the background, the sidebar alignment or even the text colour can make your blog feel far more like it's yours.

 

 

2. Evaluate your sidebars.

Specifically, what widgets you're using. Is it cluttered? What do you value when you visit someone else's page? I've been trying to stick by this advice and simplify my own one (it's not been easy - I hoard widgets), as it makes it look so much nicer. You might want to make a page for all the ways people can follow you to cut down on the different links on your sidebar.

3. Personalize your 404 error page

Amusing 404 pages are my catnip, and I have indeed edited mine (you can see it whenever my blog messes up). For blogger users, this can be done by going to 'settings' in your blogger dashboard, clicking on 'search preferences' and form there to 'Custom Page Not Found'. A html box will pop up, and you can put whatever you like in there.

 

4. Upload a favicon.

For those who haven't heard of favicons, these are the wee icons that appear next to a webpage in a tab. These can be made with any image using a Favicon Generator, pick one from pre-made ones or make your own.

 

5. Tidy up your tags.

I am the worst of the worst for using silly tags on tumblr. However, in blogger, readers do actually use tags to find similar posts on your blog, and thus they are pretty important. Try and cut down on your tags so that you don't have to wade through all the unnecessary tags you use to find the more common ones.

 

6. Make a header.

This is perhaps a little hypocritical, given I don't currently have one myself! Nonetheless, making a header for your blog can make it far more personal than a simple text header.

7. Have an 'About Me' page.

I love writing about me pages! Here, you can give your readers a wee insight into you and even what you post on the blog (I have a separate page for this now, but it depends on what you want), and allows you to have far more creative control than you do over the blogger account profile. 

8.  Decide how much time you want to devote to your blog.

Overall, blogging is a fun hobby for most of us, and if you're constantly forgetting to post or are stressed because it's taking up too much time in your life, the whole point of it is lost (also - it's obvious, but post on subjects you're interested in, or you won't enjoy it). Look at how often you get inspiration for a new post, how much time you can dedicate to the blog and where you want to take it and from there work out a posting schedule.


And that's all, folks! Hope you enjoyed the more offbeat post. :)



Fee