DIY Love: Sheer Skirt

Make it mystic, look something suave, and go for a dare. Sheer skirts are anything but slutty if their maxi's. Plus, wear it under a dress or short skirt, for a sheer slip effect.

At your local textiles retailer buy some sheer material and elastic (bearing in mind lace doesn't need hemming at the bottom), cutting a piece approx 3 yards. Then measure your waist, and cut the two skirt pieces half the size (of your waist), adding at least 1 inch lease. You'll need to make the skirt an A-line, which is easiest to cut if you cut on the fold. 

Sew the 2 parts together on one side, and then fold over the top/waist once, before pinning in place and sewing (similar to a drawstring or curtain). Then push the elastic through the drawstring waist making it just a little bit shorter, so that you can sew the other side of the skirt up. Sew the other side of the skirt up and hem the bottom, leaving you with a sheer skirt for putting underneath or over clothing.

DIY Love: Fur Boots

Yeti boots have us a little bit lustful, so get the look for a high-street budget...

Take a pair of just below the knee socks in black, and cut the end off at the ankles, so your left with the funnelled part. You can also have other colour socks, depending on what fur colour you choose (eg white socks, white fur). You'll find faux fur at any good textiles retailer, and you should buy about half a metre of fur.

Take the socks and determine how much you want the fur to cover of them (eg all the way down, fur trim). Cut a piece that will fit round the sock and at your chosen length, getting rid of any loose fur from the piece after cutting. If your cutting is wonky, then quickly run the faux fur piece through a hemmer or fold it inwards (hiding the raw edge and straightening the edge) and sew.

Next, straighten the sock so it lies flat and on the seam, before glueing the inside edge of the fur piece. wrap the fur piece around the sock at the top,and hold in position for five minutes. make sure none of the glue seeps through both layers of the sock and sticks them together, otherwise you wont be able to get in it!

And there you have it fur anklets ready to wear over a pair of boots.

DIY LOVE: Headdresses and Hair-Pieces

Forget the completely boring world of hair bands and hair-pieces. We're going nature, natural and native. Indians keep hold of your horses, the cowboys are coming to town...

You'll need a headband that's either elasticated (flapper style) or a normal headband. It need's to be good for tying things onto it and into it. Peacock's gem headband is perfecto, so I'll give you a DIY tutorial with it in mind.

Ribbon: Tie it in neat bows or stream it down your hair, ribbons are a great thing for making a look eccentric. Make sure you use a figure of eight as the tying method so it stays attached. You could even take thick pieces of ribbon and sew mini sequins along it.

Feathers: If you want the feathers to point upwards, choose short ones, but for feathers that lie flat down your hair, choose long and lustrous versions. Take a needle with thread, and sew into the calamus (or stem) from top to bottom, making sure you pass through it at least 5x. Then start to sew round the headband, making sure you keep it tight. Or, if you prefer, don't sew in tightly round so that the feathers pour down your head even further.

Mesh and Lace:

Cut a piece of mesh that is oval (to fit your face), in any colour or style. You can get ones with miniature flowers attached, beaded versions and scalloped edge versions. You can usually find them in a good material shop. Then, turn the headband over and add a line of super- glue across the whole of the inside (make it thick). Make sure you cut the mesh/ lace appropriate to the curve of the headband. Or, if you have one that goes round your head (hippy band), then glue onto the inside part of the band that will sit frontwards. Then stick the lace to the glue, making sure no raw edge goes over the back. Hold it in place for at least five minutes before releasing your hand to reveal a veiled headband. Make sure you wear gloves when handling super-glue.

DIY Love: Shoes

Forget going vintage, we like to fake it while being tree-huggers.

Lacy Menace: It's so easy to make a pair of shoes laced, you could probably do it with your eyes closed (though may turn out wonky). Buy a pack of eyelets, available at most textile retailers. Then evenly space out the eyelets across the edge of the shoe (instructions are usually included) on both sides, using equal amounts. Then take any pair of laces, ribbon, maybe even elastic (left). The shoe has to be open top (basically not boots) for it to work. Ask for the small size eyelets when purchasing, or go for big if you want a unique take.


Stamp stamp stamp: We all know those things that go on envelopes when were sending off bills of cards, right? Well, why not stamp them all over your shoes (not the stick on ones). Choose anything, ink stamps in the shape of flowers, URGENT stamps, or a stamp from a nightclub. Sure to be statement whatever you're doing.

Cut Me up: Plastic or rubber shoes are perfect for sinking a knife into....sanely, of course. Why not try making interesting shapes into your shoes?

Paint the Town: Quite literally paint the town red with your shoes. paint them all over, or use a mosaic to do your dirty work. Differentiate the colours (with the mosaic) to make them boho chic.

DIY Love: Sweater

Is there an old sweater in your dads or boyfriends cupboard, just wasting there. Well, time to put it to use with this handy trick...

Take the sweater and measure it against your body, to get an idea of how long it is. if it's below the knee, cut  to a length suitable to you and suitable to be a dress. Then roll the raw edge up twice, before sewing. Take a waist or hip belt (a unique take on a 20's dress) and clinch it round, so the jumper has a lovely, slouched drape. And there you have it, a sweater dress in half an hour!

DIY Love: Tee

Make your tee shirt a one-off with our handy tips:)

Rips: Make it shabby, gothic and utterly outrageous by adding artful slashes in your tee. Take a piece of chalk and pinpoint where the tee go's over your chest. Then, taking a knife or scissors, rip's the tee upwards, sideways, horizontally, making sure the rips are quite long to avoid the tee looking like it's been chomped on by the dog. Avoid the chest if you want a less revealing look.

Sequins: Sequins are easy to sew on and can be used with slashes to create a textured effect. Determine where you want the attention to be brought to on your tee (i.e. sleeves) and start to sew them on in clusters round that area. Any colour can be used.

Netting/ Lace: for a much more unique and individual look, go for netting or lace. sew it on the inside of the tee( so turn in inside out), unless you want the netting to have the raw edge on show, do it on the outside. Try to keep the stitch neat if it isn't the same colour as the netting or lace.

Tie Dye: One of the easiest of all, tie dye can make a tee shirt look boho and chic. Choose a few colours (bearing in mind choosing the primary colours means you can make other colours too by mixing) and put it a bowl with some water. Let the tee soak in it for at least 10 minutes before taking it out. You can also use tea-bags and wine to give it a rugged, vintage effect. Ask in your paint shop about dye.

New Page: Dolly Mixture: DIY Love: Earrings

Arm yourself with a handful of tassels, brooches and feathers...

Hooks: You can find them online or if you prefer, go to your local DIY shop and ask about earring hooks (and where to find them). Jewelry DIY have a range of different packs in golds, bronzes and misty silvers. Mix and match on beads, tassels and feathers of your choice. Another idea is Ribbon. string it through the eyelet and ties in bows, knots and all sorts. You can tie more than one ribbon per earring too.

Hoops: Hoop's have to be the best for diversity. you can practically string anything onto them, including small bracelets! Again Jewelry DIY have a great selection of different sizes and shapes. Pearls, rhinestone, Porcelain and glass, you name it and you can hoop it..:)