I'd honestly thought that Miss Bunny had the last word in gorgeous painted shoes, but that was before I discovered Studio Jellyfish - another artistic collective that uses shoes as its main canvas. The results are sexy, striking and very colourful - this is one-off footwear that will invoke serious envy in those not in the know.
If you're a fan of wearable art and want a pair of shoes that you won't find anywhere else in the world, check out the Studio Jellyfish Etsy Store where you'll find hand-painted shoes, bags and the facility for custom orders. Shoes cost around $129 (around £80) which I think is pretty reasonable for unique pieces. Shipping to the UK can be arranged. [Via Shoewawa]
Related: Hand-painted leather and lace boots | My favourite shoes: Jule's hand-painted red pumps
Call me a wuss, but I like my weatherproof items to be cosy and warm as well as water-resistant, but it's still relatively tricky to find a pair of boots that have sufficient insulation. And what's the use of a pair of wellingtons that simply let water leak in where you least want it? Beats me, but somehow it's taken the ingenuity of a crafter to come up with a workable fix.
That crafter is Stephanie Sabbe, who's come up with this quick and easy tutorial that allows you to cosy up your wellies using fleece and the printed fabric of your choice. The possibilities here are endless, and you'll wind up with a snuggly pair of boots you want want to take off. Nice work!
Related: Wednesday Wearables: painted shoes | Crafty Crafty's pick of the best winter warmers you can make yourself
We love a bit of trompe l'oeil around here. Such simple techniques can be used to provoke a really strong reaction in the viewer, as their expectations are suddenly tricked - making you, the crafter, into someone very, very powerful!
The technique used here is basic stitching, but it's been used to create the appearance of a rain mac on this ordinary cotton shift dress. The project is by Craftster user LittlePierre, who made it up as part of her senior design class at Florida State University. We suspect she'll go far. [Via Craftzine]
Related: Wednesday Wearables: Animal print playsuit | Wednesday wearables: make a ruffle-top shirt
Any day soon I'm going to get cold and desperate enough to start ripping up my boyfriend's old sweaters and get working on them to create some seriously warm winter woollies.
Fireflies and Jelly guides you through the process here, from intact jumper to cute warmers complete with a decorative button. This isn't rocket science (or even advanced sewing) and as you can probably guess, the finished product is essentially a sleeve for your stems. But there's a little more to it than that to have them looking awesome, so I suggest giving the tutorial a read.
Craft and fashion often combine with some interesting results. It can go horribly wrong and it can go wonderfully weird. Hitting for the wonderfully weird but utterly amazing team, are Romance was Born.
Australian designers, Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales combine a love of kitsch Australiana, crafty construction and fine tailoring to "turn the dreaded cultural cringe on its head" and the results are crafty, kooky and downright inspiring. Take a wander through the collections on their website to see hot pink trousers with dinosaur spikes, a crocheted green beard, dresses covered in eyeballs, and squid hats complete with tentacles.
You won't find any outfits you might want to wear out dancing of a weekend but you'll certainly have fun imagining yourself doing so in one of their creations. Underneath their crazed crafty costumes there are also hints at versions you might make yourself with the kook-factor turned down a tad.
Whichever way you look at it there's inspiration all over Romance was Born. Well worth checking out.
Shoes looks so much prettier when they've got a decorative fabric lining inside, don't you think? I'm sure I'm not the only one to have bought a pair based at least in part on how much I loved the bit that nobody (but me) will ever see. Or perhaps I am.
But with that in mind, it's really easy to spruce up your shoes and give them a bit of a re-vamp with a matching fabric trim and lining. You could do this with almost any pair of court shoes or pumps, perhaps using a sample of fabric from a dress or skirt you already wear for extra coordination.
The full tutorial, with instructions on how to revamp your shoes can be found here.
If you feel the cold the way I do, you'll probably be jumping for joy now legwarmers are (apparently) back on the fashion menu after suffering years of ridicule. They're a great way to stay warm and keep wearing all your favourite skirts and dresses all year round, adding colour and interest to your outfit.
Woolen or jersey garments are what normally come to mind when you mention legwarmers, but you can make a far more chic and stylish pair using flattened fleece with button detail decor. These 'easy buttoned legwarmers' are as simple to make as their name suggests, and will earn you infinite DIY points. For the full tutorial, visit Laurpre's blog where the whole process is clearly set out.
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