When we spotted this super-cute girl shopping at Calico, OF COURSE, we accosted her to snap a pic! We love her 80′s-inspired platinum shag with DIY teal stripes! Get the look by sectioning off your hair with strips of scotch tape, then dab on Manic Panic in the electrifying hue of your choice!

Calico’s owner, Elissa, shows you a ridiculously easy way to tie a turban-style head scarf!

{Images via Google}

Loving everything to do with gold leaf as a beauty accessory! Probably not super healthy to rim your eyes in–but it’s so rad-looking, who cares? Inspired to enlist a buddy and go as Silver and Gold for Halloween…

{Sources: Honestly WTF’s AWESOME Gold Leaf Jewelry Tutorial, Covetous Creatures}

We love Holly’s neon yellow & pale grey color combo! Check out her awesome blog & view her DIY tutorial here!

We wanted to get a fancy red carpet step and repeat–but we didn’t want to spend a small fortune. We decided to DIY it, and we’re so psyched with the results!

How did we do it, you ask?

You’ll need…

A biiig piece of paper
Acrylic paint
Exact-o knife
Masking tape
A small painter roller and pan
Adobe Illustrator and some know how OR a Kinko’s/Staples/OfficeMax
A wall
Tacks

We started out with 8-foot photo backdrop paper. We already have it in our studio for our catalog photoshoots. You could also get a big roll of paper at a craft store or art supply store. For best results, we recommend using a surface approximately 4-6 ft wide by 6 ft high.

Once you’ve established your backdrop, measure it and plan your stencil size accordingly. Ie. if you are using an 8-foot backdrop, as we are here, you would want to make your stencil about 2 feet, so you can space your prints evenly across your field.

To create our repeat pattern, I loaded a high res PDF of our logo into Adobe Illustrator and printed the image in large tiles on 8.5 x 11 paper. If you’re not handy with Illustrator, you can also bring your logo to a printer or a place like Staples or Office Max and have a large print made for under $5. Just make sure you start with a high res PDF file, so your graphic will print clearly.

After I printed our logo, I glued it down to a heavier paper (A light-weight plastic–if you can find it–might withstand multiple runs better than paper) and carefully cut out the logo with an Exact-o blade. Don’t worry if you don’t cut it perfectly or if you accidentally cut out important bits (I made TONS of mistakes, as my exacto was dull, and I has to resort to a bulky utility knife half-way through!) You can easily repair any mishaps with some masking tape! And, if it’s a little messy? Who cares! It’s DIY! A little handmade flavor is cute!

After my stencil was cut, I handed the project over to Cody, who taped the stencil to our backdrop paper (use a removable tape like masking tape or painter’s tape) and rolled the stencil with a small paint roller and some acrylic paint.

To install our backdrop, we’ll use an inexpensive photo paper stand, but you could also just tack it up to a wall!

Optional final touch: Scour thrift stores or discount stores for a cheap red carpet to add the perfect finishing touch! Or try astro-turf or brightly-painted plywood for a creative take on the traditional red carpet set-up!

As you can see, there are some messy bits here and there, but our DIY step and repeat is doing the DAMN THANG! I think our guests are going to have tons of fun having their pictures taken on this custom backdrop!

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! Sorry there aren’t more pics–actually, I sort of wish I had taken video! Oh well…

Be sure to get your tickets to our party this Friday! You can buy them online or enter to WIN tickets from our friends at styleboston! For more info, please check out the event page on Facebook or click here!

xoxo,
Elissa

UPDATE!
See how our DIY Step & Repeat photos turn out…

Loving her folky vignettes of castles, people, and creatures–especially the toothy guy, above, who I think is a Pokemon.

A little straw hat is one of this season’s biggest trends!

I’ve always been a fan of this summer staple, so I thought I’d share a little DIY tutorial to refresh and personalize your old straw hat!

I purchased this one from American Eagle a few years ago. (I know, American Eagle–kind of gross–but I shopped all day and this really was the best one! And? It was only like 5 bucks!)

It’s been shoved in the trunk of my car since last summer!…

But here’s a quick tip to refresh anything made of woven straw: Just spritz it with a little water til it is just slightly damp. Then, reshape and let dry. Voila!

Here is what you will need to personalize your own straw hat!

>Ribbon.
> Strong hold glue–I like Quick Grip; it’s available at any craft store.  I like this brand, because it’s sticky like rubber cement–you can lift and reposition–but also dries pretty quickly and doesn’t have a strong smell.
> Feathers
> Straight pins, to help hold things in place
> Scissors

I wanted my hat to have a masculine/nautical feel, so I chose a navy colored grosgrain ribbon and layered it with a slightly thinner red ribbon with navy pinstripes.

1. First, cut the ribbon so it just slightly overlaps the circumference of your hat, creating your hat band. Glue in place, making sure to place the seam on the side of the hat you want to add your embellishments. (Tip: Don’t go crazy with the glue! Just a little will keep your embellishments secure. I only glued the seam and four points around the hat; that way, I will be able to remove this easily if I decide to switch it up later!)

2. To make a little bow: Cut two lengths of ribbon (if you are layering, then two of each) one about 8 inches and the other about 4 inches. (Tip: I like to use little drops of glue to ensure my layered ribbons stay centered.)

(Click an image to view it larger!)

3. Create a loop with your 8” ribbon and glue in place. With the smaller cut piece, wrap around the center, to create a bow, remember to cover your seam on the underside, glue in place, and trim any extra.

5. Now, just glue the bow in place to cover seam you’ve made with your hat band.

6. Poke some feathers through the hat, underneath the ribbon. You can strip down the fluffy feather bits towards the bottom for a sleeker look. (Tip: I didn’t glue my feathers in place, because I’ll probably change them or add more as I find treasures on the beach this summer!)

Ta-dah! My finished product!

This is a great way to make an average, inexpensive straw hat look unique and feel more personal.

Stay tuned for an up-coming outfit post featuring mon chapeau. I’m sure I will be wearing it to death this summer!

Good Luck!

xo,
Cody

Googly Eye Mani by Kelly Eident of I’m Your Present

Googly Eye Shoe from The Dandy Project

Googly Eye necklace from The Swell Life

Sooo creepy! What would you DIY with googly eyes?…

xoxo,
Elissa

Cody’s line, please+thankyou, has experienced many incarnations and concentrations: She has created a series of clutches from her own handwoven textiles, hand-printed and embroidered a small collection of lingerie, and fashioned one-off hair pieces and “hatlets” incorporating vintage wool, feathers, and lace.

Her obsession du jour? Gorgeous, statement-making necklaces made of reclaimed vintage.

Cody with please+thankyou set-up.

Some new please+thankyou pieces.

Each please+thankyou piece is completely one-of-a-kind, individually-assembled from hand-picked vintage materials. These necklaces are sturdily constructed and backed in soft, recycled vintage hat felt–so they won’t irritate the skin or snag your clothes!

I love to wear these necklaces with a totally casual jeans and tee look, but they’re also perfect paired with a favorite little black dress for a fancy night on the town!

Calico: Friends & Associates.

I just HAD to weasel this one, after the event was over! LOVES IT!

I also made a little video of Cody working on some of her designs. This is my first video-editing project in a loooong time, and it was lots of fun to make! Enjoy!

To inquire about any of the pieces you see here or to receive more info about please+thankyou, custom orders, or bridal accessories, contact cody@shopcalico.com.

Look for more of please+thankyou when Calico’s webshop launches this spring! Til then, you can follow @please_thankyou on Twitter–and be sure to follow @shopcalico, too, for TONS of behind-the-scenes peeks at in-process please+thankyou, freshly-scored vintage goods–and MORE!

xoxo,
Elissa