Sketches of a Life

Do you think September is too early for a Halloween post? Well, as far as I am concerned, it is never too early to start planning your costume, so here it goes!

First of all, I have to say Halloween is not a very popular and widespread celebration in my country (we usually celebrate Mardi Gras in February or March), but there’s a handful of enthusiasts trying to make it a thing, including myself. This is the main reason why we don’t put as much work into our Halloween costumes as into our Mardi Gras get-ups, but we do make efforts at marking the occasion. These mostly revolve around organizing costumed parties and gatherings at local bars and clubs but, I regrettably must admit, there are still too many people attending these without a mask.

Anyway, anyone who knows me personally can tell that I’m crazy about costumed parties, and that I tend to spend much more money on my costumes than on several of my daily outfits combined (illustrating how I care much more about what I am wearing on Halloween and Mardi Gras than on any other occasion). They also know that I despise ready-made, purchasable costumes, and that I always - without exception - hand-make my own. However, last year I was absolutely broken at the time around Halloween, and it was just impossible for me to set aside a considerable amount of money for my costume. And since missing out on Halloween was not an option, I had to come up with a DIY costume that totalled less than €5.00. And you know what? I did it!

While browsing the Internet for inspiration, I stumbled upon an image of a face overgrown in branches, or burst out in veins (not sure actually, but it doesn’t even matter) on Pinterest. As soon as I saw it, I figured it was going to make an awesome, discernable and, above all, cheap solution to the question of what to wear that year. However, considering the mask was being made last-minute and on a budget, it was not half as simple as the photos may make out. On the contrary, it proved to be quite challenging and included a lot of improvisation.

But don’t be discouraged right away: the purpose of this post is to serve as a guideline for everyone who would like to try to create something similar on their own!

You'll need:

paper tissues

clear school glue

clear fake eyelashes glue (or liquid latex)

liquid foundation

pressed powder

matte eyeshadows (red, purple, yellow, brown)

As the original mask was made of liquid latex, the first problem I encountered was the general impossibility of finding it in stores in Croatia, and it was already too late to buy it online. So I had to improvise. I took some paper tissues, cut them into different length thin lines (no longer than 3-4 cm), rolled them, formed them into branchy-shapes and glued them all around with some school glue. The glue made the paper more rigid and easily shaped, and also prevented its disintegration when in contact with liquid (i.e. the foundation that I later applied). Note: I did this the night before Halloween to make sure the glue dried.

The second problem was how to attach them to my skin (please note that it has to be absolutely clean and dry!). Again, lacking liquid latex, I decided to try with some false eyelashes glue. This turned out to be the perfect solution: as it is designed to be applied to the skin, there’s only an insignificant probability of allergic reactions and other side-effects, and it really holds very well. But removing it takes a lot of rubbing, so bear this in mind before deciding on this solution!

After the glue had dried, I applied the liquid foundation in the colour similar to my skin tone all over my face, neck and the attached veins (using a brush). Then I applied some pressed powder all over my "creation” to cover up the shine and to even out the lines between the foundation and my skin. In the mentioned Pinterest image this was the end of the transformation: the veins had the same colour as the surrounding skin. However, I thought it would be more efficient to paint bruises all around my “skin mutation”. I achieved the effect with dark purple, brown, yellow and red eye shadows. And that was it!

The best thing of all: I only spent €2.50 on two small tubes of false eyelashes glue and €2.00 on the liquid glue I used to make the veins more rigid. Of course, I already had all the makeup I needed, and all that I still had to do was to tease my hair and to wear something black. I must say I am very proud of how it turned out: maybe even better than some of my way too expensive costumes!

Of course, you can cover different parts of your skin with these veins / branches and add more details to make it creepier. For the purpose of the Croatian Halloween, this was more than plenty. I am already planning my costume for this year and buying the things I'll need to make it. So I hope this post is just in time to inspire you and allow you to timely get whatever you may need for your awesome DIY costume!

P.S. sorry for the photo quality: these were taken by my cell-phone and not intended to be published at the time :)

3:48 pm
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Makeover

creative ideas

It's been a while since my last post, I know. Sorry about that, it seems time is never on my side. I’ve been so busy lately that I am badly wishing I could turn my phone off at least for a day. But since that is not happening, I guess I’ll just have to continue racing the clock for a little while.

Anyway, if you’ve read my last post, “Something Old, Something New”, you’ll remember how I dismantled several old pieces of jewellery and turned them into a nice little statement necklace. Last week, I had a similar idea, but this time it evolved around an old handbag. When I put my hands on it, the clutch was broken, and I initially only had in mind replacing it. But as I tend to push things to the limits, I eventually ended up giving it a small “makeover”.

Long story short, I decided to “add some details” to break the plainness of the handbag and to make up for its lack of personality (cause I actually really like it: it has six or seven compartments, so I can easily organize all the unnecessary things I carry around). Once again, I used the materials from the jewellery I had dismantled last month, and added only a few new ones. These were all found on eBay, meaning that I’ve only spent a few Euros (and little time) on turning this old piece into practically a new one.

If you like my work and are interested in trying something similar on your own, you’ll need: a victim bag, studs (here), chains (here), jump rings (here), ruler, some thread, needle, scissors, and a pair of pliers (or tweezers). I’m not going to instruct you on how to stud, because it’s the next easiest thing to giving up. The important thing is, however, to cut the handbag cover open on the side (through the stitch), so you can thrust the stud prongs into it without breaking through to the inside. I used the studs to hold the jump rings, and then simply attached different sized chains to these and arranged them in a spider web-like design. In my case, arranging the studs was based on pure guessing, but I would definitely advise using a ruler to make your design look less messy! I also made sure the chains were intertwined in a way that would prevent them from falling behind when I open the handbag. When I was done with this, I simply sewed up the cut side so there were no traces left of anything being altered on the purse.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this little project. For me, DIY projects are a great distraction and relaxation from everyday obligations. I have millions of ideas, and I wish I had more time to devote to them, and maybe even call them a hobby one of these days. Cause there's nothing like breathing new life into worn-out objects in your closet, right?

Thanks for reading,have a nice day!

10:33 pm
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Something Old, Something New

creative ideas

I have weird daily routines, to say the least. Sometimes I literary work 24/7, forget to eat or sleep, and can't even remember which day it is. Other times, I have so much free time that I often decide to stay in bed and spend the day in front of my laptop. The trouble is, no matter how bored or exhausted I might be, I can't seem to fall asleep at night easily. Night is when my mind starts racing frantically, and I get ideas. Zillions of ideas. Of course, in the morning I completely forget about most of them, or deem them unrealizable, but every now and then something comes to my mind worth tackling with.

Recently my mother made me come by and take away all the belongings I had left in my old bedroom when I moved out. This included everything from my old drawings, primary and high school diaries (reading these was just hilarious!), letters (yes, the actual, hand-written letters!), to a pile of old jewellery. Going through all these made me think about how creative I used to be before; as I child, I was great in painting, clothes making, and in other areas that required some creativity. And I couldn’t remember when or how exactly I had discarded, disregarded, or lost it.

Anyway, looking at the jewellery pile, obviously unfashionable these days, made me believe that I might do something with it to make it stylish, instead of just throwing it away. Long story short, it was 2 a.m. when I started dismantling the old pieces, separating beads and pendants from chains, using tweezers as my main tool, as it was impossible to find anything such as pliers at the time. I would hardly recommend this to anyone, unless you are a self-destructive masochist craving to lose your mind. If so, knock yourself out!

After a number of finger cuts, broken nails, and some blood, I ended up with what I think is a lovely statement necklace. Maybe it's nothing special, but I am proud of the way it turned out, particularly because it was my first attempt at doing anything as such. And I am surely going to wear the hell out of it. Moreover, in the heat of the moment (a.k.a. the 5 a.m. madness) I even bought some DIY jewellery supplies online, determined to pursue my latest passion. But I tend to act hastily like that when I get excited about something, so I can’t promise I will still be interested in making jewellery after the supplies will have arrived. I guess it depends on whether you’ll like my pilot project! :)

To wrap everything up: my point is that we should start looking at our old jewellery and clothing in a new light, and always take into account recycling before throwing things away. Easy on our budget and environment, redoing old jewellery is a great way to reduce, reuse, and recycle old bits and turn them into beautiful DIY pieces. All you need is some will, skill, and time. Maybe you’ll even discover a hidden talent, who knows?

Also, I would like to express my newly discovered appreciation for all the women selling hand-made jewellery. I know now this is a hard work that calls for loads of talent, dedication, time, and love. My respect for all of you out there!

I am so impatient to hear your thoughts! What do you think of my "firstborn"? :)