DIY No Sew Mexi-fabric Pocket Tank

 Lately I have been all about the "Accent Pocket."  From the runways to the streets of the hood (outside my window -_-) everyone is hot on the AP trend. 

Here's an easy NO SEW tutorial to give your summer clothes new life and some extra kick.  

Step 1: 

I started with and old white cotton t-shirt that I had ombré dyed with Tulip's One-step tie dye.  You can see my ombré dying video here to learn how I achieved the look. 

Then, I cut the t-shirt into a tanktop.  

Step 2: 

Next measure out a 5"x5" square onto some card stock paper.. I would explain more but um... just look at the pic yo! lol

Trace the pattern onto the fabric with some fabric chalk then cut it out with about a 1" seam allowance.  

To give the pocket a little more weight, I cut a strip of fabric. About 2 1/2" in height and 7" in across.

Step 3: 

Use Aleene's peel & stick Fabric Fusion tape to seal the seams of your pocket by folding excess fabric in on itself.  

Create seams for the fabric strip and use the fabric fusion tape to adhere strip to the top-front of your pocket  

Back of finished pocket

Front of finished pocket

Step 4:

Trace pattern with chalk onto tank to get a general idea of where you want your pocket placed.

Add Fabric Fusion to back of your pocket.  Be sure to only add the tape to the sides and bottom of the pocket, otherwise the pocket will be sealed and...uh...won't be a pocket...

so yeah...

Now you're gonna place the pocket onto the tank.  The tape is like, SUPER permanent so you are gonna have one shot to get the pocket in the right place so..uuh..GOOD LUCK brah!

Press down firmly to make sure that your pocket is completely adhered to the tank.

Step 5:

Finally I added this Crafty Chica iron on applique to the pocket using a high heat iron, on the "wool" setting.  Then just follow instructions on the packaging.    

...BOOM...

That's it! Pocket finished!

I even made a few different pockets with different design patterns!

Enjoy making your own rad, no-sew pockets ya'll!

Bloody Valentine Heart Tutorial

 

So as I'm sure most of you are aware, it's once again that time of the year to remember that you have been completely single on the 14th of February for the last 3 years.....celebrate the love between yourself and your significant other.

YES, Valentine's day is coming up in just a few short days.  If you're like me and you can't really get into the gushy, sappy-love stuff, here's a little anti-Valentine for people who live in the real world-type Valentine's day project. 

This simple DIY project could make a great Valentine's day gift for the hip man or woman in your life.

...I mean, how many boxes of chocolate can one person eat anyway? 

(answer: if they are like me, as many as they are given)

umm....Let's do this!

So here's what you'll need:

Step 1:
Start with a white shirt. Be sure that your shirt is 100% cotton or a high cotton blend to ensure the brightest, most vibrant colors.

Using a black Tulip fabric marker from iLovetoCreate, draw an anatomical heart onto the front of your shirt.

Step 2:

Outline the top half of the heart with Tulip's Tie-Dye Resist.  This will aid in preventing the dye from spreading outside the line. Because the resist is clear, you may want to go over the outline 2 or 3 times just to ensure that you don't miss any spots ( like I did ).  

 

Step 3:

Next, mix together your Tulip One Step Dye.  To achieve the desired crimson color, I mixd red with a bit of black and purple dye. Then in a separate bottle, I created a slightly darker shade to add some dimension to the heart.  Once the colors are all mixed together, spray your heart with some water. Try and keep the water within the lines of your heart where you added the resist. On the lower half of your heart, where you didn't add resist,  you may be more liberal with the water because we want the dye to "bleed" in that area.  

Now using your paintbrush, paint in your heart with the dye then shade with darker color.

Step 4:
Using a finer tipped paint brush, add "blood drips" to the bottom of your heart. For best result on the drips, paint onto DRY fabric. This will ensure that the drips remain crisp and don't spread.
Lastly, let your shirt dry for about 5 hours or overnight so that your colors remain vibrant for many washes.

The final product

Dia de Los Muertos Sugar Skull cake pops

AHHHHHHHH.

The fall crispness is in the air (finally!) and Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is just around the corner and I must say it's going to be a serious celebration this year!!!!!!

And nothing says celebration quite like cake...

 AMIRIGHT??!!!

Luckily, I have a gorgeous, talented, baker for a sister who has the raddest, most creative edible ideas for all of our family occasions. This time she showed me the art of cake popage.

I even got to try my hand at decorating the cake pops and they came out pretty flawless, if I do say so myself.


For inquiring minds, here's a list of products we used:

• Pillsbury Funfetti boxed cake mix
• Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting (to bind the cake)
• Wilton's lolly pop sticks
• Wilton's candy melts in red, black, yellow and green (for decoration)
• Nestle's premier white morsels (these add a lot of flavor and really nice coverage as well as a bright white finish)
• vegetable oil (for thinning out the candy melts and white morsels to make them easier to work with)
• Wilton's red sparkle gel
• Styrofoam block wrapped in tissue paper for presentation   

And now, for the goods:

How to: A Sugar Skull Makeup Tutorial

Over the course of the last few years,  I have been painting my own face in a sugar skull style for the annual Day of the Dead (or Dia de Los Muertos) celebration on November 2nd.

People are always hitting me up on my Instagram and Tumblr, asking what products I use and how to paint the decorative designs that make the sugar skull so distinctive,  so I made a video to show you how I do it.

I've used everything from my sister's makeup, clown-grease makeup and even regular craft paints. Hands down, I'm loving the Tulip Body Art line by iLovetoCreate.  It goes on like buttah and feels really light.

So, enjoy my tutorial. Hopefully it will inspire you to create your own amazing sugar skull. :D

Heart Burn crafty Shenanigans

 I was at Michael's arts and crafts a while ago and while browsing the aisle, I came across this really cool iron-on applique by the Crafty Chica.  I've had it sitting around for a while because I am very capricious and I could never decide where or what to put it on.  

   Well today I decided to man-up and just do it already.  So I pulled out my favorite denim jacket and made a commitment.. and I'm totally happy with the result :) I just may start to make more commitments...

hows about a face tattoo for starters??!!!!!!! 

ok maybe I'll start with giving my dog a bath or something first

anyways...application was totally easy 

My jacket was already pre-washed because I have owned it for quite some time, but if you are using a new item, it is important to pre-wash the item to avoid the applique coming off when the article shrinks.   

I then placed the patch on my Jacket in the location I wanted.  After trying many places I decided on putting the applique on my right shoulder.  

After carefully placing the applique in the exact desired position, I covered the area with an old t-shirt and pressed  the applique onto the sleeve of my jacket, held it there for about 30 seconds, turned the sleeve inside out and repeated the process from the inside.

Et voila! A rad patch that gives any Jacket, hat, T-shirt, backpack or bag a gnarly customized look

ttyl beijos tchau

 BoifromIpanema

BoifromIpanema Art

Hand painted Frida Kahlo doll.

My Dia de los Muertos Bride and Groom Barbie doll. It was tough to part with these two but I can always paint more just like it...I guess?

Sadly, I didn't get a  finished pic of my first-ever Chola Barbie. She had tattoos on her neck, suspenders, a bad ass bandanna, GIANT  hoop earrings and black rubber bracelets...she was pertty rad.

Close up Indian Henna inspired Dia De Los Muertos Barb.

Spider web eyes.

Each face is painted differently.

I designed four of the six sugar skull designs featured on these wood costers.

Pearmama (my sister) candles--all featuring her original artwork (I just did all the grunt work of  putting the images on the candles--you're welcome sister <3--)

The beginning.

I'm in my box, ready to find a cool new home.

Profile.

Blonde Barbie gets some Day of the Dead flavor.

Hand-painted rosaries!

The studio, filled with some good stuff.

Bride.

An assortment of dolls, including a soldier doll to the left.

Dig this Rasta-colored Barbie doll.

Black Swan inspired.

Close up, so beautiful!

Hand-painted masks by Sacred Art.

My Day of the Dead face paint turned out sweet, right?

Me and my two sisters.

11/2/2011, Dia de los Muertos,  CA

Posing.

With the el catrin and la catrina.

Altar.

If you like any of the artwork you see, you can contact Jeshua (that's me *winks awkwardly*) at boifromipanema@gmail.com