Puma was having a promotion with Foursquare just last month. As long as you checked in at either of their Puma outlets with a soccer tip, you got yourself a free pair of shoe laces! I picked out this pretty blue pair of laces and decided they were too pretty to go onto my shoes. I wanted to show case them in another way.

Inspiration struck me and I figured some other things I could do with the laces include:
- using them as a hair/head band
- tying it around the neck as a choker

Using them as a bracelet is another good option, but instead of just tying them around your wrists, let’s make a proper bracelet with them laces. The laces I used here are brand new ones, but if you’re going to reuse one from an old pair of sneakers, it might be a good idea to wash those laces before you start anything.

Step 1: Put the two laces together and fold them in equal halves. Tie a knot to secure the top.

You should have 4 laces to work with.

Step 2: Start with the right most lace and weave the lace over the lace next to it. Go under the next one and again, over until you reach the end.

Step 3: When you reach the end, use the same lace to go under the first lace before weaving over and under again. Remember, the key is to alternate the pattern of going over and under each lace.

Keep the laces woven tightly together and you’ll be able to see the zig-zag pattern on your bracelet when you keep weaving.

Step 4: When you run out of lace space, simply tie a knot to finish off your lace bracelet!

Your bracelet will make a perfect accessory to wear on Sneaker Sundays with your favourite pair of sneakers. But if you need a pair of sneakers to match your bracelet, Violet has the perfect solution on how you can customise your own pair!

Welcome back to Sneaker Sunday.

It’s good to be back.

The apples used here aren’t really THAT big, but that was totally irrelevant. Lol. Here’s my nail art design inspired by the City that Never Sleeps: New York and it’s dazzling bright lights.

1) After applying your base coat and cuticle oil, paint 2 coats of your reddest red nail polish on all your toes. I used Revlon’s nail polish in 680 Revlon Red.

2) When the 2 coats are sufficiently dry, slather on a generous amount of clear top coat. This will act as the glue for all your nail decorations. While the top coat is still wet, carefully place the juicy apple slice in your desired position.

3) To mimic the bright lights of the City, I used red and silver crystals and mini gold balls alongside the apple slice. Randomly cluster them together next to the apple while the top coat is still wet and push them firmly down against your nail.

4) Do up both toes. The design for both toes dont have to be identical. To finish, paint 2 layers of top coat over the decorations to hold them securely in place. Let dry completely.

The result is a dazzling mix of bright sparkly jewels against the vibrant red backdrop of your nail. Feel free to add more apples or bling to your nails to really feel the energy of the City. In the meantime, while waiting for your toes to dry, why not head on over to Violet’s and she’ll have tips for you on what types of sneakers to wear this lazy Sunday..

What’s in store for your summer holidays? My trip is just 2 weeks away! I’m sooooo excited.

Some people like to leave a big floppy bow at the top of their sneakers but I prefer to criss-cross my laces and tuck them inside my shoe so clumsy ol’ me never ever runs the risk of tripping over my own laces. That being said, I also never ever have to undo my laces whenever I put my shoes on. I simply slip my foot into my sneaker! Hooray for laziness!

Another variation to the lazy girl no untying method is doing your laces straight across. How cool is that! I’ve always seen these laces on the awesome sneakers of skater girls and boys.

But guess what, if you’re a big fan of having your laces straight across, I’m about to show you how to make your cool laces even cooler in this week’s Sneaker Sunday post. Sneakers are meant to be cool, and with the right laces, you can make them so chilly it’s almost like the North Pole. Lol. Pardon the cold joke. HAHAHAHA.

All you need to jazz up your sneakers is a shoelace of your favourite colour. But if you are like me and couldn’t get the colour you wanted, I opted for a gold ribbon measuring the same length as that of your original shoe lace.

Start at the lace nearest to your ankle. Push the coloured lace under the first lace and then bring it over the second one. At the third lace, go over again and under the fourth shoelace. See the pattern yet? Good. You want to alternate and weave the coloured lace over and under the original lace on the shoe. Keep the weave as straight as possible.

When you reach the last lace on your shoe, fold the decorative lace over the bottom lace and slip it under the shoelace above it. Repeat the weave by going over and under again next to the weave you already did previously.

It takes a little patience to finish the entire grid but keep going over and under the laces and when you finally finish weaving the entire grid, tuck the loose end into the shoe and viola, your laces are now super cool awesome laces. Here’s how your regular laces should look like after.

What do you think?

If jazzing up the laces aren’t enough for you, you have to check out what Violet did to make her shoes stand out! They are amazing!

We have super sneakers this Sunday! Happy Sneaker Sunday everyone!

Our Mums have put in lots of blood, tears and sweat to raise and provide for us. So instead of buying her a present off the shelf, why not take a little time and effort to make her a present? Our mums surely deserve it.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to showing you how to make chocolate flowers for mum, with love:

Things you need:
- satay sticks
- chocolate Ferrero Rocher
- ribbons (both cloth and plastic ones)
- scotch tape
- cling wrap
- tissue wrapping paper

Step 1: Pierce the satay stick till midway through the Ferrero Rocher. You want to make sure the satay stick makes a clean stab yet doesn’t entirely go through the chocolate. We wouldn’t want to spoil a pretty flower would we?

Step 2: To keep the chocolate fresh, wrap a large square piece of clingwrap around the chocolate and secure the ends around the satay stick with scotch tape.

Step 3: Now we move on to making the petals of the flower. Fold a 20cm length of plastic ribbon in half.

Step 4: Leaving a margin of about 2.5cm (1 inch) from where the two ribbon ends meet, use a sharp scissors and cut lengthwise. Each cut should be approximately 5mm away from the other.

When you fan the strips out, they should look something like this.

Step 5: We will need two of these ribbon petals. Wrap them one on top of the other around the satay stick and again secure with scotch tape. This makes for a fuller flower with many lovely petals.

Your chocolate is now complete! YAY! Decide how big you want your bouquet to be and make as many stalks as it takes to fill up your bouquet.

Step 6: We’re going to individually wrap each chocolate flower before we put them all together in a larger bouquet. Fold your tissue in half so the ends don’t match.

Step 7: Carefully place your chocolate flower in the middle of your tissue wrap.

Step 8: Fold the right corner of the tissue towards the middle.

Step 9: Now fold the left one over the right.

Step 10: Finish off the wrapping by tying a secure ribbon at the base of the flower.

When you’re done with one flower, keep going until you’ve got the desired number of flowers. Bunch them together, wrap with pretty paper and you’re good to go!

When next Sunday comes around, present them to mum with a big hug and kiss, and watch her gush over them. I promise she won’t bear to eat these beautiful chocolate flowers, but you gotta make her really. These flowers don’t last forever, but the thought of you working hard to make these chocolate Rocher flowers specially for her, will.

Remember, feet are friends, not food the forgotten.

So why not indulge your friends a little as a way of saying thank you? I promise they will thank you and show you some fancy footwork afterwards. No no, I’m not talking about any expensive foot treatment or treatments that require live fish. This blog is about going green remember? We do it DIY style here.

To pamper your feet, here’s how you do it:
1) Soak it. Prepare your spa by filling a small basin with warm water. You can add in one or two drops of essential oils, bath salts or even soap to really pamper your feet. When that’s ready, put your feet in and relax for about 10 to 15 minutes.
2) Scrub it. It’s time to scrub the dead skin and hard calluses off your feet because the skin has now softened thanks to the soaking. I use a foot file or foot scrubber for the deed and target stubborn areas like the heels and balls of my feet. Remember be gentle while scrubbing because it’s your foot you’re working on, not a piece of wood.
3) Moisturise it. Once your feet is all smooth and dead skin free, moisturise your feet with your favourite foot cream and throw in a little foot massage too. Oohhh… Ahhhh.. Tickly.
4) Nail it. I like to paint my nails at the end of it all. Because to top it off, other than having nice soft feet, pretty nails just completes the entire foot pampering session. I’m quite predictable with my pedicures. I usually go for red nail polish or a classic french pedicure (pictured).

Not sure how to do a pedicure? Violet’s latest Sneaker Sunday post shows you how to do one with cute nail art. Combine both my post and hers and you’re on your way to having happier feet for the entire week!

Sunday’s still not over yet, so break out your nail polishes and start your Sneaker Sunday right this instant!

Things you need
1. Feathers (any colour you like)
2. Small piece of cardboard
3. Red cloth approximately 4.5″ x 19.5″ or 12cm x 50cm
4. Red thread
5. Red hairband
6. Scissors
7. Needles

First, we will make the rose. Turn the cloth over and fold the width into half, making it about 2.5″ wide. This is the side that wont be exposed. Sew the edges down with small stitches. You dont have to be neat as we will be hiding this on the inside. Once you are done, turn the cloth inside out. The side that you want to show as the rose petals should be on the outside now.

Now we have to make the rose. You start by rolling the first edge of the cloth in for about an inch or so before folding the cloth outwards to make the “petals”.

Fold the long end of the cloth outwards to form a triangle. The triangle should be nearest to where the new “petal” will be (see visual). Wrap it around the rest of the “petals” you’ve made and hold securely at the base with the other hand.

Fold. Roll. Hold. Repeat.

When you’ve reached the end, sew the loose ends securely at the base/stalk of the rose with the needle and thread and admire your beautiful work. It might be a good idea to sew across the petals too. This helps to keep the shape of the rose. Make sure the sewing’s tight because we dont want the rose to come undone!

Now comes the easy part.

Glue stick the rose and feathers to the hairband at desired position with a glue stick.

To provide extra support for the rose on the hairband, we’ll use cardboard. Cut a circle from cardboard big enough to cover the base of the rose, but small enough to be hidden.

Cover it with the same red cloth you use for your rose so it camouflages.

Finally, attach the cardboard underneath the flower and feathers for stability.

VIOLA! Your new Valentine’s Day fascinator.

In case, you’re too lazy to try it out yourself, here’s a GIVEAWAY!

I honestly wasnt sure if I should give out this DIY item I personally made. I mean, I wanted to, but I really dont think it’s good enough. It’s definitely not store material of course. There’s a reason they call it DIY.

But since it’s Valentine’s Day and I’m in the spirit of giving (isnt that Christmas though?), leave your name and working email address in the comments section if you dont mind my brilliant (HAHA!) handiwork. One LUCKY commenter will receive this DIY fascinator in your mailbox!

Draw ends 11th of February 2010, 1200hr! So start commenting now.

All comments will be screened. Applicable to Singapore addresses only.

I’ve never had to bother with fake nails. Being absolutely clumsy it was either I cut them short, grew them out or get gel/acrylic extensions. But if you’re always busy working with your hands, what happens when you need a temporary permanent situation?

Fake nails to the rescue!

I only used them a couple of days before the actual Coronation while other girls sported extensions the whole time. Turns out they’re actually pretty easy to use!

What you need
- a fake nail kit (you can easily purchase them from a local drugstore)

The nail kit usually comes with an emery board, cuticle stick and nail glue. Otherwise, you will need to purchase them separately.

How to
1. Remove any trace of nail polish on your natural nails using cotton balls and nail polish remover. Wash your hands and dry thoroughly.

2. Apply hand-cream and allow it to soak into your skin.

3. Before applying the artificial nails, select the most appropriate sized one by matching the artificial nail to your natural one. The artificial nails should cover your natural nail and not be smaller than your actual nail.

4. Push your cuticle back to expose as much of your natural nail as possible.

5. File your nail surface using the emery board until it is smooth. This allows the glue to spread evenly and provides a better adhesive when you apply the artificial nail.

6. Spread an even layer of glue to your thumb and apply the fake nail starting from the edge nearest the cuticle. Apply gentle pressure and hold the fake nail down for 5 to 10 seconds before releasing.

7. Repeat Step 6 for the rest of the fingers.

8. Once you are done, viola, stretch your hands out and enjoy your handiwork! You can also choose to file any rough edges down or even shape the nails to any shape or length you want.

A couple of months back I did a tutorial on how to DIY a pair of bling lashes using glitter nail polish. That was the lazy girl easy way out. But here’s the REAL deal when it comes to blinging up your lashes.

These take a little less than an hour to do and in the final countdown your New Year’s Eve party, maybe you could do one up to add a little pizazz to your look later tonight!

Do you like them? If you do try this project out yourself at home, let me know how it goes for you!

Ive got mine all ready for my countdowns tonight and will probably post a picture of me wearing them bling in the next FOTD. So do check back for that look.

Have a Happy New Year!

Ookkkkaaaay.

I had trouble at first deciding what to get because I wasnt sure if we were supposed to get something for everybody or just one gift to swap. Then there was the problem of time. If I were to get something for everyone, I’d want to get different things for each person; personalised gifts that they each needed or wanted. Unfortunately, I didnt have the luxury of time so I had to get just one item that would be appropriate for everyone there.

WHAT TO GET?!

What was the ONE THING that everyone there would like or had in common? Umm.. Aside from wanting to be rich, it struck me that everyone there was going to be a blogger, so I decided to make something.

A “BLOGGER” keychain

Not just any keychain, but a bling crystalised keychain. Because I like bling and had some extra bling at home am good at this DIY stuff. HAHA. You can make it for someone as a Christmas present too!

Here’s what you need:
- a computer/font book
- your choice of backing for the keychain: plastic, wood
- crystals
- Epoxy glue

The how-to:

You can choose whatever font or text you prefer putting your name or the recipient’s name. Of course, I chose BLOGGER because I was making it for a blogger!

Once you’ve decided what font and text you want for your keychain, trace or copy the whole thing onto a piece of paper/tracing paper.

I just happened to have this piece of plastic at home. Seriously. Haha. But it wasnt nicely cut so my mum had to help me saw the darn thing to the right size and then drill a hole at the top for the chain. As you can see, a lot of sweat and effort went into making this keychain! Haha.

Once all that is ready, just trace the text onto your backing. Because my backing was clear, it was easy to simply use a marker and copy the outline. If you’re using other materials, tracing paper might work better for you.

Choose your favourite blings and get comfy.

Here comes the fun part. Armed with your glue and tweezers, make sure the area you’re going to cover with crystals has sufficient glue. Then carefully place each crystal where you want them and wait till the glue dries.

Dont stop. Almost there!

Done with the words. Now to add some extra sparkle.

When all that is done and you are happy with the final result of your keychain, wrap it up, put on a pretty bow and you’re good to go!

What do you think? Do you like it? I sure am hoping the person who got it likes it! Hahaha.

Merry Christmas!

Cars need oil to run and we like ‘em slick, smooth and shiny.

The same can be said for hair. Because we subject our hair to blow drying, colouring and all sorts of mechanical stresses, ends get dry and hair strands lose their luster.

Instead of spending bucketloads of money on expensive treatments and what-not miracle products, here’s a quick and affordable item you can totally afford to have and do it yourself.

Baby oil is a great substitute for hair serum. Someone once told me, “If it’s safe enough for baby’s skin, it’s safe for yours because babies have the most delicate skin.” Those wise words have stuck with me ever since.

Especially if you have dry and/or split ends, baby oil helps to smooth these ends over and restore a healthy shine to your hair. To get rid of frizzy flyaway hair, just squeeze about a 50cent sized amount into your palm and massage starting from the ends up. Be mindful not to use tooooo much oil otherwise it’ll look like an oil spill happened on your scalp.

Another great use for baby oil?

It doubles up as hand protection, working as a protective barrier, retaining moisture in your hands.

And if you didnt already know, baby oil also strips away makeup as well as any other makeup remover.