WELCOME TO 2012& JBSTYLEZONE'S GUEST BLOGGER

WELCOME TO 2012!!*******

Confettiiiiii,fog hornnnnnn, cigars for everyone!!

I hope you all rang it in with style;)..... I can assure you there will be more coming out of this blog! Including more for the men.... Christmas got really crazy and I couldn't focus on it too much but I'm gonna fix that for the new year.

So I am carrying through with my first plan to introduce my guest blogger, Chalanie Stiebel...Someone I referred to as a style sistah for years because of our similar tastes! Check out her first post below and you'll see why I think she's so amazing! Get ready to DIY!

JB

CHALS' CORNER

I have a confession. I am spoilt. After living away for 6 years I got very used to getting my fashion fix on the regular. Forever 21 and H&M were always close by. Not to mention thrift stores which became a quick obsession of mine. Jeans, button ups and amazing one of-a-kind blazers for no more than US$10. HELL YES! I love vintage and sequins and things that are unique, for lack of a more original word.

Now that I’m back on the island, which I am ecstatic about, I am SUFFERING from fashion and shopping withdrawals. Honestly shopping in JA is far too expensive and limiting. Don’t get me wrong, if you search you can find great pieces, like Yahdie Conscious of course ;) (plug plug). What I truly miss however are my thrift stores and second hand shops!

So, in an attempt to end my dry spell, I have started to become DIY (do it yourself) savvy. I’ve been attempting to take on little fashion projects. With all the socializing we do in JA, I have had to get creative with my wardrobe. So I plan to share with you my projects and ideas for all those who are going through the same predicament as me!

Project Yard and a half

I had purchased a pair of high waisted light wash long jeans from a thrift store some months back in hopes of cutting them into shorts, but never got around to it. When my friend invited me to go with her to Smirnoff Exchange and told me the theme was London Swag I was baffled. Wah di rass is London Swag?!?! After racking my brain and yes going to Google, I decided scratch dat da one yah name Chalanie Swag! I found a pair of shorts on the internet that made me scream “BA. NANAS!” When a tell yuh is drool mi start drool pon the screen.

Arent they ha-mazing!?!

These inspired me to get creative!

DIY

1. flat head razor - $40.00 @ any pharmacy

2. 1 yard of fabric – I went to Pings $26.00

3. sewing kit

4. high waisted jeans , or any jeans that you like the fit of

5. Scissors

AHH… what now?!

Now here’s a golden rule that was told to me after I started this project “measure twice, cut once” .

1. Cut jeans to desired length. I cut them a little longer than I knew I wanted them just to be safe. Also because I hate hemming.

2. Remove back pocket using the flat head razor. I sear its super easy and takes about 5 minutes.

3. Now here comes the hardest part, measuring the fabric against the jeans. Unlike a t-shirt the seams on shorts are curved, not flat. So you have to take that into account. The crotch area is the most difficult part, but not impossible! How I did it was I hand-sewed the fabric on the area I wanted to cover and then cut off the excess. Once I did that I went over the edges with a machine. Being a first time sewer this took a little time.

4. Try on your masterpiece! Re-measure the shorts and cut to desired length. I like a cuff on my jean shorts so I opted for that over a hemmed edge.

5. Finally re-attach the pocket! I used a whip stitch and it worked really well. Shout out to Mu for showing me how to do that! If you don’t have a friend that sews YOUTUBE is a good place to check for tutorial videos.

6. And last but not least in the words of Tony Matterhorn , “WALK OUT MY GIRL, WALK OUT!”