DIY: Studded Handbag Renovation

Last week I showed you my DIY handbag and clutches roundup here, and I also told you that I have some bags on my closet that I used to love and somehow don't feel like getting rid of them yet, so I decided to start renovating them so I can start to use them again.

This is the first one, this is a vintage Old Navy Canvas bag (vintage as I bought it around 2005), I really like the shape, so I decided to add some studs so it could be more trendy and modern.

This is a kind-of-easy DIY that you can use to convert any handbag you have, the difficult part is to insert those studs trough the fabric, but I used a knife to make a small puncture and they could easily be inserted.

You'll need: a handbag, square studs, flat screwdriver and patience!

Spotlight: Be & D

I'm always excited to share a great fashion discovery, and this time I present you (in case you haven't had the pleasure) Be & D, a super chic and trendy brand, that you might recognize for giving us the most comfortable pair of heels that exist on this planet (no kidding, just check them below) but they also have a great line of handbags and shoes, so let me tell you a little about it.

The designer believes that humor and unexpected concepts are elements necessary to the next generation of fashion.

Be & D "was founded in 2004 by Be Inthavong and Steve Dumain. Their first design, the “Garbo”, became an international phenomenon and catapulted Be & D onto the scene as a new force in the luxury market. Be & D’s atelier in New York’s Garment District continues in the hands-on tradition of storied European luxury houses."

The 20 Best DIY Jewelry Knock Offs

One of the things that I like most about DIY, is that you can recreate a version of an expensive (and not affordable for many) fashion item, and there are several bloggers around that can teach us how to make them, here are some of my favorites (not in a special order) jewelry knock offs from them.

1 Dream Create DIY 

2 Crochet Clouds DIY

Keep Reading, there are still 18 DIY left!

DIY: Cameo Necklace, inspired by Tom Binns

Cameos have been on jewelry for a long time, but today, thanks to jewelry designer Tom Binns  now we can found the cameos in bright and neon colors, he transformed the classic cameo in to a modern version for his spring 2012 collection, those cameos inspired this DIY.

You can find the collection Here.

Jewelry Spotlight: Adia Kibur

It's been a while since I made my last jewelry spotlight post, but I promise to post more of these since I really like to know more behind a brand, or a designer, I love discovering how they started, their sources of inspiration and more, let's say that I like jewelry with a story behind.

Today It's the turn for one of my favorites: Adia Kibur, chic and affordable, based in California, "Adia Kibur is your non-stop ticket to style and romance! Designer Nadia Lee’s brilliant pieces satiate every woman’s yearning for a passionate wardrobe". Lee favorites are the bright colors, because she wants to project a message of hope and optimism.

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Adia Kibur jewelry and accessories have been featured in several top fashion magazines and are adored by some of Hollywood's hottest starlets, making it one of the choicest brands of the moment.

Fashion Bloggers Collaborations

As you know, many fashion boutiques and brands have created collaborations with designers, even celebrities, as an approach to get to more consumers, many of them have been very successful, just remember the Missoni for Target collab, the Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony  or the Marni for H&M, just to quote some.

Well, as fashion bloggers have become more influential in the fashion world, some brands have also created some collaborations with them, collabs that include shoes, jewelry, accessories and more.

I personally love this kind of collaborations, since you get to buy an item from your most admired blogger and who knows, maybe one day you could also be designing something for your favorite brand.

The Man Repeller x Dannijo

Their friendship resulted on a fantastic jewelry collaboration, starting on 2011, the sister duo behind Dannijo, Danielle and Jodie Snyder joined forces (and many laughs) with the Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine to launch their collection, Mr. Dannijo.

You can buy they complete collection Here.

Keep reading for more fab collaborations!

DIY Studded Bracelets

This is a quick but stylish DIY!

My mom bought me these bracelets at a dollar store, (she is always looking for things she know I could transform or use for a DIY project and I love that!), and even though they were perfect to wear as they are, I wanted to add a rocker and edgier look with some studs.

Because they're made from plastic and not leather (remember, each one was only $1), the studs were so easy to insert, and in less than 30 minutes I have them on my wrists, I also made one with rhinestones and thread.

You'll need: Bracelets (the kind of a belt look-a-like), studs, pliers, flat screwdriver, rhinestone chain, strong glue like E 6000 and thread.

Contest with She Inside!

Today I'm really excited to tell you about a Polyvore collaboration I'm holding right now with She Inside!

She Inside is your online shopping destination for fashion street style, with amazing clothing and accessories designs at affordable prices.

Now you can make a Polyvore set featuring items from She Inside and have a chance to win these prizes:

1st. place:$80 sheinside gift certificate 

2nd. place: $50 sheinside gift card 

3rd. place: get 50% off discount on sheinside site.

All you have to do is go to my Polyvore group HERE, and create a set to enter the contest, enter as many as you want and you have 3 weeks to do this!

Have Fun!

Here are some of my favorites items from She Inside:

DIY Roundup: Handbags and Clutches

In a few weeks my two boys are going to be on summer vacations, and that means that I will have more time to make DIY projects, that's why I looked for some of the coolest handbags and clutches DIY's to get some ideas, because I have some bags that need renovations or a makeover, and here they are (I also included my own favorite clutch DIY).

1: Stripes + Sequins

2: Glitter 'N Glue

3: Court and Hudson

4: Honestly... WTF

5: I Spy DIY

6: V Juliet

7: The Fashion Spot

8: Crimenes de la Moda

9: Say Yes to Hoboken

10: Short of Something

11: rackk and ruin

12: Dana's Fashion Blog

DIY: Thread and Rhinestones Necklace

This weekend I was trying to make some friendship bracelets, but somehow I ended making this threaded necklace, inspired by some jewelry I've seen lately, that involved rhinestones and thread.

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So here's my own DIY necklace, let's see what you need:

-Jewelry Wire

-Jewelry Pliers

-Rhinestone Chain

-Thread in 3 colors you like.

-Chain

-Jump Rings

-Clasp

Summer Trend: Neon Shoes

Neon has been everywhere since last year, making it one of the biggest comeback trends from the 80's, and this summer is not the exception, one way to wear it easily if you're afraid of the attention grabber of these colors, is by wearing it on accessories or shoes, and this time I have my favorites to share:

Left Column:

High Heel: Kurt Geiger VS Zara

Flats: Del Toro VS Sole Boutique

Hot Pink: Pierre Hardy VS Sole Boutique

Orange: Keisi Dagger VS Charlotte Russe

Middle Column

Booties: Casadei VS Modcloth

Green: Casadei VS ROMWE

Accent Pumps: Casadei VS Deb

Cork: Stella McCartney VS Make Me Chic

Right Column:

Sandals: Rebecca Minkoff VS Lulu's

Sneakers: Nike VS Vans

Strappy Sandals: Rebecca Minkoff VS Dolce Vita

And if you still need more inspiration to wear them, here are some stylish photos I found on pinterest.

Frock Stock Polyvore Challenge

"Frock Stock was created in September, 2011 by a young girl with a big fashion imagination.

Their style is all about vintage. They sort through hundreds of modern indie vendors to bring you the most romantic and reminiscent pieces they can find. Everything is brand new but still holds a flair for the past."

Now they are having a challenge for us: They're looking for the most adorable way to style this vintage-inspired bag!, make a Polyvore set and you could win this handbag.

For more details about this challenge check the instructions here. 

And because I'm entering this contest, here it's my style set, I just loved that sleeveless roses blazer, and the colors blend perfectly well with the vintage style handbag.

You can vote for my set clicking on it and liking it at Polyvore.

Frock Stock Polyvore Challenge by julietav featuring high heel shoes

Fashion Love Giveaway: Win a set of Personalized Cards

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I have another blog, that is all about the coolest giveaways and contest from fashion bloggers and brands, called Fashion Love Giveaway, where I only share the best giveaways from the blogosphere. And if you're also a frequent reader of V Juliet then you must now that only a few weeks ago I opened my new etsy stationery store called Cloudy Afternoon.

Well, to celebrate my new store and also the support you have given to my Giveaways blog FLG, I'm giving away a set of 6 personalized cards, featuring a quilled lipstick and ring, handmade by me.

One Lucky winner will get these cards with her name on!

To enter the Giveaway you must visit my other blog Here, where you can read all the instructions and enter there.

And I'm also offering Free Shipping for the VJuliet Readers on all of my cards, just use code FREESHIPFLG when checking out.

Contest ends on June 20th.

GIF, Let's Move!

A few days ago while app-shopping (waiting for my kids at their swimming lessons), I bought a GIF app called GifBoom, and since then I've been trying to make some movement pictures.

These GIF's are more than a picture, but not quite a video, and this kind of images are appearing now on the fashion field, making ads and editorials come to live.

Yesterday I found this great blog called Di por Dior, where I discovered these Vogue Italia March 2012 GIF images, these are some of the most iconic photographs from Steven Meisel converted to the GIF format, it's great how we can get to see the gorgeous Linda Evangelista dancing the mambo pretty well!

You can also get to see more of this images on the Prada images below, " these cute tic-toc animations are the result of the label’s recent partnership with Armenian-born, Paris-based artist Vahram Muratyan. Parallel Universes GIFs focuses on the very retro element of Prada’s latest Spring/Summer 2012"

Trend: Snakes

Today's post is all about Snakes, call them pythons or serpents, I started this post because last week I bought a gorgeous snake bracelet and I discovered how chic and glamorous these reptiles could be.

I'm gonna show you some of my favorites items with this print, in the splurge VS steal options, enjoy! (after all this searching and looking for the perfect options so you could save $$, I'm gonna dream with snakes!)

Stella McCartney VS BCBG MaxAzria

Stella McCartney VS Topshop

Mulberry VS Awear

Lanvin VS Wallis

Stella McCartney VS River Island

Lanvin VS Bertie

Rachel Zoe VS Sam Edelman

Giuseppe Zanotti VS Friis & Company

Designer Spotlight: By Malene Birger

In the 80's, Malene Birger studied Fashion Design at the prestigious Danish Design School, working since then in the fashion field for different fashion brands. 

In 2003 she launches her own company, BY MALENE BIRGER A/S, since then, a company that started with only 10 employees has grown to a staff of 100, with sales in many countries and a growing success, reflecting Birger's personal sense of style, impeccable workmanship and attention to details, offering affordable luxury to women from all the world.

I love many pieces from this brand, but here I show you some of my favorites:

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Anniversary Giveaway: Win a Clutch!

Today is the first day of June, and I'm not only celebrating that summer is here, but also that V Juliet is turning 1!

This is my first blog anniversary and I couldn't be happier!

This has been a truly wonderful experience, the blog has been the perfect outlet for my fashion realization,   I have been very lucky to met wonderful friends from all around, and as a way to say thanks to all the readers and followers, I'm giving away this blue embroidered clutch, perfect for summer and inspired by the French Riviera.

All you have to do is follow me on GFC (Google Friend Connect), bloglovin or Facebook (Each one you follow is an extra entry, just leave a separate comment telling me on which one you followed)

Also extra entries if you follow me on twitter, tweet about the giveaway or follow me on Pinterest. (Leave a separate comment for each extra entry)

Please leave an email on your comment, so I can contact you in case you win.

Contest is open worldwide and it ends on June 23.