Dip Dyed Boyfriend Shorts

I wasn't really going to post this DIY since it's been done sooo many times online, but ever since I made it a few weeks back its been my fav summer staple. I just love it, so I had to show you anyways.

A few weeks back I saw a bag of old clothes in the hallway (aka laundry..?), I raked through it looking for DIY victims (clearly). Holly YAY a pair of my brothers (really) old jeans fit me.
It's summer so I wanted shorts and boyfriend shorts rock.

I measured the pants on me to find a good length. Then I laid the pants down "double" so I could measure  the leg and cut them the same length. Then I mixed about 2 cups of chlorine with a few litres of luke warm water in a bucket. I dunked the jeans (what was left of them anyway) in the bucket and left them over night. I am sure some jeans will bleach faster, but these took some time. I washed them in the washer, rolled up the hem and tata, they are ready to wear! I was actually planning to "fray" them a little with sand paper, but I love them too much to do anything that could possibly harm them, haha!

Right: DIY Havaianas from this post and J.Crew top.

Sister Sunday

Fresh Summer Pasta

Summer is finally here, and it is beyond lovely. And as the temperature starts rising, I feel my body starting to crave different foods. The thought of heavy, hot comfort food sounds less appealing, and lighter, fresher dishes is always on my mind.

This super simple pasta dish is a staple at our house in the summertime. Five ingredients that I usually have in my kitchen at any time and minimum prep time gives me extra time out in the sun. And it is not negative that the flavors brings me right to Italy.

What you need is:
pasta
ripe tomatoes
chopped garlic
fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil

As with any simple dish, the quality of the ingredients is truly what lifts this dish from great to fantastic. Chop tomatoes and basil and mix with olive oil and garlic. Let sit for at least an hr before you toss it in some boiled pasta. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan reggiano and garlic baguettes. Yum!

You can totally use ur leftovers it as bruccetta topping, delish!

Me oh My, Bright Kitchen

One thing that is really annoying me at the moment is that there is no exact conversion between RGB colors and NCS (the color standard for paint) 

I am moving down to the basement apartment of my family’s house in waiting of my own place being finished. Right now we are paining the walls all calm and neutral tones (light beige/grey-ish), but seeing as this is the last stop till an all "grown up" apartment, I intend to add some fun (aka BRIGHT) details. Once I have moved out they are redoing the kitchen there anyways, so I am thinking bright pink chevron pattern for the kitchen cabinet doors. It’s a 5 month (max) stay so I am going as bright as I can! YAY! 

My problem though, I can’t seem to find a bright pink paint? There are a million DIY's with bright pink paint online, but no one provides the NCS codes for the paint. NCS is a worldwide standard so when "rosy field" might be a different color depending on brand and continent, the NCS is the same. If you know any bright pink NCS codes let me know!! 

See the pictures that inspired me:

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This painting project will be my weekend to do (even thought the sun is shining). 

I will give you a DIY once I find a paint and get it done :) You can also look forward to dip-dye foot stools, pillowcases and other Home DIY's so stay tuned. 

DIY Upgrade Your Havaianas

SO, after announcing the arrival of spring in Oslo for the last two months, we have now reached summer ('ish)!
Woho, we have had sunny weather and 25C for the last three days so I have finally packed away my cashmere and turned to T-shirts. For me Havaianas and T-shirts go hand in hand, and I can't wait to use mine (indeed after I get my pedi done..). I love the classic Havaianas, for me they are a cult fav, but an old original can always go benefit from an update right???

For this DIY you will need: Silk ribbon (preferably a bit thick (see people, my new instructions are very detailed)), 2 rhinestones/beads ect, fishing line, awl (yes this is actually a tool that people fathers have, beats me) ohh, and a nedle and scissors.

I didn't take pictures making these (I was way to excited to finish them off and hit the beach) but in the spirit of my new resolution (to provide verrrry detailed explanations of my DIY's) here we go :

1. Make two (or three depending on how many stitches you want to attach the bow with) holes on both the left and right strap with the awl (man I love that I just learned a new English word, maybe a few of you did too, haha). (this needs to be done on both of the flip-flops)

2. Make a bow with the silk ribbon. Cut the edges like a "V" (look at the picture) to prevent fraying.

3. Take the force the fishing line down the first hole and up through the other on the left havaiana strap, (you want the knot hiding in the bow, not towards your feet giving you blisters) stitch on the bow, take the line through one hole and up trough the other on the right strap and stitch on the rhinestone.
The point I guess is just to attached the bow and the rhinestone, NOT leaving knots down towards you feet since that might hurt when you wear them.

4. Repeat on the other flip-flop and you are ready to hit the beach!

Better instructor; MOI!

I am a very visual person, I don't know if it comes with being creative, but give me an image of something and I'll figure out how to do it. Give me a text on the other hand, PuhH it will not be solved.

I have recieved some feed-back from readers not quite getting how I made the Wrap bracelet from this post. So for one; I promise to do my best explaining the DIYs more thoroughly, second; here back by popular demand (hahaha): detailed descriptions as to how to make the wrap bracelet.

1. You will need 50 inches of cotton thread (I am using brown), fishing or beading line abt 50 inches, (this is for a bracelet that will wrap 3 times around my wrist (which is small)), one button, beads and as always scissors.  

2. Tie the button to the center of the cotton string, then tie the fish line to the button.

Ok, I will admit the start is a bit tricky. Add a bead to the fishing line, take the fishing line around the cotton string, then back through the bead. Tighten the string. 

3. As you can see on this picture the line is just coming out from a bead, and OVER the cotton string (lets call this, the left cotton string nr 1)

4. Take the line around string nr 1, and trough an other bead and UNDER string nr 2. Tighten the line. 

5. Take the line around string nr 2 and back trough the same bead and tighten. 

6. Keep repeating the steps 3. 4. and 5. until you have your desired length. 

7. When you are done: make a knot (remember to include the fish line), then make an other knot but make sure there are enough space in between the two so that you can get the button in to lock the bracelet. 

I hope this makes it easier ;) 

DIY Inspiration: Baby got back

Man, am I ever happy with that title.. haha! I have been so impressed for the longest time with bloggers that manage to make funny titles for their posts, so this is covering new ground for me, haha! 

(You know, that song right?? Crap, it's prob not funny when I had to explain it... arg..! I'll try again some other time)

I have always had a non existent  small chest, I don't know if that has made me more drawn to clothing with fancy backs.. but either way, I ADORE a fancy / open / low back more than anything. My most googled word is " low back". It's what I google every time I have a fancy party that I need a dress for. 

Being a pinaholic just like my sis, I found this pic the other day and thought, I NEED THAT! 

But then again, how easy would it be to make right? some black ribbon and a T-shirt dress, it will be one of my coming projects I can tell you that much. 

How do you feel about low backs? love it or are you more of a cleavage kind of gal?

 (not that you can't love both)

source

Create Your Style Magazine (+ giveaway)

I was approached by the people at "Create your style" Magazine a while back to do a review of their new release: Issue Sound. 

Create Your Style Magazine is the in house magazine of Swarovski elements, and like any other avid crafter, I absolutely adore working with Swarovski elements. 

I have been anxiously waiting for the glossy goodness to arrive in my mailbox and today it's finally here! I mean what girl doesn't love a bit of glossy in her mailbox? And what better (when your a crafter) than a magasine with gloss, sparkles, and tutorials?

First off I have to say that I love the look of the magazine, the cover has two different textures making the Swarovski elements in the necklace pop... this was so promising. 

This mag is just like the stones it represents; Lux: the paper is thick, the colors bright, and the lay out is so cool. I feel like this is one of the magazines you can really save in your craft room (aka IKEA plastic boxes in my case) and enjoy for a long time. 

The magazine has a lot of information about..... (drum roll....!) Swarovski elements, so if you love them as much as me this is def a magazine for you. There are a lot of full tutorials for really fun jewelry and I will def be trying a few of them out. As well as easier pieces, there are also some that use pretty cool techniques that I didn't know and that I am super excited to learn. The instructions look really easy to follow, so I am sure even the most inexperienced crafter can easily enjoy these. 

Oooh, and I almost forgot, there are bonus cut outs to make a fab snakeskin look bracelet.

Giveaway: Create your style Magazine Issue sound

The great people over at Swarovski elements will send one lucky winner a copy of this issue. (YAY)

To enter: Like the Make it & fake it new Facebook page here and leave a comment with your email address under this post. 

Oh, and for a second chance to win, they are giving away one over at the Create your style Magazine facebook page as well: here.

The giveaway will end friday at 12am, and the winner will be contacted directly. 

**update: the giveaway is closed, and the winner is Evani from Simply Evani , check out her blog! :)**

Disclosure: I was sent this magazine from the people over at Create your style Magazine, but all the opinions are completely my own. 

Sister Sunday

Pineapple Flower Cupcake Topper

Hello everyone, my name is M. ("Hello M!") And I'm a pinaholic.
I've never admitted this before, but it sure feels good to have off my chest. Now, admittedly, I do spend, or let's be real: waste way too much time there, but boy do I get some inspiration. These past weeks, this really cool cup cake topper have been popping up on my screen repeatedly, and this week end I just had to give it a try myself.

The first thing you do is to cut off the top and bottom and peel the pineapple. Then, use a small melon baller or a vegetable peeler to take out the brown eyes. Cut as super thin slices and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 225 F or 105 C for 30 min. Turn them and bake for 30 more min. Place in a cupcake tin and let cool for a couple of hrs. Can be stored in a n airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Inspiration:
Annie's Eats
Martha Stewart

Amazing Elephants

Today I had a flipp out about an elephant, well not an elephant per'se but ivory.
And I admit, my head was a bit fried from all the fumes painting my new place, but still!
It all started on Facebook, and even thought this is really not a normal post for me, it rattled me so much I flushed from anger (Actually!!) so I thought Id share!

The issue is people bringing ivory (or anything endangered) back from vacation (wether they have been tricked to buy bone thinking it is ivory (HA, serves you right idjit!) or got the real deal is not the point). Hello people, its 2012, everyone is aware that the illegal industry of ivory and rhino horns are making these magnificente animals extinct. The mere thought that someone in 2012 (HELLO, we have tv's that talk back and magically turn 3D (which is a whole other story by the way)) would even consider buying it is shocking to me and completely caught me of guard.

Last summer I visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife foundation in Nairobi Kanya and I was blown away by the great work they do. They take care of baby elephants (and other wild life) that have been left orphan due to illegal poaching. With the help of the local tribes they take them to the nursery outside Nairobi and help them back to health, and then release them back to a wildlife reserve. They are doing such a great job, to read some of the amazing (but heart aching) stories please visit their website here (you can also adopt and foster one, which is so cute!!).

So for gods sake a souvenir is not worth it and neither is fashion so please do my poor little heart a favor and get a "xxx went to China/Africa/ect and all I got was this ugly T-shirt" instead. 

On an other note, lets face it im no saint: I wear (VINTAGE) fur, leather, un-organic cotton and dont always buy local (.... well actually I almost never buy local), so Im not claiming sainthood quite yet, but trust me when I say there is nothing endangered, illegal or evil (except the freaking moth that ate my cashmere) in my closet (or home) )

17th of May

Congratulations everyone! Today is Norway's constitution day and we have the whole day off!

Its a very big day here, and we celebrate with children's parades, good food, friends and family!

Im kicking it of with a big champagne breakfast with friends (nothing beats it)!

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Me and one of my best friends in out national costumes (yes, we all (almost all) wear them).
They are handmade, I got mine for my confirmation (as did most of my friends). I only wear it once or twice a year, and it makes it that more special! (even thought its heavy, itchy and totally unpractical) :)

Im wishing you all a very happy 17th of May! YAY!

DIY Pocket Update

I am loving the ethnic prints and colored patters this spring, but I'm not at a point where I would wear a full out multi-color pattern for a whole piece.
This DIY is perfect for those of us that want to be on trend, but is a bit hesitant to go all in!
It totally changes the look of the shorts, don't you think? And you can clearly do it with long jeans as well!

My parents got a rug once in Mexico, and it's just been lying around collecting dust, so I thought I would put it to good use updating a pair of Abercrombie cut-off shorts. I cut a piece of fabric, adjusted it to fit the pocket perfectly and stitched in on by hand! (That way, you can remove it when you are sick of it, or change fabric by mood) If you don't like to sew,  use fabric glue!! It's as easy as that! :)

Ps. The studded trim I cut of these shoes here, are going in the pockets of the denim shorts, I'm overly excited to show you the outcome!

On a completely different note, I think I have to take back what I wrote about the Sally Hansen Salon Effects in this post. Still loving the product thought so no change there, but I must day that I am now on day 10 and they don't look that fresh anymore. Still way nicer than polish after 10 days, but still. So please adjust your expectations accordingly :)

Lunch

I'm not a morning person. So, getting dressed and brushing my teeth is about what I have time for before I have to run (literally) out the door. That makes packing a lunch close to impossible. Therefore I have figured out that the only way for me to bring lunch and save money is to make these that are sort of similar to these:

What you need:

bread dough

ground beef

canned tomatoes

onions

taco spice

tabasco sauce

corn

cheese

Fry the beef and onions, add tomatoes and spices. Chill

Roll out you dough and spread the goodies. Add cheese and corn and roll up.

Cut in to slices and bake. 

Cool and freeze.

Now you can just grab one from the freezer as you scramble for you cell phone on your way out the door.

 

Sister Sunday

Mother's Day Waffles

So, as you all probably know, today is Mother's Day (Wait, what??? Already, where is the nearest flower shop?) The day where we celebrete the women who willingly carried us in their bodies, gave birth to us, and then proceeded to feed us, dress us, and take care of all our bodily fluids for years to come. If that doesn`t deserve some recognicion and gratitude, then I don`t know what does.
And what better way to show appreciation than heart shaped food?

For a ton of waffles, you`ll need:

4 cups (1 liter) milk

3 eggs

2/3 cup (1,5 dl) sugar

2 ts vanilla

1 stick (125 g) melted butter

3 1/2 cups (8 dl) flour (or until desired consistency)

3 tb sour cream

Mix everything in a big bowl.

Tip: if you add the eggs last, it is much easier to get a lumb free batter

Let sit for 10 min before cooking them in a heart shaped waffle maker.

Serve to your beloved mother with jam and a cup of something she likes.

DIY Parachute Statement Necklace

We are working to update the look of the blog, so hopefully it will be online soon (aka in a few weeks) AND even more hopefully, you will love it :)
In the mean time, we are "expanding" (hahaha) to facebook! Check it out here , and feel free to like it :)

Its saturday again, and its so nice to get a little breather! I am instructing my bodybalance class later (as always on a saturday) but right now, its all sunshine, baking and relaxing with my sister (wow, lets pretend its the 50's shall we?)!

I have done several statement necklaces tutorials (ex here) but this is quickly turning in to a favorite, just cause you can actually layer it with other necklaces (the more the merrier right?)

DIY Necklace, etsy monogram necklace, J.Crew Blythe Blouse, J.Crew Bracelet, Ring from Japan (from grand paps)

You will need: parachute thread (love this craft supplie, I also used it here) or if you cant find that I am sure shoelace would work just fine, chain, lobster clasp, string, a few beads (I used 5 big facetted round once), 25mm wide clamp rings from the hardware store and thats it! :)

I am using macrame technique for the brown center, (in depth of macrame how too here, more tutorials using macrame here, here, here and here! Wow, as you can see iv been doing this a lot, hahahaha)

FINALLY

Hi everyone,

I finally got of my butt and got make it & fake it a spot on facebook.
I was sort of dreading adding it to my list of "one more viral media site to check"during the course of a day. But puh, who am I kidding!! I love it!! :)
Anyway, Pretty please like me on facebook here :)

For future reference you find me here: http://www.facebook.com/makeitandfakeit 

Ohhhh and if there is anyone who knows how I find the "like me on facebook"button, please let me know :)

By the way: I made this necklace a while back but I have been holding it back for leverage (haha).
Do you like it? I will show you how (as soon as i get this whole make it & fake it facebook action going)

Dont forget to like me here  :)

Macramé Jewelry Lock

This is overdue, I announced I would show you my most used lock on friday, but the days just kept rolling by but now its finally done.

This might be waaay old news for the avid crafters out there, but for all of you that are just getting in to jewelry making ill start doing posts about easy techniques to get you started (Crafting 101).

To make this lock all you need is some scraps of cotton thread (not waxed) and some clear nail polish to seal it. I mostly use it for bracelets, its super easy to do and easy adjustable so you dont need anyones help to put on your bracelets (am I the only one that struggles with everything except bangles??).

Tip: you need to have a knot or bead at the end of each of the sides of the bracelet, otherwise they will slipp through the lock.