DIY projects, it's not for everyone.
In the 26 years that I have been on earth I have gained quite a bit of self-knowledge and I am reasonably aware of where my talents lie and where they do not. For example, I know that all those fun DIYs you see on the internet are just not made for me. It says that in 5 simple steps you suddenly have this super fun glitter accessory, but when I start, my house already looks like something the whole craft store has thrown up by step 2. I simply don't have the patience for it. But sometimes, very rarely, I think that I can really do it, throw myself into a project, and end up glued to the wall with super glue.
About three years ago, I went to the ELLE Style Awards, which had the theme Roaring Twenties at the time. I wanted something with (fake) fur, sequins, feathers, and pearls. I wanted the last element on my shoes, and I had the brilliant idea to create a kind of pearl necklace for the instep of my foot. It started with a long pearl necklace that I cut into small pieces, glued together, and then attached to the shoe's closure. But that was not a sight, so on to step two. In the craft store, I found a kind of chain of hooks with little pearls. I bought three meters of it, went wild with a measuring tape to cut everything to size, and then put everything back together – I can't explain it, but trust me, it was a terrible hassle. The last step had to be done with super glue, and I had bought extra strong stuff because “then it stays nice and secure.”
But that went wrong. The glue was everywhere except on my shoes, and I couldn't get it off anymore. So there I was, half an hour before departure, desperately scrubbing that glue off myself with sandpaper and a nail file, SO not cool. I must say that those foot chains turned out pretty cool in the end, and I've even worn them a few more times (see the right photo), but the stress it caused me was not worth repeating.
Until two years later, now a year ago. Do you know that SATC episode where Carrie has her last date with Big, and that same evening Miranda gives birth to Brady? The Louboutins she wears in that episode, I wanted those too. I had to have them because the launch party of Amayzine was just around the corner, and hello, I needed those shoes. But not only are they unaffordable, they are also no longer available. Time for the craft table. At River Island, I bought simple red heels with a subtle strap around the ankle, and at the craft store, I bought wide red ribbon. It had to be laid on in a wavy pattern, sewn or glued on, but of course, that didn't work at all and it cost me another 100 years of my life before it was done.
By the way, that dress I wore back then is also a little project. It's strapless, but I don't do strapless, so something had to go underneath. The dress itself is a fairly expensive piece from Armani, that sheer top underneath cost about twenty euros from Zara. First, put on that top, then the dress, and then I sew myself into it. Seriously. You can't just take that off again, it has to be done with military precision.
Anyway, those projects are reasonably successful overall, but the road to it is hell, and I suspect that I will be healed again in the next two years before I start something new. Wisdom comes with age, after all.
