DIY Fashion: Slouchy Faux Fur Vest (no sew!)

 Seeing as how I am without a sewing machine (those babies are WAY too heavy to bring on an international move) and I love making my own clothes, I have a quick and easy (fail free?) DIY project that doesn't require any knowledge of sewing! It's perfect for all of you who say you could never design or make an item of clothing, because you totally can! Just be careful if you have allergies as faux fur will be floating around everywhere, including up your nose. This DIY allows for lots of freedom and lets you put your own spin on how it turns out! Now don't laugh, my sewing scissors are still packed away in the states and all I had in the flat were some cheapo scissors, it will take some time to rebuild my sewing room here in England!

PS: I am writing this as I make the vest, so I really hope this turns out, it's safe to say if this post makes publication than I have succeeded! 

Takes less than 10 minutes! including the sweeping of faux fur ;)

1. Take a rectangle piece of fur, wrap it around yourself like a shawl and mark the length you want. (very scientific, I know)
2. For width, I used the same step previous, pulling the sides in toward the stomach, mark the inside so you know where to cut.
3. After laying the fabric fur down, find the center vertical spot, measure down as many inches as you like for a sloughy collar. I guessed 11 inches. The more inches, the more slouchy/ full the collar of your vest will be.
4. From this mark, you will measure to the left and to the right the width of inches needed for your shoulders. (See photo below).

5. Time for the arm holes! We're gonna make an almond shape. Starting at the dot from your shoulder measurements, go down 6-9 inches depending on the arm hole size you want. I measured at 7 inches for my arm. Once I cut the first arm hole, I then carried the pieces to the other and traced what I could, hoping for a similar size hole (and praying that shape actually works!)

6. Sweep up the flying faux fur and try your vest on, making sure you're not wearing any dark colors ;)
Voila! Let me know if you end up doing this project and send in pics or upload them to Instagram tagging @JadeRoseBlog / #JadeRoseBlog or our Facebook page! Happy DIY'ing!

Jade's DIY Gold Wedding Gown

Did you know my handmade gown was picked as one of the best of 2013 amongst other designer wedding gowns? Thank you 100 layer cake for the honour and feature! 

After posting (here) about my stunning bridesmaids I received a ton of questions about my gown, so I am here in the 6 month anniversary of our wedding to share with you the process of my handmade gown!
I made my wedding dress in less than three weeks before our wedding. We had been engaged for 9 months and I tried on about 40 dresses, I didn't like any of them. I wanted a Marchesa. I set myself up for wedding dress disaster before my search began! ;) What I wanted was unachievable and I ended up wedding dress-less so close to the wedding that I didn't really give myself any other choice!
So without further adieu, my gown in pictures. It started as fabric, and a skirt pattern to work from. Then I dyed the fabric, created my own skirt pattern and built the dress up from there! I had a beaded top half, and gauzy sheer bottom half with a chapel length train!

 Mom and I playing designer.

It had to be just so.

Mom, the sewing super hero!

 Then I hung the dyed fabric in our vintage claw foot bathtub :)

We almost have a wedding gown! Knocked it out in just a couple days!

 My sister and her huge wedding bling below helped with the train ;)

 And three weeks later....

Colored photos by Benj Haisch.
Wedding Feature
My Gold Bridesmaids

Travel London

After visiting London I was really inspired by the libraries and museums and have since been looking at home decor and gorgeous libraries on Pinterest. Our flat currently consists of all white everything, the opposite of the coveted study with dark mahogany wood and crushed green velvet chaise lounges.  While on Pinterest, I stumbled upon Home Wet Bar, and fell in love with this!! Some day, when Ryan has his study full of books that he's read and written, I would love for him to have this classy version of a bar cart! Find more Home Decor ideas here!

Until we meet again London...

Glam Gold Bridesmaids Dresses

As you may have seen from my series with Birds & Honey I have already given you a preview of my stunning bridesmaids. However, I now get to reveal the actual wedding photos of my gorgeous golden girls! Metallic hues and different textures played a big role in the styling of my bridesmaids. I gave them a color palette and told them to find a dress they wanted. With my guidance through a "yay or nay" picture text, in the end I loved every single dress that each of these ladies wore. I had 10 bridesmaids, from all walks of my life and different chapters. Most people are shocked when I say I had 10, but these girls have let me cry, laugh, dance, and just be "Jade" and have still loved me and supported me along the way, they have seen the beginning and end to several different chapters of my life, I needed them to be a part of this one :) They all looked radiant, I'm sure the blaring sun on the metallic hues helped, but truly, look at these stunning photos! 

Glowing Bridesmaids!

 I gifted each of them a gold plated, austrian crystal bow ring and another giant piece of bling. Can you spot her bling?!

What do you think?! What are your thoughts on bridesmaids being in different dresses? Different colors? Both?

 Options that are similar:

Photos by the talented Benj Haisch

Wardrobe: What I Wore in London

As you may have noticed if you follow me on Instagram (Jade Rose Blog), this photo was snapped just off Bloomsbury Rd in London. We traveled south to London to check out some museums and grab a little bit of home... in the form of 5 Guys and Whole Foods, classics. I love how cropped these faux leather trousers are, I bought them in "short" to create that ankle graze length. They kept me very warm!

Lucky Brand Charlie skinnies in London

For our first day in London, I wore my favorite pair of jeans, the Charlie Skinny from Lucky Brand! I got dressed that morning knowing I had to walk all over London (and sit on a bus for 4 hours) and wanted to stay comfortable but classy. My perfectly stretchy yet slim skinnies and my Vera Wang flats (hand-me-down from mom, thanks mom!) were the winning look! To be honest, I've never had a favorite pair of jeans, there has always been something I didn't like or something I wanted to change. Until I was suggested to try the Charlie Skinny. Never going back. (I am not being paid to say this, this truly is my own opinion).

Do you have a favorite pair of jeans or trousers?!