Photo: Annie Leibovitz

This Saturday, I’m throwing my very first tea party. Of course, it won’t be your typical prim-and-proper gathering where the air is so thick with tension, the guests are afraid to utter a word. This will be the kind of a tea party that makes Mad Hatter… go mad!

With Alice In Wonderland being a popular theme these days, I thought you might want some tips on how YOU can throw your own Wacky Tea Party!

• Pick a Theme

No party is complete without a theme. Themes allow people to relax, not to take themselves too seriously, and just have fun! Being inspired by grandmas – especially the batty, eccentric kind that live in houses resembling wonderland – I knew that quirkiness bordering on senility was the way to go! I once read a story about an old lady that lived in a house full of birds – cages piled up to the ceiling, birds flying everywhere, utter madness. This is the kind of stuff we’re talking about!

Whatever the theme, you’ll want to decorate my house accordingly. Excess is the key, as you want your decorations not just to reflect the theme, but to exaggerate it! Luckily, my mom has a collection of quirky antique china and utensils…

• Invite some Colorful Guests

“You won’t be bored with me, but you will be embarrassed,” my friend Leon once told me. I’ve invited friends from all kinds of motley circles – from musicians to marketing analysts to puppet-makers. Some hosts may wish for subdued guests but I like mine to be a little out there – they make for the most interesting conversation!

• Dress Like a Mess!
  

Do I even need to mention that the loopier the outfit, the better?! With me, it’s always ‘dress to impress’ – even if the only person impressed in the room is yourself! I firmly believe that better times are to be had when you’re wearing something outlandish – you effectively become a character stripped of all your insecurities, there to have fun. Besides, who can resist wearing a huge party dress?!

• Fun-tivities

Having interesting guests plays a big role in the success of your party, but they alone won’t be able to provide the necessary entertainment. Engage your guests in some kind of activity – games, story-sharing, or – in our case – baking and decorating cupcakes! Each guest will be given an opportunity to deck out their own cupcake to fit their personality  – or, rather, persona they’d adapted for the night!

Deerlings: what would you wear/do for your Wacky Tea Party?

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My newly DIY’ed shoes (yep, I painted that toy piano too!)

DIY-ed accessories are everywhere recently: sequined tights, studded boots, decked out frames and even spiked sunglasses. Whether it’s recessionista chic or just a fun way to personalize your wardrobe, I’m all over it!

This pair of sequined heels were purchased at Wet Seal and were patiently anticipating their debut in spring. I decided to prep them for the season with a contrast sole, a-la Christian Louboutin – but in candyfuturistic colors. According to TheFashionSpot, baby blue is the IT color for Spring 2010 which is great, since robin’s egg is my favorite color of the moment. :) I picked up some acrylic paint from a craft store and got to work.

Before the makeover

Outdoor Patio Paint claims to be weather and water-proof – perfect for this project. I picked some up in Blue Bahama at a craft store. I painted soles and heel with a brush (it helps to have a smaller brush handy for hard-to-reach spots) and it took 2 coats for the color to go opaque. Results were smooth and semi-glossy. This paint dries to the touch within minutes but you want to wait 24 hours before wearing these outside.

Finished result!

I LOVE my new shoes!!! The turquoise looks gorgeous against rainbow sparkle of sequins and purple insoles. I can’t wait to wear these once the weather allows it – until then, I’ll rock them around the house!

Deerlings: do you DIY your accessories? Share your creations with us!

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Here’s a quick DIY tutorial how you can breathe life into an otherwise boring piece of clothing with fun trims. The quickest way to change the personality of a shirt or jacket is to change its buttons. I had this selection of colorful trims from CookieParty:

I love the turquoise on this jacket, but it originally came with boring, invisible buttons. Now it’s cupcake fabulousity!

I might just go ahead and add a bunch of tiny blue bows all over the jacket – what do you think? :)

Deerlings: what’s your favorite DIY trick?

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I have a hard time finding clothes I like in stores, so you can imagine what I go through with accessories: nothing, NOTHING comes even close to what I’d want to wear! I’m just not drawn to the safe retail ‘trends’ -  once something’s been mass-produced, it loses its appeal to me. So yea, you won’t be seeing me sporting a black headband with a fake flower any time soon…

Part out of love for DIY, part out of necessity, I find myself resorting to making my own clothes and accessories. I can spend hours (and hundreds of dollars!) at a craft store, marveling at all the stuff they have – from scissors, to pieces of felt to fimo clay. When I saw styrofoam cones on a shelf, I immediately wanted them on my head! That’s how the idea of a Twonicorn was born – because two horns are better than one!

Pearl-Horn Twonicorn

Below is a quick breakdown of how I did it:

• 2 Styrofoam cones
• Long hair extensions (doesn’t have to be real hair)
• Acrylic paint that matches the hair
• Assorted size pearls
• Needle & thread
• Glue gun

Paint styrofoam the color of the extensions (leave it white if your extensions are white). Braid extensions into one loooong braid, secure ends. Wrap the braid around the cones in a spiral, starting from the top. Secure with glue gun. Sew beads onto the hair. Voila! You have two beautiful horns. :) As for how they stay on – there are lots of ways to do this. I made two high pigtails, attached the horns with pins around the perimeter and then wrapped my own hair around the base.

More pictures with the horns can be found here and here!

Deerlings: do you DIY your own accessories?

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Img: Vogue Girl Korea

Can’t find anything you like in stores this fall? Story of my life! If you like color, cold weather can put a damper on your style. It’s especially frustrating now that the recession is forcing store buyers to be ultra-conservative, resulting in less than exciting stock on the shelves. Walking into a store, I almost feel like even if I did have money to spend, everything looks so predictable & safe that I just don’t feel like buying anything!

It always pays to think outside the box to look good, but this fall it’s a necessity. Read on to find out how to keep you GLEE on this fall – regardless of the meteorological or economic climate.

Spring palette, fall palette

Does it really matter? Seasonal colors are arbitrary anyway and designed to distinguish fall stock from spring. Who says you can’t wear turquoise, pink & yellows in November?! I’m tired of seeing dark green and burgundy everywhere, so this fall I’m wearing brights! Not playing by the rules will help you save money too: buy stuff on end-of-season sale and keep it in your closet until it gets cold again!

Coat from ModCloth.com, $79.99

Go retro

Retro is never out of style and the best part, it allows you to make a statement on the cheap. I love vintage and thrift-shopping for the thrill: everything is one-of-a-kind and you never know what you’ll find!

Tip: to get all the best sartorial gems, find out when your local thrift store gets new shipments in and swoop in the next day!

Img via Flickr

Get crafty

Now is the time to go all-out DIY. Customization is a cheap and fun way to spruce up a boring piece. Things as simple as changing buttons & adjusting length can transform a less-than-spectacular article of clothing into something you love. If you’re not afraid of experimenting, you can even custom-dye your own clothes. Remember that boring white top? Pick up some dye from the craft store and say hello to turquoise (or pink! or yellow!)!

Tip: this girl shows you how to customize your tights with beads to replicate a runway look. Love it!

Lime green Doc Martens

Accessorize

Whether it’s contrast tights, belt or a pair of boots, don’t be afraid to add a splash of color to your outfit with a statement accessory. Amongst rows and rows of boring shoes, I randomly came across these got lime-green patent Doc Martens – I can’t wait to rock them with bright pink tights!

Brighten up your face… & your day!

Makeup is one of the most affordable ways to liven up even the dullest outfit. A touch of bright lipstick or eyeshadow will lift up not only your mood, but put a smile on the face of a stranger, too – tested and confirmed! :D Fuchsias, turquoises and purples look especially good against those autumn skies.

Deerlings: Do you feel your style slipping during the colder months? How do you keep the GLEE alive?

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