Welcome to DIY Kawaii!
(FYI: the Japanese word “kawaii” means pretty or cute.)
The goal and mission of DIY Kawaii is to inspire you to be creative and have fun with your wardrobe.
I’ve always admired how girls in Japan express kawaii fashion so creatively and without hesitation.
I do hope you find the information in my blog helpful and inspiring.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Don’t forget to Like DIY Kawaii on Facebook for more kawaii!
On to a great 2012!!
Stay kawaii!!
^ u ^
I saw a really cute tutorial on how to make your own fabric dyed watermelon shorts!
I tend not to mess around with fabric dye because I’m messy and clumsy enough as it is! lol
I don’t mind fabric paints since they’re more controllable 
I was looking around online for cute watermelons to inspire your own summer shorts design
Have a kawaii summer!!
Stay kawaii!!
^ u ^
I had this piratey skull and cross bones shoelace sitting around my house that I wanted to make something of it.
So I made it into a cute, loopy hair clip!
You can click on the pictures below or this link if you would like to purchase my handmade treasure
All the wonderful, wondrous bows you can think of!
I was inspired by my latest project:
to share with you how to make all different kinds of bows for your crafting or scrap booking or paper craft projects.
I did find a great website with step by step tutorials on how to make different bows.
And here are some picture instructions I had tucked away in my Ideas folder on my computer:
You can even bow your scarf!
I’ve been wanting to learn how to make these forever! I love the lotus flower look of this bow
This one is from Etsy. I thought all the rainbow colored loopy loops and not to mention Hello Kitty leopard print were cute!!
Stay kawaii!!
^ u ^
I found this really cute light brown Tshirt at a thrift store and wanted to add some pretty Japanese cherry blossoms to it.
I painted this using Tulip fabric paints in black, neon pink and white to lighten it.
I chalked out the design before I painted it
I love how it turned out!
You guys know my obsession with all things gyaru and piratey…..
I had to do some running around the other day and this is what I wore:
This used to be a key chain I bought at a Dollar General years and years ago that I made into a necklace.
Braided leather bracelet….
The cute piratey bracelets I made with bead scraps
I renewed some of the listings in my Etsy store and as soon as I get the new data cable for my camera from Amazon, I will be adding this in my shop
The heart photographed pink for some weird reason. It’s actually red. I made this from a shoelace I wasn’t wearing anymore. Cute!
I have a total love/hate relationship with my Etsy store right now.
I was thinking about making new things for my shop, but it’s hardly been getting any views much less any sales.
I get a sale here and there but not much. It’s very discouraging 
I did apply for Etsy wholesale so wish me luck on that front!
Stay kawaii!!
^ u ^
I was wearing one of my long skirts as a dress today.
I picked a terrible day to do it because it went from warm to monsoon season in the same day! lol
Then the sun came back out and made it humid, then it rained again.
Welcome to Ohio….. lol
YouTuber, Chrisellelim shares with you 5 different ways to wear a maxi skirt.
I love the pretty, flowy material of this skirt!
I’ve been having some trouble thinking of different things to post in my blog lately.
I would like to hear your suggestions!
In the meantime, you can catch up with me on my DIY Kawaii Facebook page.
Stay kawaii!!
^ u ^
forever I would be sooooooooooo happy!
I was looking around on Etsy the other day for a new purse and I started typing things I like in the search engine such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “pirate.”
Try not to die of drooling!! lol
You can click on any of the pictures below to purchase these items.
OMG! I love this necklace! I was rummaging around in my jewelry stuff today and I plan on making a piratey charm necklace from all the rings that don’t fit me and other odds and ends I have in there
This seller has other style of hair danglies in their shop. SO cute!
A Victorian looking necklace with a pirate ship!? ~O o O~ !!!!!
These earrings remind me of the earrings I got from a rummage sale…which I have to find :p
I must have these earrings!! I plan on buying these….soon!!!!!!!!
I’ve had this video in my favorites because I love how this makeup look is so wearable!
And in the spirit of all things Piratey, I made a couple awesome pirate inspired bracelets today:
I remember pouring over literally hundreds of photographs of period movie costumes when I was a young teenager, which started my journey into fashion, DIY’ing and other things I like to do today.
And now for your drooling pleasure, the beautiful costumes from the Disney movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean, to help inspire your piratey look!
This is Jack Sparrow’s costume….sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow lol
Wow! I didn’t realize that was a toy! I thought Angelica Houston’s costume was GORGEOUS in the film, On Stranger Tides.
This was Tia Dalmas’s costume for the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. She was the voodoo witch character. I love the fisherman’s net on her bodice and the tattering effect of the fabric!
My 2 favorite eras in historical fashion are the Victorian and Edwardian era, and the Colonial Era. I love the use of very fine fabrics (when the wearer could afford it!) and the you need a magnifying glass to see all the detail in the clothes!
Do you like fashions from eras past?
Stay kawaii…..and piratey!!
^ u ^
I took a little walk yesterday and this is what I wore:
Yes, my hair is finally long enough to where I can get it off my neck and tie it up finally! My kitties were stalking each other around the mirror and I tried not to laugh lol Nermal is the set of kitty ears on the bottom left hand side and Mooch is the one prowling behind me lol
I couldn’t manage a decent picture of my pretty sparkly blue butterfly earrings. I still need to get a new data cable for my camera.
I love the delicate, quaint look of this necklace So pretty!
The shorts I made from an old pair of American Eagle capris and added the lace peek a boo patch.
I was looking around on Etsy the other day for a new purse. I found several I liked and I also started looking around for piratey things I liked.
Stay tuned for that post!
Stay kawaii!
^ u ^
I finally got off my keester and worked on some projects recently.
Here are some cute no sew halter tops you can make for the Summer months!
This shirt should look familiar.
I tried making this into another top but I hated how it looked on me.
So I fixed it!
It looks much better like this! I used 3 different colors of string from Tshirts to make the ties.
This is a shirt I bought at the flea market a couple years ago. That skirt should look familiar too
I can’t believe how long my hair is getting!
It says: Nature’s Medicine. Toke 2 of these and call me in the morning.
The sexy nurse caught my eye. I had to have it!
This is how I did the back:
The ties was from a scrap ribbon bag I bought at a rummage sale.
I’m trying to utilize the 80 million yards of scrap ribbon and tshirt material I have laying around my crafting area…..slowly but surely! lol
I made both of these in the same manner as the diagrams below:
This is the front. Try on the large tshirt, mark where you want everything to fit and where you want your neckline to be and cut where indicated in red. The dots on the sides are for your ribbon holes.
This is the back. I cut strips of fabric for my neck ties.
String your ribbon or Tshirt scrap string through the holes in the front of your shirt in the same manner as a shoelace.
Try on your top again and adjust as needed.
There you have your cute no sew halter top!
I also made a handkerchief top because I always wanted one….
And it was piratey too!
This is the back:
I used a gold trimmed scrap ribbon for the neck ties because I thought it was appropriate for this project
I found this at the flea market but you can use any large fabric panel or handkerchief for this project.
There are a couple ways to make a halter top from a handkerchief:
This is how I made the one I’m wearing.
I folded the top corner to the middle of the scarf and spot sewed the point in the middle.You can glue it if you can’t sew
Then I made tiny holes indicated in red on the left and right corners of the scarf then strung my ribbon through and tied it behind my back.
Easy!
You can also make another top like this:
Take the top corner of the handkerchief and fold it all the way down to the bottom point.
If there is enough fabric, you can just tie the left with the right corner of the fabric behind you, or cut tiny holes where you can string a ribbon through then tie it behind.
I don’t like the way strapless tops look on me so I chose a halter style instead.
Have you been making any cute tops for the Summer lately?
Stay kawaii!
^ u ^
I always thought kimonos were cool. Japan has a kimono festival every year to celebrate this traditional garment.
Here is how to make your own!
The weather has definitely been getting warmer in my area of the world.
My husband and I went to the local flea market yesterday.
I will take pictures of my finds and show them on here.
Do you have anything planned this summer?
Stay kawaii!!
^ u ^
I love finding super cute and inexpensive stuff at the thrift store to tear up and alter all to hell when I get it home.
All my cutest pieces in my wardrobe are my thrifted DIY creations
I especially liked the shorts. I always have to alter my pants or skirts due to my petite stature.
I thought this turned out really cute
I was working on some projects that needed improvement earlier. I need to get off my lazy butt and show and tell for all of you.
What have you been working on lately?
Stay kawaii!
^ u ^
