Shopping Post: How to Shop at Forever 21

Ok- so looking at this title, you might be like what the heck? I walk in the store, look around and check out, duh. That's how you 'shop' in a store.  But the whole reason I am writing this is to give people clues on how to be successful when shopping at Forever 21.  People ask me all the freaking time where I get my outfits, accessories, clutches, and sometimes even shoes- and about 85% of the time my answer is Forever 21, which people then respond to with 'Really? I can never find anything in that store!' The thing is, walking into a Forever store is sometimes pretty overwhelming (especially the new store here in Louisville, KY).  There are clothes literally everywhere, nothing seems to be in a logical order, and it's usually cluttered, crowded and playing obnoxiously loud music.  Once you get over all of that though, it becomes sort of like an adventure to find the hidden treasure, in let's face it, a lot of junk.

Here's the secret to most of my success in shopping at this store: take FULL advantage of their website! I know some people are intimidated of shopping online, but seriously it is sooo much easier than shopping in the store.  It's organized really well, and the best part is, they update it almost every day with new items.  Sadly, I look at it enough that I even know the basic schedule of when they start to put up new items for the day.  Around 4 pm (EST) they will have at least a few new items up for that day, and usually by around 8:30 that night they will have everything uploaded in the New Arrivals section.  They have New Arrivals almost every day, sometimes Saturdays and Sundays you get nothin' but Mon-Fri there are always multiple items added.

Another reason a lot of people don't like to shop online is the annoyance of paying for shipping.  If a website doesn't offer some type of 'free shipping' offer, you can bet I am steering clear of it! The awesome thing about Forever21.com is they always offer free shipping when you spend $50 or more.  For most people, that is really not too hard to do.  Here's my personal technique for shopping online: throughout the week, I will check the New Arrivals, and if there is something that catches my eye, I will go ahead and add it to 'my bag'.  I have an account on the website already (duh) so it automatically saves the items in my bag (until they are out of stock) for the next time I sign in.  I continuously check the website when I have a few minutes, and then when it gets to Saturday I can usually make a decision to order what's left in my bag for the week or not, because I know there aren't going to be any more new arrivals until Monday night. I obviously do not order a shipment every week, that would be more than a little ridiculous.  Helpful hint: if you LOVE one thing in your bag, I guarantee there are thousand of other girls that will love it too.  If something is super popular, it will sell out FAST.  So my tip to you is if you love it, order it that day.  Otherwise it may be gone by the next time you check your bag.

"My Bag" in the upper right hand corner of the website

But, if you are the type (which many people are) to be afraid that something is not going to fit or look right if you order it online, don't worry- you can still get some helpful tips from this blog.  Even if you don't plan on ordering it, you can still build your 'bag' and  use the website almost as a tool to know exactly what you are looking for when you walk into the crazy, cluttered, overwhelming store itself.  A lot of times I will pull up my account on my phone, and go to my shopping bag to remember what I'm looking for specifically.  Then I at least know what colors, types of fabrics, prints, and clothing types I should be keeping my eyes open for.  Since most of the Forever stores are separated into sections like Basics, Heritage 1981, Accessories, Style Deals, Love 21, and even types of clothes like lace, neon, clubbing etc it's easy to narrow down where your item may be.  If you have been in your town's Forever 21 a few times you can easily get a feel for where these sections are and figuring out where what you're looking for becomes a tad bit easier.

If you are still lost at this point, you can even ask a store employee if they have seen the item you are looking for, and if you have it pulled up on your phone- you could even give them the item description number and they may be able to look it up for you on their own computers.

A few quick tips if you do in fact decide to brave the scary idea of ordering a shipment online:

• If you're questioning what size to order, look at how the item fits the model.  I know I am bigger than any model they photograph, so if it fits her correctly and it says below the picture 'model is wearing size small' I know I probably need a medium.
• Be careful when ordering jewelry online- pay attention to the measurements because a few times I have ordered earrings that I thought would be small and dainty, and they arrive and they're an inch and a half in diameter.  Accessories are final sale, so make sure you love it before you buy it!
• Know that you can return anything (other than sale items and accessories) to a brick and mortar store.  You don't have to go through the annoying process of mailing anything back.  You can just return it to the closest Forever 21 within 21 days with your receipt and you are able to get store credit.  I have never personally had to send anything back, I always just take it to my nearest store.
• Try on things at Forever stores to get a feel for how their sizes work.  I know generally their skirts run small, so I usually have to go up a size in those.  I also know that I like my shirts baggy so if it looks like it may be tight, I may order up in that as well.  I also know what size I usually wear in their pants- they run in sizes like 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, etc.  Try a couple pairs on in a store before ordering online so you have a general idea of where you're at especially if you've only ever bought jeans in size 2, 4, 6, or 8.
• For the plus size girls out there: They offer Forever 21 + in some stores, but they don't have it available in all of them yet (hopefully they will soon!).  Luckily, they do have a section online just for you.  My sister has found a lot of skirts and accessories and even a couple dresses through Forever 21 + and I am pretty sure she said they also run a little bit small, so if you're thinking you're a 2x, it might make more sense to try a 3x.
• Lastly, the "Style Deals"are always hot items, and they go SO FAST in stores.  I would always advise to order these online.  They're usually really inexpensive basics that you can build your wardrobe around- and they almost always end in .50 instead of .80.  Some great examples are jeans for $10.50, colored jeans for $15.50, denim shorts for $12.50, and bathing suits for as low as $4.50 per separate! 

Style Deal section of the website

Anyway, I know this is long but I hope it is helpful to some of you all out there that may struggle with finding things that you like in the kind of overwhelming environment that this store can sometimes bring with it.  I love to shop online, but there still is a part of me that loves to walk around in a store and physically try things on, so I kind of combine using both strategies.  I do always have an idea of what's in my bag online when I am shopping in the store, but sometimes I get lucky and find something that I wasn't looking for that I love!

Shopping is not supposed to be stressful, it's actually supposed to be the opposite.  So I hope you put some of these tips to good use and enjoy yourself when you're getting good deals and great clothes! :)

Catherine

CHIC.CLASSY.CHEAP

 

DIY Tutorial: Cobra Stitch Lanyard Bracelet with Chain

Read on to find out how to make these beauties :)

Hello everybody, this is a really fun tutorial that I haven't found yet on the internet, so I hope I am the first and I hope this is helpful! If you are on Pinterest, Etsy, YouTube, etc...then you have probably seen these bracelets.  Most of the time they are made with a chunky gold chain, which is what I wanted to do as well- but I didn't have much luck finding gold chain at any craft stores, so I am still on the hunt! (Gives me an excuse to make more of them anyway :)) Anyway- if you want to buy them you can find them on Etsy, helloberry is a popular seller of them, but there are multiple sellers.  BUT- if you want to make it yourself (which is way cooler anyway) stay tuned to get some helpful hints of how to finish the ends, and put it together, etc.

As for the actual stitch itself, it's called the King Cobra Stitch, which is actually just two Cobra stitches on top of one another.  Instead of trying to take pictures of the stitch itself, I thought it would just be easier to post the links to the youtube videos that I used:  Cobra Stitch and King/Super Cobra Stitch.  These videos are very helpful and I started my bracelets exactly how the instructor did in the videos.  However, I finished mine very differently, because I wanted loops on both ends to connect the chain to.  Figuring out how to do this was a bit tricky...

What you need:
Plastic Lacing/ Lanyard/ Gimp (I got 4 different colored spools of 10 yards each at Michaels for $.99 apiece)
Chain (I found mine at Michael's a few months ago, didn't have luck finding it again :/ try Ebay!)
Needle Nose Pliers
Lighter or a Hot Glue Gun (for finishing)

Determining how much lanyard you need is all personal preference.  I wanted my lanyard part of my bracelets to be more than half of the bracelet, so I would measure that much and pretty much triple it (there is a reason for this) for the first string.  I'd say it was about a foot long.  Then you need about 6.5 to 7 times the length of the first string for the longer string, and you DO need this much. I tried to skimp one time and it didn't work out so well-  I had to do the whole thing over.

As the video demonstrates- you then fold both pieces in half and get started on the Cobra stitch.  This is actually relatively easy, and you get the hang of it really quickly.

Getting started with the basic
Cobra Stitch

When you get relatively close to where you want the length of the lanyard to be- I'd say about half an inch from it, is when you have to start thinking about how to get the other side to have a loop to hold the chain.  I found a solution to this.  Basically, what you have to do is take the shorter pieces of lanyard and fold them upwards to where there are two loops at the bottom, and continue stitching over the pieces that hang out.  It sounds complicated but it's really not bad.  Hopefully the picture will do a better job of illustrating what you have to do. The ponytail holder helps keep the extra lanyard out of the way while I am finishing up the first layer of stitches.

I took the pieces from the inside and folded
them upwards to create two loops, then
continued the cobra stitch on top of that.

You continue to stitch until there is just enough room in the loops for your chain to fit through.  Then, you turn the whole lanyard upside down to begin the King Cobra stitching.  The King Cobra stitch is just continuing the Cobra stitch on top of what you have already done, to create a thicker look.  The video posted earlier is very helpful in figuring this out as well.

Starting of the King Cobra stitch

In the picture above you can see that the extra lanyard strings from where you folded over are still hanging out, but this is completely ok.  You are just going to continue stitching right over these strings, and they will eventually be completely covered up.  Plus, it helps with the thickness as well!

Those strings are about 2 stitches away
from being completely covered!

From here you just continue to stitch until you get back to the other looped end.  Then you have to figure out a way to finish it as 'prettily' as possible.  What I did for the first 2 was tie a couple knots in the lanyard, then lightly move a lighter over the knot to try and get it to melt together.  This was tricky because it would easily burn and sometimes the knot would even break apart.  Still, it worked on the first two pretty well.

You can see where the lighter touched the
lanyard at the top near the loop. It helped
secure the ends in place.

On the last bracelet I made, I ended up trying a different approach.  Instead of burning the ends, I just used a hot glue gun to secure the ends on the inside of the bracelet.  I would probably recommend this technique over the flame technique because the hot glue dries clear (vs. the charred look that can happen with the flame), and I think it will hold up pretty well.  The only tip with this is that you want the ends to be a little longer to glue them down, so maybe about a half an inch or a little bit less (about the width of the bracelet itself).

The last step is just adding the chain.  These bracelets are supposed to be big enough that you can slip them over your wrist without a clasp or closure, remember that when you're measuring for length.  I used about 9 links of my chain for my green and pink bracelets.  For the turquoise (which was my first one) I had to use a few more links, because I mis-judged the length of the lanyard part.  Installing the chain is super simple, just slip it through the loops and use your pliers to close the link of the chain.

Slide it through, then clamp it closed.
Repeat with the other side to connect the bracelet.

The finished product is really pretty fabulous.  It's very similar to the bracelets that helloberry sells for $25 apiece, and these probably cost about $.75 to $1.00 apiece.  I absolutely love the way they stack together, and plan on making a more neutral set (black, white, tan, etc.) when I am able to find a gold chain that I like. If you know of any places with a great selection of gold chain, please leave me a comment below and let me know!  I really hope this tutorial was helpful, and honestly they really are a lot of fun to make.  Brings me back to my elementary school days, making boxed lanyard keychains for all my friends.  Please comment/share/pin/subscribe! I really do appreciate it!

Stay tuned for more tutorials, and maybe even a fashion type post in the next couple of weeks! Here are a few more pictures of the finished products...

The backside of the bracelets

Still using my monogrammed dish :)

Stacked with other accessories

The neon is perfect for spring/summer!

Catherine

CHIC.CLASSY.CHEAP

DIY tutorial: A quick pillow re-do

I know making a pillow is so, so, so basic, but I thought there might still be people out there that could use some help with it! So, here ya go... this summer when I was planning my purple living room, I got some plain black pillows for super cheap at IKEA.  I decided to make them more fun and built felt flowers on them, and they were really cute at first and served their purpose, but the felt eventually shed all over the black and it was hard to get off, and they got really dirty but I couldn't wash them since they were just glued together.

Felt flowers on black IKEA pillows

Anyway, recently I have been wanting new pillows and have been thinking about ideas for my next place...and I know I want to incorporate gray and white and maybe coral, so I am going to slowly change everything over (or get rid of things) to get stuff in that color scheme.  I found a great gray and white fabric on sale for $2.50 a yard at JoAnn's and got a yard of it, not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it.

As you all know, decorative pillows can be super expensive for some reason.  So, I wanted to reuse what I already had.  I originally was going to just make covers for the black pillows and rip the flowers off, but the pillows were a little bit bigger than I preferred, so I decided to start fresh and just use the stuffing from the old ones.

First, you just need to cut 4 even squares of fabric.  I didn't measure or anything because I couldn't find a tape measure, so mine are by no means perfect...

sloppily cut squares :)

Next, you're going to sew two pieces together with the right sides facing in. That is how the fabric is laying in the picture above.  You want to sew the pieces together fully on three sides, and then a little on each side of the last edge, leaving a gap in the middle (big enough to fit your hand in for stuffing!)

the gap I left in the middle of the last side,
make sure you backstitch so the seams don't come
undone when stuffing!

At this point, you just want to quickly clip the corners (like I mentioned in my last tutorial) so they will come to a good point when you turn it right-side out.  Then, turn it out and begin stuffing.  You can obviously buy stuffing from any fabric store if you don't have old pillows you want to reuse.  I just ripped the black ones open and took the stuffing out in chunks until I was satisfied with the fullness of the new pillow!

Quick tip: stuff the corners first! It makes
things much easier in the long run

When you're finished stuffing, your hole should look
something like this.

All that's left to do now is pin that hole shut, and top stitch over it with your machine (can be hand sewn as well, the machine is just quicker).  This part can be a little tricky because the pillow doesn't fit easily under the machine, but it just takes a little patience, and a little shifting of the stuffing to get it situated.  You can barely tell that it is sewn differently from the rest of the pillow because it's such a small section of only one side.

They're not perfect but if you use a ruler and make sure the edges are perfect they will be.  The finished product should look like any decorative pillow you would find at Target, HomeGoods, etc etc! I think these turned out so cute, and they were so inexpensive to do. Less than $3 for this makeover :)

Not my couch...but you get the picture!

I hope these instructions were easy for you to follow.  I know making a pillow is so basic, but this was just something that I thought I could show you in case someone didn't know how.  And also to remind you all that you can definitely reuse things! It's so easy to throw something out, it takes creativity to re-invent something :)

Hopefully I'll post again soon.  I am wanting to do a makeover on my coffee table in the next week or so when I get some time!  

Catherine

CHIC.CLASSY.CHEAP

DIY Tutorial: Large Faux Leather Clutch/Laptop Case

DIY Clutch/Laptop Case

So, it's been a while since I've been able to get a blog post up! I've been busy with school and then was on Spring Break, and just never got around to getting this one up, although I've had the actual clutch done for weeks. The inspiration for this idea came from Pinterest (of course), I had seen SwellMayde's DIY envelope clutch and started looking around for other DIY clutch ideas.  I came across a video on YouTube called: DIY Clutch American Apparel Leather Pouch, and I decided I loved the idea and was going to try and do it myself.  Overall, this was not a difficult project, although I made a couple mistakes that made it a little more annoying, luckily you all will not make those same mistakes if you attempt this at home since you all have a warning from me!

Materials:
1/3 of a yard of vinyl or faux leather material (I got mine from Hancock in the scrap fabric section so it was like $1.60 for all of it!)
A 16 inch zipper (I did a separating zipper only because I liked the chunky gold look of it, you can pick any one you like.  It was $5, but they were 50% off that day, so $2.50!)
A sewing machine, with a durable needle (vinyl is a thick fabric to sew through)
Thread
Super glue
Scissors

I got the dimensions from the YouTube video, but it wasn't extremely helpful on much else. Hopefully this tutorial is a bit more clear. So, to start off, you want to cut two rectangles of 16 by 12 inches from the vinyl.  I really didn't measure very carefully, all I had laying around was a tape measurer and I didn't mark it or anything.  I just did the best I could with what I had and tried to make the edges straight (it really doesn't have to be perfect).

I chose a tan vinyl with a tan and gold zipper.

The next thing you have to do it pin and sew the zipper on correctly.  I haven't sewn a zipper in a longgggg time, so this took me a minute to figure out. Basically, you have to pin the zipper in a way that would seem upside down.  You pin it downward, on the right side of the fabric.  It's hard to explain, but hopefully the pictures help. Also, I did not have a zipper foot to sew this on, it would be easier to do with one, but I didn't have one available to me, so I used the basic one on any sewing machine.

Pin the zipper downward, so when it's facing the
correct way, it is somewhat hidden

When you pull the zipper up after it is sewn,
 it should look like this. When both sides
are connected it then sits correctly!

When both sides are sewn they should lay like this
next to each other.  You then are able to zip them
back together to make sure it looks correct.

The zipper is honestly the hardest part of this whole project just because it takes some figuring out to get it right.  I hope those pictures help, if not- just play around with it until you get it the way you want it to look when the clutch is closed.

Next you have to sew up the other three sides when the clutch is inside out.  This is really simple and you want to leave about half an inch of space between where the zipper is and where you stop sewing.  I would sew about half an inch in on the sides as well, I may have done a little bit more than this and cut off the excess because I had actually measured it a little bit bigger than 16" by 12".

I had to cut off the excess on the bottom after I sewed
the pieces together.

Next you just want to clip the corners so when it turns right-side out, the corners are able to push through and create an L shape.

Cut as close to the stitches as possible.

At this point you can turn the clutch inside out and make sure the zipper is closing correctly.  When I turned mine out I was unhappy with how the zipper was sitting.  I guess I left too big of a gap from the side seams to the actual zipper, so it looked unfinished to me.  I thought this would be easy to fix with some fabric glue, so I put a lot in the cracks and ghetto-rigged some pins to make it stay in place overnight.  It looked like this when I went to bed:

What a disaster! haha

Anyway, needless to say- this did not work in any way.  Turns out the fabric glue was not good for vinyl so when I took the pins out the next day, it pulled right apart.  I was stuck peeling out all the rubbery glue.  I found a bottle of Krazy glue super glue, and read on the back that it works well on vinyl.  I finally found a solution.  I put the super glue where the fabric glue had been and it sealed it really well.  It's been weeks, and it still is holding up!

At this point, you're ready to use your clutch!  I wanted to use it and have it kind of fold over to create a slouchy look, but the vinyl I had purchased was almost too thick for that (if you want to be able to do that get something that is meant to be a faux leather).  I then realized this pouch was the perfect size for my MacBook pro.  I am able to fit my computer and charger and other things in this case perfectly.  I have been using it constantly, and I think it looks so sleek. The best part is, I spent like $4 on the whole project, and it really does look 'expensive'.  Here are some pictures of how it turned out, sorry they're not that great, I just felt so goofy modeling it :)

The 'slouchy' clutch look, with just my
keys, phone and other things from
 my purse inside.

More structured looking with my
laptop in it.

Fits my MacBook Pro and charger perfectly :)

Hope that you like this and are will to give it a try! I love it and now carry this with me to class and when I go out of town instead of my bulkier Betsey Johnson case. I also used what was left of the vinyl and tried to make a quick envelope clutch as well, and I am in the process of painting that now.  If it turns out cute, be on the lookout for another clutch tutorial.  If not, I just won't mention it again, haha. I hope to get another blog up in the next week to week and a half, so stay tuned!

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Catherine

Chic.Classy.Chic

DIY Tutorial: Tiered Lace Shorts from Men's Boxers

For the past couple of months, I have been lusting after a pair of lace shorts:



I pin them on Pinterest all of the time, and I've looked on tons of websites- but I really couldn't find any that I loved, and if I did find a pair, the price was a bit ridiculous.  So I thought, why not make them?? It could be a fun project and it couldn't be that hard, right? Wrong. My friend Beth did this DIY with me, and we struggled and cursed and screamed our way through it.  I am going to be honest- this was the hardest DIY project I've ever done.  And I have done hundreds.  But if you love lace like me and are dedicated and patient, then stay tuned to find out how to create your very own pair of tiered lace shorts.

What you need:
a pair of white or cream shorts (I used white men's cotton boxers, my first big mistake)
lace, lace, and more lace. (I ended up using at least 14 yards!!)
a sewing machine (or fabric glue)
thread
pins
a seam ripper

I would have loved to find a pair of white or cream dress shorts with a side zipper for this project, but I had no luck.  So I decided to go with a pair of men's boxers that I found for $4 at Target.  I thought this would be easy, because I could just slip the elastic waist on.  However, I recommend not using a short with any stretchiness, because when you sew the lace on it is not stretchy and it makes it hard to get them over your hips.  When I figured this out, it was already too late.  Anyway, if you do choose boxers, you are going to have to alter the length most likely.  So, I hemmed the legs of the shorts and also rolled the elastic waist down one time to shorten the length of the crotch, and sewed along that line.

Double roll the shorts from the inside and pin down, then sew around to hem.

Remove the tag, and pin down this waist band from the inside.
Then sew around to shorten crotch length

 After you do this, remove the button (using a seam ripper) from the flap on the front, and sew that flap closed. Your shorts should now look a little bit more like women's shorts.

After alterations

Now comes the fun part (and by fun, I mean HARD.)  We bought our lace from Hancock fabrics by the spool.  The lace by the yard was much more expensive. I bought 4 spools of different kinds of lace first, about 8 yards worth, and that got me about halfway up the shorts.  I had to go back out and get 3 more spools- thank goodness it was 30% off so it was only 84 cents per spool!  The skinnier the lace, the more layers you will need. My lace was skinnier than Beth's and I ended up needing a ton more than she did.

At first we tried to glue the lace to the shorts with "Ok to wash" glue that we found at Hancock Fabrics.   It is possible to use this for the shorts, I just don't recommend it. We thought this would be easier since we had seen other tutorials using it, but it was a disaster.  You have to wait for the glue to get tacky, then it gets everywhere and sticks to your fingers when you try to put it on the shorts and it's just a mess.  After we fussed with this on the first layer for an hour or so, we decided to try our luck with the sewing machine.  

Placing the layers is all your own preference, you choose what layer looks best on the bottom and then on top of that, etc etc.  You have to pin one layer at a time, and I would recommend starting from the bottom up. I would pin the lace all the way around, and then make the cut to make sure the length was correct.  You also have to be very careful when pinning the layers to not pull the lace super tight, because this makes the shorts bunch up and become tight when put on.  I learned this the hard way and had to seam-rip the entire third layer and start over- and it seriously took FOREVER.

   

           You want the first tier to be the lace you like the best, because
 it hangs over your hem 

Pinning the first layer off of the leg of the shorts is
crucial to get right, so take your time.

After you get the first row done that goes around the whole body of the shorts and isn't on the actual short leg, it starts to get a little easier. (Not by much, but you just get the hang of it).  Continue to layer the lace in the fashion that you like to create the look you want, until you reach the top (this takes a lot of time, and a lot of patience).  I wouldn't recommend sewing on the actual elastic band because then it will no longer be stretchy, and they will be really difficult to get on and off.  To get to this point I had 8 layers on the front, and 9 layers on the back.  (That's a lot of pinning and sewing!)

They are quite pretty: reminds me of bloomers or a lace petticoat

At this point, I had to try them on.  I'm not going to lie- I wasn't completely thrilled with the results.  Because the lace we bought was already gathered at the top, it made the lace lay more 'poofy' than I would have preferred. So when I tried them on I felt a bit like I had a fancy lace diaper on.

Please ignore my tie dye shirt that I was working in :)

 I realized it might help if I sewed down the seams on the sides to help hold the lace in place and calm down the 'poofiness'.  I pinned down the seams and sewed a straight line.  Thank goodness, this helped a little.

Pin down the sides to make sure it gives the effect you want
...then sew that line when you're happy with it.

I thought about sewing seams down the front and the back too, to minimize the poof even more- but as of now I have decided against it. I still think they're a little too 'fru fru' but with how much work I put into them, I have to love them. With the right styling they make a super cute outfit!

The lace and the shorts together were about $11.  I spent $3.50 on fabric glue that I didn't end up using.  I already had all the other materials, so they really weren't too expensive to make. Anyway,  here's the finished product, I hope you all like them and maybe want to give them a try!

Finished product up close!

A cute way to style lace shorts:
A blazer, neutral top, and neutral heels!

My very first post! DIY tutorial: Monogrammed Jewelry Dish

I'm very excited to finally get this blog started! I've been thinking about starting my own blog for almost a year now, and I have finally bit the bullet and decided to give it a try. I find myself having 'craft time' as often as possible, I just haven't documented all of my creations until now.

This dish is a super cute way to store little trinkets- I just plan on using it for the jewelry I use on a daily basis.  The inspiration for the tutorial came from the Belle in the City blog that I found on Pinterest.  You can visit her tutorial here: http://werejustlikeyouonlyprettier.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html.

All you need is:
A dish or plate (I got mine for $1 at Dollar Tree)
Acrylic Paint that is safe for glass/ceramics (I bought Multi-Surface craft paint from Martha Stewart for $2 at Michael's)

Color: Pink Flamingo

A paint brush (one medium size, and one small one)
A clear acrylic spray paint to seal everything (Mine is Krylon from WalMart for around $4)
A regular white acrylic paint (Should adhere to the multi-surface acrylic for the monogram, mine is just Craft Smart from Michaels. It works well and is super cheap!)
Your own creativity!

First you're going to want to clean your dish with soap and water.  The paint also says to rub your surface with rubbing alcohol, but I didn't have any on hand so I had to skip this step.  Next you're going to want to figure out exactly where you are going to paint the main color.  You could tape this with painter's tape if you are wanting a square or something with straight lines, but since I wanted a circle, I decided to trace a circle onto my plate with a washable marker.  I just turned one of my cereal bowls upside down to get the size circle that I was looking for.

I just used a pink washable Crayola marker to trace my circle

Next, you are going to very carefully paint your first coat within the lines.  Paint quickly to get an even coat so you don't get any little bits of dried paint running throughout the wet paint.  This doesn't look cute at all, I unfortunately learned this the hard way and had to start the whole thing over.

The brush I used, and the paint after one coat.

You're going to want to let the paint dry before you apply another coat.  The paint says wait an hour, I didn't wait that long.  You can also use a blow dryer on a cool setting to speed this process up. I did this after the second coat to speed things up a bit.  Tip: Paint with really light brushstrokes just in case the under layer isn't fully dry.  That way you wont end up with the dry paint flakes that I did the first time. You can paint as many coats as you like- just paint until you are satisfied with the color.  I did 3 coats to get a really opaque base to put my monogram on top of.

The next step is what takes some creativity.  Drawing your own monogram can be a little tricky, but it just takes a little practice and you will get the hang of it. Everything I own that has a monogram on it is in the script interlocking font, I absolutely love this look and can sketch my own monogram in this font in 15 seconds.  But after seeing Belle in the City's circular block monogram, I was intrigued.  I liked that it was different and decided to give it a go.  I had never drawn my monogram in this font before so I used Google images to find a template to sketch my own. I sketched my own a couple times on a white sheet of paper to get the hang of it before I tried to on my dish.

Use this to find your own personal monogram!

My block circular monogram on the left and my interlocking one on the right.

Before I explain how I did my monogram I am going to tell you all- IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER TO USE A COLORED SHARPIE TO DO THIS!! The paint was hard to use and took an extremely steady hand. It ended up looking ok but it took many coats and more time than I wanted to spend on it.  Belle in the City used a silver metallic Sharpie and I think hers turned out really cute.  If I decide to do this again, I will definitely be trying out that method.  (I think it also creates a much cleaner look.)

I didn't know what to use to sketch onto my plate, luckily I had a white-ish paint marker in my craft supplies, so I used that.  I tried to lightly sketch a rough draft of the monogram and kept tweaking it until I was happy with what I saw.  It did NOT look pretty at this stage but that didn't matter. 

First stage- when sketched with paint marker

Next I took my white acrylic paint and started painting in the lines with a smaller paint brush. The first coat was not pretty.  Neither was the second.  I used the blow dryer again in between coats to get it dry quicker.  Finally, after the 3rd coat I was happy with how opaque the white was.  But I didn't like how sloppy the monogram looked.  It was thick and the lines weren't really clean.

After 3 coats of the white paint.

I realized I could fix this by using the pink and very carefully touching up all the places that needed it.  I used the same brush, but mainly tried to use the edge of it to get a clean line.  This process took some TLC and it was tedious.  But after this stage I was FINALLY happy with what I saw. 

After touching up with the pink around the edges.

After that dried all that was left was to seal it with my Krylon Acrylic spray paint and then it would be ready for jewelry! To spray the plate I just put it on a plastic bag to protect my floor and coated the entire plate with a thick coat.  I let it dry for about 15 minutes and then blew it dry for a couple just to be safe- you can wait longer if you'd like. Then it was ready for use! (If you want to do more than one coat of the sealant follow the instructions on the bottle.) I really love how it turned out, I have it sitting on the side of my vanity table in my room now.  I think it's a nice way to make my jewelry  look organized and neat.

The glossy finish comes from the acrylic sealant.

Finished product :)

So, that's it for my first blog and tutorial!! I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope every step is clear. I also wanted to add that this dish could be really cute just as a decorative plate- you can get a plate stand from Hobby Lobby for like $3, and then have it on display wherever you like.

Please subscribe to my blog if you want to see more tutorials and much more,  I will be updating as often as possible and I would love to get feedback. Leave comments, and have fun trying this! Can't wait to see everybody else's versions :)

Catherine

CHIC.CLASSY.CHEAP