Bleach Black Coolest.DIY.Ever. Valerie and Kristin are those cool girls from school that you wanted to be best friends with. Their DIYs are original and edgy and their blog is full of gorgeous photos. If you ever need inspiration, Bleach Black is a great site to visit.

Anchor Bracelet DIY

Ramblings of a Designer Charlotte Tang is a fellow Torontonian and fellow graphic designer! A girl after my own heart she has “caught the DIY bug” and created some really cute bracelets. Visit her site for more!

The Yellow Clutch DIY

Style Scrapbook Andy is always chic and provides us with amazing and simple DIYs that we can’t wait to try. This clutch DIY is on my to-do list!

Balmain-inspired mini DIY

A Pair and a Spare Geneva’s site is one that I visit daily. Her blog is a great DIY resource and just happens to look amazing in all of her own creations including this Balmain-inspired mini skirt that she embellished herself!

The Weekend Bag DIY

The Weekend Designer is hands-down the best site I’ve found that include cute projects and very detailed instructions. The site is not updated much anymore but there are tons of projects including this amazing bag that I cannot believe he hand-made. It’s my favourite find this week!

Elle

I have been haunted by this cargo jacket (above right) with leather sleeves for some time now but I couldn’t remember the brand or price. So I was walking with Wes down Yonge street and I found it in the window of a boutique! It was clearly a sign. I went in and asked the sales person about it and she took the beautiful coat off the hanger and handed it to me to try on but then I saw the price… $396! I died a little inside and didn’t try it on, then slumped all the way back down Yonge. Later, I realized how easy it would be to replace the sleeves on a regular coat! All I would have to do is find the perfect coat and leather pants or a skirt from a thrift store for the sleeves. Here’s how I did it.

Sewing Level: Intermediate

DIY cost: $33.80 Jacket, Forever 21; $14.00 Leather pants, Double Take Thrift Store = ~ $48 vs. $396

Instructions:

1. Find a jacket without lining that is suitable to your taste and budget. I wanted to look in second-hand shops for a cargo coat but I figured it would be easier to buy them in-store since they’re everywhere and because I wanted the body to be similar to the original Vedo coat. I found mine at Forever 21 (Fairview Mall) for $33.80.
2. Using a stitch ripper, separate the sleeves from the jacket and then the seam of the sleeve, making it lay flat – make sure to note the front and back sleeve and mark.
3. Create a pattern using packing paper, newspaper, gift paper or whatever you can get your hands on. Lay the sleeve on the paper and trace around it. Mark the seam allowance which you can see from the dismantled sleeve. Again mark the back and front on the sleeve pattern.
4. Find leather for your sleeves. You can try the “big” name thrift stores but they usually charge a lot for their leather. Try to find a “mom-and-pop” second hand store. I got mine at Double Take for $14. Try to find leather that would be easy as possible to sew. Mine is calfskin so it’s nice and thin.
5. Place the pattern on the leather pant leg (dismantled the same way as the sleeve). My pant leg was in panels so there were seam lines throughout. In this case I lined up the tip of the shoulder with the main seam on the pant leg so it would match up with the shoulder seam on the coat. (see below for how I positioned my pattern). If you are using a fabric other than leather make sure to match your grainlines.
6. Sew up the sleeve seam.
7. Attach the sleeve to the body of the jacket matching the back and front of the sleeve to the back and front of the jacket.
8. Finally hem the sleeve hole.
9. Be careful sewing with leather. Use a walking foot and a needle suitable for leather… unlike me, who broke four. Eeep!

Pics

For those of you interested in Veda Jackets (which are awesome!) they can be found online at ShopBop. If anyone knows of any boutiques in Toronto that carry Veda let me know and I’ll post them.

So ever since I saw these  burberry boots from the Fall ‘10 collection I’ve been obsessed with finding my own version, ie. cheaper and flat. BUT after searching high and low I can’t find any! I’ve seen many similar styles but they are all either heels or just ugly so I’ve taken it into my own hands (like any true DIY-er) and made my own. I took the boots I got from Common Sort last year and jazzed them up with shearling inserts. Check out how incredibly easy it is to make your own!

Materials

• Shearling (currently on sale for $12/m (down from $40) at Fabricland)
• scissors
• pen/chalk for tracing
• sewing machine

Instructions

1. Cut a large piece of shearling and place it in your boot to trace.
2. Use a pen to trace around the boot- keep in mind that you may want to extend the shearling to the front of your boot where your laces are.
3. Add a seam allowance, I used 1/2″ and cut.
4. Fold sides in and pin. Then fold (cuff) the top of the shearling down and pin where side fold is.
5. Sew down the sides making sure to catch the top- this creates an open “cuff” that will fit over the top of your boots. By sewing down the sides you make sure that only shearling will show and not a raw edge showing the suede (in my case leopard suede).
6. Done! Hopefully the pictures help illustrate this DIY- it’s a bit hard to explain. Let me know if you have any questions!

As a frequent second-hand shopper, it’s easy to go in and out of vintage stores and find that someone has already grabbed the good stuff. As much as I love vintage-saturated areas to shop in, it’s makes it difficult to find something really great. Common Sort, a thrift store full of fantastic “hand-picked recycled fashions” (at a good price point) is  just out of reach of densely-populated shopping areas, making it worthy of a visit.

If you’re the type of shopper who wants the vintage experience but doesn’t want to over-pay for second hand clothing or hunt through one hundred racks for a great find, Common Sort is the perfect shop for you. They hand pick their clothing according to their customer and will “trade” in your old clothing for money or credit within their store. Even though my shoes were rejected, (no hard feelings, it’s nice to see that they’re picky) they accepted the rest of my old favourites and paid me on the spot (yesssss). While rummaging through my clothing, they gave me the chance to browse around (nice tactic, it’s impossible to leave with nothing!) and I found this lovely navy suede clutch-bag originating from Brown’s. I’ve been obsessed with large clutches,  so this was a great find! Together with cafes, pubs and restaurants, shopping at Common Sort completes the perfect day down Queen East so take a friend or go on a date in this area- you will have tons of fun!

Now with their new location in Parkdale, whether you decide, “Queen East? or West? Common Sort will find you.

Happy Thrifting!

Oh Mary Kate, how I wish I was you (and not just for canoodling with Uncle Jesse all those years)! Ever since I saw this picture I’ve wanted to replicate this outfit… sans feather headdress that is. This is the perfect combination of adorable/casual. I saw this picture about two years ago and every time I found into a full skirt I thought of Mary Kate but when I tried on the skirt I saw an awkward eight- year old. Full skirts are easy to find but tough to pull off. For me, they have been very unflattering, adding a few pounds or when paired with a t-shirt, creating a mid-section bulge- never good.

I found this skirt by accident. I was at the Goodwill at Bloor and Sherbourne, where I was searching for the perfect black winter short, when I found this adorable, on-trend, elastic-waisted circle skirt! Trying not to get too excited (as a thrift store junky, finding the right size is always an issue) I went to try it on.  It fit! And for the low price of $6!

My favourite thing about this skirt (besides the twirl-ability and non-bulge) is the label which reads, “Mes Trois Soeurs”, or “My Three Sisters” for those of you who weren’t forced to take French. It made me think of my sisters and my mom, who has turned into both a sister and a best friend. Ahhhh I miss you guys!

Since I didn’t have time to post a picture I’m using the magic of Polyvore to show you what I wore my skirt with today using similar items. It ended up being a tad bit too school-girl but it had a classic vibe which I loved.

Mes Trois Soeurs outfit by MyVintageSecret featuring a double breasted coat

Have a great day!

-Kaitlin

Weird hey? But nice. I didn’t know what to think of these shoes when I got them. They have this nostalgic feel , like something I could wear on a balcony while drinking cognac and smoking a cigar but also something you could wear lawn-bowling. The toe shape, the colour, and the overall weirdness of them ultimately won me over.  Now to find some cognac and join a lawn-bowling league…

Hey guys! Yes I am ashamed at my absence on this blog With the combination of starting a new job (yaay I’m a grown-up!) and summer vacations, and blogging for other sites, I have been too busy to update My Vintage Secret so it has unfortunately been thrown on the back burner. I’m just settling into my work routine so I’m going to make an effort to post more often.

Having a job doesn’t allow me to shop for vintage as often as I used to (what an awful side effect!) so I was hoping that I can get some help from you guys! I would love to have some contributors to the site who can tell their vintage stories, share their latest finds, and show some really cool recycled DIYs. If you’re interested please give me a shout at Kaitlin@MyVintageSecret.com!

I have been blogging for GetCraftee for a couple of months where I post DIYs so visit the site if you’re interested! Above is a sneak peek of my latest project that should be posted today so keep checking back!

I started this project a long time ago. I drew a deer, photocopied and enlarged my drawing, cut out the leather pieces, taped them on (pinning through leather breaks nails), then started sewing… and promptly stopped. I realized what I was doing was impossible. Initially I wanted to sew around the edges of the pieces, outlining them (was I drunk?) but soon realized how difficult this was. This project laid on my “to-do” pile for about a month before I got a brainwave(!) last night and decided to just sew them straight on with diagonal top-stitching. I can’t believe how long it took me to come up with this super simple solution…

I hope you like my latest DIY. I’d love to hear what you think!

It’s garage sale season!  At 7:30 am we loaded the van, taking our morning coffees with us in their original china mugs (do other family’s do this?) and sans the back seats for our many anticipated finds. The social aspect is one of the most interesting by-products of garage-saleing. House owners invite strangers into their yards and garages to sift through their lives while making small talk. As we hunt, we slowly learn about the family members, “Looks like junior outgrew is dinosaur phase”, and “Another failed attempt at Tae-Bo,” judging by the parents who lack the biceps of Mr. Billy Blanks. By far, my favourite garage sales are the ones with children running lemonade stands and bake sales (an important lesson in entrepreneurship and hospitality). And of course, the very intelligent parents who put out coffee for the buyers so they won’t low-ball- good thing I brought my mug!

Along with a serge protector bar (thanks for the find Wes) I grabbed these awesome motorcycle boots for $4 (talked the owner down from $5 haha). Best part? They are oil AND acid resistant- PHEW!

Patches are on everything this spring! I remember when I was little and my mother used to put heart patches on top of holes I made in my jeans and I loved them. As I grew older and kept wearing out my jeans, I became “too cool” for patches, making a face at my mom who would offer to mend them with her signature heart patch. I’m happy to see that patches have become a trend! What’s great about patches is they’re so easy to sew onto a pair of old jeans or shorts! Check out my DIY below to see how easy it is to participate in this trend.

Inspiration

Materials

• jean shorts
• fabric squares – use broadcloth and wovens for patches
• thread to match your fabric and denim squares
• sewing machine
• denim squares
• scissors
• pins

Instructions

1. Cut out your squares to various sizes. Have fun with the shapes! If you want to do hearts, stars, unicorns go for it!
2. Pin into place. I have these jeans and hate the back pockets (obviously) so a patch is a perfect way to cover up the ugly embroidery! I used the same fabric from the legs of the jeans for the large patches on the back just so it doesn’t look too… patchy.
3. Baste your squares onto your shorts. (largest stitch length)
4. Zig-zag edges or use a short straight stitch close to the edge of the patch.
5. You’re done!

Be sure to avoid sewing down the front pockets. My back pockets are now unusable because of the patches. If you’re ambitious and want to put patches on your pockets but still remain functional, you can take off your back pockets, sew on your patches, then sew your pocket back on.

Gallery

Unfortunately I didn’t finish the shorts. I have had some DIY disasters in the past few days and this is my third project (the first two failed). I still need to use a zig zag stitch to complete the shorts but realized I didn’t have the right colour thread (and I’m not going to use the neon green I have just lying here). I’ve been v. frustrated but decided to share this DIY with you anyway. I’ll get this done and share the results as soon as possible.