HIGH on DIY

Mother’s Day is just a week away and there is nothing better than a handmade gift. Here I compiled some of my favorite fashion and home DIYs that you can turn into presents.

These DIYs range from quick and easy ones such as Heart Shaped Clip-On Earring to more detailed ones such as Neon Bean Bib Necklace. There are choices of unique bracelets, earrings, necklaces and home items such as throw pillow cases that you can make it yourself in a few simple steps.

Neon Bean Statement Necklace || Geometric Chain Necklace || Color Block Necklace

Safety-Pin & Sequin Bracelet  || Chain & Bead Bracelet || Hardware Bracelet

Chain Wrapped Earring || Clip-On Heart Earring || Shooting Star Hair Clip

Glitter Heart Pillow || Natural Tie-Dye Pillow || Cutout Gift Wrap / Greeting Card

You can use the Cutout Gift Wrap to put together your present or even use the same technique to DIY a Mother’s Day card. Another idea is to buy the supplies for one or more of these fun DIYS and then create them together with your mother — a perfect way to spend time together! Have a great time celebrating and a happy early Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mums!

One of the most exciting days for HIGHonDIY was when BuzzFeed contacted me for a collaboration on a home decor DIY. BuzzFeed is one of my favorite sites so I could not be happier! Of the several ideas I proposed, they really liked the tie-dye idea for a pillow case using a natural dye. Of course, being from India, I could not think of a better dye than turmeric. I use it to cook every day so why not DIY with it too. My DIY was posted on BuzzFeed earlier in April and I am sharing the same DIY with you here.

You’ll need:

• Rubber Bands Packet
• Pom Pom Trim (long enough to cover two sides of the pillow case)
• Turmeric Powder
• Needle & Thread (in the same color as the trim or neutral color if possible)
• White/Light Colored Pillow Case (natural fabrics work the best. I used a 100% cotton white pillow case)
• Large Pot
• Water

Step 1: Fill 3/4ths of a large pot with water and add 5 tablespoons of turmeric powder, a natural fabric dye. Put it to boil on medium heat. Keep checking on it while you do Step 2 & 3.

Step 2: Lay your pillow case flat with the top part facing up. Starting from one side, pinch a small piece of fabric from the top layer of the pillow case and tie a rubber band around it. Repeat it all over the top layer of the pillow case.

Step 3: Once all tying is done, rinse the pillow case in cold water. This will help the fabric pick up the natural dye better. Wring the excess water out of the pillow case.

Step 4: The water with turmeric from Step 1 should be boiling by now, so turn the heat to low and put the wet pillow case in it. Use a large spoon to evenly sink the pillow case in the turmeric dye. Let the pillow case boil in the dye for an hour to get a rich color. Stir it every 15 minutes or so to make sure the fabric is picking up the dye evenly.

Step 5: After an hour of boiling, take the large pot off the heat. Let it cool down for 10-15 minutes. Then take out the pillow case and rinse it in cold water until you get rid of all the excess dye and wring it out.

Step 6: Remove all the rubber bands you had tied to the top layer of the pillow case. Spread out the pillow case to see the beautiful design and let it dry. If it is too wrinkled after its dry, iron it out.

Step 7: Once the pillow case is dry, pick the two sides you want to add pom pom trims to. Cut the trim to the length of the pillow case side and sew them together with the needle and thread. Add the pom pom trim to the opposite side of the pillow case as well.

Then you have a beautiful pillow case dyed naturally and embellished with a pom pom trim in a contrasting color.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY. I had a lot of fun experimenting outside the regular fashion DIYs you see here and I am definitely going to give other natural dyes a try. Until next time, get your creative fix and stay HIGH on DIY!