tutorial - button-up recon blouse

So my friend Malu posted a photo on instagram of this crazy printy shirt & was like "want this shirt @sylandsam?" ... or something like that. Obviously, I like a good fashion challenge, so I accepted & decided to transform that beauty today :)

So if you're thrifting & you catch a glimpse of some way-out-there fabric that you've just gotta have? Follow this tutorial on how to revamp it! Click on any of the photos to go check out the step-by-step on Chictopia!

lipgloss and black x american apparel event

So we were asked by American Apparel to be the "hosts" for an in-store shopping event yesterday night. Basically, there were food, drinks, music & 25% off the entire store plus... US! haha. We hung out from 6pm to 9pm just shopping & talking to friends who popped by to hit up the sale :)

The American Apparel in Sherway Gardens, Toronto






Thank you to all of our sweet friends who came out of their way on a Tuesday to come hang out! The time flew by while you were there ♥


noms


Lovelysally Le Souris Leggings & Jeffrey Campbell Raid Wedges




Myself & Samantha in our fave AA basics: I wore the gloria-v bodysuit & Sam was in her convertible bandeau dress!


The event went well & it was fun snacking & schmoozing for a night! I picked up a couple of things-- a swimsuit & some shorts, which I'm sure you'll be seeing in an outfit post soon. Thanks so much to Jon Riosa for hooking us up & having us hang out in your store for the night! It was a great time :)

tutorial - caviar nails

Hello guys,
Exciting news! We're going to be continuing with our regular manicure monday posts but they will mostly be posted on the LuLu*s Blog now! LuLu*s is a great online fast-fashion shop with lots of on-trend looks at great prices & an awesome blog too! For our first week, we decided to try out the crazy caviar nails we've been seeing all over the blogosphere. Head over to check out our tutorial on the blog by clicking on the photo below:

Let us know what you think by commenting here or on the LuLu*s blog! :)

Create your Style with Swarovski Elements Magazine (CLOSED)

Hey guys,

We were so excited when we were contacted by Swarovski! The people at Create your Style with Swarovski Elements Magazine were kind enough to send us a copy of this year's issue straight from Austria.

We weren't too sure what to expect from a magazine about the crafting crystals... and we were pleasantly surprised by all the DIY projects in there! Here are a few sneak peeks of what was inside:

The entire issue is based around the theme of "sound" so there are some cool bits about the influence of fashion on music & vice versa!


There are these cute tabs separating all the DIY projects in the book! Look how many!




The DIY projects are all really well photographed tutorials so that beginners can follow too



If you'd like to check out more of what's inside, you can take a peek at The Create Your Style Website.
If you'd rather have a hard copy of this awesome mag, you can enter to win on the Create Your Style Facebook page

And we have one magazine to giveaway to a lucky reader of Syl and Sam! Here's how to enter:

THE PRIZE:
♥ a copy of this year's CREATE YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Magazine


MANDATORY ENTRY:
♥ comment ONCE in this post telling us why you love to DIY & leave your email address (just so we can contact you if you win. If that's not cool just leave us a twitter handle so we can dm you)


DETAILS:
♥ open to contestants worldwide! we will ship anywhere :)
♥ entries will be accepted until 11:59PM EST on Wednesday May 30, 2012
♥ the winner will be selected using a random number generator and contacted on May 31st via email.
♥ prize is not redeemable for cash value and cannot be returned or exchanged for credit.
♥ your email or twitter handle that you enter in the survey will NOT be collected and used for any purposes other than contacting the winner.

tutorial - designer camera strap

I carry around my DSLR almost all the time; it's practically the tool of my trade. But if it's always slung across my shoulder, shouldn't I be treating it like an opportunity to accessorize? I finally got around to customizing my camera strap & was inspired by a lovely McQ handbag. I didn't stop at just a strap too-- I even made a luggage tag that doubles as a lens-cap-holder pocket. Click on the photos below to find out how you can make your own designer inspired camera strap!

diy camera strap, aldo cuff, bebe trench


McQ Amwell purse photo from Net-A-Porter

tutorial - spiked loafers

We're on a roll with the DIY versions of MAJOR designer splurges. This week Sam makes a pair of spiked loafers inspired by the completely sold out Christian Louboutin Rollerball Loafers. I've already got major spike-envy looking at these! Warning: this DIY is NOT easy & requires a lot of patience but is sooooo worth it for the badass results :)

Click through any of the pictures to see the instructions on how to make them yourself & remember to comment, like, tweet, or +1 if you apreesh our efforts ;)

louboutin photo from Saks

tutorial - feather nails

So I've been seeing tons of tumbls, tweets & pics on instagram with feather nails lately so I decided to give it a try myself. It's actually funny because I had just taken off my nail polish & took out a bag of feathers. I was waiting until the next day to work on the tutorial because I needed sunlight for the photos & I received a message from a friend. Amanda from Featherband wrote to me & told me to try out the feather manicure! Such a crazy coincidence, but I guess it just tells you how popular it is right now :)

I've gotta admit, the first nail was a total failure but I learned a few things & it became easier & now I can't stop looking at my nails! Here's the look we're going for:

What you'll need:
- a neutral base colour
- a top coat
- feathers
- scissors (I eventually switched to cuticle scissors)


I started with a truly shitty coat of base colour. Seriously, I didn't let these dry & I did some sewing & I slept with them. Whatever, it doesn't matter because they get covered for the most part.


Top coat just ONE nail...


then pick a feather and carefully place the tip of the feather onto your nail. I found that picking one that is long and soft (without too thick of a main "stem" thing) helps!


Press the feather down onto the top coat, making sure it's completely stuck down & let it dry on for about 30 seconds!


After it's stuck on decently, trim off the excess. TIP: try to trim as close as possible to the end of your nail. If possible, trim the feather so that it's just a tiiiiiny bit shorter than your nail! This will ensure that your nails aren't the scratchiest, roughest things ever. & that's why I switched to using little cuticle scissors. It might take a couple tries to trim them properly.


Paint on a single layer of top coat & let it dry.


Do the same with all your nails! You'll notice that the one coat of top coat will stick the feathers in place but it still shows a bit of the feather texture. Add one or two more coats to get a smooth & sealed finish!


After letting the topcoats dry, admire how smoothly sealed in the feathers are! Seriously, I can't stop touching and looking at these nails :)!

Sponsor Highlight - Max California

Did you notice the cute new picture in the right sidebar of our blog?
Max California is a blogger who I feel like I've known for most of my blogging life! Back when we blogged on livejournal & each had a personal blog, Max became our lj buddy. We were both actively t-shirt reconstructing and dyeing our hair every colour of the rainbow.

Even though Max lives all the way in Australia & we've never met, we think of her as a close friend. She's a fellow DIYer and a punk rock mama with the cutest baby in the world (and another on the way). On her blog, you'll find DIY tutorials on clothes & geekery about star wars & comic books. PLUS she has an adorable family. I obviously HAD TO introduce her to you all today because it's May 4th. May the Fourth be with you ;)

We follow Max through basically every social media network & "like" and "heart" pictures of her DIYs and her son everyday & you should join us. It's fun ;) you know where to find her now!



MAX CALIFORNIA:
BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER

Want to become a sponsor too? Check out the details HERE.

tutorial - statement clutch

This week's DIY is a minaudiere-style clutch made from a sunglasses case & a kitchen cabinet handle. Yeah seriously. Click on the pics below to check out the instructions on how to do it yourself!

H&M dress, DIY statement clutch