DIY – Karla Cavalli

Bridal Shower Gift….Naughty & Nice….Sweet & Spicy.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE…!!!!

I am not naked here.

DON’T give her a boring shower gift.

Showers are pretty lame as it is. Spice it up a bit. Make Granny and Aunt Trudy blush!!….Although the old timers could always teach us a thing or…ten.

I seriously cannot handle wedding showers. Baby showers I understand, but wedding showers make my skin crawl. I am convinced that women who truly enjoy watching other women open plates and monogrammed towels… have psychotic tendencies. Gaggles of estrogen fueled relatives applauding after each item is logged for future thank you cards and consequently plopping the gifts on the side of an emaciated, nerve-wracked, sleep deprived bride-to-be. UGH. No thanks.

Anyway…If I have to attend I prefer to gift with a “shock & awe” #DIY strategy. So….

This particular gift was created for a very special Bestie of mine who was none of the aforementioned bridal cliches- she was just plain stunning and gracious. (and quite possibly mortified I brought way too much latex to the country club brunch:)

HERE GOES>>>

1. Get a wicker basket or a pretty box. (Bed, Bath and Beyond, flea market)

2. Go to the closest Adult Entertainment Store. Buy some goodies. Also purchase a practical registry shower gift if you so desire.

3. Fill said basket with your Bridal Shower gift PLUS your new, fun, naughty bits. Feel free to be creative. These are some of the things I loaded into my gift basket. (pun intended)

Super trampy Lingerie- some sweet white bridal themed and some spicy black or red.

(it doesn’t have to be expensive. I got some of this stuff at Sears. noone checks the price tag when they’re stripping ya down! And if they do.. walking down that aisle is a bad idea)

Thigh High Fishnets

Sexytime Body Feather Tickler

Humdinger Vibrating co$krings

condoms (or not)

Lube ( I recommend unrefined organic coconut oil)

G-string with a Veil on the Bum

Feather bracelets

Fuzzy Handcuffs

Sexy apron

Wine Opener

Small Cooking pans

Colorful Plastic kitchen gloves (the leopard print ones I added were super cute)

Spatulas

Kitchen Utensils

Heart shaped Candy & Suckers

Now, the main focus of my gift was a set of crystal dessert bowls (on the registry) which I buried amongst the fun stuff. Then I added a “Recipe for a Sweet and Spicy Marriage”…a poem of saucy, sexy things one could do to their future hubby in private. (or public if that’s their thing) I wrote it out on the RECIPE Card that was sent in the mail. Ya know the one the shower organizer sends you with the invitation expecting it back with a real food recipe written on it for the Bride’s collection that she may or may never look at…ever.

Like this one…..

This one is custom and is adorable from http://www.signaturesbysarah.com/
You get the gist.

This bridal shower gift was a HUGE hit. It was the second time I have done this. I definitely takes a lot of sass to show up to an event with this in your arms.

BEWARE of Bridal showers that have CHILDREN IN ATTENDANCE!!!!!! The little buggers tend to gravitate straight towards the HUMDINGERS…..and it can be awkward explaining your way out of that hairy pickle. Hee hee.

The Beautiful Bride already getting into character!

REMEMBER To pick up a few things for yourself too!

Make your own Statement Bib Necklace….DIY cheap copy. NOT as good as the real thing but close. Keepin’ it Reals, YO.

I like to think I am an innovator. I like to think I do/style original things. I like to think I am unique.

BUT sometimes I see something I love and need/want/have to have it. Unfortunately I am not a Rockafella so if it’s crazy expensiveo I have to improvise and that is exactly what I plan to help you guys do. #DIY here we come…..

With that said….I like the rock/glam/deconstructed beauty kinda of look. TONS of jewelry is my bag. I cannot pile enough jewelry on no matter the occasion. It’s kind of a problem and I probably need an intervention soon. How many Italian horns is too many?

Okay, maybe this many.

Like a true ginzo I usually prefer gold…so I may do another post with Gold schtuff. But for now…..I will expand on one of my earlier blogs a few days ago about the same subject…layering awesome necklaces to get a kind of Rock n’ Roll, edgy, sorta Rihannaesque look.

Last week I was in H&M returning some belts I didn’t use on a recent styling gig for Samsung and passed their accessories aisle. See below:

accessories DUH

The sparkley rhinestones stopped me dead in my tracks. Like a Barracuda I am attracted to all things that glimmer. This probably stems from my days growing up as a beauty queen, which then transferred into my days as a showgirl. SPARKLE please!

yup thats me. standing next to the cheese.

The challenge is…..How to sparkle without the CHEESE factor??

i love cheese.

My solution is to add all types of metals to your sparkle. Mix & Match. Thats just what a particular young, up and coming, NYdesigner did.

This very gorgeous, uber cool chick named Drew Ginsburg started her own line of statement piece necklaces. We have a lot in common in terms of our fashion sense. I would hope that wouldn’t insult her considering forth coming blog but to be honest….”immitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” said Charles Caleb (no idea who that is).

I would post photos of her but I don’t want to get in trouble so go look her up. @dylanlex She is an AWESOME follow on instagram. Her necklaces cost LOTS O’ MONEY. Money that until I am a huge star I do not have to spend on accessories.

So basically I just took 5 different necklaces, threw em all together and BAM!
The KEY is to make sure each necklace is a bit similar yet different from the next.
for example….
Start with one signature main piece.
My base cheerleader was the sparkly one with the rectangular stones hanging down.
Then build around that guy.

Add some silver.
Add some more sparkle.
Add some length.
Add some chunky pieces.
Add some texture. (ex. the giant herringbone)

(This is the floor of H&M. Ha. I was literally sitting on the floor building my knock off necklace like a crazy person.)

It ain’t the real deal but it’s 950 bucks cheaper. It’s not gunna look quite as expensive but who cares. In instagram pics with a FILTER it will look like Harry fucking Winston.

See.

SO If you wanna do this….don’t be SCURRED…..go to Forever 21, or Urban or H&M and sit on the floor and start acting cray cray. No one will bother you if you look busy. Just start paring necklaces ’til it looks right and IF it don’t look right wear it with pride and pretend it does. Like I do.
It’s all about perception people.

This is me making a stupid face on my way out the door to a partay. This necklace combo is the one i built in the older post. Mostly Urban Outfitters and some vintage necklaces. But you get it….same idea.

You can see that I added a long dagger necklace from Fox’s NY in this one

And clearly…..not ready for this photo.

Happy Tuesday Rock N’ Rollers!!!!

Fudge YOU!!!!!!

This was a hellofa good hair day if I do say so myself!

I don’t claim to be a hair stylist or a makeup artist BUT I have had lots of professional careers and hobbies that required me to get DAMN good at beautifying myself. (NBA Dancer, Beauty Queen, TV Host, Unemployed Wifey etc) An ex-beau who is a NYC hair maestro and a Mom who was a hairdresser in the 70’s in London have helped a lot too.

I ADORE a deconstructed glamorous look. Beachy hair here I come!

Beachy hair can go OH SO WRONG…OH SO FAST. Curls too tight, curls too loose, or over spraying can make your desired airy, ethereal, beautiful look go drowning in a sea of crunch and drab.

A friend of mine threw some new products my way so I decided to try them, specifically the Fudge Urban Sea Salt Texturizing Spray.

I was ON board when Bumble and Bumble busted theirs out like 15 years ago. It smelled amazing and did the trick perfectly. IT’S EXPENSIVE though and the salt always clogs the spout and your 28 dollar bottle of free Ocean is useless.

HELLO Fudge Urban. I had no idea who or what you were until this weekend and NOW I have been saved! Hallelujah! LADIES- IT SMELLS LIKE COCONUT and BAD DECISIONS WITH A TAN, HOT, FOREIGN STRANGER ON AN ISLAND VACATION!!!!!

(Hank the Hunk)

(do not eat it) (you may eat the hunk)

P.S. its a TERRIFIC PRICE> $10.99 at Target. I am SO into that.

Here’s me holding the bottle to my head cuz I thought it was cute. In retrospect, not so much.

Way over retouched this one. Eyes are super wonky. Please ignore.

MY TOOLS and PROCESS:

1. Wash your damn hair.

2. I use leave in conditioner because my hair is impossible to brush out.

3. MOUSSE. Once again got it as a freebie and wanted to test it so I used the Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry and Vanilla Styling Mousse. It smells like Razzles Candy and again, I want to eat it. It contains heat protectant in it which is great because I was about to hit my mane with a WICKED HOT curling iron. The hold level is 5 which I prefer, just enough- yet not too much. Goldilocks would approve.

(FOCUS the mousse on the ROOTS not the ends. HUGE mistake to put it all over the head/hair. Mousse will only make it crunchy, the point is to hold volume at the greasy scalp as well as the style.)

4 .DRY hair. However you do Gurl. I blow dry the front first with a round brush then randomly hit the back and underneath. I prefer the back and sides not be pin straight = more volume. The front has to be blown straight or its cowlick and frizz central station.

not my photo.

5. Use a curling iron. I like expensive ones. Cheap ones suck and don’t ever do the job well and YOU KNOW ME…. I am ALL about saving money. Do not skimp on an iron; you are just wasting money. An iron with a handle is fine like the one on the left. I used the blue phallic one for this do. You wrap the hair around the iron without burning your fingertips. THIS TAKES PRACTICE AND A LOT OF BANDAIDS. Or use the glove that comes with it. These f&*kers get HOT AS HELL. (also don’t burn your neck or forehead. I have done both) The price we pay for beauty. $$$$$$$$

SECRET TRICKS!!!! Always wrap the hair going BACK WARDS> NOT TOWARDS YOUR FACE!!!!! Away- towards your ass.

Also….leave the END of the hair uncurled. The bottom, the split ends….save them from the heat and iron. THAT makes a curl less perfect, deconstructed and more natural looking.

Should I do a youtube video on this???> comment please.

Hot tools 1/14 Inch Iron. Blue one is 1 inch, I think.

6. OKAY, now that the hair is curled/waved TIME TO SPRAY with this little bottle of deliciousness. HOLD IT AWAY from your hair. Spray it from afar. throw your head upside down and mist with the Sea Salt and shake it like a polaroid picture.

WOAAALLLA!!!! OILA???? Walla Walla? Voila!!!! Presto!!!! Here it is!

Now the fruits of my LABOR! Effortless looking beachy waves that took a LOT of effort
(no extensions here).

Wanna buy it???? See Below….and GO FUDGE YOURSELF!!!!!

Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Mousse: $9.69 (Click to by from Target.com)

Close up of the label for ya.

Sea Salt: $10.99 (Click to buy from Target.com)

Obvi, another close up.

My Pillow Obsession

Confessions of a pillow hoarder.

Affordable way to spruce up your indoor or outdoor sitting areas. PILLOWS! Bright ones, patterned ones, striped ones, polka dots….DO whatever it takes. JUST add some pillows my friends.

These pillows take a simple grey couch and make it oh so fun!

hi awful face

why so serious?
its just pillow talk!

Declaring my love for pillows.

Small ones are @homedepot 10 bucks each on sale!

Futon is from IKEA

1. MIX PRINTS!!!! (but keep the color scheme a running theme) THAT RHYMES. See below…I stayed with the grey, maroon, beige, white, black theme.

2. Use different SIZES! (small, rectangle, square, huge etc)

3. PLAY PLAY PLAY! PLay with how you like them arranged. Mix em up a bit and see which suits you the best.

#diy #fashion #stylist #makeover #prints #pillowsrule #canthelpmyselfilovethem

Kreative Karlita!!!! #DIY PartAyy Hats!

Its my dog Jake’s birthday today. He is 13 years young and as cranky as ever. I love that crotcehty old man like no other.

Store bought pink hat
Anyway….I had the pink hat pictured for Lola but nothing special for Jake. I actually just wanted an instagram photo of him in a hat because I am certifiable. SO I stopped by a few stores (petco, kids stores, party stores etc etc) after work and could not find a decent boys party hat. Now….you may think white feathers and rhinestones aren’t very BOYISH but Jake is in touch with his fem side and likes that stuff so HUSH.

SO…… One party store hat these simple cardboard balloon printed cone hats that you generally see at kids parties. Decent…but NOT good enough. I needed to go over the edge with the madness as usual. So the costume designer in me busted out my fabric glue, costume box and got creative.

Whoot Whoot!

Spice up those Bday hats people! Make it sassy and fun and original. It is actually a terrific project to do wth kids either during the party or before to get them psyched up for the event! They can be custom made and couture…Oh so fancy!

You will need:

1. Paper Hat

2. Boa

3. Stapler or glue (hotglue gun ONLY if you are an adult damnit!)

4. Ribbon

5. Scissors (again with adult supervision- preferably a sober one)

6. Rhinestones or Glitter or Diamonds and Rubys if you are rich

7. Tape.

Attach boa to the bottom of the outside of the hat like this. You can attach with a stapler or with glue….totally your preference.

Then cut the end. IF the staples have jagged edges inside it can hurt your FINGERS> WARNING WARNING!!!!!! put some small pieces of tape over them so as not to create an emergency.

Next pull some ribbon through the end of the cone. Do this with as many pieces as you like. Cut the end of the ribbon hanging out the top on an angle so it looks finished and tie knots on the other end inside the cone so that it stays put. I stapled my ribbon knots together inside the cone so they would stay together better. (I’m showing the pic without the fur along the bottom so it was easier to see)

NEXT IS BLINGY TIME! Yay…..Use the fabric/gem glue to attach the rhinestones or loose glitter. Get creative! You can write names on your hats…..draw cats….polka dots..whatever you please. Got it? Feel free to add other stuff like….lace, fringe, fake teeth, boogers….whatever floats your boat.

Now I got a bit fancy and ripped off the end of a pen that I had and attached it to the top of my party hat. I took the green ball off of the pen along with the green fuzz and glue it to the tippy top of my cone.

AND>>>>>>>>>> DRUM ROLL PLEASE>>>>>>>….

It’s my Birfday and I’ll cry if I want to…..

GREAT for Pups….as long as you monitor them. DO NOT leave the animals alone with a damn hat on. GEEZ. That goes for kids too. I don’t have kids so I can’t show how adorbs they’d look but here’s ME!

Custom made party hat!!!!!!