I first posted this as a pending DIY project a reaaaaalllly long time ago:

I bought this cardi at the Loft a while ago and it ripped the first day I wore it:

Step 1: Seal the rip; just a basic stitch…

Step 2: Have a plan; I was inspired by leaves that have a translucent look to them and the color of the cardi and the pattern of the rip reminded me of really pretty delicate leaves on flowers so I thought the rip could serve as the inner part of a leaf…this was my original plan:

The leaf would be on the corner of the pocket and I would have a stem and a bud in half bloom coming off the pocket…

Step 3: Beading the leaf; took about an hour maybe…

I used these beads I already had that matched perfectly from JoAnne Fabrics…

Step 4: The stem; I decided to use these cool bugle beads. I love how bugle beads have this luminous shine to them because the catch the light so easily:

Step 5: Beginning the flower head. This part was a little tricky…I had to make some adjustments as I went along. I went with white beads…I have no clue how that little green one got in there:

My adjustments:

At first I wanted a more closed up flower head but then I decided it should look more fluted out:

I begin…

It took a couple days (like a couple hours one day and about an hour the second day) but I finally finished it!

I wore it with this outfit (posted yesterday):

Detail:

Step 6: Don’t buy cheap ass clothes that rip after one day...although, I like how this turned out :)

(Source: ikintoo)