Project DIY by M&J Trimming Unboxing and Review: Joan of Arc Collection – November 2013

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There’s a new DIY subscription service in the house! Established in 1936 in the heart of New York’s Fashion and Garment district, M&J Trimming boasts an inventory of over 100,000 products with the largest selection of trimming available anywhere online. The 5,000 sq ft showroom along the Sixth Avenue is a favorite stop for many of the top fashion designers looking for unique items from all over the world: whether it’s rhinestone crystals from Austria, or hand-cast metal buttons from Italy – M&J Trimming got them all!

HOW IT WORKS
Inspired by their customers’ creativity, M&J Trimming launched a new service called Project DIY. For a $30 monthly fee subscribers will receive everything needed to create stylish and unique accessories, including detailed instructions, tips and tricks. DIY novices have an option to purchase a Starter Kit that includes basic tools for jewelry-making. For a limited time, a free starter kit is automatically included for all new subscribers.
Click here to subscribe.

The November box featured Joan of Arc accessories collection, and contained everything you need to make two fabulous armor-inspired pieces – a statement Shield Necklace and a Warrior Cuff bracelet. I also got a Starter Kit which came in a convenient zipper pouch.

Each accessory envelope comes with basic written instructions, but I found online tutorials a lot more helpful: they are very detailed, and feature different designs for the necklace and the bracelet to make them unique.

I decided to make the bracelet first because it seemed a little easier to do than the necklace. I’m a DIY newbie so I was really intimidated at first, but the most challenging part was aligning the trimmings properly. It was actually a lot less complicated than I thought, but I totally didn’t meet the target time of 25 minutes.

I made a little bit of a mess with the glue, which I tried to clean it up with a Q-tip. I think I got most of it off, and you can’t really see my mistakes from afar.

After I was done with the cuff, I started working on the necklace. I admit it took me a long time to do each step – from adjusting the length of the chain to gluing – I didn’t want to mess it up. I also decided to add some color to my gem and swiped the bottom of it with Zoya Ziv (gold foil metallic nail polish).

Ta-da! Here’s a closeup of both designs I came up with. I had to wait 24 hours for the glue to set, and now I have two new pieces of runway-inspired jewelry. I don’t know how or when or if I will wear the necklace, but I really like the cuff bracelet. My husband actually said it looks very Roman, which will be perfect for a toga party or to wear with a flowy draped dress 🙂 What do you think?

THE VERDICT
Project DIY is a fabulous subscription service, and honestly I was very impressed with the quality of the materials and how on-trend the jewelry pieces are. If interested, check out the October and September projects, they’ll blow you away! I also appreciate the detailed instructions and the options to customize each accessory to make it truly one-of-a-kind.

What do you think about Project DIY? Did you like the November Collection?

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2 Comments

  1. November 27, 2013 / 12:59 am

    This is different! You did a great job on your pieces, they look great, and you customized ;D

    • December 2, 2013 / 7:02 pm

      Super different! You should check out their other projects, they all look like something you’d buy at the store.

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