Here are some photos from our fun time at Lumi in LA last week, ew customized some tees and shoes using different processes with Inkodye. Watch the DIY video to learn how to make your own! -amanda

DIY Tie-Dye White Skinny Denim:

One of my favorite trends this season has got to be tie-dye anything. From tees to socks, I’m all about that tie-dye life. Which brings me to my pristine white Vans Skinny Denim pants that have been calling my name to give them that radical touch. This DIY is pretty simple, and fun to do… but be careful, it can get PRETTY messy. Just ask my bathroom.

Here’s what you need: A pair of white Skinny Denim, your choice in color dye, gloves, a tub or bin that can hold dye, and a pair of sunnies for extra style.

• First find a spot in your yard or a dye proof spot in your house. Begin tying knots in your pant legs to get some texture with the dye.
• Once you’ve got all the knots you want in your pants, take your dye and begin squirting it on to the pant, or you can dunk the pant into a tub of dye and water.
• Let your pant drip dry for a few hours ( or until they’re dry) outside, and leave the knots there. 
• Once your pants are all dry, and the dye has set you’re ready to rock these rad tie-dye pants! Don’t wash them immediately, or with other clothes… you want to make sure the dye stays on as long as possible, and of course make sure you don’t get dye on any other clothing. 

So there you have it! A cute pair of tie-dye pants for the spring! -brittany

Our friend Charlavail has been busy painting away on some Vans Classics for the winners of our Classic & Charlavail contest the last few weeks. This week she is also showing you how to make a pair of cute vintage inspired lace trim socks to wear with your Vans. Here’s the tutorial from her below, and be sure to enter the contest to win custom shoes, tees, patches, and stickers over on our Facebook Page. See more about the contest at vans.com/charlavail Good luck! -amanda

Supplies:
Scissors
Needle
Thread
Lace
Socks

The most important thing is to make sure the sock is stretched out at that top when you sew the lace to it. You can stitch it by hand or using a sewing machine. If you use a sewing machine just pull the sock elastic as you go.

DIY: Striped Tye-Dyed Cut Off Shorts

Even though there’s snow covering the streets of Boston and I am forced to layer 4 coats at once, I still like to remind myself that Spring is just around the corner. This type of thinking makes me all kinds of excited because it reminds me that I will be back to wearing my favorite Spring closet staples in no time! I.E. Denim Cut-offs! So I got a kick start on my Spring wardrobe and decided to get some do-it-yourself action going with some awesome striped tye-dye cut off shorts. Here’s how to do it!

What You Need:

An old pair of jeans you can cut into shorts, your favorite color dye, duct tape, and gloves to keep your hands from turning the colors of the rainbow.

• Begin placing your duct tape in the design you choose. You can get as intricate as you want. I decided I needed a pair of striped shorts.
• Follow the directions on your dye kit to mix the colors.
• Once your colors are all mixed and and the tape is secure, take your shorts and begin applying the dye in an area that can easily be cleaned/you don’t mind getting dye on. I chose my tub since it’s the best place in my apartment to play with tye-dye.
• Now that your dye has been applied let your shorts hang in a dry area for about 8 hours, or overnight.
• Proceed with rinsing your shorts out with cold water thoroughly and then wash with detergent at least once alone before mixing them with your other laundry.  
• Then rock them! -brittany

Classic & Charlavail: Week 4

We’ve contacted another round of winners for our Classic & Charlavail contest this week and reset the entries, so be sure to check your emails! You can now enter again for custom shoes, tees, stickers, and patches all designed by Charlavail. Enter here from your computer, sorry no mobile devices.

Plus, we’ve got the final downloadable art section from Charlavail for you guys to finish your DIY 3D Hansel & Gretel piece. If you missed section one or section two grab those first then download today’s new section below and follow the instructions. In the photos above you can see how she made the pieces for you guys and her final version all put together. Can’t wait to see how all of yours come out! 

Download section three here. Then, cut out the new pieces and glue them to your cardboard, trim off the excess and use scrap pieces to make it stand up, just like you did with the other pieces the last two weeks. Perfect weekend project, and don’t forget to enter the contest for this week! Good luck. -amanda 

ps. thanks to sam desantis for the photos! check out her rad blog. 

DIY: Leopard Neon Canvas Authentic Hi

I’ve been so in-love with the new Authentic Hi’s ever since I spotted them on Vans. I just got my hands on a pair, and knew right away what I wanted to do with these babies! So I pulled out my stencil paper and my black fabric paint, and went to work on an awesome pair of leopard Neon Canvas Authentic Hi’s. 

What you need: A pair of Neon Canvas Authentic Hi’s, stencil paper or cardstock, exacto knife, sponge, pencil, and black fabric paint.

1. First take your stencil paper (or paper thick enough to where paint wont seep through) and begin sketching out leopard spots into a bundled pattern. You can really create any pattern, but for this particular project I went with leopard.
2. Once you’ve got your pattern sketched out, take your exacto knife and very carefully begin cutting the pattern out of the paper. 
3. Now that you’ve got your pattern cut out, place your paper precisely on the spot you’re looking to paint your pattern on and begin dabbing the fabric paint onto the shoe with your paint sponge.
4. Repeat step 3 on any areas you want to cover with your pattern.
5. Let your shoe dry for 2 hours. Then you’ve got a pair of super sassy leopard Authentic Hi’s. -brittany

DIY: Leopard Collard Shirt:

With a new year comes a new beginning, meaning a major update for that wardrobe of yours. However, since money doesn’t grow on trees, there’s always little things you can do with your current pieces that will make them feel like new. Here’s how to give your Vans Marian woven top a sassy leopard collar.

What you need: A Vans Marian woven top or button up of your choice, a yard of fabric (I chose a fuzzy leopard fabric), contrasting thread (unless you prefer a less noticeable thread), sewing needle, scissors, pencil, and safety pins.

1. First take your fabric and measure it against your shirt collar. This is where the pencil comes into play, as you will use it to mark where you need to cut.
2. Cut out the fabric, and use the safety pins to align the fabric with your collar so that you sew it on straight.
3. Begin stitching the fabric to your collar with your thread. My suggestion is to make sure you’re stitching as close to the seam as much as possible so that your thread stitch is straight.
4. Take off those safety pins (unless you prefer a little edge to your look!), and strut yourself! -brittany