Make your own style pieces at these Long Island events and classes
Step one to making a style statement that’s all yours: DIY the design from scratch, whether it’s something to wear (power pendant, anyone?) or serve (custom doughnuts, coming right up).
Sources for do-it-yourself inspiration can be found across Long Island, so get busy. While creating something one-of-a-kind you also make memories, says Michelle Rodriguez, 37, a Westbury nurse who "loves the whole bohemian style."
She and her daughter, Adelina, 7, learned to make boho-happy floral crowns in September at a workshop presented by Hometown Flower Collective, where she and her wife got their wedding bouquets. Now dried, the botanical wreaths decorate walls of their home. "I love them," says Rodriguez. "It feels even more special since we made them."
Here are a sampling of ways to express DIY style.
Design a bright, breezy bracelet
Marisa Silver of Amagansett, left, Joan King of Greenport and Ally King of Mattituck create their own bracelets at the Roxanne Assoulin summer pop-up at Amber Waves in Amagansett on July 10. Credit: Randee Daddona
Jewelry designer Roxanne Assoulin’s cheery Chiclets-inspired enamel tile bracelets are designed to make people smile. "It’s like a bright pink scarf when you’re wearing all black," says Assoulin. Create your own grin-inducing bracelet at a "Play RA" jewelry-making experience at Amber Waves, where you pick tiles in Crayola-bright colors and adorned with letters, icons and emojis. Designs are finished at Assoulin’s studio and shipped in about two weeks. Proceeds benefit Feeding Families, Amber Waves’ farm-to-food pantry program.
DIY details: $150 a ticket; weekends 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through Sept. 5; Amber Waves, 367 Main St., Amagansett; 631-267-5664; amberwavesfarm.org.
Create a head-turning flower crown
Hometown Flower Co. in Huntington offers DIY flower crown classes at various locations around Long Island. Credit: Hometown Flower Co.
Floral crowns were worn in ancient Greece and are having another day in the sun since Coachella. Hometown Flower Collective’s workshops and private classes provide the materials and know-how to design your own. "Flower crowns are ethereal and fun," says owner Jaclyn Rutigliano, 34, who’s seen them sprouting up at bridal and bachelorette parties and girl get-togethers.
DIY details: $75 for a 90-minute flower crown workshop at Eastport General Store on July 21, 6:30 to 8 p.m. and a forage and design flower crown workshop at Crossroads Farm in Malverne in mid-August in the evening. At-home private tutorials start at $75 a person, depending on the number of people and location. Bonus: You can take selfies in front of the signature blue flower truck; 516-644-9105; hometownflowerco.com.
Wrap up a crystal necklace
People wear crystals for an array of reasons, whether it's to summon mystical powers or to rock out with their raw beauty. "It’s really cool what nature comes out with," says Dix Hills jewelry instructor Rachel Kalina, 37. "I’m fascinated by crystals from a naturalist’s point of view." Her workshops at Nest on Main in Northport show you how to turn a quartz crystal and wire into a knockout necklace. She brings materials and tools, you bring the creativity energy.
DIY details: $75 covers everything you need including a chain; July 24 and Aug.14, 2 to 4 p.m.; Nest On Main, 135 Main St., Northport; 631-651-9173; nestonmainmarket.com.
Put your spin on tie-dye
Learn to tie-dye your own clothing at a class led by Long Islander Marion Schwaner. Credit: To Tie-Dye For Clothing
Groovy prints from the 1960s are back in a big way. It’s what To Tie-Dye for Clothing, a 14-month-old Long Island-based online shop, is all about. Owner Marion Schwaner, 27, sells her handmade psychedelic fashions at the Arts in the Plaza festival in Long Beach and teaches classes for kids in Long Island libraries and for adults at home in the art of tie-dye.
DIY details: Adult private one-hour classes run $30 a person; minimum of 10 people. Price covers a T-shirt or tank top or shorts and a scrunchy, headband or face mask (determined in advance); totiedyeforclothing.com .
SWEET STYLE
To show off your style on some sweet treats, try these classes:
Whip up custom sweets
You don’t have to be on “The Great British Baking Show” to impress people with showstopping custom confections. You can learn how to let your personal style shine in sweet ways at Baking Coach in Huntington. “Showing off what you can do gives a sense of pride,” says owner Lisa Basini, 55.
DIY details: Doughnut decorating on Aug. 4 and fairy tale cake decorating on Aug. 11, $85 each. Baking Coach, 320 Broadway-Greenlawn Rd., Huntington; 631-543-8608; bakingcoach.com.
Cook up your own dishes
Cooking is a delicious way to express your personal style one cutlet or filet at a time. Developing culinary skills and confidence, along with your own tastes and individuality, is what classes at A La Carte Cooking School are all about. Owner Polly Talbott is currently teaching private lessons for one to four people.
DIY details: $275 (plus food costs) for a 2-and-a-half-hour class for one person; $100 each additional person. You choose what’s on the menu in advance, whether it’s three ways to cook salmon or a whole class about cooking vegetables. 32 Atlantic Ave., Lynbrook; 516-599-2922; pollytalbott.com.
