Winners for Anything Beautiful

Here are the winners for the contest, 'Anything Beautiful' on Polyvore:

{For the participants:

Thank you so much for your entries! I loved the variety of the sets you submitted!
It was the hardest job choosing the winners! The sets were all so wonderful.
Thank you for participating.}

The Secret of Making Beautiful Polyvore Sets in 10 minutes

Mindstorm by me

Some Polyvore members update their showcase everyday. They manage to make at least one set each day and their sets are well-known and loved.

What is their secret? Maybe they have no life, and live on Polyvore? Maybe they're geniuses? Maybe... No, no, not really. (well, not for most people..)

But then, how can they make their sets so quickly and so gorgeously at the same time? The answer is actually really simple -
they don't.

Someone told me once, "One minute's performance on the stage takes ten years." In other words, to be who you are today, to do everything you did today, took not only this day, but the your whole life. Making Polyvore sets and designing are just the same. If you collect the little things over time, you'll soon find yourself making great things in a 'little' time.

So what things can you collect?

1. Items you like

When looking for items for the set you are making, be mindful of the other items. You may not need them now, you just might need them in the future. Put together a collection of items which you like, and look through them each time before you make a new set. Often I find that items that appeal to me have the same style and can fit together well. So I can simply put the items together and voilà - a set worth admiring! It is also extremely useful to save items from other people's sets and collections, that way, you can see how others used the item. However, never copy other's ideas/sets.


2. Find inspiration from others

I am always inspired and amazed when browsing through others' sets and collections. Try it and you'll feel ideas crowding in your mind.


3. 'Save as Draft'

You don't always have to finish everything at once. In fact, your work will often be refined through the test of time. If you save your set as a draft and return to it some time later, you will see your work in a different perspective, in the perspective of other people. You'll see flaws in your sets easily, and of course, you'll change them and perfect your sets.


4. Know the basic colour rules

Designing Polyvore sets is exactly like designing anything else. And the use of colours is a GREAT and important aspect of designing. Knowing how to use colours effectively will make a big difference to your sets.


The next time you make a set, think of these tips and you'll have a beautiful set in no time (literally)!

10 Tips to Thrive on Polyvore

Morning of the Ball by me (Won 1st place in contest 'Dresses for the Ball')

What is Polyvore?

For those of you who don't know already, Polyvore is a website on which you can design sets, mostly of fashion. The sets are basically like collages. It's a good place to sharpen up your design skills and get inspiration from others. Click here to check it out.

1. Be yourself. Design sets that are "you". Never do it just because that type of sets is popular. I've always believed that if your heart's not in it, it's simply not going to work.
2. Don't be shy. Remain active in the community by adding and commenting on other's sets. And when others add you as a contact, make sure you add them back.
3. Create regularly. Create new sets constantly, that way, you'll improve your design skills and gain more "likes". Practice makes perfect!
4. Be creative. Try out different styles of clothes or design layouts, this will help you to find your strengths and weaknesses.
5. Join contests. Contests are fun and they motivate you to keep creating in case you get the "designer's block". Also, if you win one, well, then, it's all about the publicity isn't it?
6. Absorb. It's always worthwhile to explore others' sets and collections for inspiration and techniques. But..
7. Never steal. Being inspired is OK, but copying is not.
8. Be helpful. Go to the Ask section and answer some questions, you'll get a best answer icon on your profile if your answer was voted as the best, and if not, you'll always feel good for your act of kindness. But please don't do it to promote your sets, which doesn't really work and is annoying. Instead, put yourself in the askers' position and think, "what would I really do?"
9. Don't over-do it. Never go around advertising your sets in comments or adding contacts whose profiles you haven't even seen. This won't make you extremely popular.
10. Be patient. It's OK if you don't win a contest the first time you enter, or the second, or the tenth... Just remember, eventually you'll have a crowd of friends who will admire your style, whatever it may be!

I hope this helped! Do you have any experience you'd like to share?