Sunday, June 3, 2012

DIY: Summer Shorts

Memorial Day Weekend turned into a lot of shopping with the girls this year (minus the time for a concert of 2 of course) and of course as most girls shopping days go there is always that one thing in the store that you are absolutely in love with. But, as usually that one thing is always way more than you are willing to spend right? Well these super cute shorts from American Eagle are really easy to reproduce from shorts you already have or an inexpensive pair from wal-mart. 

 We started with some shorts $12 that Liz (my lovely model) found at wal-mart that fit her really well and some trim form the wal-mart sewing department $1.25/yd. All you have to do is pin on the lace or whatever trim you think you want and run it through the sewing machine. Be sure to run 2 seems through it to keep it from coming lose one toward the top of the existing hem and one closer to the bottom.





Also I took some small pieces of the trim and added it to the slit in the side of the shorts to make them look more finished from the sides.



The whole project cost about $15 for a new pair of shorts instead of the original price of $40 that we saw in the store.


Happy Crafting
Katie <3

Friday, May 25, 2012

Well hello blog world..

I know it has definitely been awhile since I posted anything. But I really do have some good excuses. Over the last month I finished the semester (ONE MORE SEMESTER TO GRADUATE!!), my older brother graduated from Mississippi State University, my only male cousin graduated form Louisiana State University, I have been to 2 concerts and lastly I started a quilting class last Sunday that will last for eight weeks meeting every Sunday. During all of this I spent more that 2,000 MILES on the the road. CRAZINESS!!!

Here is some fun new info on make-up for you though:

I order a brush set last night from Coastal Scents after a lot of watching review. I am really picky on the brushes I use and the products I put on my face.

Looking through you tube there is definitely a lot of good reviews of the brush sets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMy8Ztv1OAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4706aMbj7pA&feature=related

my favorite source for makeup reviews as a lot on the company as well:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByTiffanyD/videos?query=coastal+scents

Another fun buy that just  happened today from Etsy is definitely going to make the Mini Me happy!

DIY Red Bow Hello Kitty Bling Bling Flatback Resin Cabochons Deco Kit / Set PD029

My phone is soon to look like Mini Mouse or Mou Mou in her words.

It is a make you own phone cover kit so this is going to interesting it has been a long time since I put rhinestones on anything.


Happy Crafty
Katie <3

Friday, April 13, 2012

An Apple A Day..


Some very exciting new here!! We finally have a Joann's!! While looking around with my aunt at our brand new pretty store we found these super cute fabrics that we thought Mini would love.


But now what to do with them??

The answer was simple summer dresses with matching purses!!

Aren't they adorable?!?! Mini is far more excited about having two new purses than the new dresses. She has already spent lots of time contemplating what a lady should carry in her purse as well. In case you were wondering the answer was her play makeup Aunt Katie made, a plastic orange from her kitchen, and of course her $4 that she has been hiding for candy money.

I am going to show you how to make the little purse in the this post the dress tutorial will be later.

Start with:
  • 2 pieces of fabric cut to 9 x 7 for bottom half of bag
  • 2 pieces of fabric cut to 3 1/4 x 9 for top half of bag
  • 4 cuts of 18 inch ribbon (handles)
  • 2 cuts of 9 inch ribbon (trim)



 First you want to fold your trim fabric in half this way you will have more support and a finished top edge. Sew this on to your bottom fabric. Don't forget to do both sides of your bag.




Next you will add the ribbon detail. This is optional. Just sew it directly onto the top of your sides.

Just trim off the extra ribbon after you finish sewing.










Now you need to sew up the sides and the bottom seams of your bag.

To give the corners more shape and a more finished look sew a small seam at an angle.













The last thing to add is the straps. For these I used the same ribbon as the trim. To have a more finished look sew two pieces of ribbon together with the wrong sides facing together.

Then I just figured out were I wanted the handles to sit and pinned them on. When sewing them I went over the previous stitch so that you can not see were they were attached.






TaDa!!!! Finished bag!!!
 
 
Happy Crafting 
Katie <3

Monday, April 2, 2012

The No Brainer Wardrobe



The newest challenge! Time to clean out my unruly closet! But where to start??? I heard about this great e-book that helps you know where to go with your current wardrobe and how to build a better one! What a great idea! And it is so inexpensive!!!!

<a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?cl=194512&c=ib&aff=208330" target="ejejcsingle">Click here to visit Hayley Morgan @ The Tiny Twig.</a>

Monday, March 19, 2012

A little bit of green..


Super excited today!! My grass seeds came in! As soon as I can get home my apartment is getting a little bit greener!


I have seen so much done with it I can't wait to see how it will do in our space.

My roommate is excited about the idea of trying the wheatgrass shakes that are suppose to be very good for you!












Happy Crafting
Katie <3

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Living Room Camping


This weekend I decided to build Mini a tent. She loves to tell you "hide" and disappear under the sheets on the bed. And she really loves here new hiding spot.. so does the pup. 

What I used: 

  • 2- 1" x 2" x 8' ( cut in half to be 4' long pieces)
  • 1- 3/4" x 48"
  • drill with a 3/4" spade bit
  • picture hanging wire
  • ribbon for the ties
  • 1 twin sheet
  • elastic

To build it:
  1. From the top of your now 4 1" x 2" x 4" 's drill a hole for the dowel 6 inches down.
  2. Slide the dowel through. You now have the frame! Easy enough right!?
  3. If you have a little one like me that you think it needs some support add the picture hanging wire at the tops so that it can not open farther than you want it to. You can see it in my top picture.
For the cover:
  1. Cut your twin sheet to about. 46" by 85.5". Do a half inch seam around the edges.
  2. On each corner cut a piece of elastic about 4.5-5 inches long and sew a loop. to attach to the sides.
  3. Another if you want it step: I added little ribbon bows to the sides about 27 inches up to tie the sides up.
By using a twin sheet we had more than enough fabric left over to make her a pillow case and little blanket to go with her tent from the scraps which she ended up loving.


Happy Crafting
Katie <3

Friday, March 16, 2012

Flower Time!

What better way to bring spring inside than FLOWERS!! I don't think there is one!!

The spring cleaning challenge continues with 4 new plants and cleaning.


There were four new additions to our apartment family today in the form of plants.




After deciding that just re-potting flowers and planting some new plants out side in the window box was not enough for today I moved on to one my least favorite tasks. Cleaning my make up brushes. I have been avoiding this for so long I have 22 that were in dire need of cleaning today.

With brushes being so expensive you really should do this pretty often to help extend the life of you brushes. Because let's face it no one wants to be buying them all that often. By cleaning your brushes you are removing the:
  • old make up
  • dirt
  • bacteria (cut down the number of break outs you have)
  • oils
  • old skin cells
GROSS!!

It also keeps your brushes REALLY SOFT!!

How often should you clean your brushes? I the perfect world everyday. But who really has time to do that. So here is a good base on how often you should:
  • Foundation Brushes- once a week
  • Finishing powders or bronzers- once a week
  • Eyeshadows- every 2-3 days
  • Eyeliner- after every use especially if you use a eyeliner sealant
  • Blush- once a week
How to clean your brushes:
  1. Rinse your brush. Always remember to keep your brush angled down to avoid the water getting in to the handle and affecting the glue holding the hairs. While rinseing try to work out as much of the loose dirt as possible.
  2.  Next you will want to use a small amount of cleanser to clean your brush. I use Well-Cared For by Bare Minerals for my brushes. Baby shampoo and the Mac Brush cleaner also work very well. I have also heard that a small amount of dish soap, olive oil, and water mixed works well expecially with natural hair brushes. Once you have add a small amount of soap the the palm of you hand begin to work it in to your brush rinsing of and on until the water coming out of your brush is clear.
  3. Last you will want to push as much water out of your brush as you can and shape the brisles. Lay them hanging over the edge of the counter over night to dry. You do not want to leave them laying on a towel because your could end up with a brush that grows mold because of lack of air cerculation. You will need to leave them to dry over night.
  4. DO NOT USE YOUR BRUSH WET. You need to wait until that are completely dry to use again.
Their is a new product by Sigma that will help your brushes dry faster. They say within 4-6 hours instead of over night. Here is a link to a review video by a girl that does some good make up reviews.

I am going to share some links to good tutorials on how to wash the brushes so that you can see how that work the soap in to the brush. 
With Cleaner.
With Homemade mixture.

Happy Crafting
Katie<3

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Tanglely Tangled Cords

Today's effort towards spring cleaning turned into an actually cleaning project. If you are anything like my apartment there are lots of things plugged into the entertainment system resulting in a mess of ugliness (tangled wires).

Solution?? Hmm..

I know twist ties!

Problem don't just have those laying around.

Next best choice?? Walmart bags!!

Buy cutting walmart bags into strips and twisting them you end up with a quite strong tie and it is completely disposable when it is time to move.











I know this looks like a mess still but I promise that when it is pushed back into its proper place it is a PERFECT SOLUTION.


And why yes that is my roommates Halloween pumpkin that she is still refilling on a regular basis... she really needs a candy jar.





Happy Crafting
Katie <3