From Frumpy, to Fabulous!

We all have those boring, baggy, old tee-shirts we don't really wear anymore...and we all either donate them, turn them into rags, or simply throw them away. But...why should be so ready to give up on something, just for being a little ugly? Why not turn something frump, into something fabulous!

This super cute shirt was made in less than 5 minutes, with no sewing required, and all from one of those ugly throw away shirts. Isn't it amazing what a bit if imagination, and some scissors can do? To make this shirt you'll need:

• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 spool of grosgrain ribbon
• 1 peice of chalk
• 1 bottle of fabric glue
• 1 ugly ass tee-shirt, in a color you like

Look at the diagram below, and get your piece of chalk ready!

1st: Lightly sketch out where you want your neckline to be. I would suggest only taking off the collar in the back, and not going any lower...otherwise you're tee will become an off the shoulder number.

2nd: Sketch out the lines for the ribbon. You need to have 4 lines, with the inner two right below the middle of your tata's, and the outer two about 4 inches from the inner line.

3rd: Cut the collar, and the ribbon lines.

4th:  Now, take your ribbon, and cut it into 4 pieces...with each piece being 10-14 inches. It depends on how long you want the ties to be.

5th: Put one end of the ribbon inside one of the cuts on the chest, and glue it to the t-shirt. Make sure you use glue that will hold through being washed and dried! If you prefer, you can always handsew the ribbons into place, which will only take about 10 minutes.

6th: When the glue is completely dry, you can put the tee-shirt on, and make your two knots. Tie the inner ribbons into a knot, and then the outer ribbons into a pretty bow.

Voila! Now you have a super cute new shirt!

Love and Lightning Bugs,
 

5 Minute Up-do Tutorial

So, I asked, and you answered! You all wanted more hair and make-up tutorials, so I'll be sure to write them, hopefully one a week. Here's the first tutorial to start things off, a very fun, and simple, up-do. This will take about 5 minutes to do, and would be perfect for work, school, and a huge array of other situations. plus, this is a great way to hide that not so fresh hair that you forgot to wash the night before!

Start with brushed hair. Part it like you normally would, and if you want, put a bit of mousse or hair gel in it. I like to do this style when my hair is dry, but doing it wet would work just as well. Also, ignore the headphones, I listen to music while putting on my make-up and doing my hair.

Take a section of hair in front of your ear, and put it into a hair elastic, like so. Do the same on the other side, and try to get the amount of hair even. Since my hair is so fine, I used more than you should if you have thick hair. Put the rest in a clip at the back of your head to keep it out of the way.

Now, brush out the side ponytails, and pulling them up high, near the temples, braid them. Keep the braid tight to your head, and braid toward the back of your head, like a tiara would sit. You can either French Braid or use a conventional braid, but I like the look of a normal braid best.

You should end up looking  like this from the front. Silly, I know. 

Now, take all that hair from the back of your head, and put it in a ponytail, either high, or low, depending on the length of your braids. If you have long hair, make a lower pony; shorter hair, higher pony. Since may hair is shorter in the front than in the back, I pulled my ponytail up in about the middle of my head.

If you know how to flip a pony, do it now. If not, you make a space with your fingers between your scalp and the hair elastic. Once you've done that, use your fingers to grab the ponytail, and pull it through the opening, then make the ponytail tight again.

Next, you're going to pull your braids, to the back, and use hair pins to pin them right above the flip. Some adjust may need to happen to make sure the braids are even on each side.

Finally, coil the rest of your loose hair, pony and braid ends, into a bun  over the hair elastics, to hide them. I used hair pins to pin it all in place. And voila, you're finished! Pretty, easy, and fast.

Here's the look from the front, with my bangs down. Now you could make a pouf, or twist them to the side, but I prefer a natural bang.

And I finished it off with a clip I made. I hope you all like this! Please let me know what kind of hairstyle you would like to see next, down in the comments..

Love and Lightning Bugs,