Here's looking at me kid

DIY | Colorful Cigarette Pants

In accordance with my plans for a pretty pregnancy on the cheap, I didn't succumb to shopper envy when I saw these cute pink pants at ASOS. Would it be possible to DIY something similar? I wasn't sure, but I had a plan to try it out. Well, of course, these trousers aren't the exact same as the ASOS ones, but they certainly answer my craving for colorful legs!

These pants ended up costing a whopping total of $6, if you divvy out only the cost of the portion of dye that I used. I found a pair of horrid flared short kahkis (maternity style) at the thrift store for $3, and purchased some pink & fuschia Rit dye, as well as Rit color-stay potion (as I call it).

First, I layed out the pants and overtop, I layed a pair of stretchy cigarette pants that have a fit I already know I love. Using a water-soluable fabric pen, I traced around the inside of the legs, and used that line as a guide to stitch the inside of the kahki trousers. I stitched two lines of thread, so that the seams won't bust when I wiggle around. Then I trimmed the excess fabric.

Next I filled the washing machine with hot water, poured in some pink dye and a splash of fuschia. I let the washer agitate for 60 minutes, and then let the cycle rinse and spin. After that, I filled the washer again with hot water, this time using the Rit color-stay agent. After that cycle was through, I tossed the pants into the dryer, and they were ready to wear!

This was such a fun project, I can definitely see myself making more pants- in all of the colors of the technicolor rainbow!

SIMPLE CRAFT | Thank You Card

We've had plenty of friends popping in and out of our house helping with moving heavy furniture, painting, doing yardwork, and even dropping off some fresh fruit! Moving house was the hard part- making thank you cards for everyone who has blessed us? That's the fun part! Here's a simple card I whipped up today to send out to Phil's grandparents.

S U P P L I E S :

• Kraft cardstock
• Neon cardstock
• Greeting card envelope
• Pencil
• Black gel pen
• Sharp blade
• Sewing machine (or sewing needle)
• Black thread

S T E P   O N E :  Using the size of your envelope as a guide, cut out a piece of kraft cardstock to be slightly smaller than the envelope (when cardstock is folded).

S T E P   T W O :  With a pencil, draw the shape you want to hold the card's main message. Shapes like circles, hearts, triangles, and flowers work well. Then, use a sharp blade to cut around the pencil lines to remove the shape.

S T E P   T H R E E :  Cut your neon cardstock tp be slightly smaller than the kraft portion of the card. Fold it in the inside of the kraft cardstock, then stitch along the fold to keep the two pieces together.

S T E P   F O U R :  With a pencil, mark the beginning and end of where you want your message to go. Short sentiments like "thank you," "get well," "thinking of you," and "congratulations," easily fit into the shape, without getting crowded. Flip up the cover of the card, and write you message, beginning outside of your shape, and ending outside of the shape.

S T E P   F I V E :  Stitch the front piece of kraft cardstock to the front piece of neon carstock. I kept mine simple with just one line of stitching. Pull the threads through to the inside, knot them, and trim. At this point, your binding threads should also be knotted and trimmed.

Now all you have to do is write your message on the inside of the card, and send with love! Off to the mailbox I go.

DIY | Conversation Heart Magnets

Are you a note maker? I love to make lists, but Phil appreciates a mushy note much more than a honey-do list. I know Valentine's Day was last month, but seeing as how all of my craft supplies were hiding in unknown boxes somewhere in our new house, I didn't get around to completing this project until this week. If you're a sappy kid like me and Phil, maybe you'll want to try this project too- even though there's not another romantic holiday in sight for quite some time.

• small wooden hearts (found at craft store)
• coordinating sized magnets (with sticky back)
• black rub-on letters (or small letter stamps
• stylus to apply rub-ons (I used a crochet hook)
• black craft paint
• paint brush
• black ink pad (if you use stamps instead of rub-ons)

 

To begin, start at the beginning of your rub-on sheet, and apply each letter on a separate heart. I used every capital letter included in my rub-on sheet, to give more variety to the conversations on my fridge. You'll want to buy the rub-ons first, and then match the number of hearts you buy to the number of letters on your sheet. If you can't find decent rub-ons, you might want to purchase a small alphabet stamp set from a craft store and stamp the letters instead.

Next, I carefully painted the edges and back sides of each heart, laying on paper to dry. After the paint had dried, I stuck on the little circular magnets to the back. If you don't want to buy a bunch of little magnets, you might try buying a thin magnetic sheet and cutting out small triangle with a blade and steel ruler.

Once the magnets have been applied- your conversation hearts are ready to be used! Mount them to you refrigerator, or put them in a pretty tin and gift them to a friend.

DIY | Rigid Ribbon Headbandwith video instructions

Are you like me and have problems with ribbon headbands sliding off your alien shaped head? Okay, maybe your head isn't shaped like an alien's, but still, you might benefit from a rigid headband, right? Well, I've been experimenting with creating some headband stlyes, and thought I would share an idea with you! Imagine a ribbon style headband, with the security of a rigid shape, and the styling capabilities of a hair comb. Bam! I gotcha girl. Check out the supply list below to get started on making your own!

I found all of these supplies for a great price at a local craft shop. The velcro you use should be at least the width of the ribbon you are using, and the headband form should also be a similar width. Grab some glue (hot glue works great for this project, actually!), scissors, and get going! Watch the video below to see how I made my headbands. (Oh, and by the way, isn't Harriot the Head Mannequin looking lovely in her new yellow headband?!)

Do you have any favorite ways to wear headbands? If so, I'd love to know! I must admit, I'm rather out of headband practice since I last great out my bangs in 6th grade. Teach me your hairstyling ways! Oh, and if you try out this DIY, I'd love to see how it worked out for you!