DIY Mini Fabric Panel Shorts

If you do a little trend research for summer 2012's huge "IT" things, you will find pictures of embellished shorts every which way you look! Pic after pic after pic of amazingly adorable denim alterations! Not being one to rush out to snatch a few pairs off popular web-sites, in turn spending a small fortune on "designer" duds........my solution....DIY baby!!!

Its so simple!!! Let me just say, I am not,by any means, a skilled seamstress (I'll leave that title to my amazing Mother) If i can stitch a few threads........ANYBODY can! Trust!!!

For this DIY project I set my sights on the adorableness of baby shorts!!! This can be made on any size you wish tho!

What you will need..........

*Shorts (any size, any color)

*Fabric

*Pins

*Needle & Thread

*Scissors

*Semi-skilled sewing skills (i got by with slightly-skilled ha ha)

Step 1.........Choose what leg you want to cover and cut out a piece of fabric with the area of fabric you want showing (i made sure birds were lined up nicely) cut to about 1/4 - 1/2 bigger around then the area you will sew (which will be the seam line around the jean leg)

Step 2.......cut a slit in the fabric to tuck in and around the belt loop

Step 3.....get out your pins and pin the fabric all along the hem line. Use your fingers to feel where to place pins.

Step 4....simply sew all around the hem line of the leg. for these shorts I chose to cover the front pocket and add studs along the pocket seam on the outside of the added fabric. If you choose to cut out the pocket, snip 2 snips following the curve and tuck extra fabric into pocket and sew along the pocket seam. (sorry, I accidentally deleted that picture) When you get to the belt loop, sew the fabric under the belt loop and then all around it.

Step 5......once you get done sewing fabric to leg......you are almost finished YAY!!!.....use your scissors to cut off any extra fabric, being careful not to cut your stitches. Yeaaa NOT a good move ha ha!! (did it)

Bonus step..........cut out bird/whatever and sew onto opposite back pocket. Have fun add buttons, lace, patches, ect! Make it your own!!

Step 6........Put them on......snap some pics........and show off your mad seamstress skills!!!! :)

Remember.......PERFECTION IS WAY OVER-RATED ;)

Much Love & More to Come,
                                        Jenny

An American Shorts Revolution (DIY American Flag Shorts)

AMERICAN FLAG SHORTS

Shorts so cool ~ You'll be proud to be an American :)

How to upcycle a pair of old, stuffed-in-the-back-of-your-drawer, haven't-been-worn-in-years, cut off shorts into an amazing patriototical pair that are sure to set of fireworks wherever you go!!

Its way easier then you think........(I mean I did it and I'm not even sure my stick figure men look like, well men)
Seriously, if you completed Kindergarten........YOU TOO CAN DO THIS!!

Sooooooo whatcha gonna need.................

*Pair of denim cut off shorts (or two - I made some for my mini)

*Star Stencil (whatever size you wish)

*Painters tape

*2 Foam brushes

*Red & White fabric paint (you can also do this on white shorts using blue stars and painting red stripes)

*Plate with foil (easy clean-up) to dab paint onto brushes

*Diet Coke & M&M's pictured are optional!!  ha ha ha

Step 1..... Start by ironing the front of the shorts so you  have a smooth flat surface to work on.

Step 2.....Decide if you would like horizontal or vertical stripes (so hard to decide!!) and begin taping your lines. You will start with the white stripes (easier to cover mistakes with the red later - not that you're going to make any mistakes  ;) I wanted my lines pretty think so I laid one piece down and then another overlapping that in the middle. Leave the same distance (i eyeballed mine) between each stripe. Starting with your white paint and using your brush paint the un-taped lines, using a dabbing motion until covered. I started my stripes right under the pocket seam and carefully dabbed paint up and around belt loop. Don't remove tape and allow to dry.

Step 3.........While the white lines are drying and being very careful not to touch them, move to the opposite shorts leg to begin painting stars. There doesn't have to be a rhyme or reason as to where you place stars. Perfection is WAY over-rated!! Simply lay your stencil (i discovered it MUCH easier to cut star out before hand) and hold as flat as you can with your fingers while you dab white paint on with the other hand. Paint as many or as few stars as you wish. Let dry.

Step 4.........Once the white stripes are completely dry, carefully remove tape. Using fresh tape, tape off the white painted stripes, being sure cover completely. Using the same technique, paint your red stripes. Once again don't remove tape and allow to dry.

Step 5......Keep shorts laying flat and allow to dry completely.........remove tape.........and

Boom!!! Done!!!

If this doesn't have you singing "America The Beautiful"...........I don't know what will :)

Happy painting :)

Much Love & More to Come,
                                          Jenny.

Super Easy ~ Super Cool DIY Phone Covers

A project so easy ~ You just can't stop at making 1!!! (hey, make some for your friends....they'll LOVE ya)

I am not one of those people that can buy one phone cover and stick with the SAME OLD THING month after month after month....bleh....I like change!!! What I don't like so much is searching thru endless choices of covers on the market....OMG how do you EVER decide?!? I am also NOT a fan of the steep price tags that come with many of them........

So......Here it is......My solution to changing up your cover with the season, month, mood or day!

What you need.......(oh btw my attempt at making the Ipod cover proved to be waaaaaay harder to do then  I had anticipated ........what's with all those holes anyway?? sheesh that one was a no go)

*Clear Cover....You can make this for any product (not just Apple) that you are able to find a clear case for. Check Ebay mine was a whopping $1.95 :))

*Scrap Book paper of your choice.

*Stickers if you desire.

*Exacto Knife

*Scissors

*Pencil for tracing

First....Lay your cover out over the backside of the paper. I like less cutting, so i use the corner of the sheet.
and trace the outside and also any holes that need to be cut out.

Cut along your outside lines using scissors.

Next....using your exacto knife carefully cut out the camera hole (this is what makes the iphone MUCH easier then the Ipod)

And.....Wait For It.....insert into phone cover.....put on phone....and.....TA-DA.....super cool, super easy, super cheap and super changeable (buy lots of diff scrap book paper people ~ this gets addicting!!)

The possibilities are endless!!!!

Much Love & More to Come,
                                  Jenny :)

That's BANANAS!!!

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

Oh wait.....I DID!!! ha ha ha

Yep BANANAS!!! They are so good for you! They are chalk full of vitamin C, A, B6 and B12 and they also contain potassium and magnesium! And they are delish!!! But did you know that they are also great when used on top of the skin??

mmmm hmmm BANANA FACIAL =)

This facial is so easy to do, so cheap, and leaves your skin feeling moisturized, soft and so refreshed!

The fruit acids in bananas help to slough of dead skin cells, which helps to brighten dry dull skin! YAY!!!

All you need is.......

* about 1/4 of a ripe banana (the riper the better)
* a fork
* a plate

All you do is.......

* using your fork, mash the banana into a paste
* on clean, slightly damp skin rub paste into face in circular motion (bonus: if it gets in your mouth ~ that's ok it's yummmy....eyes are different story ~ never had banana in my eye, but i can't imagine it would be very pleasant haha)
* let sit for 10-15 minutes
* rinse off with cold water (the cold water closes pores sealing in moisture)

Not the prettiest facial out there ~ but it sure makes pretty skin afterwards =)

Much Love & More to Come,
Jenny

An Egg-cellent Choice in Skin Care

Egg White and Yogurt Facemask
for moisturizing and soothing

This a a wonderful facial to use any time your skin is feeling a little extra dry! With colder months ahead that is sure to start happening more and more.....not fun! (thanks cold air & artificial heat)

Egg white's work to tighten and tone skin, refresh skin and give skin a gorgeous glow!

Yogurt adds enzymes and oils to the skin, working as a natural moisturizer!

This mask will reduce pore size and improve overall skin texture (hello softness)

Trust me you won't be able to stop touching your face and saying "oooh, aww niceee"

For this wonderful concoction you will need.....

*2 egg whites
*2 table spoons of plain yogurt
*bowl
*whisk
*freshly scrubbed face

Crack the eggs into a small bowl, separating and disgarding the yolks. Add the yogurt and whisk, whisk, whisk the mix until it has a frothy, foamy appearance (great for arm muscles lol)
With your finger-tips apply a thin layer allover your face avoiding your eyes and mouth (eewww)

Let dry for 10-15 minutes (you will feel your skin becoming extremely tight ha ha take this time to make silly old lady lady faces!!)

(this pic doesn't quite show the super funnyness of these wrinkles ha ha ha)

Rinse and apply moisturizer while skin is still wet.

Enjoy your gorgeous, glowing, super soft skin!!!

Much Love & More to Come,
Jenny

Makin' the Cut III..........Sexifying a Man's t-shirt!

The other day my man was tossing out some t-shirts that he no longer uses and to my dismay, poking his wrinkly handsome face out from the bottom of the pile was WILLIE NELSON!! "WHHAAAAAT you're throwing THIS out?? Oh huh uh!" hahaha

So I did what any self-respecting female Willie Nelson fan should, I snatched it up, grabbed a pair of scissors and got busy turning my hubbies frumpy old man's t-shirt into a super awesomely cool women's t!!

Here's what I did........

1st......cut the neck line in a boat shape (sexy off the shoulder look)

2nd......cut off the sleeves right before the hem

3rd......cut off the bottom hem

4th......slit all the way from the bottom hem to the sleeve on both sides of shirt

5th......cutting both front and back of the shirt....cut triangle "shark teeth" all the way up on both sides

6th......matching front to back "teeth" tie in double knots all the way up (it's so knot hard) hahahaha

TA-DA you are finished!!!!

This is how I will rock mine.......

skinny jeans and my beyond rad Minnetonka Fringe Moccasins =)

closer look

Much Love & More to Come,
Jenny

ADDICTED TO CRACKLE

CRACKLE NAIL POLISH = The best thing to happen to nail polish since, well, nail polish!!

This stuff is awesome!!

If you ever get sick of just plain jane solid color on your tipsies, run out and get some!!!

I got Sally Hanson Crackle Overcoat in Fractured Foil from Target for a little over $6 =)

In this picture the overcoat is over top of REVLON Pink Freeze
I LOVE IT!!!

This polish is quite a bit thicker then regular polish, so the trick to getting the very best crackle effect is in the application.

1st...apply 1-2 coats of whatever color/brand of polish you choose.
LET DRY
2nd...starting in the middle of your nail do one swipe of the overcoat and then one swipe per side (it's important not to overlap the swipes or it won't crackle right)
LET DRY (be patient it takes a bit)
3rd...apply a clear coat to lock on polish and add shine =)

If you are feeling a little extra "rock star" cool.....leave one nail (ring finger is my choice) solid!! Niiiiceee =)

Enjoy all the complements you get on your rockin' mani!!!

Much Love & More to Come,
Jenny