DIY Floral Headband

As Megan's early birthday gift, I made her a floral headband yesterday. She wanted one with spikes, but since I could not obtain them in the time given, I left them out. Here's how it turned out:

Materials:

• Plain / unribboned headband
• Ribbon or whatever material you wish to wrap around the headband. In here, I used a cream crocheted fabric
• Small artificial flowers -- just buy a bouquet of them and then pluck them off.
• Glue gun
• Thin ribbon to use as a tying thing (facultative <-- new vocab word meaning optional)
• Scissors

The process was pretty straightforward:

1. Glue on one end of the ribbon/ fabric you want your headband to be wrapped in.
2. Glue on the flowers. You can have them more sparse (like mine) or more bountiful.
3. Glue on the thin ribbon to the inside of the headband. Make sure to leave enough at the ends to be able to comfortably tie around your head.

My eyebrows in the picture on the right look almost
as sparse as the number on flowers on the headband..

Going to Peru in 2 days; probably won't be blogging much here. See ya'll later!

-Cindy

DIY Leather Hair Bow

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The leather bow featured in this blog post is now for sale on Etsy.com!https://www.etsy.com/listing/103474884/black-genuine-leather-hair-bow-barretteI am trying to raise money to go to Peru later this month. I will be volunteering and teaching English at a local school in Huancayo for children who do not have the financial assets to attend school. I would really like to be able to pay my host family well and buy gifts for the children and donate. All profits will go directly to helping them. Thanks! 

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*Note that there are several ways to making a leather hair bow, but this is the way I went about doing it and it worked well for me! ^__^ Enjoy!

Materials needed: 

• Strip of leather, size depends on how big you want your bow. I used a piece about 13" long and 3" wide.
• Super glue* (this is not necessary, but I find that it holds the best. you can opt for some string instead.)
• a barrette (mine is 3")
• Needle & thread* (may be arbitrary)

10" by 3" piece of black leather. LOL my PSAT book in the background... 

Super glue

3" barrette

Step 1:

Cut the leather into desired shape & glue into a loop.

Step 2: Pinch from the middle into desired bow shape:

Step 3: Add a dot of super glue to the middle point and pinch into place:

Step 4: Take a small 1/2" wide piece of leather to wrap around the center & glue it down:

Step 5: glue the back onto the barrette:

Press firmly

Step 6: for extra security, use needle and thread to sew the barrette onto the bow using the side holes.

Wha-la! 'tis done!

I had also dip-dyed/bleached/ ombre-d my hair today, so if you wanna see that video, here it is:

I'm sorry! and Tips on preparing for Winter Formal Dance/Prom

I know I said I would make a blog post on dresses suitable for Winter Formal/Prom dance. I'm sorry I decided not to. Instead, here are a few tips on how to make shopping and planning less stressful! (mostly for girls)

• Buy your dress and shoes on the same day. This way, you'll be able to match your dress with your shoes. I know it's tiring to do ANYTHING after dress shopping, but trust me, you'll thank yourself later.

• Don't stress about not getting the perfect shoe. No one will be staring at your feet. They'll all be worrying about their own after four tiresome hours of dancing.
• Tell your date the color of your dress as soon as you get it, and make sure he goes out and find his matching tie/vest
• Do not trust a guy to go to the florist and order your corsage. Either go with him or go with a friend and order a white rose with black ribbon corsage. It tends to match with any dress you pick out, and also, you can always go back to the florist and change it later. You just don't want to go at the last minute, and have the florist tell you that they got 3000 orders of corsages and boutonnieres; they can't take your order.

• Don't stress about finding a necklace/earrings. Jewelry is not a priority, and it's okay to not wear any. 
• DO worry about how you're going to get to the location. Getting rides from parents may be just a little awkward. Get a group of friends and go in a limousine! (Unless your date is scared of them, of course, which sadly, is my case.)
• Don't forget to buy a warm but dressy jacket that you can wear before and after the dance! Since most formal dances take place during the evening (mine is from 8PM to 12 AM), it's going to get chilly! I got mine from Forever 21!



Click here to buy/see it on the website

Click here to buy/see it on the website

• Get a clutch/little handbag that's not too small. You should be able to put your wallet (or at least your school ID card, some money, and your ticket) and a tampon/pad just in case mother nature decides to come for a visit. 
• Decide ahead of time and make reservations for dinner, if it is not served at your dance. This year, there will only be appetizers available at Winter Formal, so we're going to go eat before going to the dance. 
• Look at my blog post on hairstyles to wear for hair ideas!

I'll be adding more if I think of any. Happy dancing!

Cute Etsy stuff + FREE SHIPPING?!

Yes, you heard me. There are some sellers on Etsy that give free shipping to the United States. *Cheers* I think most of them offer free or very cheap shipping to international buyers as well. *Claps* There are several sellers I've found that make the cutest accessories. Here are a few:

[BY THE WAY, I AM IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THESE ITEMS/SELLERS, I'M JUST SORT OF ADVERTISING FOR THEM BECAUSE I THINK THEY DESERVE IT. THEIR STUFF IS JUST SHO CUTE, AND FREE SHIPPING? HELLO!]

[and also, "WHY ARE THESE THINGS SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN FOREVER 21?" you may ask. Well, keep in mind that products of Forever 21 are made of crap from a factory of under-paid workers, and although the products may be just as cute, they probably fall apart within a year. Things sold on Etsy are hand-made by people who spent real time to make them, and thus are better than F21. Plus, they are one-of-a-kind, so get 'em fast before they're gone!]

"Recycled Tire Monster Coin Purse" $10.95

Unfortunately, this has already been sold, but click the link above to see similar ones that the seller makes.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63998765/recycled-tire-monster-coin-purse?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image+-+http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fview_listing.php%3Flisting_id%3D63998765&utm_content=etsy_finds_121110&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_121110

(^click ze link for more info)

"The Beautiful Bow Belt" $24

Perfect for adding a pop of color to an outfit!, especially during the holidays. Would go great with a black cardigan.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64017593/the-beautiful-bow-belt-free-shipping?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image+-+http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fview_listing.php%3Flisting_id%3D64017593&utm_content=etsy_finds_121110&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_121110

 

"Bird Nest Necklace" $18

I think I'm in love...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60405650/bird-nest-necklace-free-shipping?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image+-+http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fview_listing.php%3Flisting_id%3D60405650&utm_content=etsy_finds_121110&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_121110

"Fiesta Owl Necklace" $18

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/63983989/fiesta-owl-necklace-free-shipping?ref=v1_other_1

 

"Sewing Machine and Scissors NECKLACE" $18

This is just so adorable!! Who would've though of something like this...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62734573/sewing-machine-and-scissors-necklace?ref=v1_other_1

 

"Silver Fairy Door Necklace" $18

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63982692/silver-fairy-door-necklace-free-shipping?ref=v1_other_1

"Cardinal Compass Necklace" $18

OOoOoOhh Mysterious, eh?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60403757/cardinal-compass-necklace-free-shipping?ref=v1_other_1

"The Birds and Me Necklace" $18

Sold already )=

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/60403021/the-birds-and-me-necklace-free-shipping?ref=v1_other_2

TAG: THIS OR THAT?!

A very fun beauty tag! (=




questions:
MAKEUP:
blush or bronzer
lip gloss or lipstick
eye liner or mascara
foundation or concealer (skipped)
neutral or color eye shadow
pressed or loose eye shadows
brushes or sponges

NAILS:
OPI or china glaze
Long or short
Acrylic or natural
Brights or darks
Flower or no flower (skipped)

BODY:
perfume or body splash
lotion or body butter
body wash or soap
lush or other bath company (skipped)

FASHION:
jeans or sweat pants
long sleeve of short
dresses or skirts
stripes or plaid
flip flops or sandals
scarves or hats
studs or dangly earrings
necklaces or bracelets
heels or flats
cowboy boots or riding boots (skipped)
jacket or hoodie
forever 21 or charlotte russe
abercombie or Hollister
saks 5th or nordstrom (skipped)

HAIR:
curly or straight
bun or ponytail
bobby pins or butterfly clips
hair spray or gel
long or short
light or dark
side sweep bangs or full bangs
up or down

RANDOM:
Rain or shine
Summer or winter
Fall or spring
Chocolate or vanilla
East coast or west coast

Forever 21 Necklace HAUL!

In a previous post, I put up pictures of Forever 21 Necklaces that I adored. Well, finally, I got some! (6 to be exact) and the best part: 3 of them were only $1.50! I don't think you can beat that anywhere.

Polish I have on my nails (in the video below):
"Already Famous" by OPI for Sephora (Rocker Chic Collection)
"Only Gold for Me" Top Coat by OPI for Sephora
 

Chanel's temporary tattoos

I'm quite shocked that I haven't blogged about this yet. I found out about Chanel's line of temporary tattoos (55 for $75) about 5 months ago from the June/July issue of Seventeen Magazine (Ashley Greene wore one on the cover photo).

Why am I surprised I didn't blog about this waay back then? BECAUSE I'VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH THEM SINCE I FIRST SAW THEM! Through them, I have realized that I am a HUGE fan of bird/swallow tattoos! and none of them are as classy as the Chanel one.

But to be honest, even if I had the money to buy them, I'm not sure I would want to since they are only temporary. You'd think that since they're from Chanel, they would be, I don't know, not so temporary? But temporary tattoos are temporary tattoos, and they forever will be, because I heard that they wash off in one shower. )=

I guess I'll just have to admire them in pictures.

Polaroids + "Outfit of the Day"

I am falling back in love with my Polaroid camera and Polaroid pictures! The top right picture is my favorite because of the angle/lighting/weird focus, except my legs got cut off by my stool >:O. So I tried to re-create it in my second picture (the top left one) but it just didn't come out the same. I took the last picture (bottom one) because I had one more polaroid film left in the camera.

ANYWAY, this really isn't my Outfit of the Day, it's my Outfit of Another Day. It's a business-y and semi-formal but at the same time casual look. Good for: interviews or when I am an ambassador. (We have this ambassador program at school for when colleges come to visit and a student of our school is the ambassador for them. Ambassadors for our school are required to dress nicely when their assigned colleges come to visit.)

What I'm wearing:

Top: 

• off-white Marc by Marc Jacobs ruffle button-up short-sleeved cotton blouse (sorry, I don't know the exact name!) with 

• a dark blue Hollister ruffle tank underneath

(except in dark blue)

Bottom:

• dark blue high-waisted band skirt by Miley Cyrus and Max Azria (from the clearance section at Walmart for $3!)

Hair: Half up (criss-crossing bobby pins in the back)

Accessories:

• Purple feather earrings from my friend Vivian!
• Wood peace-sign necklace (that I wear almost everyday because it makes me feel more secure) from my friend Michelle!

So it's been..

quite a while since I've done a product review! I've been meaning to review my Cortex Flat Iron (in Zebra Print) that was in my How to curl hair video for over 2 months!

I promise a review on that will be coming shortly. In the mean time, my dear father brought me back a large amount of earrings from China! A lot of them are really cute, and since there are so many, I was thinking of doing some sort of giveaway. I should probably wait until I have more subscribers on Youtube and more followers on here. I'm just a bit excited to do my first giveaway though!!

I want to be some sort of jewelry/accessory designer in the (hopefully) near future. So be on the look out for jewelry by Cindy within the next (oh, I don't know..) five years or so.

I've got to get crackin' on my History homework now. Toodles!

Jewelry Trends

I have to say, I am reaaallly loving the all the jewelry trends going on right now. Long necklaces with clumps of leaves, silver leaf earrings, leaf rings, bird necklaces, etc etc. Why don't I just show you? :

You can buy this on Etsy.com at http://www.etsy.com/listing/56154610/large-silver-feather-ring?ref=cat2_gallery_6

This is from the same seller as the leaf ring on top. It just so happens that I like a lot of stuff from this person (

I know that some things on etsy are a little on the pricey side, but keep in mind that most things sold on that website, including the 3 items above, are HAND MADE! isn't that cool!?
Of course, a cheaper opt would be Forever21, but that's not very special, now is it?

*I am in no way affiliated with Etsy or any people selling on Etsy in this blog post.