Roses from maple leaves

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianteutsch/ / CC BY 2.0

This looks pretty cool! I wonder if there will be any nice maple leaves I can collect on my wedding day?

http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/2009/09/diy-roses-from-maple-leaves/

Color-enhancing shampoos and rinses

I saw this article thought this was pretty cool. Right now, I have no desire to play with color in my hair in any way, but in the past, I have considered it. I did, a few years ago, get highlights in my hair but I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon. The highlights are growing out and I'm pretty happy with my black hair right now. Anyways, if you're interested in how to enhance your hair color and/or highlights naturally, check out this article:

http://tipnut.com/color-shampoo/

DIY headwrap

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsmall/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

I don't particularly need this as I use a terry cloth robe as my towel and I will let my hair drip onto my robe while I wait for it to dry. However, for those times when I don't have my beloved, ratty robe, my long hair needs a hair wrap. I've tried many times to wrap a regular towel around my head, but it always comes apart! On the other hand, I don't want to spend money an a headwrap when I can just use a towel. Lol! Well then, why not make a head wrap from an old towel? It's actually a very easy project. So without further ado, here's the link to the project tutorial!

http://perfectlittlestitches.com/downloads/HeadWrapProject.pdf

False eyelash removal

http://www.flickr.com/photos/a6u571n/ / CC BY 2.0

I posted before how much I love using extra virgin olive oil to remove my eye makeup. Well, I've recently found out that it works on removing false eyelashes too! The oil pretty much dissolves/loosens the glue within minutes and you can remove the lashes without any tearing! If your eyes are sensitive, use a q-tip to apply the oil so it doesn't get in your eyes. Wait a few minutes, brush your teeth, play with your cat, then using a cotton ball, gently wipe away your eye makeup, lashes and all!

Vinegar hair rinse as conditioner

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroberts/ / CC BY 2.0

My fiance thinks I'm obsessed with vinegar. I think the stuff is awesome! It kills mold, removes soap residue and has anti-static properties. On top of all that, it makes great dumpling sauce and salad dressings! What's not to love? So I'm going to write about yet another use I have for vinegar: hair conditioner! Remember how I said before that it removes soap residue and has anti-static properties? Turns out those properties are good for you hair too. The trick is not to use too much.

To start, you might want to dilite 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of water. If you find that this leaves your hair too flat, you can reduce the amount of vinegar per cup of water. When you're ready to rinse the shampoo out of your hair, slowly pour and rub the vinegar hair rinse into your hair. Yes, your bathroom will smell like a salad bar, which is an odd smell to be smelling when you're showering, but it certainly isn't the worst smell out there. Lol! Anyways, I always rinse the vinegar out with water afterwards. I do walk out smelling faintly of vinegar, but it disspates once my hair is dry.

If you use this regularly, it will strip the soap residue out of your hair, leaving it shinier than before. It also conditions your hair just like a store-bought conditioner, but without the unfamiliar chemicals. Long-haired girls in NYC will know how absolutely awful the static can get in the winter. I've had hair stick to bathroom stall walls all around me! Ever since I started using this rinse though, I have not had this problem at all. It's seriously wonderful stuff! Of course, I can only speak about my own hair, which is long, thick and very straight. I have no idea if this works on curly hair as people with curly hair have the most issues finding the right conditioner. For those with curly hair, I'm curious to know how the vinegar rinse performs. It may not work as well, but not having any curly hair, it's hard for me to say one way or the other.

Make your own synthetic diamond

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/ / CC BY 2.0

This is a cool project, but it makes really tiny diamonds (what can we really expect from home-made? Lol!). Still, it's good if you're trying to demonstrate the science involved in how a diamond is made to a kid. For me, after reading the instructions, I think it's more likely that this experiment would break my micorwave first, but hey, it worked for the dude that authored this instructable, so who knows?

http://www.instructables.com/id/SM2TX1AFSUUXNG0/

The convertible dress

In an earlier post, I wrote about how I wanted to make a convertible dress using this pattern:
http://rowena.typepad.com/rostitchery/infinity-dress.html

So guess what? I did! It was really, really easy and because jersey knits don't fray, there's no finishing of the raw edges or heming. Fantastic!

Here are some photos of the different ways I've figured out how to wear:

Now imagine what this would look like in two colors or a jersey with shimmer or a beautiful printed fabric... the possibilities are tantalizing!

I was bored one weekend

A few weekends ago, I felt totally pent up with crafting energy because I haven't done anything crafty in weeks! So I went to the Canon CREATIVE PARK to print out and put together something fun. At first I wanted to make some sort of crank-operated toy, but I ended up with this instead:

I do have to say that it was a pain in the rear to make because of all the meticulous cutting involved. I had to use a pencil-sharp craft knife and cutting mat to get around all the sharp curves and turns. This is definitely not a project for little kids as the cutting and pasting needed precision and a degree for coordination and patience that younger children generally don't have. For me, this was fun to do to get that energy out of my system, but I probably wouldn't make this particular project again. Lol! If you can see the photo in more detail, you can make out how sloppy my work really was. Overall though, I'm glad I did it and I'm fairly happy with the result. :-)

Satin wrap

A few months ago, I saw a post from the Weekend Designer blog. It looked so simple and pretty that I had to try it! I started work on it last night and finished it this morning. Not my best work because I never made "button lips" before, but at least I now have experience making those. I made the ends a bit too boxy, but I'm too lazy to go back and alter them now. Lol! If you'd like to make your own, you can get the free pattern here:

http://wkdesigner.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/929/

DIY Hand Sanitizer

I came into work this morning and there was a small bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer on my desk with a note about how to not spread the flu. I never use the stuff since I'm very conscientious about washing my hands properly and often, but I know people who love these hand sanitizers. So here's a DIY tutorial on how to make your own!

http://www.ecosalon.com/diy-hand-sanitizer-and-surface-disinfectant-spray/

The one seam convertible dress pattern

I totally love convertible dresses and wear them often when I go on vacation. The only ones I have are the two layered wrap ones I got for twenty bucks each at a street fair. I think they were made from unwanted silk saris, so the fabric has gorgeous prints, beautiful drape and is very lightweight. From what I can tell, it's really just two layers of rectangular fabric sewn into a waistband with long straps. You can find a great video on the different ways to wear them here:
http://www.karizadesigns.com/

Another kind of convertible dress uses stretch jersey knit fabric. I first saw that kind of dress on Victoria Secret, seen here:
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=EE-238573&cgname=OSKEYCLOZZZ&rfnbr=2201

The jersey dress has a different construction and is also very versatile. You can see the different ways you can wear this type of dress here:
http://www.monifc.com/marilyn-convertible-dress.html

I really like versatile clothing so I don't end up overloading my closets or spending loads of money on different looks, so I'm totally intrigued by convertible clothing. Since I don't have the jersey style dress, I think I'm going to try to make one of my own. A really popular and simple pattern for this dress can be found here:
http://rowena.typepad.com/rostitchery/infinity-dress.html

I'm really tempted to stop by my favorite fabric store today to pick up some jersey fabric!

Denise Interchangeable Crochet Hooks

Holy moocow! I am sooooo excited to see Denise Interchangeable Crochet Hooks! I have the interchangeable knitting needles set and I love them! I do all my knitting on those and now I want these off the hook hooks! No longer do I have to spend loads of money building up a collection of single crochet hooks, double-ended crochet hooks and tunisian crochet hooks. This set can do them all! If you're into crochet, you should definitely check these out!

http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=DEN-001

What a dress!

I gotta post a link to this wedding dress! Not my style, but totally amazing nonetheless!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39802315@N03/3921609109/

More tips on making your razor last

Some reiteration here, but still good and useful!

http://www.wisebread.com/save-money-on-shaving-with-these-razor-tricks

Paper iphone dock

I would love to have an iphone dock, but I just don't see how I really need an iphone dock enough to plunk down the money for one. The answer? An iphone dock you can print and make out of paper! Once you print out the template, just cut and fold and voila! A dock and stand for your iphone! The cool thing about it is you can totally customize the stand. Think of all the different kinds of paper that are out there and you might be tempted to make a different dock for each day of the week, or a unique dock for whatever mood your in.

Check it out here:
http://www.dessinemoiunobjet.com/iphone-and-itouch-paper-stand-dock/

Weight loss... what weight loss?

Okay, I'll admit that I got a bit stressed out these past few months and decided to stop caring about my weight loss journey. However, I honestly can't stand not caring anymore so I'm back! The Battle of the Bulge continues!

Today will be a fresh start. No stressing about how I failed in the past or how I've gained all the weight back that I lost before. To move forward, I'm going to start with small steps. I'll keep in mind that it's not impossible to lose a few pounds, so for now, I'm going to try to lose just 3 pounds. In a previous weight loss venture, I've been most successful with a combination of diet and exercise. No surprises there, huh? Sorry to say that there's no magic bullet that I've found.

First exercise step: Get into exercise mental mode. This means getting into the habit of exercising on a regular basis. I think it's too much pressure and too ambitious to set a goal where I have to exercise every day for an hour. I get tired and lazy and start rebelling against my own strict rules. So taking a slightly more relaxed approach, I'm going exercise for 15 minutes just 3 times a week. This is just to get me into the swing of things. It could be weight training or it could be cardio. Right now, I just want to get into the habit of exercising.

First diet step: Eat lighter foods. I really haven't been eating a lot of sweet and fatty foods compared to some others, but I can't say I've been eating very healthy foods either. I have a weakness for cheese and creamy sauces. I also tend to snack. So in an effort to eat a little lighter, I'm going to replace one meal with a salad at least once a week. It's got to have a minimal amount of dressing, and have a variety of veggies.

I'll stick with this for a week or two and then see if I can't build a little more momentum. Wish me luck!

Using old books as wall storage

If you've got a lot of old hardcover books lying around, just waiting to be sold, donated or thrown out, here's another idea on what you can do with them: turn them into wall storage! It's a great idea!

http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/90

Extending the life of your disposable razor

I gotta admit that I'm a freak of nature and shave very rarely because I'm pretty hair-less. I was quite envious of my friends in high school because all I could do was listen to them commiserate about the task of shaving. Honestly, I felt left out! I didn't realize how lucky I am, but my friends did and practically shouted in my ear to never start shaving if I could get away with it. Lol! Of course, unless I wear sleeves all the time, there are times when I need to shave. That's when I get a little peeved when I go razor hunting. Razors aren't cheap and they do need to get replaced if you use them regularly. Granted, I probably don't use up my blades quite as fast as some other girls, and thus am able to save a few bucks here and there, but the amount of money I spend on replacing an old razor still adds up to quite a bit!

So here's a link that talks about how you can extend the life of your disposable razor using an old pair of jeans. Cool!

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/disposable-razor-sharp-jeans.html

DIY Pizza stone

I can't say I've ever really wanted a pizza stone, but if you're feeling desperate for one and wouldn't mind scrounging together a makeshift one from the Home Depot, this might be helpful:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/diy-pizza-stone.html

Simple beaded bangles

I've seen beaded bangles in stores and have generally been reluctant to spend my hard-earned cash on something that I've always felt I can make at home. When I found this tutorial, it would seem I've been proven right. You CAN make beaded bangles at home! Can you imagine making this with sparkly Swarovski crystals or glass pearls of varying sizes? I'd totally wear it!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=174661.0