Clothing Upcycle

With bleach pens, a bit of lace, or a dab of paint it's easy to turn something old and tired into something new. While it's great to donate used clothing, it's even better to refashion it so you get more use out of it. Or if you're like me and love thrift stores keep your eyes open for treasures that you can use for some of these fun DIY projects.

**All of these projects were found on Pinterest**

Tops

Idea from Etsy shop lillienoradrygoods

Bottoms

Cutoffs

Extras

Boot socks from old sweaters

DIY American Flag Converse

xoxo Gwen

Summertime Crafting {Washi Tape}

One of my favorite things about summertime is having the time to craft, or better making the time to craft. I've been in love with the delicate Japanese masking tape (aka washi tape) forever. Now you can find it at Office Depot and Wal-Mart. We can thank Scotch brand for that. One of my favorite places to order it online is a company called Cutetape. They literally have dozens upon dozens of cute washi tape and other packaging, party, and craft supplies and ideas. Their washi tape comes in so many wonderful, cute & pretty designs.

Pretty Tulip Washi Tape Japanese Set of 3 $8.00

$6.50

$4 per roll

For some simple craft ideas with washi tape check out some of these simple ideas I found on Pinterest.

Back to School/Office

DIY stationary

Decor

If you try any of these washi tape crafts I'd love to see your pictures. Just Instagram them and tag me @lavendermud or tweet your pictures to me @gb_shortcake. If I receive enough submissions I might feature them in an upcoming post.

Happy crafting!

xoxo Gwen

Ice Cream Cones

When I happen to have spare time I search for inspiration. I often find myself clicking on image after image and pinning it to my Summertime board on Pinterest. I'm so excited summer is here and so far I am loving the warm weather and sunshine. While ice cream cones have yet to make it to my board they are all over Pinterest! Today after working for 5 hours and then heading straight to class for another 2 hours I left school and headed straight to Cold Stone Creamery. I ended up with the coffee lovers in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. Surprisingly I did not enjoy the cone as much as I thought I would, but goodness me the ice cream was divine!

I didn't get a picture of my ice cream waffle cone I was too busy shoveling it in my mouth. Instead take a look at some images I found on Pinterest.

 

 

Don't these images just scream Summer?!

Don't leave just yet, it gets better. Kathy Strahs over at Panini Happy shares a recipe on how to make ice cream cones on a panini press. Or you can head to Design Love Fest and find out how to make your own beautiful and delicate waffle cones.

Via

And if you don't have the patience to be in the kitchen just stop by your favorite shop selling this sweet treat. It's sure to brighten your whole afternoon (or morning, or evening for that matter).

xoxo Gwen

DIY Hair Mask

Transitioning from winter to summer does a number on my hair and not in a good way.  I have long naturally blonde, thick, curly hair and there's nothing worse than split ends and dry "straw" hair. To combat the elements I use a treatment on my hair to add a bit of extra conditioning and strength.

1 TBSP. coconut oil

1 TBSP. olive oil

1 TBSP. honey

3 TBSP. water

Stir ingredients in a small glass bowl.  Microwave for 13-15 seconds.  Apply to dry areas (I usually do mine on the ends of my hair). Pull hair back and let sit for 30 mins to 1 hour. Rinse out.  **I usually do this treatment at night and do not shampoo or add any other products to my hair. In the morning I wash and style my hair as normal.**

xoxo Gwen

DIY Flower Crown

It's almost summer and festivals are popping up all over.  If you want to add a bohemian flair try making your own unique flower crown.  There are dozens of inspiring pictures on Pinterest and Etsy. If you wanted to take the easy route you can just buy one, but they can range from about $10 to $60 and even higher sometimes.

Inspiration

 

 

DIY version

Supplies:

- hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

- floral cloth stem wire (I picked up the dark brown at Jo-Ann for $2.99)

- some floral embellishments of your choice (I used some pink and white paper like flowers that I purchased awhile back at Michael s in the scrapbooking section!) 

Use anything you have on hand

Use some of these to make the circle crown

Then just lay out and space the flowers how you want them to look in the final product.

Do this before gluing the flower on

 

xoxo Gwen

Happy Earth Day!

I definitely love Mother Earth.  In fact I am featured on the tree huggers website.  Yes, if you Google images of me you will find one of me hugging a tiny tree that was posted back in 2005!  That seems like a lifetime ago.  Nonetheless I love trees, nature, recycling, and doing what I can to buy eco-friendly products.  I have shoes that have recycled tires for the bottoms and hemp for the main fabric and scrap ribbons for the laces.  They're from a brand called Simple, and I don't believe they are around anymore, but I'll never be able to give them up even if they do look a little ratty. They are super comfortable and so me. I also have a Sprout watch.  Their watches can range from hemp, organic cotton, to cork and bamboo. They feature some cute designs and colors too.

Think of ways you can reuse things you're about to throw in the trash.  I often keep cookie tins and egg cartons.  I also keep (and wash) meat trays and oatmeal containers.  Meat trays make great paint palettes.  I cover oatmeal containers and use them to store pens and pencils on my desk.  In fact I have two that I made sitting on my desk right now!

Use Pinterest to find interesting ways to reuse some of the things you have laying around your house. Earth will thank you!

xoxo Gwen