What is the 411? What has everybody been up to? What is the hot gossip? Tell me everything: December 2012

Not having a full time job yet obviously gives me more free time than most. In between my two part-time jobs, I enjoy doing crafts. Pinterest, YouTube, Blogs and Tumblr make it very simple to connect with DIY(Do It Yourself) crafts that people are making all over the world. The Internet, making it all possible, has allowed us to view and create similar artwork to which we have seen online. Most sites provide step-by-step instructions so we can construct remarkable pieces in our very own home. Whether a video tutorial or a written tutorial, creating things on your own has become very simple because of these greatly accessible tools.

The projects I have created over the past few weeks were very easy to do and only required minimal craft supplies.

DECOUPAGED VASE

Materials:

· An empty wine bottle

· An old magazine/scrapbook paper

· Mod podge

· Scissors

· Sponge brush

· Fake flowers (if you want to use it as a vase)

DUCK TAPE WALLET

Materials:

· Duck tape (preferably 3+ different colors)

· Scissors

· Clear piece of plastic for ID holder

· Ruler

· Refer to YouTube for detailed instructions

COASTERS

Materials:

· 4+ pieces of tile (Purchased at Home Depot)

· Decoupage paper

· Mod podge

Sponge brush

· Scissors

· Felt (to glue on the bottom of the tile)

LUGGAGE TAGS

Materials:

· Luggage tag templets (purchased at craft store)

· Mod podge

Sponge brush

· Scissors

· Decoupage paper

· Stickers (optional)

· String/Rope/Ribbon

DECORATED MASON JARS

Materials:

· 3+ regular mason jars

· Different colored tissue paper

· Mod podge

Sponge brush

· Ribbon (optional)

· Fake flowers (optional)

· Other decorative things (optional)

These all make for great presents anytime of the year! I made my mom and sister the coasters for Christmas this year, the luggage tags for our family vacation in April, and the vase for my college roommate who had just moved into a new place. The great part about decoupaging is that there are no rules; no two pieces can possibly look exactly the same. How often do you get to do things that have no rules or boundaries and require you to do whatever feels right? Not often. And that's why I have come to love doing crafts.

For the past year I have desperately wanted to add an out-of-the-ordinary color to my hair. Ever since the feather trend went out of style, I feel as if my hair has been lacking spunk. Born a Gemini, I will absolutely adore something on Monday, and despise it by Friday. This is a major reason as to why I never followed through with permanently dying my hair with a bold color. I feared (and still do) I would love it for a couple of days and then quickly want it gone.

Hair Chalk is the perfect opportunity to dye your hair non-permanently (great for a person who constantly likes to change things up). This fun and TEMPORARY dye washes out with one shampoo.

There are several different companies that sell Hair Chalk. However, I purchased mine from Free People. Being the indecisive person I am, theirs included the most colors for the most affordable price.

24 colors for $24

Some of the other options include:

Hair Color Chalk

1 for $15.99

Nordstrom

3 for $14.95

HOW IT WORKS

Take the strand of hair that you want to color and separate it from the rest of your hair (use an elastic to tie back the hair that you are not coloring)
Choose the color(s) you wish to use
Put on a pair of plastic gloves if you do not want the dye to get all over your hands (it washes off with soap and water for the most part)
Take the piece of chalk and dip it into a cup of water so the chalk itself gets wet (it tends to work better than wetting your hair and using the dry chalk)
Rub the wet piece of chalk up and down the portion of your hair repeatedly until it has reached the shade you desire
Let the hair air dry for 2 minutes
Then immediately apply heat to the colored portion of hair by using a straightener (the heat from the device will help to lock the color in)
After running the straightener through the hair several times, you may brush your hair so it isn't so tangled (note: when you brush it some of the color is going to come off)
Lastly, apply hairspray to the colored portion of hair so it stays on longer

I tried the product this past weekend with my college roommate, Kayla. It took us a couple tries to get the color how we wanted it... without getting it all over everything in sight, that is. After a couple attempts, we got it to come out (and stay on) nicely.

If it does not come out as well as you want the first time, don't get discouraged! I did green on my hair the first time, didn't do it dark enough, and it fell out in a few hours. A while later I noticed what happened to it... it was ALL over my neck. I looked like the HULK. That is when I realized the hairspray really helps to keep the color on your hair and not on your skin.

Bit of advice... DONT PLAY WITH YOUR HAIR (guilty). The more you touch it the more the color comes off.

Celebrities are big supporters of Hair Chalk

Nicki Minaj