Headband Bun Hair Tutorial
- a tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of hot water
- 20 minute soak
- followed by a hot, then cold rinse
- pat dry.
Disinfects, dissolves grease/makeup, leaves no film, and inexpensive.
Steps 1-2: Braid two strands on each side of a center part.
Steps 3-5: Wrap braids around the crown of your head and pin in place with one pin each.
Step 6: Arrange braids so that they cover the front of your head like a headband. Pin into place more securely until you feel comfortable.
Steps 7-8: Pull the rest of the hair into a ponytail and pin it into a cute messy bun. Note: This step is optional. You can also wear your hair down like my photo below.
Step 9: Add final pins and spray. Enjoy!
Simply do 2-4 coats of nail polish on each set of barrettes and let them dry!
1. Fold the ribbon in half and place on the work surface with the fold at the bottom. Place a favor box on top of the ribbon, and pull the folded end up to the top of the box. Thread the two remaining ends of the ribbon through the loop of the folded end. Center the loop at the top of the box, and slide the bottom pieces of ribbon to each corner to create a triangular shape. Pull the ribbon taut, and tie the two ribbon ends into a bow.
2. Notch the tails of the bow by pinching each end of ribbon in half, and then cutting at an angle to make a deep V.
These temperatures are perfect for using that left over bubble mix from the summer. Go outside on any day when it’s below 32 degrees F and try this: blow a bubble and then catch it on the bubble wand. Wait a few moments while it freezes- it will turn into a cool crystal ball before it shatters!
Green and Gold Eye Shadow
How To: Winter Hat from a Sweatshirt.
How To: Perfect Bow.
1. Make your pattern (instructions on following page) using our template.
2. Fold a yard of spandex in half width-wise on a smooth, flat surface. Fold 1/3 yard of a piece in a complementary color in half widthwise and lay it over the first piece, at one edge.
3. At the fold, pin the top’s pattern through both colors, the bottom’s through one, then cut.
4. Tie the bottom in a double knot at both hips and tuck the ends under.
5. Holding both layers of the top, twist it, wrap it around your chest, and double-knot the ends in back.
Material: Lycra/spandex, $8 per yard, Mood Designer Fabrics, 212-730-5003
Cover-Up How-To
1. Print the pattern pieces; tape them together and cut them out.
2. Fold 1 1/2 yards of sheer fabric, such as chiffon or organza, in half lengthwise, then again width-wise. Lay it on a smooth, flat surface.
3. Pin on the pattern and cut with pinking shears.
4. Unfold the fabric and slip it over your head as you would a poncho. Let the sides overlap a few inches, wrap 1 1/2 yards of cord around your waist, and tie.
So, here’s how it’s done.
- Start with a t-shirt you love that’s just too big
- Turn the shirt inside out and lay a shirt that DOES fit you on top of it, lining up the collars so that you can be sure it is centered over your large t-shirt.
- Trace the shirt that DOES fit you onto the large t-shirt. Turn both shirts inside out so that you don’t mark on the front of the shirts. I used a sharpie, but you’d be better off to use a washable marker, chalk or a fabric pen. When you do the sleeves, try to make your line parallel to the top shoulder.
- Next, fold the large t-shirt in half to make sure that the armpit marks line up. Mine did match up, but if yours don’t, you can just re-mark them to match.
- I went ahead and pinned the front and back of the shirt together, so that it didn’t slip while we were sewing.
- Sew along your traced lines. Or, in my case, have your MOM sew along the traced lines. :)
- Try on your shirt (inside out) to see how it fits. Mine was still a little big, so we sewed it up again about a 1/4” more on each side. Then it looked like this:
- If you like the fit, then you can trim off the excess fabric.
- Turn the shirt right-side out and try it on. You can leave it as is, with longer sleeves, or you can cut & hem them - which is what I decided to do.
- While I was wearing the shirt, I marked with a pin the length I wanted the sleeves to be. Then I took it off, turned it inside out again and drew a line. Okay, two lines, because I remembered that I wanted to angle the sleeve a little bit. Then I cut about 5/8” past the line (to allow for a hem).
Try it on and make sure it looks the way you want it to look.
- Fold the shirt in half and cut the other sleeve to match.
- Hem both sleeves.
- You’re done! Try it on & love the new look - preferably with cute jeans…not gym shorts and bright blue fingernails. :) But hey…we don’t all do our crafting while looking our best, right?
Piping Icing (This recipe is easy to pipe with and it has lots of body, so the flowers will have structure and not flop over. Once it sits for a minute it has a crisp exterior and a creamy center. It is delicious with a 1/2 teaspoon of extract added to it.)
(makes about 8 large roses. It can easily be doubled):
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons shortening (This gives a little insurance that it won’t melt in your hands as you are piping)
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
pinch salt
4 to 6 tablespoons cream (you can also use sour cream, which cuts the sweetness a bit)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon extract (use an extract that is clear, so it won’t interfere with the colors you are piping)
Food Coloring
To make the icing: In a mixer combine the butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed for about 1 minute. You don’t want to mix too fast or you will incorporate air bubbles into the icing. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time until it is smooth, but still stiff.
You will want several little bowl so to mix the individual colored icing. You will also need:
16-Inch disposable Decorating Bags
large rose Ateco Decorating Tip 128
extra large Flower Nail, Extra-Large Rose, 3″ Diameter
Large Leaf Decorating Tip 65s/263
Create the color icing you want for your rose. You can do them all the same color or have several different ones. Start your colors light and add more color until it is just as you like.
Place the rose tip in the pastry bag. Line the narrow end of the tip with the seam of the bag.
Along that seam you will drip a thin stream of the food coloring, trying not to get it on the rest of the bag. This line of color will come out as the contrasting color on the tips of the petals.
Fill the bag with the icing so that it is about 1/3 full. You don’t want to over fill the bag or it will be difficult to manage as you are piping.
Squeeze the icing out until the contrasting color is coming out clearly.
Hold the rose nail between your fingers and thumb, you should be able to easily twist the nail. Now pipe a nice wide blob of icing onto the nail. This blob will act as the base of your rose, so you want it to be large enough and wide enough to support the rose. The larger the rose (more petals) the larger the base.
Now we will pipe the bud of the rose. Start by holding your rose tip strait up and down, with the narrow end of the tip up. The wide end of the tip will be touching the icing blob.
Squeeze out a ribbon of frosting and turn the nail, holding it between your thumb and forefinger, counter clockwise;
swing the rose tip up, around the top of the mound and back down to the starting point. This creates the rose bud.
Now make the first row of petals. Hold the tip so the wide end is touching the mound about half way up, starting right where the bud finished off. Tilt the narrow end of the tip slightly away from the center.
Squeeze out the frosting, turning the nail counterclockwise and move the tip up (increase the pressure) and then down (decreasing the pressure) in an arch.
Form the first row of petals in this way, starting each one where the last petal finished.
I usually do 2 or 3 petals in this row.
Pipe a second row of 5 petals, under the row you just finished. Tilt the tip out even more with this row so the petals appear to be opening up. Overlap the petals to hide any openings between them.
You can stop at any point. You may want just a few petals for a young rose or you can continue on for a more mature flower.
Once you have piped as many petals as you like, you will need to lift the rose off the nail and onto the cake. I do this by using a pair of kitchen shears.
You will want to cut only part way through, so you can lift up the rose on the blades of the shears.
Carefully place it onto the cupcake and slide the shears out from under the rose. You will need to make sure it is well anchored so it will not move around.
Using the leaf tip and green icing pipe a few leaves around the base of the rose. This is a wonderful way to hide any imperfections in your flowers.
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup water
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
extra butter for frying
In a blender combine eggs, milk, water, flour and melted butter. Blend until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the blender as necessary. Allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour but no longer than 36 hours.
When you’re ready to make the crepes, head a medium to large frying pan with rounded sides over medium-high heat. Add in a small tab of butter and immediately once the butter is melted pour in 1-2 ounces of batter, swirling the pan above the burner to coat the bottom evenly. Return the pan to the burner and allow the crepe to cook for 30-45 seconds.
Using a heatproof spatula, lift the edges of the crêpe to unstick them from the sides of the pan. Carefully slide the spatula down the center of the crêpe, lift up and flip to the other side. Allow to cook another 10 seconds or so. Slide the crêpe to a flat surface. (Note: The first crepe usually does not come out of the pan perfectly. Set off to the side and continue on.) Repeat, adding small dabs of butter as necessary.
Makes 25-35 crêpes.
