Holiday season is by far my favorite time of the year. It’s a season of excessive desserts, eggnog, sample sales, boots and of course, lots and lots of gifts.

What’s not to love?!

No matter which holiday you celebrate, gift giving is a staple of the holiday season. But there is some major pressure when picking out a gift for that special someone. And in this not-so-fabulous economy, a lot of people don’t have the resources to buy the perfect gift anymore.

Well, like I always say, if you can’t buy it make it. (Okay, so I don’t usually say that on day-to-day basis, but you get my point.)

Homemade gifts can be some of the most cherished and beloved gifts. There’s nothing better than seeing someone’s face light up as they unwrap and enjoy a gift you made especially for them. But not all homemade gifts are created equal. Frankly, some just plain blow. Hard. Re-gifted presents and macaroni necklaces won’t cut it anymore, so I’ve rounded up a list of the best homemade gifts that don’t suck.

Any type of baked good. Except fruitcake. That junk is gross.
Seriously though, don’t give someone a fruit-cake. That’s like slapping someone in the face or saying “You are so unimportant to me that I baked you this unappetizing and incredibly inedible looking cake.” Need some ideas? Check these out.

Scrapbooks & Calendars
Pull out your markers, construction paper, and pick your best photos to craft the perfect photobook or calendar featuring you and your favorite friends. Or if you’re not feeling like Martha, head to Shutterfly to craft an online photobook or calendar yourself. It’s easy, fun, and shows someone that you put time and thought into their gift.

No Sewing Skills Necessary Fleece Blanket
This blanket is a no-crafting-skills-needed fleece blanket, perfect for keeping someone warm throughout the holidays. Pick fleece fabrics in fun colors or prints unique to the very lucky recipient of the gift! And if you’re feeling extra generous, throw in a copy of their favorite movie, a box of hot cocoa and some popcorn for the ultimate winter night activity.

Christmas Cookie Mix in a Jar
I mean… it’s cookies in a jar. Where could you go wrong with this adorable idea? All you need is a mason jar and the ingredients for baking cookies. Fairly simple. You can make them in bulk and wrap the mason jars in pretty festive holiday ribbons!

Camel Cape for your Fashionista Friend
My favorite DIY queen, Erica Domesek of P.S. – I Made This…., gives you step by step instructions and pictures for this perfectly trendy (and warm!) camel cape. This will be the perfect gift for your fashionable friends.

Family Recipe Book
If you’re known for you superb cooking skills (or how hot you look in an apron), this could be the perfect gift to give your hungry friends. Put together a list of your best concoctions and give the gift of Betty Crocker.

Chocolate covered spoons for Java Junkies and Chocoholics
These delectable dessert treats are perfect for your coffee junkie and chocoholic friends.

What You’ll Need: Some plastic spoons, ribbon, sprinkles, and melting chocolate.
What You’ll Do: Melt the chocolate, and dip the plastic spoons in the chocolate. Add sprinkles or java chips! Let the chocolate spoons cool and harden on wax paper in the freezer. Wrap spoons in cellophane paper and wrap with a bow. Festive and delicious!

For even more DIY gift ideas, click here and here.

Come back all week long for even more holiday gift inspiration!

After all, moving to the big city (NYC!!) from Georgia was definitely a change. I went from sweet southern porches to a 5th floor walk up above a dingy pizza shop…and I absolutely love it.

But despite my utter obsession with this city, my new mostly black wardrobe, and my sudden fondness for cosmopolitans and the closest Duane Reade, I can’t forget my Georgia roots. Home is where the heart is after all. So in an ode to my hometown (and my thinning wallet), I crafted an easy and inexpensive art piece to spruce up my current home and remind me of my former home.

It’s fun, it’s personal and it’s cute. And if you don’t need wall art of your own, this makes the perfect gift for homecomings, housewarmings, and holidays (it is almost Christmas… YIPPEEE!).

What You’ll Need:

A Frame: Any type or size. New, old, dirty, dingy, fancy, or vintage. Doesn’t matter!
A paper map of your hometown: Yes, they still make actual paper maps. Who knew? You can pick up a map of your new town, your old town, or your dream town pretty much anywhere: gas stations, book stores, drug stores, the back seat of your car. I picked mine up from Barnes and Noble. For an even cheaper route, print out a color copy off the internet.
Craft paper: Find paper at any craft store or drug store. Pick a solid color, no patterns (it will clash with the map)
Scissors: Snip, snip.
Markers: Doodle, doodle.

What You’ll Do:
1. Cut your map and craft paper to the size of the frame.

2. Outline a heart on the craft paper (as big or small as you want, depending how much map you want to be seen) and cut it out leaving an open heart shape in the middle.

Other ideas: If a heart isn’t your thing, cut out something else like, “Home Sweet Home,” your town’s name, or any other word you want showcased.

3. Using markers, write a message on the craft paper underneath (or above) the heart.

Try these cute sayings: Home is Where the Heart Is, Home Sweet Home, Welcome Home!, There’s No Place Like Home

4. Now frame your work! Place the craft paper over the map and frame the two sheets! Now the map of your hometown is inside the heart. Right where it should be.

5. Hang your art, decorate a bookshelf, or wrap your DIY creation for the perfect holiday gift!

6. Relish in your own craftiness and frugal decorating skills like the creative genius that you are.

Wanna see some more DIY projects? Click here and channel your inner artist!

I want to update my room style from posters of David Beckham and Edward Cullen (I love you, RPatz – if you’re out there….call me. Seriously….) to shabby chic art, furniture, and frames. I want my room to scream “I’m a fabulous adult” and not “I frequent college poster sales,” and I don’t want to spend a lot of money to do it.

Instead of bringing along a DIY corkboard (perfect for any college dorm), I decided it was time to display my favorite college mementos, pictures, and reminders in a more sophisticated way. So I scoured the internet and the few flea markets that exist in my neighborhood to get design ideas until finally I came across an old miniature dress form.

Dress forms have been a symbol of chic fashionistas since sewing was invented. To me they scream modern yet vintage décor, and can be used for more things than just designing clothes. Instead of traditional frames or tape to mount my favorite pictures and mementos on a wall, I transformed the dress form into its own display board, frame, and jewelry case.

So here is an easy, creative, and inexpensive way to step up your style and display tidbits of your life.

What You’ll Need:
1. Dress form (mini or large): You can find these online (Craigslist, ebay, All Dress Forms) or take the time to search flea markets and consignment stores in your area. A covered dress form will work best because you can easily pin stuff on, but if you find a foam or plastic form, you can always cover it with fabric first.

2. Ribbon, buttons, and decorative flair: These will personalize your dress form even more and add extra room to place pictures and mementos, like ticket stubs.

3. Sewing pins/fabric glue: To keep it all together. Used to pin your photos up. Find these at any art store or drug store.

4. Mementos: Your favorite pictures, cards, reminder notes, and necklaces!

What You’ll Do:

1. If your dress form is old/dirty/boring and needs covering, there are tons of ways to fix it up!

Some ideas: Use papier-mâché and strips of newspaper or old book pages to cover the dress form for a vintage/city look. Cut up old college t-shirts and pin them on in an interesting pattern. Or use your favorite fabric to cover the dress form to match your bed linens or the color palette of your room. Secure with fabric glue for a custom fit to your dress form or keep it just the way it is if you like the basic look of the form.

2. Cut pieces of ribbon (or use colored shoelaces!) and wrap your dress form in different places. To secure the ribbon tightly, glue to your dress form (back side) with fabric glue. For an even easier route, just pin the ends of the ribbon or shoelaces to the backside of your form (the side you will not see when displayed).

3. Decorate with your favorite things! Tuck in photos and ticket stubs behind pieces of the ribbon or shoelaces. Hang earrings and necklaces with pins. Get creative and put your newest chic display décor anywhere in your home.

4. Look at you. You’re now a grown up with chic and easy sense of style.

Anyway, after looking at the price tag I realized that I didn’t need to fork over my hard earned money for some organization and sanity – I could make these myself! And so can you.

You don’t even need a good taste in music. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t like the record you’re melting… All you need is a little time and some H2O and you’re on your way to adorable dorm decor.

Materials:
2 vinyl records – you can get these super cheap at flea markets, old-school record stores or from that collection that’s been gathering dust in your parents’ basement.
1 pot of boiling water
1 heat resistant bowl (or another large pot)
1 flat piece of wood

This Is How You Do:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, making sure to have enough to fill your heat resistant bowl to two or three inches.

2. Pour the water into the bowl (be careful), then dip your record into the hot water, until around ¼ of the bottom is submerged.

3. Once the record heats up it should bend easily. Put slight pressure on the record so it bends, forming a 90 degree angle. Take care to not move your hand so much so the water line is straight.

4. If you want, you can use the piece of wood to flatten out any waves that form in the record. Simply press the flat part of the wood onto the bottom of the record. (The record should still be in the hot water for this step.)

5. Lift the record from the water, give it a moment to cool, dry it with a towel, and you’re done! Repeat all the steps to make your matching bookend.

Now all you need is your Harry Potter collectors’ series (oh, and all those boring text books) to put your retro bookend to good use.

So why not use them for something cute? We’ve already showed you how to make a t-shirt pillow, a t-shirt bag and a fabulous t-shirt scarf, and we’ve got one more trick up our sleeve (pun totes intended): the t-shirt bracelet.

Everyone knows that accessories really make the outfit, and this homemade accessory is no exception. With two very cute varieties, the t-shirt bracelet is free, super easy to make, and even easier to customize. Plus, with the 1,000 shirts you’ve got lying around, you can make a bunch of these to mix and match and add some serious pizazz to an everyday outfit.

Choose your favorite design, and use your favorite colored soft cotton tees to make these comfy bracelets that are perfect for summer.

Materials:
1 sleeve of a cotton t-shirt.
1 pair of scissors.

Steps for loop bracelet:
Grab a bright t-shirt, add some beads and you’ve got the summer bracelet.

1. Lay the shirt out on a flat surface and cut the sleeve hem off.
2. Cut the rest of the sleeve into horizontal strips, each about an inch wide.
3. The strips will have now become loops. Leave one loop out to tie the rest at the end.
4. Take each loop and stretch it out into a ring. The loops will start to curl on their own.
5. Place all the loops together, and use the single loop left over to tie the rest together into one big bracelet.
6. Tuck the end into the wrapped loop.
7. Add beads to fancy it up a bit, or use different colored t-shirts to make a multi-colored bracelet!

Steps for braided bracelet:
Use blue, yellow and white tees for the perfect nautical accessory!

1. Lay the shirt out on a flat surface and cut the hem off horizontally across the bottom of the sleeve.
2. Cut the rest of the sleeve into thirteen horizontal strips, each about an inch wide. (Though I totally recommend using a few different shirts in different colors for a multi-colored cuff.)
3. The strips will have now become loops. Cut one end of the loop so they become really long strips.
4. Leave one strip out, but separate the rest into four groups of three.
5. Tie each group of three strips together and braid each one, leaving the end untied.
6.  For each braid, untie the previously tied knot at the top and tie the two ends together, forming a braided loop.
7. Using the leftover strip, loop all four braided loops together and wrap the strip around, then tuck the end in.
8. Braided bracelet, done!

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2010/05/18/do-it-yourself-tuesdays-t-shirt-bracelet/feed/ 2 Brithny - Duke University tshirt bracelet 2 3 http://collegecandy.com/2010/04/20/do-it-yourself-tuesdays-the-t-shirt-scarf/ http://collegecandy.com/2010/04/20/do-it-yourself-tuesdays-the-t-shirt-scarf/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:30:29 +0000 Brithny - Duke University http://collegecandy.com/?p=59158 ]]> It doesn’t matter if you go to an Ivy League school or a community college, there’s one thing that all colleges have in common and that’s FREE STUFF. Namely, free t-shirts. My dresser is currently overflowing with them (of varying sizes) and there’s no need for all of that cotton getting in the way of the cashmere and the silk.

But I don’t want to throw them away! That’s wasteful and with Earth Day coming up, I don’t think I could do it. So I’ve started looking for fun ways to reuse my t-shirts. There’s the obvious pillows, bags and blankets, but now I’ve discovered a super chic new project: t-shirt scarves! Scarves are the easiest way to add some oomph to an outfit, and now you can do so for free.

Below are two different types of t-shirt scarves – pick the one you like best, or make ‘em both. Lord knows you’ve got plenty of material to work with.

Materials:
1) A cotton t-shirt, any size any color
2) Scissors

Fringe Scarf:
As seen above.

1)    Cut the t-shirt horizontally just below the sleeves so you’re left with the square-looking bottom half.
2)    Cut one of the sides so the shirt becomes a long rectangular piece of fabric.
3)    Lay the shirt upside down so the seamed bottom portion of the shirt is on top. (This will allow you to have a strong edge to keep the scarf intact.) If there is a design on the shirt that you want to see, keep it facing up.
4)    Make small vertical incisions about 1 inch apart, depending on how wide you want each strand.
5)    Once you’ve made all your cuts, pull each strands up so it tears further up the fabric and gives the fringe a more “curled” look.
6)    Add any adornments (pins, buttons, etc.) you choose to your fabulous, totally green, totally unique new scarf!

Ring Scarf:
For this scarf, you may want to grab a couple of shirts in different colors to make a fun combo piece. Also, the larger the shirt the bigger the loops, which means a longer scarf.

1. Just as before, cut the t-shirt horizontally just below the sleeves so you’re left with the square-looking bottom half.
2. Keep cutting the bottom half of the shirt horizontally so you end up with loops. Usually an inch per loop is wide enough, but the measurements don’t have to be perfect!
3. Take each loop and stretch it so the sides curl up a little. It should be almost double in length now, more than enough for you to wrap.
4. Hold all your loops together and take one hem piece (you can cut off part of a sleeve for this) and wrap it around all the loops and tie a knot so they’re bundled together.
5. Throw it on over a white t-shirt and jeans and work it, girl.

And although I love a bold hair flair statement, I also like elegant and simple hair accessories, too, like sequined and rhinestone bobby pins.

Because hair accessories are all the rage right now, they can also be really expensive! And we all know that us college kids don’t have the moolah to spend $10 on a bobby pin. So here is a money savvy way to add that extra elegant glam to a normal hair day without adding the extra cash.

What You’ll Need:
Large or Extra Large Bobby Pins: Get bobby pins in your hair color to keep it simple, or use brighter color bobby pins for a bolder statement! Find these at any local drug store, Target, or grocery store!
Small Rhinestones (or sequins): These will be later glued onto your bobby pins, so make sure they are small enough to fit nicely onto the pin! Use multiple colors for some fun, or keep it classy with black and silver rhinestones that will create a more sophisticated look. Find these at your local craft store: Joann Fabrics and Michael’s  have a huge variety.
Superglue: You can pick this up at any drug store, hardware store, or Target. Don’t use the brush-on-superglue – instead use the normal super glue with the small tip (which will make for easy application!).
Tweezers: This is optional but they’ll make the process a lot easier…and prevent you from getting your fingers stuck together.

What You’ll Do:

1. Apply a small dot of super glue to the bottom of your rhinestone. Using your tweezers, or a steady hand, apply your rhinestone to the top of the flat edge of the bobby pin (the non-edgy side). Let dry.

2. Repeat step 1 until you have rhinestones covering your bobby pin. Alternate rhinestone colors or use the same color rhinestone throughout. Let dry!

3. Work it, girl! These aren’t your normal bobby pins anymore and aren’t just for keeping those tricky hairs in place. These bobby pins are fashion and function! Pull your hair back into a messy bun and add the bobby pins for extra glam…or you could always use them to create that perfect jersey shore bump!

It’s a little circle of love up in here.

Fashion, at it’s core, is all about constant recreation and re-invention. It’s a continuously evolving way to recreate wearable arts & crafts. Yes, many trends are timeless and never go out of style (I see you, Little Black Dress), but most trends are just re-thought styles of the past.

And right now everyone is re-thinking and re-styling 80s trends and glam rock. Neon is everywhere; you can’t go anywhere without seeing leather leggings; embellished boots have made a kick-ass comeback; and my ultimate favorite, embellished Michael Jackson inspired t-shirts, can make any girl feel like a smooth criminal (OK, so not actually a criminal, but they will make you feel pretty bad ass).

And you can make those bad ass shirts all by yourself! Here’s an easy and money-savvy way to rock the MJ inspired look without breaking the bank!

What You’ll Need:

Old plain t-shirt: You probably have an extra shirt lying around. If not, pick up a pack of plain undershirts at Target or any craft store for just a few bucks!
Tip: Use any color and style shirt you want, but white and black are the most MJ-esque and look the best with added embellishments.

Fabric glue: Find this at any craft store. For best results use fabric glue designed especially for gluing gemstones and other embellishments to fabric.
FYI: If you’re a natural born sewer, this project can be also be done by sewing, eliminating the need for fabric glue. But if you’re like me and end up pricking yourself with needles and therefore stay as far away from them as possible, fabric glue will work just fine.

Silver, Black, and Gold Embellishments: These will be for the shoulder area of your t-shirt. Packs of medium/and large rhinestones, chain, beads, sequin appliques, and other silver embellishments will make your shirt rockglamchic.

2 Fabric patches: Pick up 2 small pieces of fabric (in the same color as the shirt color you’ve chosen) from the same craft store you’re already at for everything else. These will be placed on the shoulders, so you’ll want to grab sizes (or cut your fabric to size) according to how big you want you want your embellished piece to be. You will glue (or sew) your embellishments to these pieces of fabric, which will later be sewn onto the shirt.

Shoulder pads: If you dare….

Needle and Thread: Same thread color as your shirt choice.

What You’ll Do:

1. Wash your shirt first. Nobody likes crafting with dirty clothes!

2. Cut your fabric piece to the right size and shape (I recommend having a friend help trace the size of your shoulder), then glue (or sew) your embellishments onto your two fabric patches in any design or pattern that you want, using your fashion glue. Let dry!

3. Sew (or glue if sewing really isn’t your thang) on your now-embellished fabric pieces onto the shoulders of your t-shirt. If you’re daring and want a true 80s silhouette, this is where you also sew those shoulder pads into the inside of the t-shirt.

4. That was easy as 1-2-3… literally. You’re done! Work it, baby! You can dress up your shirt by tucking it into a skirt or pairing it with leggings and heels, or go casual and wear it with jeans.

So cute. So easy. So the perfect way to personalize that 10X10 cell.

I’m obsessed with taking pictures, absolutely obsessed. I have approximately 44 albums on Facebook and that’s after I consolidated and cut down about 300 pictures. I can’t help it.

The digital camera changed my life. I love taking pictures of everything and anything, and capturing every drunken moment of friends passed out over toilets or park benches, of every group pic in the sorority pose, and every picture of birthdays and holidays.

My room has always been covered with the pictures I’ve taken, a visual documentary of my life displayed around my room on a cork board and on the walls. But instead of tacking photos to the wall or searching for the perfect picture frames (which happen to be really pricey), here’s a creative, easy, and cheap way to make a hanging frame of your own.

Whether your room decor is classy or flashy, this custom DIY picture frame will be the perfect wall decor to decorate your life, display your photos, and showcase your memories with some style! It is also the perfect gift to give a friend for the holidays if you’re low on cash but got lots of love.

What You’ll Need:
Picture: Whatever moment or event you want to display!
Cardboard: Use cardboard from an old shoe box, packing box, or even an old pizza box (mmm Domino’s, yummmmmm)
Glue: Superglue and a glue stick. The most essential of all craft tools. You’ll need this a lot during the constructing process.
Ribbon: Any color and any design of your choice. The ribbon will be how you hang your photo frame and can also be used to add accents like bows.
Scrapbook Paper: You’ll need two sheets of different paper per frame (for 4×6 and 5×7 photos). You can use construction paper, but scrapbook paper is the best as it comes in a wide variety of colors, designs, and textures. Buy a stock of paper sheets or buy by the sheet. Usually you can buy 4 sheets per dollar.
Decorative Extras: Buttons, jewels, rhinestones, or bows! Any extras you may want to add to your frame for accents!

What You’ll Do:
1. Cut your cardboard, leaving a border of 2-3 inches of extra cardboard around the size of the picture itself. For example, for a 5×7 picture, cut a piece of cardboard that is 7×9. Use scissors or a razor cutter for a straight edge, but you don’t have to cut it perfectly as you won’t be able to see the cardboard itself anyway. This will be the base of your picture frame.

2. Save your scraps of cardboard! Cut 4 thin pieces (about an inch thick) of cardboard that are about a half inch shorter than the size of your picture. So, if you’re framing a 5X7, cut 2 4.5 inch long strips and 2 6.5 inch strips. Make sense? You’ll use these in step 5.

3. Use the glue stick to glue scrapbook paper to the cardboard base of your frame, completely covering the cardboard. Use a solid color design for classier frames, or a bright and crazy pattern to really add some spunk to your frame! Also, glue a different pattern/color of scrapbook paper to the four thin pieces of cardboard (you can glue these all onto one sheet and then cut off all the excess).
4. Using the glue stick, glue your picture in the center of the cardboard frame base.

5. Using superglue, glue the four border pieces of cardboard a few centimeters away from the actual picture, creating a 3-dimensional border to your frame. These pieces won’t surround your entire picture, but instead create an unconnected border and some pizazz.

6. Cut a strip of ribbon (depending on how long you want your frame to dangle) for the hanging portion of your frame and super glue the ribbon ends to the top left and top right sides of your frame (on the back!).

7. Superglue any extra buttons, jewels, fake flowers, or rhinestones to random spots on your new frame for that extra bit of glam. Or, to make your frame extra special, add additional layers of frames and attach them to your original frame using ribbon (so it looks like a laddder). Or make a frame within a big frame by using a larger piece of cardboard and displaying multiple pictures!

The possibilities are endless for this project, giving you the opportunity to let your creative side out. And after all that studying, there’s nothing you need more than a little creative outlet.

In my travels across cyberspace I come upon a lot of new sites. From fashion blogs, to a new collection of funny videos, to online magazines with entertaining stories about college life.

But my most recent discovery has quickly developed into a must visit. It’s psimadethis.com and it’s amazing.

It’s a do-it-yourself website, giving readers ideas for DIY projects and inspiration boards for coming up with your own ideas. It even has links to the best places to get materials for specific projects!

This doesn’t seem at first to be anything ground breaking; there are a million DIY websites. So why am I obsessed with it?

1. Erica, the girl behind this site, is just awesome. She’s creative, trendy, and cool. Ok, so I don’t know if she’s cool, but the stuff she’s making is cool and I want to be her BFF.

2. These projects are super easy. You don’t have to be a fashion design student or even really crafty to pull them off. And the instructions are specific and accompanied by pictures, so it’s like having an art teacher right there guiding you so you don’t mess up and end up with another paper weight (yeah, I’m scarred from 4th grade art class…).

3. The things you’re making are incredibly chic.  We’re not talking birdhouses that will fall apart in your front yard or tacky purses made out of old jeans. These projects are all trendy, fashionable pieces that give you a cheap way to incorporate trends into your wardrobe. Faux fur vest, anyone?

4. It’s an easy and affordable way to give all your friends and family something personal and unique for the holidays.

Plus, how good will it feel when you friend says, “Omg! I love your bracelet, where’d you get it?”, and you can smile and say “Oh this? I made it. No big deal.”

Thanks to this internet find, I’ve officially changed “Hangover Saturdays” to “Craft Saturdays.”
I can’t wait to make this.