Sunday, June 29, 2014

Learning to Crochet Part 1 - Chaining and Single Crochet

Welcome! I was going to do a tutorial on one of my favorite stitches, but I didn’t want to leave anyone out who doesn’t know how to crochet yet. So here’s my easy tutorial on learning how to crochet.


Supplies you need:

  • Crochet hook (any size, I recommend not starting out with a gigantic hook or a tiny hook because it could make learning a little more challenging. I like to use a size G or J which are both very common)
  • Yarn
  • A comfortable place to sit



The first stitch we are going to learn is the chain. You will most likely see this abbreviated as CH and this is the base for pretty much any project you will work on.




Starting off you need to make a slipknot. Take the end of your string and drape it over your pointer finger with the long end on the left side. Take the long end and bring it across the bottom of your finger staying under the short string and bring the long side up through the hole that your finger was in and pull tight. Your loop should be adjustable, if you can’t resize your loop you’ve done it wrong.

Ta-da! Slipknot 


Place the loop that you’ve just created over your crochet hook. Take the long tail on the yarn and wrap it around your hook once and use your hook to pull it through the original loop. This should give you 2 loops, one off the hook and one on.


This is what 10 CH looks like
Wrap the yarn around the hook again and pull through just like the first time. Continue until you have 10 loops off the hook and 1 on. Your chain is complete and should look similar to this (keep in mind I’m using a gigantic hook so my holes are bigger than what yours should look like)




Moving onto the next row- make sure your row is facing the same way as the picture. Otherwise you'll end up with a not-so-hot mess. This next stitch you're going to learn is called the Single Crochet and you will see it abbreviated as SC. Starting on the second loop from the one that is on your hook (skip the loop right next to the one that is on your hook). With the original loop still on your hook, slide your hook underneath the top portion of your chain.




Yarn over and pull it through just the top loop so you should still have 2 loops on your hook like the picture shows to the right.













Yarn over again and pull through both loops leaving a brand-new single loop on your hook.
















Continue on down your row until you finish the last stitch.
 CH 2 and flip your project over so it is pointing in the same direction you started out in. Starting in the last SC stitch you did, stick your hook underneath the top strand on the front side only. (Some patterns will tell you to do the back strand or do both strands, but if doesn't say anything about which side you're supposed to use then it most likely wants you to use the front one). Yarn over and pull through just the top loop to make 2 loops on your hook. Starting to sound familiar? It should! This is exactly how you created the previous row. At the end of every row, make sure to CH two and then flip over before you start the next row.  

You now know the basics of crocheting and can start on simple projects :)

Have fun practicing and I will see you back here for Learning to Crochet Part 2 - Double Crochet, Treble Crochet and the Half-Stitches.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Cut Crease Make Up Tutorial

HEY LADIES! I was inspired to try this eye look by a beauty guru I watch on YouTube, LustreLux. This is what she calls a cut crease. I am obsessed with this look lately, so I figured I would try to replicate it. ENJOY! (P.S- The pictures I have for this tutorial aren't very 'in depth'. I apologize and from now on, I will take pictures that show EXACTLY what I'm doing.)


PRODUCTS~
1) NYX eye shadow base

2) Wet n Wild Coloricon bronzer in the color 'Bikini Contest'

3) Revlon single shadow in the color 'Cocoa'

4) Milani black shadow (you can get this at the drugstore)

5) Mac single shadow in the color 'Vanilla'

6) Wet n Wild Mega Liner (liquid)

7) Maybelline's 'The Falsies' mascara

8) Ardell Lashes in 'Lacies'

9) Bad gal liner by Benefit

10) NYX lip liner in 'Natural' and Wet n Wild (Fergie Line) lipstick in the color 'Fergie Daily'



LET'S GET IT STARTED!


STEP #1~ We're again, going to start out with our face makeup already done. I have a previous tutorial on a summer friendly face routine that you can check out if you haven't already!



STEP #2~ Take an eye shadow base, I'm using one from NYX, and put that all over your lid up to your brow bone.


STEP #3~ This isn't an eye shadow, but it works all the same! I'm taking my bronzer and applying that into my crease. Using your bronzer or blush works great for shadows if you don't have that particular color =)


STEP #4~ I'm then taking a some what darker brown shadow and applying that to the crease as well. You want to use a smaller crease brush for this because you still want to be able to see the lighter brown (bronzer) color you just applied previously.


STEP #5~ Taking a black shadow (you can use any one you have available to you) you are going to also apply this to the crease, but here's where the 'cut crease' part of the tutorial comes in. Taking an angled brush, you are going to apply this just to the outer part of the crease. You are not taking it all the way into the inner corner of the eye. You want to blend this color SLIGHTLY just so there's no harsh lines.


STEP #6~  Now, we're going to take that white shadow and put that on our lid and under our brow bone for a highlight.


STEP #7~ LINER! You can skip the liner, use gel liner, pencil liner. Whatever you're comfortable using. I used a liquid liner and did a 'wing'.


 STEP #8~ You can now apply your favorite mascara!


 STEP #9~ This step is optional. We all now I LOVE false lashes. LustreLux uses super dramatic lashes in her tutorial, so I figured I'd use dramatic lashes as well. If you'd like to see a false eyelash tutorial on how to apply them and what products I use, comment below! =)


STEP #10~ We can now curl our lashes and tight line. I also applied the black liner to my water line.


STEP #11~ Final step.. LIPS! A nude lip goes great with this dramatic eye look. I used 'Natural' lip liner from NYX to line my lips and for lipstick, I used 'Fergie Daily' from the Fergie line by Wet n Wild.

Voila!



I hope you ladies enjoyed this dramatic, sexy cut crease look that I tried to replicate from LustreLux. Check her out on YouTube! She's awesome!! I'll talk to you beauties in my next tutorial. BYE! =)

XOXO, Kate

Friday, June 27, 2014

Hot Glue Lace Flower Tutorial- Hair Clip Tutorial


This is a great way to make a lace flower to attach to a hair accessory or purse… Basically anything that won’t be submerged in water to be washed will probably be just fine.



This should be pretty simple and quick. Start off with a glue gun; two felt circles and a piece of lace (from 18-36", depending on the felt circle size). I used 1" circles and about 24" of lace.

 NOTE: The lace I used is not necessarily the right kind for you. Many people use lace that is more gathered to begin with to achieve a flatter look. You can get the two kinds of lace here and here.



 Make a small line of glue around the edge of one of your circles (I used 1” circles, but you can use bigger if you’d like). Right side up, press the edge of the lace into the line of glue around the edge.


 Continue to line the glue around the felt circle in the same direction, making a spiral as you go.


 Make rounds with the glue and lace until it looks as full as you’d like it to be. Stick something in the center.


 
If you’re making this into a hair clip, please continue. If you’re not, you’re done!


 Put your second felt circle in the clip. Run your glue gun around the underside of the clip and all around the circle. Stick it to the back of the lace flower, and that's it! Here’s what I did with mine:






All done! Super easy, right?!

- Bethany <3

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Banish the Rainy Day Boredom


My little Puddle Jumper
 If you’re like me and live in a state where it rains at least 75% of the year, it gets hard coming up with new ideas to keep your kiddos occupied and having fun inside. I’m hoping to give you some inspiration to come up with your own ideas to have fun while stuck indoors. Hopefully you’ll have fun too.



One of my favorite things to do if we’re stuck inside is build a fort. We use every pillow in the house along with half of the blankets to stack up and drape over to create this awesome cave where you can color, tell stories, have a picnic or do whatever you want to inside. Half the fun is creating the fort so be creative and see how tall or extravagant you can make it.  If you've got one of those indoor tents, those are just as much fun because you can pretend you're camping. The point is to have fun.


We used a salt-dough ornament recipe and made handprints
I'm a crafty lady and I'm pretty sure my son has inherited my love for everything craft-related so we will sit and draw, paint, color, play with stickers, etc. It lets your kiddos use their creativity and mind to create whatever they want to. When we fingerpaint, I strip my little guy down to his diaper and stick him in his high chair to minimize messes and avoid handprints on the wall. I’ve found a few recipes on the internet for bath paints as well so if you’re hesitant on giving your child paint, that would be a cleaner route. (I think one of the ingredients is baby shampoo). If you have a bunch of old magazines lying around, you can cut out pictures and make collages. They could have a theme if you want such as “springtime” or “flowers”, or you can just have them cut out pictures that they think are pretty or represent them. They can cut out letters to form their name or other words to describe themselves. *Note: If your kiddos are too young to use scissors themselves, have them point out what they want cut and do it for them so you don’t end up with injuries. They can always rip around the pictures they want. It gives the collage a more grunge look to it. You could also make masks and perform a play with them. You could use newspaper, construction paper, scrap paper or whatever you want to make and decorate your masks.


Playing out in the rain
We also like to play dress-up when we’re stuck indoors. From costumes to old clothes or bedsheets, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy and it gives you the opportunity to use your imagination. We pretend we’re pirates and turn the couch into our pirate ship. Whatever you come up with will be fun for the kids. I know I have a blast when we play dress up.


My son loves to have dance parties. If the music has a good beat, he’s shaking his booty. It helps get his extra energy out and if you join it it’ll burn some calories while being fun at the same time. I’m a horrible dancer but I do it anyway because it’s so much fun. If you’re being silly and letting loose, it shows your kiddos that it’s ok to be yourself and have a good time even if you look silly doing it. I find that breaking out the “running man” and the “sprinkler” always gets a laugh and I find myself laughing right along. (Which also burns more calories)


Our Movie Night Spot
Have a movie night (or day). We like to grab every pillow and blanket we have in the house and drag everything to the couch to build a gigantic comfy fort/bed to lay on while we’re watching movies. What movie night would be complete without refreshments? Pop a couple of bags of popcorn or grab a bag of chex mix or whatever you feel like snacking on during the movie. My son is very vocal during movies, so it’s nice to be able to watch a full movie without him disturbing the other movie goers. (I have gotten dirty looks from childless couples when we’ve taken him to the matinee showing of children’s movies. It’s stupid and I shouldn’t have to worry about my child bothering people during a movie made for children at a time in the day when the theaters are full of children, but it is what it is.) Another bonus of watching a movie at your house is that you can pause it to go to the restroom or if you have to get up to get more snacks.

If I ever run out of ideas, I turn to Google or Pinterest. There are so many ideas floating around on the net to keep you and your kiddos occupied during the icky weather.