A Cute Stuffed Owl

It’s very cheap and easy and your young person will love the sentiment that went into making one of these cuddly toys.

I have to thank my recession diva friend Cristy again, for another great idea!!

Items you will need:

• Research clip art for a good simple pattern and print it out.
•  Felt fabric, needle, thread
•  Eyes (be it used buttons or eyes bought from the craft store)

The Back One Solid Piece

Step1: Draw out your pattern on the felt and cut out the simple shapes

Step 2: Sew the shapes together for the from (Always make 2 inches bigger that you think you will need and sew inside out)

Step 3: Once front is cut begin to cut the back in one solid shape (Remember bigger than you think and inside out)

Step 4: Stuff. You can use old clothes fabric a small pillow stuffing or anything eco friendly around the house!

Step 5: Sew Shut

Step 6: Sew the eyes on!

Voila you have made a sentimental stuffed animal any child would love to cuddle with! Thanks Mom Friends and Aunties!!

A Drum Made Out of Cheetah Fur!

These drums are adorable and little toddlers love them. These young kids don’t have to work; they can sit and bang on the drum all day if their loving Mom or Auntie makes them one. My Recession Diva friend Cristy contributed this idea. She made these cute drums for her son Rylan and he loves them.

They are so simple to make!

Step  1:  Buy some fun fabric that you think your young one will find interesting be it the pattern or texture.

Step 2 Find old coffee cans of all different sizes.

Step 3: Fill cans with rice, beans and pennies to make different percussion sounds

Step 4: Glue can lids shut

Step 5: Measure and cut fabric (measure twice cut once)

Step 6: Glue fabric around cans with a hot glue gun

Voila you have a cute little drum set for your young one these also make great birthday presents for a child’s friend and it cost less than a dollar to make!

Darkness be Gone!!!

So you decided to change your hair color… you were bored; it was Halloween, your boyfriend prefers bruenettes ect. There could be a million reasons on why Diva’s decide to take the plunge. “Lindsay Lohan has a different color every week; why can’t I?” …Yeah be careful what you wish for… you might regret it!

I have always been a blonde, and I weanted to go dark for fun. Sadly, I miss being blonde. I have joked, you can’t have dark hair when your heart is this blonde. I bought the Natural Instincts 28 day semi-permanent dye. I dyed my hair at the beginning of Octoober, and it has still not washed out. Before  I can go back to my natural color, I have to wait to get this brown dye out. Even though it has been over thirty days it seems to have barely faded.

I have been researching on the internet different ways to get the color to wash out. Some sites suggest using dish soap. Other’s suggest heating up olive oil or using vinegar. I guess I am a little more Diva than recession. Before I go to those desperate measures, I am trying Paul Mitchell’s Clarifying Shampoo with a reccomended leave in conditioner. I will keep you posted on how well this works to remove the dye and restore my hair. If all else fails, I will break out the vinegar, dish soap and olive oil.

If you have had this happen or have any suggestions, on how you got the brown dye out, please post a comment. As always we would love to hear from you! Until, then I will keep you posted on the dark dye fiasco….

Mandatory Costume…. Emergency Costume… Super Cute Costume…. Affordable… Adorable… Comfortable… and the best part WARM!!

Dino Version Front

If you are  in a bind on time and money this Halloween, transform a comfortable hoodie into a creation of doom. Many women are tired of wearing practically nothing on a cold October night. Why go to all the trouble to freeze to death when these hoodies are so cute, and so easy to make!

My good friend Brandy is the master mind behind this costume idea, and it really is brilliant. Espeecially if you live in a cold climate. The sky is the limit with what can be done with a hoodie. You could do a monster, deamon, angel, devil, lion, lamb, bat ect. This Halloween if you need an emergency costume go to the Craft Store buy some felt and some yarn if needed and sew your own Halloween hoodie. It only takes about three hours and looks great.

Dino Back with Hearts!

Here is how the lion went down in pics:

Bunch Yarn for the Mane into 12 little bunches

Use Felt for Ears Tails and Horns

Sew it on and don't forget the tail!

Halloween Rocks

The best parties by far are Halloween parties. I am very well versed in the art of throwing a Halloween party. In all my years of experience, I have quickly learned; there is no such thing as a dud Halloween party. One year, me and my roomie even cleared out all of our furniture in a 2 bedroom apartment and created a lounge room in one of the bedrooms, then the rest of the house was the party.

The nice thing about throwing the party at your pad  is you don’t have to go anywhere, and you don’t have to drive home. The bad thing about throwing the party at your house is moving furniture, creating space and clean up!

Here are some ideas of how to throw an amazing Halloween Party!

1. LOCATION    The first thing you have to think about is location. Where is the best possible place to throw a party?  What kind of neighbors live around there?
2. NEIGHBORS   Next, you must notify neighbors and talk them into putting up with the noise. (I have had parties last until 4:30 in the morning). Tell them it is Halloween and a very special occasion for you and bat your eyes, bribe them with candy and compliments etc…
3. GET THE SKINNY  Talk with all your friends and find out what they are doing. Maybe you will have acquaintances also throwing competing parties. In my experience, it is a better strategy to combine forces with these acquaintances. This way you will have more helping hands, more funds and with parties…the more the merrier!
4. INVITES    Invites should be sent out at least a week before OCT 31st.  It’s not a normal day, people are going to make plans. Nobody wants to be sitting around on Halloween. Give invitations to friends and have them invite people they know. You can make invitations easy and just photo copy them on orange paper. It is always good to put an email and directions on the back of the invites. You can add alcohol will be provided but good karma if you bring a bottle. (Alcohol can get expensive)
5. VOLUNTEERS   If it is going to be a great party… do not go it alone. You need to hustle up volunteers to help and pitch. Volunteers need to be divided up into two teams. Decorations… and Alcohol.
6. TEAM ALCOHOL  is in charge of calling and reserving the Kegs, buying gallons of juice (the grocery store tropic punch kind), and bottles of vodka. (It mixes well with juice) I like to put the jungle juice in a cauldron.
7. TEAM DECORATION The sky is the limit but shop the dollar stores because there are many good decorations there for cheap. Shop craft stores a few days before a lot of time, the Halloween stuff will be on sale. We have a fog machine that was cheap and really cool. I like to do a smoking cemetary.
8. MUSIC   Make CD’s that can play for the party and have creepy songs like Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl play or have a friend dj
9. LIGHTING     Switch your light bulbs for black lights and have at least four jack-o-lanterns (The more the better)
10. THE NIGHT BEFORE     Carve Jack-o-Lanterns the night before and decorate the night before. Trust me you do not want to be setting up with your costume on, and you don’t want to be getting ready while guest are showing up. (That’s what I did in the above pic which is why my hair looks so crazy)
11. FOOD     Food is not a must, but people always eat it. I like to get a huge order of beans, rice and chips. It’s cheap and good
12. THE DAY AFTER   Do not let people who are too drunk to drive home drive. Not only are you saving their life, but by letting a few stay over you will have a nice clean up crew! (Better than going it alone…)

With these ideas I am sure you can throw an amazing Halloween Party!

Good Luck, Be Safe, Party Hard and as always, may creativity be with you!

Design Still In Progress

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. I love dressing up, and making my house look creepy. Usually I go all out on a costume, but this year I thought, “Why spend $50.00 on a costume I will only wear once?” I said, “No, I will not buy into commercialism this year! I will make my own costume!”

It dawned on me; I have everything I need to make a great costume for less that $20.00. I have always wanted to be a sophisticated tree, so this year I am going to make my costume buy gluing leaves and embellishments onto a sexy black dress, I rarely wear.

The average woman owns at least five sexy black dresses they rarely wear. Why not take one of these dresses and with a little creativity and hot glue transform it into the ideal costume. It would not be hard to transform a sexy black dress into a pirate costume, a vampire, a zombie, a dead prom queen etc. Really you could turn a sexy black dress into ANYTHING. All you need is some imagination, a pic of the outfit your going for and your local craft store.

Sexy Tree Dress in Progress

I hope this year, you have a little creative energy to put towards this amazing holiday, to make and design a fabulous costume.

Good Luck and as always, may creativity be with you!

Eco-Bag After Modifications

All Divas know that it is important to be eco-friendly in this day an age. In order to do our part and to cut waste, we must make an effort to  use less plastic bags while shopping. Several Divas I know have huge purses and shove their purchases in with the rest of the junk, they have stashed in their bottomless pit. I have also seen eco-friendly bags that have been enhanced for sale for $50.00.

Many women just use the $1.00 eco-bag they got from their grocer. However, it would be very easy to transform this bag into a work of art, that any Diva would love to carry around.

Eco-Bag Before Modifications

Simply take your grocer eco-bag and add fabric, ribbon and lace. If you have trouble with a needle and thread, or do not own a sewing machine, have no fear, a hot glue gun is near.

With a little imagination and creativity, you can take a plain old bag and transform it from drab to wow. Then you can feel great about showing off your art, while saving the planet!

Good luck and as always may creativity be with you

Spring Jacket mixed with Fall Skirt

This Fall there has been record heat waves around the country. Even last winter, the sky warmed up and the sun shined brightly accross the United States, but what can be done to accomodate the strange new weather cycles we have been having?

Now is the time to mix your bright colors with your fall and winter wardrobe. This will shake up your moods and turn you from winter gloom and blues to a new sunny disposition.

The idea is simple, mix a bright colored Spring jacket with a Fall skirt. You can easily use an old skirt as a pattern and buy fabric that you think would mix and match nicely. I think that for Fall a nice brocade fabric is best.

Simply cut your fabric in the same shape of your favorite skirt. Sew up the sides,  hem the bottom and voila, you have a skirt that will work for Fall and Winter and match your favorite jacket.

Take this look with you from October to March to fight off winter blues and accentuate the warmer days of Fall and Winter.

Recession Diva BCBG jacket $7.00

September is a month of endings and new beginnings. Maybe it’s the fact that when we were kids we got new school clothes around this time, but somehow every September I feel the need to throw out the old clothes and get into the new styles. The trees are shedding their leaves and beginning to sleep, but fashion is just being born!

In light of the current state of the economy and the second dip of the recession, I must shop in an incredibly strategic way. With this method in mind, I can find great stylish ensembles and then replicate them in an eco-friendly way.

Stage 1: Surf

Look online for great ideas, current trends and stylish ensembles. Look on the websites that also have magazines i.e. Allure, InStyle etc. Watch Fall 2010 runway shows for good ideas.

Fall 2010 Runway Jacket

Stage2: Style

I love love love this website polyvore. It is awesome, for style ideas… you can even post ?’s and other people will answer it.

Stage 3 Shop:

Once you get some ideas in your head, then go look for great deals. Stay creative and remember what you already have in your closet.

For shoes I love this website. Think about the new trends you love and stay true to yourself. Shop at your local thrift stores and vintage boutiques.  I just went to the thrift store boutique and got this adorable BCBG jacket for $7.00. It looks bran new! I saw the same jacket on a fall trend website. If I were to buy this off the BCBG website it would have cost over $200.00. This is how you can shop smart and look fabulous.

For accessories I love this website urbanog.

Fall in love with casual fall fashion!

I love this time of year, when the air becomes a little more crisp, when the sun seems a little older and wiser. One day you simply step outside and know, that Fall is here!

This means, goodbye hot pink nail polish, and hello deep burgundy toes! But don’t throw out your summer dresses just yet; you can incorporate them into your fall style by simply adding leggings , a jacket and a scarf.

Sometimes transitioning your style from Summer to Fall can be difficult aside from the obvious. You have to plan for any kind of weather. Even in Southern California it gets hot, then cold, then hot again.

Here are a few simple ideas to make this year’s season change easy:

• Keep no more than 3 layerson

1. Cotton shirt or blouse
2. Cardigan, sweater or jacket
3. Scarf

• Add legging or tights to your summer dresses.

• Wear Fall Colors

• Wear dark brown eyeshadow, gray eye-liner and deep red lipstick or gloss
• Buy fabrics with maroon, forest green, gold and orange
• Embrace Khaki and denim
• Invest in a light jacket that can take you anywhere and looks great with your scarf
• Buy booties, ankle boots, or those cute slouchy boots with the 3/4″ heal
• Buy a brown leather belt in the same shade
• Cary a straw or woven bag
• Breakout your plaid shirts that are worn and comfy

These are just a few suggestions on ways to transition your summer wardrobe to Fall. With these tips, I am sure you will be ready for any type of weather, and you will be transformed into a fierce Fall fashion goddess. If you have any other tips, please post a comment.

As always, may creativity be with you!