DIY: Ugly Christmas Sweater 2014 (Abominable Snowmonster)

It's tradition that every year during the holidays I make an ugly Christmas sweater. This year was no different, and not only did I make one ugly Christmas sweater, I made two!

I won my first tacky sweater contest with this one below:

 It's the Grinch sneaking into a house to steal Christmas presents LOL!

And then the one below is probably my favorite so far:

 

It's the Abominable Snowmonster of the North all tangled up in Christmas lights with Christmas tree halves in each hand!

DIY: Multi-Chain Sandals

It's not an uncommon thing to get rid of sandals you never wear anymore. But, I only wore these sandals once :-/...

ONCE! (-_-) I can't put my finger on why I've only worn them once, but maybe it has to deal with me not being satisfied with the look of them anymore. So, instead of getting rid of them, I decided to revamp their look to fit my fashion needs. And this is how they turned out...

 

 (Don't mind my toes LOL)

VOILA! A new pair of sandals that I absolutely la-la-love! ☺ I added gold chains to them because I wanted a dressier sandal versus a casual one since I already have a bunch. I've already gotten plenty of compliments on them too hehe (^_^). Everything you need to know on how to make a pair is down below! 

Srex, my fur brother ♡

March 21st, 2003-July 10th, 2014

Srex (pronounced REX) walked into my life the same way he left: goofy. Big ears, big paws, big nose; nothing about Srex was ever small being a purebred German Shepherd. His looks were deceiving because although he was a giant, he was a gentle giant and just the sweetest dog. My fur brother was nothing short of amazing; he was loyal to the extreme, always had a dopey look on his face, and was so, so goofy.

He was 11 ½ years old when he left to Doggy Heaven on Thursday July 10th, 2014, one week before my 22nd birthday. Being a big dog, hip problems are common and unfortunately affected him. He put up a strong two-year battle against his condition, but things took a turn for the worse when it started to affect his quality of life. So, as a family, we decided to do the most unselfish thing that we could do for Srex and made an appointment to have him euthanized at home.

I’ve always wanted Srex to pass the natural way. I was never open to having him put to sleep because I could see that he was still so full of life. But when I talked it over with my family, we decided that it’s better to have him leave when he still has life left in him versus having him leave the opposite. 

The day he left was the most pain that I’ve ever felt in my life. The whole experience was so traumatic, but I’m glad that my family and I were able to stay with him until the very end. What I learned is that nothing can really prepare you for the moment it happens. I read a lot on what to expect, and yeah, you’ll know what the procedure is going to be like, but the pain you’ll feel throughout is unfathomable. 

One thing that did comfort me that day was the look on his face after he had passed. His tongue was sticking out and his eyes looked like he was making a funny face; goofy is the perfect word to describe how he looked. Even in such a sad moment, I couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle because I felt like he was giving us a signal that his goofy self made it to heaven and that he was happy.

I miss him so much, and I know there will be a space in my heart that will always feel empty until the day I get to see him again, but I will continue to live life to make his goofy self proud of me because I know he’s watching over me and my family, and he would want us to be happy. I love you Srexarooney! Until we meet again ♡

 

DIY: ✿Flower✿ Lights

☀ Aloha ☀

Summer is finally here! The sun is shining, the birds are singing; one can't help but get bright vibes ;) One thing that wasn't giving me bright vibes though was the only plain wall in my room. I've been changing up my room, and that particular wall just wasn't doing it for me. So what better way to dress up a wall than to add some lights and flowers?!  

Lights + Flowers = FLOWER LIGHTS

 This DIY was a piece of chocolate cake! And talk about inexpensive since I already had lights leftover from Christmas time, so all I needed was the flowers, which I purchased for under $5 at my local Walmart. I even went a step further and turned it into my personal photo hanger with some laundry clips I got from the dollar store. My wall went from plain jane to buh-BAM sam LOL! 

Supplies Needed

-Flowers (fake ones not real, Walmart has a nice variety)

-Lights (leftover from Christmas)

-Hot glue 

Check out how to make it down beloww!

Luuurve y'all! ♡

Winona

 

HOW TO: Revamp Your Dresser!

 What's NEW my friends?!

I always love changing up my room now and then because sometimes you just want something new you know? But the one thing that somehow managed to remain the same was my dresser...

Don't get me wrong, I love the color purple, but my dresser had been purple ever since that fateful day my mom decided to spray paint it years ago when I was in elementary school. Now, I'm 21, so it's time for a change! ;) And when you need ideas, Pinterest is always a lovely treasure trove. I saw a pin on mod podging scrapbook paper on your drawers, and I had to give it a shot! Here's how my attempt turned out:

And I'm totally in L-♥-V-E! Each drawer is different, and I even decided to keep up the not-one-theme theme for my mirror too! My room really brightened up since all of the designs are funky and colorful ☺ This project was totally worth all of the $15 I spent! 

What You'll Need!

-Scrapbook paper (got mine on sale for $9.99 at JoAnn, can find at Hobby Lobby and Michaels also--make sure to use coupons because they almost always have 40% off ones)

-Mod podge (love this stuff! purchased a big one for around $5 at JoAnn--use the 40% off coupon)

-Scissors

WATCH HOW TO HERE!

HAPPY REVAMPING!

Winona ☺

DIY: EASY Graphic T-shirt + HOW TO MAKE IT LAST

Hello June bugs!

So I've had a couple of plain jane t-shirts hanging in my closet for some time now. You know, the ones that are in the craft section of Walmart? I whipped those babies out of my closet and decided that the time had come for them to get a makeover! 

I went to my local JoAnn and picked up one pack of transfer t-shirt paper (used my 50% coupon ;) of course) and some Scotchgard and got to work. JoAnn and Hobby Lobby always have 40% off deals going around, so make sure to check before you buy anything full-price! 

This is what I came up with...

I had a blast making each shirt, since I could customize it to look however I wanted it to. Each shirt design I made myself:
-Cavegirl Hair: I drew it on my tablet.
-Smitten: I found an image of a kitten on Google (made sure to use the "labeled for reuse with modification" search tool option to steer clear of any copyright issues) and added my own twist to is with picmonkey.com.
-Swoon: I used Microsoft Powerpoint.

I added 3 new shirts to my wardrobe without having to spend more than $10; the t-shirts I already had, the transfer paper cost around $4 (got if half-price), and the Scotchgard was only around $4 or $5.

The Scotchgard is optional but I highly recommend using it on your design because since it's a fabric protector, it'll protect your design when you have to wash it. Everything needed is listed down below! Hope you guys give this DIY a try :)

 What You'll Need!

-T-shirt transfer paper (from JoAnn)

-T-shirt 

-Scissors

-Duct tape

-Iron

-Scotchgard (from JoAnn)
-Computer
-Printer

   

 HAVE FUN!
Winona ♥

DIY: Makeup Brush Cleaner w/ an Ice Cream Scoop!

I got some 'splainin' to do...I'm super duper sorry for being absent for so long. I haven't posted anything in an entire MONTH, but I do have a good reason...college (-_-). I'm graduating in December; That means I'm taking upper level courses, and being upper level, they require a lot of work. My schedule this last month was OVERFLOWING with major projects and dreadful finals. On the bright side, I'm done ☺ I finished last week, and since I'm not taking any classes during the summer, expect to see a lot more of me hehe.

ON TO THE DIY!

Cleaning your makeup brushes regularly is so important. I try to clean mine every week, but I'm not gonna lie, it can be a hassle. Even though it can be a hassle sometimes, cleaning your makeup brushes is just one of those things that you HAVE to do because if you don't, can you imagine how much built-up nasty gunk you're putting on your precious skin? YUCK! Not cleaning your makeup brushes can lead to breakouts and can be damaging to your brushes. Some people like to buy expensive cleansers or cleaning tools to clean their makeup brushes, but if you're like me, then you don't have that kind of money to fork over. Instead, try this cheaper alternative I came up with using only items you can find at the dollar store and in your home!

There are 3 things that you'll learn how to make for the ultimate makeup brush cleaning process:

What You'll Need!

-Dirty makeup brushes

-Travel container

-Dish soap

-Extra virgin olive oil 

-Hot glue

-Ice cream scoop

-Hanger

-Nylon

-Scissors

Watch to learn how!

Happy Cleaning ♥
Winona

DIY: Sandals

Flip flops: who doesn't have a pair?! I have some that I don't even wear anymore, and I'm sure that that's the case for a lot of people out there. Since lovely spring weather finally is here, instead of letting those old flips flops collect dust, why not refashion them into a cute pair of sandals? It's a win-win for you (new shoes woo!) and for your old flip flops (yay for wearage!). Check out my "new" sandals down below!

 Dun Dun Duuuun....

What You'll Need

-Old pair of flip flops

-Nylon (under $5 at Jo-Ann, can be purchased at any craft store)

-X-Acto knife (~$6 at Jo-Ann, can be purchased at other craft stores or Walmart)

-Scissors

-Hot glue gun

-Stick (I used a crochet stick, got it at Walmart for ~$2)

-Accents (I used spikes, but you can use anything like jewels or studs)

Watch me make them here:

Enjoy making your feet happy!

Winona ☺

DressLink Review!

I was so excited when I received my package from DressLink, which is an online clothing store based in China that sells fashionable clothes, cute accessories, and more for affordable (CHEAP) prices. Here's a review on what I got with product links right below each picture:

http://bit.ly/1jUFji3

http://www.dresslink.com/plated-stylish-cute-snake-design-for-pierced-ears-earrings-three-colors-golden-silver-bronze-p-769.html

http://bit.ly/1eYMB2n

http://www.dresslink.com/new-vintage-eagle-bird-claw-3-talon-bangle-bracelet-clamp-cuff-p-1680.html

http://bit.ly/1leWMWD

All of these cute items were priced under $3! Talk about C-H-E-A-P! And a plus is that they all looked exactly like their pictures on the website. A huge thank you to DressLink again for sending me these awesome pieces :D

Check out the DressLink site: http://www.dresslink.com/

More of their earrings here: http://bit.ly/1i1VREb

Free Shipping offered here: http://bit.ly/1eqNfme

Watch more of my review here down below!

Looove,

Winona