MAKE IT CUTE

Tie-dye-tastic pillows

You will need: tie-dye and bottles (look for a tie-dye kit), soda ash, rubber bands, white pillowcases, plastic gloves

Brighten up your room with some fab, homemade pillowcases. Let the fabric soak in cold water and soda ash for an hour before you fasten rubber bands tightly around the pillowcases. Then, go crazy with the dye. If you don’t want to rock the colorful, stained hand look for the next few days, it’s a good idea to wear gloves. Place the pillow cases in separate grocery bags and let them sit for 24 hours (in a safe place like the shower or tub). Rinse them out in the sink with cold water before washing them together, without any other laundry the first time. Now fit the pillowcases around the pillows. Ta-da!

Limited edition poster

You will need: an original, fave photograph

Are you a digital photography pro? Sort through all your pics until you find one that you think deserves to be shown to the world (or to your stuffed animals, at least). Send the photo to a printing studio near you where you can get it enlarged to make your own, personal, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork. You can get an 11x14 poster at Walgreens or Costco for $10. Don’t have $10 and your own pic? Create your own collage-esque posters with pretty cutouts from mags.

Beautiful borders

You will need: a full length mirror with a border and/or a bulletin board, a can of paint, a paintbrush, painter's tape

Line the borders of your mirror or bulletin board with painter's tape. The tape will make sure you don’t get paint where you don’t want it (like on the mirror or on the cork board). Ask your parents if they have an old can of paint you can use or hit up your local paint store and see if they’re selling cheap, already-mixed cans of paint. Use a paintbrush and cover the borders in a fun color that will pop against your wall. After the paint dries, peel off the blue electrical tape for a clean, finished look.

Twinkle lamp shade lights

You will need: 1 string of white twinkle lights, small Dixie cups, construction or scrapbooking paper, double-stick tape, X-Acto knife

Who says twinkle lights have to go back in the attic after the holiday season? Not us. Keep out a strand of white lights for the New Year to add a touch of whimsy to your room. Buy a package of little Dixie cups and cut out different colored pieces of paper to wrap around each cup. Cut and flatten one of the Dixie cups so you have a pattern for how to cut the colored paper. Secure the pieces of colored paper on the cups with some double-sided tape. Cut a little “x” shape in the top of each cup with an X-Acto knife and then pop a little light through each cup. So cute!

by Karin Elwood | 2/1/2016