Cat in the Hat Boutique Hair Bow- Please Help!

I have a huge favor to ask all of you that will only take less then a minute of your time.  My Cat in the Hat Hair Bow is in a big blogger craft contest with a lot of other craft bloggers- I would LOVE your vote in the contest!

You can only vote once throughout the entire contest, so I would love if you could hop on over HERE to the craft contest and vote for my bow!  You'll need to scroll through the entries and find the above  photo and click VOTE next to it…. that's it!

Click HERE to vote!

You can also click on the project and see the tutorial and how I made this easy bow.  I'm not allowed to share it on my blog yet, because it's going to be published in an e-book that will be published April 1st.

The winning blogger gets $1,000, which would be amazing and would cover lots of the expenses of running this blog (craft supplies, blog conferences, etc.).

Thanks in advance for the help!!  I have the best readers <3

xo, Laura

DIY Downton Abbey Lady Mary Inspired Headband/Tiara

A few weeks ago I was thrilled to host a Downton Abbey tea party with World Market using their gorgeous line of Downton Abbey products.  It was such a nice, relaxing party, and I am determined to hold a fancy tea party every year because we all had such a wonderful time!  

I mentioned in my tea party post that I would share the details of the DIY head band that I made last minute and wore to the party.  Here's my inspiration... Isn't it beautiful?

Photo from here

Photo from here

It was inspired by Lady Mary's gorgeous wedding tiara from the show.  I knew I wanted to make mine inexpensively and on a much less formal scale (I wasn't going to be getting married after all), and just needed it for my party.  My version was pretty quick and easy to make, and I have to admit, I felt a little royal wearing it ;)  I realize that it's not an exact replica, and that's not what I wanted.  I wanted to make something that was my own, but was a nod to the original.

I headed to Joann Craft Store to look for anything that I could use that resembled the small leaves on Lady Mary's tiara.  

Image from Joann.com

I ended up finding this necklace bottom with metallic leaves from Tori Spelling's jewelery line, and although they were a bit larger than my inspiration piece, I figured it was the closest that I was going to get.  I bought it, along with a pretty sparkly piece from the same line (I couldn't find a photo of it online).  I also bought a thin metal headband.

When I got home, I bent the small metal rings that held the leaves onto the necklace, and pulled off some of the metal leaves.  I just used the silver leaves, but there were also some gold ones, too, that could be used to make another headband.

First I glued the sparkly piece onto the a small piece of black felt using E6000 glue (which is very strong).  Then I glued the felt piece attached to the jewelry to the headband. Then I glued a matching felt piece to the other side of the headband to make sure that it was nice and secure.  

Next I glued the metal leaves onto the headband using E6000.  I arranged them so that they were overlapping each other and not perfectly straight.  You could also use felt to secure the leaves onto the headband if you wanted to.  I added some small rhinestones to add some sparkle to the piece.  I left the headband alone overnight so the glue could dry.

I love the way the final headband looks!  Sparkly, elegant, and unique.

If you love Downton Abbey, or tea parties, you can see my Downton Abbey Tea Party post here, and print out a free printable Downton Abbey quiz to test your knowledge (and your friends' too) of the show and the characters.  I made it a bit challenging, so if you're a fan of the show, you can go here and see how you do!  

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Hair Curling 101 with Conair Curl Secret

This curly hair tutorial was written as a sponsored post for Collective Bias®, to show how easy it is to get amazing curls!  #ConairCurl #cbias

Virtually everyone who knows me has seen my hair only one way- long and straight. Don't get me wrong, I love my straight hair, but as my hairdresser sister has told me (many times), sometimes you need to mix it up!  But I'm a busy mom with four kids, and although I usually do full makeup each day, my hair is always the same.  I love the big bouncy curls that celebrities flaunt on the red carpet, but my hair never looks like that after I get a curling iron to it, not to mention the multiple burns I accidentally inflict on myself in the process!  There's got to be an easier way, right?!  Well now there is!  It's called Conair Curl Secret!

Conair has an amazing new product out called Curl Secret that I bought this week at Walmart for $99 (which is a great deal considering it sells for $150 on http://buycurlsecret.com and www.curlsecret.com). It is nothing short of breathtakingly AMAZING!!  

In under 15 minutes, I transformed my whole head of hair into a bouncy, beautiful mass of curls that I never thought possible for my stick straight hair!  The cool thing about Conair Curl Secret is that there is virtually no work involved- the machine does all the work for you, because it's an automatic curling iron!  And, unlike a traditional curling iron, there's no chance of burning your fingers, and you don't have to guess when the curl is done.  

Check out this 30 second video that shows you exactly how Curl Secret works- I promise you will be amazed!

Cool, right?!  My pre-teen daughter and I had some fun together doing our hair, and she was a pro at using the Curl Secret!  It's so easy, and she couldn't burn herself, so I had no worries about letting her use it herself to create her own hairstyle.

Here's a step by step tutorial to show you how to get those beautiful curls you always wanted:

1.  Turn on the Conair Curl Secret.  It's ready to go once the temperature indicator light stops blinking (which only takes a minute or two).  

Decide what type of curl you would like- tight spiral curls, or bigger curls or waves.  For tight curls, turn the setting on the appliance to high, and the 10 or 12 second timer setting.  For looser curls or waves, use the low setting, and 8 or 10 second timer setting.  Try out different combinations and see which settings you prefer for your hair to achieve the look that you love!

2.  Completely brush your hair, making sure it is nice and smooth.  Take a small 1/2 inch- 1 inch section of hair. Place the styler where you want the curl to start on your hair, making sure that opening of the curl chamber (the circle part) is facing toward the head.  Place the brushed section of hair into the hair guide of the machine, let go of the hair, and close the handle.  Be amazed as your hair is automatically taken into the curl chamber!

3.  The machine will beep four times, and after the fourth beep, simply release the hair by opening up the Curl Secret, and release your pretty curled hair!  Repeat with the rest of your hair.  No burnt fingers, no hour spent on curls that don't last... these curls are easy, long lasting, and fast!  I spent only 15 minutes curling my entire head, and less than 15 minutes curling my daughter's hair.  Simply amazing!! 

4.  If you want tight, spiral curls, then you can leave the curls as is.  If you want looser, more natural curls or waves, then you can fluff up the hair a bit at the crown to give a bit more volume, and use your fingers to split and separate the curls.  You can also flip your head upside down to loosen the curls and give more volume to your hair as well.  Add a light spray of hairspray over your curls to help set them. My daughter wanted looser curls, and I wanted to try medium-tight curls on my straight hair.  We got exactly the looks we wanted with Conair Curl Secret!

I am absolutely in LOVE with the Conair Curl Secret, and think it's a steal at $99 at Walmart.  For less than it costs for a cut and color for my hair, I can have multiple new hairstyles and transform my look many times with the Curl Secret.  An extra bonus to buying it at Walmart is they offered me a two year warranty on the appliance for only $9, so that if anything happens to the machine for two years, I can get a replacement.  Love that!

Be sure to follow Conair on their Facebook and Pinterest pages for all the latest in hair.  If you have any questions about Curl Secret, I'd love to answer them for you!  Leave a comment and tell me what you think about this fun new product!

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here:  Tatertots and Jello

Easy No-Sew Flower Hair Clips and Elastic Headbands (in less than 5 minutes!)

I saw these adorable fabric flowers by Jolee's Boutique at Michael's today and I HAD to have them.  They come in a pack of two for scrapbooking or other crafts, but I instantly pictured them as cute (and easy) hair clips and headbands for my daughters.  So I had to buy 4 packs of them because there were too many fun colors to choose just one!

So many color choices

I've made many different clips, bows, and headbands for my girls, so I know how much time it can take to make something like this from scratch.  These took about 5 minutes each TOPS, and each set of two cost less than $3 each (on sale, or with a coupon).  So under $1.50 per bow and only 5 minutes to make?!?  AND no sewing involved?  Count me in!!

Here are the lovely finished products, and the directions on how to make them...

Aren't they pretty?  And a big thank you to my little fashion model...

Supplies:

* fabric bows or flowers (from Michael's or Joanne's)
* alligator clips (from the beauty supply store)
* 3/8" grosgrain ribbon (optional, to line your alligator clip)
* glue gun
* little piece of felt or material (optional)

To start, you will want to line your alligator clips with ribbon.  This is optional, but gives your finished clips a more professional look.  This step is easy and quick, but I made a little collage to help you remember.  Feel free to pin for all your friends and for future reference!

How to cover an alligator clip with ribbon

Now turn over one of your flowers to the back side.  These come with an adhesive, so take off that ugly paper backing.

Add a strip of glue with your glue gun to the top (curved part) of your alligator clip, and then stick it on to the back of your flower and hold it in place for a few seconds.

If you want to, you could cut out a small circle in a coordinating color of felt, and glue that over the top of the clip.  Totally not necessary, just for aesthetic purposes.

And that is IT.  Now do you believe me that you can do this in under 5 minutes?  I'm no liar :)

Now you can clip this in your daughter's, grandaughter's, or even your own hair.  But what if you have a newborn baby girl with no hair, or your child hates wearing clips?  Or you're trying to decide what to do with that extra flower that came in your pack of two?

Then you make an elastic headband. And it only takes about 3 minutes, less time than it takes to heat up your glue gun!

Make an elastic headband with the extra flower

You'll need some thin elastic.  I bought some black and white elastic in varying widths at Joanns.  Then measure around the head of the one who will be wearing the headband with the elastic, and cut a little extra for where you'll glue.  You'll want the headband to fit snug, but not be too tight to where it will be uncomfortable.

Now add some glue to one of the ends of the elastic and glue it to the other end so that it forms a circle. Glue the back of the flower to where you just glued the two ends.  Then glue a circle of felt over the headband for a more finished look.

I hope you enjoyed these lovely flower clips and headbands!  They really are SO easy and cheap to make, but look like you either a) spent a lot of money or b) a lot of time making them.  The headbands would make a great gift for a momma-to-be of a little girl, and both the headbands and clips would make great gifts for any female in your life, young or old. 

You could also add a pin back (available at any craft store) instead of a clip, and attatch these pretty flowers to a purse, bag, or even sew a few onto a t-shirt.  The possibilities are almost as endless as the color combinations of these that you can buy, haha.  I dare you to just buy one pack of these.  Impossible, I say.

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

Please share and pin!

XO, Laura