Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl Created Gifts for Tweens

This is another fun use of my Silhouette machine to make some birthday party favors and and birthday gifts for my tween daughter.

She had a "Spa" birthday party and so I did Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl on headbands to give as one of the party favors at the birthday party. They were an awesome addition to have as they needed to pull their hair off their face when they had the clay masks on. I also made my niece one that she will be opening up as a birthday gift in another week.

I also put Swim down the side of a pair of pants I bought for her, so she can wear it with her growing collection of swim championship t-shirts I buy for her when she attends these earned meets with swim team.

And finally, I also made her some Lllama-Corn pillow cases. I knew she would think these were fun and quirky and would  love them.

Easy Star Hair Design for Girls

To do this you should be prepared with 5 hair ties and any bows you want to use. If your child has curly hair like mine it might be easier to use wet hair rather than dry hair.

I took the first third section of hair at the top of her head and split it equally into three sections. Secure each of those sections with a hair tie. The section at the very top can be secured tight but the ones on the side should be somewhat loose until you have put your star lines in place.

Divide each of the sections into two sections. Twist the hair up. If the hair is wet it should stay Twisted nicely and the hair will be smooth. Use the picture as reference to where you should put your hair sections. Use the remaining two hair ties to make the bottom two points. For a variation you could braids the sections after they have been separated.

Hopefully these directions are not too confusing. I think it is really easily to just look at the picture to figure it out.

DIY Peep Hair Ties

I can't wait to give these to my daughter to wear them. She has already seen them since I was working on them in front of her, but I am not letting her wear them until closer to Easter. It took me about an hour to make both of these and both of the Peep finger puppets (in the other post from today).

I hand drew using chalk, on the felt, the outline of the peep and cut out 2 pieces of each color. You could use just one piece, but if you stitch 2 pieces together they keep their shape better.

On the top piece, I used black DMC floss and stitched on the face of the peeps. Then on the back piece, I attached the coordinating hair tie. Finally I stitched the 2 pieces together by doing a quick whip stitch.

#ad Review: Hair Symphony Professional Detangling Hair Brush and Soft Nylon Hair Brush

My Thoughts:

My daughter and I both had a chance to review this Hair Symphony Professional Detangling Hair Brush and Soft Nylon Hair Brush combo product that includes 2 brushes and a travel cosmetic bag. You can buy this combo set on Amazon. I have seen other brushes similar to this one selling for close to the same price, but I think it is definitely a good deal to get both brushes.

My daughter and I both have naturally curly hair and a detangling brush is a must, especially for my daughter who can get really upset when I try to comb our snarls. Sometimes those snarls are more like a rat's nest because she has such thick hair and they get so bad and isn't the best and making sure she combs through her thick layers. She doesn't complain at all with this pink detangling brush.

The black brush is for me. I haven't owned a brush in years because I always pick out my hair with a wide tooth comb, but I have to say that I love this brush. It has "give" when I brush it so it feels soft even if I am brushing hard. I have not tried it for any styling other than combing out snarls, but it works well.

My daughter claimed the cosmetic bag to put in her brush and hair pieces for her swim bag so that she isn't losing her brush and hairpieces. It's not a high quality cosmetic bag, so I would approach it as a bonus item when purchasing this, but I think it will do just fine for my daughter needing a place to store her hair items.

Product Description from Hair Symphony


The 2 hairbrushes you receive are loved and appreciated by both women and men, kids and teenagers.

You get a salon quality Styling Brush, the innovative Detangling Brush and the Cosmetics Bag for easy storage!

Key Features:
- Easily Detangle any type of hair
- No More Pain while brushing
- Easy to use on Wet or Dry hair
- Convenient storage in you elegant Cosmetics Bag
- European Design high quality Salon grade hairbrushes


You will Immediately see an Improvement in the way your hair looks and feels!


I was sent the above product for the purpose of review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs belong to me. No monetary compensation was received.

#ad GIVEAWAY and Review: My Ribbon Barrette Maker

My Thoughts:

The My Ribbon Barrette Maker isn't our first Choose Friendship Company craft kit and it certainly will not be out last. Last year I told you about the My Image Bracelet Maker in a review I did and the year before that I had bought my daughter the My Friendship Bracelet Maker for a Christmas present. These kits make awesome Christmas presents. Over the course of the year, my daughter has made all her bracelets with the My Image Bracelet Make, so this is a fun to creative project for her to try out.

Below you can watch a youtube tutorial of me making one of the ribbon barrettes. I think I was even more excited (if that is possible) than my daughter to start making these barrettes. I remember these color ribbon barrettes from grade school. I don't remember ever having any myself, but I remember seeing them in the hair of other girls and didn't even realize at the time that they were probably crafted by someone. Had I realized I may have asked my mom if we could make them, but now I can reminisce and make them with my daughter.

They are actually quite easy to make. My daughter is 8 years old and make one quickly after she watched me make one. You are given quite a bit of ribbon and beads to use, so I have a feeling I will be going to the store soon to buy more barrettes so she can continue making more.

Having a place for the one end of the barrette to slide in to is very nice and holds it in place so you can easily make your barrettes. This kit is going to be a fast favorite in our house.

ONE LUCKY READER CAN WIN THEIR OWN

MY RIBBON BARRETTE MAKER!!

BUY My Ribbon Barrette Maker!!!

Other Kits available from Choose Friendship include:

• My Friendship Bracelet Maker
• My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler
• My Friendship Bracelet Maker Clipboard
• My Chord Friendship Bracelet Maker
• My Image Bracelet Maker
• My Image Button Maker
• My Lanyard Maker Boondoggle
• My Lanyard Maker
• My Circle of Creativity

Product Description from Choose Friendship

A popular Girls Hair Accessory, a fashion blast is back from the past! Fun and colorful ribbon barrettes are every girl’s must-have, and everything you need to make them is at your fashionista fingertips! With ribbons and beads to match every outfit, My Ribbon Barrette Maker® lets you create fabulous hair flair for yourself and your friends! • Barrette Holder and loom pegs secure barrette and ribbons as you weave.
• Slide-out drawer keeps ribbon, beads and barrettes securely stored.
• Includes 8 straight barrettes, 8 wave barrettes, 32 ribbons in 8 colors and 256 tri-beads in 8 colors.

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I was given the above product for the purpose of reviewing it in this blog. All thoughts, opinions and photographs belong to this blog. No monetary compensation was received.

Try It Tuesday: Natural Shea Butter Hair Mask & GIVEAWAY/ Review Beauty By Shea Organic Shea Butter

You can easily make a hair mask at home using one simple ingredient, raw organic unfiltered shea butter. That's it! No artificial ingredients, nothing else besides shea butter. I had the opportunity to try using the Beauty by Shea Organic Shea Butter and see how it works on my naturally curly hair that I color.

My hair frequently dries due to the nature of naturally curly hair, combined with the fact that I color my hair, combined with the fact that I spend a lot of time outside in the sun and wind. I welcome anything that helps me make my hair look and feel healthy. The fact that this is just one pure organic ingredient is just wonderful and the fact that it works is even better!

A little goes a long way with shea butter. I have medium length hair and need a quarter size dollop of shea butter. Unrefined shea butter melts really quickly when you rub your hands together and can easily be applied to you hair.

Start at the ends (which are the driest and may have split ends) and work towards your roots. If your hair is longer you may need more shea butter. Once your hair of covered as much as you desire, cover it with either a shower cap or a hot towel. This will work with heat released from your head and help the shea butter to be absorbed into your hair strands. Allow to sit on your head for 20-30 minutes, then shower as usual.

My Thoughts:

This works really well as a hair mask and you do not need a lot. I am happy with how it works and love that it is just one simple organic ingredient and nothing else. I also use it as a moisturizer on my elbows and knees, both of which get quite dry and absorbs the shea butter quickly. It also works well to moisturize your feet. Just rub on your feet before bedtime and cover with socks and allow to absorb over night. You could do the same thing with your hands if you are prone to dry hands. No need to have multiple products in your beauty cabinet when you just need organic shea butter that can do what normally you might have several products for.

Product Description from Beauty by Shea

16 oz (1lb) of Pure Organic Unrefined Raw Shea Butter from Beauty By Shea is made with extra care to ensure you receive the purest Raw Shea Butter. Beauty By Shea Organic Shea Butter is double filtered, first in Ghana, and then at our US Lab where it is manufactured into our 1lb bricks, packaged into our heat sealed bags, and sent straight to Amazon thereby preserving the natural richness, and purity of the shea butter for our customers. Beauty By Shea 100% Ivory Organic Raw, Unrefined Shea Butter is imported directly from Ghana, and is 100% pure and natural, nothing else added! Naturally rich in essential vitamins for beautiful skin, Beauty By Shea Organic Shea Butter will nourish your skin with Vitamins A, E, F and K. Use this Beauty By Shea Organic Raw Shea Butter daily and often for beautiful, moisturized, luminous skin. Raw Organic Unrefined Shea Butter is perfect for topical use on skin and hair, and the perfect essential ingredient for homemade lotions, soaps, conditioners and more!

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN THEIR OWN

BEAUTY BY SHEA ORGANIC SHEA BUTTER

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

GIVEAWAY and Review: OSIS+ Creme and Mousse from Beauty Care Choices

After reviewing CHI Shine INfusion Hair Shine Spray on Save Green Being Green, the good people at Beauty Care choices asked if I would like to review more products on this blog and this time do a GIVEAWAY for my readers. I chose to review 2 pieces of product from the OSIS+ Line of Products.

I was sent the OSiS+ Hold Miracle - Ultra-Strong Cream Mousse by Schwarzkopf, as well as the OSiS+ Twin Curl - 2-Phase Curl Cream by Schwarzkopf. Both products said they could be used on both wet and dry hair, so I decided to use them on both of my kids and myself in a combination of wet and dry to show you what it can do for your hair.

My son currently has a mohawk (with 3 unruly cowlicks in his hair) and has recently become a hair product monger so he can get his mohawk "as high as it can go!" On him I used the OSIS+ Hold Miracle Mousse because it says it has a strong hold and can create smooth movable hair and helps with humidity control. We have had some very high dew points (tropical dew points) lately so having to deal with humidity has been an issue with hair. As you can see the mohawk stood up nicely and stayed like that all day as he played with other friends. Now, he thinks this bottle is his.

 

On my daughter I used the OSIS+ Twin Curl Cream and applied it to her hair dry. In the before picture you can see that this hair is quite frizzy and unruly, but once I applied the cream I was able to tame her hair and keep the integrity of the soft curls in her hair that would bounce when she walks. Ever since she did her hair donation, her curls are a lot springier and she gets lots of positive attention for her beautiful curls and now realizes she wants people to see just how pretty her curls are.

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I also used the OSIS+ Twin Curl Cream on my hair, but I applied it when it was wet to see just how it work then. I was impressed that it formed soft curls the way it did. Sometimes when I apply product when my hair is wet, the curls will dry crunchy and clumpy, but that did not happen with this product. As you can see my hair looks soft after it dried with the cream in it, and I did not comb it out again when it was dry either. This picture is actually taken about 6 hours after I had taken the before picture on a humid day and you can see that I do not have frizzy hair or fly aways, which the cream has taken care of.

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN A 2-PK OF OSIS+ CREME AND MOUSSE FROM

BEAUTY CARE CHOICES

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I was sent these products from Beauty Care Choices for the purpose of review. No monetary compensation was received. All thoughts, opinions, and pictures belong to SGBG. SGBG is not responsible for product fulfillment in the giveaway.

Review: CHI Shine INfusion Hair Shine Spray

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

It is so fun when you find a product that you really like and want to buy after you finish using your review sample, which exactly how I feel about CHI Shine INfusion Hair Shine Spray. I admit that most of the time I wear my hair in a ponytail because I usually work out in the morning (after I have showered) and it's just easier to keep it there in a ponytail, but when I do wear my hair down I have this thick mop of waves and curls (like my daughter pictured below) that can start to look dull from combing and processing and gets unruly with humidity. CHI Shine INfusion Hair Shine Spray solves both of those issues.

This is the before picture of my daughter's hair. All the swimming she does at the pool and exposure to the sun take it's toll on her hair and leaves it dull and repeated combing can cause her curls to become straighter. I just sprayed some lightly over her hair and ran a pic comb through it and quickly scrunched it up with my hands. Literally, I spent less that a minute to take her hair from the before picture to the after picture below.

Here is the after picture and you see how her hair shines and the curls are more formed. I was simply amazed and how quickly it transformed her locks. I have used it myself a couple a times since receiving it when I have worn my hair down and applied it when my hair was wet (it can be applied on wet or dry hair) and it does a nice job or keeping my hair from becoming frizzy and was weightless; I didn't even realize I had product on.

The product does have a a musk type scent to it, which seems like a more masculine scent then I am used to having in hair care products, but it is fine and dissipates as the product dries.

You can BUY CHI Shine INfusion Hair Shine Spray on Beauty Care Choices.

Currently, it is being sold for $15.49 for a 5.3oz container.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Review: Crave Naturals Detangling Brush

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

When I found out that I had the opportunity to review this Crave Naturals Detangling Brush, I was thrilled. If you have seen pictures of my daughter on this blog before, then you understand why I was thrilled because she has a thick head of curly hair. She likes to try to comb it by herself, but she really only gets the top layer and underneaths there begins to get snarls upon snarls that my mother always called "rat's nests" under there. My daughter as the same full head of thick curls that I do and I sympathize with my daughter because I remember how much it hurt to have my mom pull and pull on my hair. I have always been very cautious about how I comb her hair, but I still end up pulling it sometimes and am declared this awful uncaring person.

I have literally bought my daughter over a half dozen different brushes trying to find one that was not as awful as the one before and we finally had settled on using this one brush I had when I was a kid that was tucked away in an old box, but the problem was that while it didn't pull like all the rest, it did comb her hair straight and her curls went away and would make her hair frizzy. She loves her curls right now and likes that she gets compliments for them, but that doesn't happen when she uses the old brush.

In comes a package from Amazon with the Crave Naturals Brush and she is so excited she begins to comb her hair. Her thoughts on this brush are very much reflected in her actions as she has not used a different brush since. I asked her about it yesterday after she had been using it for a week and she confirmed she didn't  use any other brush and this is her favorite brush. It not only takes out all the snarls and tangles with ease, but it is also gentle on her curls so they are not combed out all the way and can easily bounce back in to place. As for the other brushes, I guess her brother now has a nice collection of brushes to use on his short hair.

I did try it out on my own head of hair and combed her hair with it. No tears or complaining that I am ruining her day. Who knew combing my daughter's dry hair could actually be an enjoyable experience between us. And when I used it on my own head I was amazed at how good it felt against my scalp. Now I am going to have to get my own Crave Naturals Detangling Brush or start doing my hair in a different bathroom so that I can share this one with her. The same day we started trying it out I took a picture of it and sent it to a friend with a daughter the same age, singing it's praises. This is the brush you want to get out those tangles with no tears!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

GIVEAWAY and Review: Foxbrim Argan Oil

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I am not stranger to Argan oil, but the Foxbrim brand is new to me. I have been using Argan oil for a couple years now after is was recommended by a hair stylist because I have processed naturally curly hair and was told it would absorb in to the hair and not just be on the surface of the hair, so it becomes part of my hair and replenishes it. Up to this point I have only been using it on my hair and I can show you some before and after pictures below, but I also decided to try it on my son's dry eczema patches (which since it is spring now are pretty much gone, but little dry spots left).

You can see that my hair does have some shine it it already because I have been using argan oil, but I need a hair cut badly and so my ends are kind of dry (the hair cut is coming this weekend when my daughter and I go in and get cuts and make donations to Locks of Love (mine, since I have processed hair) and Pantene Beautiful Lengths (since she had virgin hair.)

I do want to mention that Foxbrim Argan oil is 100% argan oil from Morocco. This is very important to know because Moroccan oil has gotten a lot of attention as a wonderful beauty product in the media, but yo need to make sure you are getting 100% argan oil. Some products that call themselves Moroccan oil contain other products and oils besides argan oil, so be sure to read the ingredients list to make sure you know what you are getting.

Using just a dime size amount of argan oil on my entire head of hair I can instantly add more shine and as the day continues the argan oil will be absorbed more and more into my hair and moisturize it.

So, here I decided to try it on my son's eczema spots since it is a good moisturizer, but it also says it is good for reliving redness and reducing inflammation. We are at the tale end of the winter eczema season for my kids, so this is really nothing, but I thought it was the perfect small spot to test out to make sure that they didn't feel anything because believe it or not there have been different eczema creams that sting my kids although the interesting thing is that what stings one is the best eczema cream for the other and vice versa. So, I was very excited to see that this was absorbed right away in to the skin of my son and cleared up that dryness. I plan to try this on my daughter as well and have my fingers crossed that she responds just as well and then I will no longer have to buy eczema creams and just use argan oil that I am already buying for myself.

You can buy Foxbrim Argan Oil on Amazon.

After reading the reviews on Amazon, I know now that the next place I am going to try it out is on my nails. I have always had nails (both fingers and toes) that peel and crack and I am going to see if argan oil will help me with those.

Product Description from Fox Brim

This is 100% pure certified organic argan oil. Sourced directly from Morocco with no additives, fragrances or parabens. This is 100% Arginia Spinosa.

Foxbrim's 100% Pure Argan Oil is an excellent option for those looking for the all-natural solution for radiant beauty. Argan oil provides multiple benefits for both skin and hair. Rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids, argan oil has become known as 'liquid gold' by cultures the world over as the ultimate beauty oil.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Thrifty Thursday: Create Your Own Mickey Mouse Hair Accessories

How about one more Disney post this week! I made my kids their own Mickey and Minnie Ears on a headband for our recent Disney World Trip. I did look at how much the ears would cost me while I was there and there was many, many varieties of ears to choose from and it was going to cost a minimum of $15 per ear set and going up in price from there. A lot of souvenirs were not in our budget at Disney since just once day there costs $400 in admission for our family. My kids were just as happy with their homemade ears as they would have been with ones we bought there and I spent $1.50 to make them each a pair and 2 pairs to giveaway at our #Disneyside party. I do want to note that I saw so many ears being worn by parents because kids didn't want to wear them anymore or riding in the bottoms of strollers.

To start off I just cute pairs of ears our of felt by making this shape. This way when you fold if over the headband it can be easily secured together and matched up.

Then I placed a piece of hot glue in the center and glue the center to the headband first, then I placed hot glue on one of the insides of the ears and pressed them in to place. Repeat this with each ear. I didn't make my ears too big, so they didn't flop over. I bought a 4-pack these headbands at the Dollar Tree and 2 pieces of felt for 50-cents for both from JoAnn Fabrics.

For my daughter Minnie ears I used some red ribbon with white polka dots. I tie a bow on the top of the headband between the ears. I did put a bit of hot glue in the center too.

This was a fun and cute little barrette I made for my daughter. I bought the barrettes at Dollar Tree, but the buttons and ribbon were from my stash. Just a bit of hot glue in the right places and I had this cute little  barrette.

One last barrette I made for my daughter was this ribbon one of Minnie Mouse. These were created using alligator clips, ribbon and hot glue from my stash, so I didn't spend any additional money to make these for her.

Thrifty Thursday: Simple Ribbon Hair Bands

These are simple to make and you could easily hand stitch them if you don't have a machine. You just need a short amount of ribbon (about 9-10 inches) and an elastic headband, some pins, thread and a needle (or sewing machine). This could be a good use for any leftover ribbon you might have from other projects or if you had ribbon that was wrapped around holiday packages that you saved.

I bought these elastic head bands from the dollar store. They came as a pack of 4 for $1. And then I cut one of them in half on only used the half length, so you can get 8 ribbon headbands out of those elastic bands.

Pin you elastic ends to your ribbon ends. I folded the ribbon over the elastic so that you couldn't see the white elastic piece in between. I machine stitched mine together which made it such a quick project.

Here I am wearing it to the Little Black Dress Affair (a fundraising event) that had a theme of vintage. I was dressed to look 60's-ish. The big hair in back with a flat front that was separated by a ribbon or head band was very classic of the 60's. You can also see the earrings I made to wear to this event in another blog post.

Here you can see a side view of what the ribbon head band looks like. The elastic part is under your hair and barely noticeable.

Try It Tuesday: Loom Knit Hat with Brim and Matching Flower Headband

I made this hat a and coordinating flower headband set for a neighbor's newborn (hat) and the flower headband for her daughter. It's always nice to remember the siblings and bring them something too.

The yarn I used for this project was the Michael's Loops and Threads Charisma yarn, which is a Bulky 5 weight. I like how soft this yarn is and how quick I can create a project using a bulky yarn. I really like how the yarn did a self striping technique. I only needed about 1/2 skein to make both projects. The infant hat was made on the blue knifty knitter loom.

To make the brim - Knit 10 rows, then after your pull over the 10th row, place the loops from the first row back on the pegs and pull over. This will create a thick cuff at the bottom.

Then continue to e-wrap and pull over until you have a hat that measures 6" (for an infant size). Bind it off by running a piece of yarn through the loops and pulling together and tying.

You can create a pom pom for the top by using Clover Large Pom Pom Maker.

The flower headband is super simple to make by using the Knifty Knitter Flower Loom. You can make a flower in only a couple minutes. And then I just tied it to a matching headband I bought and glue a small circular piece of matching felt to the underside to hide the tie.

I also used this same flower loom to make:

• Flower Bows out of VHS Tape and Grocery Bags
• Adornment on my daughter's winter hat (which I also loom knit)
• Decoration on a handmade journal

5 Ideas for Hairstyles When Exercising with Long Hair

Braided Bun

This one is three parts:

• Make a ponytail
• Braid the ponytail
• Make a bun with braid and secure end under the elastic band and add any booby pins if needed

Braided Pony Tail

2 simple parts for this one:

• Make a ponytail
• Braid the ponytail

Side Pony with a Fishtail Braid

Another easy 2 part hair style

• Make a low ponytail on one side of your head
• Make a fishtail braid, if you don't know how to make a fishtail braid, watch this YouTube from To Die For.

Messy Looped Ponytail


Here you can see the both sides of it. This is my go to hairstyle for working out because it is very quick.

• Put hair in a ponytail but when you pull your hair through the last time, only pull it through far enough so that all the ends are secured under the hair band but are free.
• One side will look neat and looped, the other side you will see the messy ends.

Side Braid with a Low Pony

If I have the time, I like this one the best because it secures my hair down to my hair and I won't have all fly aways and it doesn't fall out with strenuous exercise and it can be worn easily under my bike helmet.

• Divide your hair where your natural part is.
• Create a french braid down the side of your head on each side. 
• Combine the ends of the two sides in a low pony and secure with a hair band.