Part 1 ~ Do It Yourself Custom Window Film - Beautiful, Easy and Inexpensive!

Several days ago, I covered my kitchen window with Con-Tact Brand clear adhesive liner cut into diamond shapes (see here) . 



While I'm happy with the results, it took a long time for me to complete the project.   With some great suggestions, from my husband and a project idea that I found on Pinterest , I gave the window film another try in both the bathroom and in my daughters' bedroom.  

I'll show you how the bathroom went in this article.  I'll cover the girls' room in my next posting.

I found this project to be incredibly easy and fun!  It cost about $3.00 to complete each room.  My total expense was less than $10.00 ($5.50 on the Con-Tact clear liner and $3.75 on the Elmer's Painters marker).   I still have enough Con-Tact liner to do another window if I make smaller pieces as I did with my kitchen.  There is probably enough paint marker left as well.

If I can do this, ANYONE can do this!  All you need to give your windows a beautiful custom film look is some clear Con-Tact Brand adhesive liner and a paint marker! 

Con-Tact Simple Elegance Shelf Liners, Clear, 5-Foot Roll (Pack of 6)

Elmer's Painters Opaque Paint Marker, Fine Tip, White (7332)

Be sure to watch for Part 2 of this posting.  I went a little crazy with the girls room freehanding!  It was fun but I may have gone overboard just a bit.......


So here is my bathroom ~




1) Clean window well, taking care that all
dirt, grease, paint, etc. is removed.

 


2) Cut Con-Tact liner into correct size for area you are
covering.  I used a dressmaker's measuring tape to
measure the areas I wanted to cover.




3) Spray section to be covered liberally with
Windex Glass Cleaner




4) Peel the paper back off the Con-Tact liner and
place into position.  The Windex will allow you to
move the piece around easily until you are satisfied with
it's placement.  This really worked well.  Use a plastic
card to smooth the bubbles and Windex out.
If the film is too large, take a razor blade or an Exacto knife
and carefully cut the excess off.





5) Allow window film to sit for a few minutes
to adhere well.

 


6) Place your stencil (unless you are going to freehand
your designs) loosely with a bit of masking tape.
I stopped using the masking tape after the 2nd stencil
as I began to feel more confident in the process.




7) Using a white paint pen (I used Elmer's Painters) fill in
the desired areas of your stencil.  Be careful to not
put too much paint on as it could bleed through below the
stencil.  Once completed, remove stencil carefully and
allow paint to dry on the stencil so you don't make a mess
in the next position.  It only takes a minute or so for the
paint to dry. 




8) Step back and enjoy your new beautiful
customized window film!




View of the window with the curtains.



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Do It Yourself Hair Color Weave or Highlights!



It is easier than you might think to do a color weave or highlights yourself (or for a friend).    Salons charge between $50 to $100 on average for this service alone.  Add the cost of a haircut and tip to the bill and you can expect to spend about $150 every 6 to 8 weeks!   Save yourself a ton of money and control the results by doing it yourself.

 

big things start small tee shirt by Poppyjuice
Browse other Dreams T-Shirts

To do a color weave you will need the following products

• Desired haircolor(s) and/or hair lightening (bleach) product     (I purchased the bleach I will be using for this tutorial at Walmart but you can click on the links below to find products online)
• Aluminum Foil - Any brand will do
• A rat tail comb
• A timer or watch
• A paintbrush

 Before beginning~

• Read instructions on products you will be using.  Most hair color or lightening products recommend that you do an allergy test (to make certain that you will not have an allergic reaction) and a time test (to see how long you should leave the product on your hair to get the desired results).  Follow manufacturer's directions as indicated in the packaging
• Be certain to take contact lenses out if you wear them.
• Put on clothing that you won't mind getting ruined.  Even if you wear a cape to protect your clothing accidents do happen.
• Do not shampoo hair prior to weaving.  If your hair has excess buildup, shampoo the night before. 
• Have an old rag handy to wipe up drips
• To prevent temporary staining of your skin around your hairline, you can apply Vaseline to create a barrier.
• If you are alternating color with lightener, you will want to create the lightener foils first as the bleach generally takes long to develop.

  To help achieve the look you desire, consider the following ~

• For a bold, dramatic color weave look choose several different colors.  A color several shades darker than your natural haircolor alternated with a bleach lightener creates a very dramatic look.
• For a very subtle look, choose a color that is just a shade lighter than your natural color. 
• If your hair is anything other than a fairly light blonde, you will need to use a lightener/bleach kit to create light blonde highlights!
• Hair that is very dark will go through many stages of lightening when using bleach.  It will be orange in appearance, then pale lemon yellow prior to reaching the "platinum blonde" stage.  For hair that is naturally very dark or has a lot of red in it, hair may not easily reach the platinum blonde stage. 
• Weave larger chunks of hair for a bold look.
• Weave smaller chunks of hair for a more natural look
• For less highlights/color weave, only place foils in a row on top of the head from forehead to top of crown.
• For more overall highlights/color, also place foils on the sides of the head and farther down the back of the head.

To purchase supplies ~

Manic Panic Flash Lightning Hair Bleach Kit 40 Volume

Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color, Ultra Bleach Blond Creme Lightener Do-1

Soft 'N Style Hair Colorist Tool Kit (8 Piece)

1) Tear 15 to 30 strips of foil - approximately 6 inches wide
by 8 inches long.



2) Mix color or lightening product(s) according to manufacturer
directions.  However, mix in plastic bowl(s) instead of
squeeze bottle.  Use 1 bowl per each color used.



3) Section off strip of hair with rat-tail comb and use tail
to "weave" hair, as shown in this photo.



4) Crease an inch or so of the foil over the tail of the comb
and slide the foil firmly up under the weaved pieces
you want to color/highlight. 










5) With a paint style brush, apply to the strands.
Be very careful not to go all the way to the root

6) Once you have applied the product to the strands,
fold the foil up in half,
then fold the sides in, 
then fold up in half again.
To prevent the foils from falling out, I crimp the foil to secure. 

 



7) Finished foils ~ Her hand is on her forehead.  I put
approximately 10 foils over the top of her head
and two on each side.
Leave product on hair according to package
directions and/or the time test.
For this bleach lightener, I left the product on her
hair for about 50 minutes.  She is a dark blonde
naturally. 
Once you've achieved the desired results, follow package
directions for removing product from hair.
We rinsed the product out until water ran clear, then
shampooed.

   



8) Side view of finished highlights. 





Back view of finished highlights.



Different model, same process.

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Contact Paper "Frosted Look" Window Covering



I have a love/hate relationship with the window over my kitchen sink.  While the view is great, there is very little privacy.  I'm not big on curtains as I love letting the natural lighting in.    Window film is expensive and being the cheapskate that I am, I figured I could find a less expensive way to accomplish the look I wanted.  I decided to give clear Con-Tact Brand liner a try.  I'm pleased with the results and the price.  It was easy enough that anyone could complete this project.


I love the view from my kitchen sink and didn't want to
cover the window with blinds or shades. Unfortunately
my front porch is also part of the view.  This translates into
no privacy in my kitchen. 




A few tips for this project~

• Be sure your window is clean prior to applying Con-Tact liner. 
• If you are applying large panels at a time, I've heard that Windex can be sprayed on the glass first and it will help you move the liner around until it is in the position you want it in.
• There may be a less time consuming way to complete this project.  My husband suggested that I apply entire panels, then cut out the pieces I want removed.  I'm going to try his method soon and post the results.  Although this project was super easy, it did take a large part of my afternoon and my entire evening (minus interruptions) to complete.  
• Consider other shapes to decorate your window with.  I chose the diamond pattern for the simple clean lines but I think it would be interesting to try some other designs. 

Instead of spending a ton on window film, I decided to use
ordinary clear Con-Tact brand adhesive liner to "frost"
my window.  It cost about $5.50 at my local grocery store.
If your store doesn't carry it, you can purchase it online.

We traced out tons of diamond shapes and cut them out.

I applied the diamonds to my window using a
debit card to smooth out bubbles. 

The finished product - a window with semi-privacy that
still allows light into the room! I think I like it and I love
the cost savings over the window films that I priced!



Close up in the morning light





Full view in the morning light

 

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Easy Homemade Egg Noodles

 One of my favorite ways to make a meal special without spending much money is to make homemade egg noodles.  It is easier than you might think to make your own noodles.  Your family will be impressed and you can feel good knowing that you saved a little grocery money!


I use my Kitchen-Aid to make my noodles now, as it definitely saves time.  I love my pasta roller attachments!  But even if you don't have a pasta roller, you can make wonderful egg noodles with just a rolling pin, a knife and some good old fashioned elbow grease.

It really is this simple....


1) Mix 3 cups of flour, 4 eggs, 1 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp water




2) Mix ingredients until the texture of course cornmeal





3) Knead dough with hands until smooth and elastic.
Dough will be very stiff.




4) Cover dough with a bowl or plastic wrap and let
rest for 20 minutes.  This will allow the gluten to
develop, making the dough even more elastic.




5) Cut dough into sections




6) Roll dough sections out to desired thickness.
I prefer a thickness of about 1/8th inch.




7) Fold dough into thirds




8) Cut dough into strips of desired thickness.

 


9) Hang noodles to dry.  I use a clothes dryer as a pasta rack
but you can use whatever you have.  If you have nothing to
hang your noodles on, you can lay them out on a floured cloth
to dry.

 I generally dry my noodles prior to cooking but if you are in a big hurry you can cook them while they are still soft.

I cook my noodles in salted, boiling water for approximately 5 to 7 minutes.  Or I cook them in my soup if that is how I am serving them. 

See how easy making your own egg noodles really is?  Now you can make any meal special!

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Dress Transformation - From Dowdy to Decent!

  I have a respectable dress that my dear mother gave to me last year.  It's a perfectly good dress but it's very.....matronly.....

Very respectable.....

Without the jacket...
Yawn......

I cut straps off and a little from the arm holes.

I stitched around the armholes to
prevent raveling and made a
1 inch seam at the top
to thread the neck tie through.



I made a tie for the neck
with some old fabric I had.
Then with the same fabric, I
sewed triangular pieces under
the edge of the shortened hem.
For a final touch, I gathered the
skirt slightly at the right knee.































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It's not high fashion but I think it's something that I will wear now!

I challenge you to find something in your closet that you don't like and make a few alterations.  I am far from a great seamstress and if I can up cycle an outfit, then anyone can!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad