I love Colors!

I am a huge fan of colors. Bright ones. I love the idea of having a turquoise bookshelf or a pair of bright yellow heels to wear. I like to stand out and to do so need something that POPS! So on pinterest I have been seeing some cool colored clothes and thought that maybe I could make some myself.
Here's what I used:

RIT dye (from Hobby Lobby) in my chosen color of scarlet, a large bowl, and bleach (not shown)

And a pair of jeans that I wanted to change. I chose these jeans because I don't wear them very often and they are a little snug on me so I won't be upset if they turn out terrible.

First I filled the bowl with water. This whole process would have worked much better in a sink or bathtub but I don't have a plug for my sink nor do I have a bathtub. I poured a lot of bleach into the water. No measurements just guesstimating. I didn't notice but the bleach was lemon scented. This gave the jeans a yellow tinge once they were completely bleached.

I submerged the jeans into the bowl and let them sit for over 24 hours. It surprised me how long it took. You can see in the picture where the jeans have started to yellow. When they were completely bleached I let them dry completely by hanging them up over the same bowl (to catch dripping water).

The yellow tint doesn't actually affect the end result but is just something to consider. I used the same bowl, refilled it with water, and added some of the RIT dye. I didn't measure. Depending on how dark the jeans got I would add more. Remember, you can only add more.  None can be subtracted so use sparingly.

I'm not sure how long I let them sit but I made sure to check on the color and stir them every so often. When they got to a color I liked I let them hang dry again. Then I put them through the washing machine and dryer by themselves.

When I first decided I liked the color they were a darker pink. After washing they turned out coral which is even better. They're gorgeous in person. It's a pretty easy process but I'd never thought about changing the color of my clothes before. I have a hoodie that I am trying to transform into something magnificent and I think I am going to use this same process to get rid of the boring grey. Enjoy!

I bet you didn't know!

I haven't posted in a while, sorry about that. Bigger things took my attention momentarily. But I'm back now with a list of tips you probably will want to know at some point in your life. There are a lot of these lists on pinterest and the internet but I find that some of them don't work into my life as well as they might for someone with kids and a family (I mean, generally a lot of them work since living with boys is like having kids but some do not apply to me). So this is a general list of tips and tricks for your convenience.

 1. Vinegar is your best friend. Once I realized the multiple uses for vinegar I realized I couldn't live without it. This big bottle is about $4 at Walmart (don't quote me on that price). The reason I found so many amazing uses is that I was having a problem with the gnats invading the kitchen and the rest of our house. I needed a cure. Pinterest told me that by mixing vinegar with a small dose of dish soap (I generally do a thin layer on the bottom of the bowl and fill the rest with vinegar) the gnats will be attracted and then trapped. They like vinegar but the consistency of the dish soap traps and drowns them. I'm sure my roommates thought I was crazy leaving bowls of vinegar around but it worked. Vinegar can also be used to clean a smelly sink. Just pour baking soda and THEN vinegar down the drain. Clears that nasty chicken smell right up.

2. I am poor. No surprise, I'm in college. SO I don't like to waste or throw away things if I don't have to. I found out via pinterest that mascara doesn't run out as fast as you think it does, it just dries out. My mom told me not to pump my mascara and that will make it last longer. Years of habbit kept me pumping. There's a simple solution: put a few drops of contact solution into your mascara once it dries out. Pump it a few times and let it sit overnight The next day your mascara will be just like new. This can be done 2-3 times before you actually have to throw away your mascara. I've also heard that dried out markers dipped in contact solution and left, with the cap on, overnight will work but I've yet to try it.

3. Jenna Marbles taught me (though I already knew it) that it isn't healthy to wash your hair everyday:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuTcLJybqLM. My problem with not washing my hair every day is that my hair starts to look greasy and dirty after a few hours, especially if I've been at work. I absolutely hate this. Appearance is (almost) everything. I found out that dry shampoo (about $3 at Wal-mart) cures that problem. For second day hair I spray some dry shampoo on the roots of my hair, let it sit for a minute, and then rub it through all of my hair. I almost always wear my hair up if I have second day hair. This way I don't obsess over how my hair looks. Generally, if your hair is up its less likely to look greasy anyways.

4. I used to have way too many pairs of clothes (ask my old roommate). I didn't wear all of them but couldn't bring myself to get rid of anything. What if there was a party where I need to dress up as Tom Cruise in Risky Business?!? This button down shirt dress will come in handy!!! It was a real problem for me. My sister told me a trick one of her co-workers does. Hang all of your hangers facing the wrong way in your closet at the beginning of the season. When you wear and wash them you'll instinctively hang them up facing the right direction. At the end of the season get rid of any clothes that are still facing the wrong way. If you didn't wear them this season it's most likely that you won't wear them again.

5. This last one applies to a lot of people I'm sure! I have a really small shower. Not only that but I share it with two guys. We all have our own shampoos, body washes, etc. The shelf that hangs on the shower head just doesn't cut it for us. I got tired of having to take a shower cady into my own shower. I pay rent, I want ROOM! So I got creative. I went to the dollar tree and picked up a pack of two baskets, another cady, and some shower curtain rings. This is what I set up:

I had an extra shower curtain rod lying around from when I moved out of the dorms. I looped one shower curtain ring through the top of each shower cady. This way they could hang on the bar facing the right direction. I used four more rings to secure one basket to each cady. They hang at the very back of our tiny shower now. It holds all of our shavers, shampoos, and such. It's not as wobbly and I am less likely to bump into it. I don't know about the guys but I'm pretty happy with it.

Those are all my essentials. There are probably a lot more things I could do to make life easier but this is what I have so far. Enjoy!