Why Upcycle?

"A closet full of nothing to wear." A phrase that most women probably find themselves thinking on occasion (or what feels like everyday in my case). No matter how much we would like love to go out and buy something new every time we need to find something to wear, us college gals are on tight budget. So this is exactly why we turned to "upcycling".

"Upcycling" is a term that basically means recycle your old things into new things by the process of fun and interesting DIY (do it yourself) projects. Since Sarah and I (Rachel) find ourselves in this position more often than not, we decided we would make a blog sharing our ideas with other people to let them know that upcycling is not only frugal, but it can be easy and actually really fun! So gather up all your old t-shirts, out-of-date jeans, and whatever else you have stashed in a pile of things you never wear and DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT throw them away! They are about to be changed from trash into treasure.

Jersey Weave Shirt

The old tshirt is one of our favorite items to upcycle. There are so many different things you can do with an old tshirt, and everyone has one lying around. This project turns two old shirts into one new one in just minutes!

Materials you will need: Scissors, old t-shirt, and old patterned shirt

Step 1: Cut off the neck of the old t-shirt to widen the neck line.

Step 2: Cut the patterned shirt in half along the side seam in order to make the fabric easier to work with.

Step 3: Cut the patterned fabric into strips about half an inch to an inch thick. You will need to cut around 10 to 15 strips in total.

Step 4: Start to cut extremely tiny holes in the neck of the old t-shirt along the neckline. Begin the weave the patterned strips through the holes. Continue the pattern down the shirt until you have the desired amount of rows.

Here is the finished shirt! You can add as many rows of weaving as want. What an easy way to liven up a boring outfit!

Tshirt Statement Necklace

Never throw away those old tshirts! We have so many great ideas to make them new again. Almost everyone has some plastic craft beads laying around, so why not make a statement necklace? Who wants to pay over $100 for a statement piece like this one when you can make one for a couple bucks? Not me! 

 Supplies you will need: Old tshirt, Scissors, Craft beads 

Step 1: Cut the tshirt into about 9 strips, a half an inch thick.

 Step 2: Start to thread the beads onto the first strip, tying knots in between the beads to hold them in place. Make the number of beads and the spacing random. 

 Step 3: Continue to thread the beads onto the other strips.

 Step 4: Once you thread all of the beads onto the strips take two strips without beads and use them to tie the strips together on each side. These two strips will act as a way to tie the necklace together when wearing it. 

 Step 5: Trim the loose ends of the strips.

 This is what the necklace will look like when it's finished. Pair it with a plain white shirt to spice it up and add some color!

Rags 2 Riches: Nicole Richie Inspired Head Turban

Rags to Riches. The well-known story of a person that rises from obscurity and poverty to fame and fortune. Take for example the story of Cinderella or the story of Aladdin. Both stuck in poverty, hoping and dreaming for something more or to be something more. However, in the end they always are sure to remember who they once were. 

We know that in some aspect of this myth all of us are hoping to be something more or have something more, so we decided to make it easier on everyone. Basically the bottom line is to look famous and wealthy you don't have to be famous and wealthy. You can literally take rags (or an old t-shirt in this case) and make it look like something you spent your entire paycheck on. 

In this case we took the famous and fashionable style icon, Nicole Richie as our inspiration. Nicole Richie is known for her brand House of Harlow, where she designs and sells everything from clothes to sunglasses to jewelry and much more. One thing she is almost always seen wearing is a 'bohemian chic' head turban. They are very popular right now and extremely useful for keeping the hair out of your face. So we made our 'rags' version. Follow the steps below!

Materials you will need: Old t-shirt (I used scraps from a t-shirt dress gone wrong), scissors, ruler

Step 1: Cut off the bottom band of the shirt and measure up 8 inches from that. 

Step 2: Once you have measured up 8 inches, cut the shirt all the way across at that point.

This is what the material you have left to work with will look like. Discard the rest of the material.

Step 3: Fold the remaining material in half lengthwise. 

Step 4: Cut the folded fabric lengthwise along the folded edge. 

You should now have two continuous bands of fabric as shown above. 

Step 5: Place one of the bands horizontally and place the other band on top of that vertically. 

Step 6: Fold the horizontal band in half over top of the vertical piece. If the vertical piece folds a little that is okay. 

Step 7: Fold the bottom half of the vertical piece in half upward, similarly to Step 6.

Step 8: Pull the two pieces out to the sides and you should have 4 separate sections. Then make it into a butterfly shape by separating them.

Step 9: On the left side, take the bottom piece and insert it into the top piece to make one band. Do the same for the right side. 

This is what it should look like once the bands are inside each other on both sides. 

Step 10: Pull the right band on top of the left band. 

Step 11: Place those bands also inside each other, now you should only have one band left. 

This is what the headband should look like with both bands inside one another. 

Here is what the final product should look like! This look is even more complete with Nicole Richie's own line of sunglasses, House of Harlow.

Disney Princess Inspired Sock Bun

Beauty inspiration from a Disney princess? Sounds crazy, but it is actually true. When we were younger watching our favorite Disney princesses take over our the screens of almost every young girl's television set we never once thought about their hairstyles....it was more along the lines of "Oh wow those mice can sing!" 

Enter the era of the sock bun. Everyone from Kim Kardashian to your everyday girl can be seen wearing this trend. It is funny to think that the looks of the princesses we used to idolize are now coming through in today's fashion trends, of course a little more updated. This is SO easy to make and once you get the hang of it, it is so easy to use also. Read on to learn how to get that Mulan inspired bun!

Materials you will need: scissors, elastic hair tie, one old sock (perfect opportunity to get rid of a sock that is missing it's match)

Step 1: Take the sock and cut off the top and bottom so that you are left with one tube.

Step 2: Slowly roll the sock down all the way from top to bottom. If the sock is not smooth enough you might need to turn it inside out before rolling it down. 

This is what your sock bun should look like once you have rolled it all the way down, kind of like a little bagel.

Step 3: Put your hair into a sleek high ponytail.

Step 4: Pull your hair through the sock bun, but only at the very top. Do not pull the sock bun all the way down to the hair tie. 

Step 5: This part can get tricky. Start pulling the hair down over the sock bun and tucking it up underneath. Keep rolling the sock bun down as you do this. 

Step 5: Continue rolling the sock bun down the ponytail and tucking the hair underneath. The more you roll the sock bun down the more the hair will cover the sock. 

Step 6: Once you have rolled the sock bun all the way down to the hair tie the hair should be completely covering the sock bun. 

Here is the final look! Perfect for those days when you are feeling too lazy to have to style your hair and so simple!

American Flag Shorts

The American Flag. An iconic symbol for the freedom that we have in the good ol' United States of America. And what better way to show how much you love your country than to incorporate it into your wardrobe? These American Flag pocket jean shorts turn out to be perfect for a cookout, a Fourth of July party or any day you wake up feeling extra patriotic!

Materials you will need: Cut-off jean shorts, scissors, Heat n, Bond Ultrahold iron-on adhesive, small American flag, iron

Step 1: Cut out the stars of the American flag and place it over the pocket. Cut the flag along the outline of the pocket to make a shape that matches the size of the pocket. 

Step 3: Do the same thing with the stripes of the flag that you did with the stars in Step 2.

(Heat n' Bond Ultrahold iron-on adhesive used in step below. Can be found at Wal-Mart or any craft store.)

Step 4: Cut strips of the Heat n' Bond to cover the entire piece of fabric and place the paper side up. 

Step 5: Once you have covered the fabric in the strips (paper side up) hold the iron on each piece for approximately 2 seconds. 

Step 6: Once you have ironed on the strips, peel off the paper on each one and it will reveal this clear looking material (shown above). 

Step 7: Flip the fabric over with the clear strips touching the jean and then hold the iron on the fabric for at least 8 seconds. 

Step 8: Do the same thing you did with the stripes in Step 7 for the stars on the other pocket. 

Voila! Here is the final product, perfect for a cookout or a Fourth of July party!