4.27.2015

Faux Half Up Do

Some of us are blessed with long luscious locks. 
Some of us rock the shorter styles. 
Some of us even have breakage or shorter pieces in the front. 

One of my favorite hair styles is the classic "half up/half down" and my hair doesn't always corporate. 

Due to all the changes I made during beauty school .. And these years after from going dark to light & adding crazy colors, the front sides of my hair are damaged and I have been trying to nurse them back to health with some things I'm saving for another blog! So stay tuned! 

However when I go to put my hair half up/ half down my front pieces don't reach all the way to the back sometimes.

Therefore I create a faux look by completing the following steps!




This is a great alternative for those of you whom already have long hair but feel like you don't get as much volume as you want when trying to achieve this style !

You can wear this look straight or curled! 
So many options. So little time.

PREP: Step 1
This step is optional but I believe helps create a base for the style so I highly recommend it. 
Even if my hair has just been washed in will spray it with dry shampoo to give it more texture and instant volume. 
If I haven't had the luxury of showering long enough to wash my hair that day  (the baby wanted to be held during nap time) then I will for sure cover my scalp with dry shampoo or baby powder, if I'm on a pinch and running low on product. 

TEASE: Step 2
If you aren't sure on how to tease or aren't a fan of it in general but still want the voluminous look it gives you see my other blog post here in order to replace this step. 

If you are a teasing addict like myself, then this is where you go to town. 
Feel free to click here to see my teasy tutorial. 

I break the hair up into 3 sections when teasing for this style. Each side is its own section and the back on top of my crown is the third. 

The sure when teasing you don't tease all the way to the top layer. You want to leave it looking nice and smooth. 

Not like a crazy rats nests. 

Once you have teased, lightly comb all the hair down. 

PIN: Step 3
Lastly you are just going to take each side and pin it back. I pull the hair low and then back to keep all the volume we just created. 

I pin the ear right behind each ear and I spray to secure any flyaway or shorter pieces that still don't reach.  

Once you have pinned the sides back, from the front you have the look of a gorgeous half up half down do and from the back it's a little more faux Mohawk/ punk rock look, with class of course!

You can custom the amount of volume you want to see from the back once you are finished too, by pulling the hair up with your fingers, and spraying   






(Bobby pin trick- I push them back into the hair I am pinning up, so that you can't see them & it holds the hair tighter)

Xoxo,
Molly. 

4.20.2015

DIY Photo Canvas



I love all things DIY!

I also have an obsession with photos!

This week I got to combine the two for a project I wanted to make for a friends birthday gift! 

I love getting creative when it comes to gifts, and giving things that can't be bought! 

So this past weekend as I celebrated a dear friend and co-workers birthday I took her love for her dog & turned it into the perfect present for her! 


I have seen and even pinned countless things I have found on Pinterest about making your own photo canvas. However I never took the time to read any. 

I figured most required the picture and some mod podge so I dove in thinking "how hard could it be?"

I found these mini canvas's in a pack that came with 2 bigger ones at hobby lobby for $11.99 

I did some creeping on her Facebook to find the perfect photos so I wouldn't give it away by having to ask her for some! (Thank God for social media hehe)

I just printed them out on computer paper, cut them to the size of the canvas 

They were basically 8x10. They took up majority of the printer paper. 


I applied modpodge onto the canvas with a little brush 


And then laid the photo overtop while it was still wet! 



I then applied another layer of modpodge over the entire photo & over the sides to lock the photo onto the canvas. 


As you can see it made the photo have some texture and wavy lines to it, and I loved that! I wanted them to look and feel a little retro. 

I let them dry over night & viola !
Birthday gift complete ! 

I will say if I could go back & tweak some things.. I would cut the photos a little larger than the canvas size itself so that the edges could fold over the sides to complete the look a little more & get it to stick better! 

But I was completely happy with the outcome, and so was she! She loved the gift! And I mean come on, isn't she adorable? Here is the last photo I used for the third and final canvas. 


I thought the three of these pictures would make the cutest little collage all paired together on a wall somewhere in her home !! 

Happy crafting!
Xoxo,
Molly.