Who knew old t-shirts were so useful?!

Yes, it's ANOTHER way to turn an old shirt into something freaking FAB-U-LOUS. Any complaints... Didn't think so! While cleaning out my closest and getting rid of 27 pairs of shoes (you heard right), I started to go through my clothes and realized I have a TON of solid color long sleeve shirts. Some of them are great and others fit weird, like the one I used to make my NEW and AMAZING leopard trimmed black cardigan! THIS is where cleaning/organizing stopped and crafting started... I think I have a problem.

Are you ready for this... You will need an old (or new) shirt, scissors, embellishments and a sewing machine (you can always stitch by hand).

Cut down the middle of the shirt. Add whatever you desire to the edges. I used leopard print fabric scraps, but ribbon would look great! Sew it on and add whatever embellishments you want- buttons, rhinestones, whatever!! Seriously... in 10 minutes I had a brand new cardigan that I absolutely LOVE. Now if it would cool down so I can wear it!

Here is a picture of mine... Yes, it is a really weird angle because I had to take it of myself. When I asked Jadyn to take it, I ended up with a picture of the fan. What better use for an old black shirt with a stretched out neck?! It is still a work in progress but I was too excited to wait! Oh man, I love cardigans. :)

R.C.- I'm pretty sure you love cardigans as much as I do so this is for you! MAKE ONE!! :)

Upcycle your old t-shirts!

Who doesn't have tons of old t-shirts laying around?! I have this weird thing about wearing 'outdated' shirts- you know, the playoff shirt from 2009 when it is 2011- so I have a lot of shirts taking up space. Instead of letting them pile up around your house or throwing them away, turn them into something you could really use... or take them to Goodwill! :) With these directions, you can turn your old shirts into a headband or bracelet.

What you need:
hot glue gun, scissors, old shirts... yep, that's all!


I used the directions from this fabulous blog, Make it-Love it. Instead of sewing, you can use hot glue! If you can't get the braiding with 5 strands, use 3. For some of mine, I braided with 3 strands and connected them with other colored shirts to make a headband.... but I made the headband to big so it became a cute necklace!

These are so easy to make and look super cute! I have a really hard time keeping elastic headbands on my big dome of a head, but these have just enough stretch and stay in place all day. You can also make them a little more trendy by adding a rolled fabric flower! Tutorial found here. Here is a picture of the headband I made!

I have also used duct tape and ribbon to make bracelets using this same tutorial. They are great for bracelets, but don't have enough stretch for headbands.