How To: Pearl Headband

Hello all! So it's been a while since I've done one of these. But I was just checking my blog stats and it appears that you all like my How To's best of everything on the site! Thanks a lot to all of you who have read so far; hopefully I will be able to tame your crafty appetites will all the little tutorials I have planned.

I LOVE making headbands, namely because they are really easy, cheap and can lift an entire outfit if you match them right. I've never really been one for these massive floral garlands (they make my head look huge) but I did notice a key trend at the festivals this summer for the embellished jewel headband. Whether they be adorned with gems, cat ears or spikes, a bit of hair accessorising clearly never hurt nobody.

If you fancy something a little more ladylike, understated and suitable for day to day wear, have a go at my pearl headband tutorial.

You Will Need

• Plain headband (I bought two of these simple black plastic and elastic ones from Primark for 50p, although any plain headband or Alice band would work)
• Pearl beads (Mine came off some old pearl bracelets I had lying around, although you should be able to pick some loose ones up from a haberdashery or market stall)
• Scissors
• Elastic Cord (thin enough to thread through the beads but thick enough to stay strong)
• Needle and Thread

1)Assemble your materials and de-string your pearls, making sure you have enough for the length of the headband

2)Thread the pearls onto your elastic cord and know at either end

3)Knot the cord through the hole at the end of your hairband, or if using a more solid headband, stitch or fabric glue it into place

4)Copy on the other end. You should now have what looks like two headbands tied together.

5)Using a thread in a subtle colour, do a few loop stitches at intervals along the headband to keep the pearl layer in place

6)Snip any loose threads and voila!

How to: Summer Hair Bow/Head Scarf

Hello! Bit hot isn't it? With summer well and truly kicking and the cafe I work in closed for summer, I have found myself with a lot of crafty time on my hands but not a lot of money. Henceforth, lots of cheap tutorials! This one was inspired by my favourite dress, a forest green button down tea frock that I bought last summer at Leeds festival. drawn to its beautiful print, it was waaaay too long for me so i lopped it off at the knee and kept the spare fabric in a box... until now! inspired by the whole two piece matchy trend I've spotted a lot of people sporting recently, and of course, my love of retro fashion, I thought I'd try my hand at showing you all how to make an easy hair band/hair scarf that takes hardly any time to make.

You Will Need:

• Fabric - check it goes round your head with some left over to make the bow. Exact measurements are pointless - everyone's head size is different You can use whatever thickness you like - I normally find 3 inches gives you versatility to go for an alice band style if you fold it over, or a more traditional 50's housewife vibe if you don't. The fun is in the experimentation!
• Pins
• Needle and Thread (or sewing machine)
• Scissors

1)gather your materials - check that your thread is the nearest matching colour you have to your fabric
Iron out fabric and fold into preferred thickness
2)turn fabric inside out, pin edges for a neat finish
3)use tacking stitches to secure into place
4)sew edges together and sew one end up
5)turn inside out and sew, sew the end up
6)tie round head and voila!

What do you think? ignore my frizzy hair, this heat is playing havoc with it and it is badly in need of a good relaxer!

Pretty cute eh? you can experiment with all sorts of thicknesses or even add bead embellishments or embroidered patterns, even better if you can match them to a dress or top. They're great for tucking your hair up in a rush, or if you're like me, hiding your frizzy roots! For a better example, see here for the one I wore (with matching dress) when I interviewed Alt J in Leeds )also a cheeky plug for my other music blog, safetyinsound.com)