Charlie Tamara Piper

I'm back with another crafting project! I have a present for my little cousin and I wanted to do something special - it would be youthful for an 8 year old but also a little grown up so that she can feel extra special. I got inspired by multiple shades of purple and came up with this gift wrap design. Here's how I did it. First, I started by wrapping the box in plain lavender gift wrap paper.  The color was so fun that it inspired me to work with multiple shades of purple to create something really special and to play with a tone-on-tone design. This was my purple palette. I grabbed multiple shades of purple card stock and some glitter paper to run the full range of pinky-purples. From there, I got inspired to create a purple flower garden theme. I used this decorative punch to make a string of flower petals. I then used an adhesive dot roller and coated the very bottom of the petals and proceeded to roll the petals in a circle to make the beginning ...

I'm always on the hunt for great beauty products and when my old curly hair routine stopped giving me the best results, I knew it was time for a switch-up. I've found some new products that I'm really enjoying for making my hair look and feel great and giving my curls some extra life. Plus, some of these products are even more affordable than my old standbys! Shampoos and Conditioners I've absolutely fallen in love with Bumble and Bumble hair care! The Gentle Shampoo and Super Rich Conditioner  do such a fantastic job of cleansing my hair without stripping it of moisture and conditioning without weighing it down. Best of all, it takes a super small amount of product to get the best results, so the product becomes even more affordable. I've used these salon-sized bottles since January and I've barely used a quarter of the bottle. It's really important to use a clarifying shampoo to get product build up thoroughly out of your hair. Clarifying produ...

Skin care is super important, especially as we get older. I'll admit to committing some skin care sins when I was younger - using harsh ingredients, not washing my face after a night out, and not sticking to a regular routine are my big crimes. I definitely don't have perfect skin but I've gotten my skin in its best shape and have continued to improve on it. I've gone from oily/combination skin to experiencing the occasional dry patch or break out which means I have to switch up my skin care depending on how my skin's doing. Here are the products that have helped me the most. Makeup Removal Taking off my makeup is key - I have to pull out the impurities in order for any skin care products to truly sink in and have their best benefits. I remove my eye makeup with Philosophy's Just Release Me and my face makeup with Dior's HydraLife Oil to Milk Makeup Removing Cleanser , wiping everything off with a damp washcloth. I use Dior's cleansing wate...

I love upcycling and reusing items to fit new needs. I had this really great, sturdy glass candle jar that I wanted to turn into a glitzy makeup brush holder - and I'm so pleased with the results! Here's what you'll need: A glass candle jar Rubbing alcohol Lint-free paper towels Ruler Measuring tape Pencil Sharp crafting scissors Glitter paper Ribbon Spray adhesive Hot glue gun And here are the DIY details: I started by clearing all the wax out of the jar and used rubbing alcohol and lint-free paper towels to clean out any waxy residue and to make sure the glues would properly stick to the jar. I then used a measuring tape from my sewing kit to take measurements to cut the glitter paper and ribbon to the correct size. I added a little extra length to be sure the paper and ribbon wrapped around and could be glued down correctly. Here's the glitter paper that I cut to scale. I used my ruler and shar...

How do you surprise someone who loves pandas for their birthday? You make them a glittery panda birthday card! Here's how I made it: First, I used a bone folder to create the perfect crease on a 12 x 12-inch piece of white card stock. My plan was to size the card stock down to size and use the leftover paper to create the other shapes I needed. I then layered silver glitter paper onto the card stock. I used a spray adhesive to securely bind the card stock and glitter paper to each other - it dries very quickly and doesn't bubble up, leaving a smooth finish on each layer of paper. I placed the card stock under paperweights while the glue dried down. I then used a paper cutter to cut the card down to size and eliminate any white edges of the card stock showing through.   I used a circle cutter to cut a 4-inch white circle for the panda's face. I then cut a single 2-inch black circle which I then cut in half and two one-inch circles to create the ...

My favorite part of any night out is getting ready. I love playing with makeup and getting glam, which I normally don't do. I love how this came out! I also tried out a few new products that I instantly fell in love with, so I'll share my thoughts on them as well! Face: Guerlain Meteorites Base Perfecting Pearls : I loved using this primer! Yes, it's pricey as hell and I think it'll get relegated to special nights out, but I appreciate how it made my skin healthy and glowing. Diorskin Airflash Spray Foundation : I've long been tempted to try this foundation but always worried it would be messy since it's an aerosol can. But spray a fine mist onto your foundation brush to get over the messy fears. The foundation does remain a little tacky until set with powder, and do note that it oxidizes a bit, which my sales associate did warn me about. Still, it was a great color match (I purchased shade 400) that gave me a flawless, full coverage finish without...

Sometimes when you've got an oddly-shaped gift to give your best bet is to use a gift bag. But my inner crafter wouldn't let me simply use the complimentary shopping bag that the store gave me. I knew I could turn it into something super classy. Thanks to a friend's suggestion, I created this tuxedo-themed gift bag that was a little complicated to figure out until I got the hang of it. I completely failed on taking step-by-step pictures because I really needed to focus! But you can learn from my lessons and recreate it yourself. Here's how I did it: First, I started by visiting my old standby - Google Images - to download a tuxedo jacket pattern. Once I found one that I liked, I used it to trace out the black lapels of the jacket and layered on a white triangle to represent the shirt. From there, I started adding in some extras - I used spray mount adhesive to mount the lapels and shirt onto black card stock to round out the tuxedo jacket. I cut two ...