Whether it’s in the bathtub or at the beach or the pool, children love to play in the water. This hooded towel is easy enough for a beginning seamstress and should take less than an hour to make.

Materials Needed:

• Bath towel or beach towel
• Hand towel in a coordinating color
• Sewing machine and thread
• (Optional) Ribbon, bias tape, paint, appliques, etc. for embellishing and personalizing

Before You Begin:

If you’re making a towel for a toddler or preschooler, measure your child (this is less important for taller kids). Measure from the top of the shoulders to just above the ankles. Your towel will be folded in half when your child “wears” it so divide the length of the towel by two and make sure it’s not too long.

Most bath towels are 54” long and most beach towels are 60” long. If necessary, hem one or both ends of …

Out from the gloomy cloud that is the financial crisis has emerged a bright new way of thinking. Purse strings may be tight and stomachs knotted in anticipation of the precarious next paycheque, but women across the world are determined not to let the stormy climate get them down. And what better way to lift the spirit than a brand new dress or a pair of shoes?

Well, perhaps not brand new. After all, we can’t shut our eyes and pretend the world hasn’t descended into an economic nightmare. Women across the globe have discovered ‘Swishing‘ – an event that calls upon women of all ages to bring items from their wardrobe they don’t wear anymore, and swap those items for something else. It’s the guilt-free answer to updating your look.

Look Good and Look After the Environment

Not only is it bank account friendly, Swishing has environmental …

Whether it’s a Parisienne-inspired wardrobe, 1940s elegance, serious shoulders, sparkly sequins, country classic tweed and houndstooth checks, this fall’s offes soemthing for every age group. Designers have a number of decades covered from the forties to the eighties, along with traditional men’s fabrics, given a feminine twist.

Country Classic Trend

Country classic meets-contemporary with this season’s oversized graphic houndstooth checks and the perennial fashion favorite tweeds and plaid. Traditional men’s fabrics are back, representing a country classic look, but they have been reworked and into sexy cuts (shift dresses, sleeveless jackets and quirky suits) and feminine accessories.

Alexander McQueen is key in representing the most theatrical elements of this trend with outrageously-styles houndstooth skirt suit. Vivienne Westwood, Michael Kors, Moschino, DKNY, Karl Lagerfeld and Burberry embrace this trend whilst John Rocha weaves some classic fabrics into luxe, quirky pieces. Find salt-and-pepper-gray marl too, providing a more urban look, in tailored …

Kids often want to personalize their clothing and accessories, but that doesn’t have to mean covering T-shirts with puff paint. There are other creative ways to combine crafts and personal style that will satisfy children and adults. Most of the following ideas will appeal to girls, but that doesn’t mean that the boys can’t help out!

Note: These projects need parental supervision, especially with the use of a glue gun.

Headbands

What You Need:

Plain fabric headband

Sequins or glitter

Beads

Faux jewels

Ribbons

Glue gun

What To Do:

Have each child choose a plain-colored headband. Allow them to create any design using the above embellishments. The parent can them help the child affix the items to the headband using a hot glue gun.

Keep in mind to put most of the embellishments near the top of the headband and less at the bottom sides that go behind the …