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A ramen hoodie
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1. Earthy Reds and Beautiful Browns
Terra-cotta, brick red, and other beautiful warm tones dominated the runway this season. All the big brands, like Balenciaga, Valentino and Versace featured garments in the family of these tones. What were once a strictly autumn and winter shades, these bold colors are here to make an impact this season. It adds a nostalgic and antique angle to the usual summery dresses and accessories.
2. Bicycle Shorts
Oh, bicycle shorts. Once something worn strictly by athletes, they are now a hot item for brands from Forever21 to Chanel. Kim Kardashian, among other huge celebs, has been photographed wearing these kinds of bottoms. They're form-fitting, often shiny, and best paired with big sweatshirts and chunky shoes. Would you wear these out in public?
3. Combat Ready Wear
This kind of style made its debut with high-waisted cargo pants and more famously, Off-White's long belt. For summer, this utility-inspired trend walked down the runway along with cropped tan tanks and strapped backpacks. It's a look Kim Possible would be proud of, and it seems that a lot of people across the globe are already adding pieces of this trend to their wardrobe.
4. Chunky Shoes
We're all familiar with Balenciaga's Triple S sneakers; they made headlines for months because of their nod to the 'dad shoe' and for their hefty price tag. But this summer, more affordable alternatives are all the rage. Brands like Fila and Reebok have amazingly chunky shoes for less than $70 a pair. They give a particular silhouette that nods back to the 90s. It's a part of my wardrobe people love to hate, but they go perfect with shorts and oversized tops.
5. Tie-Dye
The 60s are back with bright and colorful tie-dye dresses, tops and pants. The wide-legged pant has been back in style for a while and paired with a good tie-dyed crop top, you'll be at the edge of fashion this season. The best part about this trend is you can create your own pieces at home; with a little bit of water, dye from Joann Fabrics and about 24 hours, you'll have the cutest in-trend tops for summer.
Lauryn Smith
Your playlist included...
"Tik Tok" by Ke$ha, "Pretty Girl Rock" by Keri Hilson, "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars, and "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO, just to name a few.
You begged your parents for a Juicy Couture sweatsuit.
The most fashionable I'll ever be.
You traded endless amounts of Silly Bandz and thought you were extra cool when you claimed to have the "rare" ones.
Hate to break it to you, but if everyone has them, they're not rare.
Do you also remember Food Erasers?
My biggest and literally only crime ever was stealing them at a store in fifth grade—I still feel guilty about it.
Oovoo served as the best way to connect and talk to friends you were too scared to interact with in person.
VC?
You thought you were the trendiest girl layering your neon-colored Sugarlips.
Lauryn Smith
Here is me in my prime.
You either started a business in making duct tape bags or making Picnik edits for your friends.
Lauryn Smith
Early entrepreneurship at its finest.
AIM was the only way to communicate with friends.
me: hey
them: hi
me: wats up
them: nm jc jbu
me: nm
Owning a rainbow pair of Osirises were a necessity.
Lmk who let me walk out of the house wearing these.
Movie night with your BFFS consisted of watching "The Clique."
Did I invite you to my BBQ? Then why are you all up in my grill?
An "I <3 Boobies" bracelet was a must have.
At least they were for a good cause.
It was more normal to spell every word incorrectly over text than spelling it correctly.
Y dide eye tink taht tis wuz haw u shuld txt ppl?
If you didn't shop at Such A Deal, Cloz, or Tales and Toys to buy stuff for overnight camp, you were shunned.
Yes mom, please buy me all tie dye luggage and peace love camp stationery that is extremely overpriced!
Going to at least three bar or bat mitzvahs every weekend was the norm.
Lauryn Smith
Whoever you picked for your first Snowball was the stepping stone to an engagement ring.
Getting the ~coolest~ poses for pics was always the most important.
Lauryn Smith
Spicing up my Instagram feed.
Your only mission in life was to beat the "World's Hardest Game."
Yep, I'm pretty sure it was rigged.
Whoever could eat the most of these without dying wins.
My eyes are watering just thinking about it.
You either were madly in love with Justin Bieber or hated him with a burning passion... no in between.
Lauryn Smith
My dream is still to be his "One Less Lonely Girl" serenade.
Lollapalooza? More like Jingle Bash!
Ugh I wonder what the line up is gonna be this year!
You had no other option but to own a Vera Bradley lunch bag.
Still triggered by the fact that my middle school lunch supervisors would not budge over the 8 person to a table limit.
The only thing you cared about ordering when you went to Tsukasa.
Lauryn Smith
Better than just regular sprite.
Plans with friends always included recreating the "Songs in Real Life" YouTube video.
Low key anyone wanna do this now?
Your biggest struggle was deciding which friend who be tagged in each of these.
Lauryn Smith
And someone would be deeply offended if they weren't tagged as your best friend.
You competed with every overnight camp in the area to prove that yours was the best. News flash: they're all cults.
LWC, Beber, Agawak, Chippewa, Chi, Marimeta, Osrui, Birch Trail...they all suck.
The day your parents finally let you watch "Glee" was the best of your life.
Lauryn Smith
And Finn Hudson will always have your heart.
Although these may give you awful flashbacks to an awkward, cringey, embarrassing time of your life, there is no doubt that it would be nice to go back for a hot sec. Hopefully I can save my children from the pain and misery I went through because I am unclear as to why my parents approved. Middle school may have been rough, but it shaped you into who you are today and you gotta be thankful for that.
Now, I have been running tie-dye events for a few years now (which is able to lead others in it is arguably better than actually doing it yourself), but it was just recently that I learned how need the activity is.
Wikipedia says that even though shibori and batik techniques were used occasionally in Western fashion before the 1960s, the modern "psychedelic" tie-dying that we're familiar with now didn't become a fad until the late 1960s following the example set by rock stars such as Janis Joplin and John Sebastian. I for one knew that it was popular in the 60s, but not that it was essentially created then!
With nearly 60 years of tie-dying, we have seen some changes happen that enable us to really go wild without dying. Below I'll show examples of seven really fun and simple tie-dye techniques that you can use the next time too!
1. Spiral.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
My personal favorite, the classic spiral is easy and can be done pretty fast if you get some practice twisting in! Just be sure to keep the twist tight!
2. Double Spiral.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
A slight variation on the classic, I enjoy this one nearly as much. Just be sure to really saturate the shirt with dye!
3. Bullseye.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
Lots of people do this with a wide range of colors, but I have always thought it looked neat just alternating between two colors.
4. Stripes.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
Although not shown, making them diagonal is probably the coolest way to do this one.
5. Rainbow.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
Alright, not gonna lie, this is probably the hardest version our of the ones I've picked here. Take your time when folding it, that's the key...
6. Pokadots.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
Like the rainbow, this one takes time, but like the bullseye, it's extremely easy!
7. Donuts.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/weavingmajor/5003067434
Alright, this design might edge out the spiral for my favorite. Heck, you can even twist the knobs that make up the donuts to create a bunch of little mini-sprials. It's the best of both worlds.
1. Tie Dye
This activity can be a little messy so it's always good to have some gloves on hand before you start. All you need is the dye, whatever you're dyeing, and some rubber bands to make designs!
2. Friendship Bracelets
I did these with my kids last week and they loved them! You can also add beads into the mix to add to the creativity.
3. Milk Carton Bird Feeder
You can decorate your bird feeder with anything you want but this set of directions has you use mod podge and tissue paper!
4. Pasta Necklaces
These necklaces can be made with any pasta that has a hole in the middle. The kids can also use their imaginations more and paint and decorate the pasta.
5. Paper Plate Tambourines
All you need for this simple craft are paper plates, beans, a stapler, and whatever you're going to use to decorate your tambourines. Just make sure you don't spill the beans!
6. Ice Cream In A Bag
This craft might be great so summer camps but it would be perfect to do at home! You just need some heavy cream, ice, rock salt, and strong muscles to shake the cream into ice cream!
7. Stained Glass Bottles
This is another mod podge activity and all you need is mod podge, tissue paper, and some glass jar/bottle/vase!
8. Paper Bag Puppets
These are super fun and give the kiddos lots of room for creativity and imagination.
10. Craft Stick Airplane
Just make sure you leave enough time for the glue to dry before you start playing with them!
11. Clothespin Caterpillars
Who doesn't like crafts with googly eyes on them?
With a solid list like this one to get you started, you can expect to see a lot of rad crafts made by your creative kids!
