How Do I Love Thee Craft Projects, Let Me Count They Ways

                                                               Park

I love lists.  Top ten movies, to do's, reasons to give high fives (I'm with Barney of HIMYM, consolation fives should be a thing).  However, there is no list I like better then a list of different cool things you can do with a simple object.

The focus of today's links are folks that are not so much crafters, but magicians, transforming things in front of your eyes into things you never even dreamed of.  Well, maybe you dreamed of it, maybe you have very crafty dreams.  But still, these folks are impressive.

Oh and there's some cute Valentine's day ideas and life hacks thrown in, because I think you're swell.

35 ways to wear a scarf.  I may never wear a shirt as a shirt again. (Knot Just a Scarf)

D.I.Y! Y? Because we want to!

                                                               Park

So here's something you might not know about me. I heart crafts.  I like psychotically love crafts.  I'm one of those obnoxious people that looks at stuff in trendy stores, rolls my eyes and says "I could make that myself".

I know, it's super gross.  But, if you're completely honest, don't you secretly want to scoff at things in Urban Outfitters too?  Thought so!

Well welcome to an ALL DIY LINKS! Time to make your friends jealous and/or make people a bunch of gifts that they will graciously pretend they like because you made it so they have to (oh the power we DIY'ers have)

Let's start this off with a woman who is my personal style hero: Paloma Faith! Faith's music is amazing and her style is so balls to the wall bizarre that I've wrecked many a glue gun trying to make my own versions. (What Renee Made)

Are You Making Your Lists and Checking Them Twice?

MelBivDevoe

Is There a S.P.E.W. for North Pole Elves?

Today marks exactly two weeks until Christmas Eve!  Are you surviving the crowds and whittling down that list?  Here's an idea for your Lego-lovin', Whedon-worshipping friends.  (io9)

If you're trying to find the perfect presents for your foodie friends, Food & Wine has you covered.  Love the mason jar shaker!  (Food & Wine)

Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand is considering gifting the world with her plans to cast Lady Gaga in her  upcoming film production of "Gypsy."  I just want to know if Babs is going to play mama Rose.  That'd be a hell of a double bill!  (AV Club)  (h/t Case)

Just a Figment of My Imagination

MelBivDevoe

The latest casting news for the all-female version of "The Expendables" is pretty darn good, y'all.  When I think of kickass ladies, this actress definitely comes to mind.  (The Mary Sue)

First, there was "Dancing With the Stars."  Then came "Skating With the Stars."  Now, ABC is bringing us "Celebrity Splash, " aka "Diving With the Stars."  Maybe it's just me, but that honestly sounds terrible.  (Hollywood Reporter)

Dixie Tries It: Make Your Own Toner

Dixie

Toner can be a contentious subject in the beauty world. Some aestheticians and dermatologists swear by it; others assert that it is unnecessary. However, despite what the latest studies claim, you know your skin best and only you know what works for it. Knowing what works for your skin is a great thing. It's one less worry while getting ready for work, school, or play. What's not so cool is that sometimes, a good toner can be expensive. Fortunately for those of us watching our pennies, which in this economic climate is roughly everyone, toner is easy to make.

Elementary, Dear Blue!

MelBivDevoe

Trying to figure out how to convince your friend/loved one/coworker to watch your favorite show?  Maybe this guide can help.  (Pleated Jeans)

Look, I'm proud of being a woman and I celebrate the beauty of my ladybits and all that, but this t-shirt is just weird.  It's WEIRD.  (Bridgette Raes)

Here's a fun DIY project that can bring some color to your walls - a paint chip calendar!  (Maple & Magnolia)

I thought finding a pregnancy test for sale at the dollar store was odd, but this is even stranger.  Would you take a pregnancy test from a vending machine at a bar??  (The Mary Sue)

Joo Heng Tan makes incredible sand sculptures that must be seen to be believed.  (HuffPo)

It's a Hump Day Hot Links Celebration!

MelBivDevoe

Hot Ink is one year old today!  And we owe our success to you, our wonderful readers.  So to thank you, today's links will be some of our best pieces!  Below, you'll find some of our favorite reviews, opinion pieces, DIY projects, rants, and, of course, your favorite Hump Day lists!  Thanks for sticking with us for the last year, and we hope you'll still be here when we celebrate our next birthday!

And no, that image of James Marsden has nothing to do with anything.  I just like a handsome man in a well-tailored suit.  

Let's start things off with Rusty's excellent "Every Body is a Bikini Body." 

Kolby gets real about ladyscaping in her "Save the Labia! Gillette Venus Bikini Trimmer" review. 

Pinky lets loose on feminine care packaging in "Always Tampax Radiant: There Will Be Blood." 

I'd be remiss if I didn't include Figgy's classic "U by Kotex: A Review And A Rant.  A Rantview."  We take our feminine products seriously around here!

Dogs Get Shamed, Paintings Get Maimed, Christopher Lee? Well, He Continues To Be Amazing

                                                               Park                          

Its getting to the end of summer and I could do with some of that time travelling I've been promised.  Get it together scientists!  Oh, wait, is science fiction not actually written by scientists?  Sigh...fine, I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with cool/weird stuff from the internet

Did you think every meme idea was taken and/or boring?  Well let me heal your internet silliness ennui with the brilliant new meme of Dogshaming (Dogshaming Archive)

Here's an animal that should never be shamed: a cat performing the Game of Thrones theme (Gorilla Mask) 

Photos that show definitively that the world used to be insane and/or how criminals all used to look like Batman villains (Cracked)

Dixie Tries It: Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

Dixie

Immediately after my daughter was born, hand sanitizer became my best friend. An alcohol-based sanitizer is a wonderful thing, it kills all the germs without leaving an icky residue or creating bacterial resistance like sanitizers based on triclosan or benzalkonium chloride. The downfall of commercial alcohol-based hand sanitizer? It dries your hands out, sometimes to the point of cracked skin.


Once again, mom to the rescue. A couple months after becoming BFFs with hand sanitizer, my mom sent me a recipe for making your own hand sanitizer. To be honest, I have no idea where the recipe came from so I am unable to give credit to anyone other than my mom. (So, if anyone knows, leave it in the comments!) The recipe is very simple, so simple in fact that I have it memorized. To make it you will need the following:

"Baby Got Back" Should Be the Official Hump Day Anthem, Right?

MelBivDevoe

When this student turned to Yahoo! Answers to help him blow off a school reading assignment, there's no way he expected a reprimand from the author of the book he was avoiding.  This was one of the rare instances where Yahoo! Answers was actually useful.  (MSNBC)

Would you consider sleeping in a separate bed from your partner if it meant you'd get a better night's sleep?  Me, I'm a cuddler, but I bet my husband would love a bed of his own.  It's difficult to sleep when your partner tosses and turns all night!  I pity those who have to deal with snorers, too.  (Salon)

Pinky Tries It: Natural Weed Killer

Pinky McLadybits

I have two flower beds at the back of the house that I had hoped to make beautiful. That dream died fairly quickly as I learned that one person cannot hope to overcome the rocky soil in our town and be exceedingly lazy at the same time. I tried my (lazy) hardest. I put in lilies and hosta, lamb's ear and creeping vines, but nothing could save the flower beds from the asshole weeds that now reside there. I would weed for hours and still there would be some bastard weed three feet tall within a week. 

Since we have two dogs, I decided that spraying Round Up or using fire to kill the weeds was probably a poor choice. They would eat the Round Up-laced weeds and sacrifice a squirrel in the fire, I just knew it. They're fucking crazy like that, Wallace and Zero.

I decided to ask the Google just how I could kill these weeds without leading my dogs into a life of huffing paint and joining Scientology. I came upon the blog Full Of Great Ideas and their recipe for a Natural Weed Killer. Like the author, I had all of the needed items on hand and I was ready to spray those dickweeds (HA! I CRACK ME UP!) into Hell.

A List Of Awesome Things (That Have Nothing To Do With Sexy Dudes)

I understand the pageviews for the sexy dude lists, I do. I mean, that's why we starting having them in the first place. But when you have a bunch of writers that are taking the time to craft thoughtful, entertaining, and honest product reviews only to have them buried by Chris Hemsworth's mighty visage? It hurts a gal's feelings sometimes, is all. So we have gathered for you some of the reviews you might not be aware of on this site. Please read them and comment on them to make us feel validated and worthwhile, mmmkay?

Crafty Ink: DIY Comic Book Shoes!

MelBivDevoe

My very own X-Men shoes!

A few weeks ago, I posted a link to some absolutely amazing comic book shoes that some enterprising tumblrer had decoupaged.  Now, I tend to collect do-it-yourself projects.  I have dozens and dozens of links bookmarked in the hopes that one day, I'll have the time (and money) to build my own bookcase or make my own tea towels, for example.  But these shoes were different.  I wanted them - no, I needed them.

So I did some research, estimated a cost for supplies, and set aside a weekend to work.  It only took me about $25 and one day to make my own, shown in this photo.  Would you like to learn how to make your own pair?  Then read on after the jump for instructions!

Dixie Tries It: Make Your Own Toothpaste

Dixie

What the hell is irium?

So, I mentioned I'm secret hippie, right? Come with me down the hippie rabbit hole, we're going to talk about making your own toothpaste. It's surprisingly easy and nothing at all like brushing your teeth with a poultice of patchouli and kale, like you would it think might be.

Buying toothpaste kind of sucks. It's expensive, no one tells you the difference between extreme whitening or 3D whitening, and you never know if it's going to one day peel the inside of your mouth off. Standard toothpastes have the unfortunate tendency to scrub away parts of my flesh and natural (or "natural", depending on the brand) don't clean my teeth worth a damn. Seriously, if you buy the Tom's of Maine SLS-free toothpaste, you might as well take lessons from Jessica Simpson and rub your teeth with your sleeve. And some of the ingredients of other brands...I'm not sure how the hell tea tree or myrrh are supposed to clean my teeth. But, I digress. Anyway, so I figured I had nothing to lose when my mom sent me a recipe for homemade remineralizing toothpaste from Everyday Paleo. It could not possibly be any worse than that Tom's SLS-free crap.

Pinky Tries It: Color-Block Nails

Pinky McLadybits

I mentioned the trend of color-block nails in Hot Links the other day. My current manicure was chipping off quite a bit and it was time for something new. I decided to give this color-black a try.

You will need different polish colors. Make sure that they are not just glitter polish, as I learned the hard way. They must be opaque. At least, I think they look better that way.

You will also need scotch tape, scissors, quick-dry drops or top coat, and time. You will need to prep your nails with a base coat and allow it to dry thoroughly. Then you are ready to start.

Lip Science for Kids That Pwns Big People Products!

Replica 

Kiss Naturals DIY Lip Balm making kit for kids is one of the best things I ever bought my highly impressionable wanna-be fashionista daughter, age 6, name of Smasha. (or something similar)

I've mentioned before that I'm from a pretty ultra-hippy place and the culture here is VERY likely to result in a few pointed questions about the Barbie Brand glitter makeup smeared all over your kid's face: "Is that...organic?" "How did you find something so...um...colorful with natural dyes?"

That's when you have to admit that you, by default, like to load up your darling child with deadly toxins on purpose because of course you don't care. And are bad.

Yay! It's....Wednesday. Nevermind.

 Kolby

There, there.  The work week is sort of almost nearly over.  Today's links are sure to help you power through.  Enjoy, lovelies.

Nevada just became the first state to authorize driverless vehicles.  This is good new for Vegas gamblers - it's dangerous to drive when you're broke and sobbing.  (MSNBC Bottomline)

In case you're wondering if you've got enough to worry about as a woman, the answer is no.  Go ahead and add painless heart attacks to that list.  (The Age)

Well, this is excellent news for you soon-to-be new car buyers out there.  Unless driving a lemon is your thing.(AP)

Thursday - The Day After The Day Revenge Is On

Kolby

Did you watch Revenge last night?  So many tuxedos, so much bitchface.  It was bloody fantastic.  All I've got to say is long live Joshie - yes, we're that close - Bowman.  Link time!

Ooooh, that new car smell is to die for (sometimes literally)!  (BottomLine)

So, you've never seen the original Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope, in case my geek cred was questioned)?  Well, you can either watch the movie, or get the gist of it with this cool inforgraphic.  (io9)

Wednesdays Are For The Dogs. Sorry.

Kolby

Well, a good day to you all!  I hope you're having a halfway decent week.  Onto the links!

A horribly ugly Pekingnese was named Best In Show at Westminster last night.  Seriously, those dogs are scary.  (ESPN)

Well, okay, dying your old white Macbook is one do-it-yourself project I don't recommend trying, but I'm linking to it anyway, just in case following advice ain't your bag.  (BrainDeadLock Labs)

Hey, maybe it's the background that makes all those formal prom photos look so awkward.  Then again, maybe not.  (imgur)

Happy Day Before Valentine's Day. Here, Have Some Jamie Dornan. That's Better!

Kolby

Well, it's Monday AND the day before Valentine's Day.  Say it with me:  Double UGH.  If you're looking to today's Hot Links to help you escape from tomorrow's onslaught of luv, I'll just apologize now, before your disgust sets in.  Enjoy?

It's kind of adorable when young people agonize over what to do for Valentine's Day.  Rookies.  (xkcd)

Like Pinterest?  Love porn?  Well, then have I got the website for you (you piggy).  (Business Insider)

These tragic love stories would give Nicholas Sparks a run for his millions.  And they're all true.  (Live Science)

I was halfway through this story on the stigma attached to postcoital contraception before I realized it was written in 1993.  What does that say about our society's views on the reproductive health of women, and how far it hasn't come in the last twenty years? (The New York Times)