Criss Cross Applesauce: DIY Fancy Tee

First of all. Don't freak out. Don't run away. You're still in the realm of the llama. Yes, we're doing a fashion DIY today.

I originally saw this on a facebook video. (I think one other DIY was thanks to facebook as well!) It was just a minute long video, so I had to watch and rewatch about 50 times before I felt comfortable enough to even try this for the blog! (Emily, #fortheblog). I lucked out last Friday and my step sister wanted to help out, so we totally practiced on one of her shirts before I attempted one of mine. Full disclosure: I did two of my shirts.

What You'll Need:

• A Shirt you won't hate that you totally ruin if you mess up (hey, all honesty, it could happen!) But it also needs to be a shirt you would want to wear more often than not! I suggest a plain, but cute Tee. 
• Sharp scissors
• Needle 
• Thread (preferably to match your shirt, but hey, get adventurous. Why not?)

What To Do:

• Fold your shirt in half in the back ONLY. We're not cutting through the whole shirt here, y'all. Just fold the shirt in half in the BACK. 
• Cut into the back of the shirt. Your incisions will need to be at least half an inch but up to two inches into the shirt. The smaller your cuts, the smaller the width of the "box" on your back will be. 

• The closer the cuts, the smaller the bars you will have across your back. So the distance between your cuts depends on how you want yours to look. I made mine pretty close together. 
• Start About where your shoulder blades would be on the shirt and cut down as far as you will like. (If you don't want to sew much, don't go too far down!) 
• Unfold the shirt. 
• Intertwine your fingers (using both hands) and GENTLY stretch out your cuts to thin out the "bars"

Now here's the tricky part:

1. Take the top "bar" (I don't know what else to call it!) Overlap it with the one immediate next to it. Grab the next "bar". 
2. Sew these together in the middle. Just enough thread to where they don't pull apart. 
3. Do this until you're done! 

Basically, the bar you grab will always overlap the one next to it. You're sewing every other bar together to get the criss cross appearance.

Once you get to the bottom, that's it. You're done! Now you have a really fancy looking tee, that in stores could have cost big bucks!

I want to hear from you! Would you try this shirt? Do you love this look? Tell me in the comments!

I Am NOT a Fashion Blogger || Guest Post

Y'all! You're in for a treat today! My last Daddy Llama In post sponsor, Kendra from Kenji is here is taking over the Llama for today! If you don't know Kendra, then you're really missing out! So without further adue... take it away, Kenji! 
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One day as I was trying to take new profile pictures I decided I would look on Pinterest on how to pose like a fashion blogger. I thought I was so slick and so good at this, I mean how hard could it be right? WRONG. I came to terms that day that I will never and I mean NEVER be a fashion blogger. My name is Kenji from Kenji is Here and I've narrowed it down to the top 5 reasons I am not a fashion blogger; but honestly there are so many more.

ONE// Let's just get the blatantly obvious one out of the way... I have no style. I like to wear yoga pants and t-shirts and sometimes tank tops. I think two different patterns belong together sometimes and I think odd colors can match. Basically, when all else fails I stick with black pants and a shirt because everything, but brown, matches black. Once in awhile, after some suggestions from Pinterest, I can pull together a good outfit but besides that...don't come to me for fashion advice.

TWO// I can't take pictures for nothing! I'm awful in front of a camera. I have to take 12 pictures before I'm evenly moderately okay with one picture. I look at fashion bloggers and think, oh sure I could do that, then I try, and then I fail...miserably. I don't get how to pose and with all the Pinterest tutorials I still can't figure it out.

THREE// Let's be real here, I am not a size 2,4,6,8 or anything close to that. I am not blind and I do know plus size models are out there but I also know that there are not many. It's not easy being super stylish as a plus size person; less clothes options and the clothes always look different on a plus size woman. I don't have the time or motivation to try that hard to be fashionable..just being honest. 

FOUR// I don't have a wardrobe worth talking about. My wardrobe consists of way too many yoga pants (Which isn't really a thing) t-shirts, tank tops, and a few dresses to wear to work. I don't have fun things to mix and wear different times of days. I don't have crave worthy pants and I own about 2 purses. Is it just me or do fashion bloggers own 30249 purses and clothes for every outfit!? I hate changing from one purse to another. Oh the struggle is real

FIVE// I have not ONE beauty or fashion secret. NOT ONE. I know nothing about fashion, my friends. I always go to fashion bloggers for tips on how to dress better and easy ways to make simple things fashionable and I just don't know how. I only slightly know how because of blogs I've read. What I know is not authentic, it is because I learned it from a fashion blogger. I would have no material.

Basically what I am saying is, be happy I don't blog about fashion because it'd be scary I tell you. It would be a boring blog with no traffic but quite funny pictures. I hope you are all glad I'm a lifestyle blogger and never venture into fashion blogging. Not saying anything is wrong with it just not for me. 
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How awesome is she, y'all? Seriously. And I'm NOT a fashion blogger either, so I feel like I'm in great company. 

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