We know we sound like a broken record, but DIY hair color is a risky proposition. It seems simple when you read the package, but in real life people leave chemicals on for too long, pick the wrong color or mix processes that should always, always be separate, like bleach over henna'd hair.

If it's at all possible, we recommend -- STRONGLY, yes, we're yelling -- that you go to a pro to get your hair dyed. This goes double if you make a mistake coloring your hair yourself. Do not try to fix it at home, get help!

We practice what we preach and see our colorist regularly. In fact, it was under the dryer at our hair salon last week that we read about the latest home craziness: Color Oops Home Color Remover.

This week over at Stylelist they have some advice from the pros for at home hair coloring. We acknowledge that going to the salon can get pricey, and if you must do your color at home these are good guidelines to follow. But we must warn you: please use caution and restraint on the slippery slope of do-it-yourself.

We're talking about the scourge of Sun In.

We've known girls who had a natural talent for painting their nails. They could do left and right hands and feet with equal ease -- a French manicure was no challenge for them. And they never ended up with nail polish all over their digits.

We were not so lucky.

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Betsi Goutal, a jewelry artist who creates colorful treasures to delight your inner child. You can find her wonderfully kooky creations at Zlanarama.

Kentucky Derby fashion is most excellent, escpecially the hats. They are truly the definition of fabulous, and they just wouldn't do anywhere else.

However, not everyone can afford to spend $100 or more on a hat that might not be worn more than once, especially if it's just for a party and not for the Derby itself. In that case, you might want to create your own hat.

I'll be honest with you -- I have seriously botched my hair color with at-home products. I've turned it green and I've turned it brassy gold, and I've definitely learned that hair color is something to leave to the pros. Most of the time.

With summer coming up, many of you will be heading to the salon to get some highlights, and chances are it won't be cheap. Personally, I love the look of subtle highlights, but I'm not into roots, and I hate having to spend $140 every six weeks. And so, I've found a great solution -- Clairol Natural Instincts semi-permanent hair color.

Natural Instincts has loads of shades and it's easy to find the right one for you -- their Find Your Shade function is excellent. It actually gave me the exact three colors I switch between (Amber Shimmer, Toasted Almond, and Navajo Bronze, depending on time of year and how light my highlights are). What makes this product even better is that it smells great, cleans up easily, only takes 10 minutes, and leaves my hair feeling really soft.

Of course, if you're preparing for an event and your hair has to be just right, see a professional or at least try the product out months beforehand to make sure you'll get the result you want. In my experience, though, Natural Instincts is a huge time saver, and, at under $10 a box, it's a big money saver, too!

Do you have an trick to extend time between visits to the salon? Do tell!

The spring issue of N.E.E.T. Magazine just came out over the weekend, and as usual, it does not disappoint. This online-only magazine is the brainchild of Stephanie J, a freelance web designer based in the UK who created the mag as a way to spotlight her top picks in grassroots fashion and creativity.

N.E.E.T. is free, published quarterly, and packed full of the best in independent designers, vintage online shopping, and fashion photography and illustration by up and coming artists from around the globe. The March 2008 issue has a great spotlight on some European fashion bloggers plus a few killer photographic spreads. There's a DIY tutorial for making an adorable applique pillow, plus you can find out how many vintage stores get those amazing antique goods. The cool thing about N.E.E.T. is that as you're browsing the magazine, you can click on the website addresses for featured shops and advertisers and be taken directly to their websites. (Links will open in a new window, so you don't lose your place while you're reading the mag.)

A review in Venus Magazine likened N.E.E.T. to "NYLON's funkier, thrift-store chic little sister". I think that's a pretty apt description. Check out the current issue here or browse back issues.

So you've always wanted to wear the hottest runway looks but don't want to break the bank to do so? Maybe you've got the itch to just do it yourself? Well, my awesome friends over at Threadbanger are here to help you out. Their weekly video podcast is full of great tips and tutorials on DIY fashion, as well as the scoop on plenty of underground independent designers.

In the most recent episode, they travel to New York Fashion Week and chat with Malan Breton of Project Runway season 3 fame, check out a fashion show by punk rock indie design house New York Couture, and finally give you a video tutorial on how to make a fabulous ruffle collar, based on one seen in James Coviello's Fall 2008 collection. There's also a tutorial on their blog, if you're not into video. It's a really simple sewing project, and the result is amazing! Who said you need to spend thousands of dollars to get an fresh-from-the-runway look?

Is that a $3,000 designer gown, or a few trash bags held together by tape and staples?

That's the question Louise Roe, a TV presenter for Vogue, was hoping everyone would be asking at Milan Fashion Week -- after she arrived in an outfit created entirely from refuse receptacles.

It was a challenge from her editor, inspired by the recent trend of designers creating absurdly expensive pieces -- like $100,00 bags and $80,000 dresses -- as they attempt to distance themselves from the cheaply-made, disposable fashion you find at discount retailers like H&M and Target.

And apparently it worked. After stapling herself into the "surprisingly comfortable" BLD (bin liner dress), Roe showed up at the first fashion show of the day, and was immediately pounced on by paparazzi, who all wanted to shoot her new look. When journalists started asking where she'd bought the dress, Roe knew her experiment had been a success.

Think you could pull off wearing a trash bag on your next night out? Scroll to the bottom of this Daily Mail article to find instructions on how you can create your own.

Injustice comes in many forms, even fashionable ones. Here's what I mean: you get a cool t-shirt, but when you put it on, you look like you're wearing a potato sack. Lousy, isn't it?

Luckily, crafty hipsters have figured out a way to deal with this problem. Online you can find dozens of options for t-shirt refashions that range from super easy to impossible difficult.

My favorite DIY remake is a shirt resizing pattern that comes from the website whatthecraft.com. Even if you're not much of a sewer, you can still pull off this easy alteration. Here are the three basic steps:

1. Turn your big t-shirt inside out.
2. Place a t-shirt that fits on top of the larger one, and align their collars.
3. Pin and cut around the outline of the smaller shirt.
4. Sew where you have pinned, but be sure to leave the armholes and bottom open.
5. Hem the armholes and the bottom of the shirt.
6. Turn the shirt right side out and voila! You have a new zesty girl shirt.

Looking for a way to keep your wedding cheap but still totally original? You might be able to save yourself a major expense by making your own dress...from toilet paper.

I know -- it sounds awful -- but check out these photos. The women featured in them created wedding dresses made completely of toilet paper, tape and glue. All of the dresses are surprisingly beautiful -- complete with origami roses, pleats and weaves.

If this is something you'd like to try, be sure to enter your design in the annual contest held by cheap-chic-weddings.com. The winner gets a $500 prize, and there's smaller prizes for runner-ups. Not too shabby for something you made for less than $20 in TP and masking tape.

[via Origami Resource Center]

With Fall just around the corner, it's time for the kids and the university students to get ready to go back to school. I remember when I was in middle school, buying a new backpack was always an ordeal because I desperately needed something cool and unique but didn't want to step so way out of bounds that I got teased excessively.

TokiDoki for LeSportsac: I had a TokiDoki bag for a while, until I realized that it was too cute for me. The loud, bright, cartoony patterns didn't fit in with the rest of my surly wardrobe, so I had to chuck it. However, I understand that the Kidrobot/designer toys look is still very popular these days and this TokiDoki stuff is still in high demand. The line offers some backpacks, which are naturally suitable for back-to-school time, but the messenger bags may also work. These bags are a little more expensive than the normal high-schoolers' gear, costing about six times that amount, but it's another symbol of status, isn't it? If you -- or your kid -- are into that sort of thing, go for TokiDoki.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I hate going into Urban Outfitters, or Diesel, or wherever, and seeing $250 jeans that already have holes in them. Don't get me wrong -- I agree that frayed edges and small holes in a well-fitted pair of jeans look fantastic. But I'd much rather pay $50 for the same pair of jeans, and make the "fashionable" holes by myself.

However, this is a little risky. If you launch into your favorite pair of jeans with nothing but scissors and your imagination, chances are it won't look "vintage" at all, but more like you cut some random holes in your pants.

Fortunately, the good people at Threadbanger.com have created the above video, which shows you how to get the vintage look just right -- without spending tons of money. Their secret? Dark coffee, sandpaper, and a cheese grater. Simple!

[via Damn I Like That]

I think I have about six messenger bags and only one "proper" purse. I have one bag in particular that I really love: my big, bright orange Lacoste messenger because it's just large enough to carry my travel sketchbook, my laptop, my iPod, and all other bits and bobs of my everyday life. Sometimes, however, even my largest messenger bag isn't enough to hold one of my bigger sketchbooks and I wish I had an easy (and cheap) way of making my own bag.

MAKE's video podcasts have always been a great source of easy, geeky "Weekend Projects," like making tiny solar-powered bots or your own one-speed bike. I know, I know; it's probably not very appealing to the fashion-savvy, but the most recent video podcast really interested me because of my aforementioned messenger bag problem. Using simple kitchen trash bags or plastic grocery bags, some wax paper, an iron, and a sewing machine, you can make a full-on messenger bag. It's a fashionable way to recycle and, since the materials are damn near free, experimenting with different methods or styles won't be a problem. I'm excited to get started on mine.

Continue after the jump to watch the video tutorial!

If you're anything like me, you like to play around with various DIY methods to customize clothing. I usually don't go much further than printing on a shirt or age-ing old jeans with a cheese grater, but some of you might enjoy going all the way and even make the clothing from scratch. The Blue Blog has posted this great pattern for a simple knitted t-shirt. It sounds like the perfect summer t-shirt, flattering, but loose and air-y. I'm tempted to learn how to knit just to make this thing...

[via Craftzine]