Be Fashionable on A Budget: How-to Jazz-Up Your Shirts for Cheap!

Sick to death of your clothes but just don't have the cash to throw at a new wardrobe? Hey, you're not alone! With the economy poised to take a dip, lots of parents are tightening their purse strings and jobs at the mall are getting harder to find. What's a girl to do? Get creative!

That's what TEEN intern, Julia, did. She was super-tired of her worn out looks and super-low on dough so she decided to quit moping and do something about it!

She took a bunch of old shirts, and spent a few bucks on safety pins, rhinestones, beads and wire at a craft shop. Before she knew it she had a few new pieces in her drawer and felt really great about her creations.

Want to try? Here's how:

METHOD:

CUT IT

Cut away the sleeves of your shirt, following the seams, randomly make slashes in the shirt or maybe cut a sleeve off in a couple of places above the wrist. Go with your gut. There are no rules!

PIN IT

Take safety pins and re-affix the sleeves and any other material you’ve cut off. Also, put safety pins along any slashes you made.

PRETTY IT

Instead of boring-old safety pins, try wiring them with decorative beads—letting the wire show is all part of the look, of course.

STUD IT

If you have a few bucks to spare, it may pay to buy a Bedazzler and use rhinestones or metal studs to write a jeweled message or pattern on your shirts, sneaks, jeans, bookbag, etc. (You can get 'em super-cheap on EBAY).

ACCESSORIZE IT

Charm bracelets are hot but can be costly. Why not pick up a length of chain, findings and beads to make your own? You can get the chain at any hardware store and just add anything you like to it -- anything you can put a hole in can be used to make your own unique charm bracelet. (Coins, buttons, etc.)