| How to Wear a Mesh Top Posted: 19 Jun 2019 05:00 PM PDT A mesh top is a fun and interesting staple to add to your wardrobe. Depending on the style you choose, they can be dressed up for a fun night out, worn with a casual, everyday outfit, or even styled for school or work. Whatever you choose, a mesh or sheer top is a great way to show a little skin without feeling too bare. EditMaking Your Mesh Top Professional - Layer a loose mesh top over a white button-up. Maybe you want to wear your mesh top to a professional setting, such as school or at the office. You can make this style choice more appropriate by layering it over a more conservative top, such as a button-up oxford.
- Whenever layering, make sure the mesh top is loose enough to avoid awkward bunching and wrinkling underneath.[1]
- Use color-blocking to trick the eye. Pair a white or black mesh shirt with a solid bright-colored blazer or jacket. This will draw attention away from the mesh fabric.[2]
- Make sure you wear a mesh top with very narrow openings so it is not too sheer or revealing.
- Wear a bra that is the same color as the mesh top so it is not too noticeable. [3]
- Consider a top with sheer panels. Maybe an entire mesh shirt is too revealing for the occasion. There are many tops that have sheer panels either on the shoulder, arms, back, or sides.
- Sheer accents add texture and visual interests to more conservative tops. Just make sure they are placed strategically as to not show off too much skin in a professional environment.[4]
- Choose a mesh cardigan. Maybe a sheer top is inappropriate for your workplace. You can instead opt for a mesh cardigan to wear over a professional outfit you already own. Cardigans come in all silhouettes and lengths, so there are plenty of styles to choose from. They can be crop, waist-length, or even floor-length.
- Pair your mesh top with professional bottoms. Wear trousers or a long pencil skirt with your mesh top to make your outfit a little more conservative at the office.
- Try tucking in your mesh top for an even more professional look.
EditKeeping Your Mesh Top Casual - Rock a sports bra under your mesh top. A sports bra will give whichever mesh top style you wear a sporty feel. Try various colors to make your look bright and interesting.
- To keep your look casual, pair your mesh top with some sporty bottoms, such as leggings, sweatpants, or joggers.
- Wear a mesh top over a crop top. Maybe you want to rock a crop top, but don't feel comfortable showing your belly. Throwing a sheer top over it is a stylish and casual solution to this dilemma.[5]
- Pair a mesh sweater with blue jeans. A mesh sweater is great for mild weather. It will keep you warm while at the same time let some air pass through. They look comfortable and casual with a pair of jeans.[6]
- Wear casual shoes to finish the look. Keep your look relaxed and comfortable with sneakers, flats, sandals, or boots.
EditCreating a Party Look - Choose a mesh top with embellishing. Mesh tops with embellishments such as beads, lace, embroidery, and trim gives a mesh top a fun, fancy look. It will give the illusion of more coverage and make sheer fabrics feel less naked.[7]
- Wear a lace bra underneath. Show off your cute bra while you party without feeling too naked. A black lace bra looks great under a sheer fitted mesh top.
- Pair your mesh top with mesh bottoms. Wear some fishnet tights under a skirt with your mesh top for a bold party look.
- Finish off the outfit with matching heels or wedges that compliment your outfit.
- Accessorize with fun jewelry. Pick some jewelry that will complete your look. Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings will all look great with a mesh top. Stick with your own personal style.
EditReferences
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| How to Make a Piggy Bank Posted: 19 Jun 2019 09:00 AM PDT It's never too early to start saving money! A piggy bank can be a fun way of making sure your money is all in one safe place. While it's easy to go purchase a piggy bank, there's nothing to stop you from making one of your own. There are a few different ways to create a homemade piggy bank, and they can be constructed from materials you already have in your home. EditUsing a Plastic Bottle - Wash out your plastic bottle with regular tap water. There's no set limit to how big or small your piggy bank should be, but you should aim for a plastic bottle that's between . Wash it out with water and let it sit for 10 minutes so it can dry.[1]
- Keep the bottle cap on the bottle. It will serve as the pig's snout.
- Cut out a -long coin slot with a box cutter. Have an adult slice a coin slot into the middle of 1 of the long sides of the bottle. Make the coin slot a little bigger than the biggest coin you plan on putting in the piggy bank.[2]
- The coin slot will need to be at least long to fit a standard US quarter.
- Attach the legs to the side of the bottle opposite the coin slot. Cut out 4 egg-holders from the carton using scissors. Then, have an adult use a low-heat hot glue gun to attach them to the bottle by applying the glue around the edges of the egg-holders. Finally, paste the legs on the side opposite the coin slot.[3]
- When the pig is standing on its new legs, the coin slot should be facing up.
- Decorate your pig with the remaining materials. Now that you've got a basic pig shape, it's time to get artistic with your creation! Make a tail by twisting a pink pipe cleaner into a spiral. Draw nostrils onto the pig's snout with a black marker. Cut 2 triangles out of pink paper or felt and glue them on as ears.[4]
- You can give the pig eyes by hot gluing googly eyes onto its face, or by drawing, cutting out, and gluing on eyes yourself.
EditMaking a Mason Jar Piggy Bank - Pick a mason jar if you're just starting out. For larger savings goals, choose a mason jar that's or . If you do not have any mason jars at home, you can order some online or purchase a jar at a local crafts store. Any jar that you get needs a lid to go with it.[5]
- Use a spaghetti sauce jar if you don't have a mason jar handy. Make sure to wash out the jar thoroughly before you convert it into a piggy bank. You can just run it through the dishwasher.
- Remove any labels from your jar with soap and water. You want your new piggy bank to be free of labels before you start putting coins in it. To do this, first peel off as much of the label as you can with your fingers. Then, squeeze a few drops of soap onto a sponge and run the jar under some hot water. As the water hits the label, scrub the paper away with the sponge to completely remove the label.[6]
- Let the jar sit for 15-20 minutes so it can dry. Once the jar is dry, you can start using it as a piggy bank!
- Cut a coin slot into the middle of the lid. Use a box cutter to make an incision into the lid that is large enough to fit the biggest coin you want to slot into your jar. To fit a regular US quarter, the slot will need to be at least long.
- If you don't feel comfortable using a box cutter, you can actually go out and buy a lid with a pre-cut slot. These lids are available at your local crafts store.
- Attach a label to the side of the jar. Write "piggy bank" or something along those lines on the jar and keep it in a safe location. The great part about using a mason jar is that you can constantly track how much money you're saving without opening the jar.[7]
- You want your jar to be safe, but be sure to keep it in a part of your home that's easy to access.
- Decorate your jar any way you'd like. There are a number of ways to go about this step, as it's completely up to you how you want your piggy bank to look! One fun idea is to wrap a colorful, decorative tape called washi tape around your jar and then add stickers to the parts of the jar that aren't covered. Then, take some puffy paint and draw your name or other designs onto the glass jar.[8]
- You can buy washi tape, stickers, and puffy paint at your local crafts store or get order some online.
- Add the tape and stickers onto the jar before the puffy paint. Then, once you've painted, let the jar sit for 6 hours so it can dry completely.
EditWorking with Papier-Mâché - Mix flour and glue together in a pot. Get a small pot that holds around to boil water. Then, get a medium-sized pot that can hold at least of water and is about in diameter. This is your paste-mixing pot. Whisk together of flour and of water thoroughly in your paste-mixing pot. Boil of water on the stove in your smaller pot and stir the flour and water mixture into it. Let it simmer for about 3 minutes, and then let it cool for 15 minutes. Ask an adult to help you use the stove.[9]
- You can purchase mixable papier-mâché paste at arts and crafts supply stores, but it's easy to make your own at home. You'll also save some money in the process!
- Crumple newspaper twice to prepare it for papier-mâché. Get a few sheets of newspaper and some brown paper bags. Crumple them up into tight balls, uncrumple them, and then do the same thing again. This helps the glue soak into the paper more thoroughly. Once that's done, tear the paper into squares.[10]
- You can also use butcher paper, which you can order online.
- Blow a balloon up. Make it the size you want your piggy bank to be. Tie the balloon off when it reaches your desired size.[11]
- It doesn't matter what color the balloon is, as it's just providing a structure to papier-mâché on top of and won't actually be visible.
- Papier-mâché the balloon. Wet both sides of the pieces of paper with the flour paste you mixed earlier and apply them to the pig. Get just enough paste on the paper to have it stick, but not so much that it's dripping. Smooth the paper onto the pig as you apply it and cover the space evenly. The paper will dry in about 15 minutes. Add 3 layers of papier-mâché onto the pig.[12]
- Once you add the layers, let the balloon sit for 2 days in a well-lit, well-ventilated area of your home so it can dry fully.
- Slice out a -long coin slot. Have an adult use a box cutter to make a coin slot that's at least long so you can fit standard US quarters in it. If you want to put bigger coins in the piggy bank, you'll have to make the slot about long. Since papier-mâché can be delicate, measure out your cut with a pen before you commit to it.[13]
- You can also use this hole to pull the balloon out from the inside of the piggy bank. Feel free to throw the balloon away when you're done with it.
- Attach legs and a nose. Cut out 5 sections from a paper egg carton using scissors. Have an adult use a low-heat hot glue gun to attach them to the appropriate places on the balloon. Line the edges of the egg-holders with hot glue and place 4 of them on the side of the papier-mâché balloon opposite the coin slot. Put the nose in the middle of whichever side you've picked to be the front of the piggy bank.[14]
- Place the piggy bank on its legs so the glue can set and let it sit for 30 minutes before you begin decorating.
- Decorate your piggy bank with paint and accessories. Paint the body of the piggy bank with spray or acrylic paint, evenly coating the surface as you go. Then, make a tail by twisting a pink pipe cleaner into a spiral and having an adult help you hot glue it to the pig's bottom. You can also give the pig eyes by gluing googly eyes onto its face, or by drawing, cutting out, and gluing on eyes. Ultimately, the design is your choice.[15]
- Other decoration ideas include drawing nostrils onto the pig's snout with a black marker and cutting 2 triangles out of pink paper or felt to glue them on as ears.
- If you do not want to use paint, you can color the body of the piggy bank with markers.
- You may have to cut out a piece of the piggy bank if it comes time to take coins out. If you put in a coin slot without a way to get the money back out, you'll have to damage part of your piggy bank to withdraw anything.
EditThings You'll Need EditUsing a Plastic Bottle - Empty plastic bottle
- Box cutter
- Scissors
- Low-heat hot glue gun
- Paper egg carton
- Pipe cleaner
- Markers
- Acrylic paint
- Googly eyes
- Construction paper
- Felt
EditMaking a Mason Jar Piggy Bank - Mason or spaghetti sauce jar
- Box cutter
- Labels
- Tape
- Washi tape
- Pen or pencil
- Puffy paint
- Stickers
EditUtilizing Papier-Mâché - Flour
- Glue
- Water
- Bag of balloons
- Pot for paste mixing
- Newspaper
- Brown paper bags or butcher paper
- Paper egg carton
- Box cutter
- Low-heat hot glue gun
- Pipe cleaner
- Googly eyes
- Markers
- Scissors
- Spray or acrylic paint
- Pen or pencil
EditRelated wikiHows EditQuick Summary EditReferences
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| How to Care for a Lemon Tree Posted: 19 Jun 2019 01:00 AM PDT Lemon trees are fairly easy to keep alive, even if you don't live in a warm climate. Establish the best environment for them by learning when to bring those potted trees indoors, and give them ample water so they don't dry out. Once your tree is 2 to 3 years old, you should be able to harvest anywhere from 10 to 30 lemons every year! EditCreating the Ideal Environment - Keep your tree outdoors if you live in a warm, temperate climate. As long as your nighttime temperatures don't drop below , keep your lemon tree outdoors in a pot. If and when the weather does turn inclement, bring the tree indoors to keep it safe.[1]
- If you live in an area that experiences at least 8 hours of sunlight daily year-round and that never drops below , you can plant your lemon tree outdoors in the ground.
- Grow your lemon tree indoors during the colder months. Once temperatures begin dropping and frost starts appearing on the ground, bring your lemon tree indoors to a sunroom, a patio, a greenhouse, or some other room that will still allow it to receive abundant sunlight through a window. Frost will kill a lemon tree, so pay close attention to the weather forecast to ensure you bring it indoors in time.[2]
- Dwarf lemon trees are a great variety to grow if you'll be bringing your tree indoors. They produce a lot of fruit, but they won't get so big that it would be impossible to move them. At the most, they'll grow to be tall, but you can keep them trimmed back to a smaller size if you want.
- Maintain an ideal temperature of . During the summer months, it's okay if the trees are in temperatures higher than during the day because they'll experience cooler temperatures at night. If the tree is kept inside, keep an eye on the temperature to make sure it doesn't drop too low or rise too high. Especially during the winter months when the air can be drier, it's important to make sure the tree doesn't get too hot.[3]
- For especially dry climates, use a humidifier when your tree is indoors to keep the climate at the right level, around 50% humidity. If you live in a climate where your tree can grow outdoors, there's no need to worry about the humidity level.
- Make sure your tree gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day. Place your lemon tree in a location where it will get direct sunlight. Avoid putting it somewhere where it'll be blocked from the sun by other plants. Depending on the time of year, move the tree around your yard or patio so it gets the maximum exposure possible. If your tree is indoors, you may want to move it from season to season to make sure it's always getting the maximum amount of light possible.[4]
- If you live in a climate that experiences a lot of cloudy, dark weather, invest in a grow light. You can buy one online or from your local nursery.
- Keep your tree away from radiators and heat sources. When the lemon tree is inside, make sure it's not next to a heat source, as it could dry out the leaves and the soil. While natural heat and sunlight are good for the tree, excessively dry heat will hurt it.[5]
- If possible, keep the tree in a room with a ceiling fan or put a standing fan in the room. Circulating air will help keep the tree healthy. Keep the fan on for as many hours a day as you can.
EditFertilizing and Watering the Tree - Select a well-draining pot that is 25% bigger than the lemon-tree bulb. The bulb consists of the roots and the clumped dirt that is attached to them. If you buy your tree from a nursery, it may already be in an appropriately-sized container—just ask the sales associate to make sure. If you do need to re-pot it, look for a pot for a 2 to 3 year-old tree or a pot for trees older than that.[6]
- A pot bigger than will be really hard to move around.
- Use well-draining, composted soil to cover the bulb of the tree. Pick sandy or loamy soil for an option that drains well. Avoid using soil made with clay or that has heavy alkaline levels. Cover the bulbed part of the tree (the roots and the dirt attached to the roots), but stop when you get to the base of the roots.[7]
- Lemon trees are pretty hardy and can grow in many different types of soil, though the loamy soil is the preferred type. If you want to test the pH level, aim for a reading between 5.5 and 6.5 for optimal growth.
- If the soil is too acidic, you could add a base like compost or manure to the soil.
- If the soil isn't acidic enough, add a compound made of powdered limestone.
- Fertilize the soil surface only so you don't disturb the roots of the tree. Fertilize the tree every 1 to 2 months during the spring and summer and every 2 to 3 months during the fall and winter. Use a citrus-specific fertilizer, and only apply it to the top of the soil; don't mix it in with the rest of the soil.[8]
- Spring and summer are the active-growing months; fall and winter are the dormant months.
- Water your lemon tree every 10 to 14 days. Water the tree while slowly counting to 20. Stop once you notice water starting to come out of the bottom of the pot; if after 20 seconds you still don't see water coming out of the pot, continue counting and watering for an additional 10 seconds. If your climate is particularly dry, keep an eye on the soil and the leaves of the tree. If the soil is dry to the touch or if the leaves are drooping, water the tree. During the hottest months, you may need to water it once or twice a week.[9]
- Keep your tree in a location where it won't be sitting in water. While lemon trees need a lot of water, they also shouldn't be left to sit in water. If the pot is outside, place it somewhere that rainwater will flow away from it rather than to it, like on a garden wall or on the highest point of an incline.[10]
- If your area is experiencing really heavy rains, you may want to bring your lemon tree indoors or put it under an awning until the rain passes.
EditHarvesting and Pruning - Pick lemons once they are firm and in size. Pick very green lemons if you prefer a more sour fruit; the yellower it gets, the sweeter it will be. Lemons will continue to ripen even after they've been plucked from the tree.[11]
- The lemons may still be green when they reach the right size, and this is okay. The size is actually more important than the shade of the fruit.
- A squishy lemon has been left on the branch too long.
- Twist the fruit gently until it breaks off of the branch. Grab the lemon firmly in one hand and twist it around on the branch. It should snap off fairly easily. If you prefer, you could also use a clean pair of gardening shears to cut the lemon from the tree.[12]
- Avoid pulling the lemon off, as this could damage the branch or even detach it completely from the tree.
- Prune your lemon tree from March to May so it stays healthy. The best time to prune your tree is after most of the lemons have been harvested but before the new buds begin to bloom. Depending on your climate, prune sometime between late winter and early spring.[13]
- Pruning is essential to keeping the tree healthy and promoting new growth.
- Use clean shears to trim each new shoot down to half its original length. Cut the branch at a 45-degree angle and never cut it back all the way to the main trunk. Focus on pruning the longest and gangliest of the branches and leave the thicker, more established branches alone. Trim back all low-hanging, downward-facing branches that are reaching toward the soil.[14]
- Also take time to pluck away dead leaves from the branches and remove fallen ones from the soil whenever you notice them.
- Keep an eye out for pests to treat any problems that arise. Keeping your lemon tree pruned is a great first step to preventing unwanted pests from making their home in your tree. If you notice spider mites or aphids, use a hose to knock them off of the tree (do this outdoors). If problems persist, or if there are other pests on the plant, you can use an insecticide or horticultural oil to help protect your tree—just make sure to ask a professional and follow instructions so you don't accidentally harm your lemon tree. Some of the more common pests are:[15]
- Red mites: small, red insects that eat leaves and twigs on citrus plants
- Spider mites: small, white insects that are more common in cooler climates
- Citrus mealybugs: Small, flat, oval, and wingless, these creatures are covered with a wax-like substance that looks puffy
- Citrus whiteflies: small, white, winged insects that appear on the underside of citrus leaves
- Start with an already established lemon tree, which you can buy from a nursery. Growing a lemon tree from a seed can take up to 2 to 3 years to start producing fruit, making it a long-term investment.
EditThings You'll Need - Humidifier (optional)
- Grow light (optional)
- Well-draining pot
- Loamy soil
- Citrus-specific fertilizer
- Gardening shears
- Insecticide or horticultural oil (optional)
EditReferences
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