Official 2014 Prep Season Begins Today!

I did it! I managed to score two tickets in pre-sale again this year. Now that that stress is over with I can move on to official prepping!

Last year I didn't really upgrade much of my gear and I sort of just packed the same things I had in 2012. I did bring a better tent that I found in a winter clearance at Target and it was a really great improvement from 2012 but this year I'm looking to score some really neat gear at great prices. Here are some things I've been looking at for 'Roo 2014. Tell me what you think and give me tips if you've used any of these products for fests in the past.

1. A new propane camp grill
Here are the few that I'm looking at. I know I could go with the basic Coleman camp grill but these just seem so much more sleek...and pretty.

Coleman® Party Grill with carry bag $59.99 @ Target

              Possible Fest Splurge: Coleman® RoadTrip® LXE Propane Grill $129.99 @ Target

2. Personal Hygiene Products

I've pretty much stuck to baby wipes and tea tree oil (read: antibacterial) soap in the past but I really want to make some improvements this year. I am an admitted clean freak and I'm totally the girl who pays $7 for a shower by Saturday but I think good prep can keep you clean and fresh through Bonnaroo weekend until you're home (or in a hotel) to freshen up with a hot shower. Here's what I'll probably be picking up to keep it so fresh and so clean in 2014.

GoGirl Single $12.99 (or 3 for $34.97) from www.go-girl.com

Klenz XXL Shower in A Towel $1.49 from Amazon

3. Sanuk Shoes

I know, these are the gold standard for shoes at Bonnaroo but I still don't have a pair. I like the yoga mat flip flops but I'm not paying $30+ for them and I like to protect my feet from all the dust and...other stuff on the ground.

Sanuk Shorty $55.00 at Sanuk.com

Pinterest DIY gone right!

Pinterest projects do not always end up as planned but this one was pretty simple and turned out better than expected. You can find the original project from The Art Girl Jackie and other related pins on my Bonnaroo pin board.

Tie-dye T-Shirts with Sharpie Markers

What you'll need:
-Pre-washed white or light colored shirt (cotton on color the best).
-Cardboard or t-shirt form from the craft store.
-Rubbing alcohol (a high concentrate, I used 90%).
-A dropper (I used a rubber dropper from an old bottle of liquid vitamins).
-Plastic cup (think Solo cup).
-Rubber bands
-Variety of brightly colored Sharpie markers (I used the brights pack with pinks, orange and purple).
-Optional: glow-in-the-dark fabric paint or other embellishments to add later.

What to do:
First, place some cardboard or your t-shirt form into your shirt so that the color doesn't soak through to the back. Then you will prepare your shirt by placing the cup inside, under the desired spot for the design and placing a rubber band around the t-shirt stretched over the cup. Then you can start making your sharpie designs. For a design like mine draw star burst designs (or long random lines) out from the center of the cup to the edges where the rubber band is placed.

Next, use your dropper to drop alcohol all over the design so that the colors start to run and blend.  At this point you can either blow on the spots to start drying or just move on to another spot with a new cup and rubber band if you don't want the designs to overlap.

When you are finished with your designs let them air dry then heat set in the dryer. Once the designs are heat set you may choose to add glow paint to the center of the design for a galaxy-star burst look or maybe add some glitter embellishments...or just leave it as is like I did!

Looks like flowers or jellyfish!