There's no better way to show off your unique personality than by how you dress. Your style can say a lot about you, and whether you believe that statement or not, choosing your clothing and accessories is--at the very least--fun. However, sometimes shopping is difficult for many people because they may not like the current fashion available at normal department stores, and I think we all can relate to that. (Did I hear someone say Ugg boots?) And lately, shopping at thrift or antique stores is all the craze to try and find unique items. But there is a better way to individualize fashion without rummaging through thrift-store bins or paying through the nose for antique clothing. The fashion-conscious want the option of wearing exact personalized pieces that set them apart from everyone else, and consequently, more people are designing and making their own clothes that are really and truly original. From rhinestone t-shirts to dyed jeans, designing your own clothes offers endless possibilities.

Now, if you've never touched sewing machine before, that doesn't mean you can create your own fashions. First of all, you can learn to read patterns and to sew, but more excitingly, anyone can learn to modify clothing. By modifying clothes, you can create fabulous items from your existing wardrobe to truly reflect your personal taste, and you won't have to settle for anything less than exactly what you want. And it's affordable. Just because you may not be wealthy, doesn't mean your clothes can't look stylish and new.

Clothes modification is also a great skill to learn in order to create clothes for special events. You can turn a normal dress into a dance costume for less than half the price of buying a regularly-priced dance costume. And we've probably all been in situations where we've wanted to make personalized t-shirts for family or friends. But there are better ways to do it than ordering white t-shirts with simple black, block writing on it.

Whether you're resurrecting old pieces or creating brand-new fashions, you can really up the ante by creating personalized clothing items with the two following tips.

Dying your clothes is an easy way to change up your wardrobe and create clothes that you truly love. Dying clothing is a fairly simple process. Many clothes can be dyed in the washing machine, but many others need to be dyed in a dye bath that contains dye as well as a fixative material to help the dye stick to the clothing. Coloring is a great option for dingy or stained clothes that you love but can't really wear any more. I once accidently spilled bleach on one of my favorite shirts which made it a light blue and white blotchy mess. Refusing to throw the shirt away, I decided to try dying it. I chose a beautiful dark blue color with a hint of purple and dyed it in the washing machine--it came out great! I even liked better than I had before I spilled the bleach.

White shirts always become dingy more quickly than we would like, but you can dye them any color you want and have a brand new piece of clothing. And dying doesn’t have to be restricted to t-shirts. Dying a pair of faded, old jeans a fun color is an easy way to dramatically change a look.

Dying can also be combined with other types of clothing modification such as cutting. For a long time, many have cut pants that are frayed or have holes into shorts. Of course, when you do this, they usually look like a pair of pants that have been cut into shorts. But taking a little extra time to hem and dye them can go a long way in making them truly fashion forward.

Ever since the 1970s and the Bedazzler, adding rhinestones to clothing has been popular, and although many may conjure horrifying images of tacky jewels on oversized sweaters from the 80s, rhinestones have actually never gone out of style. Rhinestone t-shirts, jewelry, bags, dresses, and even artwork are all popular, and depending on how you want to use rhinestones or other bling, you can create clothing that is classy and sophisticated or fun and outrageous.

Rhinestones are made from rock crystal, glass or acrylic and are used as diamond stimulants. Because of their resemblance to diamonds and their glistening effect in the light, rhinestone t-shirts and other clothing quite popular. Today rhinestones can be applied to everything from cell phones to flip flops.

To apply rhinestones to clothing, you need a special type of glue or a stapler-like instrument to properly attach the jewels. And you can attach them to just about anything: t-shirts, shoes, pants, bags, and more. This is a great option to add a design or initial to a pants pocket, or to add an extra something to a gown or dress to make perfect for a special occasion or for a dance competition. Adding rhinestones or other jewels along the existing pattern on an item of clothing can enhance the look of the piece, and creating your own jeweled pattern on a solid-colored item can work as well.

Bling t-shirts are great personalized items for teams, families, or a group of friends. Instead of writing or drawing by hand or ordering t-shirts with plain lettering, you can create your own t-shirts with sayings or images with rhinestones and other jewels to create bling t-shirts that will set your group apart from the rest.

Of course there are other modification methods, including patchwork and shredding, but these are two of my favorite easy and inexpensive ways to modify existing clothes to reflect your personal style and to enhance your wardrobe.