Saturday, November 17, 2012

Free Printable for all Jewelry Lovers!

NO WORDS HAVE EVER BEEN TRUER!  
At least as far as my little company goes...
Here is a quick freebie printable;  
It was originally posted on one of our other sites, but we haven since closed up that blog.
I have had many requests to make this available again, so I finally got my act together, and here is my jewelry subway art!
{I am by no means a graphics skilled person, so this is just amateur work-but it's fun!}


Simply right click on the image, save to your computer, and then print using your settings for jpg images. This prints best as an  8 x 10  or smaller image.
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Friday, October 26, 2012

Pumpkin Halloween Door "Wreath" Decor

This was a pretty simple craft for me to make (that's why I made it).  It took some time, mostly waiting for the Mod Podge to dry, but it went together quickly, and I like the results!

Last fall I created some pumpkins for the Halloween holiday, and this is just a quick take-off from that original idea.

You will need the following supplies:

  • 2 Foam pumpkins
  • 2- 12x12 scrapbook papers for each 1/2 pumpkin 
  • Mod Podge
  • Sponge paint brush (or any paint brush)
  • Scissors
  • Glue gun (and glue-duh)
  • Raffia
  • Craft wire
  • Stapler
  • Ribbon(s)
  • Something to cover your workspace table (I used a plastic table cloth I had purchased at the dollar store, and had on hand).

Get your pumpkin, and slice it in half, from the middle of the stem down to the base of the pumpkin (I got my father to do this, so it was super easy for me).
He used a sharp kitchen knife, laid the pumpkin on a towel so it wouldn't slip too easily, and wore a pair of protective gloves.  It was pretty quick actually, I had just enough time to pour myself a Diet Coke.

Next, take your 2 scrapbook sheets, cut 1 of them into 4 pieces, and the other sheet into 2 equal halves.
For one of my pumpkins, I actually used a gift/lunch sack that I had purchased at my local Hobby Lobby store. I simply cut the sack open, discarding the bottom of the sack.
Next take one 1/2 sheets of the paper and place it over the top center of the pumpkin, and if necessary, cut a small 'V" so that the paper can fold around the stem.
Slightly press and pinch the paper around the inside edges of the pumpkin. this will help give you a guideline on keeping the paper where you want it. 
 Now, remove the paper, cover the top of the pumpkin liberally with Mod Podge, and start pressing the paper onto the pumpkin.

If you are using a heavier paper, such as card stock, you will need to coat the back side of the paper with Mod Podge before placing it on the pumpkin to help soften the paper and make it more malleable.  Remember to also apply the Podge to the edges of the pumpkin, and inside far enough that the paper can fold over and adhere inside.  Press the paper onto the pumpkin as smoothly as possible, removing all the bubbles underneath.
With the remaining paper pieces, simply cover the rest of the pumpkin.  Coat the exterior with a nice layer of Mod Podge.  Allow to dry.  You may want to apply a second coat to make sure it is well sealed (especially if you are going to use these outside).
I left a small part of my pumpkin uncovered so that you can see  how the pumpkin looked during progress.
 Allow a lot of drying time after this step.  I left mine overnight.
 The next day, I took my 2" wide grosgrain ribbon, rolled out a strip on the floor, put the pumpkin 1/2's on top of the ribbon, decided how far apart I wanted to hang them, measured and marked the ribbon, and went to work attaching them.
I put some hot glue on the back of the pumpkin, and pressed the ribbon on until it was almost cooled.  while the glue was still a little warm I popped a couple of staples in to help make secure the ribbon and pumpkin together.
I had a hard time trying to decide how to finish up the bottom of my "wreath", but finally decided to make some little ribbon tails.

Once I had all the pumpkins attached, I used the trusty glue gun (that leaves awesome blisters on my fingers) to attach my raffia ribbon and a couple of other coordinating ribbons at the base of the pumpkin stem. 
I used my craft wire to make some of those cute little curly-Q things that pumpkins have.  I wound the wire around a marker, and bent one end downward so that I could push it into the pumpkin.  That was my plan. Not a good plan.  I stabbed my blistered fingers with that wire numerous times before the light in my head went on.
I took my bead reaming tool, a small hammer, and tapped a hole into the pumpkin.  The I glued the little curly thing and called it good.

 The final thing I had to figure out was how to hang this on my front door.  My door is 8 feet tall, and I can't use the typical over the door wreath hanger.  Also, I have just had my exterior doors repainted, so there is no way I'm putting a hook on there! I've seen the awesome ribbon idea on Pinterest, so I decided to give it a go.  I used a key ring for my hook, and just glued the ribbon over on itself.
After that, the finish was in sight! I used one of those brilliant removable 3M Command hook things, stuck it upside down on the door, dropped the ribbon over the door top, and I WAS DONE!!!
I am happy with the finished product, and I'm happy with the way it turned out.
What do you think?





Oh, and what did I do with the extra 1/2 pumpkin I had?  I finished it in the same way as these 3 pumpkins, suspended it inside an open back frame, and gave it to a friend for her birthday.  Yep, I forgot to take any pictures of it.  Lame.

I was inspired by a photo on this blog: http://newlyweddiaries.blogspot.com

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Friday, August 10, 2012

DIY Moisturizing Lotion-Best Ever!

I started making this lotion MONTHS ago.
I first came across the tutorial via Pinterest in February of this year (2012) and I've been wanting to get this post up for months now, but life has a way of deciding my schedules for me at times...
Well, enough about me, back to the lotion...I must say I love it!
It's incredibly easy to make, and when used regularly, it really, really helps keep my skin soft and moisturized.
My old skin is like a lizard hide, after being left in the sun for months, in the desert, without any rain...really horrible.  I blame this problem on my children. In fact, I blame ALL of my "problems" on my kids-that's why I had them...ha!(ooops, that was more about me).
Anyway, try this cool DIY project for yourself.  I think you will be glad you did!
 
Sweet and Simple Moisturizing Lotion
1 (16 oz.) bottle baby lotion
1 c. (8 oz.) solid coconut oil
8 oz vitamin E cream
2 (8 oz.)  empty bottles or jars
In a large mixing bowl, pour all of the lotion, the vitamin E cream and the cup of solid coconut oil (do not melt the oil). 
Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients together, until it is smooth and creamy.


Pour into your bottles or jars, seal and fall in love.
The lotion is fairly thick, so I used a large spout funnel, and just gently tapped the lotion down into the bottle. It worked very nicely.
The little jar in the photo is from the vitamin E cream. I simply removed the label and washed it out (see tips on using this jar).

The helpful tips that I've discovered along the way...
  • You can buy a 2-pack of vitamin E cream in the lotion section at Walmart for about $4.00.
  • I bought the bottle of baby lotion at Dollar Tree.
  • The original "recipe" calls for organic coconut oil, but I couldn't find any, so I just used the coconut oil (consistency of solid shortening) that I buy for making popcorn.  You can find this in the baking isle at your local store.
  • You can pour the lotion mix back into the baby lotion bottle, then you will only need a small jar for the remaining quantity.
 Big tip:  Use pump bottles or "rocker lid" bottles for the lotion.  I found that the mix separates after a while if its in a jar or large mouth bottle.  When you use the pump or rocker top, the air doesn't seep in to help separate the lotion.
  • If your lotion does separate, just whip it back up with your hand mixer!
I bought a dozen rocker lid 8 oz. bottles on Etsy, for around $12.00, but I don't remember the shipping cost.
Here are a couple of examples:
4 oz. rocker lid tops-these are $13.00 for a dozen, including shipping

8 oz. pump lid bottles-1 dozen for $21.00 including shipping
(These are actual links but still just examples, there are 100's of options on Etsy).
Anyway, you get the idea, right?
(small update:  I discovered that you can buy the smaller travel size rocker top and pump bottles in 3 packs at Dollar Tree. 3 bottles for $1.00-gotta love that!)
I do find that my hands feel slightly "oiled" after I use this lotion, so I just keep a small wash cloth by the bottle to wipe my hands on.

I think this makes a really fun gift, or a quick activity for a girls birthday party, or an excellent baby shower favor!

I want to try making this with a wonderful "girly" smelling lotion, like something from Bath & Body Works, but so far I haven't done it.  If you give that a try, let us know how it turns out!

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Make your own Lip Gloss!

I have seen links to this particular tutorial on Pinterest countless times.  It's obviously a favorite, and so I want to share it with you! 
The blog that is linked to the "Pins" is Meet the Dubiens. Its a really fun blog to read through, she has some great tutorials, and awesome "bento box" lunches for young one's...check it out!

Kool-aid Lip Gloss
 
 What you'll need:

1 tub petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
1 pkg of kool-aid drink crystals - whatever flavour you want, or you can make a few
lip gloss containers (see my note below*)
labels printed out on sticker paper
scissors or 1 inch paper punch



 It looks so simple to do, and from all the comments on the blog, its obvious that the lip gloss tastes good too!  (BE SURE TO READ THE UPDATE REMARKS NEAR THE TOP OF THE POST-there are some great tips for making this even easier.)

AND JILL PROVIDES FREE PRINTABLE LABELS LIKE THE ONES SHOWN IN HER PHOTO'S!


*On her blog, Jill mentions that she bought her jars on Ebay, so I jumped over there, and by using the words "empty make up jars" in the search box, I found lots of different jars, like 50 -.17 oz. jars for $17.50  including shipping.  Get some friends together and split the purchase and cost! 
   Visit Jill over at her blog, and get all the information you need to make this fun project.  This would be a really fun thing to do at your daughters birthday party, or give as Valentine gifts.
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