DIY

April 24, 2013

As promised, here is the link to the cute craft I have been wanting to try. I would do one with California (for me) and Iowa (for Ben). 

*This picture is from Pinterest and the blog
I referred to earlier. This is not my picture*

April 20, 2013

This morning I was feeling slightly ambitious and remorseful for yesterday's DIY (because it didn't really have instructions), so I decided to try making my own scented wax melts.  I googled a few recipes and this is what I came up with!

What you'll need:

-unscented candle wax 
-fragrance oil
-a double boiler or a small saucepan and an empty can
-a container for your wax to cool in
-crayons (if you want your wax to be colored)

Because this was my first time making them I wanted to do it cheaply as a test, so I went to the Dollar Tree.  I got a pack of 6 emergency candles and vanilla fragrance oil.  (As I was shopping, I was talking to my mother who kept reminding me that a pack of 6 wax melts is $2 at WalMart - I will touch on this point later.)  I didn't have a double boiler so I used a small saucepan and an empty can, which worked perfectly. Below are the pictures of what I used and some directions.

I used 3.207 ounces of unscented white candles
and .25 fluid ounces of Vanilla fragrance oil

Chop your candle into small pieces and remove
the wicks. (Sorry that the pic is blurry!)

Fill a small sauce pan half way with water and
put your can in the center with the candle wax in it.
Turn the stove to medium heat and mix until most of the
wax is melted. Add your crayon (about 2/3 of the
crayon) and remove from heat. Add .25 fl oz of fragrance
and stir until completely melted.

Pour your melted wax into a container
(old wax melt holder, ice cube tray, cupcake
tin, etc.) Let your wax melts cool completely.

VOILA! You now have scented wax melts!

OKAY! Now my opinion on making your own scented wax melts. While I felt very crafty doing this and it only cost me $2 to make these 6 wax melts, I would rather buy pre-made ones.  Here is why...WalMart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, etc all have tons of different scents while the Dollar Tree only has about 6 or 7 (no surprise there).  Also, I didn't really like the end scent of the vanilla.  Because I used an old scented wax melt container, they actually ended up smelling more like the previous scent that had been in that box.  With all that said, here are some of mine and Ben's favorite scents from Yankee Candle and also one of the fun scents from WalMart.

April 19, 2013

A few years ago, while I was home for the summer from college, my mother and I decided to make a quilt.  If any of you know my mother, you know that she is the queen of DIY and DIY-cheaply.  She has made my both mine and my sister's wedding dress and has decorated for so many school functions that she should get an award.  I remember when our elementary school got a new library she was asked to do the interior designing (imagine a massive purple purse from Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, don't know the book? click here), she is awesome.  Anyway, back to the quilt, we picked out fabric and made a simple quilt by sewing squares together! Below are some pictures of the process and that's about the extent of my instructions on how to make a quilt. If you have specific questions I know where to get answers, but my mother is a strict pattern follower, so buying a pattern and sticking to it is your best bet.  Patterns and prayers, those are her guidelines for sewing.  Ben's mother also makes quilts and I love those! She uses the most comfortable fabric and is great at detail.  Ben has a quilt with his name sewn throughout it, it is so well done that it isn't distracting, just sweet and tasteful. 

April 18, 2013

The other day I was hanging out with my older sister, Amy, and we decided to try a DIY lip scrub.  She googled a couple of recipes and this is what we came up with.  Sadly I didn't take a picture (I wasn't blogging at that point) but I'll post the recipe below.  It is super simple, makes your lips soft, and tastes good!

What you'll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vaseline

Instructions:
1. mix the honey and sugar together (tip: spray your tablespoon measure with nonstick spray to help the honey come out easy, thanks for that Amy!)
2. add the olive oil and mix
3. add the vaseline and mix
4. use a dime sized portion and scrub on lips until the sugar dissolves
5. use within 1-2 weeks