Bonus Post: March 6, 2014

5 D.I.Y.s Your Friends Will Love!

Hello Everyone! I don’t know about you but I am constantly looking for fun homemade gifts for my friends, whether it be for their birthday, anniversary, graduation, you name it. But one problem I constantly run into is finding likable gifts that don’t give off that “I made you this” vibe. I want to be able to tell my friends it's homemade without them having to ask if I made it myself with this look of, “Oh geez wiz thanks,” and a half smile that clearly shows they don’t like it. :P So here are 5 D.I.Y. projects that I tried out. They are fun and creative, and your friends will be sure to love them! :)

 

1. Bath Bombs

Ingredients:

• Banking Soda – 8 oz.
• Corn Starch – 4 oz.
• Epsom Salt – 4 oz
• Cream of Tartar – 4 tbsp.
• Essential or Fragranced Oil – 2 tbsp.
• Vegetable Oil – 2 ½ tbsp.
• Food Coloring – 1 or 2 drops
• Water – ¾ tbsp.
• 1 Plastic Fillable Ornament

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredient in a mixing bowl – banking powder, corn starch, Epsom salt and cream of tartar.                                                                                                          
2. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl – essential or fragranced oil, vegetable oil, food coloring and water.                                                             
3. Pour the wet solution into your bowl with your dry ingredients. Add only a little bit at a time and stir with a whisk every time you add. When you are finished your mixture should have a sandy/grainy consistency.                           
4. Once you’re done mixing all your ingredients start packing your mixture into the plastic ornament, it is acting like a mold.                                                             
5. After packing in mixture close ornament. Then carefully open it and remove the contents and lay on a sheet to dry.                                                              
6.  Let your bombs sit or night to dry, or bake 250 degrees for 1 hours.

2. Washer Necklace

Ingredients:

• Packet of washers
• Packets of metal loops (Can be found in the jewelry making section of store like, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby and Michele’s, make sure the loops can fit around your washers, you don’t want them to be too small.) 
• Necklace Chain
• Nail Polish
• Plyers

Directions:

1. Choose a favorite color of nail polish and start applying it to the washers.                                       
2. After the washers have dried arrange them in an order that you like best. The way I chose to do mine was to make it in a pyramid type way.                           
3. After you have an idea of you would like to arrange the washers grab your metal loops. Open the loops slightly and then use then to attach your washers to one another.                                                            
4. When you are connecting your washers make sure to stack them ever so slightly. 
5. Once you are done connecting your washers add your chain and you now have a fabulous new accessory! :)

3. Peppermint Body Scrub 

(Who said Peppermint is only for the Holidays. :P)

Ingredients:

• A glass jar with lid
• 4 cups white sugar
•  Mixing bowl
• 1/4 cup crushed candy canes
• 1+ cup olive oil
• 20-30 drops peppermint essential oil

Directions:

1. Measure and pour the sugar into a mixing bowl. Give things a stir to break up any clumps. The sugar works as a gentle exfoliate that leaves your feet and hands wonderfully smooth.                
2.  Now add the olive oil to the sugar, and stir. You want the mixture to resemble wet sand that isn't too saturated with the oil. Olive oil offers the best results, with wonderfully skin-soothing qualities, but sunflower or almond oil are good options too. If one cup of oil doesn't seem to be enough, then add another quarter cup.                                                                                                  
3. To finish the mixture, add the peppermint oil, which accentuates the peppermint scent of the scrub. And peppermint is a natural anti-inflammatory, which soothes sore  muscles.                                                                            
4. Place a handful of candy canes in a zip lock plastic bag, and crush with the help of a rolling pin. You can also pulverize the candies in a clean coffee grinder or blender. You want the candies to become superfine, similar in size to the white sugar.                                                                                           
5. To create the pretty scrub, place a big spoonful of the sugar-and-oil mixture at the base of the glass container, and then sprinkle with a layer of the crushed candy canes. Continue layering until you reach the top of the container. Add a cute ribbon and a few candy canes, and your peppermint scrub is ready for gifting! (This makes four cups of body scrub.)

4. Crayon Block Candles

Ingredients:

• Dixie Cups 
• Wax (available on Amazon) 
• Crayons 
• Wicks (available on Amazon) 
• Votives
• Popsicle sticks (for stirring) 
•  Microwave
• A plate stand for propping up (available on Amazon) 
• Xacto Knife

Directions:

1. Pour a small amount of wax into a Dixie cup. Microwave for one minute. Stir and pour a thin layer into the bottom of a votive and place the candle wick in the center. Let harden.                                                                                    
2. Use a Xacto knife to peel off the wrappers of the Crayons. Use one crayon per color. Fill the Dixie cups with wax and then top with a broken up crayon. Microwave for two minutes. Stir. Then microwave for another two minutes.           
3. Prop your Votives (with wicks) on your plate stand and pour in the colored wax. The goal is to create angled layers of color. Let the first layer dry for 20-30 minutes.                                                                                               
4. Turn the Votives around, and pour the second layer so you get another angle. Let dry for 20-30 minutes. Place the votive flat on your workspace to pour in the third layer. Tah-dah, you’re done!

5. Sharpie Mugs!

Materials:

• Two ( or however many you desire) white mugs 
• Oil based Paint Sharpies (You can have any colors you want since you are doing to be deciding what to draw on each mug. )

Directions:

1. Decide what you want to put on the cup, and maybe practice drawing it on a piece of paper before drawing on the mug. Pick a meaningful quote or a cute graphic to decorate the mug with.                                                                                                      
2.   Let your mug dry for a few hours or overnight before placing it into the oven. You can also draw over it again if you'd like to make sure the pattern doesn't come off in the wash. If you draw over it again, be sure to leave it out to dry again before baking.                                                                                        
3. Bake the mug in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°F. Remember to place the mug in the oven before it heats up and leave it in until the oven cools completely so there won't be any cracks. You can choose to bake the mugs twice to really set in the sharpie drawings.                                                                                                             
4. Hand wash the mug gently instead of throwing it in the dishwasher, as a machine washer may ruin the design.

So there you go, guys! These are some fun projects that I really enjoyed! Please make sure to like, comment, and subscribe to our Blog! See you on Friday!!!

Much love,

Isabelle <3