Anti-Boredom pocket kit What I put in my Anti-Boredom kit may be different then what you would put. Here's what I gathered for mine (my kids helped). The tin is an Altoids tin that I painted Black. Inside: -Tiny deck of cards-Small vial of touchable bubbles-Two tubes of plastic bubbles-Tiny colored pencils-Note pad-String for cats cradle-Quarter to vend treats (a dollar fits nicely too for bigger treats)-Balloon (for playing don't touch the ground or keep away ) Other ideas: Tiny harmonica, Fortune telling fish, Small sand timer for timing word games or how long you can hold your breath, Small deck of fortune telling cards (I saw some on ebay), Stickers, Small stencils and markers (sharpie makes a nice little marker that fits perfectly) I bought all the things in my fun kit at local craft stores and party supply stores.
DIY Solid Perfumes by April MacKinnon of Anointment Natural Skin Care Seeing the green of spring crop up all around me is putting a new bounce in my step. I’m looking forward to shedding layers of winter clothes and sprucing up my wardrobe and look! Inspired by the aromas of freshly mowed grass and lilacs in bloom, here is a tutorial for a little do-it-yourself luxury – solid perfume. Solid perfumes can be customized to any taste using essential oil blends or fragrance oils. My personal preference is to use high quality essential oils. To make your own solid perfumes you will need: Coconut oil (available in health food stores) or another carrier oil such as extra virgin olive oil or sweet almond oil. 1. 10 drops vanilla 10 drops lavender 5 drops sweet orange 5 drops ylang ylang This made a floral, slightly earthy scent 2. 3. 4. This recipe makes about 6 g of final product. Bonus tip: Create a combination of lavender and peppermint and apply to temples to help relieve headache pain.
Matchbox Drawers These little matchbox chest of drawers are great for keeping small treasures in or as storage for stamps, buttons or even bugs (for all the boys out there!) You will need: 3 matchboxes (empty) Patterned paper or plain paper, decorated PVA glue Flexible tape measure or string Ruler Pencil Scissors Craft knife or bradawl 3 split pins (paper fasteners or brads) Extra decorations (optional) What to do 1. Glue the 3 matchboxes on top of each other, making sure all the sides match up evenly. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Back to the Other Stuff projects menu... Teacup Candles 3 comments Martha Stewart is at it again with these simple, soft, pretty candle options. I am a huge candle fan, but sometimes the containers are boring or the labels stand out too much. I love the idea of making your own candles and using teacups to contain them. So lovely. Just use teacups that have lost their saucers or head out to a thrift store or garage sale to find some “new” ones. What You’ll Need: beeswax or paraffin bricks or old candlesteacupswicks with tabs, sized for your moldscandle-making or candy thermometerwax colorants (crayons work great!) Preparing Your Wax Place beeswax and/or paraffin bricks in a double boiler or in one pot that is inside another filled with water over the stove. Make Your Candle Cut the wicking to the cup’s height plus 2 inches.
Aromatic Blending of Essential Oils Home Page > Aromatherapy Articles & Guides > Aromatic Blending of Essential Oils Aromatic blending for the sheer pleasure of the aroma is a combination of creativity and science. When using a blend created primarily for its fragrance, therapeutic benefit can also occur. Safety precautions should be followed for any type of blending, including for aromatic blending. Traditional perfumers that work for the famous fragrance houses study for years to master the art and science of perfumery blending. In aromatherapy blending, only natural ingredients such as essential oils, absolutes, CO2s, grain alcohol, carrier oils, herbs and water are used. Essential Oil Blending Basics Essential oils can be categorized into broad groups based on their aromas. Floral (i.e. Oils in the same category generally blend well together. Florals blend well with spicy, citrusy and woodsy oils. Harmonizing Your Essential Oil Blend Below is a chart of commonly available oils based on their common classification:
DIY Stuffed Animal Gadgets This is actually quite a good idea! DIY Apothecary Bottles This do-it-yourself apothecary jar would make a thoughtful guest favor or bridesmaid gift! Our party calendar for May is packed with bridal showers—stay tuned for an upcoming feature on real-life parties with loads of stealable inspiration! In the meantime, we found this gem to hold you over from our blogger friend Taryn, who runs formalfringe.com. Materials: Decorative bottle with a cork Decorative drawer pull knob with a screw Glue or decoupage solution One sheet of printable acetate Screwdriver Paint brushes Printer Step 1: Prep the Drawer Knob First, unscrew the screw base from your drawer knob. Step 2: Select Your Bottle Label Design You can try designing your own or searching online for vintage label designs. Step 3: Apply the Label Print out the label onto the clear acetate sheets. Step 4: Wait for the Label to Dry Leave the bottle (or bottles, if that’s the case) in a cool, dry place overnight. Step 5: Fill Your Bottle with Liquid —Stefania Sainato
Repurposed Hardcover Book to Notebook Tutorial I’ve told you before I’m a bit obsessed with books. I love all books where I intend to read them or not. A local library has a huge book sale every year where you can pick up a grocery bag of books for $3! So at the last sale I picked up a big stack of hard cover books to be repurposed. Don’t worry, I’m not destroying literary classics, and I use all parts of the book so nothing is wasted. Today we are just working with the outside hard cover to create this new notebook. What you need-Hardcover bookPaperDecorative paperSmall bit of ribbonPaper cutterWhite glueHot gluePadding compound (optional)Clamps or bulldog clipsFirst you need to cut the pages out of your book so your just left with the cover. Slather on a nice layer of white glue to the inside of your cover. Apply your decorative paper. Also cut a piece of thin recycled cardboard the size of your notepad and a piece of decorative paper about 3 inches by the width of your notepad (this will be used to wrap the top edge of the pad).
Alcohol Ink Tutorial Dominos are non-porous too! The application for this techique is endless. Glossy paper, buttons, CDs, and so forth. If finished product is to be worn or handled roughly, consider sealing it. All products used in this tutorial are from Ranger Ink ( available at your local craft/hobby store or through various e-tailers). Questions? DIY Fruit and Herb Bar Soap We used plain, unscented glycerin soap base for these projects (available at most crafts stores). Soap bases with natural additions , such as aloe vera, goat's milk, or olive oil, are great, too. Tools and Materials Assorted citrus peels, berries, and herbs Paper coffee filters, if using herbs Clean, dry containers, such as milk cartons, drink boxes, juice-concentrate cans, or yogurt cups Heat-resistant glass measuring cup or bowl Vegetable oil cooking spray or petroleum jelly Dough scraper Glycerin soap base Spray bottle Rubbing alcohol Paring knife Fruit and Herb Soaps How-To 1. Wash and dry all fruits and herbs; use whole berries, herb leaves, or citrus rinds with pith removed. 2. To determine how much glycerin soap base you need, fill mold with water, then pour the water into measuring cup or bowl. 3. Use dough scraper to chop soap base into 1/2-inch pieces. 4. Start with 1 teaspoon puree per cup of soap. 5. 6. Tear away cartons to unmold bars.
DIY Graphic Bar Soaps Hi, It's Sarah from Team Rhodes Weddings! I am going to share a simple soap DIY with you this morning. Enjoy! Shopping list: - clear glycerin (found at craft stores) or you can recycle clear soaps of your own.- essential oils for lovely smelling soaps- a small milk carton- tracing paper, book pages, transparency paper, any kind of paper, or pretty fabric squares. Have your artwork to put in soaps ready before you start! Over low heat, melt your glycerin in a pot on your stove. Add your oils! Once all the glycerin is melted, pour it into your milk carton. Put the whole carton in your freezer for quick setting! Once you're done with all of them, and they're all solid, then tear off the carton around the bars. Thanks, Sarah!
Bath Bomb Surprise Tutorial For my son’s seventh birthday party I wanted to make party favors that didn’t cost very much, were mostly hand made, and that weren’t stupid cheap plastic games that would break immediately. I made pirate booty bags out of some pirate fabric I already had, put some chocolate coins in each one, some fake dollar bills, a few plastic play rings, and one surprise bath bomb which the kids could use in their next bath and after watching the ball fizz for a couple of minutes in the bath a prize would drop out of the center of it. Because the trinkets you use will be immediately immersed in water you need to choose water proof ones. Plastic bugs or rings (shown in this tutorial) are all good choices. They also need to be small. This project is not difficult, but it has one tricky aspect to it which is that baking soda and citric acid combined will foam and fizz when in contact with too much moisture, which is what you want it to do in your bath. That is the only tricky part of this project. 1.
DIY Felted Soap Marriage is all about compromise. David's family keeps the butter on the counter. My family keeps the butter in the fridge. Compromise: we keep the butter on the counter, covered, and for short amounts of time I like liquid soap for the shower. David likes bar soap for the shower. (I think it gets gross when it makes a pile of goo on the shower edge) Compromise: I made felted soap Here's what you'll need: *wool batting *soap *hot water You can look up a ton of youtube videos on how to do this if you please. 1. 2. 3. We had lots of fun just hanging out and rubbing soap together. I'm going to miss you so much Lynette.
how to make cute bookmarks Cindy with Skip to my Lou is hosting a month of sewing ideas for a handmade holiday season. Pop on over there to see what inspires you. I joined in on the fun with these pretty, cute bookmarks and journal wraps. Do you have a book worm or writer you can gift to this holiday season? Materials: Ribbon or bias tapeScissorsNeedle and thread¼” ElasticBook or journal Ribbon Option: Create a rolled ruffle about 2 inches longer than the book or journal. Fold under each end of the ribbon. Cut a piece of elastic to fit the book or journal. Insert the decorative bookmark in your favorite book or wrap it around your journal. Bias Tape Option: Cut a piece of bias tape the length of a book or journal. You can use them as bookmarks or book decorations. Double up on one book for more personality and fun! Or wrap the strap all the way around a journal to keep it closed. Looking for more unique DIY gift options? Go and be pretty – Sara