Limoncello Recipe Limoncello While searching for a good recipe for Limoncello, I found a lot of conflicting information. Some recipes use vodka, others use grain alcohol (without specifying the potency, which varies) and others even used rum! So I started with the premise that grain alcohol will extract the most lemon oil and flavor from lemon zest. Limoncello 3 pounds lemons, preferably organic. 16 oz. grain alcohol, 190 proof (I use Everclear) Wash the lemons thoroughly in warm water, and rinse well. On the 3rd day: 4 cups sugar 4 cups (=32 oz.) water 1/2 cup (=4 oz.) lemon juice Combine the sugar and water in a non-reactive saucepan (i.e., stainless steel, or a pan lined with enamel - not aluminum or cast iron). Clemencello My latest discovery! Use the recipe for Limoncello above, but put the grain alcohol into a jar and add the zest of the clementines as you eat them, and swirl the jar daily.
How-To: Henna Tattoos Henna tattoos are perfect for summertime. They are natural, they are beautiful, and they are temporary! Because one batch of henna goes a long way, henna tattoos are a great activity for parties and are especially fun for kids at a sleep over. I tend to give them as part of celebrations, say at a baby shower or bachelorette party, but I also love giving them to people who need some love and healing. Materials for the Henna Paste: Henna powder, 1/4 cup Tea, strongly brewed, 2-3 tablespoons 1 Lemon Eucalyptus Oil, 3-5 drops Materials for Applying the Tattoo: Squeeze bottle Various tips Straight pin Q-tips Cotton ballls Lemon Sugar Materials to Remove the Paste: Olive Oil Cotton balls Step 1: Check your henna for any sticks or large bits of plant matter. Step 2: Scrub the hand that is going to get the tattoo to remove any oils from the skin before you start. While traditional henna patterns are very busy, the best thing to do is keep it simple! Related
DIY | poured mason jar candle » Something Turquoise {daily bridal inspiration} I am so excited to share today’s DIY with you! For one, because I have a new DIY logo… and two, because I absolutely love making candles! Last christmas I made a candle for every single lady in my family and a few of my close friends, which came to around 45 candles… which was so much fun! Shopping at thrift and vintage stores to find cool and unique glass containers… melting the wax, coloring it, and wrapping them all up… I want to do it all over again! Here I am sharing a super simple way to make your own Mason Jar Candle gifts. Where To Buy Supplies: Update: 9/8/15 – Let me start by saying this tutorial is old, lol. 1 lb bag of soy wax flakes (very easy to work with!) Before you get started, make sure you have all the supplies below and that whatever glass you choose to pour your candle into is nice and thick, thinner glass can crack from the flame of a candle. For this project we won’t be needing that inner seal part of the mason jar lid, so you can remove it. Add Your Wicks Supplies:
38 Uses for Tin Boxes I LOVE Pinterest! I have found a handful of amazing ideas using recycled (or upcycled) Altoid tin boxes over this past year, and I am so excited to try some of them. Check out all of these awesome ideas! Some are simple, some are super crafty, some are incredibly brilliant. I can't wait to try some of these! Which do you love? at Zakka Life at Spoonful at Storage Glee at Kristine McKay at RePlayGround at Life on the Balcony at Parents.com at Random Thoughts of a Super Mom at Junk&Stuff shared at the Daily Digi at Creative Juice at HomeSpun Threads at Oh! at Green Bee at Crafty Chica at The Art Annex at Emily Giovanni at Inner Child Fun at Martha Stewart at A Girl & A Glue Gun at iVillage shared at VisualizeUS LOTS of other great examples of Altered Tin Art HERE at inspire co. at Family Fun shared at Craftster.org at One Pearl Button I'm thinking you want to stock up on your tin boxes now, right?
DIY Trash to Couture original DIY tutorials Click on the links below the pictures to see the page. Eight Ways to Wrap a Gift The holidays are here. Let us link hands with loved ones, join our voices in song and laughter, and share in the warmth and glow of PRESENTSPRESENTSPRESENTS!!! Oh, what? All kidding aside, even though the holidays should not be about materialism and consumption and the gimme-gimmes, it is entirely likely that you’re going to want to give someone a gift of some sort during the holidays. For some reason, in my family, I am always assigned the job of present-wrapper. This makes no sense. So I’m going to show you how to do the standard box-wrap, and then we’re going to talk about some other, more creative ideas, because not only is that original and fun and awesome, but also, sometimes there isn’t any tape in the house. The Basic Box 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Wrapping is a real art. The Silk Scarf Keep an eye out for scarves at thrift stores year-round—some are like 90 cents, which is cheaper than wrapping paper. Tin Foil No, you didn’t run out of wrapping paper! The Impossible-to-Open Present
DIY Ribbon Storage Box Not only is Aldo commemorating their 40th anniversary this year, they’re also celebrating their long term commitment to reduce waste. By adding handles to their eco-friendly shoe boxes and turning them into bags, the goal is to reduce bag consumption by 40% this year and 70% by the end of next year. So when Aldo asked us to repurpose their special edition shoe box into something functional, we embraced the challenge. Reuse, repurpose, recycle . . . no problem. You’ll need: Start by measuring the length and width of each side of the shoebox, including the lid. Dip the sponge brush in Mod Podge and generously brush it over the entire top of the lid. Lay the cut paper over the wet area. Once all the sides are covered in paper, coat the entire shoe box with a layer of Mod Podge. Once the lid and the box are completely dry, stack the spools of ribbon along one side of the box. Push the eyelets through the punched holes. Thread the ribbons through the backside of the eyelets.
Bra to Bathingsuit DIY | Tasha Delrae Like my new bathingsuit top?? In it's previous life it was a bra! Do you ever wish you could have a bathingsuit top that would fit as perfectly as your bra? Well now you can!! Materials and Supplies -Old Bra -Bathing suit fabric (under 1/2 meter) -Thread to Match -Sewing Machine -Pins -Hand sewing needle -Bathingsuit Clasp Instructions **Make sure you use a stretch or zig-zag stitch for all the sewing** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. All Done!! I actually took it one step further and sewed myself some straps. I can not wait to wear this in Arizona, it is my best fitting bathing suit top I've ever owned! ***Update 4/23/12*** People keep wondering if this bathing suit top is actually "swimmable". This is by far my most worn swim suit top...it's been to the ocean in Mexico, swimming in the local lake, relaxing in countless hot tubs, swimming in chlorine filled pools in Arizona and much more, and it's still holding up perfectly! Be sure to check out the rest of my DIY projects HERE!
Features - This Into That "Take your favorite pair of denim cut-offs that are in need of a makeover before summer officially hits. Flip your shorts over and prepare to seam rip the back pocket off. Put some muscle into it! Cardigan "This cardigan was a little too boxy and boyish for me so I added the frillier elements from the dress onto it. Dress "I was really into the peplum shape of this dress so I didn't want to do too much to it. Oxford "I trimmed the top and sleeves off, converting the sleeves into straps for this tank top. Sweatshirt "I wanted to make this into something appropriate for summer so it got the crop-tank treatment. "Start with a plain white tee, and lay your favorite tank top on top of it. "This was really fun. "At first glance this Hawaiian print dress looked sort of frumpy and shapeless but then I noticed that it had some nice features that I could work with to turn it into something great.
DIY // Faux Gauges / Plugs If these don't say "statement" I don't know what do! I have to say I surprisingly love these! I had the urge to make something out of polymer clay and lately I've been loving the look of real gauges, but the thought of the pain immediately turns me away! So I decided to combine polymer clay and gauges / plugs to create a rockin' pain free look! I love the way it actually looks like its going right through your ear, its like magic! Materials: Earrings you don't use, polymer clay, sharp knife or clay cutter, cutting board. 1: Separate two balls of polymer clay, smaller than the size of a golf ball. 2: Roll them both out into cones that create a point at the end. 3: Bend them down like so. 4: Cut a chunk of polymer clay from your earrings. Wear them and make a rockin' statement! p.s. want to see what i'm up to camping? instagram : theperfectpear
His + Her Sharpie Mug DIY After seeing several projects floating around on Pinterest I decided to try the sharpie method for customizing a pair of his + her mugs (this set is super cute + this one is particularly beautiful). The directions listed on Pinterest kinda seemed too easy to be true... so I did a little testing. I even tried running them through the dishwasher and here's what I found out... Here's the method: All you need is a sharpie (any color) and a porcelain dish that you want to permanently alter. After I made my dishes I tried scrubbing them with a kitchen sponge and soap. Anyway... that was my fun little weekend project. EDITED TO ADD: Although many people (including me) have had success with this DIY project we have received many comments from readers who said the marker washed off. instead!
DIY Hand Stitching, part 2 Last week, I started a DIY Hand Stitching series and began with how to hand stitch your own handwriting. I stitched onto paper and showed a method for transferring the pattern by poking or drawing dots as a guide on the surface. The same technique can be used when stitching a simple pattern onto fabric but when you stitch more than one color or there's a lot of intersecting lines (like these), it's much easier to use a piece of tear away backing. I'll show you how-- it's really neat! You will need: Fabric (linen, muslin & thick cottons), Needle (i use a #5 Embroidery Needle), Embroidery Thread, Scissors, Pencil, Thumbtack or Piercing Tool, Masking Tape or Low-Tack Tape, Tear Away Backing (available at fabric & sewing stores), Emboidery Hoop (optional) 1> Cut a piece of tear away backing, a bit bigger than your pattern. Tip: For your first time using tear away backing, try a simple silhouette like a heart or banana. 3> Tape your pattern smoothly onto the fabric.