DIY Holiday Beauty Gifts

DIY Beauty Gifts | digitalmomblog.com.

I’ve been on the hunt for DIY beauty, bath, and body gifts for a while. I found 2 round-ups I wanted to share with you all today. I love to give and receive these type of DIY creations. Handmade gifts can be so thoughtful, and many times very economical (though, I would never say no to a gift of Dr. Hauschka products! They’re the only commercial products I really enjoy 🙂 — so far, anyway).

This first offering features foot soaks & scrubs, whipped body butters, moisturizers, body scrubs, bath salts, and a hair mask. I’m also loving the DIY cuticle oil and slow cooker lotion bars.

20 Homemade Beauty Product Gift Ideas | Hilary Bernstein.

A few more lovely items here: a detox bath, lip balms, moisturizers, solid perfume, and body scrubs. I am so happy I have a few more ideas to choose from (beyond my rut of epsom bath salts!). During these cooler months, balms and moisturizers are especially nice, I think. Tucson summers also call for all the moisture you can get!

If you are not sure you want to do this type of DIY for your main gifts, you might consider them for Holiday house guests. You could tuck a little foot scrub, lip balm, or moisturizer in with the bath towels, etc. I like to make up a little mini spa kit/basket with the towels. Or, you could just leave items on the bathroom sink for guests to use at their convenience. Do you all say bathroom? In grade school, the instructors always made us say, “May I go to the lavatory, please?” haha. It was not a room for a bath. Not at all about DIY beauty products, but speaking of lavatories…I spotted this in my friend’s:

Cute, huh? I have never thought about decorating in there.

Anyway…I hope you find a few ideas that you like, or share them with someone you think might be interested.

Have a great night!

Simple Style: DIY Pottery Trays & Plates

Super Simple DIY Lace Trays — The Party Goddess!.

So, I’m looking to DIY a few pottery plates or trays soon. As I mentioned with the ‘stenciled bread,’ I am not all that craft-y. I found several examples of lace and textured pottery that do not require a ton of artistic skill. And, you can use air dry clay without having to fire up a kiln. Right up my alley! Thanksgiving and the December Holidays will be here before you know it, and I would like to have something a little unique to put on the table. I think that’s part of the reason why I like DIYing — one-of-a-kind creations. Even if you are a person who likes everything to match or come in a “boxed set” of some sort (and there are many folks like that), it’s nice to have 1 or 2 items in your decor, etc. that no one else has.

*Before I get to the other pottery links, as a side note…I realized that the featured picture (the stenciled ‘stone tablet bread’) in my last post does not show up in emails. I was alluding to the pic being above the text, but you can only see it on the website. So, if you only read the emails, here’s what I was referring to:

On to more pottery!

The instructions from the above link were not working when I tested them out, so I found this: Lace doily pottery tutorial | Share Your Crafts! | Pinterest.

This is a great tutorial, and it gives painting info: Clay Craft | Urban Comfort.

Now, this is a kiln craft, but I still wanted to post it because of the art work. If you are the craft-y type, I think this would be lovely inspiration. I adore Mexican-style pottery, and there’s quite a bit in Arizona. But, if you have the ability, it’s fab to be able to design your own. You could always use stencils as well. ILoveToCreate Blog: DIY Mexican Painted Planters.

Have a great day, and happy pottery making!

DIY Bottle Lamp

DIY | Bottle Lamp | lanaredstudio.com.

I really would like a bit more lighting in my home office, so I thought about a DIY project. This is a fairly simple and inexpensive project, so it’s right up my alley. The method used for this project is very versatile, so I wanted to share it. You can get a very chic and sleek bottle and shade, plain jane combo, or anything in between. A trip to a locally-owned thrift store would give this project even more bang for your buck. Don’t forget this week is Independent’s Week! I’m sure your local thrifty-type store owners would be glad to see you. Even if you do not have a large budget to spend (your “2 widow’s mites,” for example, lol), it all adds up for them. I still need to get out to a few places on my list. I was headed out one day, then we had a hailstorm. You might also consider looking into women and minority-owned local businesses. If you are unsure where to find that info, often your chamber of commerce or women’s business associations can provide it for you.

DIY Beverage Coolers, Kegerators, & Wet Bars

Yellow and Gray DIY Wedding | Glamour and Grace Blog.

Well, now that the temps have crept up to stay (110 degrees easily, here in Tucson), it’s time for a few cold beverages on the patio. I saw this pic from a wedding and wanted to share it. I think it’s perfect for your outdoor parties this time of year. Sadly, there are no instructions, but I think all you savvy folk could figure out how to put one together (or enlist a spouse or family member, perhaps). If the red cooler is slightly more casual than you would like, you could always create a faux casing.

If you’re really going for the big leagues, you could consider something like this:
Keg-o-rater – chest freezer on Pinterest | Build A Bar, Wet Bars and Butler Pantry.

Check out these multiple pins (many linked to instructions) for building your own kegerators and wet bars. Know they do not have to be just for alcoholic beverages, though. I’m sure any type of cool sips will be welcome by your friends and family.

Simple Style: Reclaimed Wood Tables

Rectangular Reclaimed Wood Dining Table | azlifewave.com.

At first, I thought this was a tile-top table, but then realized it was wood. Glorious! I think this would be a somewhat easy DIY. If you couldn’t find wood with the exact ‘random’ color shading, inexpensive dyes like tea, coffee, fruits or veggie juices might do the trick. Lovely.

Exceptional Rustic Coffee Table with Black Metal Legs | dacozy.com.

Think you could manage a project like this? I think you could. I really love this piece. It has a bit of writing on it, but you could always mimic that with stencils and paint. And, with longer legs, it could easily transition to the dining room. Ah! One more project to add to my list…

Simple Style: Wall Art

So, I am not the best at creating works of art. But, I can at least glue things together, spray paint, use a staple gun, etc. If you’re in the same boat & like to DIY, here are a few cute wall hangings I found:

Texas License Plate Wall Art | thecraftcaboodle.blogspot.com.

I just fell in love with this! Even though I am a New Yorker, I think Texas has one of the best state “shapes.” Maybe it’s just because it’s big. Feel free to represent your state proudly! Cute, simple, affordable art.

6 Ways to Create Contemporary Wall Art | homedit.com.

This post has several ideas, but what could be easier than painting and gluing together a few pieces of wood? Fab-u-lous!

Ironstone Tarnished Spoons Displays | knickoftime.net.

Be still my heart! Love, love, love this! Great way to show off your vintage or antique pieces. If you haven’t started a collection yet (and would like to), check out yard & estate sales or thrift shops. As we have nearly year-round warm weather, you can always find terrific yard sales in Tucson.

Simple, Thrifty DIY Art | imperfecthomemaking.com.

I made something similar to these for my mom. I recycled a few squares of sheathing foam. Super quick and easy. Just pick out a few coordinating fabrics, cover, and hot glue.

Wood Blocks | merchantdesign.blogspot.com.

Another wood piece that is inexpensive, but eye-catching. And, you can make it as large or as small as you want.

Hope you get a few ideas from these selections, and I will keep my eye out for any more easy DIY projects.

Have a great day!

Alternative DIY Flower, Plant, Gardening Pots

Alternative Materials to Make Flower Pots | femside.com.

Re & up cycling time! Let’s put some of those odd objects in our homes to good use. I am trying to get better at my desert gardening skills…really I am. How is it that you can kill cactus??? lol! I love fresh herbs, so I at least try to have those around. The Arizona climate (HEAT!!!) is very particular, though, so I need to continue to learn what to do & when. I may try to start a few from seeds this year, but my better luck has come from Farmer’s Market plants. I still grown my sprouts, and perhaps I will attempt sunflower or buckwheat “greens/lettuces” soon.

Happy Planting!

How to Waterproof Fabric

How to Waterproof Fabric Using Tin Cloth | motherearthnews.com

 I wrote a little about making my fabric table top waterproof last ‘My Way‘ post. Here is a great tutorial for waterproofing fabrics from coats, tents, backpacks, lunch bags, aprons (as illustrated in this blog post), to you name it. So easy, and it requires minimal ingredients: wax and a drying oil. This post uses linseed oil and beeswax to create a waterproof seal.

Information on drying oils can be found here and here. I also used a drying oil (soybean) for my floating shelf in this post. “Drying Oils are fatty oils of vegetable matter that can react chemically with the oxygen in the air eventually to solidify and become dry to the touch. Nondrying oils are mineral oils and vegetable oils, such as peanut oil and cottonseed oil, that resemble animal fats and, because they do not oxidize naturally and harden, are unsuitable as a binder for paint.” trueartinfo.com.

“Drying oil is a kind of vegetable oil which drys in normal temperature. Linceed oil, Poppy oil, Walnut oil, Sunflower oil and Safflower oil are known as typical drying oil. Other kind of oils do not dry in normal temperature. Drying oil is the basic vehicle of oil paints. The more you incrude this oil into paints, the more the paints have transparensy and glossy. Drying oil can be increased its ablity by bleaching under the sun, heating to high temrelature or boiling. Bleached drying oil is called “Sun-Bleached oil” or “Sun-Thickened oil”. Heated one is called “Stand oil”. Water or Turpentine drys by vaporizing, but Drying oil drys by the oxidization. Drying oil insede of paints on a canvas starts to harden by taking in oxygen from the air. Drying oil reamin on the canvas and never vaporize. Drying oil bonds pigments, and provides glossy and transparensy proper to oil colour.” cad-red.com. 

Some oils dry faster than others, and some oils can also discolor your fabric. It’s probably best to apply the tin cloth mixture to a test section first. I used an old cloth to apply it vs. a paint brush. *Update 3/23/2015: I found a tip on another site: if your wax is a little white and streaky (from cooling) when applying the oil & wax mixture, use a blowdryer on the fabric for bit. I tried this, and it worked beautifully.* From this article, I learned that long ago, a combination of paraffin wax and turpentine was the most common waterproofing medium. I am sure people are still using that method today, in addition to using commercial products now available. Here’s an interesting piece on health risks associated with paraffin wax vs. soy wax (which you’ve probably heard over the past few years): Soy VS Paraffin. Much of the soy manufactured in the U.S. is genetically modified, though, so you may look into organic soy wax versions.

If you are not up to making your own tin cloth (and do not want a commercial oil/wax product), you can also use an iron-on vinyl, as is demonstrated in this post: DIY Waterproof Fabrics.

I hope these links give you a few suggestions if this is the kind of project you would like to take on. Now that my table is complete, I have a few more ideas in mind!