DIY Lotion

Pin It Now! Everyone in my family loves lotion.  I decided to make some homemade lotion to add to some gift baskets and it turned out smelling so great I just have to share it.


Supplies:


Baby Lotion
Petroleum Jelly - I used creamy, but you can use traditional if that's what you have
Essential oil 
{ I was able to get all supplies at Dollar Tree - so this can be a very thrifty project! }


Squeeze entire bottle of baby lotion and petroleum jelly into bowl. (I cut the tops off the containers to be sure I got out every last drop!)  Mix with mixer until thoroughly combined.  Add 2 - 3 drops of essential oil and mix.  Add more oil, only 2 - 3 drops at a time, until you are happy with the scent.  Put in small containers or jars.  

Easy, huh?  This is one that I will use for many gift-giving occasions.  

DIY Tile Coasters

Pin It Now! These were really easy, and look amazing.  You can get really creative with these little coasters and your loved ones wil love them!


Supplies:


Tiles - I bought mine for $.32 each at Lowe's
Permanent Pigment Ink - Staz-On solvent ink pad
Sealer - I used Rust-Oleum Ultra-Cover Clear Gloss { Any sealer that specifies it's safe for ceramics will work }
Felt
Super Glue Gel
Rubber Stamp


Stamp each tile using the ink pad and rubber stamp.  Let each tile dry completely - about 20 minutes.  In a well-ventilated area, spray a VERY light coat of sealer on tiles.  Let dry about 20 minutes.  Spray an additional coat of sealer on tiles.  After about 20 - 30 minutes, check the tiles to be sure they are completely coated, spraying a third coat if needed.  Add felt to each corner of the back of the tiles using the super glue.  Allow glue to completely dry.  Stack tiles and tie with ribbon.  

I'm really happy with how these guys turned out.  Sorry for the crappy picture!  These are my tiles as they are drying.  I will make an additional set for myself, I loved them so much!  

Thanks to Edie for this great idea!

DIY Christmas Cards

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I can't believe there's only 15 days until Christmas!  Where, oh where did the time go?  If you're like me, I really like making handmade cards and gifts for family.  All of the family members I send gifts to have everything, so they really appreciate the time and thought that went into the gifts and cards they receive.  

This year I decided to go with a snowflake "theme" for my cards.  I love red and light blue, and I could incorporate those colors on this cute little card.  These cards turned out so great, and are super easy to make.  Your family and friends will appreciate a handmade card from you this year!


Supplies Needed:


Patterned paper - I picked a colorful snowflake scrapbooking paper
Note cards
Eyelets
Scalloped scissors
Mini Pop Dots
Die-cut snowflakes - I don't have a die cutter, but my local Craft Warehouse has a die        cutting machine that is free to use when you purchase paper

I started with blank notecards from Craft Warehouse.  I used some white notecards, and some red.  I definitely prefer the red.  

From the patterned paper, I cut out a little rectangle about 1/4" to 1/2" smaller than the front of the note card.  For this I used scalloped scissors.  

I attached the rectangle to the front of the card with eyelets.  I chose to alternate between light blue, green and red for the different cards.  You can also use brads or glue.  { If you've never used eyelets, I highly recommend them!  They add a classy touch to any project and come in tons of shapes and colors. }

Attach the die-cut snowflake to the center of the front of the card.  For this I used mini pop dots and attached them to each "leg" of the snowflake to give it a 3-d effect.  I also attached a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.

Coming Soon...

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Tomorrow I will post some great DIY holiday gift ideas. 

Stop by to see my ideas for DIY easy, but beautiful Christmas/Holiday cards and DIY gift baskets.  

Until then, have a great evening and stay warm.  It's freezing out there!

DIY Charging Station

Pin It Now! Husband and I have a problem with our tangled cell phone cords all over the kitchen counter.  It looks tacky and is just a mess.  With the little counter space we have, we need it all! 

I found this awesome DIY cell phone charging station on the Overcoming Busy blog.  She found a ribbon organizer at Michael's craft store and just cut a whole in the back for the cords.  Inside she put a small power strip.  What a great idea! 

To Paint, or Not to Paint

Pin It Now! My name is Jeni, and I own an ugly dining room table.  I have to admit, it was a great Craigslist find.  But now I'm tired of it.  So I have a decision to make...

All of our wood furniture is light like this table.  I want something that stands out of our sea of light woods, and thought it'd be great to paint this boring table black. 

What do you think?

(don't mind the tiny dog...)

Wall Decor Inspirations

Pin It Now! I have a naked wall.  A big, muted yellow, buck naked wall in my living room.  Our home is small so I am rather picky, I don't want to make it look any smaller!  I simply can't find anything to display on this wall that fit perfectly with our decor.  Until today...

Isn't she beautiful?  This simply decorated wall from Style Files is perfect!  I love the idea of a small, framed area of wallpaper for my living room.

I also love the idea of different size mirrors arranged on the wall.  This will definitely make my room look bigger!  Idea from Vision Decor

I love these ideas too from This Southern Girls Nest:

DIY No-Sew Curtains

Pin It Now! I decided to make curtains for my office window, and I wasn't going to let my inability to sew stop me! I found this gorgeous black and white damask fabric at JoAnn's for $3 per yard, and IKEA's SY no-sew tape for $1.99 for a 33 foot package. It only took me about 40 minutes for the whole project, and that includes all the times Finley tried to pull the fabric off the ironing board!

The supplies you will need for this project:

Iron
Ironing board
Fabric
No-sew or hem tape


1. Cut your fabric to size. I bought 3 yards (44" wide) to cover a 75"x 40" window.
2. Heat iron on cotton setting, or the hottest setting your fabric will allow.
3. Lay out one fabric piece along your ironing board.
4. Create a hem along the edge of your fabric about 1" wide along the entire side.

5. Insert the tape underneath your hem. Make sure to leave about 2" of tape out of the end of the fabric. You will use this to hold, to make sure you don't crease your tape to ensure the smoothest hem possible. (Also, cut the loose strings from the fabric during this step.)


6. Slowly iron along the hem starting in the middle and working out to the sides. You will want to iron over the fabric several times to ensure the tape to stick properly.
7. Do this for all sides.
8. If you want to create a loop to slide the curtain rod through the fabric, the you will need to create a fold at the top of the curtain. I used curtain clips, so I did not need to create a final loop. But this is up to you and how you prefer your curtain to hang.
9. Again, create a crease with the iron. Insert the tape along the bottom of the hem and iron.

Voila!



I decided to tie back the curtains with a green ribbon that matched the walls. I think they're pretty cute, don't you? :)