DIY Beauty

I'll admit it, I'm a totally beauty product junkie.  I get enticed by the pretty packaging, the promise to make my skin glow and my dark circles disappear.  Makeup is like art for your face, it's just so fun!  I realize though, in order to stretch my budget, I have to cut corners somewhere.  The invention of Sephora has made my life extremely expensive and therefore I need to find other ways to save money so I can afford the entire line of Benefit products (come on, those things are FABULOUS!)

I've found a number of homemade beauty tricks that are as good, if not better, than the skincare items you buy.  My favorites so far are:

1.  Baking soda for face exfoliation.  I use this about 3 times a week, no joke!  I sprinkle a few pinches of baking soda into my face wash.  Don't put the baking soda in the bottle, just squeeze some face wash into your hand and add the baking soda to that.  Wash your face as you normally would.  The baking soda is a very mild scrub so it doesn't hurt or tear your skin.  It really helps keep my pores in check! 

2.  Olive Oil.  I've come to learn that I'm allergic to a lot of traditional ingredients used in eye creams.  I discovered that just a little bit of olive oil works wonders as an under eye moisturizer.  It doesn't irritate my skin, and all you need is a little fingertip full.  Just dip your finger tip in a little oil and tap it under your eyes.  I recommend waiting 10-15 min. before applying any makeup as it takes awhile to soak in.  I tend to use this at night instead of the morning.

3.  Body scrub.  One of my co-workers made me a fabulous homemade body scrub for Christmas last year.  She told me the basic recipe is 1 part olive oil to 2 parts white sugar.  Just throw the two ingredients in a Tupperware and shake to mix.  While in the shower exfoliate your damp skin until the sugar dissolves and rinse off.  It doesn't get sticky and it works great to moisturize as well.  Just be careful not to spill a lot in the bottom of the tub or it might be slippery!  Add some vanilla or peppermint oil for a delicious scent!

4.  Lip scrub.  Along my exfoliating trend, I also like to keep my lips nice and smooth.  Mix a pinch of cinnamon with some lip gloss or petroleum jelly and use your finger to rub it on your lips.  Rub your lips together for a few seconds then wipe off with a damp cloth.  This makes your lips nice and soft, and bonus, the cinnamon gives a slight reddish hue to your lips. 

5.  Honey.  My dear friend Carrie suggested a homemade face mask the other day.  Grind up a few tablespoons of oatmeal in a mini food processor (I actually use a coffee grinder) and mix in a little honey and a little milk until it has a spreadable consistency.  Apply to a clean face and leave on for 10 min. or so.  This makes my combination skin feel great.  Apparently honey has tons of healing properties and skin benefits like being antibacterial and helping with acne. 
Now you know the secrets to my semi flawless skin.  Do you have any favorite homemade beauty treatments to share?

Coasters and Procrastination

Good evening friends!  I thought I'd post about two different things today.  My dear friend Antonio reminded me this evening that I have not completed the coasters that I promised I'd make him.  Oops.  He has found out my darkest craft secret.  I procrastinate.  Yes, folks, I am just darn lazy when it comes to completing projects.  I get so psyched about a new project that my in-progress projects get way-laid.  I'm working on this.  Here are a few tips I've come up with to prevent craft procrastination. 

1.  Create a Craft Pact
   One of my besties came to visit me a month ago and we both lamented over the fact that we are lazy when it comes time to finish our projects.  We decided to create a Craft Pact.  We both selected a project that we would start and complete once we returned to our respective "normal" (I use quotes here because who really leads a normal life?) lives.  You must ensure to hold each other accountable by texting in-progress and then completed photos of the project.  Make sure you're creating a pact with someone who is willing to hold you to it, and vice versa.  You wouldn't want to waste a Craft Pact on that co-worker to whom you barely talk.   Pointless!

2.  Craft for 15min. every day
  What's 15 min?  That's the time I spend hitting the snooze in the morning or lounging on the couch after work.  If you can spend just 15 min. every day on your project, it will be completed in no time.  Plus, more likely than not, you'll want to work longer once you get into it.

3.  Craft with friends
  In grad school, my friends and I used to hold "Crochet-a-Thons" with each other.  Basically, we just crocheted in one of our apartments while eating pizza and watching old episodes of "Golden Girls."  It's so much more enjoyable to do crafts in a group!  Try packing up your supplies and head to a coffee shop with friends!

4. Learn to use your craft time as your relaxation time
  One of my favorite ways to unwind is to put on a favorite DVD and just mindlessly work on craft projects at the same time.  Since I've seen that DVD a thousand times it doesn't matter that I don't devote all my attention and it's just on in the background keeping me company. 

5.  Create a goal
  My goal for this year is to make all or part of every gift I have to give.  Sounds overwhelming but I think I can do it.  Now that I've set this goal, I feel more inclined to complete my projects!


Hopefully, this list will encourage you to be persistent.  I completed Antonio's coasters this evening in a bout of craft determination.  I created them by simply crocheting a Granny Square using two different colors of yarn that match his apartment.  If you've never made a Granny Square, they are very easy and so useful!  I recommend this website to teach you: http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/Crochet_Granny_Square.htm

My top uses for Granny Squares:

1.  Coasters.  Obviously!  I make small Granny Squares of 3 rounds using 2 to 3 colors.  Easy, cheap and functional!

2.  Blankets.  This is the traditional use.  This takes awhile, but since crocheting the squares is rather mindless, you can just keep making them until you have enough to stitch together.

3.  Scarves.  I've made some really cute scarves by stitching 15-20 squares in a line and then crocheting a ruffled edge around the sides.  So fun!

4.  Dishcloths. Make them 5-10 rounds big and they make great washable dishcloths (or use them for dusting.)  Plus, isn't cleaning so much more fun when your products are cute?

5.  Table doily.  Perhaps this is a little old school, but a large Granny Square, several rounds large, would be so cute on a table under the centerpiece.  Add a fun ruffled edge for a little more pizzaz!

Don't know how to crochet?  I learned years ago, and I firmly believe that it's easy to pick up by using a book.   This is one of my favorite books about learning to crochet and it has some fun projects.  Not Your Mama's Crochet by Amy Swenson

Antonio's Coasters

DIY earring holder and art

Welcome to my blog!  As many of you know I LOVE to make things and I'm always coming up with new ideas for myself, my apartment, and my friends.  For my inaugural post, I thought I'd write about one of my favorite things, jewelry!

I have a ridiculous amout of dangly earrings (my mom makes me tons of them) and I unfortunately don't have a jewelry box large enough to store all of them.  Yesterday, I got inspired to make my own earring holder out of items that I already had around. Bonus, this also doubles as cute artwork for your bedroom or bathroom.

Items needed:

1 stretched canvas ( I used 10"x10")
   -these can be found at any craft store, I buy them when they're on sale to keep on hand
Acrylic paints
  -I buy the small bottles from the paint section of the craft store, they're very affordable and come in great   colors!
Paintbrushes
Plastic paint palette
  -Coffee can lids work great!
Needle
Ruler
Picture hanger kit
Hammer

Step 1:  Decide what design you'd like on your canvas.  As I'm not an accomplished artist, I find that abstract shapes and patterns work best.  If you're stuck for ideas, peruse your favorite websites for inspiration on colors and patterns. 

Step 2:  Mix your paints on the palette.  You can use the paints straight out of the bottle; however, I prefer to mix my own colors.  The best way to not waste paint is to go slow! Squeeze a large glob of white paint in the center of the palette (about the size of a quarter.)  Squeeze a pea sized drop of color around the edge of the palette, not touching the white.  Dip the corner of your paintbrush in the color and slowly mix it into the white paint.  The colors are highly pigmented so it won't take long for you to get your perfect color.

Step 3:  Paint! If you're like me, I'm antsy to just start painting, so, go to town!  Some people prefer to sketch their design with pencil first, which helps!  For my piece, I didn't want any white background to show so I applied a thin coat of pale gray to the entire canvas first.  (It's important to let the canvas dry inbetween your layers of paint or else you'll end up with a muddy mess.  Acrylic paint dries quickly so you only need to wait about 10min. inbetween each layer.)

My artwork

Step 4:  Now it's time to turn this into an earring holder.  Turn the canvas over and measure how wide the edge of the frame is.  This will give you a gauge of where to start your first hole.  Using a ruler to keep a straigh line, make your first hole just inside, and below, the edge of the frame.  I made holes 1/2" apart all the way across and ended up having 14 holes, enough for 7 pairs of earrings.  I measured down 1 1/2" and continued the same pattern until I got to the bottom, just above the frame (if you're earrings are longer, make the holes further apart.)  When you push your needle through the canvas, wiggle it a bit to ensure the hole will be large enough for an earring to hook through.

A ruler helps keep things in line

Step 5:  Attach the picture hanger to the back of the canvas on the wooden frame.  Alternatively, if you don't have a picture hanger, you could nail a flat thumbtack into each side of the wooden frame and string some thread or yarn tightly inbetween.  Since this is a light object, that would keep it hung well.

Step 6:  Tada!  You're finished!  Hang this up where you keep your jewelry and hook your earrings through.  If you have trouble pushing the earrings through the holes, put your needle back thoruhg and wiggle it around to enlarge the hole. 

Fun and functional!