Homemade Lip Beauty Products- w/ Free Printable

I've been buying chapstick almost every time I go to the store this pregnancy.
Nothing like not being able to drink water to make your lips cracked and dry.
--it makes me throw up.... every time.. no really :( 

So I've been experimenting making my own lip goods.
And it has been fun and delicious.
I have created three recipes so far and thought I would pass along my knowledge.

Fruity Lip Balm

2 tablespoons Vaseline

1 drop food coloring

2 drops fruit flavoring

Boil pot of water.  Put Vaseline in zip lock bag add color and smash until mixed.  Place bag in boiling water until liquid.

remove from water. Open bag and drop in fruit flavoring.  Over container, snip corner of bag and empty  balm into container.

You can find the right kind of flavoring at most  serious party stores or specialty food stores.  I found a fabulous four pack of citrus flavors at my local party store Orson Gygi  for $2.50  You can find them on Amazon even.  Just look for something like this.  Lorann makes so many delicious kinds, like Cotton Candy, Pina Colada, and Baverian Cream.  So buy them on Amazon if you can't find them anywhere else, or you are looking for a great selection.
You can also go to the LorAnn Oils website where you can get over 66 different kinds for $1.40 a dram- which is more than enough to make 10 or so of the same flavor.  Their selection is ridiculous.    I mean Horchata, Banana Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip!  Of course something more traditional for a lip balm is available too if your not wanting anything too craz:, Strawberry, Apricot, or Peppermint.
The tins are 2 in tins from the wedding favors section.  At Michael's they were 19.99 for 30 count, but with a 40% coupon that is not so bad.  If you are only making one of two you could use an empty lip balm container you already have. 
I of course coordinated the color with the flavor.
Example- the pink is grapefruit and the green is lime, but you don't have to I guess.
Of all the lip products I made, these are my favorite.  They smell the BEST!
Also their shelf life is well beyond that of the others.
And yup- it is basically colored- flavored, Vaseline.... but make some and tell me it doesn't seem like a whole lot more.

Cocoa Lip Balm

1 tablespoon vaseline

1 tablespoon shortening

1 - 2 teaspoons cocoa powder (see what you can mix in smoothly)

Melt vaseline and shortening in microwave until liquid.  About 1 min.  mix in cocoa powder

Place in container

Vanilla Lip Scrub

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cream honey

3 drops vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients then  scoop into container

 I was going for something like this- which I own and love for this last one.  It is more of a lip polish.  Put it on and wipe it off with a tissue... and try not to just eat it.

Cream honey may be more of a local product... but it is Miller Brand.  It is sold just next to the regular honey, in a tub.  If you can't find it, you could likely omit it, it really only makes the mix not so translucent.

Of course you are going to need some labels.

Seriously these smell so good you'll want to put them on ten times a day.


linking up here

Welcome Spring- Yarn Wreath

I just heard on a morning show, that yarn was in.
Well that means I've been "in" for a while I guess.
 I made this last fall, and this for winter, 
and still was not sick of yarn on my front door.
So I imagined up a nice Spring wreath in similar funky yarn fashion.
The colors might seem to you a combination your grandmother used in her guest room,
but it is that thrift store find feel I find very pleasing about it.

Then I waited patiently for March 1, to come so I could feel justified in adorning my entrance in pastels and spring blossoms despite the fact we are expected to get 10 inches of snow this afternoon.

You can go here for a basic tutorial of a yarn wreath.
I'll warn you, I can smell the mass amounts of hot glue used through these pictures.

Christmas Yarn Wreath

It is starting to look a lot like Christmas around here.
In addition to the two or three feet of snow we've had ,  we've been decking the halls etc. etc.
In love with my summer/ fall wreath and sad to see it ago, I made a Christmas/ winter wreath in similar form.

You can go here to see a basic tutorial on my last yarn wreath.
The difference with this one was that instead of the felt flowers, I made only pom poms, and of course in cooperated winter colors. 

Might I add that I think it is in now way boring that a yarn wreath adorn my front door year round.  I kind of love them.

$2.45 for Custom Pottery Barn Stockings.

How do you get the traditional Pottery Barn Stockings with each family members name embroidered on the cuff for under $2.45 though they are normally $15.00 a piece?

First you name your children traditional names, commonly requested by people ordering stockings.
Ha!


Then you go to Down East during one of the Spring Clearance Sales and dig through literally 400 stockings until you find a stocking bearing the name of a family member. I actually found "Sam", "Jacob" and "Kate", though I left the Kate because it was pink and did not match the others which were red, green and white. I did find two blank stockings that did match the others that needed some minor repair. I bought all of them for a grand total of .80 cents. If you don't want to bother to do the math, I'll do it for you, because you must see what a great deal this is. $0.20 a piece.
Ridiculous right?
Of course $0.20 seems like an appropriate price for a stocking with somebody else's name on it.
I think this is what you get when you name your kids (and have a husband who was named) something traditional.

The two blank stockings I took to the local printing shop and had "Kate" and "Crystal" but on them for $9.00.

In this picture the "Jacob" is the Pottery Barn custom and the "Crystal" is my local print shop. I chose different font for each stocking so they each were a little different.

I am beyond pleased with my deal.
Now we just have to wait for Santa to come fill them.

Wool Felt Flower Pins {Fossil Knock Off}

I saw these in my Fossil catalog last week.
They were something I liked, but that hardly comes as a surprise.
The price appeared reasonable even at $15.
But I thought that was for 3. When I went online I found they were $15 for 1.
Who are they kidding.

I thought I could make one myself.
I was right.
And it literally only cost me $0.35.


I cut 6 or 8 circles out of felt. I traced some cups and lids, but then found it was easier just to make one circle and use it as a guide to cut out a circle just a bit bigger.

I stacked the circles on top of one another.
Then I cut slits all the way around each circle.
Then I sewed a pin on the back- nearer the top then the middle to prevent floppiness.

I think they look just like the FOSSIL ones online.

It looks like I just created an awesome under $1 gift.
Accessorize a sweater or your hair and your are ready for a holiday party.
How perfect would these be used as the bow on a gift for your sisters or girl friends?
Re-useable wrapping? Now that is what I am talking about.


Linking up

$1 Project- Modern Lodge Art

I have been working on a few pieces for my bedroom.

I found these at the Deseret Industries.  $1 for one and .75c for the other.  Go figure.

Some antique white spray paint over the frames.
Some avocado spray paint over the red velvet mats- which turned them brown.
Some deer silhouettes made by the help of google images and photoshop.

I found this mirrored vanity tray for $1 at Deseret Industries as well.  It was bronze and got the same spray paint treatment as the frames.  It helped complete the set.

linking up

$1 Project- Graphic Soap Dispensers

Cute soap don't you think?
I found these white ceramic soap dispensers at the Dollar Store the other day.
When I bought them I thought I might just fill them with soap and place them in both the upstairs bathrooms where we just have the plastic one use (but I keep refilling them anyway) kind.

Then I thought I should give them a bit of personality.

What you will need-
Foam brush
Mod Podge
Scissors
Soap Dispenser
Graphic-  I made mine in about 1 minute on Photoshop.

What do do-
1. Create and Print Graphic.
2. Cut out graphic.
3. Mod Podge graphic onto soap dispenser.

Yup that is it.
I am a bit worried they might not hold up to tons of water, but if they look horrible in 6 months or so, I can always make more again for $1 each.

I went with a hand washing graphic in blue for the kid's bathroom-  they could use the extra instruction, and for our bathroom the roman numeral four- for the four of us.

$1 Project- Paper Wreath

I had seen these over blog land for some time.  I wanted to try my hand at mine- and maybe make it more detailed and less sloppy then most I had seen.

What you need-

$1 foam wreath base (I found mine at the Dollar Store)
Dark colored acrylic paint- I used some gray I had.
Paint brush
Lots of hot glue
1 book you don't want- I used a paperback off the "Free" shelf at the Public Library.

What I did-
Step 1:  Take a paint brush and with the book closed paint the top, bottom, and side of the book, so all pages are darkened on the ends.   Let the paint dry overnight. This will give the wreath a little more depth then the clean white paper.

Step 2: Rip out all the pages and separate them.  You will find that they are stuck together because of the paint.  Look for words, or letters you might want to make sure are showing.  I lucked out and my paperback had a chapter titled "LOVE" and a chapter titled "HOME".

Step 3:  Roll pages length wise, and glue to the back of wreath base.  Be sure to vary gluing them on upside down and right way randomly.  Also be sure you roll the pages in, so that not every edge shows the title of your book.

'

  I completed the top half of the wreath and then the bottom half, but I think you could finish one layer at a time and then move on to the next it is up to you.

Step 4:  Roll pages length wise, fold in half and glue two or three layers to the outside ring of wreath base.

Step 5:  Roll pages width wise and fold in half and glue on the front side of wreath base.
I inserted my center page with the "LOVE" chapter title in the middle before completing this step.

Step 6:  Hang with ribbon.  You won't be able to loop the ribbon through the wreath, so you can tack or glue it down in the back to the wreath base.

linking up

F is For...

This is a picture of some garage sale items I picked up for .50c to $1 back in May.
I had hoped with batteries the clock would work again. But it did not.
So it got a makeover.

A little white spray paint.
A little personalized Photoshop word play.
And ta-da.
Well I like her, especially seeing as how she was $1.