Gift Idea # 6 - Winter Wonderland Tealight Holders!

Hello Fellow Crafters! 

I'm back with yet another DIY gift project. I recently gave these to my aunt and uncle for Christmas and they turned out rather well. I thought I took pictures of it but I cannot find them, so when I do I will add them. This is another simple idea if you need a simple and fast gift. 

Things you will need:
-depotted candle jars (or vases from the Dollar store)
-epsom salt
-sealing spray
-silver glitter
-mod podge
-tealight candles (enough so it's one for each vase)
-paint brush 

Step 1:
Clean the vase regardless of if it has been de-potted or you bought it new from the dollar store. Dry it and then pour some of the epsom salts in a bowl (I used a paper plate). 

Step 2:
Take the candle holder and mod podge and cover the outside of the holder with mod podge. You will need to do this quickly so the mod podge doesn't start drying. Once the outside is covered, roll it into the epsom salts until every part of the mod podge is covered with epsom salts. 

Step 3:
You might need to do a second coat. Once the mod podge and epsom salts dry, use the sealer spray to seal the epsom salts so they won't fall off as much. Before this sealer dry, take the glitter and lightly sprinkle it all over the candle holders. Let it dry. 

Step 4: 
Once everything has dried, clean it up and then you can put some tea lights in each of the holders you made. 

And that's it! You are finished! These look gorgeous when lit in dim lighting or in the dark. It has a lovely glow through the epsom salts and the light hits the glitter and makes it sparkle subtly. If you need a quick and easy gift for someone, this is a great idea. Happy Crafting!!!

DIY Gift Idea # 5- Decorative Sharpie Mug

Hey All!

I'm back! So sorry I have been totally MIA the past few weeks. The wedding plans and Christmas have been taking over my life... well, it's been mostly Christmas taking over. Anyway, I'm back with some more DIY gift ideas. Today's DIY project is really easy! And you can get super creative with it. You can make one for yourself or you can make it as a gift for someone for any occasion. I made this one for a gift for someone for Christmas. Let's get started!

Things you will need:
-ceramic mug (in your choice of colour)
-sharpie markers (in various colours)
- an oven
-a pencil
-a wet rag (to erase pencil mistakes)

Step 1:
First thing you will want to do is figure out what you want to put on the mug. It might help to sketch things out onto a paper first, if you are scared about messing up. Once you have things decided, you can start sketching it onto the mug. Do not worry about making mistakes. If you have a wet rag, you can just erase it, let it dry and then start over again.

Step 2:
Once you are done sketching your designs in pencil, you can start going over the designs with your sharpie markers. Keep in mind that the pencil may show up through lighter coloured markers, so anything you want in lighter colours, you might not want to use pencil for it.

Step 3:
Once you are happy with your designs with your chosen colour, clean the designs up and then preheat the oven to 350 degrees celsius. Once it reaches 350 degrees, place the mug on a cookie sheet and place into the oven. Leave in the oven for 30 minutes, checking on it from time to time.

Step 4:
Once it has been 30 minutes, carefully take the cookie sheet out of the oven and turn the oven off. Let the mug cool down before you use it or wrap it up.

That is all there is to it! It is such a simple project. You can make these for just about any gift. Be creative with it. I went for a simple black and white look as I had seen a similar mug with this saying on it. I made it as a Christmas gift for someone so I wanted to keep it classic and simple. Happy Crafting!

Ps. Even though you have placed this in the oven and as a result, have let the ink set in the mug, I would still recommend hand-washing the mug!

Christmas Gift Idea # 4 - Glitter Lightbulb Centerpiece

Hi All! 

Hope you are enjoying your Monday night. It is very cold and windy here in Ottawa. Sorry, I didn't post anything this weekend. I wanted to but ended up getting a cold or the flu or something so I've been in bed since Saturday night. Boooo! Anyway, today's DIY is an easy and fun holiday idea. You can give it as a gift or keep it for yourself as a centrepiece or holiday decor for your house. Let's get started!

Things you will need: 
-small glass bowl
-Christmas light bulbs
-paint
-glue or mod podge
-glitter in various colours
-paint brush
-hair spray or sealer spray
-paper plate or piece of paper

Step 1: 
Using the paintbrush, take some mod podge (or glue) and brush it all over the glass part of the lightbulb. Then roll it around in the glitter until every part is covered. Set it aside to dry. Do this to as many lightbulbs in as many different colours as you want. 

Step 2:
Once they are dry (this usually takes about half a day, just to be safe), take them and spray the hair spray or the sealing spray on them. This will make it harder for glitter to get everywhere. Do it to each lightbulb and then set them aside to dry. This will take about 2-3 hours. Make sure to rotate them so they don't stick to whatever you have them sitting to dry on.



Step 3:
While the glitter lightbulbs are drying, you can take this opportunity to clean up the glitter and paint brush. I used a paper plate and what I did was scoop up what i could of the glitter into the jar and then using a piece of paper, i funnelled the rest into it. When cleaning the mod podge or glue off your brush, be sure to use soap; it really works! 

Step 4: 
Once you have tidied up and the lightbulbs are dry, you can clean the glass bowl if needed and then set them into the bowl. You can rearrange this however you like.

Your centrepiece or holiday decoration is complete! I am giving this to someone as a gift, so the colours that I chose reflect that person. I will not say who in case they read this blog. I am hoping to have more ideas for you this week and next so stay tuned! Happy Crafting! xoxo

Christmas Gift Idea #3 - DIY Nail Spa Kit

Hey Everyone!

Woooooooo hoooooo! Three DIY blog posts in one night! I'm on a roll! Hopefully, I can keep this up and keep getting things done so you guys keep getting great ideas for gifts or just fun little projects. So, this is something I put together for a family member for Christmas. I won't say who in case they are reading! This is a little gift idea that is super easy to put together and doesn't take a chunk out of your wallet. It does take a bit of time though! You can also make it very personable and unique to the person you are making it for. Let's get started!

Things you will need:
-Paint
-Paintbrush
-box (wooden or otherwise)
-sealing spray (optional)
-tissue paper
-objects to put in box depending on your theme (mine is a nail spa kit)

Step 1:
Paint the box in whatever colour you choose. Also, be sure to paint the lid. Set that aside and let it dry. You may need to do a second coat. Once it has dried, you need to spray the box with the sealer spray so that it is protected should the box get wet. Set it aside to dry. (I would not suggest spraying the sealer spray on the inside of the lid. I did that to mine and it got stuck and the lid ripped... I was able to fix it but maybe just don't do it)

Step 2:
Once everything is dry, you can put the tissue paper inside the box. If you want things to stand up or be propped up, you may want to use more than one sheet of tissue paper. Once you have it the way you want it, you can start putting your little goodies in it. For my nail spa kit, I bought stuff at Dollarama and Shoppers Drug Mart. From Dollarama, I got some Revlon Nail files, a little bottle of nail polish remover, a head band, a sleep mask, some nail stickers and a little gift set of nail polishes.
From Shoppers, I bought some sticker decals and a nail stamp set from the Essence line.

Step 3:
One the lid, I put a monogram on it for my family member using a stencil I made and some white paint. I sprayed it with the sealing spray. Let it dry and then put the lid on it.

Again, this is super easy but time consuming! Be sure to set aside time if you are going tackle this project. You can personalize it for whoever you are giving it to or give it a theme if you know of a favourite hobby or activity. Happy Crafting! xoxo

Christmas Gift Idea #2 - DIY "Keep Calm and Drink Wine" Shadow Box

Hey Guys!

So second post of the night! Wahoo! I'm doing pretty good! I'll also be doing other posts on my other blog, The Britt Report, so be sure to go check it out! I'll give you the link below!

http://brittreport.blogspot.ca

Anyway, this is another pretty simple craft. It does take a bit of time so definitely do this one when you have a couple of days to kill. Let's get started! 

Things You Will Need:
- a shadow box (I lucked out and found four of the ones I used at Value Village)
-acrylic paint (in whatever colour you want the box to be and a colour for the lettering)
-a paintbrush
-white plain paper
-a pencil
-clear tape
-Sealer spray
-Scrapbook paper

Step 1:
Paint the shadow box the colour you want it to be. I went with black because, well, I just like how classy and sleek it looks. You may need to do a couple coats.

Step 2:
Once you have let it dry, spray it with a glossy coat. (Make sure you take the glass out first). I would also recommend doing this outside if it's not too cold. The fumes can get pretty bad, even if you're outside.

Step 3:
While you wait for the shadow box to dry, use Microsoft Word or another similar program to make the "Keep Calm and Drink Wine" message. Choose a font and a font size and type it out. Then print it out. (Make sure that you don't make it too big. You need to be able to fit it on your piece of glass)

Step 4:
Once you have printed out the message, take some scotch tape and tape it to the inside of your frame. Then you can either take a washable marker and trace your message or take your small paintbrush and the chosen colour for the wording and start painting. I had to do a few coats on the letters.

Step 5:


Once the message has dried, you can take an object with a sharp edge (ie. exacto knife, your fingernail etc) and just go around the edges to clean them up a bit. Spray it with the sealer.

Step 6:
Once everything has dried, you can put the glass back in the shadow box or you can add some scrapbook paper to it like I did (See the picture to the right!) Just measure the paper to fit into the shadow box and glue it in. (If you want to change the scrapbook paper periodically, I wouldn't recommend gluing it. Taping it will suffice). Once you are done, put the glass back in and Voila! An awesome wall decoration or a gift for someone who likes wine.

Again, I made mine as a Christmas present for someone, but haven't decided who. Hope you enjoyed making this DIY. Send me pics of your creations! I would love you see them. Happy Crafting! xoxo

DIY Mini-mergency Kits

Hey Guys!
So sorry I have been MIA the past couple of weeks. Things have been getting really busy with the holiday season coming up. I've also been trying to purge stuff and that has been quite the chore. Anyway, I'm going to be doing a bunch of blog posts hopefully in the next few days, on both of my blogs. Be sure to look for them. I'll link my other blog below.

http://brittreport.blogspot.ca

Anyway, today's DIY is super easy. It is something you can easily make for yourself or for a relative. The ones I am showing you I have made for Christmas; although I haven't decided who to give them to yet. I was watching a vlog a while back and someone was talking about this. It is called a Minimergency Kit and they are super easy to make. They are also very handy to have in your purse. Let's get started!

Things you will need:
-a small makeup bag/pouch/clutch etc (I found mine at Dollarama)
-various things you want to have handy in your little kit (ie. safety pins, bandaids, hand lotion, mints, hair elastics etc)

Step 1:
Take the tags off the bag and take out the stuffing from inside.

Step 2: Fill it with things that you want to have in it in case of emergencies. In these ones, I put a Chapstick lip balm, clear nail polish, hand lotion, hair elastics, a black headband, mints, bandaids, kleenex, safety pins, hand sanitizer, a little notebook and a cute mechanical pencil.

Obviously, you can add to it and make it more personal and more catered to you. I just did a basic one because I am giving it away as gifts. If you are giving it away as a gift, be sure to put a little card in there explaining what it is. I also have one that I made myself. Mine has my EOS lip balm in it, and it doesn't have the clear nail polish in it. Like I said, get creative with it. Personalize it to you or to whoever you are giving it to.

Happy Crafting!!! xoxo

DIY Black Cat Halloween Costume

Hey Crafters!

Sorry this is soooo late! I have barely had time to sit down, let alone write. I am seriously hoping my schedule will settle down once I am done figuring things out. I'm hoping to do a lot more posts in the near future as I have a ton of things coming up to share with you all. For now, I'll share with you all how I did my black cat costume for Halloween this year. Look on my other blog on how I did my makeup.

Things you will need:
-black pants/ tights
-black shirt/ sweater
-furry cat ears
-furry bow tie (optional)
-furry tail (optional)
-makeup for your face

Step 1:
Find an outfit, preferably all black since it is a black cat. If you don't own a lot of black, then get creative. Try and find things around the house. Perhaps a family member has some stuff or your significant other. If not, you can always go to your local thrift shop and find something there. Put this on first as it will be harder once your ears and hair are done.

Step 2:
Next, you will want to make or buy some fuzzy cat ears. For myself, I went to my local Dollarama and purchased the ears, bow tie and tail in a set. (I didn't have time to make this stuff) It was 2 bucks, I think. They had a bit of variety and so you have some options if you're not into the whole black cat thing. It's entirely up to you. I didn't end up wearing the tail anyway. Ha ha!

Step 3:
The next step is to do your hair and makeup. For my hair, I just used my straighter to straighten it. Then I put the cat ears on. To do my makeup, I clipped my hair back and then started on my face. I looked at a bunch of youtube tutorials on how to do cat makeup for halloween. I would definitely recommend doing that before starting. I found it super helpful.

Once your makeup is complete, put on your bow tie and tail if you want. And voila! You have been transformed into a black cat. Happy Spooking.... I mean, Crafting!!! xoxo


Below are two pictures: one is of my outfit, the other is a close up of my face, hair and ears.

Closeup of my makeup and hair!!

My outfit: black v-neck sweater, black pants and black vest