DIY: Wind Chime

This project was a lot of fun and only took a few hours to put together. I love wind chimes and the sounds they make. They can be kind of expensive (at least more than I want to pay), so I made my own.

This one is made from an old pulley wheel and some metal tools. I wanted to make it  more colorful, so I added some wire wrapped stones for the hangers and then attached the tools with fishing line.

DIY :Beaded Lamp Shade

This fun DIY Lamp Shade was so much fun and went together fast and I like that!! The lamp has an aged based that I like, but the shade needed to be given new life! I have always wanted to do it in beads but lets face it, that could be time consuming to string beads for the shade. Lucky for me I had two beaded hanging curtains tucked away in a corner of the closet. I have thought about getting rid of them a few times, but couldn't do it! 

This was the lampshade before hand. It was just a paper one that I painted and put lace over. Then decided that I didn't like it turned out! So it was time for a make-over! I stripped the paper from the frame to discover that it was two floating circles held together by the paper, so I just used the top ring of the old lamp shade. I used a glue gun to make this project go by super quick but discovered that while the glue does stick to the metal it didn't want to stick on until it was dry and that was going to take to long.So, I glued white bias tape around it first and then glued the beads to that. It actually looks more finished that way!

The left over beads will go into the craft box for later projects and I ended up cutting two beaded curtains  to have enough to give full coverage, so I now have two cute beaded valances left instead of the full beaded curtains!

Happy Crafting!!!

DIY: Jean Skirt

This was a super fun project and only took about an hour.I was inspired by a longer one I saw on Pinterest. Here is how I did mine.

I took an old pair of shorty shorts and cut the crotch off.Then I cut a rectangle out of some scrap fabric. To figure out the length I put the shorts on and measured it that way. For the width I measured my waste line and then just added on a few extra inches for gathering. Once I had the length where I wanted it, I put the bottom hem in. Next I ran three lines of stitches (loosely by hand) to gather the top part of the fabric where it will connect with the skirt. I loosely gathered the fabric before I started pinning it to the shorts. Once I was happy with how it looked I sewed on with the sewing machine.
Happy Crafting!

Up-cycling: Shirts Into Skirts

I have really gotten on board with recycling and reusing items in creative ways. My daughter and I are always looking for ways to re-use clothing before passing it on. Giving new life to old clothes can be really fun and a money saver. I mean who can really afford to buy a new wardrobe every season!
Instead I took a look at some tops I had from the last two summers and some hand-me-downs and made a few really cute butt covers to go over leggings.

Here is a look at the first set of butt covers I made. Both of these are just tank tops that I cut the top portion off of. I added a small casing and elastic, so they stay in place.

The white butt cover is actually and old shirt that had stains on the top portion. The fabric was nice and stretchy and gives a perfect snug fit. The pink lace is actually a cheap camisole that I had bought at a Dollar Store. I just made casings for the waste band on these, they fit perfect without elastic.

The top burgundy butt cover I made out of a piece of fabric my boyfriend found at a second hand store and the bottom shades of green on is actually some of my youngest sons shirts (size 5 toddler) that I cut into strips to make this cute little maxi skirt. I just used the hem of the bottom part of one of the shirts so I didn't need to hem it and I left the waste alone.

Hope these inspire you to up-cycle some of your own clothes!

Happy crafting!!!

DIY!: Lemon grass All Purpose Healing Salve

This is a great salve for eczema, diaper rash and itchy skin! When I first posted this I said it was great for dry winter skin but, it actually dried out my hands a bit. Not such a good thing for me when I wash my hands a lot.
It is great on all kinds of rashes and bug bites!
It does go on greasy but, doesn't stay that way for long.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon balm infused olive oil
1/2 cup lavender infused coconut oil
4 vitamin e capsules
4 tablespoons beeswax
lemon grass essential oil
tea tree essential oil

2 four ounce jars to put finished product in.

Directions:

Combine oils and beeswax in a double boiler melt over medium heat until all the beeswax melts in nice and smooth. Remove from heat and pour into containers.
To each container add 10 drops of lemon grass essential oil, 6 drops of tea tree oil,and the vitamin e oil.I take and poke a small hole in the end of the vitamin e capsules and then just squeeze out the insides.
I always set the lids on the jars while they cool to keep all the essential oil vapors in while it cools and then tighten them when cool.

DIY:Soft Cinnamon Raisin bagels (Bread Machine)

Having a bread machine has really been a blessing. Not only am I making all our bread but I am  also making all our bread products. I loved the way these bagels turned out,so I thought I would share the recipe.

Soft Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast or bread machine yeast
2 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup pre-soaked raisins  ( I just soak them in hot water for 10 min, then drain)

Egg wash
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Place ingredients into bread machine in the order that is recommended by your bread machine. Select the dough setting. Add raisins in before end of last kneading cycle (my machine beeps when ts time). When done remove dough from machine and place on a floured surface.
Divide into 8 equal balls, then use your thumb to make the center of bagel and stretch into a bagel shape. This batch doesn't have holes in the center, because my boyfriend doesn't like to lose butter in the hole!

Let rise on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal so they don't stick. It takes about an hour or so for mine to rise up big and fluffy.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Make up egg wash and brush the bagels with it or you can use a little vegetable spray.
Let bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For What Ails You: Ear Ache Oil

For the last few weeks we have had illnesses running rampant in this house.It started with the stomach flu hitting the kiddos followed by days of high fevers, body aches and now an ear ache for me! I always reach for the essential oils first and they have always been very effective. So, I thought I would share a recipe for  ear ache oil.

Ear Ache Oil

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon lavender infused oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

Directions:

Add 5 drops of  tea tree essential oil to one tablespoon of lavender infused oil and mix.

Apply oil behind ear and down the side of the neck. Place a drop of it in your ear and put a cotton ball in your ear, being careful not to put it in there too far. I  put mine just inside my ear to keep in the vapors. 

If you don't have infused lavender oil you can use 1 tablespoon of a carrier oil and 5 drops of lavender essential oil.

This is by no means medical advice, it is just a good natural remedy. Always do your research on essential oils before using them and consult a doctor to make sure this method is right for you!