Favorite DIYs of 2013

I'm a huge DIY fan and always find it so great what you can do on your own. Of course, Pinterest has become one of my best friends and SO many great ideas have come from there.
That's why I wanted to make a post of my favorite DIY projects I have either done or stumbled upon.

                    
1. DIY Golden Candle Jar that you can find HERE
2. Flavored Salts. I have a thing for jars and putting things in jars like you will also see in number 3.
3. Layers in Jars . Weather it's spices, salt, flowers, glitters, scrubs, mixes for drinks or like in this case, the ingredients for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal and Gingerbread cookies, put it in a glass container and give it to me. I will be immensely happy!
4. DIY Swatchbook I've used this a couple of times, like HERE or HERE because they are such an easy way to swatch nail polish and have the swatches at hand when you need to see a color.
5. Packaged Spices for Mulled Wine. So simple and so clever! Package them and have them ready for when you just want to just throw them in. And I mean, how pretty do they look!
6. DIY Old Labels. Super easy and super practical. Soak any tag in tea and it will get that "aged" look
7. Pomegranate and Vanilla Vodka. I'm all for fun flavors and this is so fun to do!
8. Use Washi Tape! I've decorated the pictured candle holder HERE but you can really use washi tape for anything and everything!
9. Dipped Golden Vases. Or really, dipped anything. Again, insanely easy to do: just dip in gold, silver or any other color paint and voila!


Are you into DIY too? Share some of your favorites!




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DIY Golden Candle Jar

As you may or may not know, I have a not so secret obsession with candles. Preferably the kind that smell ridiculously good. Which of course also leads to the issue of where to put them, and most importantly: where to put them to look pretty.
And this is where my DIY side makes an appearance:

What do you need?

• A mason jar, a decorative jar, a glass, basically anything that is transparent and you can envision a candle in
• Gold paint that applies to glass
• A brush

                            
It really isn't difficult at all, and unlike the "dip your jar in paint" method which requires a certain kind of paint and a bowl that needs to be filled with said paint so that the jar can be dipped, here you just need a space to make a bit of a mess. Preferably outside as the paint has its fumes you will want to avoid in an indoor space.

How do you do it?

Just brush on as much or as little of the paint you want. I recommend letting it dry and adding coat after coat, as it will give a much better effect. Also, you might want to dab it on as opposed to regular brush strokes, it will give you a more vintage look. It's how I did it with this one.


Add a bow, add some rhinestones if you wish, add some glitter even and you're ready to light up a gorgeous candle in your pretty new candle jar!




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DIY Idea: Strawberry Lemonade

You might not know this but I have a bit of a fascination for sour beverages, which just makes lemonade the perfect drink. Sometimes it gets a bit too sour though, so it's time to add some sweetness to it. That's where strawberry comes in. And the combination of lemon and strawberry results in a great spring/summer treat.

                           
Not to mention that it's super easy to make. You of course need strawberries, lemons and/or limes, brown sugar and water.
To make it easier, just cut the peel of the lemon and remove the seeds, then throw it in the blender as it is. You get more of the lemon's vitamins and don't have to squeeze it trying to get all the juice out.
Add your berries and some brown sugar ( I prefer brown sugar but regular one works just fine also), top it off with water and blend that mix.

You'll be left with a yummy fresh drink for warm days or for a delicious breakfast!




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DIY Oatmeal Banana Face Mask

I really like reading DIY stuff and I'm sure I can't be the only one. I also like doing DIY posts, just that I haven't found the time lately. But on Saturday, my face reminded me that it might be a good idea to treat it to something delicious once more, which meant some easy peasy supplies you probably have at home being mixed and then used in the most loving manner possible.

Step 1: Gather ye supplies. 

That means: 

• Bananas
• Oats
• Honey
• Oil(s) and Vitamin E (if available)

I picked avocado oil this time, but olive oil does just as great of a job.

Step 2:  Mash that banana. If you can do it by hand then great, if not,throw it in a food processor or blender

Step 3: Mix in the honey first, then your oils. I suggest using a chopstick to do so because you don't need a big quantity and for a small container, chopstick is the way to go

Step 4: Ta-daaa! Slap it on! And leave it there for as long as you wish, but for a minimum of 15 minutes.

It is perfect for soothing, hydrating and giving your skin that nice glow. I'm tempted to do this every week-end and by the way, in case you feel like eating the mask off your face... you can, it's delicious!

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Best Of April

Since April has come and gone, I figured it would be a good idea to show you some of my favorite posts from last month that I hope you haven't missed. And in case you've missed them, I get the chance to show them to you.So here's what I hope you haven't gone without seeing:

                             
The DIY SwatchBook: Makes organizing your polishes super easy and most importantly, super pretty!

Making The Most Delicious Smoothie: An easy 4-step guide to making what I have now come to call the best breakfast ever. Incredibly easy to make, incredibly healthy and most importantly, SO yummy! Trust me when I say you will love it. I've already had a lot of people tell me this is the best thing they have tried and I can only agree.

March Favorites: The favorites of last-last month of course. Before we get to April's favorites, there's still some goodies to be seen from the month before. And also,  even if some won't be in this month's most loved, they continue to be incredible products. So be inspired.

My Most Spring-y Manicure Last Month: Last but not least, the abundance of turquoise polishes continues. This time with some gorgeous gold splattered on it for good measure. Definitely one of the cheeriest manicured I've worn.

As a plus, if you check any of my posts tagged Week In Pictures  you will likely get the full on spring blast!




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Making THE Best Smoothie Out There

A while ago, I went to my favorite smoothie makers and saw a very interestingly named smoothie: The Strudel Smoothie.
I was also confused as to how a smoothie was going to become a strudel but the ingredients looked magnificent: muesli, apple, cinnamon and honey.

The bigger surprise came when I tasted it and it was incredible! It had that familiarly delicious taste that I don't necessarily associate with a strudel but definitely with baked goods from when I was small.It was pretty magical and I was surprised that somebody had managed to create such a thing.

So you can imagine I tried to recreate it, the great part about it was, it was incredibly easy to recreate spot on. So here's how you can do it too:

Step 1 : Gather up your ingredients. Muesli (I picked oats because they give it a delicious thickness), some cinnamon, milk and an apple

Step 2: Cut and slice whatever needs to be sliced. I actually use an apple and a glass of milk per portion and it works out great. I also suggest using as much oats as you want, you will want it of a thicker consistency.

Step 3: Throw everything in a blender and add some honey. Again, the quantity is completely up to you.

Step 4: Pour it and enjoy it!

I am pretty sure you will experience the same kind of love at first taste that I did! 

                             





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DIY Swatch Book

On Sunday I was looking around Pinterest and came across a picture where nail polish splashes were dropped on a page of a notebook, and it looked so great, that it made me think you could transform those into actual swatches. So I did.

You Will Need:

 - nail polishes of choice

- a notebook

- a black pen

Basically all there is to it is picking your polishes and smudging away in a somewhat organized manner on the pages of your notebook.Then label them. Actually, you could also use small labels if you have a label maker. Oh that would look so great!

 I picked some spring shades and only did one page for now but doesn't it look cute? And it's a bit of an OCD dream come true to be able to organize them so neatly in a notebook.

You can do it by color, by name, by brand, by anything you like.

I cannot wait to take some proper time and put all my polishes onto the pages of a notebook. And I also can't wait to put together lists, like spring colors, pastels, glitters, metallics... there's so many options!

So what do you think? Are you tempted to do this?

                     

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DIY Lip Tint

Lip Tint mania is upon us, but I personally have trouble fining a color I like and most times,the colors are too generic. So why not just make your own shade?

You'd be surprised how easy it it to make it, and the truth is, you probably have all you need at home or can pick it up today quite easily. 
So let me take you through 4 easy steps!                       

STEP 1
Get some Vaseline. As you can see, I also put Shea Butter in this picture because you can use Shea Butter too. You just need to use a hand mixer and mix it with some olive,jojoba,argan,avocado or any other yummy oil. The process take a bit longer but your lips will LOVE it! Just mix them together until you get a paste.

STEP 2
Get some food coloring. I happened to have a number of them at home, like for example pink and red. You can use any color you want and even mix them.

STEP 3
Scoop some Vaseline or Shea Butter into a plastic container.

STEP 4
Pour as much or as little food coloring into the Vaseline and mix it. I recommend mixing with a chopstick or a toothpick, depending on how bug your container is.

And VOILA!

You will have your custom lip tint to enjoy!






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DIY Lip Scrub

I think each one of us has had someone tell them at least once that lipbalms, chapsticks and other lip moisturizers of the sort can cause addiction. It's true, if you constantly use them on your lips, you disrupt the natural cycle of your skin and then it ends up "asking" for them.

The natural circle consists in your skin being renewed and the dead skin cells being ditched and replaced by new ones. 

If you allow that to happen and stay hydrated, you will never feel your lips dry again. 

BUT we all know that today everyone uses something on their lips on a daily basis. This something forms a layer on them and prevents the dead skin cells from leaving the premisses. That in turn, makes your lips feel dry and as a normal reaction you moisturize some more. Talk about a shiny, lovely smelling vicious circle!

Here's what you CAN do:

If you are going to use balms anyway, then at least help the skin cycle a bit. You can do that by scrubbing.

The same way you use body scrubs, you can use lip scrubs.

The main difference is: lips are much more sensitive so don't go rubbing salt on them as that is very coarse and rugged and you will be cursing the day you've done so!

And why wait until you purchase a lip scrub if you already have all the ingredients at home and can make one yourself?

This is why, I will give you an easy breezy solution to stopping the dry sensation and making your lips love you even more.

What You Need:

1 Tablespoon of Sugar + 1 Tablespoon of Honey

Step 1.

Put you sugar in a little bowl where you will be able to mix it without it falling out. I used Muscovado Sugar because it's quite fine but you can pick any sugar you like. Because it melts quite easily, you don't need to worry about damaging your lips. Sugar is the ideal candidate for a lip scrub.

Step 2.

Get a tablespoon  of honey. You can add more if you like it more liquid, it's all up to you.

Step 3.

Mix sugar and honey together. Ideally with a toothpick or a chopstick, something thin in any case. Because it isn't a large quantity, it's unpractical to try and mix it with a spoon.

Step 4.

Rub it on your lips with circling movements. You should feel the sugar scrubbing your skin and once you've done that you can either eat your scrub ( it is just sugary sweets after all) or rise it off with lukewarm water.

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