Category: Make

Great DIY ideas for entertaining, crafting, gardening, and more.

Categories
Crafts Make

Melt Someone’s Heart With Crayons

Melt Someone's Heart With Crayons

Who doesn’t just love a new box of crayons and all of the promise that it holds? A fresh box makes my heart go a-pitter-pat. The creative possibilities are absolutely endless! Well, I ask you,  what does one do with all of the tattered and battered used little pieces once all of the creativity is done?

You make heart crayons of course!

Aren’t they precious? And they’re the perfect DIY gift for Valentine’s Day! Simple, creative, easy and fun! I just made them at work with the kiddos I supervise in the after school program and I knew that I had to share them with you! I snapped a few quick photos on my phone of the simple process…

First, peel the paper off of the crayons and then break the crayons into small pieces. Next, place the pieces into a non-stick, heart shaped pan (making sure not to over stuff) and bake in a pre-heated 350° oven.

Watch closely as the crayons melt (3-5 minutes depending on your oven) as soon as you see that they have completely melted,

carefully take the cookie sheet out of the oven and place on a flat surface in your freezer.

(Note: the metallic crayons didn’t melt, next time we’ll skip those colors.)

After about 5-7 minutes in the freezer they’ll be firm and ready to go!

Tah-daaaaaaa…

Wasn’t that easy?

I just can’t think of a cuter way to say Happy Valentine’s Day.

A heart felt gift that will make anyone’s heart melt.

xoxoxo-

~Wenderly

 

Categories
Decorate Make

Homemade Body Sugar Scrub

Homemade Body Sugar Scrub

I love to make homemade body sugar scrub that makes a beautiful gift for yourself as well as friends.

Looking for a last minute gift idea?  Well, I’ve got the perfect solution! A homemade body sugar scrub that’s sure to make someone feel pampered & special!

Homemade gifts are best kind, don’t you think?

And you’ll never believe how simple it is to treat someone (or yourself) to soft and subtle, yummy smelling skin!

You’ll just need a small container, I used a Ball Glass Jar adorned with a festive red & white striped paper on top and a handwritten label that came with the jars on the front.

I adore Ball Glass Jars!

Next, you’ll need 2 parts sugar to one part baby oil and 2 drops of a fragrance oil. Just pour everything in and give a good stir! Make SURE that you have a fragrance oil that is for the skin NOT cooking! You can find these at your local craft store in the soap making section.

I decided to lavish my recipients with a lavender fragrance.

It smells heavenly! I feel relaxed and pampered already!

Homemade body sugar scrub in a lavendar scent is absolutely lovely!

Simple, lovely, inexpensive and a decadently sweet treat! This homemade body sugar scrub is certain to dazzle and delight!

Wishing you a pampered holiday season!

~Wenderly

 

Categories
Garden Inspire

Forcing Forsythia in My Foyer

Forcing- orsythia In My Foyer

Did you know that you can force forsythia inside your home and enjoy glorious blooms indoors while it’s still cold outdoors!

Although it’s been a very mid winter this year, nothing thrills my soul more than the first sweet whispers of Spring. The warm breezy days that entice the few flowers that are brave enough to push their way through the stark thawing ground. The barren trees that stand naked one day and then magically begin the next dressed in buds that will become intoxicating flowers after a few more weeks of delicious sunshine…

I want it all and I want it now.

So you know what I do this time of year when I’m itching for Spring?

I force forsythia in my foyer.

You should try it. It’s brilliantly simple and splendidly soul satisfying.

First you’ll need to find a forsythia bush. Make sure that you can actually see some buds that have already formed on the branches. Forsythia is some of the first budding-blooming-bushes of Spring, exactly when will vary depending on where you live.

Then, pull on some rubber boots and tromp through the soggy ground with some cutting shears and cut  a few branches that you find to be breathtakingly beautiful.

Before you place the beautiful branches into a sturdy vase (that won’t topple over once it’s full of branches), you’ll need to gently tap, tap, tap the woody ends with a hammer.

This will allow the branches to more easily drink up the water. Remember to use warm water. This will also make it easier for the forsythia to drink.

*Note, no forsythia branches were harmed during this photo shoot.*

Next you’ll want to find a warm sunny spot for your forsythia to bask in the golden sunshine. This will encourage the branches to believe that it is indeed time to bloom.

My warm sunny spot happens to be my foyer.

And as you can tell, this charming chap is thrilled to pieces to share his favorite spot with a vase full of forsythia.

This is Oliver. And Oliver loves nothing more than the warm golden sunshine that spills into the foyer as he lounges upon the buffet table.

Sharing it with the forsythia. Not so much.

 

“Maybe if I ignore the forsythia it will go away.”

Or maybe Oliver will just go away.

Anyway. Back to my forcing of forsythia.

After about a week or so, you’ll begin to see some sweet green peeking out from within the buds.

Then, before you know it, all of the branches will soon be covered in the gorgeous green.

A day or so later, some lovely yellow will appear.

And then the unfurling of the first forsythia flower…

And before you know it…

You’ll have a foyer full.

And that my friends is how you can get a fabulous fan of forsythia in your foyer with or without a finicky feline who is far from farklempt over the fact that he has to share his favorite spot.

Happy almost Spring!

~Wenderly

Categories
Home Projects Make

New Seats, No Sweat

Winter makes me sleepy <insert yawn here>, not to mention stir crazy . I find myself yearning for change. I have been known to sand, paint and rearrange any and all furniture that I can get my hands on.  I paint as many rooms as I can with any and all paint that I can find. As you can imagine my home becomes quite a parade of projects. My poor family suffers through them until my creative tornado winds down and in a moment of exhaustion I flop onto the couch and curl up with my stacks and stacks of unread magazines-which eventually refuels my imagination and my maniacal cycle begins yet again.

This is my life.

This is why I can’t live without my handy dandy glue gun

or staple gun

or paintbrush

or cabinets of fabric (*ahem* even though I can’t sew).

This is why I have 152 craft cabinets.

This is why I live on Starbucks.

O.k., enough about me.

You see my darling sister Marcey lives in the most adorable house nestled in one of the most charming suburbs in town. Her home is warm, equipped with a delightful front porch, hardwood floors and tidy rooms full of antique furniture including the chair I gave her when I moved to Atlanta (but that’s story for another day). Marcey has the loveliest dining room table that has the most precious chairs tucked around the edges that patiently wait for me and my family to invade her delightful home for various family/holiday/birthday gatherings.

For years my sister has been talking about covering her dining room chairs each time we gather around her lovely table. So for Christmas, I took it upon myself to buy her some fabric that I wrapped along with a note promising to help her cover her seat cushions. A few weeks ago I ventured over with my staple gun on my hip and a Starbucks in my hand. Wait ’til you see how easy it is to give your chairs (and room) a new look! No parade of paint brushes or messy makeovers here.

Just some fabric, scissors and a staple gun.

And of course a chair with a removable seat cushion.

First you’ll want to iron the fabric to remove any creases.

As you can see I ironed the fabric after I took the photo. *cough, cough*

Next, place your fabric on a flat surface and cut the (ironed) fabric into squares that are a couple of inches wider than your seat cover.

You’ll want to begin by stapling along the edge first,

then staple the corner

and neatly fold the remaining fabric from the other side over (like you would when wrapping a present).

And then staple that into place.

I am no professional seat coverer by any stretch of the imagination, however I have found that less is more when covering seat cushions.

If you have too much fabric or too many staples the seat cushions will not fit back into the base of the chair. If you do use too much fabric or too many staples you will just have to keep trimming the fabric off, take all the staples out and do it all over again until the seat cushion will nestle back into place.

I may or may have not done just that a few hundred times.

Continue stapling and folding until the entire edge is stapled and all of the corners are nice and neat (and flat).

Then place the cushion pack into the chair.

And sit on it a few times just because you can.

And voila!

You’ve got yourself a new chair and not a bead of sweat to be found!

Not to mention a whole new room with a whole new look and feel.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m having new-seat-cover-envy. Time to grab another Starbucks and get busy stapling and folding to at my house.

~Wenderly

Categories
Crafts Decorate Make Seasonal

Adorable Edible Easter Egg Tree

Adorable edible Easter egg tree. Say that three times fast.

Or not…

Easter is less than a week away…are you ready?

Me either.

I’m still hopping around tying up loose ends and trying to get all of my eggs in one basket. HA! Couldn’t resist. This year in preparation of the holiday, I’ve made an edible Easter egg tree adorned with delicious white chocolate eggs! It was so fun and easy and can be used as a festive decoration in or as a center piece for your Easter table.

Here’s the scoop on what to do…

Just gather some pretty pastel candy melts.

An egg shaped plastic candy making tray.

And some thin ribbon that matches the pastel color candy melts. All of these items are very affordable and can be found in your local craft store.

Melt the candy melts in the microwave.

Grab a small spoon for each color and give a good stir to make sure that the chocolate is lump free and smooth.

Next use the little spoons to fill the plastic tray with the melted chocolate. Try as best you can to fill the egg shapes evenly and don’t fill too much.

Once the tray is full, give it a good, tap, tap, tap, by picking up a corner a dropping it on the counter. This will get rid of all air bubbles that may be lurking about.

We don’t want air bubbles…we want smooth Easter-eggish-eggs.

Once your tray is filled and tap, tap, tapped, pop it in the freezer (laying flat) for five minutes. The freezer sets the melted chocolate beautifully and gives the finished product a nice shine.

After five minutes, take the tray out of the freezer and turn it up-side-down.

The eggs should pop out easily, if they don’t just put them back in freezer for a few more minutes and try again.

Next, cut your ribbon into two inch strips. These will become the loops from which the darling little eggs will hang.

Now the fun begins. Warm up your candy melts (I’m guessing that by now they’ve gotten cold and hard like mine did) and grab some paint brushes.

Paint the flat sides of the egg with an even layer of chocolate and put the satin ribbon, shaped as a loop, at the top of the egg. I failed to get a photo of the ribbon so use your imagination.

Press the whole thing together and gently hold for a few seconds until the chocolate dries. Don’t hold too long or you will melt the chocolate with your finger tips.

Note: I found it easier to make the ribbons into loops and glue ends together with chocolate before I put them in the eggs.

Isn’t that sweet?

In my minds eye, I saw a cute little tree with solid eggs but then I started playing around with easy little embellishments.

Like polka dots. I LOVE polka dots!

And then some stripes. So cute dontcha think? You can make the little eggs as fancy or simple as you wish.

I made a few extra eggs that could be used as place cards by painting the initial of each guest on the egg. Just tuck them in a little nest. How cute would that be?

Wishing you a Hippity Hoppity Easter filled with love & laughter and some sweet little treats!

Wenderly

Categories
Garden Make

The Perfect Paperwhite Hostess Gift

Have you ever planted a Paperwhite bulb?

And then watched it grow from an ugly little orb into a brilliant white blossom?

It’s quite an amazing experience.

The sweet scent of these darling little star-like blossoms is intoxicating to say the least.

They lift my spirits and make me smile just when I seem to find myself smack dab in the middle of the winter blues.

It’s quite a treat to have something inside that’s alive…actually growing and blooming while everything else outside is hibernating beneath the snow and ice.

It reminds me that I’m alive and that I need to grow and bloom as well. Sometimes, mid-January I just want to wrap myself in a big warm blanket and stay there until I can hear the sweet chirping of the birds outside my window. Do you ever feel like that?

Well, then I’ve got a great medicine for you…

plant a Paperwhite bulb!

It’s not only medicinal, but it’s inexpensive, fun and really couldn’t be any easier to do. And what a perfect gift to give that hostess who has so graciously invited you into her home. She’ll be sure to be smitten after receiving this sweet sentiment!

This is all you’ll need- some soil, a small container and of course a Paperwhite bulb.

I like to reuse jars that I already have on hand.

This jar happens to be a jelly jar. Isn’t it dear?

Just fill the jar about 3/4 full with soil and place the bulb on top pointed side up. Make sure to have room to sprinkle some more soil around the edges but allow for about 1/4 of the bulb to be exposed. Keep the soil moist but not wet and leave the container in a cool place away from direct sunlight for about two weeks until the roots have grown. Once the bulb is well rooted and the shoots begin to grow move the container into a bright room- next to a sunny window is best. The bulb will usually flower about 3 weeks after planting.

I enjoy planting more than just one and thought that a grouping of 3 on a silver platter would make a stunning specimen! Especially after I embellished my jam & jelly jars with matching ribbons.

I mean who wouldn’t just smile as you walked past this darling little trio?

Don’t you agree that one of these precious plantings would be just perfect as a gift? And even more perfect as a hostess gift?

I like to make my hostess gifts personal by tying on sweet little cardboard letters that coincide with the hostess’ name.

You can find these letters in any craft store or you could make your own.

Instant personalization. And as easy as pie (or a Paperwhite in this case).

As the stems grow make sure that you occasionally give them a turn to keep the stems from leaning too much towards the light. It may be necessary to support the stems with a small bamboo stick to help them from toppling over.

And then my friend, stick back and enjoy the show.

You won’t be disappointed.

Paperwhites are the best way I know to bring a little spring inside my home…

and in my heart…

or someone else’s.

Happy planting!

Wenderly

Categories
Make

Hot Chocolate Spoons

Hot Chocolate Spoons

Hot chocolate spoons make a mugful of milk turn instantly into something magical.

Need a festive quick last minute gift for that hostess with the mostess or the mailman or lady?

Doesn’t it seem like the clock ticks faster and faster as the days get shorter and shorter and we are all scurrying about trying to fit 48 hours worth of stuff into 24 hours worth of time?

And why does it always seems like I need that perfect little something at the last minute? Well this year I decided to STOP the madness…

I came up with the perfect solution to my last-minute-gift-giving-woes…

Hot chocolate spoons!

I mean who doesn’t like hot chocolate for heaven sakes?

They’re a sweet treat that will make anyone smile! They add the perfect chocolaty touch to a hot cup of milk, or even a sweet little somethin’-somethin’ to a cup of coffee!

I made a big ole batch of the little darlings in no time flat and now I’m armed for any occasion!

Want to see how?

First, you’ll want some sweet embellishments.

I used sprinkles and crunched up candy canes, really you could whatever you think would be a sweet addition even chocolate shavings would be nice.

Let you imagination go to town.

Next melt some chocolate…

I used white and semi sweet because I happened to have both, once again you could really have fun with this and buy the colored melting chips that come in a rainbow of colors if you so choose!

Once your chocolate is melted, it’s time to dip the plastic spoon (I like to use the clear plastic spoons) into the melted chocolate. Let the spoon dry a minute or two and then dip it again just to make sure that it has a nice thick layer of chocolate.

One can never have enough chocolate.

Let the spoons dry for another minute or two then dip the tip into the sprinkles or crunched up candy canes or whatever sweet embellishment you think worthy,

let the spoons sit a spell and look pretty until the chocolate is completely dry.

Once they’re nice and dry, tie them up in a little cello bag with a bow and you’re good to go!

I mean how cute is that?

Darling little hot chocolate spoons in no time flat!

Cheers to no more last-minute-gift-giving-woes!

Wenderly

Categories
Crafts Desserts Eat Make

Thankful Muffins

thankful muffin

With Thanksgiving and the holidays fast approaching, my mind is a buzz with ten thousand different things that I must somehow accomplish in the days that I’ve got left. Every year the same thing seems to happen as I find myself stepping into the second week of November.

I find myself making lists…

And checking them twice, even thrice.

Then there’s shopping.

More lists.

Cleaning.

More shopping.

Panicking.

A mild breakdown that leads to a “why in the world do I do this to myself every year?”

A self talk that usually involves more list making, perhaps a glass of wine with soft music and candles and then finally a calm…

I remember that I am human, not super woman…

that I live in Suburbia not on an HGTV set…

and that my guests and family will remember the special details not the hours that I’ve spent killing myself.

So you know what I do to make Thanksgiving less stressful? I make boxed pumpkin muffins iced with a pre-made icing and topped with a sweet festive handmade flag!

Here’s how to do it…

A box mix is so simple and easy and ya know what? It still fills my house with the deliciously intoxicating spicy pumpkin aroma that the muffins from scratch do. Only with less work.

I happen to love the Trader Joe’s pumpkin mix! It’s fabulous!

Have you ever tried Pillsbury’s cream cheese frosting? Um, incredible.

I could whip up the frosting in no time flat, but why bother when I have this?

Begin by following the easy directions on your boxed pumpkin mix, pour the batter into pretty paper muffin liners placed in a muffin tin (I used the gold ones) and bake according to box instructions.

While the muffins are baking, it’s time to make the flags.

Here’s what you’ll need: a paper cutter (or scissors) glue, and some pretty paper.

I happen to love scrap booking paper as you may already know, but any paper will do. I chose colors and subtle patterns that I thought looked “Thanksgivingly.”

You’ll also need toothpicks.

Now cut the paper into long, thin strips (the length of the paper)using a paper cutter or scissors.

After you’ve cut the long strips, you’ll then want to cut them into 4 inch long pieces.

Fold the four inch piece in half and cut a little triangle piece out of the open end. Then squeeze a bead of glue on the inside of the fold and down the inside length of the flag, place the toothpick along the fold and hold the two pieces together until you think that they’ve stuck together.

Next, grab a pen and write what you’re thankful for on the flag. It can be anything, family, laughter, hope, Starbucks…oops, did I just say that out loud?

Or sometimes I just like to write my guests names on one side and what I’m thankful for about them on the other side!

Just use your imagination and have fun with it! Obviously this idea can carry over to any holiday or special event!

After the muffins have cooled and you’ve told your kids for the hundredth time that they can’t eat any muffins until Thanksgiving…

Just slather on some of that creamy, rich and yummy pre-made icing…

Then stick a flag toothpick right in the center…

and make a silent promise to yourself to never, ever, let yourself get stressed about hosting a family holiday or get together again.

Aren’t they just darling?

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned through all the blood, sweat and tears of life, it’s that life is too short to be stressed and to always try to have a house full of …

Now go enjoy the holidays! I know I will!

Wenderly