A Personal Touch for the Master Bath

Hi everyone! This is a project I did for our master bathroom. The best part is how I scored a really good deal on the frames I bought. The second best part is that only took me 10 minutes to do {Personal record!}  Check it out: 

Andrew & I have towel hooks across from the shower in our bathroom. I wanted to put something above each one to signify which is his and which is mine.  I contemplated a few ways of doing this… monograms, baby pictures, or his & hers frames. My project ended up being a spin on the last one. I liked the way that one looked, but I didn't want to glue a frame or letters to our wall. Instead I bought two picture frames (one 4x6, one 5x7) at the craft store, took the glass out of each frame & replaced it with card stock, then glued my little wooden letters to the card stock with an Elmer's glue stick. I contemplated staining the letters, but I ended up keeping them plain because I liked the monochromatic look. 

Because he had texted me, I knew Andrew was just a few minutes from home. I ran up to our bathroom to hang them up. When he walked in the door I came bounding down the stairs to greet him, hammer in hand. His response to my welcome home was: 

"What did you make???"

I wonder what tipped him off…

<<< such a bargain!

How to Upcycle Glass Jars

Empty jars from jelly, spaghetti sauce, minced garlic, honey, wine... you name it. Whenever I'm washing one out, something snaps inside of me & I save it instead of putting it into our recycling. {Every time!} The way I see it, why waste a good container for a future craft? Today's $0 Project is about how to remove the sticky labels from your jars so you can upcycle them into something new & fun!

up·cy·cle [uhp-sahy-kuhl]

verb (used with object), up·cy·cled, up·cy·cling.

1. to process used goods or waste material so as to produce something that is often better than the original

/ˈʌpˌsaɪkəl/ Show SpelvFill a sink with hot water & place your bottles/jars in until they're fully submerged. Add 1 Tbsp dish soap, 2 cups vinegar, and 1/2 cup baking powder {powder, not soda}. After the fizzing subsides, the labels should peel right off the glass. I let mine sit for 2 hours while I was out at the store. If the paper comes off but the glue is still there, I resort to Goo Gone to fully remove the residue.

    

Now that your jars are label-less, here are some upcycling ideas:

SUGAR SCRUB Sugar + dish soap = homemade sugar scrub.  Click here to fill your jar with this simple {but luxurious!} skin exfoliating DIY tutorial by me. You can experiment with different soap scents and try adding essential oils. It really doesn't get any easier than this!

CITRONELLA CANDLES Melt plain or colored {but scentless} wax chips in a heat resistant bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Add a few drops of citronella essential oil to the wax. Place a wick in your jar, then pour in the wax. Let the wax firm & you have yourself a cute candle that will repel pests on the patio.

MINI TERRARIUM Fill your jar in this order: rocks, charcoal, potting soil. Then add plants, sticks & succulents. The charcoal helps contain moisture and stave off mold. Looking for things to add? Collect from your yard. {No bugs allowed!}

DRINKING GLASSES Fill your sink with cold water. Soak a string of yarn in nail polish remover & tie it around bottle. Light the string on fire & let it burn for about 15 seconds. {Don't burn yourself!} Dip the bottle in the sink, and the glass will split where the yarn was. This is especially fun to do with bottles that have etched or painted labels that are directly on the glass.

SELF WATERING WINE GLASS PLANT Follow the steps above, but save the top piece. Fill the bottom {cup part} with water. Thread some string through the neck of the bottle so that it hangs out both ends. Put your dirt & seeds in the inverted top piece, then place it on the bottom piece {neck will be facing down}. The string will wick the water up & nourish your plant. Just don't forget to replenish the water supply as needed!

STORAGE Andrew has a few jars near his tool bench with spare nuts, bolts, nails, and screws; I have my own collection in the kitchen for chocolate chips, sprinkles & raw sugar for my tea; and there is a jar on our bathroom counter filled with q-tips & cotton balls. Use glass jars to spice up storage of otherwise boring items!

In short, empty jars = endless possibilities. I plan to do a post on each of these ideas in between all of the Spring DIY we have going on around our house {new back patio, deck & landscaping} Stay tuned & Keep creating! 

What are your ideas for upcycling glass containers?

Homemade Sugar Scrub

Mason Jars. You could practically put {anything} inside of one, give it to me & I would be thrilled. There's just something very classic about it. Another thing I really like? A good, old fashioned handmade gift. Whatever it is, you can almost feel the love that went into the making.

A few years ago I gave these out for Christmas. This Easter, I made Homemade Sugar Scrubs for my mom & aunts. The ingredients are basic & the scrubs were a big hit...packaged in mason jars, of course!

1. Assemble your supplies: mason jar, sugar, dish soap {I'm using Dawn Cucumber Melon}
2. Fill your jar 3/4 full of sugar, 1/4 with dish soap.
3. Stir contents {using a butter knife to do this works for me}
4. If the scrub seems too thin, add more sugar. If it is too thick, add more soap.
5. Once you have reached a consistency you like, cap it off & you're all done!

This scrub is a great exfoliator! Use it to remove grime after a day working in the garden, as a nice shaving scrub for your legs while in the tub, or simply a daily hand treatment to soften dry skin. Try different dish soaps for varying fragrance & color. For enhanced skin-soothing hydration, add a few drops of olive oil.

Giving your scrub as a gift? Click here for a cute tag!

Happy scrubbing!

Kool Aid Gift Tags

If you have cardstock, ribbon, and packet of Kool Aid... you've got everything you need to make this set of adorable gift tags. No kidding! I used plain cream cardstock cut into 2 x 3 1/4 inch rectangles, looped some purple ribbon through holes I punched in the top, then dipped the bottoms in grape Kool Aid*. Check out pictures of my process below & try it yourself. Have fun experimenting with different flavors colors - they even smell good!

This project took me a total of 30 minutes. At first I was worried because the Kool Aid in the bowl looked too dark, but the color actually went on really light & darkened to a nice shade as it dried. I'm looking forward to using these tags on Easter gifts - the color is perfect for this time of year!

* I didn't add sugar to the Kool Aid {as the package suggests} since I was using it as dye & not a beverage. Just empty one sleeve into a bowl with 6 oz. of tap water

 

He is not here; He is risen, just as He said. 

Matthew 28:6

Paint Chip Art

Hey! Thanks for joining me here. This is my first post for a new series:

Sometimes I really have the urge to make something, but maybe I can't get to the store or I'm trying to be good & save cash. Enter $0 Projects! If you put your mind to it & get thrifty, you can make some pretty cool stuff using things you already have.



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Known fact: hardware store paint chip samples are free in all 50 states of the U-S-A. What does that mean for you? It means get to the hardware store & start grabbing good colors, because we're about to make some art!

WARNING! When walking out of the store, you may feel like you just stole something. But you didn't! The creative part will soon be underway - getting home and cutting {or paper punching} your chips, then arranging them on paper or canvas.

I got this Fiskars paper punch a week or so ago, because I saw it and thought of my sister. She and her husband live on a small farm that is just minutes from my own home. I knew I could make something fun for her with this chicken punch. Don't have a punch? No worries. In the past I have done other projects with paint chips using scissors, pictured at the end of this post*

After you have picked your {free} paint chips out & you're back home, set yourself up at a table and get to punching/cutting. You should probably turn on music or a tv at this point because punching is not that thrilling. I punched 13 chickens of each color. Then I grabbed a 11x14in canvas and began arranging my chickens. When I liked the way things looked I glued them down with an Elmer's Glue Stick. I covered them with a layer of Liquitex matte varnish to prevent them from popping off of the canvas.

Give this a shot! Even if you are someone who doesn't feel super artsy & creative. It's easy to do, and won't cost you a dime. Score! Be sure to click on the $0 Project label on the right hand side of my blog for more costless craft ideas!

*Here are two other paint chip projects I've done: