Categories Archives - Poppytalk

DIY Boho-Style Palm Leaves

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:00:00 +0000

In planning for my festive tablescape I posted yesterday, and as promised, here is the how-to post on making all the different boho-style palm leaves I made for it using items one would find in a grocery store. From coffee filters to brown paper lunch bags, I love how these leaves can be dressed up by adding in gold leaves perfect for a New Year’s Eve dinner party, or made more casual for a Friendsgiving for example.

For the tablescape I made six different styled leaves. Some are using the same basic idea, just riffed by cutting or folding differently which you’ll see. Each one is unique and can be switched up in sizes too, customizing to how you want them. There really is no rule, and they are super easy to make. Also, keep an eye out on my instagram for how-to reels if you need more instruction on how to make them.

There’s also a contest! WIN $50 to buy all your brunching ingredients. Visit addjoy.ca for more details!

Here’s how to make them.

1. Coffee Filter Palm Leaves

You will need:

-Pour-over style coffee filters in different sizes. I used Size 2 and 4

-Bamboo Skewers

-Glue gun or tape

How to make:

Step 1

Place 2 of the same sized filters together. At a 45 degree angle, start to fold (accordian-style) working your way across from one end to the other.

Step 2

Separate the filters. Then place the same sized end of one filter, against the other and glue together using a glue gun. You could also tape, however keep in mind it might not look as finished as a glued one.

Step 3

Then gather the bottom end of the two glued pieces to create a fan-like form. Using an extra filter, cut a strip off one end. Then glue it to cover the end, wrapping it around like a stem. Secure at the end of the strip with more glue (or tape).

Step 4

If you wish to make the fan have a stem, you can now slip in skewer (pointed end) in between the folds of the stem of the fan. It can then be easily placed in a vase to create a bouquet.

2. Lunch Bag Leaves

Making these leaves will leave (no pun intended) you with a little surprise in the form of baby leaves without even trying. When you fold and cut the lunch bags (cutting the shape of larger leaves), once you open them up, you’ll find baby leaves in between (because of the fold already in the lunch bags themeselves). It’s pretty cool, and as you’ll notice, you can make tons of these pretty easily.

You will need:

-Brown paper lunch bags

-Scissors

How to make:

Step 1

You can make these leaves one lunch bag at a time, but I like to make 2 at a time for more efficiency. Grab one or two lunch bags and fold the bottom end downards. Cut off the base (bottom ends). Now fold the lunch bags in half (lengthwise).

Cut the shape of a half a leaf – with the center fold as the center line as your guide. Once cut, open up to reveal all the leaves and open each one up (large ones and the smaller surprise ones that will appear). Separate into two piles of same sizes. Large with large, small with small.

Step 3

Grab one pile (let’s say the large ones first), and fold in half. On the rounded edge now start to fold (accordian-style) at a 45 degree angle. Fold until complete. Then once folded, you can start to cut the fringe of the leaves.

Step 4

Then once folded, you can start to cut the fringe of the leaves. I like to start at the centre and cut right (since I’m right-handed), but if you are left, of course the other way is probably easiest. Then flip and start to cut the fringe on the other rounded half. Open up and ruffle up the fringe a bit to create a more realistic look. Repeat these steps for the smaller leaves.

3. Cardstock Leaves (3 Types)

For these leaves there are three variations. A simple accordian-style folded one, a fringe-ended one and then one that is gathered at the bottom end to create a bit of a stem, that can be left on it’s own, or add a skewer stem to it to add to a bouquet

You will need:

-Any type of 8.5” x 11” card stock paper (I used gold and brown)

-Scissors

-Glue gun or tape

How to make:

Style 1 – Simple Accordian Style Leaf

Step 1

Fold the paper in half (length-wise). From one end to the other, cut the shape of a half a leaf, with the fold as the center of the leaf.

Step 2

With the round edge, start to fold (accordian style) at a 45 degree angle. Fold back and forth till you reach the other end. Open up, and you have a beautiful folded leaf

Style 2 – Fringe Cut

Step 1

Fold the paper in half (length-wise). From one end to the other, cut the shape of a half a leaf, with the fold as the center of the leaf.

Step 2

Then once cut, you can start to cut the fringe of the leaf. As mentioned above, I like to start at the centre and cut right (since I’m right-handed), but if you are left, of course the other way is probably easiest. Then flip and start to cut the fringe on the other rounded half. Open up and ruffle up the fringe a bit to create a more realistic look.

Style 3 – Cardstock Leaf with Stem

Step 1

Fold the paper in half (length-wise). From one end to the other, cut the shape of a half a leaf, with the fold as the center of the leaf. With the round edge, start to fold (accordian style) at a 45 degree angle. Fold back and forth till you reach the other end.

Step 2

Grab the bottom end and squeeze the folds together to create a stem. Glue with a glue gun or tape. Using some scrap paper of the same paper, cut out a 3” inch long by 3/4” to 1” wide strip of paper. Wrap strip around the bottom end stem, glueing to secure.

4. Large Grocery Bag Palms

For these leaves you can make using a large brown grocery bag cut into a square, or kraft paper too.

You will need:

-Brown paper grocery bags (one bag makes two palm leaves) or kraft paper

-Scissors

-Glue Gun or tape

Bambook skewers (optional)

How to make:

Step 1

Cut the bottom end off the paper bag. And then cut each side so they are separate, leaving the sides for scrap. Fold the cut squares diagonally to create a perfect square. Cut off the remaining edge and set aside for scrap. Open up the square, then fold in half. Cut from about 3/4 of the top a round edge on the right and then straight towards the fold.

Step 2

The cut should look like a rounded hill. Then open up the paper again, and folding horizontally accordian style till you reach the other end.

Step 3

Fold together the bottom end and secure with glue or tape. Using a scrap cut 3” long x 1” wide, secure by wrapping it around the base, and securing with glue.

Trim the tops of the fronds at the tips at a 45 degree angle to make them pointy.

Step 4

Open up the folds and then cut down the center of each fold to create the fronds. Continue until all the folds are cut.

Step 5

Then with the scissors, create fringe-like cuts within each frond (approximately 3 or 4 cuts per side.

Step 6

Open up and ruffle a bit to create a beautiful fan-like palm.

To add a stem, insert a bamboo skewer through the stem and glue.

Don’t forget to enter the contest! WIN $50 to buy all your brunching ingredients. Visit addjoy.ca for more details!

The post DIY Boho-Style Palm Leaves appeared first on Poppytalk.

DIY | A Festive Tablescape

Jan Halvarson — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 19:00:00 +0000

In anticipation of hosting friends and family that we haven’t seen in a very long time this upcoming holiday season, over the next few weeks I’m super-excited to share with you a few festive holiday ideas (including this DIY Festive Tablescape, to elevate your get-togethers.

For inspiration, I’m loving the boho-style paper palm leaf DIYs I’ve been seeing lately, which got me thinking about a budget friendly version. Things you can easily find in a grocery store. Like different sized coffee filters, brown lunch bags, maybe some larger grocery bags, skewers, etc.

To start, I’ve created a tablescape idea that I hope you’ll love as much as I do.

I’ve created a series of different DIY palm style leaves you can make using the items I mentioned above, as well as a few things you might have lying around the house, like card stock and pipe cleaners. I have always loved the challenge of making things out of everyday items, and I think you’ll agree, this one doesn’t disappoint.

Using the various palm leaves I created, I started out with a symmetrical layout, adding in dinnerware, cutlery, some pretty polka dot paper napkins, and created some little printable treat boxes (click here for the how-to) topping them off with a smaller coffee filter palm leaf which I think is so so cute.

To pull it all together, I made some cursive font words, using gold pipe cleaners and added some tea lights.

For food, the folks at KraftHeinz hooked me up with a few must-have recipes for the festive season. Starting off with a savoury Croissant Bread Pudding (the only brunch recipe you’ll need this holiday season, it’s that good), Banana Walnut Waffles with toppers like warmed hazelnut spread, nuts and whipping cream, and some Sweet ‘n Salty Peanut Butter Filled cookies (perfect to give as treat favours). The full recipes can be found here.

This post is in partnership with Kraft Heinz. Stay tuned for a post on how to make these leaves coming tomorrow!

There’s also a contest! WIN $50 to buy all your brunching ingredients. Visit addjoy.ca for more details!

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DIY Printable Cookie Treat Box

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 09:37:55 +0000

These Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter cookies I posted yesterday deserve to be gifted, they are that good.

This treat box project is the perfect compliment to these sweet and savoury cookies. Semi-sweet chocolate is melted in a mixture of butter and vanilla flour and eggs and then topped with a salty, peanut butter cream cheese frosting. For the full recipe, visit the addjoy.ca website and while you’re there, be sure to enter their Add Joy $50 grocery card contest where they are giving away $40k in cards!

Wrap them in these adorable printable boxes to gift to guests this holiday season. Check out the how-to and printable below.

DIY Printable Cookie Treat Box

You will need:

Cardstock 8.5 x 11 paper (I used gold)
Printable Box Template
Printer
Scissors
Glue Gun

How to make:

Step 1

Download and print off the printable box template. Print off as many as you’ll need. Click here for the file.

Step 2

Cut on the solid line outline(s), and the outside of all the flaps.

Step 3

Fold all of the dotted lines, and then starting at the opposite end.

Step 4

Starting from the bottom end, fold in the first flap underneath the next.

Step 5

Working each flap into the other until you form a box.

Step 6

Fold into a box shape.

Step 7

Fold flaps on top to secure until you glue into place.

Step 8

Secure the bottom using a glue gun or tape.

Step 9

Then secure the side with glue and hold until dry.

Step 10

Then measure and cut out some tissue paper to line the box.

Step 11

Fold the tissue to fit inside the box.

Step 12

Fill the box with a couple of the cookies.

Step 12

Then top with your favourite bow or something like this coffee filter palm fan leaf I made (see instructions below).

Coffee Filter Palm Leaf (Bows)

You will need:

-Pour-over style coffee filters in different sizes. I used Size 2 for these smaller leaves, however for the demo I used larger ones for visuals.

-Glue gun or tape

– Scissors

Step 1

Place 2 of the same sized filters together. At a 45 degree angle, start to fold (accordian-style) working your way across from one end to the other.

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Attach the bow to the top of the box using a bit glue.

Stay tuned for more tablescape and recipes coming soon!

Pssst! There’s also a contest! WIN $50 to buy all your brunching ingredients, go to addjoy.ca for more details.

Good luck!

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DIY Post-it ® Note Halloween-Inspired Mural

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:05:00 +0000

This post is in partnership with Scotch Brand and Post-it® Brand. Scotch Brand and Post-it ® Brand products work the first time, every time.

Having always been wanting to create one of those Post-it ® Brand Note murals, and with Halloween just around the corner, when the folks at Post-it® Brand asked us to work together, why not create a pixel-style mural using their Post-it® Notes for a party idea!?

We love that this project can also be translated into any event or even to decorate a kid’s, teen or dorm room. With that in mind, for this project we will be showing you how to turn any image you like into pixel art using Photoshop and then taking it from digital form to real-life mural. Check out our how-to below.

DIY Post-it® Note Mural

To start choose an image. You can choose any image you wish as long as it is in digital form. For this project, as it is Halloween-themed, we chose Frankenstein, and turned a black and white into a colourful mural using the Miami collection from Post-it® Brand. If you wish to use our Frankenstein image (already pixelated), see below for the printable link. But if you are using your own image, below is how we created ours.

You will need
A digital image (or download our Frankenstein pixelated template HERE)
8 – 10 packs (8 pads in each) of Post-it ® Notes (We used the 47.6 mm or 1-7/8 Miami collection from Post-it® Brand)
Computer with photoshop (You can download a free version online)
Printer
Paper
Pen
Ruler (optional)
a clean wall (free of grease)
a level (to ensure straight lines when working on the wall)

Step 1
Create contrast with your image. Open the Hue/Saturation menu and select Image / Adjustments / Hue/Saturation and increase the saturation to 25 or higher until you see a contrast.

Step 2

Increase the contrast even more. To do this select Image / Adjustments / Levels. Adjust the levels by sliding the black-and-white input-level tabs until you see more contrast in the photo (notice the shading).

Step 3
Next, you need to reduce the colours in the image. Select Image / Mode / Indexed Color, and select Local (Selective), Colors 20, Forced None, DitherDiffusion, Amount 15%. As shown below.

Step 4
In order to get a large pixelation you need to create a larger image from a smaller image. So if your image is large, you will need to make it small first. To do this, Select Image / Image Size. and enter 75 pixels. Click OK. Then you will need to enlarge the photo. Enlarge photo to at least to 700 – 1000 pixels. Select Image / Image Size. Enter 700 pixels. Click OK.

Step 5
Next, select Filter / Pixelate / Mosaic, slide the Cell Size to 14 square. Click OK. Save as a .jpg or as a PDF file. Select File / Save for Web for a .jpg, or select File / Save and select PDF. You can print out at this point if you like. Or go to the optional Step 6.

Step 6 (Optional)
To make things a little easier when counting each pixel, we pulled the image into Illustrator and created some lines to emphasize each pixel more, as well as numbered them. You could also do this by hand using a ruler and pen and then number them. We then saved this file as a printable pdf file.

If you would like to use our file, click HERE for the printable template.

To create the mural
To begin, you’ll need to colour code your template. Using the Miami collection from Post-it® Brand, the following is how we colour coded it:

Light grey – green
Dark grey – orange
Black – pink
Charcoal/Brownish – blue

Next, take a level to mark a straight line at where you will begin creating it. For this mural, we needed quite a large space. Since it is almost 50 pixels wide by 50 pixels high. When using the 1-7/8 Post-it® Notes equals approximately 9 feet wide x 9 feet high. And since a standard wall height is 8 feet high, we didn’t use the last few lines (height-wise). To work out how many Post-it® Notes you will need, simply multiply your grid (for example, ours is 50 x 48) which means we will need approximately 2,400 Post-it® Notes. And then each 1-7/8 pack (of 8) has 720 notes. You will also need to take into consideration how many colours for each, so although 2,400 notes is what we need, we needed to use more packages (approximately 25 pads in total which equals 4 packages – but then doubled to 8 packages to get all the colours needed).

Once you have marked your straight line, begin to create your mural. Working from the left and following the colour coded template, begin to place your Post-it®Notes. We found it easiest to work line by line, but as we worked in places that had a large amount of the same colour, we were able to work in blocks. See our time-lapse video below to see what we mean.

This project was rather easy to create once we got going, and as mentioned before, would be a fun project to decorate a kids, teen or dorm room using any image you would like. The result is budget-friendly piece of art that will make any room pop!

For more great ideas and inspiration from these brands, check out inspirationthatsticks.3m.com Happy Halloween!

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DIY Wallflower Temporary Tattoo

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 18:26:00 +0000

In DIY Temporary Tattoo Art, vlogger and fashionista K. L. CAO uses a variety of easy-to-find materials like tissue paper, pressed flowers, gold leaf, henna ink, and more to give you what you need to amp up your style. Her thirty-five simple temporary tattoo projects include flash (metallic/shimmering), black-light reactive, watercolor style, freckle temporary tattoos, henna tattoos, and many more!

Today we’re sharing her Wallflower Temporary Tattoo project which is super easy and a perfect DIY for the beach, a music festival or just for fun! Check it out below!

DIY Wallflower Temporary Tattoo
An excerpt from “DIY Temporary Tattoo Art, Easy Step-by-step Instructions for Watercolor, Henna, Flash Tattoos and More!” by K. L. CAO.

Materials
—Scissors
—Wallflowers template (click here to download) copied onto 8.5″ x 11″ temporary tattoo paper
—1 – 2 make-up wedges

1. Use scissors to carefully cut out each flower, working as precisely as you can.

2. Take one of the cut-out flowers and remove the clear film from the tattoo paper. Place the paper sticky side down on any flat surface of the body where you will have enough room to place all the flowers in your design. (I chose the top back of the shoulder as my starting point.) Press gently to make sure the tattoo adheres to the skin. Repeat to create your first layer of flowers.

3. Soak a makeup wedge in water and shake off excess. Gently dab the backing of the tattoos with the wedge until the paper is saturated.

4. Gently peel the backing away from the tattoos to reveal the images.

5. Repeat application as many times as needed in order to fill in any gaps. In between each application make sure the skin is dry before adding on another layer of tattoos. Once all the tattoos are dry, head out the door and get ready to stand out.

Click HERE to download the wallflower pdf file.

DIY Temporary Tattoo Art, Easy Step-by-step Instructions for Watercolor, Henna, Flash Tattoos and More!” by K. L. CAO is available through Simon and Schusterand available at most bookstores.

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DIY Camp Mug Candle

Jan Halvarson — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 06:22:00 +0000

Hi all! Emily + Erick of Hello Home Shoppe here —we’re so excited to share another DIY on Poppytalk! This time of year, we’re looking forward to fall camping trips–huddled over a campfire with with a thermos of steaming mulled cider, wool blankets, and a good book, who says summer should have all the fun?

Inspired by our fall camping getaways, we fashioned up this Campfire-Scented Camp Mug Candle DIY so you can enjoy the nostalgic scent of a campfire all year round–no tent required!

You Will Need:

A camp mug —try a thrift store or outdoor shop
Candle wax–we like the soy variety
String (this will be your homemade wick)
Button
Pencil
Campfire fragrance oil

Directions

1.) Thread your string through the two holes of the button and make a knot. Pull taught and snip after measuring the height of your mug (cut an inch longer than you think you’ll need).
2.) Melt a little bit of wax according to manufacturer’s directions (we bought microwavable wax–it saves so much time). Dip the string and button into your wax to coat entirely. Once coated, lay it on a paper towel to dry a few minutes.
3.) Once dry, anchor your newly fashioned wick in the center of your mug–adhering the button to the mug with a little wax if need be. Wrap the excess wick around a pencil balanced on the lip of the mug.
4.) Melt the rest of your wax. Pour in a capful or two of fragrance oil and mix with hot wax. Pour the mixture into your camp mug and let dry a few hours.
5.) Once the wax is solidified, cut the wick.

Follow Emily + Erick at Hello Home Shoppe on twitter, Pinterest, instagram!

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Halloween Party Inspiration for Kids

Jan Halvarson — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 02:56:00 +0000

Contributor post by Hipster Mum.

Spooky season is coming!

This year fright night falls on Saturday, 31 October, so you can bet a black cat celebrations will be bigger and better than ever.

While you North Americans traditionally have dibs on the apple bobbing and decking out entire suburbs in Jack O’ Lanterns, Down Under we do things a little differently. As a photographer, blogger and DIY enthusiast I thought I’d share a few Australian tricks – and treats!

For starters, we’re more likely to carve a pineapple than a pumpkin (DIY video instructions here).

We’ll mix up a few healthy snacks in with the treats. Hello, home-cooked popcorn (DIY video instructions here).

Last of all, while extravagant outfits are awesome, our kids are more likely to dress up in gear they can wear again (think: black, white and hardwearing).

But, of course, there’s one Halloween tradition you’ll see far and wide on All Hallows Eve no matter where you are: kids running amok and having the time of their lives.

Happy Halloween!

Credits

Photography, concept & creative direction – @hipster_mum

Clothes & styling & food – @billieandkate

Balloons – @borntopartyshop

Letters & confetti – @poppiesforgrace

Table garland – @cherryontopau

Striped plates/straws – @littlemonsterparty

With thanks to the kids: Billie (12 months), Valentine (15 months), Winifred (7), Willis (8), Hutch (10) and Eden (11)

Hipster Mum is a writer, photographer and mum to six children both natural and adopted from all around the world. Oh wait! That last one’s not her, it’s Angelina Jolie… but it’s easy to get the two of them confused! The Hipster Mum site offers a creative guide to parenting and features two parts dancing, one part unicorn plus a pinch of taco! Check out Hipster Mum on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and and say hello!

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DIY Post-it® Note Photobooth Backdrop

Jan Halvarson — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 04:53:00 +0000

With summer in full swing and taking inspiration from all the beautiful colours of the season, we have created a super-easy yet stunning project that would be perfect for a wedding or wedding shower photo shoot. This DIY photobooth backdrop is created using different sizes and colours of Post-it® Notes and Page Markers and is inspired by beautiful stained glass windows. We think it makes for a background that pops and love the rainbow effect that surprised us!

What You’ll Need
Level, string and masking tape for measuring
1 pack of Post-it® Notes from the Rio de Janeiro Colour Collection (3 in) – 5 pads per pack of assorted colours
1 pack of Post-it® Notes from the Bali Colour Collection (3 in) – 5 pads per pack of assorted colours
1 pack of Post-it® Notes from the Capetown Colour Collection (3 in) – 5 pads per pack of assorted colours
1 pack of Post-it® Notes from the Capetown Colour Collection (3 in) – 5 pads per pack of assorted colours
1 pack of Post-it® Page Markers from the Assorted Fluorescent Colour Collection (1 in x 3 in) – 4 pads per pack
1 pack of Post-it® Notes from the Rio de Janeiro Colour Collection (4 in x 6 in) – 3 pads per pack of assorted colours

To Make
Create a space on a wall measuring 152.4 cm (60 inches) wide and 101.6 cm (40 inches high). Clean to make sure it is clear of any dirt or grease. Wait for it to dry. To create a straight line for a guide, we grabbed our level and lined up a piece of string alongside of it (first horizontally) and secured with masking tape. This became the horizontal guide. Then we did the same in the centre (vertically).

As we wanted it to look like stained glass, we followed a rainbow colour scheme for the effect. Starting with pinks, flowing into orange, then yellows, followed by greens and blues and lastly, purple. Starting on the left hand side, we began to place various sizes of pinks, remembering to switch up the hues with each placement in most places, and staying the same in others (depending on the size. You could make your own design, or if you wish, you can follow ours using a template we’ve created that you can download. See template illustration below, or download a pdf version here.

Continue on, and then at a diagonal, switch to the next colour, oranges and yellow. Again, switching different sizes and hues. The same for the greens and then the blues. When you hit
the right side end, you’ll find things won’t end evenly. So what you’ll have to do is measure and trim the end pieces to fit.

We loved how it turned out!

This post is sponsored by Post-it® Brand Canada. Post-it® Brand introduces Colours of the World collection, a series of colourful Post-it® note sets inspired by exotic cities around the world.

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Rose Hibiscus Whipped Body Butter

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 05:51:00 +0000

Contributor post by Emily and Erick of Heidi’s Bridge

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we often find that it’s difficult to find non-edible gifts that don’t feel cheesy or silly (drug store teddy bears, we’re looking at you). It’s especially tricky to find cute gifts for non-romantic loves that you want to surprise with something sweet–friends, sisters, mom–without going the classic potted plant or candy route. Cue this Rose Hibiscus Whipped Body Butter. Inspired by the classic dozen roses of Valentine’s Day, this simple DIY smells great and is a breeze to make. It’s even cost effective so you can make a large batch and spread the love come Valentine’s Day.

You Will Need:

-Glass jar with lid (we used a 7.4 oz Weck Tulip Jar)
-1 Tsp. Almond Oil
-1 Cup Coconut Oil
– Brewed Hibiscus Tea
– Rose Absolute Essential Oil
– Hand or Stand Mixer
– 3 Tbsp. White Sugar, Divided (Optional–for sugared rose petal)
– 2 Tbsp Cup Water (Optional–for sugared rose petal)
– Organic Roses or Organic Rose Petals (Optional–for sugared rose petal)

Makes About 1 Cup

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, measure out your almond oil.

2. Add in your coconut oil.

3. Add a few drops of hibiscus tea for color (you can add more later to adjust color while mixing).

4. Drop in Rose Absolute Essential Oil until you have desired fragrance strength. (We used about 8 drops).

5. With a hand or stand mixer, whip mixture for approximately ten minutes until mixture becomes fluffy and forms peaks. This requires a bit of patience–just when you don’t think it’s working, it becomes fluffy and airy so hang in there. It’s worth the wait! Add to glass container when it’s whipped.

Sugared Rose Petals

The next steps are for making sugared rose petals top top your body whip for decoration. If you don’t want to add these, you’re finished! If you do, follow the next steps:

6. Bring two Tbsp. of white sugar and 2 Tbsp. of water to a boil and stir until sugar is melted. This is your simple syrup to get sugar to stick to rose petals. Allow syrup to cool and dip roses petals in syrup.

7. Sprinkle with white sugar and allow them to dry overnight. Top your whipped body butter with rose petal and enjoy!

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DIY Clay Eucalyptus Soap

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 06:56:00 +0000

Contributor post by Emily and Erick of Heidis Bridge.

Whether you’re in need of a last minute-gift or just want to save money and DIY presents this year, this Clay Eucalyptus soap is a quick and thoughtful gift for the holidays. This soap feels luxurious with french green clay–the clay used at spas to draw impurities from pores–and a sudsy lather, but at a price that won’t break the bank. Bonus: the eucalyptus scent will relieve stress and even help with congestion–perfect for soothing holiday-related stress and winter colds.

You Will Need:
-.5lb Goat Milk Soap Base
-1 tsp. French Green Clay Powder
-1 tsp. Melted Coconut Oil (Optional)
-Eucalyptus Essential Oil
-Pieces of Eucalyptus Leaves

Directions:

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DIY Campfire Cooking Station

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 21:27:00 +0000

Contributor post by Emily + Erick of Hello Home Shoppe

As summer winds down and our thoughts turn to fall, we can’t seem to let go of the idea of cooking over an open flame. Even when our grille is safely packed away in the coming months, we’ll still trudge outside with a thermos full of hot coffee and settle in for a night of fireside cooking. The only problem is that without a proper campfire cooking set up, you’re pretty limited in your culinary options beyond marshmallows and hotdogs on sticks. Lately, we’ve been dreaming of cooking cowboy style: baking bread in a Dutch oven or simmering a pot of hearty stew over an open flame. Cue this DIY Campfire Cooking Station. We love this DIY because it’s totally customizable for whatever you’re cooking–as long as it has handles, you can hang it from the s-hooks. Dinner just got more fun!

Things You’ll Need

-Three Pieces of 4′ Rebar

-11′ of Thin Chain

-Small U-Bolt Clamp

-Two S-Hooks

-Pot w/Two Side Handles

Directions

1.) Position the tops of the poles so that they are splayed out with the tops touching as if forming a tripod. Position over an unlit fire.

2.) Unscrew the u-bar clamp and place the clamp over the top of the three pieces of rebar. Secure them in place by tightening the screw.

3.) Take one end of the chain and loop the first link with the s-hook.

4.) Loop the other end of the s-hook through the handle of the pot so that the s-hook is linking the chain and the pot. To do this, chain must be held very taught.

5.) Repeat on the other side so that both handles of the pot are connected to an s-hook.Gather up the slack in the middle and position the pot in the middle of the poles

6.) Wrap the excess chain around the top of the pole “tripod.”

7.) Light fire and enjoy!

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DIY Natural Citronella Candle

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 04:15:00 +0000

Contributor post by Emily Hirsch and Erik Steinberg of Hello Home Shoppe

This time of year, you’d be hard pressed to find us eating dinner inside. Once the thermostat hovers above 70 degrees F and the sun is out, we’re pretty much guaranteed to be dining al fresco. The only problem? Mosquitos! Getting eaten alive by bugs tends to take the allure out of eating in the twilight. Not to be deterred, we found a solution that’s as stylish as it is practical: citronella candles!

Unlike many store bought candles that are citronella scented, we like using natural citronella essential oil to make our candles and find them just as effective. Read below for the tutorial.

You Will Need:
-planter or some other watertight vessel (we scored ours at Target)
-three candle wicks
-three pencils
-soy candlewax
-natural citronella oil

Directions
1. Anchor your wicks in the bottom of your vessel. Wrap the excess wick around a pencil balanced on the mouth of the vessel. If you’re making a three wick candle like ours, you will need to make sure that the wicks line up evenly in a row.

2. Melt your wax according to manufacuter’s directions. To save time, we microwave ours for 30 second increments until melted. Add about 15 drops of citronella oil to wax.

3. Pour hot wax into your vessel. Let wax harden for a few hours.

4. Once wax is hardened, cut wicks to desired length.

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