DIYs of the month

DIY's of the month:

I think the feeling of spring being here has really kind of cleaned out my brain with the smell of fresh air and let in plenty of new ideas.  This was really good for me because this month has just not been the best month (I will save you the details) but I find the best way to get through some terrible weeks is to just craft out the bad feelings.  

Unfortunately my brain works in 5 million directions when I do this so I never think of taking pictures step by step I just JUMP right into it afraid I am going to loose the idea or I just get to excited I cant stop mid thought.  

Since I did not save you guys any of these ideas special because they were more spontaneous I will just kind of show you a few of the DIY'S and maybe you will be inspired to make something similar or maybe it will spark up another idea.  

Craft #1

80's tacky necklace transformed into a spring statement piece

DIY #2 

Silver platter perfume tray 

DIY#3

I have recently grown my jewelry collection to a HUGENORMOUS size.  Which that is great but I was completely out of space to put it all considering all my other jewelry holders were full to the brim.  So what do I do? I make a stick into one of the cutest jewelry holders I have ever owned in my life.  

I really hate jewelry boxes I like my jewelry to be free and shown off so this was perfect.  All I did was add frame hanging backs and nailed some nails into it....

Yes... it was that simple... 

Sometimes the most simple things are the most beautiful 

This stick actually has a story if you would like to hear? no? well than don't keep scrolling... 

in 8th grade I went to conformation camp. It takes place out in the wilderness and one of the activities we did was finding a big stick like this one for example and than sand it down and there was some bible story to go with it basically I kind of had a few meaning full prayers mixed into this stick.  

Well I know everyone else who went to the camp with me just used theirs as firewood but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the dang thing because the lady who taught us the lesson told us to take it seriously and cherish it and what not... typical old lady lesson but I kept it for this long I might as well make something of it right?  .....and so I did! and I am soooo glad I did. 

DIY #4

Upcycled vintage maxi to circle skirt 

DIY: #5

Easter dress with vintage fabric 

DIY #6 

Garters

The proms in my area are all going on right now so I made several of my friends garters 

DIY #7

Vintage fabric cheer bow 

DIY #8

Shotgun shell corsage and boutonniere 

DIY #9

Hemp necklace

I actually did not make these but I bought them from my friend who made them. Hemp is a cute way to add some boho to the wardrobe and whats not to love about chokers.  There a great "different" piece to have in the wardrobe.  

Thanks for reading guys! I hope to have an actual DIY up soon and I am sorry I was away for so long.  Prom is Saturday so expect a post about that by nest week! Also I think I have a good idea for a DIY I am going to show for you guys.  

Easter egg Decorating DIY

Decorating Eggs DIY
The posh way

There is a quick egg display DIY at the end of this post as well.

Decorating eggs is a great Easter tradition for most of us but I wanted to do an egg decorating tutorial that is a little more stylish than your  average koolaid dye.  

The way we are going to make these will also allow you to keep them over time to let you enjoy them for years to come.  

To make these eggs last we have to hallow them out.

Supplies for hallowing

• Bowl
• egg
• push pin 

Step one- push the pin into the pointed side of the egg

There are two sides of your egg there is the fat side and there is the pointed side.  Gently push the pin into the pointed side of the egg. 

Step two- make a pinky sized hole on the fat side of the egg

Now on the fat side of the egg repeat poking holes into the egg until you get a hole about the size of your pinky nothing bigger. 

Step three- Blow out the egg yolk and whites 

Just put your mouth on the side of the egg with the small hole and blow out the insides into a bowl.  This will be very easy and I promise its not gross you will not be able to taste the egg. 

Now you have supper :) 

I am going to show you three different ideas so you will need three different eggs all hollowed out.

 

For the first egg we are going to paint a lace print on it.  

You need practically no skill for this one its a great starting project.

A variation of this project is you cold also cover it in a glitter or glue the lace strait to the egg instead of painting it.  

Supplies:

• Newspaper/well ventilated area 
• egg
• old lace 
• paint of your choice (spray paint works best)

Step one- lay out your newspaper than cover egg in lace

Lace with large open holes in it works best.  When you lay it out plan what part of the lace you want printed on your egg. 

Continue to do this until you get hole thing covered.  let it dry and your done!

If you see from the picture of all three of the eggs I went and added another color to mine to make it a little better.  If you are going to do this I would recommend doing your light color first  than your dark color over it.  

The next DIY will be a decoupage egg using old patterns.  

There could be many variations added to this one.  You don't have to use an old sewing pattern there are many things that you could add to this egg like newspaper or some magazine pages.  I would like to try covering one with fabric scraps myself. If you do any variations of this tag me in a picture of it on instagram @DIYNATION7797

Supplies

• Old patterns (or whatever you are covering your egg with)
• Mod podge (regular glue works fine to.  I will levee a link on how to make your own mod podge. 
• paint brush 
• egg

Step one- Cut pieces out of pattern

To get the best results cut pieces that have a lot of markings on them. 

Step two- cover egg in mod podge

This sounds easy enough right? Again if you are not using mod podge the same process applies with whatever you are using. 

Step three- Cover egg 

Start covering your egg by laying whatever you are using.  Try your best to get the most markings on the egg for the best results, this may take a little manipulating. 

Sometimes the more layers you add the better it looks you shouldn't be able to see the egg through the paper.  

This DIY will show you how to make a textured egg using a glue gun.

This last one is very different and the customization to this one is endless because you can draw any design you want. 

Supplies

• Hot glue gun 
• newspaper 
• Egg
• Paint (pray paint works the best)

Step one- draw out your design 

Step two- trace design with hot glue

As you can see I ended up not following my design perfectly but its good to have just so you don't mess it up.  Once the glue is on it will not be coming off. 

Step three- paint

I just pray painted mine in balck but I think a brown would add a very rustic look as well.  Go crazy with the colors on this one. 

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Egg display DIY

Supplies

• Old book
• Brown or black paint 
• Something to draw with 
• Scissors/exacto knife

Step one- distress book 

There are many ways to distress your book.  I blotted paint onto an old newspaper and rubbed it all over the book.  The next thing you can do is take your scissors and rub the sharp side on the edges on the corners of the book. 

Step two- draw your circles 

Your holes should be about pinky sized.  You shouldn't be able to see the holes wen the eggs are on them.  It should be just enough were the base of the egg can rest in them. 

Step three- puncture holes 

I just took my sissors and jamed them into the holes and turned the scissors repeatedly to make the hole because they were the perfect size.  Once you do this you will stand to clean up the top so the egg can stand on it easily.  

lastley balance your eggs on the holes (this may take a bit of practice) If you don't care to reuse your stand just glue the eggs into the holes.  

You are now done! Have a good easter guys! :) 

If you make any of these DIY'S I would love to see pictures.  Tag me on instagram @DIYNATION7797

Last minute St. Patricks day DIY

DIY Shamrock Suckers

Saint Particks day is just right around the corner... in like... two days.  I know I am sooo behind and I am sorry but for the life of me I could not think of a DIY for this holiday that wasn't a same old same old.  Making suckers is generally really common around valentines day but why not make this version for St. Patricks.  

This is my first time making suckers and I have learned a lot because of this.  They did not turn out perfect by any means but I look forward to making many more now that I know the ins and outs of making suckers. 

Almost every tutorial I watched or read on making suckers said you needed some type of mold, sucker sticks or had to have a steady hand if you were going to free hand it.  Well I was not going to spend the money to buy all of these things that I am only going to use every so often and lets be real.. I can not be steady so I found a way to make these suckers WITHOUT  the molds.  

This method might take more practice so make a few batches and by at least the third time you will be an expert.  

Making suckers requires very few ingredients that wont break the bank and they are surprisingly pretty quick. The clean up for these are also very manageable. 

For the first part of this DIY I will show you how to make the molds for your suckers.  

This makes it possible for you to any basic shape you would like.  The possibilities could be endless. 

Supplies: 

• Flat pan 
• corn starch 
• something to make an imprint with 

I made my own shamrock imprint maker by printing out the silhouette of the shape I wanted (in this case a shamrock) and that added layers of hot glue to stiffen it.  I than cut it out and glued a tooth pick to it so I could press down and lift with ease. 

If you have a cookie cutter this might help the process just tape the bottom off instead. 

Step one- Cover your entire baking sheet with corn starch 

For your sheet you are going to want to use something that has edges that way the corn starch does not get everywhere.  

Do your best to flatten and make it all even through the hole sheet. 

Step two- Press your imprint directly into the corn starch to make a crater in the shape of your object 

It is important the sides are high on your imprint so press hard.  

When you lay in your liquid it will literally form to any print it is put into so you have to make sure it is not messed up.  If by accident you mess up the shape smooth it out with a spoon and than try again.  

Make sure you leave room for your sticks to be laid in so don't put any shape directly over the other.

Now its time to make our candy!

 Supplies: 

• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup 
• 1/4 cup water 
• tbs flavoring 
• food coloring 

Step one- Put your sugar, corn syrup, and water into a sauce pan and turn the burner on high 

Step two- Continuously stir this if you do not the sugar will burn and your candy will taste burnt 

Step three- Add the flavoring and coloring 

Once its at a boil add them. 

 Add as much coloring as you want till you reach the desired color. 

Step four- Check temp and consistency 

Not everyone has a cooking thermometer but if you do it should be between 200-300 degrees.  if it is than you should shut the burner off and start to poor into your molds.  

If you do not have a cooking thermometer than here are some sure tell sighs your syrup is ready to poor:

-Deep in color

-Slight syrup consistency more than water but less than maple syrup 

-you poor onto some cold water and you can play with it

Step five- Poor your liquid 

I would suggest using a small amount at a time and put it into a container that has a spout.  I just used a measuring cup that had a spout. 

Step five and a half- add tooth picks 

lay it in and give the tooth pick a spin to coat it in the candy to ensure the stick will not fall off. 

I had more syrup than planned and not enough corn starch molds so I just put mine into an old Halloween themed squishy ice maker.  They are pumpkins but I didn't put the liquid in the stems so they would just be circles.  Yummy candy just to pop in your mouth. 

Step six- dry and clean 

After your candy is completely hard take out your candy and wipe off  cornstarch with a DRY towel.  

Now that you have your candy you also have a lovely mess on your hands.  When I made these I managed to get the syrup EVE

RYWHERE.  It is all surprisingly easy to clean.  

To clean simply soak all of your items in hot water.  It will all just devolve! 

I hope you enjoyed this last minuet DIY I made for you guys I apologize for the late post.