DIY Project Week 19: The Perfect French Mani

Have you ever tried those French mani stickers? How'd that work for you? I can't be the only one who ended up with white nail polish all over her nails and fingertips. What about just painting white tips on? Well, while I'm decent at painting my left hand, my right hand is another story.

And yet French manicures are so pretty! There's something classy about the good ol' standby French manicure. She's been to weddings, job interviews, and first dates, and women keep turning to this look because it says, "I'm polished. Look at me."

Problem is, as anyone who has ever tried to do their own French mani knows, white smudges all over your fingers and uneven lines do not. They say, "My hand shakes a lot." :)



I am excited to say, though, after years of smudgy manicures, I think I finally found a solution!

Have you ever noticed that nail techs use a little paintbrush across the edge of the white tip to straighten it out? This got me thinking. I have brushes. I have nail polish remover. Why can't I use that same trick at time?

As it turns out, this technique was even easier than I had expected.

Just take a flat tipped brush, dip it in nail polish remover, and sweep it underneath the white tips after you have painted them. The trick here is to get enough nail polish remover on the brush that a few sweeps will actually take off the polish.

I used this brush. It's a cheap-but-good Elf eyeshadow brush (that I'm not planning to use on my eyes again, btw. Ha!).



I also used Julep's French Mani Trio set, Orly's No Chip top coat, and Julep's acetone-free nail polish remover.

I like Julep (as well as Zoya and Orly) because they are 4 free, meaning they don't have usual litany of toxic chemicals many other nail polish companies use. But I've also found that these brands are good about not chipping.

(Julep actually offers these neat monthly boxes, and if you haven't signed up before, your first box is free. A pretty sweet deal for such expensive polish. That's how I first discovered them. Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/222492/ )

And whala! They should be dry within a few minutes if you use these polishes, and you're good to go! No one will ever know you did them yourself.

DIY Mineral Eyeshadows

About a year and a half ago, I first posted this blog about make-your-own mineral eyeshadows, and it's been one of my more popular posts ever since! I realized many of you who have been following my Monday DIY projects probably missed this post when it was originally written, so I thought I'd do a throw-back this week. These were SO fun to make, and I think I might actually make some more colors within the next few days. Hope you enjoy! 

Recently, there's been a buzz about the safety of traditional cosmetics and soaps, particularly calling into question their use of preservatives and harsh chemicals, such as colorants that may be associated with cancer. Concerned about the safety of my makeup bag, I decided to look into making my own makeup. What I didn't realize is how easy and fun it is!

Check out my new collection of mineral eyeshadows:

It only took about an hour or two to make all of these, and I got all the supplies for $20. Not to mention, I've barely even put a dent in the supplies I purchased. I expect to be able to make four or five times as many eyeshadows as what you see pictured (keep in mind that these are mini-eyeshadows in 5g size jars).

All you need is some colored mica, iron oxides, and some kind of agent that makes the mica smooth and easily applied (I chose Sericite). Here are my supplies. The jar on the left is a full size colored mica (waylarger than I expected the jar to be), a jar of Sericite, and a jar of brown iron oxide. You don't have to use the iron oxide, but it will help your eyeshadow be more pigmented. You'll also need a small container to keep (and mix) your eyeshadow inside, as well as little scoopers for each color you use.

I also ordered three sample sized micas that arrived in baggies. They were only $1 each. One is dark purple, one is brown, and the other is a fairy dust silver.

Using these supplies, I mixed a variety of micas, iron oxides, and Sericite until I found color combinations I liked. Keep in mind that you'll have to experiment because some combinations will give you a very sheer shadow, whereas others will be significantly more pigmented.

I used a ratio of 2 scoops of Sericite for each 4-6 scoops of mica/iron oxides. The more Sericite you put in, the lighter and less sparkly your color will be. You can also add a couple drops of Jojoba oil if you like. I wanted to do this but didn't have any on hand.

Here's what the final product(s) looked like:

I purchased my supplies from Coastal Scents and was very happy with their promptness in shipping the package. They also included a free mineral eyeshadow sample. I've read great reviews about Bramble Berryas well.

Any questions? It really is as easy as it sounds! You'll be amazed how sparkly these shadows turn out!

DIY Week 18: Burlap Dry Erase Board

I first saw this DIY project in an e-mail from Julip (which is a really snazzy nail polish company), and I knew I was going to have to make it. It proved to be just as easy as promised!

All you need for this project is an empty frame, a piece of burlap, a dry erase marker, and some scissors. I got the frame at TJ Maxx for around $7, and a whole yard of burlap at JoAnn's for $2.50. Not too shabby!

Once you have your frame and burlap, take out the inner paper and use it as a guide to measure how much burlap you'll need to cut:

Then, frame the burlap just as you would a picture, and you're set!

The words on mine look a bit blurry because I used a dry erase marker. If you were willing to really commit to a particular saying, I think a Sharpie would give you a lot more precision when writing out your quote. I liked the idea of using a dry erase marker so I can change out the saying from time to time, but I'll probably redo the words because they do look a bit blurry. Also, be prepared that you might have to go over the words multiple times with the marker to make them dark enough.

Hope you enjoyed this week's DIY project and that you're inspired to create your own! :) 

The $1 Scrapbook Picture Frame: DIY Project Week 10

This week's project was so much fun to make, and very easy! Even the "craft-challenged" will find this one doable. :)

Best of all, you may be able to make it for about $1, depending on how many supplies you already have at home! You'll need:

• Some kind of clear-drying craft glue or Mod Podge (I used Aleene's)
• Scrapbook paper
• Some kind of paint brush (I got a $1 multi pack of sponge brushes from Walmart)
• Scissors
• A wooden picture frame base (I got one of these for $1 at Walmart, but you can also find them at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby)

Now, you'll first want to start with your scrapbook paper. You can either pick one solid color or multiple colors. Be creative with your combinations! I chose three different patterns--one stripe, one floral, and a solid green-- but you can use any configuration you like. I'd recommend that you get creative and try putting different papers together than what your initial impulse tells you to do... you just might find an unexpected combination that really pops.

Measure your paper and cut according to whatever pattern you want to use. You could even use a pencil to draw a cutout on the page. I cut my paper to the general size and then ripped the edges to give it a shabby chic sort of look.

Next, you want to put a lot of glue down on the wooden frame. Spread it out with your brush, and while the glue is still wet, configure your paper however you want the pattern to look.

After your pattern is in place, add another layer of glue to the top of the paper to seal it and give it a glossy effect. Don't worry about mistakes... remember that you can always reposition the pattern as long as the glue is still tacky.

And wha-la! You're done! Hope you enjoy this DIY frame, and get creative with the details! Add ribbon, a bow, beads, or paint to give it an even more personalized touch. These make excellent Christmas and wedding presents because you can make them to match a particular person's taste. 

*Tip: You can also use any type of paper, so things like extra wedding invitations, important newspaper clippings, and comic books all make for great sources of inspiration! :)

The Five Minute Wreath: DIY Project Week 7

So excited about how this week's DIY project turned out! It took about five minutes to make, and I found most of the materials half off at Hobby Lobby. This wreath is not only simple, but it's also relatively cheap, and I love the southern charm about it. My twiggy base cost $2.50, the letter also cost $2.50, my ribbon cost $4, and the flower picks cost $3 and $4. You could easily go without the picks, making a flower out of the ribbon instead, and get this whole wreath for under $10! Really a steal, considering you can personalize it however you like.

MY VERSION:

MY INSPIRATION (from a pin I found on Pinterest):

Source: nv-craftenvy.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Isn't the original version so lovely? I like how she wrapped the letter in fabric and created matching little flowers. I actually had originally planned to wrap my own letter in a funky pattern, but then decided I liked the way it looked plain. Plus it was a lot less work! But if you're up for a challenge, I suspect the original version would probably be even cheaper to make.

Here are the materials I used:

I found all this stuff at our Hobby Lobby, but you could probably find it at any other craft store as well, like Michael's or Joann's. I particularly went with a green colored burlap ribbon and some cream flowers, but I can imagine this in so many other color combinations as well. I think a light blue would be nice for the spring!

IMPORTANT: Be sure you get wired ribbon. Otherwise, your bow will look floppy and the ends won't curl. You could hypothetically use tulle or something of that nature, but just realize that it's going to have more of a "poof" effect. 

DIRECTIONS:

• First, I unwound a good amount of the ribbon until I got it the length I wanted the curled ends to be. 
• Then, I looped the ribbon through my C letter, around the top of the wreath, and tied a bow in the front.
• At this point, I did some adjusting to get the bow how I wanted it and to be sure the C was centered correctly.
• For the finishing touch, I just stuck these burlap flower picks into the side of the wreath, being sure to wrap the ends through the holes in the wreath (otherwise they fall out easily).

And that's all there is to it! Hope you found this pattern easy to follow and that you feel inspired to make your own. :) I think these would make for a really cute wedding gift.

Do you have a favorite wreath or decoration that makes your house feel cozy?

Four Strand Necklace and GIVEAWAY! DIY Week 5

Hello friends! I'm so excited about my DIY project this week. As some of you know, I love making jewelry. If you've never tried it before, you'd be surprised how easy, cheap, and quick it is to make a pair of your own earrings. This necklace was a bit more complicated, but still doable for a beginner.

Here's the final result!

So how can you make your own? Well, first I want to say that this pattern allows for a lot of variety according to different experience levels. I created it by morphing together several patterns I found on Pinterest, so I'd definitely suggest looking there for some inspiration. What you will definitely want is a thicker-sized ribbon for the top half. Without the ribbon, the necklace wouldn't look the same. I wanted my necklace to add a pop of color but still go with a lot of outfits, so I chose a sage green colored ribbon, and beads that were cream, pink, and blue, along with copper colored chain. I've also seen some of these done using pale blues, and those are beautiful as well. Here's a photo of the supplies I used: ribbon, fake pearls, blue and pink glass beads, and a copper-colored daisy chain.

You'll need to decide how many strands you want to create and what you want to attach them to. You could just create one very long pearl strand, wrap it a few times, and then attach the ribbon to each end. That would keep things simple and would be a great variation for a beginner. I chose to make each strand different. One is just blue beads, one is just pearl beads, one is the chain, and the other consists of a combination of the daisy chain and pink glass beads that look like crystal (but are much cheaper!).

If you decide you want to combine chain with beads, here's a quick how-to:

First, you'll need to use pins with a curved end. You'll need a pair of pliers to create an opening in the circle. Then, hook that opening through the hole in your chain. Once you have it the way you want it, either close the circle with your pliers, or a little trick I like to use is to close the circle with a pair of jewelry crimpers. In the second photo, you can see the amount of space you should be creating in your circle.

You'll then want to create a loop on the other end (you can find YouTube videos that demonstrate this technique--it's very easy) and attach it to the other side of the chain.

After you've created the various strands of the necklace, you'll either need to attach them to a fancy strand divider or a simple jump ring. I created a makeshift jump ring out of jewelry wire because I was low on supplies... so do use your imagination! There is no one right or wrong way to do this. Make sure you keep the strands in the correct order as you attach them.

Next, you'll want to measure out the ribbon depending on how long you want your necklace. I cut a little over four feet of ribbon for mine. Loop your ribbon through the jump ring/circle on one side so that it folds in half, then loop it through the other half and tie a bow. Another option would be to knot the ribbon and let it hang, then attach a pretty broach to cover the knot.

Your finished product should look something like this:

GIVEAWAY TIME! I had so much fun making this necklace that I decided to make a pair of matching earrings that I'm giving away! All you need to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment on this blog. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, so be sure to check back--and also be sure to leave your e-mail address to I can contact you in the event you win! :)

Have you ever tried making jewelry before? What's your favorite piece of jewelry?