Easy Melt & Pour Seashell Soaps

Ah, summertime...

sun, sand, beach, seashells...seashell soap! 

Why not!

It's a fun activity to do with the kids!

You'll need a melt & pour glycerin bar

and some seashell candy or soap molds
from your favorite craft store.

Then cut a few cubes from the bar and place

them in a glass bowl for melting.

Pop it in the microwave and heat it

for 30 seconds, stir. Continue heating

it at 30 sec. intervals until melted and

its easy to stir.

Separate the melted soap into different

glass bowls if you want to add color to

your soaps.

Once colored, you'll simply pour it into

your molds and let it sit overnight until

firm.

Then pop them out of the molds to use

or give as gifts.

Simple, huh?!

We used food to color our soaps;

brown sugar, paprika, dark cocoa and 

blue "Jello" powder.

Think of the possibilities...

depending on the molds and colors

you use; you can coordinate seasons,

holidays, sports, special events, etc.

side notes:

if you notice bubbles in your melted

glycerin soap-and they bother you-

you can put a little rubbing alcohol

in a spray bottle and lightly spray the

surface of the soap, the bubbles will

dissipate. 

Also, if you have older kids, this could be

a great fundraiser project. I've given

you the basic instructions, but you 

could get a little more involved by

purchasing soap fragrance and color

gels (a little goes a LONG way!) It can become 

rather addictive, be warned!

Have you ever made

your own soap?

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my "But for the Grace of God" bench - Home Decor

Quite a few years ago, my eldest son 

(with a wee bit of help from my carpenter husband) 

made me a lovely bench for Christmas.

He left it unfinished so I could 

paint it to match where ever I 

wanted to use it...so sweet.

It's a beautiful bench, buttery smooth

and I debated whether to just leave it

as is.

Then I was inspired...

Keith Urban 2016

by a Keith Urban song, 

"But For the Grace of God!"

It was a #1 hit back in 2001

but it's one of my favorites

from him.

I originally used my Cricut to 

cut out a stencil but had major

issues with placement and paint

getting underneath it...what a mess.

So I pretty much free-handed it.

Sketching the letters with pencil,

painting with acrylic then using a 

sharpie marker to even out where 

my hand was unsteady. whew!

Determination always succeeds!

Hope you're having a great day.

Blessings!

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Cricut Wall Art - Bless This Home - Cutting Vinyl

Playing with my beloved Cricut, 

I made this fun little vinyl sign

the other day.

I had cut out this phrase some time

ago when the Cricut Craftroom had

it for free. (It's now available HERE

for $1.99)

The three boards were cut at 3.5"x12.5"

then glued and stapled together.

After my acrylic paint dried, I placed

the vinyl and made sure there were 

no air bubbles. 

The vinyl on the paint is "moveable"

at this point using transfer paper if

you need to adjust it but be careful.

I then painted a thin coat of Mod Podge

over it, left it dry overnight and wrapped

the cord around three times. The cord

is knotted in the back and stapled down.

Note: 

when cutting vinyl on your Cricut,

your blade should be at 3 and the 

pressure at medium.

(I used my Cricut Expression)

Do you use an

electronic cutting machine

for you DIY projects?

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Springtime Centerpiece - Chicken Wire Flower Cage

Spring has sprung!

So I thought it appropriate to dust the 

cobwebs from my blog and say HELLO!

This past winter season was a busy one
in our home, more on that later but I
wanted to share my first spring project
with you.


A Chicken Wire Flower Cage

centerpiece using  recycled bottles

My original idea was to place

single stem flowers in plain 

clear bottles spaced across my

table. Cute idea, right?

Turns out it was not very practical 

once I needed to move them every

evening for meal time. So hubby 

made me this sweet chicken wire cage!

So simple but I'm lovin' it!

general materials used:
soda/beer bottles, labels removed.
flower bouquet (Walmart $3.00),
 snipped to separate stems.
scrap wood.
chicken wire.

*side note...we have a very long
farm table (nine foot long) so I
needed at least seven bottles to
make the piece look right. If you
have a normal size dining room table,
and you wanted to make a similar
centerpiece you could probably get
away with using only 3 to 5 bottles.

Sweet & Simple

What do you think?

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HELLO SUNSHINE simple DIY wall art

 

"Some days you just have to create 

your own sunshine!" 

This little gem hangs in the kid's bathroom 

to bring a wee smile each morning.

Hubby made this 5x5 inch wooden base 

with a lip to frame my little creation. The 

design paper was cut to size for the background. 

I used my Cricut (electric die-cutting machine) 

to cut out my sunshine image, stamped the 

sentiment and hung it on the wall!

You could easily use a piece of scrap wood 

or a store bought canvas to make this project, too. 

Cricut - Accent Essentials cart.
Joy's Life stamps (Pun in the Sun)
My Mind's Eye Citron background paper & yellow scraps
Mod Podge,  adhesive & Memento ink (embossed)

This is such an easy art concept, think 

of the possibilities for creating 

coordinated decor for your home.

note: 

My project was photographed before 

giving it a final top coat seal with 

Mod Podge; resulting in a better 

photo without glare.

Do you enjoy creating 
your own home decor?



Want to see more of my
DIY projects?


or click the
"Let's Connect"
tab at the top of
the page for more
options.

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From Cookies to Muddy Boots - DIY Drying Rack

My "About Me" page claims that I re-cycle, 

up-cycle and repurpose for the sheer joy of it. 

Here's my latest joy...

We've all seen the boot drying racks with 

pretty stones, rocks or pebbles in a pan on 

Pinterest, right?

So pretty, yes, however, every time you want 

to clean out all the accumulated mud & dirt you 

have to dump out all the stones, wash them and 

let them dry a bit before putting them back in the pan.

Not very practical for this country girl.

I needed something I could rinse off  easily 

with my hose and put back in place before 

the muddy boots started arriving again!

So here's my solution; old cookie sheet, 

cooling rack and pretty spray paint.

The cooling rack is easy to rinse & dry and 

allows maximum air flow for muddy/wet boots.

Honestly, I did not over think this too much, 

so it was a really quick project. 

I did not "prepare" the baking sheets in any way 

prior to painting. We've been using them now for 

over two months. Works perfectly! 

Have you used the pebble/stone drying racks?
Do they work for your family?

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DIY felt coasters - spring flowers

Happy Spring!

I wanted to be ready for the upcoming picnic season with a 

few hostess gifts. This is a super simple project.

DIY felt coaster supplies

I found a roll of thin cork at Goodwill for 97¢ and was inspired!

I ran it through my Cuttlebug along with some felt and created these fun flowers. I tried two different methods; cutting out the centers to fit into the flowers and just cutting out separate centers to adhere atop the solid flowers. Personally, I preferred the look of the latter.  All was adhered with spray adhesive.

Sweet!

easy DIY felt coaster

I'm hoping they'll bring a little smile to those who receive them.

Have a blessed day!

DIY spring flower felt coasters

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Mirrored Vanity Tray - Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse

We recently gave our bedroom a major makeover 
and now I'm working on adding some pretty decor.

When we decluttered our home earlier this year, 
I boxed up a few items and challenged myself 
to recycle, repurpose or reuse them within the 
year in order for them not to be deemed 'clutter'! 

So, here's my first ready-to-see project: 

An old gold framed mirrored tray.

mirrored vanity tray - before

A bit of cleaning, a solid coat of black Krylon spray paint, 
and some Zva Creative bling...

a little mirror bling

...and here's my "new" mirrored vanity tray! 

mirrored vanity tray - reuse

Hubby made us his & her oak dressers; 
this tray will be sitting pretty atop mine!


I'll have more projects to show soon, 
along with the room makeover!

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What's your latest 

recycle-repurpose-reuse project?

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DIY Cake Plate - some assembly required

I've been wanting to create a pretty 

pedestal cake plate for the upcoming 

holidays for some time now. So at the 

beginning of yard sale season, it was on my list.

I found a lovely glass candle holder, it was 

a bit bigger and heavier than the regular 

ones I normally see, it was two dollars at a 

tag sale, perfect! 

DIY cake plate - some assembly required

With a little glue and a glass plate found at 

Goodwill, I was able to create this pretty piece!

It sparkles!

DIY cake plate

This is such an easy DIY, I encourage you 

to hunt down some glass pieces of your 

own and make one. 

Don't need another cake plate?  

Then stay tuned, I have a fun & unique way 

to use a pedestal plate as a really cute gift idea!

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Seashell Candles

seashell candles

Do you collect seashells at the seashore?

seashells

Here's a fun idea to use some shells 

for your outdoor decor.

You'll need:

clam shells

wax 

wicks

clay pot saucer

sand 

I used a pack of tea light candles that I picked up at a tag sale for .10 cents. 

tea light candles, wicks removed

The tea lights were my wax & wicks, the wicks have a tiny metal base and slip right out of the candle. Then I dropped the "wickless" candle into a tin can to melt on the side burner of my grill. 

When the wax was completely melted, I dipped the wicks into the liquid wax and placed them in my seashells to secure them. Next, in went the wax. They cooled in minutes.

saucers with seashell candles

I had more wax then shells so I poured the remaining wax in tin cupcake cups to use as wax melts for another craft at a later time!

wax melts

Simple outdoor decor!

Seashell candle outdoor decor

Do you collect souvenirs from your vacations?

How do you display them? 

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Recycle - wooden block flag - Americana Decor

Hello July!

Summer is in full swing this week,

with it's hot, hazy & humid weather.

As much as I enjoy this season for

gardening, I do not enjoy the heat!

So, for the next two months you will

find me cowering in the air-conditioned

house!

wooden block flag

If you're hiding in the cool air too, 

here's a quick & easy project to make!

A wooden block flag!

You'll need some wood scraps & paint!

I used 2x4's, a 4x4 block and Krylon spray paint.

Or have the kiddos join in 

with their brushes & paint!

wood scraps

These wooden scraps would have

gone into the kindling box for the 

winter if I hadn't rescued them!

wooden block flag 

I made extra white blocks 

to change it up a bit

throughout the seasons!

interchangeable blocks, wooden flag

I have so much fun seeing the 

potential in a piece of "trash" 

and turning it into a treasure!

Do you re-purpose your trash??

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