Beautiful Necklace Tutorial from My Girlish Whims

It has been almost a year since my last post on this blog!  I can't believe how quickly time goes by.
This past year has brought many changes to my life, some good, some difficult, but I am grateful for the blessings I have received along the way.
I have been dying to get back in the swing of the crafty world, but I haven't had time to really get my craft on, so I'm going to start with sharing AWESOME tutorials from talented and creative people I have discovered along the way.

Rebecca from My Girlish Whims has great tutorials and lots of know-how when it comes to making jewelry. Her teaching style is so easy to follow and her photos are the best!  Step by step, she walks you through the process and you end up with a fabulous piece to wear and tell all of your friends that YOU made it!

Great necklace, right?  I wanted to share it with you, so here is the link to the tutorial and a great blog!

Valentine's Necklace

Free Printable for all Jewelry Lovers!

NO WORDS HAVE EVER BEEN TRUER!  

At least as far as my little company goes...

The Jewelry Jar

Here is a quick freebie printable;  

It was originally posted on one of our other sites, but we haven since closed up that blog.

I have had many requests to make this available again, so I finally got my act together, and here is my jewelry subway art!

{I am by no means a graphics skilled person, so this is just amateur work-but it's fun!}

Simply right click on the image, save to your computer, and then print using your settings for jpg images. This prints best as an  8 x 10  or smaller image.

DIY Moisturizing Lotion-Best Ever!

I started making this lotion MONTHS ago.

I first came across the tutorial via Pinterest in February of this year (2012) and I've been wanting to get this post up for months now, but life has a way of deciding my schedules for me at times...

Well, enough about me, back to the lotion...I must say I love it!

It's incredibly easy to make, and when used regularly, it really, really helps keep my skin soft and moisturized.

My old skin is like a lizard hide, after being left in the sun for months, in the desert, without any rain...really horrible.  I blame this problem on my children. In fact, I blame ALL of my "problems" on my kids-that's why I had them...ha!(ooops, that was more about me).

Anyway, try this cool DIY project for yourself.  I think you will be glad you did!

 

Sweet and Simple Moisturizing Lotion

1 (16 oz.) bottle baby lotion

1 c. (8 oz.) solid coconut oil

8 oz vitamin E cream

2 (8 oz.)  empty bottles or jars

In a large mixing bowl, pour all of the lotion, the vitamin E cream and the cup of solid coconut oil (do not melt the oil). 

Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients together, until it is smooth and creamy.

Pour into your bottles or jars, seal and fall in love.

The lotion is fairly thick, so I used a large spout funnel, and just gently tapped the lotion down into the bottle. It worked very nicely.

The little jar in the photo is from the vitamin E cream. I simply removed the label and washed it out (see tips on using this jar).

The helpful tips that I've discovered along the way...

• You can buy a 2-pack of vitamin E cream in the lotion section at Walmart for about $4.00.

• I bought the bottle of baby lotion at Dollar Tree.

• The original "recipe" calls for organic coconut oil, but I couldn't find any, so I just used the coconut oil (consistency of solid shortening) that I buy for making popcorn.  You can find this in the baking isle at your local store.
• You can pour the lotion mix back into the baby lotion bottle, then you will only need a small jar for the remaining quantity.

 Big tip:  Use pump bottles or "rocker lid" bottles for the lotion.  I found that the mix separates after a while if its in a jar or large mouth bottle.  When you use the pump or rocker top, the air doesn't seep in to help separate the lotion.

• If your lotion does separate, just whip it back up with your hand mixer!

I bought a dozen rocker lid 8 oz. bottles on Etsy, for around $12.00, but I don't remember the shipping cost.

Here are a couple of examples:

4 oz. rocker lid tops-these are $13.00 for a dozen, including shipping

8 oz. pump lid bottles-1 dozen for $21.00 including shipping

(These are actual links but still just examples, there are 100's of options on Etsy).

Anyway, you get the idea, right?
(small update:  I discovered that you can buy the smaller travel size rocker top and pump bottles in 3 packs at Dollar Tree. 3 bottles for $1.00-gotta love that!)

I do find that my hands feel slightly "oiled" after I use this lotion, so I just keep a small wash cloth by the bottle to wipe my hands on.

I think this makes a really fun gift, or a quick activity for a girls birthday party, or an excellent baby shower favor!

I want to try making this with a wonderful "girly" smelling lotion, like something from Bath & Body Works, but so far I haven't done it.  If you give that a try, let us know how it turns out!

Recipe source:One Good Thing By Jillee

Make your own Lip Gloss!

I have seen links to this particular tutorial on Pinterest countless times.  It's obviously a favorite, and so I want to share it with you! 
The blog that is linked to the "Pins" is Meet the Dubiens. Its a really fun blog to read through, she has some great tutorials, and awesome "bento box" lunches for young one's...check it out!

Kool-aid Lip Gloss

 

 What you'll need:

1 tub petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
1 pkg of kool-aid drink crystals - whatever flavour you want, or you can make a few
lip gloss containers (see my note below*)
labels printed out on sticker paper
scissors or 1 inch paper punch


 It looks so simple to do, and from all the comments on the blog, its obvious that the lip gloss tastes good too!  (BE SURE TO READ THE UPDATE REMARKS NEAR THE TOP OF THE POST-there are some great tips for making this even easier.)

AND JILL PROVIDES FREE PRINTABLE LABELS LIKE THE ONES SHOWN IN HER PHOTO'S!


*On her blog, Jill mentions that she bought her jars on Ebay, so I jumped over there, and by using the words "empty make up jars" in the search box, I found lots of different jars, like 50 -.17 oz. jars for $17.50  including shipping.  Get some friends together and split the purchase and cost! 

   Visit Jill over at her blog, and get all the information you need to make this fun project.  This would be a really fun thing to do at your daughters birthday party, or give as Valentine gifts.

MAKE YOUR OWN LIP GLOSS

~Chocolate Emergency Kit~

I first got the idea for my Chocolate Emergency Kit when I saw the adorable chocolate emergency valentine craft on Making Memories With Your Kids blog.  This blog has truly fun, creative and cute crafts and food recipes~ you should stop by and browse there!

My little emergency kit is very simple and quick to make. Although I would love to have a done something more elaborate with far more creative and beautiful embellishments, my time and talent just doesn't allow...I have no talent for matching colors and figuring out super cute embellished designs.  This is why my little gift is super fast and easy! 

 Here is a list of supplies you will need;

~1 can Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

~1- 8 1/2" x 11" or 12" x 12" patterned scrapbook paper

~Double sided tape or double sided tacky strip

~16" of  ribbon

~8" of ribbon in a different color

~Small pieces of scrap paper in colors that 

coordinate with your patterned paper

~A plastic spoon

~A small strip of paper with the words 

"In case of emergency... pop top!" printed or written on it.

~Paper trimmer

~Scissors

Using your paper trimmer, cut a 3 1/2" x 10" strip of paper from your patterned paper.

Place a piece of your double sided tape or tacky strip on each end of the paper strip.

Attach one end of the paper to the can (I lined my paper up with the labels own seem so that my paper would be straight).  Simply roll the paper around the can and seal down.

I made 3 of these "kits" for some girlfriends so I used a slightly different paper for each one, and chose different color ribbon for each one.  My color choices were a bit lame, but I ran with what I had on hand.

From here it's simply a no-brainer.  Make your tag by gluing layers of coordinating paper together, and punching a hole on one end for the ribbon to slip through.

Tie the larger piece of ribbon around the can in a half knot. place the handle of the spoon over the crossed ribbon and then tie the ribbon over the spoon in a simple knot (not a bow ).  Trim ends to your desired length.

Slip the smaller piece of ribbon under the knot of the larger ribbon, attach the tag, then tie into a bow. Trim ends and your finished!

This is so simple I feel foolish writing this post up as a tutorial!  Anyway, I hope this gives you some inspiration to improve on...HAVE FUN!

Job Survival Kit

Our business venture Aunt Peg's Jewelry has created a new sister company called Joyful Creations!
We have partnered with 3 amazing women to begin this exciting chapter in our lives.
These 3 women, Joy, Ludean and Linda are currently working together in a professional capacity, but the goal for Joyful Creations is to grow large enough for them to leave their positions and focus on jewelry full time.

JOY, LINDA, & LUDEAN-wicked crazy, and so much fun!

Their excitement and enthusiasm for this project is making it so hard to stay focused in their current jobs that I decided to make them a small "JOB SURVIVAL KIT" to add a bit of humor and encouragement for the upcoming months...

I thought I would show you what I made for this...

I love this quote. Each time they might look at it I'm hoping to help them remember to keep their eyes on the horizon, for our goals are attainable, with some patience and a lot of hard work. 

A girl always needs some water to refresh herself, and the cute terra cotta coasters I made has a fabulous image of 3 old ladies "pole dancing"!

These are hand sanitizer bottles, with a fabulous insert that you personalize yourself. Here is the link to this great tutorial!  The Idea Room

Everyone needs a snack. Every day. Maybe all the time...

Best mustard dip you will ever find!

You can find the recipe here:  Sweet Mustard Dip/Sauce

Keeping your hands clean after snacking requires funny napkins!

A small way to cope instead of snap when your crazy supervisor stops by with some inane remark...lol

I made a fun calendar stand that I personalized  just for them with some inside joke images to keep them smiling...they loved them!

Here is the link to the awesome tutorial and free download calendar pages from Very Merry Vintage.

Well these are the items I gathered together for my friends...I hope it's working! 

Sport's mom's need custom sport charms!

This fabulous customized sports charm is being offered for all the mom's, grandmother's, aunts, and girlfriends!

YOU MUST CHECK THESE OUT!

They customize the charm with your child's jersey #, team color, and first name initial!

AND HOLY CRAP, THEY ARE ONLY $9.50!

NO KIDDING!

Spread the word, and hop on over to get one:

Pride and Joy Charms

Pride and Joy Charms