Food Fun Family

Thumbprint Tree Canvas: a DIY Mother’s Day Craft

Lolli — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 13:39:45 +0000

I can’t believe that it’s almost time for another Mother’s Day – one of my favorite days of the year! I can usually count on being pampered and feeling appreciated on Mother’s Day, which is probably why I love the day so much. I also love receiving homemade gifts and crafts that my kids have made for me for Mother’s Day. In fact, I still have a couple of the crafts that my kids have made over the years hanging in my bedroom because I love them and the memories of when they made them so much!

I came up with the idea for this thumbprint tree from similar projects that I have seen over the years on the internet. While it is not a completely original idea, I thought it turned out quite nicely for a quick DIY gift for a mom or grandma. I’m obsessed with using blank white canvases to make DIY wall hangings and gifts. There’s just so much you can do with a blank canvas!

Because my kids are teenagers, I had them help me make this Mother’s Day craft. I was pleased that it was easy enough for just about any age kids to be involved in (with some parental supervision) but that it turned out nice enough to display or give as a gift.

Want to see how easy this thumbprint tree was to make?

Supplies Needed:

1 Blank white canvas (I used an 8×10 inch canvas, but you could use any size)
Variety of acrylic paints
Paper plate (optional: thick paper towel for blotting)
Pencil

Instructions:

1 – Sketch a tree to cover the majority of the canvas. You can make your tree look however you’d like, but make sure you include lots of branches. I had my 16-year-old son sketch our tree, because I know he’s good at that kind of drawing.

2 – Squeeze a small amount of paint onto a paper plate.

3 – Dip a finger into the paint and blot on the plate or paper towel until there is just a small amount of paint left on your finger.

4 – Make several finger prints on the branches of the tree and some at the base of the tree, if desired.

5 – Tip: we used a different color paint for each of the kids in our family. The kids each used “their” color to cover the tree with lots of “leaves.”
6 – Allow the paint to dry and then display on the wall or wrap it up as a gift!

Moisturizing Face Wash

Jody — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:00:38 +0000

I used to be horrible about washing my face before bed every night. Lately, I’ve tried to be much more consistent about washing the makeup and daily dirt off my face before heading to bed. However, I’ve noticed that some store-bought face wash can be too oily, too strong, or leave my skin way too dry.

The best way to combat this is to make your own and tweak the ingredients to suit your skin type. I mix just a few natural ingredients to create small batches of my favorite DIY moisturizing face wash. I keep a few natural ingredients on hand and, after the initial purchase, each batch costs just pocket change make! This face wash is great for all skin types and is safe to use morning and night for clean skin.

DIY Moisturizing Face Wash

It’s so easy to make your own moisturizing face wash with gentle, natural ingredients!

Ingredients:

½ cup cup distilled water
1 tsp. Almond Castile soap (get it here)
½ tsp. Rosehip oil (get it here)
8 drops lavender essential oil (get it here)

Directions:

1. Purchase or reuse a small plastic bottle with a pump or use a squeeze dispenser for easy use of your DIY face wash.

2. Carefully pour distilled water into your small dispenser bottle. I like to grab them in the travel section and make two at a time; one to keep by the bathroom sink and one in my travel bag.

3. Add your castile soap, rosehip oil, and lavender essential oil to the bottle.

4. Replace the lid and shake well to combine all ingredients. You will want to shake the bottle before each use for best results.

To use: Squeeze a dime-sized amount onto a damp washcloth or into your hand, lather, and and rub onto your wet face. Then rinse clean and pat dry. Follow up with a light moisturizer that is right for your skin type.

Lemon Mint Foot Soak

Jody — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 06:00:24 +0000

My feet take a beating during the winter. They get so dry! As we enter spring time, it’s time to pull the sandals back out of the closet and show off our feet again!

Whether it’s a long day at work, a full day of shopping, or a backyard soccer game with your kids, there are times we all need a little foot pampering. I’m looking for something that soothes tired feet but is safe to use. It’s even better if it isn’t expensive, right? I have just the thing for you in this Lemon Mint Foot Soak. It softens, moisturizes, and leaves your feet ready for a night of dancing or a day in yoru favorite spring sandals.

How to Make Lemon Mint Foot Soak

Ingredients:

3 cups epsom salts
1 cup baking soda
2 Tablespoon coconut oil
15 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
1 Tablespoon matcha green tea powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Soften coconut oil in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it easier to mix.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed. I used matcha green tea powder to give a little natural color to the foot scrub. You can leave it out if you don’t have any on hand or use a soap colorant to give it a green tint.

3. Transfer your mixture to a large glass jar – I find pretty decorative jars at Dollar Tree and at Hobby Lobby that are perfect for storing DIY beauty recipes like this. Mason jars work well too!

To Use:

1. Scrub vigorously over damp feet, paying special attention to dry areas.

2. Rinse well, pat dry, apply lotion to lock in moisture.

Ta da! Your feet are ready for the spring!

Since you’re in the Spring mood, check out these other great Spring + Easter projects

Easter Charm Bracelet – Style on Main
DIY Chic Easter Feather Wreath – Busy Creating Memories
Coloring Eggs with Sand for Easter – Diana Rambles
Gilded Eggs for Easter – How Was Your Day?
Easter Chick Pudding Cups – Cutefetti
Caterpillar and Dragonfly clothespins – Views from the ‘Ville
Easy Spring Bud Vases – Upstate Ramblings
Sock Bunny Craft – Momma Lew
Coffee Filter Butterfly Accessories – Mommy Snippets

DIY Rainbow Bath Bombs

Jody — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 20:10:52 +0000

Fun, fizzing, rainbow bath bombs are a great bath treat for little ones or adults! The whimsical colors make soaking in a hot tub more fun and relaxing by adding some skin softening and moisturizing ingredients along with a delicious scent! If you love the look of these Rainbow Bath Bombs scented with lavender and orange check out the recipe below!

Note: affiliate links are used below to point you in the right direction to find supplies that you might not already have on your shelves.

How to Make DIY Rainbow Bath Bombs

Ingredients:

1 cup baking soda
1 cup citric acid (where to buy)
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup olive oil, coconut oil, OR almond oil (whichever you prefer)
10 drops Lavender essential oil (where to buy)
10 drops Orange essential oil (where to buy)
Soap colorant
Water in a spray bottle

You will also need: bath bomb molds

Directions:

1. Combine baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch well; Stir in oil slowly. Add essential oils to mixture.

2. Spray water one spritz at a time, mixing with your hands until it is just barely damp. You do not want it bubbling, just wet enough so that it sticks together when squeezed tightly.
3. Divide mixture into smaller bowls and add a few drops of colorant to each, as many as you want to make. Mix up well.

4. Spray the inside of each bath mold with some non-stick cooking spray so that it’s easier to remove the balls after they’ve dried.
5. Alternate adding colors to the bath molds, a couple of teaspoons at a time, pressing firmly into both sides of mold.

6. Fit both side of mold together and allow your bath bomb to dry out overnight before gently removing from the mold. I used these metal molds to get a big ball shape like you might find at the stores but you could also use a silicone shaped mold or even a muffin tin.

Keep bath bomb in a cool dry place until ready to use.

To use: drop one bath bomb under warm running water and relax in the warm bath!

This recipe makes 4 large bath bombs

DIY Chocolate Face Mask

Jody — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 13:00:57 +0000

If you want to indulge in a luxurious spa treatment at home what sounds (or smells) better than chocolate? You might even nibble on a piece of good-for-you dark chocolate while enjoying this Chocolate Face Mask!

While the star in this face mask is the rich, amazing chocolate that brings a punch of antioxidants that your skin needs, this mask also contains the best natural humectants you can find – coconut oil and honey.

Need more reasons this mask is so good for your skin? The Lactic acid in the milk unclogs your pores, sea salt balances and levels out oil production, and also helps to clean out your pores and kill bacteria. This mask is the perfect treat pre-date night, girls night in, Valentine’s Day gift, or a fun way to fancy up a girls slumber party!

Special note from Lolli: I was so excited about Jody’s chocolate face mask recipe that I convinced my teenage daughters to try it with me! The action shots are from our little impromptu spa night together! I was blown away by how GOOD this face mask smelled and how soft it felt going on to my face!

Amazon affiliate links are used within this post.

How to Make a Chocolate Face Mask

Ingredients:

3 tsp. Cocoa powder
1 tsp. Coconut oil (where to buy)
2 tsp. Honey
1 T. milk
1 tsp. Sea salt (where to buy)

Directions:

Soften coconut oil slightly by heating it in the microwave for about 5-7 seconds. You don’t need to melt it, but cold hard oil will not mix well with your other ingredients.
Warm milk slightly or allow to come to room temp before mixing it in with the coconut oil so it doesn’t make the oil seize up.

Combine cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, milk, sugar, and sea salt until well combined. It should be a thick pudding like texture.
You can either slather the mixture on your face and down your neck with your fingers or use a flat fan brush- the brush makes it feel a bit more like a spa treatment, in my opinion!

Allow mask to dry until it begins to crumble and your skin may be tingling just a bit.
Rinse away with warm water, pat dry, and then follow up with a light moisturizer.

Sounds yummy right? And you probably have everything you need in your pantry so what are you waiting for?

DIY Rose and Lavender Lotion Bars

Jody — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 09:00:33 +0000

One of my favorite DIY beauty items to make are lotion bars (check out my other lotion bar recipe here). They are easy to make and give your skin a quick burst of moisture and heavenly scent! This particular recipe for Rose & Lavender Lotion bars is perfect year round to hydrate your skin, but it’s particularly suited for a homemade Valentine’s Day gift.

You just need a few natural ingredients to get started and you will have a handful of lotion bars ready to keep or gift to friends and family. Note: I’ve linked to several of the ingredients you’ll need for this DIY project. They’re affiliate links, so I can earn a small commission should you choose to buy something. You’ll never pay more, though!

How to Make DIY Rose & Lavender Lotion Bars

You will need:

½ cup Shea butter (get it here)
½ cup Coconut oil
½ cup Beeswax granules (get it here)
10 drops Lavender essential oil (get it here)
10 drops Rose essential oil (get it here or here)
Silicone molds (I love this one!)

Directions:

Place shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax granules in a small pot over medium low heat. Stir frequently until mixture is completely melted.
Remove from heat, and stir in essential oils well.
Carefully pour or spoon melted mixture into silicone mold.
Allow to set until completely cool and firm about 3-4 hours at least.
Carefully remove each lotion bar from the mold and store in a glass container in a cool dark space. I prefer to keep mine in the refrigerator and pull one at a timeout to use.

To use: Rub lotion bar over warm skin (it melts at body temperature) and enjoy the scent and moisture it provides to your skin.

The number of lotion bars this recipe will yield depends on the size of the mold; smaller shapes will make more lotion bars and larger molds will make fewer.

Be sure to check out the rest of these great Valentine’s Day DIY projects

Food Fun Family – DIY Rose and Lavender Lotion Bars
Style on Main – Pearl and Leather Lariat Necklace
How Was Your Day? – Hugs and Kisses Coasters
Fun Happy Home – Last Minute Valentine’s Gift Idea
Cutefetti – The Heart Nose Valentine’s Day Printable Gift
The Eyes of a Boy – DIY Valentine’s Heart Wreath
Mommy Snippets – Easy Valentine Gift a Child Can Make
Busy Creating Memories – DIY Upcycle Bottle Vase Valentine’s Day Gift
Thrifty Jinxy – DIY Homemade Peppermint Lip Balm

DIY Laundry Booster Crystals

Jody — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 13:00:10 +0000

Amazing smelling laundry doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. Adding a DIY Laundry Booster to your wash is a great way to end up with a dryer full of soft, static free, and scented laundry in a more natural, earth-friendly way.

Note: affiliate links are used in this post to point you in the right direction for the products we used and recommend. All prices are the same for you, but I can get a small affiliate commission for sales.

The beauty of this DIY recipe is that, besides being easy and inexpensive, you are able to use nontoxic ingredients and customize the scent to your liking. You can create a new scent profile every time you make it or keep a few varieties on hand for different family members.

DIY laundry crystals also make a great hostess or housewarming gift as well when put the mix in a pretty jar with a small wooden scoop (I LOVE these!!) and a homemade tag to identify the scent and ingredients.

How to Make DIY Laundry Crystals at Home

Supplies you will need:

2 cups epsom salt
½ cup baking soda
25 drops essential oil
A pretty jar with a tight fitting lid

Directions:

1. In a large bowl stir together epsom salt, baking soda, and desired essential oils until well combined.
2. Transfer to a container with a tight fitting lid, mason jars or other pretty containers from the Dollar Tree work great for storage.
To use: Add 1 T. to washer before adding in clothes, turn on water, then begin filling the washer with clothing.

It’s really that simple! I love being able to use homemade products like these at home so that I know exactly what is going on my family’s clothes.

Some scent combinations that you might like:

What scent combination would you prefer…or do you have a favorite scent combo that you’ve tried. I’d love to add more variety to my laundry repertoire.

The Ornament Tree – An Easy Christmas Craft

Lolli — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 16:07:20 +0000

When I was growing up, my Grandma Betty had a jewelry tree in her living room. It looked like a Christmas tree, but she kept it up year round. I loved that tree and spent many hours gazing at it.

Grandma’s Jewelry Tree

When my Grandma passed away, my mom inherited the jewelry tree, and it now lives in my mom’s piano and dining room. I love that it is still part of my life.

I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of making my own tree before, but this year was finally time. Because I don’t have a collection of fancy jewelry like Grandma did, I opted to make my tree from small ornaments, both ornaments I’ve collected over the years and a handful of ornaments that I gathered during my Christmas shopping.

I was pleased with how easily my ornament tree came together, and even more pleased with how happy it makes me to see the tree hanging in my family room this Christmas. Whenever I see it, I think of Grandma and Grandpa. I can’t wait for it to become one of our new Christmas traditions.

Note: this post is not sponsored in any way, but I have included some Amazon affiliate links to some of the products I used.

How to make an Ornament Tree Christmas Wall Hanging

The wonderful thing about this craft is that you can make it any size, color, or style you want.

Supplies Needed:

Small ornaments of different colors and shapes (they’re easy to find at the Dollar Store, Walmart or on Amazon), plus a star for the top, if desired
Large frame (old frames and thrift store finds work great for this. Any size works!)
Large piece of felt, big enough to cover the inside of your frame
Hot glue + glue gun (I used Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks and loved how well it worked!)
Optional extras: cardboard the size of your frame, pieces of wood for the tree trunk, cheap beaded necklace to outline the tree

How to Make an Ornament Tree

1. Take the glass out of your frame and set aside. If your frame has a sturdy piece of cardboard already, taken that out to cover with felt. Otherwise, use the removed piece of glass to cut a piece of cardboard to fit the frame.

2. Use hot glue to solidly attach felt to the cardboard; make sure you leave extra felt to stretch around the back of the cardboard. Glue flaps securely to the back of the cardboard, as well.

3. Place the felt-covered cardboard back into the frame and replace the frame backing and attachments so that the felt is solidly in place.

4. If you’d like your tree to have a border, use a beaded necklace (the MardiGras necklaces at the Dollar Store worked great for this purpose!) to outline the shape of your tree. Use hot glue to glue the beads in place.

5. Glue down the tree trunk and star. Note: some thin plastic may melt when it comes in contact with hot glue. I had to try again with a second star.

6. Starting at any of the corners of the tree, start gluing down one ornament at a time. I used small silver bells to fill in gaps between larger ornaments. Keep going until the entire tree surface is filled.

That’s it! Hang your ornament tree and enjoy a beautiful Christmas decoration all season long and for years to come.

DIY Peppermint Bath Bomb Ornaments

Lolli — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 06:00:30 +0000

I love making my own bath and beauty products, not only for my own benefit, but to give as gifts to friends and family. I use my DIY sugar scrubs every single day in the shower (they are amazing for cleaning and moisturizing my face, and my homemade sugar scrub makes the best shaving “cream” ever!).

My youngest son, even though he’s 11 now, still prefers taking baths, and I admit that I do love a nice relaxing bath (especially when I’ve got the house to myself and I can relax and soak for as long as I’d like!). There’s nothing more soothing that a hot bath and a fizzing bath bomb.

This week, I made some peppermint bath bombs, and because they holidays are coming up soon, I decided to form them in some fun and festive clear ball ornaments. Not only do the pop-together ornament balls make an ideal mold for bath bombs, but the ornaments themselves make an adorable gift “package.”

If you’ve never made fizzy bath bombs before, here’s what you need to know: when baking soda and citric acid are mixed together and then added to water, a chemical reaction occurs. As the bath bomb dissolves, the reaction between the baking soda, citric acid, and water creates carbon dioxide, which results in lots of bubbles. Those bubbles not only make the water feel fizzy, but they release the soothing scent of the peppermint essential oils into the air, too.

Peppermint is not only one of my favorite scents of the holidays, but it is one of my favorite scents year-round. I especially love peppermint essential oils for soothing a headache or helping clear or calm my sinuses, which is a constant problem for me during the winter months. If peppermint is not your thing, or you’d just like to shake things up a bit and make a different scent, you can use any essential oils or leave them out altogether.

Recommended: for an even more festive scent, try Candy Cane essential oil blend, which combines peppermint, lavender, orange, and vanilla. It’s heavenly!

Ready to see how to make your own bath bombs?

Yum

DIY Peppermint Bath Bomb Ornaments

Ingredients

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid (where to buy)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp almond oil (you can use coconut oil as well)
15 drops peppermint essential oil (where to buy)
Spray bottle with water
Plastic snap-together ornaments (where to buy)

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl; mix well. Add almond oil and essential and stir. Spray a small amount of water (4-5 squirts) on the surface of the dry mixture. Stir. Keep adding a few quirts and mixing until you have a consistency that sticks together (kind of like moon sand) when you pinch the powder together. You only need to use a small amount of water total (about a half teaspoon or less).
Scoop mixed bath bomb ingredients into both sides of the plastic ornament and pack down. Leave a little extra scooped on top so that when you carefully fit both sides of the ball together, the bath bomb is packed in tightly. The more tightly packed your ingredients are, the better your ornament balls will stay together once you open you bath bomb.
Let bath bombs dry for several hours or overnight before opening. Store bath bombs inside ornaments in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
To use: drop a bath bomb into your hot bath water and enjoy the fizz and the scent!

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A couple of helpful notes:

Bath bombs will stick together when they’re packed tightly enough together, but be warned: they are VERY delicate! It’s best to store them inside the plastic ornaments until ready to use.
You can use half of a bath bomb by carefully sliding the two halves apart and setting one aside to use later. Again, bath bombs tend to be delicate so it’s fairly easy to break them apart at the half mark. Half a bath bomb was plenty for my youngest son.

Peppermint essential oil is a “hot” oil, and I would highly recommend avoiding getting any of the oils in your eyes (and that includes rubbing your eyes with your hand safter soaking them in the bath).
Citric acid can be found in the canning section at many grocery stores and Walmart. However, it’s hard to find in stores in the winter. I highly recommend ordering some on Amazon and save yourself a trip around town.

Be sure to check out these other great Christmas themed DIY projects, too! Be sure to search the #DIYDivas hashtag to see past projects.

Views from the Ville – Mini Clay Pot DIY Reindeer
Style on Main – Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe Printable
Upstate Ramblings – Grape Pie
Busy Creating Memories – Easy Snowman Ornaments
How Was Your Day? – Be In Good Cheer Christmas Printable
Mommy Snippets – Festive Travel-Sized Calm Down Bottle for Kids

DIY Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Lolli — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 10:00:25 +0000

A few weeks ago, I ran out of the homemade sugar scrub that I use almost daily when I shower, so I knew that I needed to make a new batch. Since pumpkin spice is everywhere this time of year, I thought it would be fun to see if I could make a sugar scrub that smelled like my favorite scent of the fall.

Note: affiliate links are used to point you to the products that I used that you may not have around the house already. No extra cost for you, as always!

I have fallen in love with this pumpkin spice sugar scrub! It’s so quick and easy to make, it makes my skin feel incredible, it’s full of simple, natural ingredients, and it’s a frugal but useful DIY gift to give to friends and family. What’s not to love?

It’s pumpkin spice and everything nice (and none of the bad stuff!) – I love making my own bath and beauty products out of simple and wholesome ingredients. Sugar scrubs really are so easy to make and they feel so wonderfully refreshing!

Here’s how to make this pumpkin spice sugar scrub:

Yum

DIY Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

1½ cups granulated sugar (or a mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar)
⅓ cup coconut oil
1 tsp castille soap (get it here)
2 tsp pumpkin spice
Several drops of essential oils (optional). I would suggest Frankincense, cinnamon, ginger, etc. Find essential oils here.

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place mixture in wide mouth mason jars (I prefer to use plastic lids). If desired, add a fun gift tag or a ribbon to the jar before giving it away.
Store scrub covered. I prefer using plastic lids on my jars.

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BENEFITS TO THE SUGAR SCRUB MAIN INGREDIENTS:

Sugar – for exfoliation
Coconut oil – hydration, skin healing
Castille soap – gentle cleansing

And of course, I’m a huge fan of essential oils, and they each have their own individual benefits.

I’ve joined with a few of my blogging friends to bring you not only one fall-themed DIY project or recipe, but several. Enjoy!

You’ll definitely want to check out these other great Halloween DIY projects and recipes, too!

DIY Witch Hat Headband – Busy Creating Memories
DIY Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub – Food Fun Family
DIY Dorothy Halloween Costume for Adults – Style on Main
Quick and Easy Faux Gilded Pumpkins – How Was Your Day?
Pumpkin Salted Caramel Poke Cake – Diana Rambles
Easy Holiday Wood Photo Frame – Casa Moncada
DIY Mummy Pumpkin Halloween Craft – The Eyes of a Boy
Pumpkin Spice Latte Scrub – Views from the ‘Ville