{Handmade Gifts} Aromatherapy Eye Pillow

Hi Everyone!! Today I have teamed up with a great group of ladies to create handmade gifts with something for all ages! If you need an idea for a few more gifts under the tree, check out these sweet handmade ideas from the ladies listed below!

1.DIY Felt Slippers from Wills Casa

2. Personalised Hand-Stamped Tea Towels from Chibi Run

3. Personalised Tile Coasters from Made 2 Style

4. Sock Monsters from Ava Pot Pie

5. Homemade Basil Pesto from KukuCouture Invitations

6. Lace Boot Cuffs from S{Thomp}ing Ground

7. Aromatherapy Eye Pillow from Markham Street Design

8. DIY Paint by Numbers Canvas from Sophie at Home

9. Personalised Memory Matching Game from Max & Me

These past few months have been a little stressful for my mom. Some changes at home and at work have given her a few rough days here and there. I figured what could be a better Christmas gift than some relaxation. An aromatherapy eye pillow is an easy gift to make that will pair well with a glass of wine to help her relax after a long day.

Eye pillows are filled with flax seeds and a few drops of lavender oil and are supposed to help headaches and work as an antidepressant. The pillow has the perfect weight to put enough pressure on your face to contour to it, blocking out the light.

To create the pillow, I used:
      -  Two 9" x 3" pieces of fabric scraps
      -  Sewing Machine and Thread
      -  Scissors
      -  Flax Seeds
      -  Lavender Oil

First, I sewed the two scraps of fabric together (pretty sides facing each other) on three sides, leaving one of the small sides open. And then turned the pillow right side out.

Next I mixed the flax seed and lavender oil. I straight guessed on amounts here. I filled the bowl with flax seed and then sprinkled the lavender oil until it smelled good. (Sorry I can't be more specific than that!!)

I then stirred and spooned the flax seeds into the pillow and sewed the last end closed. It may not be the prettiest gift under the tree but it sure does smell good!

Handmade gifts are my favorite to give and to receive!! Does anyone have some great handmade gift ideas?

{31 Days} Family Tree

Note:  Due to some unforeseen family illnesses, I am having to play catch-up on my 31 days challenge! Thank you for reading!

Day 10: Family Tree

For each of my grandmothers' birthdays this year, I created a sweet family tree. I found this cute idea on Pinterest and decided I could recreate it using Microsoft Word like I have on other word art projects here and here. By downloading a new font and playing around with word art, I was able to create three different trees with each of my grandmothers' kids and grand kids. They all loved this sentimental gift!!

Word art makes such a simple and sweet gift.

10 down! 21 to go!!

{31 Days} Initial Mugs

 

Day 9: Initial Mugs

I'm running a little late on this Tuesday so I needed a quick DIY for my 31 days challenge.  I found this tutorial on Pinterest over a year ago and also picked up the white mugs from the thrift store not long after! They had the mugs on sale for 10 cents each so I stocked up! I thought these initial mugs would make great gifts with some homemade hot chocolate this Christmas.

 I started with my three white mugs and washed each one so they were good and clean.

 Next, I sketched on the initial and name with a plain Sharpie marker.

Then I baked the mugs in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Let the mugs completely cool and then you are good to go. These mugs are hand-wash only and not dishwasher safe! Great simple gift and easy DIY!!

I am behind on my schedule for this 31 days! Last week I had each post written at least a day if not two in advance. But I have been feeling a bit sickly and falling down on my job! I will get better at this!!

9 down! 22 to go!

{31 Days} Big Things Baby Gift

Day 7: Big Things Baby Gift

On this lazy Sunday afternoon, I needed a simple DIY project to complete for today. Baby Rhett celebrated his first birthday this past week and we are heading up to see him and his parents this weekend. I wanted to create something for the little man and after seeing this quote on Pinterest, I knew what it was that I was going to make.

I thought it was a great saying for a nursery. I grabbed an old sketch book from my college days and had fun doodling this fun little print.

I had a frame at home so this was a simple project I completed in about 15 minutes!

Anyone have any cute gift ideas for baby Rhett to go with this print?

7 down! 24 to go!

{Date Night} Pre-Planned Date Basket

I am so excited about one of the gifts I gave David for his birthday! It not only is a gift for him but I get to enjoy it as well!! I gave him a basket with a pre-planned date for every month this year!!

I know you have seen a few of these floating around on Pinterest! They were just too cute of an idea to pass up. My inspiration came from here and here!

My basket has 12 envelopes.  Each labeled with a month of the year.  And each envelope contains a pre-planned, (mostly) pre-paid date just for us.  Some dates will be simple dates at home, some are around our hometown and then a few are planned to be out-of-town getaways for the evening or weekend!! I tried to plan it to where if one month's date might be a little pricey, then the next month we take it easy and have an inexpensive but still fun date at home or around town! The plan is to open the envelope together at the beginning of the month, look at the calendar and decide on a date.  So right from the beginning of the month, we'll have a fun date on the calendar to look forward to.

Our first date is tonight!! David and I are both looking forward to a night of fun!


Check out our dates:
{Date Night} January
{Date Night} February
{Date Night} March 
{Date Night} March.... April
{Date Night} April  
{Date Night} May 
{Date Night} June 
{Date Night} July
{Date Night} August  
{Date Night} September
{Date Night} October
(I never got around to blogging about our last two dates)
November- Sketch and Sip Date- We went to Starbucks and had coffees while sketching out what we both wanted in our future home remodel.
December- Christmas Light Drive- We made hot chocolates and drove through town looking at all the Christmas lights.

Simple Word Art

I have been pinning a ton of graphic art and prints lately. Ones that I think would look great in my home or even some that could be personalized for a fun gift at Christmas or a wedding. I got to thinking how easy it really is to create your own printable word art through a simple program on your own computer. I am by no means a graphic artist! (I wish I was)! I have dabbled in Photoshop but I don't know enough about it to make a piece of art. One program I do know how to use (and don't laugh at me) is Microsoft Word! Haha! Ok- I had to laugh at myself! I told you I was no graphic artist! But it is simple!!! Here are a couple of pieces I pinned thinking they would be a great wedding present!

via

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The first step is to find fonts you like and install them on your computer.  There are hundreds of free fonts available online if you simply search for them at sites like Dafont and Kevin and Amanda and many, many more. If you have a PC  here are some simple instructions on how to install your new fonts. Once you’ve installed your fonts you can get to work creating your own word art!

To start- open up a new Word document and 'Insert' Word Art. I chose a font I liked and then typed in the first line of text. I then adjusted the height and length to fit the page. After that, I just copied and pasted that one line- editing the text and only the height as I went.

I changed the one line with my husband and my name to be a reddish color. The rest are all the same gray.

And I made sure the dimensions of the word art would print out the size of an 8" x 10" picture.

For the other Graphic Art- I basically did the same thing.

This time I changed up the font and color on each line. I printed this one to be a 5" x 7"

After I printed them off, I placed them in simple frames with white mattes. I thought they turned out pretty good for a Mircosoft Word piece of art!

What fun artsy things have you done on your computer? Do you have more skills when it comes to the actually programs made to do these kinds of things? Any tips on how to make graphic art on other programs such as photoshop?


Linking up to The Shabby Nest , Young House Love,  Bower Power 
Chic on a Shoestring

Pieces of a Pretty Cross

My sister celebrated the big 2-2 this week about a month ago (I got a little busy!). I decided to make her a mosaic cross for her birthday (I have apologized over and over for not having it to her yet!). Sorry about the long post- there were a lot of steps!

I learned how to make the crosses earlier this year and have enjoyed giving them as gifts and keeping a couple for myself. They are easy and fun to make and also are not too hard on your wallet. I made three for Mother's Day and they were all a hit!

My sister had given me a broken glass bowl that she had had for a while and said I could use it on a cross. I thought that would make a great birthday gift!

To make the form of the cross you will need:
3 pieces of rectangular floral foam 
1 small dowel rod
knife and cutting board
hot glue gun

Take one piece of floral foam and cut it in half.

Keep one half for the project and put the other aside for your next cross project! I like to trim just a little off the newly cut half just so the cross looks more proportionate.

Next put the dowel rod in the middle of all three pieces and add a little hot glue for some extra support.

Now comes the fun part! I have shopped at thrift stores, garage sales and even T.J. Maxx (I make sure they are on clearance) to get colorful plates, bowls, and mugs to get just the look I am going for. I have a little collection going now after making 5 crosses. 

Collect all of the plates and bowls that you want to break. There is a "special ceramic breaker" tool that is sold at craft stores but I find they a hammer works just as great and it is a little more therapeutic! : ) and safety glasses are a must! (Ok... I know these aren't "safety" but they work!) Then SMASH AWAY!! 

This part is so fun! But very sharp so be careful! 

Next layout all of your pieces and just play around with the look on the cross until you get something you like. I like to find some type of "focal point" in the center of the cross or some kind of pattern over the cross. This one started with the blue and brown bowl that my sister gave me so I wanted to use it as the focal point and went from there.

Once the focal point is found, it is like a puzzle. Just find the the few colors you want to use (I didn't use all of these colors- I just needed them all out to play with so I could find the look I was going for) and place them until the cross is covered. 

 

When you figure out the pattern, you will hot glue the pieces in place.

Now it is time to get messy!!

I chose a sanded grout in a biscuit color. Mix the grout with water until it is a pancake batter consistency. I would rather have it more wet or runny than too think. You have more time to work with it that way. 

Using your hands, spread the grout all over the top and the sides. You don't have to worry about getting the grout on your mosaic pieces. We'll get that off later! 

Taking a wet paper towel or sponge, gently rub off the grout from each piece. 

Let this dry completely, maybe a couple of hours? Then flip over and add a layer of grout to the back and touch up the sides. After the back dries, clean up the "grout dust" and leftover chunks by scraping of chunks and then wiping down all of the mosaic pieces with a water vinegar mixture. This will wash the dust off and keep it off! 

 These crosses look heavy but are actually light weight! To hang, I just place a small nail on either side under the "arms" of the cross. 

 And my sister loves it!!!

Sorry again for the long post but I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you decide to make a mosaic cross or mosaic anything!