diy decorative sunglasses

When I came across this plain pair of sunglasses with a company logo on the side, I decided to try out my own spin on a DIY sunglasses project I had seen online. The original source of my inspiration had glued beads into an intricate pattern along the edges of the sunglasses, and although I still want to recreate that look, I decided to use a tie-dye pattern seeing as these would be a gift for my boyfriend.

While the steps are fairly simple and self-explanatory, through my own trial and error I have come up with a few helpful tips. I began by printing out a tie-dye pattern online (I recommend searching wallpapers/backgrounds to find some plain, HD photos) and traced the edges of the sunglasses. I found this step to be a bit difficult, particularly the arches and curves as the ends tapper. I ended up trimming down as best I could and glued one end down using Mod-Podge. I then glued the rest piece by piece, trimming down as I went until the entire side was secure. I followed up with around 3 coats of Mod-Podge the seal the paper and left a note along the inner rim.

My boyfriend recently gave these back to me asking for touch-ups to the glue since the edges had started to peal. I went back with another coat of Mod-Podge followed by a layer of clear nail polish. This added some extra shine as well as secured the edges in place (hopefully this glue job lasts longer than last time!)

chocolate glazed doughnut holes

Due to National Doughnut Day yesterday, my obsession with doughnuts was obviously heightened and I decided to try making my own batch at home. I was unsure as to whether or not I should bake or fry the doughnuts, but in the end decided that frying them would create the most realistic taste, mimicking the doughnuts from our local doughnut shop. 

For the most part, I followed this recipe, however did need to make some slight changes throughout the cooking process. Although the initial ingredients do not call for milk, it quickly became apparent that I needed to add milk and/or water in order to create a dough-like consistency. In the end, I ended up adding around 1/4 cup milk and a bit of water. I also did not fill my pan with as much oil as the recipe called for. I ended up simply flipping the doughnut holes over in order to cook on both sides. 

I recommend dipping your hands in water before molding the dough into bite size pieces, as well as forming all of the "holes" before begging the frying process. I did need to make more icing as I ran out about half way through, and if I were to recreate this recipe I would have simply doubled the icing recipe from the start. 

All in all, these doughnut holes came out better than I expected, and they were competitive with fresh store bought doughnuts as well! Here is an updated ingredients list using the original recipe from Teenage Taste:

Doughnuts:

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk

Icing:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4-6 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

diy scented bath bombs

With some friends birthdays coming up, I decided to try out this cute and fairly simple diy project that I saw on pinterest. I followed this recipe that was linked to the Pinterest post, but changed up the ingredients a bit. I made the first few bath bombs using Canola oil as the recipe calls for, however I was curious as to how Coconut Oil would work out. I have found from past diy body and lip scrubs that Coconut Oil leaves skin extremely moisturized. I used vanilla extract and different scented essential oils in combination with food coloring to create these colorful and delicious smelling bath bombs! I left mine in the cupcake molds overnight (over 12 hours), however I did notice that some fell apart when I attempted to pull them out. They were all a bit crumbly at the edges and tops, however some more than others. I think this mishap must be due to different amounts of cornstarch and baking soda used. I started to run low on certain ingredients, but I found that this diy requires specific amounts of both ingredients. If I were to recreate these bath bombs, I would definitely stick to the 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Featured in photo order from top to bottom:

• Grapefruit + Coconut Oil
• Vanilla + Coconut Oil
• Key Lime + Canola Oil
• Lavender + Canola Oil

make your own milk tea

Ingredients: 

• condensed milk
• boiled water
• tea of your choice (I find black tea or fruity herb tea to taste best)
• milk or almond milk - optional

Directions:

Begin by preparing a regular cup of tea as you usually would (boil water and steep tea bag for a few minutes longer than usual to create a stronger flavor). Place your cup of tea in the fridge and/or freezer until chilled. Add 1-2 tablespoons of condensed milk, depending on how sweet you prefer your milk tea. An optional step would be to add a few tablespoons of regular milk or almond milk. Adding milk in conjunction with the condensed milk will give the tea that special "milk tea" taste. 

This recipe is perfect for those times you are craving milk tea, but don't have many extra calories to spare. Making milk tea at home is the perfect way to control the sugar added to your drink.