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!)

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

cute and simple mother's day gift (plus gift wrapping tip!)

I wasn't quite sure what to get my mom for mother's day this year, especially since her birthday falls within the same week. My mom tends to appreciate gifts that are hand-made and come from the heart over a generic store bought gift. However, the creative juices just weren't flowing and as of yesterday I still could not figure out what the main part of her gift would be. I went to Goodwill in hopes that something there would spark an idea and that's exactly what happened. I found a stack of old coasters with peeling edges and a rather ugly floral pattern for around $2. I bought them with the thought of renovating them into cute and personalized coasters my mom can use while she drinks her morning coffee (after all, I need to make sure she thinks of me every morning while I'm away at college). The process is fairly simple:

Cut out different magazine clippings or even some old family photos of you and your mom. Taking a foam brush, coat the base of your object (since this process can be used to make more than just coasters!) and begin to glue down your photos. wait for everything to dry before coating the entire thing in a few layers of Mod-Podge. This will create a hard, almost laminated surface to ensure that any remnants of drinks won't bleed through and ruin your photos! 

I tied the stack of coasters together with a ribbon and placed them into a cardboard box with the rest of her gifts. After wrapping the gift up, I glued down a heart doily to the edge of the box to add a cute and personalized touch.