Makeup Carrier

Between Sephora, Mac and every other huge makeup company, it’s safe to say I buy too much makeup but, that doesn’t keep me from buying more! I’m sure I’m not alone in this cosmetic conundrum. Well, since we both know there is plenty more makeup to come, it’s time to get organized!

Makeup Carrier

You’ll need:

2 — 12x 12 in. fabric
2 — 12x 5 in. fabric
2 — 12x 3 in. fabric
1 — 4 in. elastic
1 — old t-shirt
3 — 3in. Rope

Begin by cutting out each piece of fabric and pinning each fabric to it’s mate. Make sure the right side of the fabrics are facing each other before you pin them.

On a sewing machine, sew together the 12x 12in pieces of fabric, leaving a 3 inch opening to flip the fabric right sides out. Do the same with other two fabric mates. Once everything has been sewn, iron each fabric piece flat.
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It’s time to start forming the makeup carrier! Fold the 12x 12in sewn piece of fabric in half. Whichever side of fabric you want on the outside, have on the inside. Pin the 12x 5in fabric to one of the sides. Measure how big you want each section to be and draw a line with a pencil. Sew the sides and bottom of the fabric and then the drawn lines, leaving the top open.
*Remember to unfold the 12x 12in fabric before sewing.
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Now pin the 12x 3in fabric on top of the 12x 5in one and sew the bottom, the sides, and if you choose, the middle.

Place the sewn carrier on top of the t-shirt of your choice. Trace along the edge of the carrier but remember to cut the shirt out slightly bigger. Cut out both the front and the back of the shirt. Face the right sides of the fabric towards each other and pin them. Sew along the edges and leave a 3 inch space to flip it the right side out.
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Once you finished sewing the shirt, pin it to the back of the makeup carrier and sew along the edges. Cut three 3inch pieces of fabric or rope and attach one in the shape of a U to the top of the carrier and sew the other two strings to the other side. The strings will allow you to tie close your new makeup carrier!
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Party Favors

Party’s are meant to have fun, not to stress! Leave it to me, I got you girl. Put that weary mind to rest, I know what you’re making for party favors and your guests are going to love them. Run to the craft store and buy some twine because this party favor making is about to get real.

Party Favors

You’ll need….

3×4 Paper favor bags
Color Twine
Clear Cellophane (If filling the bags with food)
Card Stock
Large Eye Sewing Needle

Party Favors

These particular party favors were for a rehearsal dinner, the night before the wedding, and they wanted to set the tone for the whole weekend. The card on the party favors read “A celebration of love and friendship”. For your favors find the message or theme you want and print it on card stock. Once your cards are printed cut them out and thread with the twine. Using a large eye sewing needle, make one hole on the bottom of the card and one hole on the top. Next, thread the twine through. I used a twenty four inch thread for the label.
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For the rehearsal dinner we filled each paper bag with biscotti. If you decide to fill the bags with food, remember to wrap it in cellophane so that the oils won’t seep through.

After stuffing the bags with biscotti, fold the top of the bag over. Using the large eye needle that you’ve threaded, make a hole with the needle at the top of the bag and pull the thread through. Make another hole slightly spaced and pull the needle and twine through. I used a sixteen inch thread for the top of the bag.
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Place the card on the bag, make sure to wrap the twine around the bag, having the two threads meet at the top. Tie the top threads together, then the label threads, and then tie both sets together. Make a bow with the twine and you’re set!
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Brown Bag B-Day

Birthdays are always a great reason to gather your friends and family to party! Balloons, streamers, cake, presents. Ain’t no party like a birthday party! Seriously, birthday parties are fun unless you are the one throwing one and you have no idea where to start. Well, look no further. This week I’m celebrating everyone’s birthday with a paper bag birthday party. Easy, fun, festive and best of all, it won’t make you go broke. See you at the festivities!

All you’ll need for the following crafts are:

Brown paper
Colored Chalk
Black Sharpie
Twine
Tape

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No party is complete without a banner to ring in the new birth year. Cut out five triangles, with room at the top to fold over (for the string). Draw on it with chalk and outline with marker.

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Find the length of your table and cut the paper to fit. Decorate with different colors and designs.

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What’s more festive than party attire? Don’t forget to make some party hats to put everyone in the mood. Cut a half circle out of paper and tape together the straight ends. Tape twine to the insides of the hat, and partake in the merriment.

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Wrap your presents in brown paper and decorate it however you please. When in doubt, wrap in brown paper. It’s the most fun you’ll have since your last birthday.

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Cat Lady Pillow

You can never have too many shoes, friends or cats. Cats are a girls best friend. I think thats how the saying goes. No one can deny the cuteness of a cat, and no one among us can honestly say that they haven’t wasted an afternoon… or two…. falling down the rabbit hole of viral cat videos. I’m not sure if it’s their sophisticated demeanor or their lack of interest in EVERYTHING, but I love them and aspire to one day be a Cat Lady. Some might say that there is a big difference between Cat Woman and a Cat Lady, but I just don’t see it. Both are amazing!

You’ll need…

A sewing machine
A hand sewing needle
Thread of your choice
2 12in x 12in Brown fabric
Misc. fabric for quilted front.
Newspaper for pattern
Batting for pillow
Chalk

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Newspaper patterns are the easiest way to make a pattern, so lets begin there. Sketch a cat silhouette on a sheet of newspaper. Cut along the outline.
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Pin the pattern to the two 12in x 12in brown pieces of fabric. With a piece of chalk draw along the newspaper, leaving a half inch between the outline and the chalk line. Once the cat is drawn on the fabric, cut along the chalk outline.

Take two small pieces of fabric, with different patterns, and sew them together with pattern side facing each other. If done right, when you open the fabric the patterns on both pieces are facing up. Continue to sew together different swatches until you reach a 12in x 12in pieced cloth.
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Pin one of the brown cat outlines to the patterned cloth and sew them together. Cut along side the cat outline. Now you will have one cat shaped brown fabric and one cat shaped quilted fabric.
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Match the two fabrics together, make sure to have the patterned fabric on the inside and the two brown cats are on the outside.

Sew together the cat outlines leaving about three inches open to flip the pillow inside out. Once the cat pillow is right side out, stuff the pillow with batting and sew closed the
opening.
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Finally, exactly what you’ve been waiting for! Your very own cat pillow!

Chalkboard Calendar

Have you already started your Spring cleaning? Me neither! But, it’s never too late. Spring cleaning always leads to Spring organization and Spring organization always leads to Spring… calendar making? Yep, Spring calendar making, it’s a must! Out with the old, in with the new! This calendar is a triple threat: calendar, bulletin board, and chalk board. No need to look further for your future planning needs. Grab your cork board, a hot glue gun, spray paint and meet me in the backyard!

Materials:

1 18″X24″ Cork Board
4 pkg. 2″X 2″ Multi Color Post-its
1 can Spray Chalk Board Paint
Hot Glue Gun
Chalk
Sharpie

Begin with your cork board (I used a board that I had lying around the house. (Goodwills are littered with homeless cork boards, so you can always pick up a cheap one from there). Lay down cardboard or any other protective material so that the spray paint doesn’t get on the surface you are working on. Spray paint your board making slow, even strokes.
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After your cork board is completely coated, allow it to dry for 20 minutes. Repeat the process two more times. Once you are finished with your last coat, let the board completely dry, which takes about an hour or so.

Next step is to glue on your Post-its. Divide the Post-its evenly and make sure to have enough piles for 5 weeks. Space the Post-its evenly on your board and hot glue them in place. All the Post-its will follow the first row so make sure the first one is straight and evenly spaced. Once you are all done hot glueing the rest of the Post-its, it’s time for the finishing touches.
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Add the numbers to your calendar and using the chalk add the month.
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This calendar will at least make it fun to check on all your daily appointments and bill payments.

Body Butter

We are almost there…. Spring is only a few days away! We’re gonna make it! Mmm… short sleeve shirts, sunny weather, and dare I say, ” Shorts???” Mama just bought a new pair of shorts and I can’t wait to wear them! 60 degree weather and shorts just don’t match… trust me I tried. Oh, but you’re saying, “No, no, no skin isn’t ready! It’s still recovering from winter!” Don’t worry, my babies. This body butter is going to show you the way to Spring, and softer skin ;-).

Ingredients:

1/3 c. Shea Butter
1/3 c. Cocoa Butter
1/3 c. Coconut oil

Place Shea butter, Cocoa butter and Coconut oil in a small sauce pan. On a low heat begin to melt the butters and oil. Once the ingredients are completely liquified remove from heat and place in the freezer.

Leave the body butter mixture in the freezer until it is completely hardened (around 45 minutes).
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Next, using a hand mixer whip the body butter so that the mixture becomes light and creamy.
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Put the the body butter in a container and let it set in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Once the body butter is set, slather it all over your sweet bod and get ready for the warm days of spring!
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Pumpkin Apple Dog Cookies

We are finally escaping the DOG DAYS OF WINTER! So, let’s treat our dogs in celebration! These dog cookies are great for Pups-giving, a Dog-mitzvah , or just a treat at the end of a long day of digging and fetching. My dog, Orbit, says, “Never have pumpkin and apple ever tasted so good!.” He gives them two paws up!

Ingredients:

2 c. Whole wheat flour
2 Eggs
1/2 c. Pure pumpkin
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 Diced apple

Makes 20 3in x 1 1/2in cookies

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the eggs and pumpkin together. Next, add the flour and salt and mix until the dough begins to form (the dough might be slightly dry, the apples will fix that). Last but not least, add the diced apples.
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Turn out the dough on to a floured surface and knead a few times. Before rolling out the dough, dust the surface one more time. Roll out the dough to a 1/4 of an inch. Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
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Bake cookies for 20 minutes. Flip over and bake another 20 minutes. Let the cookies completely cool before letting your furry friends enjoy them.
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Dinosaur Lovers

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, why not show someone how much you care with these Dinosaur Lovers. If Dinosaurs don’t scream I LOVE YOU, I don’t know what does? Or, maybe Valentine’s isn’t your thing, maybe you’ll be spending this holiday home alone? In that case make some dinosaur friends. They’re just friends, absolutely nothing is going on between them. They’ve never even thought about each other in that way. Either way dinosaurs are great, Steven Spielberg agrees!

Ingredients:

1 C. All Purpose Flour
1/4 C. Salt
3/4 C. Water

2 1/2 in. by 2 in. Magnetic tape
Assorted Acrylic paints
Hot glue/ Hot glue gun

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients first. Slowly, add the water until the mixture forms a ball. Knead the dough a few times so that it becomes smooth and feels like clay.
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Roll the dough out with a rolling pin, so that the dough is a 1/8 of an inch thick. Using a dinosaur cookie cutter, cut out two dinosaurs and remove the excess dough. With a spatula pick up the figures and place them on a parchment paper lined baking pan. Remember to flip one of the figures over so that they face each other and smooth out the edges.
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Bake the figures for fifteen minutes, remove from the oven and flip them over. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for another fifteen minutes. (If your dough gets puffy during the baking process, apply pressure to the figures, at the half way point, using a pot holder so that they flatten out.)

When they are finished baking, remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Once they are completely cool it’s time to paint! I used Martha Stewart Pearl Acrylic Paint.
Once the dinosaurs are completely dry, flip them over and adhere the magnetic tape.
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You are going to need to use a hot glue gun to adhere the magnets to the back of your dinosaurs. Now, you’re ready to show your bae just how much you love them….. or keep them for yourself…. I’ll be keeping it for myself.

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