‘DIY’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Brown Sugar Vanilla Body Scrub

November 20, 2016 · Narrative

An easy-to-make, luxurious body scrub that smells as good as it feels.

Last night, I taught a Teen Night workshop and we made several different items, two of which focused on things we could use to pamper ourselves.

Because who doesn’t need a little more pampering?

This Brown Sugar Vanilla Body Scrub was one of the items the girls made, and it was super simple to make. There are a million scrub recipes online, each one easier than the next, and I tweaked one that I found in my searching. Using simple pantry items that you likely have on hand, you can be pampering yourself in no time flat. The only item I needed to buy was the grapeseed oil (you want an oil with minimal scent, at best). Other than that, I was good to go.

Once the batches of body scrub were made, the girls portioned it into the jars I provided and then went to work decorating the jars with ribbons and gift tags. I also bought a package of small wooden spoons from Hobby Lobby (although you can find them online as well), and we tied them onto the side of the jar, which makes it easy for the recipient to just scoop a little bit of the scrub out when they’re going to use it.

The workshop space smelled amazing when we were done, and a few of the girls were tempted to eat the scrub. Because, yes, it smelled THAT GOOD. And, honestly, the ingredients ARE all natural and edible so…

It reminds me a bit of one of the scrubs I used to buy from Origins a million years ago, and I can now make this one for a fraction of the cost. A few of the girls tried the scrub on their skin and reported how super soft it made it feel after it was rinsed off, so everyone left very happy … and with a few gifts checked off their Christmas list!

I’ll be back tomorrow with the Weekend Photos in Review.

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Create: Giant Watercolor Tutorial

February 19, 2013 · Narrative

If you couldn’t tell, I like to celebrate my children. Every day, for certain, but especially on their birthdays. I always want them to feel loved.

And so when I was planning all the little things I wanted to do for Madeline’s recent birthday and spied a tutorial for a giant watercolor celebrating her new age, I was all in.

I mean, really. A giant watercolor for my watercolor-loving girl?

It was a no-brainer.

The weekend right before her birthday, I had a quiet house to myself while the kids were with The Ex, and I took full advantage.

A giant piece of hot-pressed watercolor paper from Michael’s.

Watercolor paint.

Water cup.

Paint brush.

Pencil.

I was set.

It took a few sketches to get the number five just right. Just the way I wanted it. I did it free-hand, and I think that’s the easiest way to go about it. Just use the pencil lightly so it can erase easily if you need to edit as you go.

When it came to colors, I wanted to go with her current favorite colors: pink, purple, orange, and light blue. Blending a little bit here and there for some (attempted) smooth transitioning.

As I sat at the dining room table painting, memories of my grandmother were quick to come. She was an artist, of many mediums, for as long as I can remember, but painting with watercolors was, for sure, her jam. And as I blended and dabbed and thinned, I wondered if she was rolling over in her grave. Because if there are any techniques or rules when it comes to watercolor painting, I surely broke them. I just went about creating and doing what I thought felt right.

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Valentine’s Day Card Inspiration for Boys

February 7, 2013 · Narrative

I think my eyes automatically glaze over when I see all the little Valentine’s Day cards that stores sell for kids to give to their classmates. While I love that they instantly bring me back to grade school when I was exchanging them with my own little friends, and I love seeing the masses that the kids bring home, I yearn for something different. Less common. More unique.

*those cards are just fine. I know this and agree. I use them too, usually one year with those, one year homemade. They have their place and they are all sorts of awesome. This is about those times that you want something a little different. And as an aside, I think the store-bought cards really leave out Nick’s age group, and are more geared towards kids a bit younger.

This year was a year for something different. With Nick’s cards, it all started when I found out that there is a web site featuring gorgeous photographs taken by the Hubble (you know, that space telescope?). (And thanks, Rubyellen, for that little tidbit). Not only is there a web site featuring the photos, but you can download them for free (and, although it’s easy, they give you step-by-step directions on how to do that). Which means these photos are perfect for making posters (as Rubyellen did for her husband) and … wait for it …

for making Valentine’s Day cards!

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Review: Bagster

January 26, 2013 · Ad-Free, Narrative

A few times during our marriage, between buying and selling houses. Or purging. Or spring cleaning. Or getting rid of items that were ruined with a flooded basement. Or two. The Ex and I would rent a small dumpster. They tend to be a bit pricey, so we sometimes shared the cost (and dumpster space) with friends. But it was a good way to get rid of a bunch of stuff in one fell swoop.

We would recycle or donate appropriate items, but some things are just garbage, you know? And I like to keep our garbage men on my side, and while they are awesome at taking pretty much everything, dumpsters allowed us a massive purge, and the option to not overwhelm our garbage men.

Win. Win.

But these days, there is a new way to get rid of things. A bagster. I actually heard about it for the first time on Young House Love. It looked so easy and (relatively) inexpensive, and I filed that information away for future use.

And for the next time I felt the need to do a major purge.

And then, a week later, a PR firm that I work with asked if I wanted to review the Bagster. Seriously. Life is funny like that with timing sometimes, isn’t it?

Since the kids and I moved back into this house, I actually didn’t have much to throw away or purge for once, so the honor went to my parents.

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DIY: Mod Podge + Fabric Scraps = Happy Furniture

January 10, 2013 · Narrative

Quick little DIY post tonight, then I am hauling my exhausted little self up to bed.

I have a million projects in the works around the house.

Sometimes I get halfway through and stop because I need inspiration again.

Or because a new project had to take precedence for whatever reason.

Or it’s a particularly arduous task and I need a break.

Or, in this case, a slew of major holidays get in the way.

But tonight I was determined to finish this little project and cross it off my list.

And I did.

I actually bought the fabric I needed for it over two months ago. And the only reason I know that is because I instagrammed a picture.

Thank goodness for Instagram, because otherwise, who knows how I’d keep track of things?

And as an aside, I wish Instagram would date pictures properly, instead of “two months.” If flickr, Picasa, and the rest of them can, then Instagram needs to get with the program.

So the project.

In our kitchen, we have a mini table and four chairs. Originally the table and chairs were in Nick’s room, long ago when he was Madeline’s age. When we moved back into this house over three years ago, we decided to put it in the kitchen, creating a little snack/homework area for the kids.

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Get Creative with Jewelry {Styled by Tori Spelling}

June 17, 2012 · Ad-Free, Narrative

I haven’t touched my camera in a few days because there has been a lot going on behind the scenes, so no Weekend Photos in Review tonight.

A few days after the kids and I got to meet Tori Spelling, I received an e-mail asking if I wanted to check out her new jewelry selections. Um, yes, please.

A massive overstuffed box arrived, filled with all sorts of necklace and bracelet pieces and pendants galore. I asked a fellow crafty friend of mine, Lisa, to join me in delving into the goodies. Mystic’s daughter and Madeline joined in the fun as well.

Her line is divided into four different collections (Boho, Glam, Glitz, and Noir) and you can mix and match between them (*the pieces in this post are from the Boho and Glam collections). The thing that I love most about the line? It is completely customizable. You choose the necklace “toppers” and necklace “bottoms” and put together a look that is completely your own. The line also features things called “bracelet builders,” and you use those pieces to create a piece of jewelry that works best for you.

The pieces were very easy to assemble, even the kids did it with ease. The line is definitely very current (Mystic’s daughter is 18 and her friends at school loved the necklace she put together), and you can make many statement necklaces, which seems to be all the rage in beauty magazines and runways these days.

Some of the bracelet builder pieces were a bit inflexible, making it difficult to work with, like these:

Some of the hooks to attach the pendants were a bit thin and broke easily, so work with them carefully.

You can attach a brooch to a necklace for a little something different, like so:

We thought having more options within the different finishes would be awesome. For example, if you had a necklace bottom that was an antique gold color, you want to have options for a matching antique gold topper. And likewise with bronze, silver, and so on.

This pendant was my favorite piece:

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Craft Time: DIY Yarn Pom Pom Garland

March 12, 2012 · Craft Ideas

The front room in our home is divided into two sections. My office on one side, and the kids’ (though mostly Madeline’s) playroom on the other. In a fit of I’m-tired-of-this-mess, I cleaned up the playroom and its contents are now in big tubs in the basement while I take the time to sort through everything and purge, donate, and reorganize. The act of which is a post for another day. But in the meantime, I finally decided to move forward with an idea I’ve long since threatened.

No more playroom.

Instead, it will be a reading/homework area for the kids.

I can’t say either are upset about it.

You caught a peek at the work-in-progress wall a few weeks back (more details coming soon, just waiting for a few more things to finish it up).

This weekend, we had to make a stop for Mystic’s job, so I took advantage of the time in the car to make a yarn pom pom garland, which I thought would be a perfect and fun accent for the new reading area.

And no, I wasn’t driving.

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