Make Eggshell dolls

During a recent trip to our library, I found a couple of old craft books showing how to create dolls from eggshells.  I'd never seen this type of craft before, so I was super excited to try it out.

If you're like me, you have a thing for Matryoshka dolls... and fairy tales.  (Random tangent time:  As a kid I used to read tons and tons of fairy tales.  Magical powers? Fairies?  Elves? Yup. Yup. Yup.  I loved it all.  This love for fairy tales ended up morphing into a love of science fiction and fantasy novels later on... but I digress.)

 Here are my results:

Make Eggshell Dolls

I had fun making them... but I had way more fun decorating them.  In my opinion, painting cute things is the best part about crafting.

If you'd like to make your own eggshell dolls, read on!

DIY Cardboard Whale Tissue Box Holder

Once again, I fell in love with something that I saw on Etsy:  a whale tissue box holder.  Although he was super cute, I couldn't justify spending the money.  So... I crapted my own.

Would you like to make your own whale tissue holder?  If so, read on!

Materials:
- Pen
- Ruler
- Exacto knife
- Scissors
- Tacky glue (I used Aleene's)
- Packing tape
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Mod Podge
- Foam brush
- Cardboard  (<-- Crap!)

Directions:
1. Measure and cut out
- 2 pieces of rectangular cardboard, 3 3/4 inches x 9 1/2 inches 
- 2 pieces of rectangular cardboard, 3 3/4 inches x 5 inches

2.  Cut out the shape of a whale tail from a piece of cardboard.  Cut out a small slit at the end of your tail.  Cut out a similar slit in the center of one of your smaller cardboard pieces.  Make sure the tail slides snugly into the rectangle.  

3.  Glue your four rectangular pieces together to create the sides of your tissue box holder.   (I used tacky glue and packing tape to securely attach the pieces together.)  Then, slide the whale tale in and tape it down as well.

 4.  Measure the top of your creation and cut out another rectangular piece of cardboard to place on top.  Cut out a rectangle where your tissues usually come out.

(I made my top rectangle 5 inches by 9 1/2 inches.  It was slightly too narrow, but I used it anyway because I ran out of cardboard.)

5.  Paint your box.  Then, give it a couple of coats of Mod Podge to protect your paint job.

Enjoy!

Little Masseuse

Baby Chuck heard that Nana liked getting massages, so he's practicing for when she visits us this April.


0202131323 from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Anti-acne Honey and Cinnamon mask

Dear Acne,

Consider this mask my anti-Valentine.
Please don't be mine.



No love,
Leslie




Once again, I was inspired by beauty guru Michelle Phan. (To watch her video, click here.)  She made a warm mask made from honey and cinnamon that I had to try.  Apparently honey has antibacterial properties and cinnamon stops bacterial growth... so I thought this mask would help get rid of my stubborn acne.  (Boo bad skin!)

Ingredients:
- 3 T honey
- 1 T cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Mix honey and cinnamon together.

2.  Place mixture in the microwave for 20 seconds.  When warmed, it resembles melted chocolate.

3.  Use a pastry brush to paint it on your face.  (Or, just dab it on with your fingers.)  Wait 10 minutes.  (Watch out!  The mixture will drip.)  Rinse it off.  (Note:  Don't rub your face too much while you rinse. Otherwise the cinnamon scratches you quite a bit.)

Does it work?  Well, it's now been a week since I've tried the mask and sadly I haven't seen much improvement.   Boo!  However, I did enjoy trying the mask out.  It felt lovely and warm on my face, so I felt like I was having a spa experience right at home.

Have a great Monday!

The Snowy Day

This morning we woke up and found ourselves in a snowy wonderland.