Cereal Box Party Hats

Hi everyone! 

I don't normally post on weekends, but I just had to make this exception.  Guess what?  Guess what?

I'll give you a moment.

Ok, time's up.   I'm going to be a craft contributor at Handmade Charlotte! 

*Insert girly-high-pitched squeal here.*

Handmade Charlotte is a lovely DIY, craft, and design blog.  I'm so thankful for this opportunity to try something new.  Here's my first contribution:  A Cereal Box Party Hat.



Cereal boxes and packing tape make up the backbone of this cute bear visor. If you'd like to make yourself one, click here for the instructions and template.

Have a great weekend!

Orange Peel Canola Oil Candle

Did you ever watch MacGyver?  I was introduced to the show by an older cousin, and I loved it. MacGyver was my hero.  Give him a paper clip and he could do anything, unlock handcuffs, start a car, or even disarm a bomb.


Last week, I definitely channeled my childhood hero when I made this orange peel candle:

Can you believe that it was only made out of two materials?  1.Orange peel and 2. Canola oil.   Yup.  That's it.  Super duper easy and it stayed lit for over an hour. 

Materials:

• Orange
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Canola Oil (or probably any oil, really...)
• Lighter

Directions:

1.  Slice around the circumference of your orange, trying your best to not slice the fruit inside.  Then, use your finger to carefully peel off the two halves.  One half should have a white membrane stem sticking out of it.   Keep that stem intact! It's going to act as your candle's wick.  The other half will become a decorative "hat."

2.  Cut a design out of the half without the wick.  Now you've got a little "hat" for your candle.  (Note:  This hat is more for looks than function.  It makes a pretty light design, but ends up getting quickly singed by the flame.)

3.  Pour oil into the bottom half with the "wick."  Then, light the "wick."  It'll take a little while for the stem to light, but once it does, you've got yourself a lovely, long lasting candle.

 Happy MacGyvering!

Tattoo A Banana

I went a wee bit crazy....

and turned our apartment into a fruit tattoo parlor.

(I simply just followed the temporary tattoo directions and pretended that the banana was my child's arm.)  

Who knew that temporary tattoos would stick to bananas?

Hey!  What's this on my banana?

Happy Wednesday!

(Interested in another way to decorate your beloved yellow fruit?  Click here)

Spiked and Braided T-shirt Bracelet

I can't believe that September is just a week away.  Eeek!  Is it just me, or does every store sign seem to scream "Back to School?"

Growing up, I loved this time of the year for two reasons.  1)  I loved school. (Yeah, nerds!) and  2)  I loved back to school shopping.  New blank notebooks?  Swoon.   New clothes and shoes?  Double swoon. (Was anyone else like this as a kid?)

But, buying a ton of new items gets costly quite quickly. 

Fueled by my thrifty nature, I made these spiked and braided t-shirt bracelets.  They came out pretty cute. I like to imagine some creative, quirky gal wearing them to the first day of school. 

The colors are quite girly, but the spikes show that you've got some spunk!

Materials:

• Multicolored T-shirt
• Fabric scissors
• Spikes with screwbacks
• Pen (Optional)
• Needle and thread
• Tacky Glue

What's up, Chuck?

This weekend we went into the city and visited Chelsea Market.  There were so many interesting things to see and eat.  But,  oy vey! I forgot just how crowded New York can get.  It was a wee bit overwhelming to be constantly surrounded by a sea of people.

Here are a couple of photos from our adventure that day... 

Exposed brick and large industrial fans give the place such character

Butcher's shop

Chuck and I were dying to run our hands through the mountains of spices...

Lunch time!

Super adorable cookies... but unfortunately, not gluten free. :(

Yurmmmmy fresh seafood...

We were all super tuckered out by the time we got home

Happy Monday!