This tutorial is for all you active, hardworking ladies or fellas out there who deal with this very common issue..............smelly shoes! These fantastic little pods are especially good for your beloved ballet flats. I don't know any women whose flats are at least a little stinky. All you need is a little bit scrap fabric and baking soda. I also add some essential oils for a little extra deodorizing power. If you only have baking soda, do not fret, it will work just fine on its own.
Read moreShower Fizzies
Bath bombs are the best way to make your bath time a spa experience. For people with really busy schedules shower fizzies are the next best thing! Shower fizzies do not contain any oils or citric acid. You don't want to slip on those oils in the shower and you don't need the extra fizz from the citric acid.
Read moreBeauty and the Beets
DIY Beet Beauty Recipes
Beets are one of the most amazing vegetables out there and they are so damn delicious. Since they have such a vibrant color I was not surprised to find many beauty recipes that utilize the beet. Read on for some fun and easy beauty tutorials!
I have been making my own beet root powder for about a year now by dehydrating them and grinding them up with my coffee grinder. Here is a great post on how to make your own moisturizing lip tint using beets. Click on over to Everything Pretty and check it out!
via xo pixel
This tutorial uses whole beets and vegetable glycerin to make a lip/cheek stain. Read the whole post by xo pixel here!
via Salt and Ritual
I adore making bath bombs and shower fizzies. They really put bath and relaxation time on another level, but can get very expensive when buying in store or online. I love the idea of using beets as a natural dye for bath bombs. I have never experimented with dyes in my bath bombs so be careful you don't tint your tub. Click on over to Salt and Ritual and check out the full post.
via xo vain
I deal with chapped lips constantly, whether it is summer or winter I suffer from dry skin. I use lip scrubs most nights, and this beet lip scrub sounds like a fun new recipe to try. Click through to view the recipe from xo vain and try it out!
Happy crafting!
Whipped Foot Scrub
Soothing Whipped Foot Scrub
I recently started experiencing foot pain due to the fact that I don't wear supportive shoes and I spend a lot of time on my feet. This foot scrub is not going to solve my problem, but it sure does feel nice after a long day. I used three amazing essential oils that will have your feet singing. Wintergreen, bergamot, and lemongrass
Wintergreen is a natural numbing agent and has tension reducing properties. It also promotes blood circulation if you experience swelling.
Bergamot is an anti-inflammatory which will help relieve muscle pain. It has anti-fungal properties which is always a plus in foot products. Its mood lifting aromatherapy properties benefit a gal after a rough day!
Lemongrass is a great analgesic, which means it has pain reducing properties. Like bergamot it is an anti-inflammatory and for anyone suffering from athletes foot it is also anti-bacterial.
I used one cup of coconut oil at room temperature and put it in my stand mixer. A hand mixer will work just fine as well. Use the whip attachment and start whipping. You will have to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure all the oil is whipped. I usually whip on a medium high speed for about 6-8 minutes. The more you whip it the fluffier it will be.
After it is good and fluffy I add my oils and whip again for another minute. After your oils have been fully integrated fold in the sugar with your spatula. Spoon into a glass jar and your done.
Whipped Foot Scrub:
1 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Sugar
10 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil
5 drops Wintergreen Essential Oil
5 drops Bergamot Essential Oil
I found these super cute glass jars months ago at my local grocery store. The clasp top is especially good for oily mixtures. Screw tops can be a little difficult to open or close when your hands are all greasy. I suggest using this scrub after a nice long Epsom salt foot bath. I hope you and your feet enjoy!
Crochet Hook Tool Roll
Organization for your crochet hooks
If any of you crazy crafters out there are anything like myself, then you probably have a million crochet hooks. You misplace them and buy more, and then you end up with a ton. This is a really simple project that uses very little fabric, and will neatly organize all your different hooks!
The roll consists of two rectangular pieces of fabric 8"x7" for the body, and one 8"x 6" for the hook pocket. You will also need one piece 8"x2" for the flap. Fold and press the edge of the pocket fabric about 1". Next just sandwich everything together and sew vertical rows spaced apart 1.25" to make your hook slots. I made my own bias tape to finish the raw edges and to use for the ties.
You can also get a little fancy and do some embroidery on the front.
Or you can get really fancy and do a lot of embroidery!
It's just one small step to organize my crafts, but it was a really fun project. If you find this project a little daunting you can always just buy one here.
Crochet Koozie
Crochet Koozie
This is a super quick project for anyone who has crocheted a hat before. I don't really have a pattern, but if your familiar with adding stitches you will be able to figure it out. To start, chain 3 and then Single Crochet in the first stitch 5-6 times. Your last chain will bring you back to your first chain creating a circle. SC twice in every stitch all the way around. Now this is where it gets tricky. You're basically going to keep adding stitches until your circle's diameter is wide enough to fit whatever you want to koozie. If you add too many it will start to pucker. If you don't add enough it will not stay flat. I honestly do it a little different every time. Once the diameter is wide enough stop adding stitches. Just keep stitching until your koozie is tall enough.
Nourishing Hair Mist
This post contains affiliate links for products that I personally use.
I've gotten really into using bath and beauty products that I make myself. Not only for the reason of saving money, but also to try and limit the chemicals my body is exposed to. I say limit because there are just some products I can't live without. A while back I tried making my own deodorant and it was a complete disaster. My skin wasn't necessarily sensitive to baking soda (the main ingredient in most DIY deodorants) but it did give my armpits what they call an "armpit shadow". "Arm pit shadow" is putting it very nicely. My armpits basically turned black. Pretty gross. As soon as I stopped using the deodorant my armpits went right back to normal. I did find a recipe online that had no adverse effects at One Good Thing by Jillee. Great natural alternative, just not strong enough for me personally. Its main ingredient is witch hazel, which leads me to the main point of this post.
Witch Hazel is so AMAZING!!! I've made facial toners, body sprays, window cleaner, makeup remover, and the list goes on. You can use it for a million things. It is an anti-inflammatory, an astringent, and very hydrating. I've recently grown my hair long again. It's been about 6 or 7 years since it's been this long. I forgot how much work long hair is, and I'm so sick of washing it everyday. Unfortunately for me, I have oily hair. If I skip a day of washing it, it tends to look a little greasy which is fine if I am at home, but definitely not at work. So I made a hair mist to help keep that under control. The main ingredient? You guessed it, witch hazel! I also added a few essential oils that are also great for the mane. Lavender, geranium, and rosemary.
Lavender is also one of those things you can use for everything. The oils benefit specifically for hair include moisturizing and anti-bacterial. It fights off those pesky dandruff flakes for you, which I'm sure most everyone has had a bout or two with dandruff. Geranium is good for both oily and dry hair. It regulates your scalps secretion of sebum (nasty oil). So in other terms if you have oily hair it's gonna nip it in the bud. If you have dry hair it will help regulate your secretion to a more normal level. The last of all is a healthy hair powerhouse, rosemary! Rosemary is absolutely amazing for your hair. It is a major antioxidant, which means it helps fight free radical damage that your hair has endured. It is also a powerful stimulant. It stimulates your hair follicles and induces blood circulation. This results in a speedier and healthier hair growth. Rosemary is also another oil that prevents and treats dandruff.
Next you just need a delivery method. I got these cute little amber glass spray bottles that are 2oz. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it should last you a while. On amazon they were around $4 for two. So here is my lovely recipe for a Nourishing Hair Mist:
2oz Witch Hazel (I like using rose water witch hazel)
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil
5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
3-5 drops Geranium Essential Oil
Mix everything in your glass bottle and shake. The oils tend to separate when left sitting, give it a good shake before each use. Your scalp and hair will be left nourished and smelling amazing!
DIY Modern Fire Pit
This is by far one of the coolest DIYs I've seen in a long time!! You can make this very beautiful, very modern personal fire pit for less than $30. The Art of Doing Stuff provides easy to follow instructions that include pictures. Find the full tutorial here!
Bike Accessory Gold on Etsy
1. Super awesome leather growler holster from Pedal Happy Design
2. Commute to your yoga class footloose and fancy free with this bicycle yoga roll by anhaicabagworks
3. This bike frame handle from Bush Gear Leather Works would have be extremely useful when I lived in a third floor apartment!
4. Very into this stag bicycle badge by Art by Winona
5. I've come home from a trip to the liquor store far too many times with a wine bottle crammed in my bag. This bicycle wine rack from Oopsmark would be amazing!