DIY: Cloud Lantern

As an avid Pinterest-er, I dreamt of actually recreating a pin, whether it's trying out a new recipe or a DIY project. Well, I've done it! I saw an amazing cool DIY pin and I actually tried it out. So proud ;)

The pin I recreated was the glowing cloud lantern. My cloud isn't as heavenly beautiful as the one featured in the Pinterest picture but it's still not bad, especially for my first try.

Source

HOW TO

MATERIALS 

Luxury fiberfill or poly batting (Pinterest calls for cotton batting but I couldn't stretch it out)
White paper lanterns
Hot glue gun and glue stick
String or fishing line
LED Flameless light (tea lights work best for me) 


INSTRUCTIONS
Hot glue the material to the lantern's outside. Stretch and pull the material until you're satisfied with the shape and style. If your lantern has two openings, place a piece of white computer paper inside to block the bottom up for the flameless candles. Then apply the string through the metal holes and make a loop for the lantern to be hung.

Material used

See how it already looks like a cloud

Okay, couldn't find white but silver is close

Here's my version. I'm still looking for perfect place to hang it. Eventually I'll make a couple more so it'll look like a complete set.

Finished product

Can you see my cat in the back? Haha!

Have you tried to recreate a Pinterest pin?

DIY: Pottery Barn Lamp Knock Off

Now that school is over for me, I've had more time to devote to a passion of mine: DIY projects. Because I live in a small rented apartment, there is very little I can do that I wish I could do in terms of DIY home projects but that doesn't mean I can't go small scale. While on Pinterest (LOVE THAT SITE) I saw an easy and awesome Pottery Barn knock off lamp project. The original post came from The Hand Me Down House. Basically, take a vase, mod podge (made by the saints of arts n' crafts), food coloring, and a make-your-own-lamp kit (Home Depot) and you can make a similar lamp for less than 1/2 the retail price.

$99                                                         $25

Supplies

1. Matte and glossy Mod Podge
2. Paper towels
3. Thick and wide paint brush
4. Food coloring (blue + green)
5. Vase or jar
6. Lamp kit

1) Mix matte mod podge with 3 drops blue and 4 drops green

2) Paint first coat all over vase (not the inside!)

3) Do one more coat (then crumble piece of paper towel and dab on vase for texture - OPTIONAL)

4) Let dry then follow the make-your-own-lamp kit's directions and then viola!

RESULTS! ($22)

 The color is on the darker scale but I also have pretty bad lighting in my living room. I got the vase from Savers ($10) and the shade is from another lamp I have. I'm not too thrilled with the shade and I'm on the hunt for the perfect shade, maybe another run to Target? I got the lamp kit from Home Depot but they can also be purchased from almost every arts & crafts store. The whole project took me about 1.5 days to complete and it IS easy!

Are you into DIY crafts?

Would you rather scrimp and save for the original or DIY?

Chalk Your Hair Not The Pavement

I was reading my Glamour magazine and I came across a hair trend called Hair Chalking. It's a temporary way to add color to your hair by using soft chalk. I've seen inspirational photos all over the interest and I would love to give it a try! I dislike highlights and dying my hair because I hate the permanent-ness of it all but I may have found a solution. The chalks are affordable and be found in any arts and craft store and the process is simple as pie.

How To

• Wet your hair (Blondes: Do NOT wet hair or it'll become harder to wash out; Redheads: try process WITHOUT water first, if the color isn't rich enough, add a little water depending on how dark your hair is)
• Put on a robe or an old t-shirt and lay a sheet on the floor to catch dust particles
  
• Rub soft pastel chalk on your hair while twisting the strands (Brunettes: before you rub the chalk, mist a little water onto your hair, again, to help double the pigment)
• Brush out excess powder after chalking each hair piece
• Use a heating element to lock in the color
• Placing your hair in a up-do is ideal because you'll get less chalk dusk on your clothes

Wash Out

• Brush your hair with a soft brush to get out as much color as possible
• Use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of the left over pigment and the safe natural binder used in chalk, made from tree sap (might take 2 washes to completely erase the color)
• After the shampoo, moisturize your hair with a conditioning treatment 

Inspiration

Source

Source

 What do you think about hair chalking?

Ciate Caviar Manicure

Sephora has just announced a new product called the Ciate Caviar Manicure, $25. It's a kit  that comes with one .45oz.  nail polish and one .47oz caviar beads, a funnel, and a tray. The polish color options are: Strawberry Milkshake (light pink) with Rainbow beads, Snow Virgin (white), with Mother of Pearl beads or Ghetto Fabulous (black) combined Black Pearls beads.  You apply the bead-free polish on first and then while the paint is still wet, apply the beads, let set for at least 15 minutes. The pearlescent beads create a 3D effect and the manicure lasts for 48 hours.

The beads remind me of  the sprinkles that you use for ice cream sundaes or little sugar balls used to decorate cakes. I really want the Strawberry Milkshake and Rainbow beads. I wish I was more skilled with nail art. They always end up looking like my baby niece did them. But this nail art might be simplistic enough even for me and I'll look more artisic and cooler than I really am :) If you're feeling bold and looking to spice things up, click here. Let me me how it turned out for you, send me a picture through twitter!



Strawberry Milkshake polish and Rainbow beads

 

Snow Virgin polish and Mother of Pearl beads

 

Ghetto Fabulous polish and Black Pearls beads



How To Apply

 DIY

For us gals on a budget and can't justify spending $25 on Sephora's kit, I did some digging around for a more affordable "knock-off"option. I came across Martha Steward's Micro beads 12 pack of various colors for $12.73 through Sears (other stores like Joann sells the same beads for almost TWICE as much). You can also run to your local grocery store and pick up some edible beads used for baking, still works and taste yummy! A tip: apply a thin layer of top coat along the tip of the nail to create a seal.



DIY results



Are you adventurous with nails or do you keep it simple?

Would you buy the kit or DIY?