Epsom Salts Luminaries

This project is definitely my favorite so far. The result is a beautiful luminary that can add some decorative flair to any space, or make a great little gift. You can also do a fair amount of experimenting with the process, as I did.

I followed the instructions found on the website Crafts by Amanda. Hers were great, but since I improvised and did some things a little differently, I'll explain my process in detail.

Materials:

• Jars (Any size or type will do, although I suggest a large, wide mouth variety so you can fit your hand inside)
• Epsom Salts (One bag from Publix contains enough for you to make several, I've made almost 20 and still have at least a quarter of the bag left)
• Mod Podge Gloss
• Food Coloring (I suggest purchasing both the standard and neon boxes)
• Clear Gloss Sealer (I used Rustoleum brand, $4 at Home Depot. I suggest buying more than one canister if you plan on making a large amount)
• Paper Plates
• Tin Foil (I used this as an alternative to newspaper to protect the surface I was working on and help gather leftover salts, and found that it worked very well, and you can reuse the same sheet over and over)
• Bowls
• Small Ziploc Baggies (In case you want to save your leftover colored Epsom Salts for later use)
• Spoon
• Paintbrush

Step 1:

Pour a few large spoonfuls of the Epsom Salts into the bowls. Then, color them as desired. The amount of food coloring you'll want to mix in varies depending on the amount of Epsom Salts that is in the bowl and how dark you want the color. To achieve the light blue and green shown above, I used no more than two drops in each bowl. When you're satisfied with the color, pour the contents of the bowl out onto a paper plate, and gently shift it back and forth to form an even layer of the salts.

Step 2:

Place one hand inside the jar, and paint on the Mod Podge with your brush. Make sure you cover the entire thing (minus the top rim, I did that later), as you want a nice, even coating.

Step 3:

Slowly and gently roll the jar in the salts in a smooth motion. Do this a few times, making sure you don't miss any spots on the jar. Once it seems to have a nice coating, place it upright on the newspaper/foil. Then, use the brush to dab a small amount of Mod Podge around the rim of the jar. Pinch some of the salts between your fingers and sprinkle them onto the rim.

Step 4:

Let the jars dry for 2-3 hours. 

Step 5:

I suggest performing this step outside, as the sealer has a strong smell, and it's never a good idea to spray those kinds of chemicals in an enclosed space. Carefully pick up and place each jar onto a paper plate, and spray it with the sealer as you rotate the plate, making sure you cover the entire outside of the jar. Don't forget to spray the top rim from above as well. The sealer I used was fast drying, so I was able to apply a new coat every 20-30 minutes or so. I suggest applying 3-4 coats total. Once the third coat dries, pick up the jar. If there are still a fair amount of loose pieces of salt, I suggest applying one more coat.

Once you have applied enough layers and they are completely dry... congratulations! You are done! :)

P.S: Don't forget to save your leftover colored salts!

Results:

If you choose to make these, I'd love to see how they come out :)

Junk Mail Snowflakes

This is an easy little project that literally costs nothing, but results in something cute! All you need is "junk mail" (I used a few of the thousands of Black Friday ads that had been piling up at my house in the weeks before Christmas) and a pair of scissors. I guess you don't necessarily have to use junk mail, I feel these would look really nice when made with some pretty scrapbooking paper, or something similar.

I followed the instructions provided by the website Michele Made Me

Results:

Now, what to do with them? The website I've linked to above provides a couple ideas, including creating a "Wall Blizzard" by putting several up on a wall. I think they would also add some extra flair to wrapped gifts, or maybe handmade Christmas cards. The possibilities are endless!

Paint Drip & Glitter Ornaments

The idea of easy DIY ornaments that actually have the potential to look nice really appealed to me. In my opinion, most easy DIY ornament projects end up being a bit tacky, which is okay if they are made by small children... but not a 20 year old. I thought that these ornaments would make cute gifts for the parents of my close friends, and those members of my family that I don't feel I know well enough to buy an actual gift for. It's a relatively inexpensive and really fun venture, and best of all, because you made them yourself, they make extremely thoughtful gifts! :)

I took on two different DIY ornament projects: Paint Drip Ornaments & Glitter Ornaments

The credit for the Paint Drip Ornaments project goes to the authors of the blog A Yellow Bicycle

They actually got the idea from someone else (which they mention in their post), but I followed their instructions, so I give them the credit!

The credit for the Glitter Ornaments project goes to the author of the blog Green Bean Crafterole

Unfortunately for me, I decided to take on these projects a little late in the holiday season, and Michael's was almost completely sold out of the clear ornaments required. Therefore, I was only able to make six ornaments :( I feel if I had been able to do a few more, I would have perfected the technique and made much nicer ornaments! Regardless, most of the recipients seemed pleased with them... and all wanted to know exactly how I did it!

Glitter Ornaments

Making the Glitter Ornament went pretty smoothly. I used a product called "Glitter-It" instead of the Pledge product mentioned in the instructions, because I didn't feel like making an additional trip to Publix after Michael's, haha. It wasn't too expensive and worked very well, but I'm sure you can get more out of that big bottle of Pledge. One thing I must stress is NOT to pour out any of the liquid from the ornament before putting in the glitter, even if it looks like there is a bit too much! I did that for one ornament, and there were "gaps" in the glitter all over, and there wasn't much I could do to fix it. I also recommend being liberal with the glitter, as you'd rather pour too much in, get a nice even coating, and pour the excess out than put in too little and get an unattractive, uneven coating.

Paint Drip Ornaments

The Paint Drip Ornaments definitely require some practice, trial and error, etc etc. You have to figure out which color combinations work, and which don't. Putting colors in that could potentially mix and produce an ugly shade is something that should be avoided. I attempted a red and green one, which came out all right, but there are some points where the colors mixed a little, and it does not look very nice. I also recommend placing them upright as they dry (hanging them could work), as excess paint will pool in the bottom. If it pools on the side, you have a somewhat "unbalanced" ornament, haha. My biggest mistake was leaving them in my car for a short period of time. That might be all right up north at this time of year, but I live in Miami, Florida. The heat caused the paint to return to its liquid, and this ruined one of my ornaments :(

Results:

I plan to try to show more a of a step-by-step process with my future posts, but I made these a couple weeks before I had the idea of writing this blog, so I only took a few pictures. I also recommend following the instructions I linked to above, as they are excellent!

The Beginning...

Before Pinterest, I had associated the word "crafts" with simple projects intended for young children, such as making pipe cleaner animals, or plastic bead bracelets... the types of activities I loved as a child. After discovering Pinterest, I realized that there are crafts for adults, too! And ever since, I've been hooked on "pinning" the most intriguing of the many craft ideas that are posted there on a daily basis. And so, here I am... attempting to write a blog with the purpose of cataloging my crafting attempts. I figured I should have some proof of my efforts! I hope that this blog might inspire others to take on a craft every now and then. I find it to be a very fulfilling experience, especially when your end result is what you'd hoped for and more :)