Crafts: Valentine's Day goes DIY

Hello! This week I'm proud to bring you a post about crafting.
I have the best of times creating new things that I plan in my mind and bring to life with my own hands, it fills me with such joy.. Makes me feel like I can actually do something properly.
So, if this year you're short on money but still want to give your valentine a special present, this post is for you!

We're coming close to Valentine's day so I thought I would post this as a Valentine's day type post but really, this present is my mom's birthday present. It's something that goes for anyone, family, friends, lovers.
A handmade photography frame!

Let's get started.

Here's what you'll need:

A basic frame

Decorative elements according to your theme

Molding clay

Silicon glue

Spray paint

I chose shells, pearls and flowers because my mom loves the sea, the beach and the nature.

First you want to get started with the molding clay.

 I pushed some clay over some shells to get a shell texture.

 I also made a couple of roses.

Then you want to let them dry or bake them. I used Fimo so I had to bake it for 30 minuts at 110ºC.

Now you just wanna glue the multiple elements that will constitute your frame.

I use a silicon glue tube at first and then a glue gun.

And your frame should start to come together.

When you're satisfied with what you have and everything is dry and in its place, it's time to spray pain!

When you're choosing the color, make sure you know that some colors need more layers than others.

I chose a golden color that would match the rest of my mom's room.

Let it air dry for at least 12 hours after all the layers and you're done!

It will be a very detailed frame, that's for sure.

And here's what my final frame looks like!

I love how this DIY project turned out and I'll be making more of these in the future, that's for sure.

That's it for this week's post. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope it served as inspiration for some!

See you next week!

Love,

Anna

Last Minute DIY Christmas Present Ideas

Hi! I was supposed to do a look post this week but turns out I didn't have time for it and, as you can see, I'm a little late because I've been busy with some last minute christmas presents.

I decided to give you a couple of ideas for some last minute DIY presents that you can easily make at home without spending so much money but still being thoughtful.
Most of the ideas I'll be suggesting I have already made myself for birthday presents and such, so I believe you will be fine with these cause they're possible in fact.

Let's get started!

This idea is probably one of the quickest that I will be presenting. 

All you need is a plain mug in whichever color you would prefer, a couple of Sharpies in the colors you desire and an oven. 

Pick up a Sharpie and draw onto the mug the design that you want the mug to have. You can use as many colors as you want and draw or write whatever you want.

To make the design permanent you will want to place the mug with the design on in the oven at 230ºC for 30 minutes. You want to place the mug in the oven before you turn it on and let it heat up till the desired temperature and let it cool down inside of the oven as well. This way you don't risk breaking the mug because of the drastic temperature change.

And you're all done! Now you just have to be very careful with washing. Use a very soft sponge to clean it or you can risk erasing the design fairly quickly.

This is a fun idea for the kids and very simple as well!

All you need is a jar that has a lid, a couple of figures or toys that will fit the jar, glitter, water and glycerin.

If you want to further personalize this snow globe buy molding clay that hardens in the oven and sculpt whatever figure you want to add to your snow globe.

When you have the figure and everything you will want to decide whether you want the lid of the jar to be facing up or down. 

You want to glue the figure to the lid or to the bottom of the jar, whichever you prefer and fill the jar with lukewarm water. 

Add as much glycerin as you want to the water. The glycerin's function is to thicken the water making the fake snow fall slowly rather than quickly. All that is missing is the glitter. Choose multiple sizes of white or transparent glitter and even glitter flecks or foils to give it that wintery look.

Close the lid shut and tight, shake it and you're left with a beautiful snow globe that you can then decorate with ribbons and strings to make it even more lovely!

I have received one of these and I think they're oh so cute. Such a thoughtful gift!

It doesn't get easier than this. You just need a free CD and knowledge about the person you're giving this present to and your computer will do the job for you. Get it into a CD box and make a pretty cover for it and there you go! A simple yet perfect gift that will make anyone very happy.

Me and my mom did this one last year and everyone seemed to love it!

You put the dry ingredients of a specific cake/cookie inside of a mason jar, layer by layer, achieving this layered effect that allows the person to see what's inside. All the person has to add is the liquid/wet ingredients such as milk, water, oil, etc.

After you close the jar you want to label the jar with the name of the baked goodies that you can make with the content of the jar and also add the recipe with the amount of each wet ingredient the person has to add as well as how long and at which temperature it has to bake.

If you want you can also add a ribbon to make it a bit more pretty and you have yourself a fun gift!

These are just some ideas I wanted to share with you. They're simple yet thoughtful!
I hope it was somehow helpful!

(All images from Pinterest)

I wish you a very Merry Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever it is that you celebrate these days.

Love,

Anna