Santa Clause Wine Bottle // Tutorial

As y'all have read, I found something similar to this on Pinterest and was pretty bummed when there wasn't a tutorial. Thank goodness for a little bit of my crafty skills and being able to somewhat duplicate!

You will need:

bottles

twine

gloss red spray paint

matte black spray paint

glitter spray paint

self stick gems

craft clear crystal rhinestones (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)

glue gun/glue sticks

painters tape

fabric glue

bells

1.

I began with soaking all the bottles for easy removal of the labels and then dried them.

Spray your bottles with red gloss spray paint. I applied several times.

 2.

Follow that with the glitter spray paint.

You can add as little or as much as you want to. I would suggest after every couple of sprays to shake the bottle again. You will notice not much will come out if you don't. 

3.

Allright. On the original that I found, I could NOT tell what the black 'belt' was made of.. sooo I looked in all my stuff and found some painters tape and I had just happened to have black metallics paint for another project. 

I thought it worked pretty good!

Take off the tape after the black dries.. it won't take the red or the glitter!

4.

Next, I glued on the twine with the Crafter's fabric glue.

You have to be a little patient with getting it started but once you get the first piece glued you are good to go! You don't have to apply glue to the whole section either.. once you get it started you are OK just to apply every couple of wraps.

And don't worry about the glue that shows.. it dries clear and you will never see it!

5.

I found these stick on gems at Michael's and just eye-balled the placement. Be sure to get them as close to where you want them.. if you try and move them the sticky will come off the back and they aren't any good anymore.

6.

Next, I glued the clear crystals on with a dab of glue from the glue gun.

Finish your project with glueing on the bells at the top and you have your very own Santa bottles!

Hope this tutorial helps and have fun making them!

Both of these sold this week at the salon before the Christmas Bazaar and the same lady who bought them has asked for two more.. whoo hoo!! 

P.S. If you have a better idea come to mind for the black please share! 

Fabric Garland Tutorial

Here it is! 

I had SOOOO much fun with Amber when we got together for a little garland making. We saw the idea at the Hoschton festival we all went to and she let me dig thru her scrap fabrics in her studio to make my very own! 

She made hers for her mantle and actually used lights as her twine. One of the fabrics she used was an old bridesmaid dress and it ended up being GORGEOUS! Word on the street is her tree is already up too. I can't WAIT to see it!! 

Well let's get started!

You will need:

fabric of your choice

scissors or handle rotary cutter

cutting board

twine

iron (if fabric needs to be smoothed)

1. 

Start out by cutting your fabric into 9x2 strips. 

I started out with the scissors but soon changed to the rotary because its faster and easier. Amber is a pro-fess-ion-al with that tool. 

Just a warning you will cut and cut and cut and when you feel like you are finished I suggest to cut a little more.

2. 

I tied a knot at the end of the twine to make sure my fabric didn't slide off..

3.

And then I just started tying and tying and tying. Some were double knotted and some were single... like the corduroy because it was super thick so most of that fabric was a single knot.

4.

Tie the end of the twine when you reach your desired length and enjoy your garland!

Amber pointed out that I'll be able to use mine for not only Christmas but July 4th and more!

YAY! 

DIY PHOTO CANVAS

I love, love, love me some pictures!

One of my favorite things is to look thru the old and the new and reminisce on all the memories. 

I have always considered myself a picture freak and love having tons and tons of photos ALL over the house! 

Coach says we have enough in our home already but I beg to differ.. ha. We needed just a couple few more on the walls. 

Which brings me to this project.

I have been putting off ordering one of our wedding photos on a nice canvas because I did NOT want to pay $100+ for just ONE. 

This project was SUPER easy, I did all of these in one night, and did NOT spend hundreds of dollars doing so.

I already had the largest canvas and the 8x10.. The only purchase I made was the 11x15 canvas and my poster prints. 

BONUS: I buy my canvas' at Michael's and get their coupons online. This particular day, I scored a 50% off. WHOOP WHOOP!

You will also need:

matte MOD PODGE

sponge brushes

black paint

cutting tool (to trim the photos)

I started out by applying MOD PODGE to a blank canvas, added the photo on top, and from the center started working out all of the air bubbles.

After letting your photo COMPLETELY dry, trim the edges to fit the canvas.

And paint the edges black.

This next step is where you will give your photo the 'textured' canvas look. Paint the mod podge over the photo.. I took a generous amount on my brush and made sure to coat it evenly. 

I then took an extra canvas and pressed it on top of the wet mod podge. 

tip:: The first time I did this there wasn't much of an impression. So I recoated the section, pressed the canvas to it again, and this time ran my hand over the back of the canvas to make sure there was enough of an impression when I removed the extra canvas. 

You do NOT have to take a lot of time on this part. 

Do this quickly.

This is what it should look like while its still wet...

Set your canvas aside and let dry. 

I PROMISE you will LOVE it when it dries!

Now onto the BIG project.

My poster that I had printed didn't quite cover my canvas all the way. So I opted to paint what the photo wouldn't cover with black.

I did just as before, painted the MOD PODGE on the canvas, and applied my photo. This one was a little trickier because I had to make sure it was even around the edges. When everything finally measured up right, I started from the center working out all the air bubbles and set aside to dry.

Whew! I had to work fast!

 After it dried, I got to work and played it safe by working in smaller sections. 

 And let it dry!

 FINISHED PRODUCT

Our bedroom

I absolutely LOVE how they all turned out!

After we got the middle photo up in our living room, I decided there needs to be another 8x10 to make a little collage. I'll be getting to work on that this weekend! 

Scott Greene Photography Abby Libsack Photography

DIY Necklace Organizer

It has been WAY past time for me to get a few of my necklaces organized. There is an old door in the barn that I really wanted to use for this but, 1. there is not enough room for it and 2. I think I am going to make some sort of coffee table out of it. Sooo, I went to Plan B, found some inspiration on Pinterest, and got the job done!

I started out making a trip to Home Depot to get a piece of wood cut to fit an antique picture frame. Where did I get this you ask? From my MIL's inventory. 

Coach already had some stain in the barn so I got to work staining when I got back home. As you can see, someone was there to help me.

After I had finished this whole piece, Coach came in from bush hogging and informed me I was staining the wrong side. I will have to admit I like this side much better. It definitely has more character.

After I finished that, I grabbed my paints and added hints of copper to make the board pop a little more.

Love love all these knobs! 

I found all of these at Hobby Lobby except for the double 'glass' knobs. Home Depot.

I got into my husband's tools, drilled holes into the wood, pushed the knobs thru, tightened on the back with nuts...

... and added it to the picture frame in the guest bedroom. 

Which has really turned into my walk-in closet, vanity-makeup area, get-ready room.

I started adding my necklaces..

..and realized I wanted to add some decor on the dresser. I found this "A" I forgot I had and added the same copper paint for an antiqued effect..

.. I also found this gold frame I already had. I thought my dresser also needed a pop of color so red it was.. Favorite color ever.

Next, I added burlap and hot glued a rosette to the bottom corner. I already had this candelabra I found in Kentucky last July at a consignment store.

Drum roll for finished project....

Absolutely loving it!

My New Face Cleanser

My Mom is a serious book fanatic and is always on the look out for a great book. With out a doubt she could open up her own book store. A while back she gave me this book--

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.. and I must say it has some pretty awesome things in it. I'm just sorry I haven't picked it up sooner and seriously read it before now. 

Just another example of God showing me to get my procrastination under control! 

This book covers everything from a 28 day cleanse, weight, hair, cosmetics, perfumes and more.

A couple years ago, I was given a sample of Obagi facial cleanser and fell in love with it!

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It is not cheap tho and I have really been trying to pinch the pennies lately. Seriously sick and tired of spending extra money over here!!

After running out of my face wash and moisturizer, and NOT wanting to spend over $50 on all of it, I finally picked up this book for some serious reading.  

Welcome to Chapter 4- Beauty Secrets: Skin.

Ginger discusses a three step regimen- 

washing and exfoliating, nourishing and plumping, moisturizing and protecting

that can be done morning, night, or both. 

She states that women in biblical times loved to wash their faces in milk and often made this apart of their morning routine. Which brings us to the first step:

Step 1: Wash and Exfoliate

Rich Milk Wash

You will need:

1 cup powdered goat's milk (try Meyenberg milk)

1 cup quick-cooking oats

[fresh flaxseed in the winter months]

I have never heard of Meyenberg and I honestly thought I was going to have to make a trip to Earth Fare or some kind of organic foods store to find this. BUT, I was at Ingle's in town and just accidentally stumbled upon it. I was SO excited!! This container was $10.68 plus tax. I already had these Red Mill oats at home and organic flaxseed that I went ahead and added in the blender. Ginger says that in the winter months your skin becomes dry from the indoor heating, and the omegas in the flaxseed add extra emollients and richness to the wash. 

Directions:

Process the powdered milk and oats in a blender or food processor until the mixture is very fine. Store in an airtight container, in a cool place, for up to four weeks.

Step 2: Nourish and Plump

Honey Tonic

Apply 1-2 drops honey (I used local) to wet fingertips and massage onto wet face. Do not rinse. Pat dry. 

Step 3: Moisturize and Protect

Olive Oil Moisturizer

Place 2-3 drops of extra-virgin, organic olive oil onto your palm. Rub palms together and pat your face gently.

I started this on Sunday, October 13th, cleansing morning and night. I was only going to document this until Sunday, October 20th, but we had a death in the family, so my documentation ends the 23rd. 

BEFORE

AFTER FIRST WASH

AFTER HONEY TONIC

AFTER OLIVE OIL MOISTURIZER

The following pictures are from last night. I had already applied the Honey Tonic and the Olive Oil Moisturizer. 

Before I compared these pictures, I did NOT feel like I could tell that much difference in my complexion.. but my jaw dropped when I enlarged these photos and I could DEFINITELY see a difference! I took these 'after' photos in the exact same lighting and in the exact same place in our bathroom just like the 'before' shots. 

 I have a Clarasonic that I normally use and I did not use it during this time span. I normally fight bumps on my chin and it is almost as smooth as a babies bottom!! The only way I have been able to get rid of those bumps is with my Clarasonic. Towards the end of the week I have felt my makeup has gone on smoother and I haven't had to wear as much. At my temples near my hairline, I had started getting red, splotchy areas, and I can see a major difference there! The inflammation has gone down and it hasn't felt itchy.

Concerns on the honey and olive oil??
I have NOT 100% felt like a honey comb or Italian restaurant.
The honey is not sticky if your skin is damp and you only have to use a couple of small drops of oil. A little goes a long way!

I was even talking about this in the salon a couple days ago and one of Whitney's clients said the best skin she has ever seen was a woman in her 80's.. She asked what her secret was and it was olive oil! Said she had used it since she was a little girl!

Needless to say, I'm hooked on this regimen and want to try it on the rest of my body!
Let me know if you end up trying it and what your results are!

Milk is the first food for new life: Newborn are sustained by it, and the "land of milk and honey" was a reference to the cherished Promised Land, which represented the blessing of God's abundance and new life for God's people. Peter even used milk to symbolize deep, nourishing truth, telling us we are to "desire the pure milk of the word". 1 Peter 2:2.

Honey is the promise of abundance in the Promised Land. Exodus 3:17

The Word of the Lord is sweeter than honey. Psalms 119:103

The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. Jeremiah 11:16

source: Beauty Secrets of the Bible. The Ancient Arts of Beauty & Fragrance. By Ginger Garrett