DIY Decorative Bottle

Last Tuesday, I had the day off from internship and school. My plans were to spend the day at my apartment, blogging, surfing the web, and being worry-free. As I'm setting up, I realized that I had forgotten my laptop charger. It was still at my parents' house, from when I went to go visit them over the weekend. My initial reaction: panic. What was a girl supposed to do without a dead laptop, no TV, and no one to hang out with (all my friends were at work)? Luckily, I was then able to remember my new craft bin, and how I had stowed it in my trunk two days prior. After making the trek to my car (OK-- it actually wasn't that far), I realized that even then, I had little supplies, and not wanting to take a trip to the store, I needed to be creative. After taking a look at some of the things I had: a few empty bottles and jars, acrylic paint, packaging tape, Q-Tips, and mini sticky notes, here is what I came up with:

TOOLS: See list above. Important: Instead of packaging tape and mini sticky notes, I suggest using blue painter's tape. Also, instead of Q-Tips, I suggest using a paint brush.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel any labels off of your bottle or jar. If you're having trouble, try soaking your bottle in warm/hot water for a few minutes before you try to peel the labels. Taking a piece of tape and continuously blotting the sticky areas of your bottle will also help get rid of the goo. Oh, and if you're desperate, they sell this really amazing stuff at Target in the dollar section called Goo Gone (and no, this is not a sponsored post).

2. Take your painter's tape, and tape off a portion of the bottom section of your bottle (I didn't have painter's tape, so I placed a ring of sticky notes around my bottle, and secured it with packaging tape. The sticky notes were to prevent the goo from the packaging tape from sticking on to the bottle.)

3. Using your Q-Tips, paint brush, or fingers, paint the portion of your bottle that you wish to be colored, and let dry. The paint that I used required about 4 coats to not appear streaky.

4. After every layer has dried, slowly peel off the tape. Key word: SLOWLY. Since it's acrylic paint, if you go too fast, it will come off in large chunks, and it will not look pretty.

And voila! You're done. OK-- I'll admit. This isn't the best tutorial I've ever posted on here, and I'm not sure if you're even supposed to use acrylic paint on glass (probably not), but if you're bored, and if you've got the supplies lying around, I definitely recommend testing out this project. The acrylic paint actually isn't that bad on glass, as long as you don't wash, or pick at it.

A Day in the Sun

This goes out to my roommate, B-- a person I am lucky to know.

DIY Decorative Bows

I am incredibly lucky to have a friend like K, because she is a genius. This past weekend, while we were hanging out, K proposed the idea of making bows. Before she could say anymore, we were off to Michael's, and the fabric store. The entire process was fairly simple, and with a few tweaks to the measurements in the tutorial (link here), we were able to make a dozen different sized bows. This week, I've put a bow on the curtain in my room, in my car, and in my hair. What will you put a bow on?

Key to My Heart

A few weeks ago, my roommate, B, and I painted bobby pins with nail polish. We had such a good time with this project, that we decided to find other things to paint as well. We eventually settled on keys. As an incredibly easy way to add pizazz to my keychain, I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

TIP: Instead of waiting for one side to dry before you paint the other, paint both sides of your key while holding the base of it. Tape your finished product on to the ledge of a surface to dry. We used the right side of our microwave.

DIY Easter Candy Bouquet

Every time I scroll through Pinterest, I end up bookmarking at least 5 things I want to make. I always say to myself, "I'm totally going to make that this weekend!", or "That'll really come in handy at [so-and-so's] party!" In reality, I've probably only ever made less than a handful of things that I said I would. This past weekend, in an attempt to try new things, I pushed myself go to Target to get the supplies for the candy bouquet you see above. It was for my younger cousin's 16th birthday. She has one of the biggest sweet tooths I know, and I figured, since I won't have a job until after I graduate, this would be the perfect low-budget present.
TOOLS: skewers (or any other type of sturdy stick), a hot glue gun, scotch tape, a tall tin or jar, Easter grass, and all of your favorite Easter goodies.
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Stuff your tin with Easter grass. I ended up using an entire 50-cent package from Target. 2. Take a few skewers (or other type of stick) and randomly hot glue candy to one side of each stick. For extra security, use scotch tape to secure the candy to the stick. For bigger items, I found it helpful to use at least 2 sticks. 3. Stuff each stick into the Easter grass, in the tin.

J. Crew Inspired Nails

I've always admired J. Crew's trademark color combinations of muted shades and bright hues. Of course, what better way to use this inspiration than for a nail tutorial?
TOOLS: nude nail polish, coral nail polish, a bobby pin, and a piece of scrap paper 
STEPS: 1. Paint your nails with a nude shade. 2. Dab some of your favorite coral nail polish on to a piece of scrap paper. 3. Use the pointy end of a bobby pin to create randomly-placed polka dots all over each nail.

#Winning

image via weheartit

Thank you to everyone who entered my Siamese Ad giveaway! Below, you will find the names of the two winners. Congratulations! I will be contacting you both shortly.