DIY: Evening Bag

Evening bag
\r\n\r\n

1/2 yard satin fabric
\r\n1 foot gold string/chain (you can use an old necklace or buy chains by the foot, for about $5 at craft stores)
\r\nScissors
\r\nNeedle and thread

1. Cut a 16-inch-by-10-inch rectangle of fabric.
\r\n2. Fold over one inch of one of the 10-inch sides to create a hem, and sew hem.
\r\n3. Now think of dividing the fabric into thirds, like a letter you\'d put in an envelope: Fold the hemmed edge over 5 inches and sew the 5 inches on both sides to create the pocket of the purse.
\r\n4. Fold each corner of the top third on the diagonal to create a point in the middle, like the flap of an envelope.
\r\n5. Turn the raw edges under 1 inch and hem.
\r\n6. Sew each end of the gold chain or string to the inside corner of the purse.

DIY: Ice Candle

Not-So-Chilly Ice Candle

\r\n

1 wax-lined milk carton
\r\nMasking tape
\r\n1 pound white paraffin wax, grated (craft stores)
\r\n2 candle-wax dye chips (optional, craft stores)
\r\n1 inexpensive white taper candle (craft stores)
\r\nLarge bowl of crushed ice

1. Wash out an empty milk carton and wrap some masking tape around the bottom and sides for reinforcement.
\r\n2. Put the wax in a double boiler (if you don\'t have one of these, you can use a large metal can placed in a pot of water on the stove) and heat until the wax is melted. (Note: If you want to make a colored candle, just add the dye chips to the grated paraffin wax and mix them together as they melt.)
\r\n3. Cut down the taper candle to your desired ice candle height and stand it upright in the milk carton. Pour the crushed ice around the taper candle in the milk carton while making sure the taper candle stays in place. Put the milk carton in a large bowl (so you don\'t have any unwanted puddles from the melting ice).
\r\n4. Carefully pour the melted wax into the carton over the ice until it reaches the top. Place the carton, still in the bowl, in the fridge for an hour so it can cool completely.
\r\n5. Once cool, cut or peel the carton away from the candle (you might want to do this over the sink because the melted water from the ice will flow out). Let your finished candle dry completely overnight, then give it as a gift or light it up!

DIY: Printed Sneaker

Printed Sneaker

\r\n

High-top sneakers
\r\nScrap paper
\r\nMasking tape
\r\nLace fabric or lace stockings
\r\nStraight pins
\r\nSpray paint

1. Remove shoelaces and stuff sneakers with paper.
\r\n2. Cover the areas you don\'t want to paint (rubber sole, tongue, rubber toe, etc.) with masking tape.
\r\n3. Place lace fabric or lace stockings over the shoe.
\r\n4. Pin the fabric to the shoe so it lays flush against the shoe.
\r\n5. Lay the shoe on its side and spray the paint at a 90-degree angle, about 8 inches away from the shoe surface.
\r\n6. Wait five minutes to allow paint to dry, and repeat the same process on the other side of the shoe.
\r\n7. Repeat on the other shoe.

DIY: Tank

Tank

\r\n\r\n\r\n

Plain tank
\r\nBow tie
\r\nHot glue

1. Tie a bow tie (or have a guy friend, brother, boyfriend, or dad do it).

2. Glue the bow tie to a plain tank.

DIY: Gingerbread Mini Pizzas

Gingerbread Mini \"Pizzas\"

\r\n\r\n

Ingredients: \r\n

2/3 cup canola oil
\r\n1 1/2 cups sugar
\r\n1/2 cup molasses
\r\n1/2 cup milk
\r\n4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
\r\n1 teaspoon baking soda
\r\n1 teaspoon baking powder
\r\n1 teaspoon salt
\r\n1 tablespoon ground ginger
\r\n1 teaspoon cinnamon
\r\n1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg, cloves, allspice
\r\nRed food coloring
\r\n1 can vanilla frosting
\r\nToppings of your choice: mini chocolate chips, crushed candy canes,\r\ndried or candied fruits (cranberries and cherries)

1. Beat oil and sugar for 4 minutes in an electric mixer. Add molasses\r\nand milk and stir. Put dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk\r\nto combine. Add dry ingredients to the oil mixture in three\r\nadditions. Mix until well combined; the dough will be stiff. Flatten\r\nthe dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour or\r\nup to three days.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Sprinkle\r\nflour on the counter and roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut\r\nout circles using a cup with a wide rim. Bake for 8\r\nminutes or until golden brown with firm edges. Cool for 2 minutes on the\r\nbaking sheet, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

3. In another bowl, add a few drops of food coloring to the icing to make it a\r\ndeep pink (the \"pizza sauce\"). Frost the tops of the cookie pizzas\r\nand sprinkle with toppings. Makes 24.

DIY: Jewelry Box

Jewelry box

One small wooden box with hinged lid, about $3 from craft stores
\r\nOne sheet wrapping paper, about 21\" by 29\"
\r\nOne yard each of 3/4\"- and 1/2\"-wide ribbon in two different colors
\r\nGlue
\r\nScrewdriver
\r\nScissors

1. Use a screwdriver to unscrew the clasp on the wooden box.
\r\n2. Put the clasp aside -- you\'re going to cover the lid and the box separately.
\r\n3. Cut a piece of wrapping paper that is the height of the box plus one inch, and as long as the measurement of the box all the way around plus one inch.
\r\n4. Hot-glue the paper onto the box, leaving a half-inch margin at top and another half inch at bottom so you can fold it over the top of the box and under the bottom of the box.
\r\n5. Do the same with the box lid, using a piece of paper that is as wide as the length of the box plus the sides of the lid plus one inch, and as wide as the width of the box plus one inch.
\r\n6. Hot-glue the paper to the lid, wrapping the ends under and folding the excess paper under at the corners.
\r\n7. Cut both lengths of ribbon so they will fit over the top of the box plus one inch.
\r\n8. Hot-glue the wider piece of ribbon over the center top of the box, folding the remaining half inch under at both ends. Do the same with the narrower piece, gluing it on top of the wider piece.
\r\n9. Reattach the box top with screwdriver.

DIY: Fabric Bracelet

Fabric Bracelet

Two pieces of felt in different colors
\r\nLoose beads or buttons for decoration
\r\nSnap closure set
\r\nHot glue
\r\nScissors

1. Cut a half-inch strip of felt equal to the circumference of your wrist plus one inch.
\r\n2. Cut out a 2-inch circle of felt and hot-glue it in the center of the felt wristband.
\r\n3. Cut out flower petals of different sizes and shapes and glue the base of each petal around the center of the circle, creating a flower.
\r\n4. Hot-glue beads in the center of the flower.
\r\n5. Glue one side of a snap closure to each end of the bracelet.

DIY: Lip Candy

Tasty Lip Candy

1/4 teaspoon grated paraffin wax (craft stores)
\r\nResealable bag
\r\n1 teaspoon coconut oil (grocery stores or craft store)
\r\n1 teaspoon petroleum jelly
\r\n1 Wilton candy melt in the color of your choice ( wilton.com\r\nor craft stores)
\r\n1/8 teaspoon oil-based candy flavoring (craft stores)
\r\nSmall container (try a swing jar, available at craft stores)

DIY: Dreidels

Sweet and Salty Dreidels

Ingredients: \r\n

1 bag Hershey\'s Kisses (any kind: Hugs, plain milk chocolate, coconut-filled)
\r\n1 bag mini marshmallows (Note: The bottom circumference of marshmallow should be a similar size to bottom of Hershey\'s Kiss)
\r\n1 can of vanilla or chocolate frosting or peanut butter
\r\nSkinny pretzel sticks

1. Use a small amount of frosting (or peanut butter) as \"glue\" to attach the marshmallow to an unwrapped Hershey\'s Kiss. Poke a piece of pretzel stick into the other end of the marshmallow.

DIY: Peppermint Lotion Bars

Peppermint Foot Lotion Bars

1/3 cup grated beeswax (craft stores or fromnaturewithlove.com)
\r\n1/3 cup cocoa butter (craft stores or fromnaturewithlove.com)
\r\n1/3 cup coconut oil (health food stores)
\r\n5 to 10 drops peppermint essential oil (health food stores)
\r\nSoap or candy molds (craft stores)
\r\nPlastic wrap

1. Put the beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil in a double boiler to melt\r\nthe ingredients (if you don\'t have a double boiler, you can use a large metal can placed in a pot of water on the stove).
\r\n2. Once it\'s all melted, add the essential oil and stir thoroughly.
\r\n3. Pour the mix into the molds and let them sit until they are cooled and hardened. Once finished, the lotion bars are a compressed moisturizing lotion; you rub them directly on your skin and they moisturize as they melt.
\r\n4. Wrap three bars in plastic wrap and tie them to a cute pair of socks (that the recipient can slip on after moisturizing her feet) with a pretty ribbon.

jeweled-barrettes-diy

DIY: Decal Undies

Decal Undies

Plain undies or boy shorts
\r\nDecals and patches from a craft store
\r\nHot glue

1. Hot-glue decals and patches to the side, back -- wherever! -- on some undies or boy shorts.

DIY: Sweet Tortilla Snowflakes

Tortilla Snowflakes

Ingredients: \r\n

10 fajita-size flour tortillas
\r\n1 cup chocolate chips
\r\n1/2 cup confectioners\' sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
\r\n2. Fold each tortilla into quarters and then snip out shapes with clean scissors as though you\'re making paper snowflakes; add a few decorative cuts.
\r\n3. Place the snowflakes on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
\r\n4. Remove the snowflakes from the oven, immediately dot each one with about a dozen evenly spaced chocolate chips, then return the flakes to the oven briefly to melt the chips.
\r\n5. Once the chips begin to melt, transfer the snowflakes to a cooling rack and use a butter knife to spread the chips evenly over the flakes.
\r\n6. Pop the iced snowflakes in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes to harden the chocolate, then put the confectioners\' sugar in a sieve and shake an even layer across them.
\r\n7. Serve on dark-colored plates. Makes 10.

DIY: Slippers

Rhinestone Slippers

Slippers
Rhinestones
Hot glue

1. Glue various rhinestones in whatever pattern you like to a pair of slippers.

DIY: Bath Jelly

Bath Jelly

1/2 cup water
\r\n1 envelope unflavored gelatin
\r\n1/2 cup clear liquid soap
\r\n2 to 3 drops food coloring (optional)
\r\nClear jar
\r\nRibbon
\r\nNote card

1. Heat the water on the stove until boiling, then dissolve the gelatin in it.
\r\n2. Slowly add the clear soap (pour very slowly so it doesn\'t foam!), then add the food coloring and slowly mix all ingredients together.
\r\n3. Slowly pour the mixture into the jar. Place your jar into the refrigerator to gel.
\r\n4. Once the jelly is ready, tie a ribbon around the jar with a note card that explains to the recipient how to use it. All she has to do is put a scoop of jelly under running water for a bubble bath or use it as soap.

DIY: Makeup Brush Roll

Makeup Brush Roll

1 colored bandanna
\r\n1 yard grosgrain ribbon
\r\nFabric glue
\r\nMakeup brushes

1. Divide the bandanna into horizontal thirds, then fold the top third down and glue along the sides so it stays in place. Next, fold the bottom edge of the bandanna up until it\'s about an inch past the top third you glued down.
\r\n2. Cut the ribbon in half, and place the two pieces of ribbon under the left edge of the bandanna you just folded up.
\r\n3. Glue the sides together (trapping the two pieces of ribbon in between so they stay in place).
\r\n4. To make sections for the makeup brushes, lift up the bottom third (it will be glued on the sides, but you can still work underneath) and place vertical lines of glue across the fabric, making sure to space them out to fit your brushes. Let the fabric drop down onto the glue lines, and press gently.
\r\n5. Let the entire brush roll dry completely overnight. In the morning, place inexpensive brushes in the sections you created, roll the fabric from right to left, and finish by tying the ribbons around the roll in a pretty bow.

DIY: Stencil Pillow

Stencil Pillow

28\" by 36\" piece of fabric
\r\nStencil (at craft stores)
\r\nFabric paint or pen
\r\nNeedle and thread and/or sewing machine
\r\nTape
\r\n12\" by 16\" pillow insert

1. Turn the fabric so the finished (often shiny) side is facing down.
\r\n2. On the sides that are 28 inches long (think of them as the vertical sides), fold fabric over half an inch and sew to create a hem. You will do this to both sides of the 28-inch lengths.
\r\n3. Turn fabric over (so the shiny side is up) and overlap the two hemmed sides half an inch. This ensures that the pillow insert will not be visible once the pillowcase is on.
\r\n4. Now you can only see the unfinished side; this is the inside of the pillow. Take the two unhemmed sides (the top and bottom) and hem each of them half an inch.
\r\n5. Turn the pillow inside out so the shiny side is completely visible.
\r\n6. Take a stencil (we used an initial) and tape down. You don\'t want the stencil to move.
\r\n7. Use either fabric paint or a fabric pen to fill in the stencil area.
\r\n8. Let dry.
\r\n9. Slip pillow insert into case.

DIY: No-Bake Snowballs

No-Bake Snowballs

Ingredients: \r\n

1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
\r\n1/2 cup dark corn syrup
\r\n1 cup crisp rice cereal
\r\nAn 8-ounce bag white chocolate chips
\r\n2 tablespoons canola oil
\r\nA 12-ounce bag shredded white coconut

1. Beat peanut butter and corn syrup in medium-size bowl until well blended.
\r\n \r\n2. Stir in cereal until well mixed.
\r\n \r\n3. Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper. Shape teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on baking sheet. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
\r\n \r\n4. In a medium-size bowl, melt the white chocolate chips and the canola oil in the microwave for 1 minute on high, stirring occasionally until smooth. If chips are not all melted, microwave again for 15 seconds and stir.
\r\n \r\n5. Use a fork to dip a peanut butter ball in the melted white chocolate; let excess chocolate drip off.
\r\n \r\n6. Roll the ball in the coconut until well coated. Place the finished snowball back on the baking sheet.
\r\n \r\n7. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Makes about 24 snowballs, depending on how big you make them.

DIY: Vintage Scarf Pillow

Vintage-Scarf Pillow

Vintage scarf of your choice
\r\nFabric, slightly larger than the dimensions of the scarf
\r\nScissors
\r\nNeedle and thread and/or a sewing machine
\r\n18\" by 18\" pillow insert

1. Measure your scarf size.
\r\n2. Cut a section from the fabric that\'s the same size as your scarf, but add 3 inches to the width and 1 inch to the height.
\r\n3. Cut this piece of fabric in half.
\r\n4. Lay the two pieces, unfinished side up, side by side.
\r\n5. Create half-inch hems on the vertical length of one side of each of the two sections.
\r\n6. Lay the scarf finished side up, and place the cut and hemmed fabric on top of the scarf. Both good sides should be facing each other, and the two cut fabric pieces should overlap horizontally by one inch. The hems should be overlapping each other.
\r\n7. Sew around the entire square, half an inch in on each side.
\r\n8. Turn the pillowcase out so the correct sides are visible.
\r\n9. Put the pillow insert in.