Holiday DIY: Pom-Pom Garland

 

Many times I find myself in situations where I just can't find exactly what I want when I go out looking for something. Stores sometimes just don't have what I want and that fact is never more apparent than when I'm looking for things to decorate my house. It's even more-so a problem at Christmas time. I am just not into pine cones, wicker wreaths, and cinnamon brooms. I like bright, obnoxious colors during the winter months as much as I do during the summer time, and because of this I find myself having to make things a lot of the time. This Christmas, I decided to make myself something that I've been wanting to make for a long time: a pom pom garland! Tinsel is too messy and regular garland is always one boring color, so why not make something fun and colorful for me to enjoy for many years to come! Today, I will tell you how to make your own pom pom garland with greatest of ease! Your supplies are a follows:

A Large Hand Sewing Needle

2-3 Yards of Knotting Cord (I used white)

Large Bag of Multi Size Pom Poms 

1. Pull out as much knotting cord as you need to make the length garland you want. Thread the cord through the needle and leave a bit of overhang so that the cord doesn't slip through while threading the pom poms. Tie off the end so pom poms won't slip off the end of the cord.

2. Pierce pom pom through the middle and pull all the way down to the end of your cord. I spaced my pom poms out at least 1.5-2 inches, but you can make a tightly spaced garland if you have lots and lots of pom poms.

3. Thread as many pom poms as it takes to fill up your cord. I like the look of spaced pom poms, but you can make a very tightly packed garland if you've got a lot of poms and a lot of time. Tie off the other end of your garland once you're done and wrap it around your tree!

If you have any left over, like I did, You can make some cute door hangs to go over doors ways to make them more festive!

This is a fun and easy way to make Christmas decorations that are all your own. Decorations that can be handed down for generations that have the story "mom made it" or "grandma made this" instead of "I bought this last minute at Target because there was nothing else". 

If you have some extra time or want an excuse to create some quiet time for yourself in this season of crazy stress, over-togetheredness, and an onslaught of face-to-face family time, get to work on your pom pom garland! Good tidings, all!

Gifts That Keep On Giving: Charitable Gifts!

Give A Little Bit! by elbonner featuring xmas ornaments

Ever year around the holidays, I think about all the stuff I really want, divide them into lists, and send them off to whoever requested them. Every Christmas, I am also riddled with guilt knowing that many people never get anything, regardless if it's the holidays or not. Now, I am not a wealthy individual; I work hard for the pay that I get, but I do not make enough to donate significant amounts of money or support to charities or causes I believe in. I give when I can, but I would love to one day be in a position to be able to help others with something more than a few dollars here and there. The reality is, the holidays are an expensive time. You're spending money on friends, family, meals, transportation, heat (if you live in a cold place), food for work parties or family gatherings; sometimes giving lots to charity gets put on the back burner. What I've started to do is shop a little smarter, buying gifts from companies who give back with every purchase. That way, I'm able to get a gift for a loved one and also know that my purchase is making a positive effect on someone elses life where they may not have money fr shoes or even clean water. I have put together a list of things you can purchase this Christmas that will satisfy your the receivers, as well as help someone in need:

TOMS

Toms is a wonder company. It started out with their One-for-One shoe campaign and has spiraled into a plethora of products that all benefit people in need all over the world. They give a pair of shoes to a child in need for every shoe you purchase, as well as glasses for every pair of frames you buy. They even have a marketplace full of artisan crafted products that gives back to the community where they were made. Toms now offers coffee that provides clean water for a week for each bag purchased. I really don't see any drawbacks with this company; their products are well-made and stylish and they help those in need!

Ankle Boots

Slippers

Necklace

Coffee

Sunglasses

Nena & Co.

Nena and Co is a company that makes some of the prettiest bags I've ever seen. What makes these bags even more beautiful is that they provide skilled workers in impoverished parts of Guatemala with jobs that are desperately needed. Nena & Co is working with communities to provide clean water and educational opportunities for local children, all while creating good-quality bags and accessories. While they are pricey, each unique piece is made by hand using recycled or handmade fabrics that are benefiting more than just your personal style. A bag like this will last you forever and your contribution to Nena & Co employees may change their communities forever, too!

Tote

Daybag- Camel

Daybag- Chocolate Brown

Toms+Target

I know, Toms again?! This is a bit different! Toms has teamed up with retail Gigantor, Target, to create a collection of clothing, shoes, accessories, and home wares that do more than make great Christmas gifts. Each item benefits a different cause: each item of clothing provides someone with meals for a week, with each blanket purchased, one is given to someone in need, shoes for shoes, you get the picture! These items are available at all Target locations and are great quality products, ranging from t-shirts, to candles, coffee mugs, journals, and even some really cute bracelets! They fit into any price range and are great for Christmas gifts on a budget. Even though you feel as though you're spending very little, you're still impacting someones life in a positive way. I recently purchased the denim shirt pictured above and not only is a comfortable and cute, but it provided a hungry person (in the USA) with free meals for a week! That's one full week not spent worrying about where dinner is coming from, and I think that's pretty amazing.

Mugs

Bracelets

Blanket

Shirt

This is the season for giving; if you're going to be doing some questionable things to get good deals this Black Friday, at least help out those who couldn't even imagine buying anything new. Shop smart and shop responsibly and make your purchases count past Christmas morning; give a little bit!

Ultimate Gift: The Lash Stash

If the oppourtunity ever rolls around to purchase the Sephora Last Stash gift box again, I would seize the moment and buy like five of them. I got this as a gift this Christmas and I won't have to buy mascara for years. 

There are all the best selling mascaras in this little rose-gold box. I have been trying a new one out each day and I will probably do a post on how each one fared in my experiment.

 There are two full size mascaras: Sephora's Outrageous Volume and Tarte's Light Camera Flashes. There's also a set of Sephora false eyelashes which are a fun edition for when you're feeling fancy!

 The set came with a bunch of minis too including: Too Faced: Better Than Sex, YSL: Babydoll, Benefit They're Real, Makeup Forever Smoky Lash, Lancome Hypnose Drama, Clinique High Impact, Blinc mascara, and Buxom Lash.

I'm so grateful for this awesome gift. It really takes the guess-work out of having to pick another mascara that could just turn out to be an expensive mistake. I'm going to have a lot of fun playing around with these!

Hope you all who celebrate Christmas had a great holiday and will party down into the new year. Happy New Year's Eve!!

Surviving the Duldrums: Post-Holiday Projects!

I hate to start out this post all gushy-like, but I have the best boyfriend ever. He got me a beautiful sewing machine for Christmas that I can't wait to start making fun stuff with!

Exhibit A: Dope-ass sewing machine

Now that I can get all crafty, I'm thinking of all the ways I can put this thing to use. I always tend to associate the months before spring/summer with the most BORING time of the year: it's friggin' cold, there are no work holidays, no birthdays. It's just that irritatingly long stretch before the real fun begins. Since I don't want three months of the year being wasted on yearning for summer, I'm going to get cracking on some cool DIY sewing projects!

My first endeavor is going to make myself a surfboard bag. I'm sick of trying to coordinate my towels to stay on my seats so that I don't end up with waxy bits on my headrests. I figure I can make a surfboard bag pretty easily out of some stretch terry cloth and a shoe lace for a cinched closure.

I found a bunch of DIY's on Pinterest so I hope once I get all my sewing accessories sorted out, I can get started!

I also want to start making my own swimsuits; just a few simple designs to start with and maybe try and make a cool monokini or fringe top. Because of my gigantic butt, I have a problem finding bottoms that don't dig in or give me enough coverage ( tired of flashing my coinslot), so creating my very own swimwear might be a way to circumvent all of my big-butt problems. 

Love this project from Goldfish Kiss

There are sooooo many fun projects that are just a sewing machine away from filling up a bunch of cold, rainy days. I can't wait to get going and have already been scouring the internet for cool fabrics. Hope you all had a nice Christmas/time off work because of Christmas. Whatever you did over the past week, I hope it was enjoyable. Until next time, adios amigos!

Absolute Last Minute Gifts: Edibles and DIY!!

If you are still sitting on your ass, stressing about all the shopping you didn't get to do, there are still some things that can be done that will produce gifts that won't look rushed or impersonal. You may even be able to use things around the house, or be able to pick these items up at your local grocery, drug store, or Dollar Store. You really can make a DIY gift that won't disappoint like all those macaroni necklaces your mom threw away decades ago. Here are some Pinterest ideas that people will actually want!

1. Paint-Dipped Bamboo Utensils

This is a pretty cool present for the chef in your family, for new homeowners, college kids, or someone who needs to learn how to feed themselves. Bamboo utensils like the ones above can be bought at your local grocery or dollar store. Just tape off where you want the paint line to end and either use some old house paint or use left over spray paint. Customize to match the utensils to the recipients kitchen. Super cute and easy!

2. Homemade Art Work

Pinterest

Pinterest

It doesn't get much easier than getting a cheap canvas at a local art store, taping off some shapes and painting the whole canvas. Once you lift up the masking tape, you'll be left with some cool, modern-looking, geometric art that can be color-customized to fit your friend of family members home decor. The bottom piece is a canvas that was painted one color, then half was painted over with another and just dry-brushed over the mid-line to create a cool softer edge. I think both projects look really cool and I even have my own tape-off art up in various places in my house. All it needs in the end is a signature!

3. Holiday Food Treats

Photo: Closet Cooking

Photo: Food52

Food is always a crowd pleaser. No matter how much someone tells you they don't want sweets around the holidays, they're just one shitty January workday away from wanting to eat their feelings with reckless abandon! Stick to the basics to make sure it'll go down well. My FVAORITE COOKIES EVER are Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies and my favorite non-cookie holiday item is peppermint bark. Both are stupid easy to make and will either make a good gift for a foodie friend or acts as a good last-minute filer gift when you feel like you haven't gotten enough for a certain someone. Put it in a cool reusable tin and you've given a gift that keeps on giving!

4. Homemade Bath Products

Photo: Hey Gorgeous

Photo: idlewife

Bath products don't need to be fancy brand in order to be a good gift. Most people will be blown away and think you're some sort of evil genius if you can handcraft them some sort or bath product. The easiest ones to make a body scrubs and bath fizzies. Body Scrubs only need a few ingredients: Sugar/salt, essential oil of your choice, heavier carrier oil, and a jar. THAT'S IT. Bath fizzies really only need Epsom salts, cornstrarch, baking soda, essential oil and a mold. Click HERE for a good bath fizzy recipe that made the cute little disks above and here are a few of my own body scrub recipes to impress your friends!

Margarita Salt Scrub:

1 1/2 Cup Fine Sea Salt 

1 1/2 tsp. Lime essential oil

3-4 Tablespoons Grapeseed oil*

Warm Lemon Sugar Scrub

1 1/2 Cup Fine Brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp Lemon essential oil

2 Tsp Lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

3-4 Tablespoons grapeseed oil*

I use grapeseed oil because it is light, unscented, and can be found at the grocery store. Sweet almond oil is also a good choice, but steer clear from heavier and scented oils like Olive or vegetable/canola. Avocado would be acceptable too.

 * If you want a sudsy scrub and not an oily one, replace the grapeseed oil with unscented castile soap (Like Dr. Bronner's)

Adjust the grapeseed oil/castile soap to get the desired consistency!

5. Friendship Bracelets

Pinterest

Photo: Henry Happened

You know you cranked out thousands of bracelets at summer camp, so why not jump back on the bandwagon in your time of deep desperation. Friendship/diy-esque bracelets are all the rage now, so capitalize on your craftiness and make your friends some cool jewelry if you're stuck with little resources. Visit your local craft store or repurpose an old fake pearl necklace you haven't worn since your sorority formal and make some cool stackable bracelets. Hemp and black/freshwater pearl bracelets look cool an beachy; you can even use thick cords and hex nuts braided together to make a cool metal- accented piece. The possibilities are endless!

Well I hope this helps some of you super late shoppers that don't feel like killing themeselves at the mall all day tomorrow, or just worrying about the sincerity of your gifts. Homemade stuff may sound lame, but you put your time, creativity, and hard-earned cash into to hand-make a special gift for a special person. Enjoy and get crafty!

Oh Shit, It's Christmas: Amazon Prime Lifesavers!

Amazon Prime Christmas! by elbonner featuring dr martens boots

Who didn't realize that Christmas is next week? Own up! It's ok, you don't have to buy a bunch of poor quality chocolates and crusty eyeshadow palettes from Walgreens, there is still plenty of time when you have Amazon Prime! Amazon Prime is the greatest invention of the 21st century: $70 a year for free, two-day shipping to most places in the US (sorry Hawaii, that's what you get for being TOO PERFECT). What makes Amazon Prime even better is that you can sign up for a free 30 Day trial and cancel it after you've bought all your last-minute gifts!
Now, I scoured Amazon for you, finding the best stuff for your favorite lady, or fabulous male, friends/family to appease them and not look like you rushed and got them a sub-par gift. If you order today, everything should come by Friday the 20th so get to shopping! All of the items listed are available with Prime two-day shipping! YOU'RE WELCOME.

1. Wild Ferns Manuka Honey Hand Cream: New Zealand's Manuka honey is known for it's healing properties and this hand cream is great for dry, winter hands. Great for moms, nurses, or generally scaley people like myself. 

2. Burt's Bees Superfruit Lip-Balm 4pk: Great for stocking stuffers, everyone needs lip balm, no matter what the season. And just about everyone loves Burts Bees! In fact, most Burts Bees products are available with Prime shipping. 

3. The History of Surfing by Matt Warshaw: A big book with pretty pictures all about the best sport ever created. Perfect for beachy dads, history buffs, surfer boyfriends/brothers, or a creepily obsessed beach girl like me!

4. What is the What by Dave Eggers: The perfect book to remind you why you should be thankful for everything you've ever been given. A powerful story that made me a better human!

5. The Game of Things: great as a couples present or for a family. I love this game and whenever there's a big group everybody really likes playing. Board games are ALWAYS good presents!

6. Deborah Lippmann Get Nailed Manicure Essentials: Have a diva princess in the family? Get them this fierce manicure kit with a fancy polish remover, top/base coat, and basic nail colors all in a cute little bag. I always love getting fancy nail stuff!

7. Dr. Marten's Original 8 Eye Boot: If someone got me a pair of Dr. Marten's I would hug them until their head popped off. Guaranteed to be in your closet forever, they are a no-fail gift. You CANNOT go wrong with this one, people. Amazon has them in a variety of colors, but beware, not all colors and sizes may be able to ship Prime. Most are though so get to it!

I hope this helps you late shoppers cope with the impending doom which is the end of the acceptable Christmas shopping season. Don't kill yourself, shop smart! Happy holidays, y'all!

Nailed it!: Stocking Stuffers

Stocking Stuffers by elbonner featuring ncLA

Stocking stuffers are always fun at Christmastime. Making things like tissues and nail clippers glittery and christmasy are a great way to make boring stuff way exciting to receive. Now, if you want to outdo everyone else's nail files, lottery tickets,  and Chili's gift cards, give them some really cool nail art! There are a bunch of drugstore brands that make cool nail wraps, but my favorite come from NCLA. They are a little bit more expensive, but they have really cool patterns, colors, and themes. Wear them to holiday parties, or save them for a rainy day; I can't get enough of these nail wraps! Give yourself or your friends the gift of dope nails this holiday!

ncLA 

Budge The Pudge: A New Holiday Tradition

I messed up guys. I went full-on crazy at Thanksgiving and ate way more than any person should. Probably more than a professional sumo wrestler. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I usually go pretty hard, but I don't know what possessed me to eat as much as I did. After Friday (or what my boyfriend and I call Second Thanksgiving) I was feeling like garbage and knew I needed to slow my roll on the food train. On Sunday I ate a good breakfast, drank lots of water, had a light lunch, and then had the worst workout I think I've ever had in my entire life. I hadn't done many HIIT workouts since I started lifting a lot, and the first one after my hiatus was truly pathetic. I was so mad at myself; I couldn't believe I let myself pig out so badly that week. After an hour of reeming myself out, I got tired of the negativity and in a moment of quiet boredom, I came up with something to keep me going and positive until Christmas (baby steps, people!). I saw Goldfish Kiss (I swear I'm not stalking you) did a post where she made a bikini advent calendar to keep the beach spirit alive during the summer months. Now, since I'd rather watch Glitter a thousand times rather than be in a bikini right now, I came up with a different kind of advent calendar. I call it...

Instead of rewarding yourself for surviving another day with a piece of waxy chocolate, Healthy Advent Calendar has 25 cards all with a different activity that I choose and MUST do each day. It can be an exercise, food related, or just something I should do to keep me sane that I don't do enough of. It's doable things that will only make my life better which is the beauty of Healthy Advent Calendar.

#25 was something that needed to be done yesterday. I was so upset over something that was nothing more than a fitness hissy fit. EVERYONE has bad days, and giving yourself a load of grief isn't going to make that cruddy workout any better. I forgave myself by drinking tea and reading a magazine. No hard feelings! Today was "Add and extra set to every exercise" which I did by completing my video workout without any break or stops. I kept up with the eerily smiling fitness ladies for the first time ever! I'll probably do some squats/push-ups later, but instead of 50 each, I'll do 100! Who knows, all this positive thinking is doing me a favor. The main goal is keeping on track, and something like this reminds me to work at it every day. 

If you want to make your own Healthy Advent Calendar, just cut out 25 squares of paper and write a little daily goal on each square. Number them, or pick them at random for a surprise everyday! I made a cool pocket envelope for mine, but a Ziploc bag will do just fine too. Pick one every morning during breakfast and vow to complete said task before the day is over. By Christmas, you will feel better than you would have if you just let yourself eat all of the cookies at work. Being healthy at holiday time is tough, but little things like this do help. Happy holidays everyone, no matter what you celebrate!