DIY

DIY No Sew Burlap Bunny Utensil Holder

March 30, 2017 by Laura Tucker 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and ConAgra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetenYourSpring #CollectiveBias

Every year when spring rolls around, I always look forward to sprucing up my home with cheery decor and bright pastel colors. I recently decided to add some colorful new plates to my collection to create a fun spring tablescape for my family to enjoy during Easter dinner this year. As I brought my plates home and set them out on the table, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. They needed a little touch of pizzazz, and after I pondered for a few minutes, a bright idea hopped right into my mind!

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DIY “Starter Fluid” Emergency Coffee Kit

April 12, 2016 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DunkinCreamers #CollectiveBias

Imagine this: You’ve made it to work, half awake and nearly late. You make your way to the break room to pour yourself a cup of much needed coffee. I mean, let’s face it, nothing good will come from this day until you’ve had your coffee.

You fill your cup only to find that some horrible, horrible person has swiped the last of the creamer, sugar, etc. The thought of taking your coffee any other way than exactly how you like it makes you want to curl up in a hole and cry. A parade of cuddly kittens could not even cheer you up at this point.

Sounds AWFUL, right?! But when you think about it, a scenario much like this happens in public places everywhere on a daily basis. (Let’s take a moment of silence for those poor, poor souls that went without their cup of beloved coffee made perfectly to their liking this morning.) Godspeed, my friends!

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Sharing a Blissful Moment with Others – DIY Bliss Bouquet

March 17, 2016 by Laura Tucker 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BlissfulMoments #CollectiveBias

Just ten short months ago, my beautiful baby girl made her debut into this world. I dove right into the deep end of motherhood for the very first time, and my eyes were opened to things that only becoming a mother could prepare me for. It’s been an incredible journey, but it did not come without several major adjustments to my life.

One of those major adjustments was the loss of quality “me” time. All of a sudden, I had this tiny little human that depends on me for everything. I am there for her every moment she is awake, and in those very precious moments that she closes her eyes to take a nap, I tend to everything else around me that needs to get done. Very little of that time is spent on myself.

If fact, in 10 months I have only had 3 successful naps! While having a baby is amazing, it can definitely be mentally challenging sometimes. I know every parent out there can certainly relate to this in some way. “Me” time usually doesn’t happen, and when it does, it’s probably not about me anyway!

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3 Delicious DIY Gifts Using Peppermint Essential Oil

November 27, 2015 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

The holidays are among us!

Have you been as busy as I have trying to figure out what to get everyone on your shopping list this year? Sometimes gift shopping in our house can get crazy if we don’t stay on top of our game. My list currently has 22 people on it (and I feel like I’m leaving someone out! Eeek!). I try not to let the pressure of gift buying get to me. After all, we’re supposed to enjoy this time of year!

If you’re stressing about what to get some of the people on your list, don’t empty out your pocket book! Share the holiday joy by filling their tummies with a few yummy treats instead!

I’ve brought together 3 simple and delicious treats that would make a wonderful gift for anybody on your list! I’ve used Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil in all of my recipes, but you can substitute the oil for peppermint extract if you’d like. I’ll even share a few ideas on how to wrap them up. 🙂

If you’re interested in learning more about essential oils, I’ll include a link at the very bottom of this post that will direct you to a fabulous site with lots of helpful information!

Crazy Simple Peppermint Bark {Using Peppermint Essential Oil}

Copycat Peppermint Patties {Using Peppermint Essential Oil}

Double Mint Brownies {Using Peppermint Essential Oil}

I hope you find the perfect to give your friends and family members this year, and I hope these 3 delicious DIY gifts using peppermint essential oil come in handy! If you decide to try out one of these recipes, I’d love to hear how it turned out!

Interested in learning more about essential oils? Check out what my sister has to say about them on her blog! She’s put together some really great and helpful information to help you out. You can read more here.

Copycat Peppermint Patties

November 14, 2015 by Laura Tucker Leave a Comment

I’ve definitely been on a peppermint kick here lately. I’ve been having so much fun buying stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts for my 6 month old this week, and it’s just really put me in the holiday spirit! While I’m not ready to start decorating my house yet (that absolutely comes AFTER Thanksgiving in this house), smelling and using peppermint essential oil certainly makes me want to!

I recently posted a delicious recipe for double mint brownies using peppermint essential oil. I mentioned how it would be a great gift to package up and give to family members or friends for the holidays. I then started brainstorming some other ways that I could use peppermint oil in the kitchen. I wanted to think of some yummy treats that would also be great to share with others as a gift. Then I thought of these:

Say hello to my little friends!

I was so excited to try my hand at making these. They’re pretty darn close to real peppermint patties as far as taste goes. They’re just missing that perfectly pressed/processed round shape that the real ones have. But who needs that anyway, right?! These are also a little bit healthier that the real deal, too. Here’s what you’ll need to make these:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup refined coconut oil (It doesn’t have a coconutty taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 or 4 tbs corn syrup (Honey also works great!)
6-7 drops peppermint essential oil (You can also use 1 tsp peppermint extract instead of EO)
Chocolate almond bark or baking chips, melted

Directions:

Mix coconut oil, peppermint oil, corn syrup and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. The coconut oil will start to soften as you mix. (Tip: Before mixing, slightly melt the coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds to ensure that you can stir it easily. Do not melt so much as to make it completely liquid.)
Place the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to harden a bit.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Once the filling has hardened in freezer, take it out and dip out spoonfuls of the filling onto the wax paper. If you’d like, press them into a flatter shape. Be careful though, because the coconut oil will melt very quickly if you use your hands to press them.
Place back into the freezer for another 10 or so minutes.
Melt chocolate
Remove patties from freezer. Using a spoon, pour chocolate over each patty. *Note: You may find that the chocolate doesn’t stick right away because the coconut oil melts quickly. That’s OK. You’re going to repeat this process a second time, and it will stick much better the second time.
Place back in freezer for another 10 minutes. Remove and pour chocolate over each patty once more. If you’d like, you can repeat the process a third time to cover the bottom with chocolate
Place in freezer or refrigerator for a final time to allow to harden. Once you’ve done this, you’re all done! Enjoy!

While these can sit out, they are best stored in the refrigerator. Coconut oil can quickly melt if it is ever at a temperature slightly hotter than room temp.

If you’re making these to give as a little DIY gift, you can put them in a cute little Christmas tin or put in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon like I did! These are so yummy and just melt in your mouth. Anyone who loves chocolate and mint together would love these for sure!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils, I recommend checking out this post that my sister wrote. You can find it here: Getting Into Essential Oils as a Skeptic. It’s packed full of great into and tips on how to get started.

DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Hair Bow + Video Tutorial

November 7, 2015 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

I’ve been having so much fun trying my hand at ribbon sculptures. There are so many different things you can make, and some of them are SO stinkin’ simple! I recently shared my first ribbon sculpture with you, which was a super cute little elephant bow. You can find it + a video tutorial on how to make it here. This time, I’ll be showing you how to make a cute little turkey hair bow!

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. The cool Fall air, the fabulous food and time well spent with family has always made it my favorite holiday. (Except that one year that my mom made my little brother and I dress up like a pilgrim and a Native American on Thanksgiving day back in 1998. No amount of dressing and cranberry sauce could’ve made that frown turn upside down!) 😉

Judging by that major side-eye, I’d say little brother is NOT impressed!

Anyway! I knew I wanted to make something cute and festive for my daughter, so I decided to give a turkey sculpture a try. Hopefully she won’t be embarrassed by this later in life. But really, how could she? She’s SO cute! I’ll take her wanting to model it at 5:00 this morning as a sign that she likes it. 🙂

Below I’ve shared a step-by-step video tutorial on how to make this little holiday bird. Get your glue guns ready! This one will take no time at all! Here’s what you’ll need:

DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Hair Bow Tutorial:

If you decide to give this a try, I’d love to know how yours turned out. Stay tuned, I’ll have a Christmas ribbon sculpture tutorial coming up soon!

DIY Elephant Hair Bow + Video Tutorial

October 23, 2015 by Laura Tucker 2 Comments

Maybe it’s my Southern showing, but I believe a little girl is never fully dressed without a hair bow. In my eyes, a hair bow is as good as a crown. The bigger, the better! My daughter is at a blissful age where she doesn’t snatch her bows out yet, so I’ve been having so much fun making new hair bows for her to wear.

While perusing Etsy a while back for a little inspiration, I stumbled across ribbon sculptures. Have you ever heard of them? I was really excited by what I was seeing! Basically instead of a traditional hair bow, people are sculpting the ribbon to take the form of an object, an animal, or characters such as the Disney princesses and Ninja Turtles.

I decided to take a stab at making my own. Since it’s football season, I thought a little elephant would be perfect while cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Can I get a Roll Tide??)

I was pleasantly surprised by how simple it was to make! I wanted to share the hair bow love, so I made a tutorial showing you how to make one step by step. Feel free to take a look! If you decide to make one for yourself, I’d love to hear about how it turned out.

Have you ever taken a stab at making your own hair bow? Maybe you’re as excited about the world of ribbon sculptures as I am! Do you have a particular sculpture you’d like to see a tutorial on? Let me know by leaving a comment!

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