Holiday Pomander

Difficulty Level: Easy

Materials:

- Fresh Clementine or Orange
- Nail
- Box of [Whole] Cloves
- Paper Towels
- Powdered Cinnamon
- A cold, dry space








Directions:

1.Put cloves into a small bowl (for easy access)



2.Put small hole in Clementine with Nail (only puncture to approximately ¼ inch deep.)

3.Cover entire Clementine with cloves.

4.Set out paper towel and generously pour powered cinnamon on it.

5.Roll clove-covered Clementine in powdered cinnamon.

6.Wrap paper-towel (just leave the leftover powdered cinnamon on the paper-towel) around the Clementine.

7.Place in dry, cold place (like a garage) for approximately three to four weeks.

8.Rotate Clementine in paper-towel ¼ turn once a week.

After it dries out – this Pomander adds a holiday aroma to any room. Tie a holiday ribbon around for extra flair, or make a few and pile in a festive bowl for display.

Jewelry Making for the Impatient

This post will probably be amusing to real-life experienced jewelry makers. But as a busy college student, I just don't have the time (or the patience) to sit down a research/read about the how-tos of jewelry making. I'd rather just make it up myself, as I go along.

P.S. One of my BFFs, Amanda, totally came up with this one on her own - and I thought it was such a great idea. A necklace from the mall is about 20 bucks, but this version is only about $5 or $6 (if you have some of the tools to start with).

Difficulty Level: Medium


Materials:

- A starting tool kit for jewelry making (I got mine from the craft store for $12ish)


- Chain

- Findings and Clasps

- Beads

(All of the above are found in the jewelry/beading section of the craft store).


Directions:

1. Start with your chain. How long do you want it? When you know, cut it to the desired length with what I call the "Cutter" 2. Take a finding. Take the "Bender"




and bend on side of the finding while holding the other side of the finding firmly (with the "Holder").

3.Slip this finding onto the last chain-link on your chain. While it's open, slip a clap onto the finding.


4. Bend the finding back into place. Add findings to the other end-side of the chain. Add more findings if necessary.
5. Many beads and charms come already assembled in a chic cluster - like the one my friend Amanda purchased. After your chain is all set, just slip the charm onto the chain.

What would have been $20 plus now can be done for under $10.

Elena's Flower Hair Clip

My friend from high school, Elena, found a great website for fun hair clips.

The only problem was that they were too expensive. Then Elena had a smart realization: she could make one!

Difficulty Level: Easy


Materials:

- Fake flower from craft store (make sure the bottom is flat - good ones can often be found in the scrapbook section).

- Sticky Felt Sheet

- Pin back or metal hair clip (my preference)

- Scissors... and...

- HOT GLUE! Yesssss

Directions:

1. Find a circular object around your house about the size of the fake flower you bought (for example, a candle, a water bottle, etc).

2. Take a sheet of felt with one side of stickiness.

3. Trace around the circular object onto the covered sticky side of the felt sheet.

4. Cut out circle with scissors.

5. Stick the sticky felt onto the flower back.

6. Heat up your handy-dandy glue gun - and glue the hair clip and/or pin back to the flat felt.

7. Press into place - but make sure not to smush the pretty flower.

I'm Dreaming of a Chic Christmas

Yay for yuletide. Though there's only two more weeks in the semester (since my exams are all crammed together). But in my apartment, we need a little Christmas spirit to keep us going during exam time. What's the answer? Decorations! Wooooo

Difficulty Level: Easy

Materials:

- Artificial Wreath (buy @ your local craft store for $4).
- Fake Wire Pearls from the Wedding section of the craft store.
- Wreath Hanger (either from the craft store or Wal-Mart) --> approx. $3

Directions:

1. Fluff up the wire of the wreath.

2. Twine the wire pearls around the wreath.

3. Hang up on a window or door. ( We have to hang our on the back of our door - since we have some tricksters in our apartment building).

Congrats on the Baby

Now, who doesn't love getting cards?

It's fun to send them, too.
But store-bought cards can get expensive.

Solution: make a card the craft-chic way.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Materials:

- Card Stock - your local craft store may even have ready made card stock with envelopes and everything - which costs about $7 for 50 cards, equating to 14 cents a card! Not too shabby.

- Stickers from the scrapbook section of your local craft store


Directions:

1. Put stickers on card.

2. Mail

Ha, it's just that simple to make a chic and personalized card.

Fourth Year Decor

This is the first year that I've had to fully decorate an apartment, since I've always lived in furnished places in college.

Here's one of my many frames...


Difficulty Level: Easy


Materials:

- $1 wooden frame

- Individual wooden letters from local craft store @ 39 cents each.

- Painters tape (or scotch tape)

- Paint brushes

- Acrylic Paint

- Glue Gun (per usual)



Directions:

1. Use painter's tape to make a straight lines, which will eventually make the stripes.

2. Keep painting to the right of the painter's tape. Let each stripe dry first before taking off the paint!

3. Once the paint on a stripe is dry, you can move the tape so that it makes a straight line for you to paint the other stripe colors.

4. Paint wooden letters, let dry, and hot glue gun them onto the frame.

5. Stick in your favorite roomie pic!

Kate Koozie

Perfect for holding q-tips on the bathroom counter, or pencils on your desk.

As you can tell, I kind of like bows.
Difficulty Level: Easy Materials:
- Koozie (found at your local craft store, usually in the $1 bin)
- Sharpie Pen
- Ribbon
- Hot Glue


Directions:

1. Decorate the koozie any way you choose! For this bowed effect, hot glue ribbon around koozie.

2. Tie a pretty bow. Glue bow to ribbon around koozie.

3. Sharpie!


Ah, practical and cute storage.