DIY Gel Manicure

Howdy!

I am going to be in a friend's wedding next weekend, which I am super duper excited about! She picked out this gorgeous OPI pink-nude nail color to go with our sangria-colored dress. I absolutely love the elegance of it all!

ANYWAY... I work all week so I can't get a manicure and I will not have time to do my nails at all in the two days before the wedding. Everyone knows that no matter what the brand, nail polish only lasts up to 3 days without chipping, so I was in a real pickle!

Then I found out about Sally Hansen's gel nail base & played around with it for weeks until I found the perfect solution that lasts over a week! So here it is, folks, the best DIY gel nail manicure around. The best part is that this does NOT require a UV salon lamp!!

The Ingredients:

• Base Coat
• Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Hardener
• ANY Nail Polish (that's right, any kind... it doesn't have to be a special gel nail polish!)
• Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat OR Sally Hansen No Chip Top Coat

The Process:

The more time you can devote to this, the better, but I understand you probably have a jam-packed schedule like me, so you can definitely do this in under 15 minutes.

1. 1 thin coat of your favorite base coat. I love the Wet 'n' Wild base coat because it really works to protect your nails and keep them healthy. (Dries in ~1 minute)
   
   
2. 1 coat of Sally Hansen Hardener. (Dries in ~1 minute, I give it 2, just in case)
   
   
3. 1 coat of nail polish. (Let dry for as long as you need... 3-10 minutes)
   
   
4. 1 coat of Sally Hansen hardener. (Dries in 1-2 minutes)
   
   
5. 1-3 coats of your nail polish. Whatever it takes to get the color you desire. (Let dry fully. You may use ice water to accelerate the drying process)
   
1. Side note, if you've never used the ice water drying process, you should DEFINITELY try! Let your nails air dry for a minute or two, then put each nail under running cold water for 20 seconds OR soak your entire hand it a bowl of ice water for 20 seconds. Top 2 coats will dry automatically!
   
6. 1 coat of Sally Hansen Top Coat. (Dries in 1 minute)
   

VIOLA! Perfect gel nails that will last at least 1 week! :)

Happy Manicuring :)

DIY Towel Cake

I found this idea on the Internet, but I have to say, I really made it look good. Put in a little time & effort and viola! Beautiful gift straight from the registry!

My friend's bridal shower had a theme: Sunflower Soirée AND she had brown towels on her registry so this worked perfectly for me. It was a great bridal shower gift that also doubled as decor.

It isn't the cheapest gift in the book, but it's a great DIY because nothing like it exists, it's adorable, and the bride will love the way you presented her registry gift!

The end product:



What you need:

• 2 full-sized bath towels
• 2 hand towels
• 2 washcloths
• 1 dowel rod
• 3+ corsage pins
• silk flowers 

How to do it:

1. Lay 1 of the bath towels flat on the ground. Fold it in half so it becomes skinnier. Roll the towel up tightly, like a sleeping bag. Set it aside. 
2. Lay the second bath towel flat on the ground and fold it in half so it becomes skinnier. Place the first rolled up towel on top of it and roll the second towel up around the first. 
3. Take a corsage pin and pin the end of the towel to the towel base. If you're not comfortable with it holding, use 2 or more. This is the bottom tier
4. Repeat with the other types of towels in order to create each cake tier.
5. Stick the dowel rod in the center of the bath towel roll. Place the dowel rod through the middle tier and place the top tier atop the dowel rod.
6. Your cake is complete! Now all you need to do is decorate :)

Happy crafting! :)

DIY Bachelorette Gifts

I'm officially at the age where most of my friends are getting married (me included!). I've searched day in & day out for gift ideas that will blow others out of the water; something special that the bride will cherish and appreciate. I definitely use the registry as much as possible for my gifts, but when it comes to bachelorette parties, there is no registry so I just do what I want. And what I want... that is below!

Here are some ideas for some cute DIY bachelorette gifts that every bride will love :)

1. No gift is complete without  its wrapping. 
   
   The bag: Panty party? Bringing lingerie? Why not decorate the bag in a very bachelorette manner? Super sexy!
   
   
2. Stocking-stuffers.
   I love throwing little additions into a gift, goofy side notes to the main gift.
   A major one? Nail polish with a cute tagline -
   
   
   
   
   Or dress it up a little!
   
   
   There are some seriously cute ideas out there!
   
3. Outfit-Inspired Gift:Don't just buy lingerie, make your lingerie gift fun!
   
   Traffic lights: In the red tissue wrap a non-sexy outfit to let him him he might as well stop. In the yellow wrap a cute nightie to show him to proceed with caution. In the green wrap some sexy lingerie to let him know to go for it!
   
   
   The Panty Bouquet: Roll em up horizontally & stick them in a silicon cupcake-shaped cake mold or a vase
   
   
   or any other sort of holder to look like a bouquet or cupcake! If you want to make long stem roses, use some floral tape to create the stems.
   
   
   
   
   
   The panty cake/box: Tie each pair of panties together with a ribbon, attaching the last one to a longer ribbon at the top. When she goes to unwrap the ribbon on the box she will pull the first pair out and more and more panties will keep coming!
   
   
   Groom's Choice: If you know the groom well enough, play to his interests. Is he obsessed with superheroes? Throw in a pair of Batman undies or Spider-Man lingerie. The groom will greatly appreciate it!
   
   
4. The alcohol-based gift.
   Wine for first the first year(s) -
   
   
   Glammed liquor for the night: All you need is some Mod Podge, glitter, and some rhinestones or other gems from your local crafting store!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   HAPPY GIFTING! :)
   

DIY Wedding Ring Framed Holder

These are so cute, I saw it on Etsy & thought to myself: "HEY! You're kinda crafty, you can do that instead of paying someone else $10 to do it & ship it to you from Randomsville, Tennessee!" So I did it! It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but once I figured out the trick to it, making this cutie was a breeze & a half!

What am I talking about? A framed ring holder. You can sit one by each of your sinks, so it doesn't get soapy or fall down the drain while you cook or wash your hands. It's fantastic & really could cost you less that $5. AND if you're my age and it feels like every one you know is getting married, it's a great, cheap, personal bridal shower gift. Icing on top of the cake you already baked!

First off, here are a few examples of what I'm talking about, in case my vivid description didn't do the trick for you. Take a look & make sure this is something you're interested in before you waste vital crafting time.

Okay, so you're still here so you must like what you see. Good! I'm glad I've hooked you, so I'll get to the point now. 

You'll need:

• A picture frame. I like a tiny 1 that would fit those wallet photos that no one develops anymore because no one has room for pictures in their wallets. Get one of those. I always go to Hobby Lobby first because they have what feels like hundreds of options & they are always 50% off, so 1 frame can cost you $1-5. No biggie. Pick whichever color & design your heart desires :) If you want to go bolder or put a phrase in your frame with Scrabble letters, go bigger! The same principle to create the holder still applies.
• Corsage Pins. You can get these from Walmart or crafting stores & they're infinitely handy. I used them for a towel cake this month too! They're the pins with the little fake pearl glued to the end; a perfect ending to make sure your wonderful ring doesn't fall off the pin!
• Paint or something else for the background. I like to go with black acrylic paint because it dries fast & black looks great as a background color. Folkart is my go-to paint brand. You'll also need something to paint with, most people who have paint have smallish brushes that will work well ;) You can do so many things with this, just use my basic how-to guidelines to help you out.
• Super/wood glue. A tiny bottle goes a LONG way.
• If you want, you can even spruce up the frame itself with pearls, jewels, or sparkles. Just grab the extras & some modge-podge while you're at your local crafting store!

That is seriously it!

The Process:

1. Get rid of your frame's glass window.
2. Paint/decorate the frame's backing.
3. Decorate the frame (if you choose).
4. Take your corsage pin & stick it just north of the center of the backing. Most backings have a metal hole in this area, which will help stabilize the pin. Stick the corsage pin through this hole.
5. Determine how far out you want the pin to stick. REMEMBER it needs to be far enough out for the ring to sit on the corsage pin & not fall off! 
6. Once you've got the length figured out, bend the corsage pin upward so it fits in back & no one gets stabbed!
7. Take the crazy/super/horse/wood glue & glue the pin down.
8. After the glue sets, you may want to cover the entire back of the frame with decoration OR just paint over the corsage pin.
9. TA-DA! Your project is complete!

The pin goes through the hole & bends around the frame prop

Super glue the pin down

Complete! This is the holder I created for myself, so excuse the poor tester handwriting ;)

There are so many different ways to vary it up, so try your own! Create a phrase or do side-by-side spousal ring holders for the bedside table. Whatever suits your fancy! That is one of the fantastic things about this, you can get so creative and personable with these. Here are some more ideas to get those creative juices flowing:

Happy crafting :)