the 22 list | make something with cork

29 January 2014

I’m not sure what project I had in mind when I put “Make something with cork” on the 22 list. But with this project, I’m pretty glad I did.

I purchased these inexpensive plain cork coasters and thought they would make a fun addition to my Christmas Post-a-parcel package. These DIY cork coasters came together pretty quickly!

Supplies:

Acrylic paint
Multi-medium paste (Mod podge or similar)
Tape
Foam brushes
Plain cork coasters

I had several paint colors to choose from, but I eventually went with red and green since I wanted a really Christmas-y look. But I can’t wait to try it with the gold next time for a chic and classy look!

Step 1: Tape off your design.

Step 2: Using the foam brush, paint in your design. I found that dabbing the paint on works much better than actually trying to spread it. You might need several coats off paint to completely cover the cork (unless you want it otherwise, of course).

Step 3: After waiting for the paint to dry, use the multi-medium paste to seal in the paint. This will keep the paint from running when you put your cold drink on the coaster.

Step 4: Let the multi-medium paste dry completely before use. (Note: The sealant will look white when you first apply it, but it will eventually dry clear.)

And there you have it! Pretty coasters every time you have your drink.

I made two of each design in both red and green, for a set of six altogether.

I love how easily customizable these are. You can even do stripes, or include your initial to get this look. I can’t wait to do this again!

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The 22 list is a list of things I made to accomplish while I’m twenty-two. For more about my 22 list, read this post.

the 21 list // the recap

6 September 2013

image source

Lists are totally my jam.

So when I turned twenty-one, I made a list of twenty-one things to do before I turned twenty-two. Just like I did the year before. And now that that milestone has come and gone, here’s a recap of everything that did (and didn’t) happen.

While this self-professed list-maker panicked and stressed out a little (or a lot) over those things that didn’t get crossed off, I decided to take things easy and let them go. Because hey, it’s supposed to be FUN after all (:

(I didn’t blog about all of them. But you can click through on some of them to read those that I did!)

1. Document my life at 21. (Project Life, here I come!)

2. Make 21 DIY projects. (I made 13 out of 21 projects!)

~~3. Get onto the dean’s list at school.~~

~~4. Try 21 new recipes.~~

~~5. SAVE MONEY.~~

~~6. Visit a museum.~~

~~7. Buy one outfit online.~~

8. Read at least one book a month. (I read 9 out of 12 books.)

~~9. Participate in at least 2 runs.~~

10. Go on a picnic.

11. Spend a day at the park.

12. Cook more Chinese food.

~~13. Write at least 5 thank you cards.~~

~~14. Eat fruit at least once a day for a whole month~~.

15. Keep a running log of distances I run each month.

~~16. Wear only glasses every day for a whole week.~~

17. Take pictures with and develop photos from a disposable camera.

18. Learn 300 new vocabulary words.

~~19. Not spend money for a month.~~

20. Have a baking date/tea party.

21. Happy surprise someone.

In all honesty, I think I did much better on the list last year, and could’ve been more diligent with this year’s list. But between trying to keep up with freshman year, making memories + being with family, this list inevitably got pushed to the back some days. And maybe, I might’ve been a little bit ambitious trying to make 21 DIY projects AND cook/bake 21 new recipes.

Anyhow, I had lots of fun working on this – as always. To be sure, I’m going to put some of these things into the next list, since I didn’t get to them this year (:

Check back soon for the twenty-two list!

21 projects // DIY wrapping paper

4 September 2013

To be honest, I don’t even think there’s tutorial for this.

I was probably inspired by this idea and just went the easy route by stamping on freezer paper with a foam stamp and some neon dye ink. This hardly took any time at all and I was done in less than five minutes. The options are totally endless with these and it’s up to your creativity to come up with whatever designs/patterns you like.

Supplies:

Freezer paper
Foam stamp
Dye Ink or acrylic paint (your choice!)

And here’s how it looks all wrapped up and pretty, ready to go to the giveaway winner!

I love the look of this and the way it turned out. The neon pink pops so nicely on the paper. I didn’t get to try this yet with the acrylic paints pictured but I’m planning to use some other shapes with them. I totally can’t wait to see how the gold paint will look!

12 down, 9 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

21 projects // DIY office supplies

2 September 2013

Although I used the same concept for all these DIYs, I’m going to call the shots here and count them each individually in the list of 21 DIY projects. After all, time is running out, you guys, and I’m still not quite halfway through. But hey, no biggie whether I get everything on the 21 list done or not. I’m totally not going to let myself stress out about this.

And besides, I have too many rolls of washi tape around the house that are meant to be used. Any way to use them up so I get to buy new ones (; Just kidding.

Inspired by these articles on Buzz feed, Brit + Co, and Sew Much Crafting, I went washi tape crazy and taped all the office supplies that were in sight. That includes some notebooks, wooden pegs, binder clips, paper clips, and pencils.

As with all things washi, I love that the tape doesn’t damage whatever I stick it on, and I can easily peel it off if/when I get bored with

And by the way, just in case you’re wondering (which you’re probably not, ha!), I’m still using my DIY washi tape keyboard and LOVE IT. It makes a statement whenever I use my laptop, and still adds such a burst of color to my workspace.

Really, the sky’s the limit with anything you want to washi tape. Whoever invented washi tape has my serious gratitude.

11 down, 10 to go.

P.S. I’m counting down to my birthday this week so look out for a flurry of 21 list-related posts! (:

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

21 projects // DIY travel journal

26 August 2013

I’m not even really sure whether to call this a DIY, since all I really did was compile several printables and put them all into a book, tied together with some twine. But I really had fun doing this so I’m counting it in (;

I made this travel journal for one of my little friends who traveled to America for several weeks. And just to keep her occupied during the long flight there and back, I put together a fun travel journal for her to work on during the trip.

The options of what to include are endless. But here are some of the ones I chose to use: travel journal prompts, map of the United States, games, and journal sheets. (You can find more printables on my Pinterest board.)

I kept things simple – travel journal + color pencils + a pack of chocolate. But really, you can make this as simple or complicated as you like. I would’ve put more things in, but I didn’t have much time to get this together, so nice + simple it was.

6 down, 15 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

21 projects // DIY body scrub

12 August 2013

Before we jump into today’s post, just a heads up that the 100 followers giveaway closes tonight at 1159pm so be sure to enter by then if you haven’t already!

DIY Body Scrub by Rad Mom Cool Kid

Slowly but surely, I’m plodding my way through the list of 21 DIY projects. Probably not all of it will happen, but I’m rolling with it and doing what I can.

I used The Body Shop’s body scrub until I ran out and decided to make my own. So I did, with the help of this pin. And I really liked it.

I love that the ingredients are all-natural and things that you already have in your kitchen. It’s extremely easy to assemble and whenever you run out, you can just mix another batch in no time at all!

I just used the basic version from the pin. But really, you can get as creative (or simple) as you like and add other ingredients as you prefer. Maybe I’ll add some lavender, or tea tree oil the next time I make this…

In the original post, the blogger does caution against storing this in the shower and getting any water in the mixture, which will cause bacteria. So it’s just slightly inconvenient that you can’t store it next to you in the bathroom. But I just remember to bring it along with me whenever I want to use it. And it may be helpful to grab a spoon along the way so no water gets into the jar by accident. Just slightly inconvenient, but no biggie.

And just in case you need anymore convincing on why you should make this, check out this article for five benefits of body scrubs.

5 down, 16 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

21 projects // DIY personalized phone cover

22 July 2013

We’re taking a break from the food posts this week and doing a DIY! (:

To be honest, I’ve had this planned out for awhile now. In my head, that is.

Soon after I got my spankin’ new smartphone, I purchased an inexpensive transparent plastic phone cover from one of the shops along the street with grand plans to turn it into a DIY.

So several months later, I finally got round to doing it. I mean, you need to save these kinda things for summer break, right? (But now that summer break is over and summer school is underway, I’m actually getting around to blogging about it. It’s one of those things, you know.)

But my procrastination aside, my guesstimate tells me that including the printing and cutting, this DIY took less than hour from start to finish. Super simple. Which I totally love.

Supplies:

Plastic transparent phone cover
Patterned paper
Cutting mat
Pen knife
Scissors
This template
Pencil + eraser
Inks + embellishments

I started by printing this template from Google images. I opened the image in Powerpoint, resized and test-printed it a couple of times before getting a size that fit the cover. (I’m sure there’s a less trial-and-error method to get this done, but this method worked for the non-techy girl.) The size that I eventually settled on was 14.4cm by 9.08cm. Then I cut out the template and measured it against the cover to ensure that everything was fitting right. Just a note: I printed the template on regular printing paper, but I would recommend printing on thicker paper like cardstock so it is easier to trace later on.

I have plenty of 6×6 paper pads so I picked my favorite patterns and simply traced and cut them out. I used Dear Lizzy’s older Neapolitan and 5th and Frolic collections. The turquoise paper from 5th and Frolic is a little thicker than the Neapolitan ice-cream cones patterned paper, so it was a little harder getting that into the case. Learning from this, I would definitely pick paper that isn’t too stiff, which would affect the fit of the paper in the case.

For the ice-cream cones, I stamped a sentiment from Amy Tangerine’s Sketchbook clear stamps with Hero Arts neon pink ink, and inked the edges with Versacolor’s mint. For the other turquoise one, I simply included a sticker from Dear Lizzy’s Neapolitan accent and phrase sticker book.

As a girl who loves variety, I love that I can exchange the patterns whenever I feel like it and have endless options to choose from. This is definitely one way to enjoy all the patterned papers I love on a daily basis.

4 down, 17 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

21 projects // DIY bejewelled flip flops

20 March 2013

I originally bought a pair of five dollar flip flops so I could make these.

But then I realized that fickle me would take forever to find the perfect fabric to match the flip flops. So in the end, I just decided to go with something simpler (in terms of having to make fewer decisions, haha) and bejewelled my flip flops.

I didn’t photograph the entire process but it’s quite straightforward, really.

Supplies:

Glue gun (or UHU glue)
Glue sticks for your glue gun
Newspaper (so the glue doesn’t drip onto your work surface)
Inexpensive flip flops
Jewels (I got these from my local sewing store. And if jewels are too loud for you, you can try beads or buttons.)

Steps:

Turn on the glue gun and allow time for it to heat up (mine took about five minutes).
While waiting, decide on the placement of the jewels on your flip flops.
Working quickly, apply glue on the flip flop and adhere the jewel (be careful of your fingers as you do that because the glue is hot!)
Wait for the glue to dry.
And violá! You’re all ready to show off your pretty new flip flops!

Note: I found the jewels loosening and falling off after a couple days, which I wasn’t counting on happening since I thought the glue gun would help them hold pretty well. But I just re-attached them with UHU liquid glue, which may be a better option for this project.

I still think the original idea was really cute. Maybe I’ll try it someday when I find the perfect fabric and some inexpensive flip flops. I think I’m well-prepared for springtime and warm weather with my bejewelled flip flops and mint green nails (: My feet are definitely comfy and happy in these flip flops.

21 projects / DIY ring holder

13 March 2013

I was looking for DIY projects for the 21 list when I stumbled across this DIY ring holder. While I’m really not a big ring wearer, I immediately thought of my friend who was. Funny thing was that she was just telling me the other day that she needed a way to store her ring collection. So this was pretty perfect (:

I just followed the comprehensive instructions on this super easy DIY and it came together in a flash.

I covered a box with patterned paper just to pretty it up and covered the edges with washi tape. The only step I skipped from the original DIY was covering the felt with additional lace or cloth after rolling the felt and gluing them together.

(This is proof of how many rings I have, and even fewer that I actually wear, ha.)

And my sweet friend so kindly sent me a photo of all her rings displayed so nicely in the box.

Easy, practical DIYs are always a plus, for sure.
2 down, 19 to go.

21 projects / DIY washi tape keyboard

17 January 2013

I was looking around on the Internet when I spotted this pretty washi tape-covered keyboard. Very quickly, I googled “DIY washi tape keyboard” and had so many links come up on how to make this happen.

Following instructions from Her New Leaf, Karla Dudley, and Design Aglow (which pretty much all say the same thing), I picked out six of my favorite washi tapes and started on this DIY. My keyboard was covered in a couple of hours and I pretty much love the result.

The neat thing about washi tape is that it’s translucent and easily removable so I don’t have to worry about my laptop keys being ruined if/when I decide to take out the tape. And I can still see what letters and symbols are on each key so my typing doesn’t get messed up.

The only step I skipped was cleaning my keyboard with rubbing alcohol because I was (kinda) in a hurry to try this and didn’t have any rubbing alcohol around the house. Instead, I used a brush to clean out any dirt and wiped down my keys with a wet wipe. Also, my keyboard is normally covered by a silicone protector so I figured I could skip the first step. If your keyboard isn’t protected, I’d go ahead with the first step and use rubbing alcohol to get rid of any oil and dirt.

I would definitely recommend snipping the four corners before sticking the washi on because it certainly helps with it adhering to the keys. By the time I got done covering all the keys, some of the first few keys already had the washi tape curling up. So I’m guessing this DIY might not last too long. But I went ahead and put my silicone protector back on my laptop keys. Hopefully, that helps this project to last awhile longer.

Nonetheless, I love the pops of color on my laptop now and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

I love washi tape and I love a good DIY project. If you try this project, let me know how yours turns out!