DIY Easter Egg Candles

DIY Easter Egg CandlesNo matter how old I get, there are many things I will never outgrow. Chocolate milk, coloring placemats at restaurants, watching the Little Mermaid and crafting (I am secretly still 5!). While I never turn down the opportunity to dye an Easter egg, I wanted to switch things up a bit this year.

candles made from easter eggs

Somehow through all our moves, the eggs that Mr. Runway Chef and I first dyed together have never broken….so of course I decide to break them instead! But only to update them in to candles. It’s a fun way to hold on to something from the past, while looking at it in a whole new candle light!

Easter candles

To make the easter egg candles you will need:

  • Dyed eggs (I used some we had saved from the first batch of eggs we ever dyed together)
  • Tea lights (use 2 per egg)
  • Wick (or you can make your own)
  • Tools: a double boiler, a spoon, a glass measuring cup (to help pour), foil (to cover your workspace for easy clean up), paintbrushes/pencils/wooden spoon & tape (to hold the wicks well the wax sets), and a container to set these up in
  • Optional, food coloring (if you would like to color the wax) and essential oils (for scented candles)

easter crafts Begin by gently breaking off the top portion of the egg.

melting wax Next, remove the wicks and metal holders from the tea lights. Set the metal holders aside, and begin melting the wax over your double boiler.

how to make candles While the wax is melting, set up the eggs. Place each one in a metal holder from the tea lights. Line them up in a semi-shallow container and then lay the paintbrushes across the tops of the eggs.

making easter egg candles

Measure your wicks and cut to the appropriate length, making sure to leave enough room to allow you to tape it on to the brush. Secure the wick in place with the tape.

steps to making easter eggs into candlesOnce the wax has melted, if you choose to dye and scent the wax, now would be the time to do so. Otherwise, working as quickly as possible, pour the wax into the measuring cup and then into the eggs.

easter crafts

Let the eggs harden over night. Remove the tape and brushes, trim the wicks and enjoy!

Easter candles Easter Egg Candles

DIY Business Card Holder Tutorial

DIY Business Card Holder

I dare you to find a cute business card holder. Because you won’t. They are all either hideously ugly, or hideously ugly. And you most certainly won’t find one painted gold and covered in hearts and pink and white twine!

After months of letting my cards sit in random stacks, I stuck them in this old Altoid tin. And after months of letting them sit in the remains of minty freshness, I decided it was time to take this business card holder seriously. So as promised, here is my easy DIY to make your own pretty and unique business card holder for your desk.

DIY-Business-Card-HolderThe only essential item you need is an old Altoid tin. From there ou can use a variety of papers, fabrics, felt, ribbon, twine, paint, spray paint, or even pom-poms to decorate and customize your card holder. For my tin, I used gold spray paint, twine, and felt and ribbon secured on with a glue gun.

DIY-Business-Card-Holder

Paint the outside of your tin.

DIY-Business-Card-HolderCut a piece of felt the size of the inside of the tin.

DIY-Business-Card-Holder

Line the tin with the felt. Attach it with a hot glue gun and then use scissors to trim down any excess felt.

DIY-Business-Card-Holder

Trim the inside with ribbon. You could also use felt here or just leave it plain.

DIY-Business-Card-Holder

Accessorize with glitter, ribbons, twine, etc to jazz it up and make it personal for you. I used heart ribbon I got a while ago in the dollar section at Target (a similar option found here) and this pink and white twine.

DIY-Business-Card-Holder

DIY Business Card Holder DIY Business Card Holder DIY Business Card Holder

DIY Gold Polka Dotted Shower Curtain

Gold Polka Dot Shower CurtainGold Polka Dot Shower Curtain

It has been well documented on here that I love to spray paint and glitter just about anything I can (sleep with one eye open Mr. RC…you could be next!). I really am convinced that glitter and paint truly make everything better. I mean let’s talk about this shower curtain….before it met me and my arsenal of paint, it was just a sad and dreary little piece of plastic. But NOW….it’s bright and cheery and I’m pretty sure if it could talk, it would be definitely thanking me for its fabulous makeover!

Gold Polka Dot Shower Curtain

DIY Gold Polka Dotted Shower Curtain

  • 1 shower curtain (I used this clear one)
  • A piece of cardboard
  • A large jar (or other circular object to make a pattern)
  • A pen
  • An exacto knife
  • Gold spray paint
  • Sealing spray paint

GoldDIY Gold Polka Dot Shower Curtain

1. Make your dot pattern by tracing the jar onto the cardboard and then cutting it out with the exacto knife.

Gold Polka Dot Shower Curtain

2. Next lay out your shower curtain on a hard, clean surface. Make it as smooth as possible.

3. Lay out your circular pattern and if necessary spread old newspaper/magazines around to ensure the paint stays only in the circle.

Gold Polka Dot Shower Curtain

4. Begin spray painting.

Gold Polka Dot Shower Curtain

5. Continue laying out your pattern and spray painting circles until you have covered the entire curtain.

6.  If there is any paint that went astray you can use a q-tip and some nail polish to clean it up. Otherwise, spray with the sealing spray and then let dry for at least an hour. After drying you’ll want to wipe down the shower curtain (around the dots) with a damp cloth to clean up any spray painting mist that may have settled.

DIY Gold Polka Dot Shower CurtainP.S. I apologize for the picture quality…I blame it on our dark and very narrow bathroom!

DIY Decorative Letters

Back in this post I had included a picture of the photo cubes above our bed, atop of which rests some large letters.   I thought the letters would be the perfect finishing touch to our room, especially if they were painted and glittered.  The hubs couldn’t agree more (obviously, what man wouldn’t want a touch of glitter, pink to be exact, in their bedroom??!!). Unfortunately, all the letters I found were poorly made and overpriced, so I set about to make my own. They were super easy to make, albeit a bit time-consuming, and they can decorated however you choose (which was still glitter for me, but as you can see from here I decided to save the Mr. from losing all masculinity & covered his letter with twine).

Materials Needed

1 sheet of thick white poster board

A hot glue gun

Letter stencils (I used these, but this also list some other options)

An exacto knife

Decorations-paint, glitter, twine, etc.

1. Working on a flat, hard surface stencil your letters onto the white board. (The stencils are just a guide so feel free to adjust to your liking…For example, I added an extra inch all the way around the letters I traced so that they would be thicker). You will need a set of 3 white board cut-outs for each letter you want to make.

2. Stack up your cut-outs to make sure they line up and trim or cut as necessary to make sure they match as close to evenly as possible.

3. Using your glue gun, outline one letter in glue. Attach another letter on top and hold for a few seconds. Repeat with the 3rd cut-out. Set aside to dry.

4. Decorate your letters!  I used Modge Podge to hold the glitter in place and for the twine, I just wrapped it around, only securing the ends with spray adhesive.

DIY-Terrarium

Most days, I think that I’m still pretty young.

And by young I mean I go to bed at 9, wake up at 6, drink my tea while reading, and a wild  night for me consists of a glass of wine while playing scrabble. I live a crazy life, let me tell you!

In keeping with my forever young theme, I have recently realized how much I miss gardening (yes, Mom, that wretched chore you used to make me do!). Being that I live in a concrete jungle, gardening is also a far fetched dream.

And then I remembered the terrarium. Not only is it the cure to the gardening “itch” but it makes a beautiful (and low maintenance) decoration.

Terrarium

What You Need
-Dirt
-Stones (Can be found in craft stores,hardware stores, or Ikea)
-Mini stones/sand (Can be found in craft stores,hardware stores, or Ikea)
-Glass container (mine’s from Ikea…flea markets,craft stores,etc are good places to look too)
-Succulent plants (I got mine at Lowe’s)

 

Gather your supplies.

Remove your plants from the container. (I like to use scissors to gently cut them out so as not to damage the roots or plant leaves.)

Slightly break up the roots and lay your plants out while you go through the remaining steps.

Start layering your “ingredients”. First put either the small stones/sand, or do a mix of both, whichever you choose. Next add a little dirt. Position your plants in the way you like them best then finish covering the roots with dirt.  

Finish with whatever decorative toppings you choose, whether it’s more small rocks, spanish moss or even some small figurines.

 

*While some people recommend that you put charcoal in the bottom rock layer to assist with filtration, my botanist mother said this is not necessary as the sand/small rocks will already be filtering*