Posts tagged DIY

For all of you last minute gift givers out there….Martha Stewart to the rescue! In doing my own DIY Mother’s Day gift idea research, I stumbled upon this easy and thoughtful gem: a DIY Body Scrub for Mom.

With only 4 ingredients, all it takes is a little time (which you still have).

Check out Martha’s recipe and get the printables here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/265388/body-scrub?center=307033&gallery=342076&slide=265388

Need a gift for the crafty Mama in your life?  Then check out “celebraTORI” - the latest book from one of my favorite celeb Moms, Tori Spelling.

In the book, Tori dishes on her tips and tricks for throwing the perfect party - no matter what the occasion. From showers to birthday parties, she has you covered - and - she does it on a budget!

This is a fun book for any mama that likes to entertain!  It is currently on sale for $16.99 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/celebraTORI-Unleashing-Planner-Entertain-Friends/dp/1451627904/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336526912&sr=8-1

I LOVE this idea!  My friends at Bakerella posted this, and I just HAD to share it!

Layer the ingredients of any cookie recipe in a jar, top with fabric, a bow and a custom-made label, and you’ve got a thoughtful and yummy DIY gift idea!

This makes a great gift for teachers, mothers day, and generally anyone that loves cookies (and isn’t afraid to bake them). 

These are called Cowgirl Cookies - they have oats, m&ms and pecans in them. Here is a pic of the final product:

And, here is a link to the post so you can create your own yummy gift!

http://www.bakerella.com/mix-things-up/

My In-Laws anniversary was a few weeks ago, and I decided to get a little creative.  

My Mother-in-Law had been wanting a cake plate and she also loved the sugar cookies I made around the holidays..so..I decided to combine the two, add some love birds to the mix, and voila! I created their Anniversary Gift :)

I purchased the cake plate at Home Goods and the Love Birds at Michaels.

You can make many variations of this gift (cake plate or other dish, cookies, cake or cupcakes, and any sort of keepsake in the middle). 

Here are some pictures of the process followed by Martha Stewart’s (delicious) Sugar Cookie Recipe:

I rolled out the dough and cut the cookies in the shape of a heart.

I decorated the cookies with family members names (dogs included), sayings about love, happy anniversary, and of course lots of hearts!

I placed the cookies on the plate around the love birds :)

]

Placed the lid on and wrapped it up in tissues paper:

The gift was a HIT! :) 

MARTHA STEWART’S (Delicious) SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE:

Ingredients

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-inch one-piece-shaped cookie cutter. 
• Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Get the kiddos involved this Summer with this adorable DIY birdhouse from Melissa & Doug!

This is a great gift for any child that enjoys crafting and nature.

When it’s all done, it looks like this:

It’s $12.99 and can be found here:

http://www.melissaanddoug.com/build-your-own-wooden-birdhouse

Do you have a wine lover in your life? Instead of bringing them a bottle of wine, get a little crafty and make some Chalkboard Wineglasses! 

Fellow Mama blogger Deb Thompson posted this cute idea, and I had to repost it.  I love a gift that has some thought and craftiness behind it! :)

She made 8 Chalkboard Wine Glasses and it cost her a total of $18.

Click on the link below to check out the process and learn how to make your own DIY glasses:

http://justshortofcrazy.com/2011/09/chalkboard-wine-glasses-tutorial.html

DIY designer cupcakes - this is definitely a “why didn’t I think of that?” IDEA! 

Cupcake Cuties were created by a working Mama who decided decorated cupcakes shouldn’t just be for special / fancy occasions (and didn’t have to cost a ton of $$$).

The kits come with everything you need to jazz up a cupcake!  You provide the cupcakes and the possibilites are endless! Pictured above is the Jungle Animal Theme (comes with everything you need to decorate 24 cupcakes).

And, here is another adorable idea -The Popcorn Cupcake -perfect for movie night/Oscar viewing party:

I especially love this one - The Sushi Cupcake:

The kits start at $12.99 and can be found here:

http://www.cupcakecuties.com/