It's my birthday, I can craft if I want to.

Yup, it really is my birthday.  Since everyone I love is either sleeping, working, or 200+ miles away, I've pretty much had the day to myself.  Boring, you say?  Not at all.  You see, I'm what you call an introvert.  While enjoying the company of others, my favorite way to spend my down time is either by myself (or Aaron) with a good book or DIY project.

So, what have I chosen to do with all this time to myself (besides eat half a bag of my favorite chips - salt and vinegar.  Don't judge me, it's my birthday)?  Well, there have been a couple of projects that I've wanted to try, so I did both of them.  I'll save the other one for a later date, but here's today's:

Bleach Pattern T-shirts

I've had this old t-shirt that actually already has a couple small bleach spots - not too bad, but enough to keep me from wearing it.  So I figured, hey, why not bleach it some more?  There are a couple of ways you can do this.  I chose to use a stencil I already had to form the pattern on the shirt, and just dabbed on the bleach with a sponge brush.  You can also use (and I really want to try this) a bleach pen, so you can literally draw your own designs on to your shirt...I KNOW you just got excited about that.

Materials:

1. Bleach.  Any old brand will do.
2. T-shirt.  Any old t-shirt will do.  Please excuse the cat hair on mine - she really is a menace sometimes.
3. Stencil.  Any old stencil will do.
4. Cardboard, newspaper, or cutting board. Any old...eh, whatever. I opted for the less conventional cutting board to slip underneath the shirt to keep the bleach from bleeding through to the back.

• Place your stencil where you'd like the design to be on your t-shirt.  My stencil was moving around a bit, so I taped it down.  
• Mix your water and bleach solution.  I used about 4 tablespoons of bleach and 1.5 cups of water.

• Using the sponge brush, conservatively dab the bleach solution on to your t-shirt.  I say CONSERVATIVELY because the bleach will bleed, and you want a DESIGN, not a giant bleach blob...unless, of course, you ARE going for a giant bleach blob.  Then, by all means, blob away.

• See? You can see the color change right away!  Spiffy.

• Dangerously nearing "blob" status...but, not too bad!

• I got the bleaching fever...probably also known as bleach fumes...so I decided to do one more design...

• I was even MORE conservative with the bleach this time around, and, thus, you can see more of the pattern.

 At this point, I decided to call it quits.  The shirt didn't turn out too badly - I still the think the bleach pen idea is a waaaaay better option, but this wasn't bad for improvisation.

In other news, my magnificent hubby, who finally awoke from his deep, day-time slumber, went to go get me dinner (so I could sit on our patio reading while a thunderstorm rolled in - fave!), flowers, THE BEST ROOT BEER EVER (don't judge me, it's my birthday), and Peanut M&Ms (don't judge me, it's my birthday).  Overall, a successful birthDAY.  Looking forward to my birthday WEEK....!

Chalkboard Paint.

Oh geez.  The possibilities!  I'm not going to lie, after I bought a bottle of chalkboard paint, I walked around my apartment, bottle in hand, scheming which items I could legitimately turn into chalkboards.  I stood in front of my bathroom mirror, wishing against things like security deposits, just so I'd be able to paint half of the mirror with chalkboard paint (because that could be totally useful and cool...right?).

Luckily I came to my senses before something serious happened.....like before I started painting my face or my cat or something else catastrophic.  In any case, I settled for painting a mug that I picked up at Goodwill for $.50.   That way, if I decided it didn't work out well, it was only a $.50 mug that got ruined and not.....my bathroom mirror or my face.


Materials you're going to need:

Paint palette, paintbrush, cheap mug, Martha Stewart Crafts Chalkboard paint in black.

Materials with a cat option added.

1. Chalkboard Paint.  There are a couple of options that you've got here.  At Michael's, there were two main types of chalkboard paint:  spray paint or conventional paint, both in black or green.  I chose Martha Stewart conventional chalkboard paint simply because it was specifically a multi-surface paint.  I plan on doing some experimenting with the other varieties, which, of course, I will post about.
2. Mug.  Cheap mug from Goodwill.  
3. Soft paint brush.  Make sure this brush is SOFT.  I didn't really think about this as I was doing this project (big surprise there), but a stiffer bristled brush will not evenly coat the paint.  Go for a water color brush, or perhaps a sponge brush.
4. Painter's tape.  I thought regular masking tape would work just as well.  False.  Painters tape will leave a cleaner edge.  The masking tape was kind of a mess...you'll see.

 







Okay, got all that?  Here's what you do:

• Starting with a clean, dry mug, tape off the areas of the mug you don't want paint on.  You can paint part of the mug or the whole thing.  I opted for a stripe around the middle.  If you choose to paint the entire mug, make sure you leave room at the top to put your mouth on - I really don't think this paint is food safe.  And, for heaven's sake, do a better job than me when you're taping up your mug.  This looks like I did it blind folded. 
• Once you've got your mug taped, start painting!  Apply the paint in thin, even coats, allowing it to dry after each coat.  

• After your last coat of paint, carefully peel off the painter's tape.  If you look closely at the mug, you can see ridges in the paint because I didn't use a soft paintbrush.  Also, the edges aren't exactly uniform and even.  Stop being a perfectionist, you say?  Well, setting perfectionism aside, if your edges aren't clean, it's more likely the paint will chip.  Aaaand, ridges in the chalkboard part make the mug harder to write on.  Just sayin'. 

• Before you write on the mug, you're supposed to "season" it with chalk?  I'm not really sure what that does, exactly, but that's what the directions on the paint bottle said to do, so that's what I did.

• Yay!  A chalkboard mug!  

Considerations and Disclaimers:

Okay, so, look.  This paint?  It's cool, but it's probably not food safe, dishwasher safe, etc, etc.  Don't let your child, dog, cat, lizard, whatever - don't let them lick this mug or anything.  Apparently there is a water-based, nontoxic variety of chalkboard paint that is probably food safe (and is also microwave and dishwasher safe), I was just too lazy and impatient to order it online.  I fully plan on using this mug like normal, but I'm stupid like that sometimes.  Click here for more info about the nontoxic variety of paint, as well as where I got this sweet project idea. 


Excited as I am about this stuff?  Click here for other projects that you could do with chalkboard paint (and I probably will, eventually).  If nothing else, I have an old frame that I plan on repurposing into a chalkboard that I'll post about.  But the link provides some very cool, very brave ideas for turning stuff into chalkboards.


Did this inspire you to chalkboard it up?  Do you have something you'd like to turn into a chalkboard?  Let me know what you did (or are planning to do)!


Happy painting!

Unforseen Circumstances.

To all three of my faithful readers out there, I'm so sorry about the lack of project postings this week.  I've been stranded in my hometown because my car broke down (typical).  It's been a long, LONG week, fully worthy of consideration for day-time soap opera material.  BUT.  I'm a firm believer in mostly positive thinking, and finding the humor in any given situation.  Why cry when you can laugh?  AMIRIGHT?

So, in a week full of "do withouts," here's what I've learned:

1. I love my husband very much, and miss even his most annoying antics more than I ever thought I would.
2. My family is generous, supportive, sympathetic, and they LOVE me.  Even though this visit was unplanned and has been inconvenient, it's also been really great getting to hang out with them.  I've gone to church with them, had a wonderful Fourth of July get-together with their pastor and his awesome family, floated down a river on obnoxiously colored inflatables with my mom, gone shopping, cooked, and have done menial housechores (including landscaping on the HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR - but that only lasted about 20 minutes before we dropped the shovels and broke out the swimsuits and the inflatables).  All of these things, down to the menial housechores, have been a great way to spend time with the people I care about deeply - time that we don't often get to share with each other.
3. Sometimes trusting that things are going to work out is really hard to do, and sometimes things just straight up don't work.  Again, instead of crying about it (well, maybe I cried just a little), I've learned to take in a deep breath through the nose, exhale sharply, shake it off, and go, "Okay, that sucks.  But how do we move forward from here?" 
4. I have a lot of junk - some of which I miss right now, some of which I don't.  But, I'm thankful, after having limited resources this week, for what I've got.  Cliche?  You bet your sweet bippy it is - but it's sincere.

Okay, that was all the emotional stuff.  Here's the funny stuff I learned this week:

1. My suspicions have been confirmed:  my cat Cuddles is actually an assassin.
2. I'm about 85% sure I have a disorder called "misophonia."  So does Kelly Ripa.  Google it.
3. "Teste Toss" is NOT a widely-approved name for the yard game "ladder ball."
4. I can't sit quietly for more than 10 minutes.  This is an interesting development.  In fact, since I started composing this post, I've broken into song at least four times - "Step by Step" by New Kids On the Block, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, and "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.  That's right.  Aladdin.  
5. Extreme heat makes me want to be outside MORE.  What?!

And the week's not even over yet!  I have an interview tomorrow, so that should make for some good stories too...hopefully like "I-totally-rocked-that-interview" stories and not "I-am-a-complete-and-utter-fool" stories.

So, as long as the risk that I took with my car plays out to my advantage, I should be home by Saturday, and I'll be back to my normal craftiness. 

Maybe I'll even have a job.

Get excited, AKF.

Paint On.

I have a feeling paint is going to revolutionize my decorating world.  Like most things that I'll be trying in this blog, it seems so obvious.  Paint is probably the fastest, easiest way to revitalize a lot of things in your house. Your coffee table doesn't match anything anymore?  Paint it.  Need a pop of color in your kitchen?  Paint your REFRIGERATOR.  Or your cabinets.  Is your dresser old laminated wood and the most boring piece of furniture in the history of mankind and you've considered (multiple times) trashing or donating it but keep holding on to it because you're too cheap to buy a new one?  Yep, you guessed it...paint it.

So.  Today I start my foray into painting.  Because I'm trying to avoid tackling a project that I'm definitely not ready for yet, I'm starting small.  Or just because I'm a straight up coward.  Whatever.  As much as I want to refurbish my old dresser NOW, fear and/or wisdom (and my husband) are telling me to start with planters.

You got it.  Planters.

Don't be disappointed.  It's actually really useful.  Again, because I am cheap a smart consumer, whenever I have to buy a pot, I buy the cheapest one in the least offensive color I can find.  I then spend 10 minutes yearning for the "pretty" ones, but convince myself that it's not worth it.  As a result, I end up with boring pots in varying shades of green, with an occasional white one in between.  Not the best way to pull your patio space into a pretty, put-together space.

I wanted a sort of Moroccan feel to my tiny apartment patio.  I love color, and we're lucky that we have a lot of leafy green around our patio, but I wanted more pops of color and design.  Actually the planters are kind of a dominating factor on our patio (and the only factor that is able to be decorated), so it seemed logical  to start there.

This process takes time - it's definitely not something I did in an evening.  This was over the course of couple days.  I plan on taking this one step further and creating my own stenciling to paint designs onto the pot, the process for which I'll post later on.  If design isn't in your plans, this is how to do a basic one color.   As it's going to take time to do all of my planters (and I have some fun ideas for them!), I'll show you how I did the first one and post the rest of them later.

Here's what I used:

Planter, wide paint brush (purchased at Michael's), Martha Stewart multi-surface acrylic craft paint (for indoor and outdoor use),  container to pour paint into, drop cloth (or newspapers)

The planter I used was a textured plastic, so I wasn't too worried about the paint not staying put.  If you're using terra cotta planters, after you're finished painting you're going to want to spray a sealant (also available at Michael's or gardening stores) on the pot, otherwise all your work will be wasted.  When I'm completely finished painting, I'm going to try to use the same sealant on my plastic pot, just to protect the paint.   

 Here's what I did:

1. Make sure you're working with a clean surface.  I had been using this pot, so it was really dirty.  I threw it in the tub and wiped it down. 
2. Pour paint and begin painting.  Pretty obvious, right?  Your first coat will actually take less paint than you think, so to avoid wasting a lot of paint in between coats, take what you think you'll need and cut it in half.  You can always pour more as you're painting.
3. As you're painting, apply an even, thin coat.  Think about it like nail polish - if you get lazy and try to glob on all your polish in one coat, it's not going to turn out very well.  Multiple, thin coats = better paint job.  This is experience talking, people.
4. Let your paint set completely in between coats.  Since you applied a thin coat (RIGHT?), it should take about an hour to dry.  Time to do some laundry!
5. Keep applying coats until you get a complete, even color.  I also painted the inside of my pot, but only down to about an inch below what a typical dirt line would be.  

After the first coat.

I would post more pictures, but this portion of the project is pretty basic, and pretty self-explanatory.  Boring planter, several layers of paint...BAM  new, excitingly spiffy planter.

Still not enough fanciness for you, though?  Stay tuned for DIY stenciling....

Oh, hey there Taylor Swift.

Perfect.  Hair.

THE RANT

I've spent years pining after curly hair.  Years.  I had a great friend in high school who had beautiful curly hair.  It was dark brown and long, with this perfect mix of ringlet/wave curls that weren't too tight, and never crossed over into wavy frizz.  Every day I told her how much I wanted her hair, and every day she told me how much she wanted straight hair.  My hair, incidentally, while moderately thick and healthy, is straight as an arrow.  I would spend HOURS trying to curl my hair.  When I did curl my hair, it looked nice for about two seconds before the curls fell out and left my hair more boring than ever.

When my curly-haired friend got her hair chemically straightened, I wanted to punch her straight in the face.

True story.

Ever since then, I've been searching for the holy grail of turning my hair into beautiful curls.  I had a perm once, and it actually didn't turn out that badly.  I got the body and the wave I wanted, and it was relatively easy to take care of.  However, recently I've become rather averse to using harsh chemicals on my head, and perming solutions are about as nasty as they come.  Additionally, I have neither the skill set nor the patience for using a curling iron.  My arms get tired, and I burn myself badly at least once.  Let me tell you, there's nothing funny about a burn mark on your neck that looks like a hickey, especially when you teach high school students....ok, so it IS funny.  But I always feel like people are secretly judging me, or making lude (and by "lude" I mean "lewd."  Thanks for pointing that spelling error out in the sassiest way possible, husband.) jokes at my expense, because that's probably what I would do.

So, to avoid all that hassle, I've ventured into the wonderful world of no-heat curling techniques.  I was so floored the first time I saw some of these tutorials I almost cried.  Let's list some of my favorites that I have tried and would like to try:

1. The Sock Bun
2. Headband Curls 
3. Rag Curls (which I'm showing you how to do today) 
4. Braiding/twists
5. Foam Roller Curls

Seriously, all you have to do is Google "no-heat curls" and there is a wealth of video how-to's that pop up.  I feel compelled to add that most of these videos are done by bubbly teenage girls who like to hear themselves talk, and blab on about stuff I don't care about. One girl actually answered her friend's phone call in the middle of her tutorial. Another one had a 15 minute intro about why her curl tutorial was awesome.  FIFTEEN MINUTES.  Subsequently, I find myself compulsively sniggering at their teenage-ness;  however, beggars can't be choosers.  And I want curly hair.  So, the above curl types are linked to the least annoying tutorials I could find.  You're welcome.

THE TUTORIAL

Rag curls are about as old fashioned as curls get.  Back in the day (before they invented third-degree-burning irons), women used to use literal strips of rags to tie their hair up and create curls (while walking uphill both ways in knee-deep snow).  In these modern times, we have more convenient options.  Here's what you'll need:

1. Pillow Rollers.  These are made up of a small foam block and a wire, covered with a cloth.  Conair makes a package of 18 rollers for about $8.00.  You can find them at Walgreens and probably Walmart.
2. Water.  If you want to get fancy, water in a misting/spray bottle.  I just use my hands...or the shower.
3. Some sort of leave-in, curl-holding hair product.  I use Garnier Fructis Surf Hair (a "texture paste"), but you can also use mousse as well.
4. A scarf (preferably silk, but cotton will do as well).  The scarf helps hold all your rollers in place while you sleep, as well as keeping the hair in the rollers from getting frizzy on the outside.  Technically, silk works best because hair just slides over the fabric, but I don't own a silk scarf (nor will I probably EVER own one), so I wrapped a plain old cotton scarf around my noggin.  Works like a charm.
5. Possibly a curling iron?.....I know, I KNOW.  This is supposed to be "no-heat."  Unfortunately, I've lost a few of my rollers, so I don't have enough to do my whole head.  I'm left with stragglies that form a sort of weird mullet...well, you'll see soon enough.  You might also need a curling iron if the bottom section of your hair is too short to wrap in the curlers.
6. Bobby pins.  For pinning back curls.  
7. A good sense of humor.  It gets worse before it gets better - you ARE going to look ridiculous as you go through this process.  Don't plan to leave your house.  I honestly can't believe I'm posting some of these picture on the internet...

THE PROCESS

Plain, boring straight hair.  I accentuated the boring with no makeup.  

This is what the "pillow rollers" look like....so you'll be wrapping your hair in tampons, apparently.

You need to start with DAMP hair.  If your hair is too wet, the curl won't dry all the way through and will just fall when you take out the roller.   However, if your hair is too dry, it won't work either.  So.  Damp hair.    I shower, then add a little bit of styling product.  This particular time, I didn't add any product (I don't know why, I just didn't).

Part your hair like you normally would.  Starting at the top of your head,  take a piece of hair and place your curler around the middle of it.  Don't take too big of a chunk of hair (it won't dry overnight), but don't take too small a piece (you'll end up with lots of tiny little ringlets....unless that's what you're going for).  There are two ways you can roll your hair: over the curler or under it.  For simplicity's sake, I just rolled all my hair over the roller.  However, if you want more variety and more natural-looking curls, alternate over and under.  

Taking the end of your hair, wrap it firmly around the roller.  After the end is wrapped up, roll  the rest of your hair up to the top of your scalp, making sure to wrap up the ends into the roll.

Once wrapped up,  bring the ends of the curler together and twist them together.  If you're rolling your hair OVER the curler, bring the ends UP and twist.  If you're rolling your hair UNDER the curler, bring the ends DOWN and twist.  If you don't listen to me, your rollers won't stay in.  You've been warned.

Like I said, start at the top of your head and work your way down, maintaining your natural part until...

...You've rolled up your whole head.  All your hair should be rolled up, unless you're like me and  run out of rollers.  Then you'll be stuck with a mullet, and you'll have to use a hot iron in the morning to curl the rest of your head.  Don't run out of curlers.

Once you've rolled all your hair, it's time for your turban.  I TOLD you you're going to look ridiculous.  Here's your proof.  At this point, it's totally normal for your significant other to make fun of you.  If they tell you you look beautiful, they're lying.    My husband spent a good half hour following me around cracking jokes.  Ignoring the wise-cracks, wrap your head so that all your curlers are under the scarf, tying the scarf securely, but comfortably.  Now, all you have to do is go to bed!

Disclaimer:  Sleeping on these rollers isn't amazingly comfortable, but I've not had any problems falling asleep and staying asleep.  The only problem I've encountered is that if you roll your hair 3+ days in a row, your scalp might get sore from curler pressure points.

 THE MORNING AFTER

Good morning!  Look who's all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  Coffee is optional.

Ugh.  Curling iron.  This is the part where you curl whatever leftover pieces you might have missed....and try your darnedest not to burn your neck.

After your harrowing curling iron escapade, you can begin to unwrap your rollers.  Gently  undo the curlers,  this time starting from the bottom of your head and working your way to the top.  

HOLY CURLS, BATMAN!

...more Shirley Temple.

Less Taylor Swift...

Okay, since I'm not really going for the Shirley Temple look, I used bobby pins to pin the curls toward the back of my head.  This whole process is a matter of preference.   Play around with pinning to create the look you want.  I'm still making adjustments.  

By strategically pinning the curls by my face, I create a nice textured wave  instead of ringlet curls.

By bobby pinning curls back in sections, starting with the top of your head, middle and bottom,  you can create  a pretty mass of curls at the back of your head.  Granted, this might look a little up-doish for everyday, but I like it for when I'm feeling fancy.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Later that day...

Okay, so this is my hair at about 7 pm.  The curls have DEFINITELY  relaxed...12 hours later.  Remember, I also didn't put in any kind of styling product.  This is more the look I'd like to achieve, and I'm still figuring out how to get this right away.

PROS:

Long-lasting curls (even without hair product)

No-heat 

Fairly easy

Not too uncomfortable to sleep on

Overnight process (less work in the morning)

CONS:

Uber-tight curls

Not super comfortable to sleep on

You look like a total fool while your curls are setting

Overnight process (need to plan ahead)

I like this technique for its simplicity.  While the curl you get is pretty intense, I love how long the curl lasts.  I'm wondering if the curl wouldn't be quite so dramatic if you have longer hair.  That way the weight of the hair might pull the curl down more?   If you try this and have any styling suggestions, please let me know!  

Go get 'em Curly Sue!

 

Marital Bliss.

Actual conversation between Aaron and me (Aaron starts):

"Babe, I'm thinking about taking a training class for work, but guess what date it's on?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"Just guess."

"Um, June 29th."

"No."

"My birthday."

"No."

"Your birthday."

"No."

"I don't know, Aaron."

"Just keep guessing."

"July 4th, December 25th, January 1st, August 1st...."

"Sharon.  Really?  Start your numbers at the beginning."

"Um, okay. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.....oooohhhh. August 8th...our anniversary?"

"Uh, yeah......you just forgot our anniversary didn't you?"

"What?! No!  I just.....didn't know you were looking for specific dates."

"You went through every important date of the year, except our anniversary.  You forgot!"

"NO, I didn't forget!  I just saved it for last."

"You forgot."

"I don't like you."

"I'm surprised you even remember we're married."

Ombre T-Shirts - Yes, Please.

I'm not gonna lie. I've been excited to try this for a while (bless you, Pinterest).  Ombre dying is EVERYWHERE.  I love this look, but my early forays into tie-dying in, like, fifth grade never really went that well.  My t-shirts usually looked like a clown threw up on them, and were definitely not fashion-worthy...possibly not even dirty-rags-to-wash-your-car worthy.  Although, has tie-dye ever been fashion worthy?  I feel like that might be up for debate.

This ombre stuff, though, this I figured I could do.  It's a simple dip-dye, and looks so nice if you do it right.  HOWEVER (and I can't help laughing at myself as I type this) - you might want to take a few things into consideration before you start.  Like, not dying your shirt outside on a windy day.  Or perhaps not dying it outside at all. Or perhaps not trying to do a dying tutorial by yourself, outside, on a windy day.  Whatever.  Bottom line:  I'm sorry for the poor picture quality and the lack of pictures.  Lesson learned - I need a studio and an assistant.

So, here's what you'll need:

1. A clean, plain white t-shirt (I used the same shirt that I did my pit stain experiment on).
2. A container in which to dye your shirt. I used (and don't get grossed out on me now) a cat litter pan that didn't work for our cat.  Don't worry, I thoroughly disinfected it...several times.  I just didn't want it to go to waste!  However, if cat litter pans aren't your thing, you can use a sink, plastic bucket, a kiddie pool, whatever.  Just as long as it's not too big (or small) and you can add about 3-4 inches of water.
3. Dye.  I used, as you can see, Rit in Pearl Grey.  I also purchased it in Petal Pink.  There are other clothing dyes out there, but Rit is probably the best known.  Let me know if you find a better dye!
4. Salt, vinegar, or other ingredients that the directions of your dye might require.  Mine required salt.
5. Hot water.
6. A utensil to stir up your dye.  I used my least-favorite wooden spoon from our kitchen.  It leaves splinters in the food you're trying to cook.  Enough is enough.
7. A place to rinse and dry your shirt.  

For some reason, I decided to do everything the least efficient way possible.  There was a lot of running back and forth rinsing, praying that dye didn't drip on the carpet, etc.  So, make sure that everything you need is as close as possible.  Okay, so once you've gathered up everything you need, here's what you do:

1. Read your dye directions.  I fudged mine a little bit, but read them anyway before you read my directions.
2. Pour about 3-4 inches of hot water into the bottom of your tub.  
3. Stir in dye and salt (I used the whole package of dye and about 1/2 a cup of salt - again, your dye should have directions for this).




To the left you see the wet shirt, crumpled up in a ball while I took the picture.  To the right you see a solution that looks the the Draught of Living Death from Harry Potter.  Scary.

4. Rinse your shirt in hot water, squeezing excess water out and unwrinkling it the best you can.  
5. Okay, here comes the tricky part (and the part that I couldn't document, because my husband                           decided that hiring an assistant wasn't in our budget).  Dip your shirt up as high as you want the dye to go.  I decided to dip mine right up to the armpits. Swish it around a little bit to avoid a solid dye line from forming.  Don't leave it in for too long!  Dip it in, and pull it out almost immediately.    
6. For your next dip, dip your shirt until you're about 2/3 of the way up from your original dye line.  Leave it in for about 10 seconds, swishing it around again to avoid solid lines.
7. For the last dip, dip in your shirt until you're about a 1/3 of the way up from your original dye line.  Leave this one in for about 20-30 seconds, still swishing.
8. Rinse your shirt in hot water, gradually lowering the temperature of the water until you're rinsing it in cool water, and the water is running more or less clearly.  Tip:  I haven't tried this yet, but I've read that if you don't want to lose some of the boldness of the color, don't rinse right away.  Gently squeeze out your excess liquid from top to bottom, and let your shirt dry first before you rinse it out.
9. After your initial rinse, gently wash your shirt with mild detergent in warm water.  Squeeze out excess liquid and hang up to dry.

It was freakin' hot and windy the day I did this, so my shirt dried in record time.  And here is the final result:

Through the rinsing, some of the color faded; also, the color appears darker when it's wet.  So, if you're freaking out thinking that your color is too dark, remember that it will lighten.  Conversely, if you're going for a bolder color, make sure to adjust your dip times for color loss.  I'm wishing that the color in my shirt was a bit darker, though I do like the subtlety of the grey.  I'm excited to try the pink!  The pink and the grey together might have been cool too.  Someone try it!  

So, go my little minions!  Create! And let me know how it turns out!

Serious exfoliation.

Besides making stuff, being outdoors is probably the closest thing to heaven for me.  Let me be more specific.  Not just "outdoors." I feel like that implies sitting on my patio, sipping iced coffee, taking in our neighborhood scenery (which I DO enjoy, very much).  I'm talking so-far-away-from-civilization-cell-service-is-laughable-showers-are-laughable-get-used-to-dirt-under-your-fingernails-and-embarrassingly-greasy-hair kind of outdoors.

I realize that in writing that last sentence, I'm not championing my "heaven" very well.  Like most things in life, there are trade-offs.  For instance, no cell service and no showers yield things like this (all these pictures were taken at Isle Royale National Park):

Still not convinced?  Well, here's what I see:  a Creation that words cannot recreate.  Even these pictures are poor knock-offs of the real thing.  When I try to tell people what being in a wild place is like, why it's worth it, I know I will never adequately relate the sense of overwhelming, breathtaking awe and fierce joy I feel in those places.  And that doesn't even include the striking sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that hiking through the wilderness generates.  Backpacking tested my mettle in some serious ways, and, as cliche as this sounds, I found out a lot about myself and the wonderful people travelling with me.  It's one of those things you have to experience for yourself. And I highly suggest trying it at least once.

So, what other benefits are to be had from hard work, grime, and no cell service?  A renewed appreciation for civilization, my friends.  On Isle Royale, our post-backpacking tradition includes drinking True Moo chocolate milk and eating potato chips purchased from the small outpost store in Rock Harbor.  And they. Are. Delicious.  Unfortunately, showers cost $10 for seven minutes of hot water, which to some people might seem worth it.  However, we figured we went without for four days, we could probably go for another eight hours (although, it makes for an interesting olfactory experience on the car ride home).  

As much as I love backpacking, it does feel soooooo good to get clean!  So, here's where the DIY comes in to play today.  I decided that after our trip, a little exfoliation was in order.  I found a recipe for a sugar scrub and decided to try it out (click here for the source of the recipe).  

Here's what you'll need:

1. White sugar
2. Brown sugar
3. Olive oil
4. Essential oil/vanilla extract/soap scent (soap scent purchased at Michael's)
5. A small jar (canning jar purchase at Walmart)
6. Mixing spoon/whisk

Directions:

1.  In a separate bowl (not in your small jar - I used the jar right away and it was hard to mix together and NOT make a huge mess), mix together your white sugar and brown sugar.  Specific amounts will vary, depending on how big your jar is.  I used a small canning jar, and used six heaping tablespoons of white sugar, and about 7 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar.

2.  After the sugar is mixed evenly together, slowly add the olive oil.  Let the olive oil seep to the bottom, using a spoon to help speed the process along.

3.  Keep adding the olive oil until the mixture reaches the consistency you want.  I opted for a thick, smooth mixture (see below pictures for consistency).  If your mixture ends up being too soupy, simply add more sugar in even amounts.

4.  So, at this point, your sugar scrub smells pretty weird.  You have several options to correct this (and I have yet to experiment with all of them).  You could use essential oil, soap scent (which I purchased at Michael's), or vanilla extract.  A few notes on the vanilla extract: not an awesome choice.  It didn't really overpower the olive oil smell.  I used an almond-honey soap scent instead (bottle pictured above).  A little goes a long way, since the scent is concentrated.  I used just a few drops.  Still not my fave, but until I try out some essential oil, it will have to do.  I also considered using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil (or baby oil?) instead of olive oil and a scent, but I figured for my first attempt, I'd stick with the original recipe. 

5.  After you have made your sugar scrub smell wonderful, go ahead and make it look pretty (ESPECIALLY if you're giving this as a gift)!  This is just something I had laying around (extra fabric scrap square turned into a lid cover and a fabric rosette, tied with hemp).  I would probably play around more with labeling.  

6.  Using your scrub:  Use a dollop where you require the most exfoliation and gently rub onto skin (I would avoid your face, though.  And, I hate to have to put this disclaimer on here, but avoid the, er, more sensitive areas of your body...get my drift?).  After you're satisfied, rinse the scrub off and gently towel dry.

WARNING:  Using this in the shower can be really tricky.  The oil makes the shower floor super slippery - please be careful!

After-thoughts:

As I was doing this project, I had a few revelations (some of which I've already included in the directions part, but I'll sum them up here).  Firstly, I'm having second thoughts about using olive oil on my skin.  Is it going to make my skin break out because it's, well, uber-oily?  I'm thinking perhaps I should use the Palmer's oil instead next time, but we'll see.  Also, I'm not really all that pleased with the style of the jar (shape, lid design, and size).  I will also put a bit more thought into label design and the visual appeal of the jar if I'm giving it as a gift.

So, there you have it!  I'll keep you updated with observations (aka, if my body turns into a splendid display of pimply perfection, due to the olive oil), and with the changes I'm considering for next time.

Here's to glowing skin and DIY ingenuity!  Happy pampering!