crafts Archives - Feathers in Our Nest

Silk Dyed Easter Eggs

March 27, 2018 by Aliesha

Today we made some beautiful silk dyed Easter eggs, so I thought I’d do a quick post about the process!

You’ll need some old silk ties you don’t care about anymore! I found a bunch at Goodwill for just $.50 each. They need to be 100% silk to work for this project!

You’ll also need some white fabric, such as an old pillowcase or an old flour sack towel. Finally, you’ll need some twist ties (or twine), fabric scissors, and 1/4 cup white vinegar.

Start by cutting your ties open and cutting a square for each egg.

Wrap your eggs (straight out of the fridge, not already boiled) in the silk with the right side of the fabric touching the egg. Pull it around tightly! Secure with a twist tie it piece of twine. Repeat with all eggs.

Next, wrap all the eggs the same way, but this time in white fabric to help prevent colors from bleeding. Secure with a twist tie or piece of twine.

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to the pot. Bring to a boil, then set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, place eggs (still wrapped) in a colander to cool.

When cool, unwrap your eggs and be surprised at how cool they look!

Some ties will result in more vibrant eggs, and some will result in pastel/watercolor eggs! You won’t know until you try!

Let us know if you try making these!

Original idea and directions came from Our Best Bites!

DIY Fragrance Sticks {Using Your Favorite Essential Oils!}

May 29, 2015 by Aliesha

Today I wanted to share another fun way to use the essential oils you have in your “stash”! Making personal fragrance sticks (or solid perfume, as some call it) couldn’t be easier. Simply choose your favorite essential oil or a blend of oils and whip up these fragrance sticks in a few minutes! While they look like lip balm, they are intended to be applied to your neck, wrists, or behind your ears as a light personal perfume.

When I made these to give away as a gift, I used Blend of Jasmine for a pleasant floral scent. You can use many different oils! I recommend starting with an oil or blend that you love the fragrance of and have used topically before with no problems (skin irritation, etc.).

Here are a few suggestions:
–Bergamot
–Pink Gra pefruit
–Lavender
–Blend of Jasmine
–Citrus Blend
–Blend of Vanilla
–Calming
–Citrus Passion
–Sonata
–Peace and Quiet

These make great little gifts (and you could plan ahead to make stocking stuffers!). They are super cute to enclose with a birthday card.

I used white beeswax when I made these, but if you use yellow beeswax (which is totally fine), the sticks will be a light yellow color. You can also use sweet almond oil in place of the olive oil if you prefer.

This recipe yields 5 sticks, but you can easily double or triple the recipe to make more!

DIY Fragrance Sticks {Using Your Favorite Essential Oils!}

Easily make these fragrance sticks so you can carry your personal perfume with you anywhere you go! Use your favorite essential oil or blend to customize it for you.

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Serves: 5 sticks

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. beeswax pellets (white or yellow)
¼ tsp. essential oil

Instructions

Prepare empty lip balm containers by opening the lids and standing them on their ends. Group together and secure with a rubber band. (Alternatively, you can use tiny round tins.)
Place olive oil and beeswax in a glass Pyrex measuring cup OR a mason jar and set it inside a saucepan on the stovetop filled with an inch or two of water. (The advantage of the measuring cup is the pouring spout!)
Heat the saucepan over medium heat and stir the contents of the glass measuring cup or mason jar until melted and combined.
Remove from heat and add essential oil(s).
Immediately pour into empty tubes, working quickly as it will harden rapidly.
Allow to cool, then label or package! (You don't want to get confused and think they are lip balms!)

Sources: beeswax pellets | essential oils | lip balm tubes

Let me know if you make these! I’d love to hear what essential oils you use!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase through my links, it will help support this blog and my family. Thank you!

ALIESHA CALDWELL IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR SITES TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM.

Are You Creative?

January 14, 2015 by Aliesha

Are you creative? Of course you are! Everyone is, but just in different ways. I love craft projects and cooking and blogging … but some of my other friends are creative through their teaching style, sewing abilities, musical talent, or giftedness as writers. We all have God-given creativity and we just need to nurture it!

I just signed up for a mini course that will come to my email inbox each day for four days. This course is designed to teach you the four steps to rediscover your creative genius and help you connect with your creative side (yes, you have one!).

This four-part course comes with supporting worksheets and has been created by the Ultimate Bundles team (I’ll tell you more about them soon!). It’s delivered entirely over email and only takes a week, so you really have no excuse!

The course will help you figure out what you enjoy creating, how to find the time to do it, how to not feel guilty about indulging in your creative pursuits, and how to distance yourself from that dreaded ruiner of fun: Perfection.

This mini course will be awesome… and I can’t wait to see what creativity in inspires! It’s completely free, so you don’t have anything to lose by signing up!

Here’s the best part of this … if you refer 5 friends to this free mini course, you’ll receive a free one-year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens magazine! And if you refer 10 friends to sign up for the course, you’ll receive a FREE Ultimate DIY Bundle (which is coming really, really soon)! If you only sign up one other friend for this course, you’ll still get $5 off your bundle if you choose to buy one! You can share your referral link through social media or email. It’s really easy to get enough referrals to earn a free bundle!

Spoiler alert: The Ultimate DIY Bundle is really good… I’ve seen the huge list of resources included, and you’re going to love this one!

Unleash your inner creativity today and sign up for the 4-part email course!

Disclosure: This post contains my affiliate link. When you click on my affiliate links, it helps support my family and this blog. Thank you!