Follow Your Arrow – DIY Arrow Ornaments

 

I’m a firm believer in handmade gifts. There’s something so special about receiving something that was made just for you by the hands of someone you love. Likewise, it feels really rewarding to make something for someone that they will not only love but that will also have a special meaning to them.

That was the idea behind the gift I made for my sister Cecily this past Christmas. In all honesty, I had been planning this gift for months…. but being the world class procrastinator that I am (le sigh) I didn’t finish it till after Christmas. I know, major Christmas gift fail. But I swear Christmas comes faster every year and we all know just how very slyly it sneaks up on us. But I did finally finish it (yay me!) … and thanks to me, my sister got to open one more Christmas gift in January lol.

These cute little arrow ornaments were actually a last minute addition to her gift. I came across this tutorial by the lovely Jess Gatlyn of Boho Baby Bump and knew I had to make one for my sister. One of her favorite songs lately is “Follow Your Arrow” by country singer, Kacey Musgraves. I hadn’t heard the song until she put it on a mix cd for me some months ago. I’m not a huge fan (and that might an understatement lol) of country music but this one isn’t too bad, I guess (in other words, it’s listenable). Because of the message of the song she had mentioned that an arrow had kind of become a special symbol to her. So naturally I thought of her when I saw this craft.

I was going to use it as an accent on top of the wrapped gift in place of a bow but that didn’t end up working out. So instead I just tucked it into the case of the mix cd I made for her (we recently started sending each other mix cds in the mail).

They were so easy and fun to make that I made about 5 of them for myself. I posted the video of Jess making them below and I’ll also link to her blog. But basically all you do is paint wooden skewers, cut the arrowheads out of scrapbook paper & hot glue them on, glue on feathers and a string to hang it and cover that with a strip of washi tape, and voilà! There was something really relaxing about painting the skewers in different colors and patterns. Just a really fun & cute craft!

Now this baby, this butterfly dream catcher/wall hang was the real gift… the one that took me a while to start and to finish lol. 

She and I had found this cute & hippy looking butterfly doily when we took a day trip to Austin last summer. We went shopping on South Congress for the first time ever and saw it lying on a shelf in what became one of our favorite shops, New Bohemia. I believe she said “If I buy this will you make it into a dream catcher for me?”. That was in July… so needless to say, she wasn’t expecting it lol. I had been making myself dream catchers out of doilies for a while just as a fun and decorative diy to hang in my bedroom.  This one was a lot of fun to make and I was really happy that she loved it!

This was how I used my arrow ornaments, to decorate a Valentines tree! I’ve been seeing cute little Valentines trees all over Pinterest and wanted to try it! Loved the way it looked with the arrows! It made for some cute and quirky Valentines décor, I think!

Some more Valentines décor in the kitchen, just because I believe in being festive! :)

Hope you guys spend an afternoon making a few of these lovelies for yourself or someone you love!

For Jess’s written tutorial , click here.

Spa Day: Citrus Salt Body Scrub & Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

Hey lovelies! Today we are talking homemade beauty treatments! Sound good, ladies? I thought so! We are bringing a little bit of the spa into our kitchen and making a sweet smelling body scrub and hand scrub. After making a couple homemade brown sugar scrubs in the summer, I had been wanting to experiment with other recipes. There are so many different variations you can make with just a few simple ingredients. They smell so lovely and make your skin super soft! Enjoy them as a mid-week spa retreat or give them away to a friend as they would make great gifts!

Citrus Salt Body Scrub –

(Recipe found @ Martawrites.com)

This citrusy salt scrub is the perfect beauty treatment to refresh your winter worn skin and make it ready for warmer weather. It even smells like spring/summer with the fruity aroma of the lemon, grapefruit, and orange zest, and just a little lemon extract. This is the first salt scrub I’ve ever made and I think I like better than the sugar scrubs; the salt is a little bit more abrasive and it seems to make a better exfoliant. The oil in it acts as a moisturizer and leaves your skin feeling so silky and smooth.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of kosher salt
2 Tbs. lemon, grapefruit or orange zest (I did a combo of all three)
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 small glass jar or other container

Directions:
Fill your jar with the kosher salt (a 48 oz. box of kosher salt makes enough for 4 jars of scrub) and sprinkle citrus zest on top. Using the long, blunt end of a wooden spoon (or mortar and pestle if you’ve got one) distribute the zest throughout the salt evenly by stirring the dry ingredients together. Next pour the oil first into a measuring cup. Stir the lemon extract into the oil. Now pour half of the oil mixture into your jar and stir with small spoon to combine well. Pour the rest of the oil into the jar and mix well. Stir before each use.

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub -

(Recipe adapted from @ http://www.bystephanielynn.com)

This lemony sugar hand scrub is great therapy for chapped, dry hands. The sugar acts as a gentle exfoliant and the olive oil restores the moisture. The lemon juice and rind gives your hands a fresh and clean scent.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar
2-3 tbs. lemon rind
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tbs. lemon juice or scented essential oil

Directions:
Begin by stirring lemon rind into sugar, then spoon into jar. Stir in olive oil; mix well until gritty paste forms. Add in lemon juice or essential oil. This mixture will make enough to fill a 12oz. Mason Jar. Stir before each use.

I’m really loving of these scrubs, they were both fun, easy, and maybe just a little messy to whip up. The only downside is the rind in them does leave the shower/sink a bit of a mess. Feel free to leave out the rind and just use the juice or extract. Also, if you feel so inclined, you can print out these lovely little labels that I used for my jars. :)