W is for Whipped

It's the last week of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge! This week, we take on the toughest set of letters... W through Z. Today is letter W and I'm doubling it up with Wild Orange Whipped Cocoa Body Butter.

Homemade gifts are becoming more and more popular and it's always nice to have a spa product for yourself. I've assembled more than one Pinterest board for making homemade items including soaps, body scrubs, and of course body butters.

There are a lot of different recipes for body butter out there. While I liked the scent used by Amy over at The Idea Room (and her labels), I actually fabricated my body butter based upon merging a few of the different recipes from my pin boards.

I started out by purchasing some 4 oz. Bell jars. The rest of my supplies came from Bulk Apothecary.

Ingredients:

1 cup Raw Cocoa Butter
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
15 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil (use more or less as you see fit to get the strength of smell you want)

When you get ready to put this together, your cocoa butter will be a solid brick. That doesn't mix well. Measure out what you need and then pop it in the microwave for a quick 10-15 seconds, just enough to soften it up, but not so much that it completely melts into liquid.

I blended my ingredients in my mixer and made a serious mess. Not kidding. It was a greasy, sticky debacle. But my hands were super soft when I was all done.

The goop was transferred into jars and sealed up. As it sets, the mixture will harden again. If it's too hard when you're ready to use it, just pop it back in the microwave for about 10 seconds and it will be ready to roll again.

It doesn't take much for this body butter to go a long way. It's a slightly greasy application, but it does soak into skin pretty quickly. Afterwards, your skin will be nice and silky and smell like delicious chocolate oranges. You could probably eat this if you really wanted to, but I'm pretty sure it smells better than it tastes.

A jar of this will last a long time, but may start getting bacterial growth (due to bacteria from your hands as you scoop it out) after 3-4 months. Periodically zapping it in the microwave will extend its life as you kill off some of that bacteria.

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)
16. P is for Princess (Princess Peg Dolls)
17. Q is for Quilt (Moustache Quilt)
18. R is for Reading (Appliqued Reading Pillow)
19. S is for Superheroes (Superhero Peg Dolls)
20. T is for Tumblers (Custom Etched Barware)
21. U is for Upcycled (Little Kitchen)
22. V is for Vinyl (Vinyl Pallet Art)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

Tomorrow is the toughest letter in the alphabet...X...where I get a little creative with my word usage.

V is for Vinyl

This has been one crazy week! I'm pretty sure it was just one long string of Mondays. I'm so glad it's done. Of course, I work an alternating schedule that affords me one 2-day weekend followed by a 5-day weekend and...guess which side of the rotation this weekend falls on? Blerg. Back to work on Monday.

Luckily, this weekend will bring a little bit of fun back into view (hopefully). Today I'm sharing one of my favorite three projects for the 2015 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also participating in Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon (which starts at 6 a.m. local time).

Today is V day, not to be confused with Valentine's Day. Today I'm featuring my Vinyl Pallet Art - a wall decoration that Collin & I made for my sister-in-law and her family for Christmas. This one was really fun to do and I think it turned out pretty well.

Ready to see how we made it?

We started out with a pretty dirty and worn pallet that we gathered up for free from a friend. Collin tore the pallet apart so that we had some individual slats to deal with.

He built me a solid rectangle out of four of the slats by using two of the other pallet pieces as vertical stabilizing pieces on the back. I stained the whole thing in the same MinWax Wood Finish stain (Provincial 211) that I used for the Children's Growth Rulers.

Once the basic construction was done, I started adding on the decor. I cut out my vinyl using my Pazzle and transferred the individual letters with transfer tape to keep everything appropriately in line.

I used indoor vinyl. It was okay, but for any future projects I'll be using outdoor vinyl. The indoor is just a little extra temperamental and struggles a little bit with uneven textures like that of the wood.

I pushed the letters down pretty hard and made sure everything was smoothed out so that any bubbling up would be minimal.

Once the letters were all on, I added my photos. I added a 5x7 of each of the girls and an 8x10 shot of their entire family. These were ModPodged to attach and then both the photos and the lettering got a ModPodge coating.

I let the initial Mod Podge layer dry and then did a second layer over the entire face of the pallet. We put some photo hangers on the back and it now hangs on their family room wall.

Not bad for an old, ugly pallet, right?

I can't believe we're almost finished with A to Z! This month has gone by in a flash. I have some work to get done before Monday since I've totally procrastinated on a few of the last letters, but I'll be back with letters W through Z then.

In the meantime, I'll be posting about my Dewey's progress in an additional set of postings over the 24 hours of the read-a-thon. If you're a reader, feel free to join in! There aren't any set rules, it's just a social event wherein you get some reading done at your own pace. There are also mini-challenges and chats and it's a good excuse to cozy up with a book and some junk food. I'm ready to get my read on!

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)
16. P is for Princess (Princess Peg Dolls)
17. Q is for Quilt (Moustache Quilt)
18. R is for Reading (Appliqued Reading Pillow)
19. S is for Superheroes (Superhero Peg Dolls)
20. T is for Tumblers (Custom Etched Barware)
21. U is for Upcycled (Little Kitchen)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

U is for Upcycled

I mentioned yesterday that today's post for the A to Z Challenge would be a bit of a cheat. But I also promised it would be a good one.

It's been a really rough week full of Mondays and we have a lot going on around here so my planned project for U just didn't happen. Luckily, I had this little gem from last year that I was able to bring out just in time.

Today, U is for upcycled. It's a kiddie kitchenette upcycled from an old entertainment center. (I suppose technically, it's also an upcycled post...upcycled from 2014's L post to 2015's U post.)

I was going to put the effort in and restructure the post for this year, but I'm wiped. I'm taking the mulligan on this one and hoping my energy returns for tomorrow's post. Luckily, that one has been long done and just needs a post written around the photos. Until then...here's my awesome cheat project.

Okay...this has to be one of my most favorite projects ever. I loved this one. It took FOR-E-VER, but I loved it. Even better? I made the whole thing for about $40. Yup...$40.

It all started when I found this entertainment unit at a thrift store for $20. It had some issues, but I knew I wanted it. You see...I had seen things on Pinterest. Ah, it's always the Pinterest.

I saw this picture of a little nightstand turned into a kitchen and I was hooked.

It took some work, but I tracked this down to the original designer.
It was made by Miranda Walker over at Narrating Life.

With the mental images of all the possibilities tumbling through my head, I moved forward like a woman possessed. I was obsessed with this project. 

I had decided to make it for Miss Marley for her 2nd birthday. And that was it. It was time to get to work.

I picked out my paint colors, wanting something bright and cheerful. I wound up selecting Iris Plum and Tropical Green from the Clark & Kensington series.

I happened upon a commercial for ACE Hardware just about the time I was getting ready to start this project. You see, Clark & Kensington does a promotion about twice a year where you can get free paint. Yes...FREE. So I was able to get a sample quart of each color for my project. Cost = $0. Awesome.

And then the dismantling began. I drew up some loose plans and removed non-frame pieces from the original cabinet. All of the hardware, doors, and shelving came off. Then I sanded all the things. So. Much. Sanding. It was everywhere.

Collin helped me out here and we cut a section out to fit the "sink". The sink is actually a metal mixing bowl that I got from another thrift store for all of $0.50. The sink was fitted and attached with epoxy.

I started painting. I had gone back and forth with where I wanted the green and where I wanted the purple. In the end, I just flew by the seat of my pants. Oh...and don't mind the messy garage in these photos.

Doors got painted green and cabinets started getting attached.

I discarded the original glass door and instead sectioned a shelf to create a fridge and freezer. They open separately. The handles I got in a bag of about ten from a thrift store for $2.

I sliced another door in half so that I had a microwave and used a separate shelf to create an oven. These pieces were painted black and then had a screen area of gray painted on. I also made the buttons. I used my printer to make these on photo paper, printed them, cut them out, adhered them with my sticker maker and then Mod Podged the crap out of them. LOTS of painting and coating was involved in this step.

I wanted everything decorated and homey. I got more kitchen parts from the thrift store (a faucet, some stove knobs, a towel rack) and then added a leftover dowel from one of our upstairs closets and a set of small hooks that I had from who knows where. The faucet knobs and the stove top knobs all turn.

The stove is my least favorite part, but it turned out okay. I painted a square section white and then added black spirals for the burners.

I found some cute fabric on sale at JoAnn Fabric and sewed myself some curtains and a dish towel.

This piece was a somewhat last minute add on. The piece that I used for a set of standing shelves was actually a media divider in the bottom drawer of the original unit. I bolted this to the side of my kitchen and created a chalkboard above it using black chalkboard paint.

Hinges were added to the microwave, the door below the microwave, and the oven. Handles were added to the microwave and oven doors.

And then we delivered the kitchen to Miss Marley on her birthday. Her favorite part was the buttons on the microwave. She sat there for at least five minutes saying "beep, boop, beep" and punching buttons.

(2015 Note: Miss Marley is now 4 and her little brother is the age she was when we took these pictures. She's still adorable, just sassier.)

She quickly busted out her grocery cart and supplies and stocked her kitchen. She loved that the knobs turned.

She set to work making meals for everyone there.

I was super glad to finally have the project finished after months of work and I was even happier that she loved it so much.

Cost:

Unit: $20
Paint: $0
"Sink": $0.50
Door Handles: $2 (with a pile to spare)
Oven Handle: $2
Stove Knobs: $1
Faucet: $3
Towel Rack: $1
Fabric: $3 (with about 1/2 yard to spare)
Chalkboard Paint: $2
Hinges: $5

Total Cost: $39.50. Boom! Under $40. Not. Too. Shabby. And I still love it oh so much.

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)
16. P is for Princess (Princess Peg Dolls)
17. Q is for Quilt (Moustache Quilt)
18. R is for Reading (Appliqued Reading Pillow)
19. S is for Superheroes (Superhero Peg Dolls)
20. T is for Tumblers (Custom Etched Barware)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

S is for Superheroes

Today is S day in the 2015 Blogging from A to Z in April Challenge and it's one of my favorite three projects of the challenge! At EPJ, S is for superhero!

If you didn't see the project for P day...these little guys are the companion pieces. Princesses for the nieces, superheros for the nephew.

When it came to my superheroes, I (thankfully) didn't have as many to paint. I had two sets of ten "man" peg dolls hanging about, so I made two sets of ten each. Again, each doll stands about 2 1/2" tall...about the size of Fisher-Price Little People.

By happy accident, when I decided which characters to make, I ended up with an equal distribution of DC and Marvel characters. Amazing. I'm just magical like that.

As with the princesses, these guys were hand-painted with acrylic paints and then clearcoated to keep them a little more durable.

I set them up in a similar assembly line fashion to minimize brush washing.

Each peg doll took just about an hour, some a little less than others.

I think I was able to get through two full seasons of Brothers & Sisters by the time I finished them all.

There were some lessons learned along the way...i.e. painting yellow over red doesn't work super great...

Eyeballs were especially challenging for these guys since I had to deal with masks. As a result, not everyone wound up with the typical black eye/white pupil design.

That was a total bummer since it added to the difficulty.

I'm pretty happy with how they all turned out. I'll be making these guys again.

However, I will be investing in a new set of paintbrushes before I do since some of my fine brushes have been mangled in the process.

What do you think? Could you recognize them all? Do you have a favorite? I'm particular to Superman's hair, but I like the way the detail turned out on Spiderman.

If you liked these, don't forget to go check out the princesses from last week! I think they turned out even better.

Now you've seen 2 of my 3 favorite projects for this year's A to Z. The last one is letter V, coming up Saturday. I promise...this one isn't peg dolls.

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)
16. P is for Princess (Princess Peg Dolls)
17. Q is for Quilt (Moustache Quilt)
18. R is for Reading (Appliqued Reading Pillow)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

P is for Princesses

Today is the end of week three of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. It's letter P and this happens to be one of my top three favorite projects for this year's A to Z.

Princess Peg Dolls!

I made two sets of these for the two eldest nieces this past Christmas. I love how they turned out. They were really fun to make. Time consuming, but fun.

Today's post is pretty photo heavy, but I think it's worth it. It's more or less just some showing off...

I started out with a pile of wooden peg dolls that I bought from Woodworks, Ltd. They're super cute. You can buy them in several styles and sizes. Mine stand about 2 1/2" tall.

Each doll was painted using acrylic paints and basic art paint brushes.

It took me about 1 hour per doll. Some were a bit more time involved. I think Anna took me nearly three.

I set things up in somewhat of an assembly line fashion, minimizing the number of times I had to clean my brushes as I switched from color to color.

There were a couple of designs that I changed between the first and second batches, but mostly I remained true to my original designs.

I made 2 sets of 15 dolls each...a total of 30 painted dolls.

When all of the painting was done and each doll had dried, I had Collin help me out and each princess was coated with a thin layer of clearcoat spray.

These were probably my favorites of the gifts we gave for Christmas last year. There's no doubt that I will be making more in the future.

In fact, when I was done I had a hard time giving them up.

I now have a Pinterest board dedicated to ideas for future peg dolls.

It could be a small obsession.

If I thought I could get away with it, I'd quit my job and do nothing but paint peg dolls and sew hand puppets all day long. It's just too fun.

There were a few times that I had to search out the characters on the internet to get specifics on their costumes and hair.

I tried to make them as accurately detailed as possible, down to the bow and arrow on Merida's hip, the flowers on Anna's jumper, and the curling vine on Tiana's dress.

This was one of those projects where the time invested definitely paid off. I didn't mind the amount of time it took. It was fun to watch them come to life as I painted.

What do you think? Were they worth the time investment?

How did I do? Would you have recognized them all if there hadn't been name labels? Who would you have missed?

Do you have any favorites among the bunch?

I'll be spending the next couple of days working on a few of the projects for the rest of the month. If you liked today's post, you'll definitely want to make sure you pop over next Wednesday for letter S. I think you'll like it.

Oh...the project for Monday's Q is also pretty good. Don't mind me while I strain my arm trying to pat myself on the back.

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!