In The Next 30 Days

A 30-Day Challenge Closer to Brighter, Shinier, & Happier.

June 17th, 2013

Be Outside Day 17 | DIY String Bird Feeder

StringBirdFeeder1 Be Outside Day 17 | DIY String Bird Feeder

I’m revisiting the String Bird Feeder I made last year during my Backyard Makeover. This super simple DIY is one of my favorites to add color to my back yard and the nests of all my bird neighbors. Since I started going outside more, I’ve started hearing the birds all over again. They sing to each other. They sing to welcome the sunrise. They sing while we play. They sing when we’re quiet. They are the soundtrack to my outside, and I love that. Whatever I can do for them, I do gladly. This string bird feeder isn’t for my birds to eat from but it is for them to make their nest pretty and cozy.

All you need to make your own String Bird Feeder is some yarn and a suet feeder. It’s a great time to use up yarn scraps you may have. But if you don’t have scraps, like me, then you can buy yarn. I found some that was pretty and dyed naturally, so I wouldn’t hurt or pollute the birds with chemicals.

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Cut the yarn into all kinds of different lengths. Long, short, and in between. The birds don’t mind. When you’ve gotten your yarn cut, fill your suet feeder. (This is the easiest DIY ever, right?)

String Bird Feeder3 Be Outside Day 17 | DIY String Bird Feeder

Just hang the feeder in your trees, and then begin looking for your the colorful yarn in nests all over your neighborhood. The birds will thank you.

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StringFeeder78 Be Outside Day 17 | DIY String Bird Feeder

Tags: birds, craft, DIY
Posted in 30 Days | Be Outside, DIY and Recipes | 2 Comments »

April 29th, 2013

Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand-Embroidered Stationery

I was thinking back to the lesson I learned in the MoreLoveLetters Twitter party when MoreLoveLetters tweeted “Inject your personality into the love letters. Make someone feel like they are finding a piece of your soul.” And Sharpies and colored cards are one thing, but how awesome would it be to open a letter than had been embroidered? How amazing would it feel to know that so much care went into the letter, not just to write it, but also to stitch into the paper. So I started experimenting, and I wanted to share with you how to Embroider Your Own Stationery.

Here’s all that you need:

Thick stationery or card stock (I found some at the office supply store, and any size will work.)
Embroidery thread (Remember the colored string you used to make friendship bracelets back in the day? Yeah. That.)
Needle
Pencil

Stationery 2 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Start by lightly drawing the pattern or shape you want on your stationery. Simple shapes and patterns will work best. I tried flowers and a chevron pattern and neither turned out well because they were too busy. But my hearts, simple letters, and stripes look clean and lovely. You can use a complete outline, or just the dots to mark where your stitches will go. I just used the dots.

Stationery 3 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Then, use your needle to poke holes on each of your dots. This will make it much easier to “sew” your pattern later.

Stationery 4 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Tie a small knot at the end of a piece of thread. The neater your knots, the neater the back of your page will look. I know I like to fill up the font and back of a letter.

Stationery 5 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Now start sewing. Starting from the back of the card stock, sew your needle and thread through to the front. Follow the holes you poked earlier, making sure to pull your thread all the way through each time.

Stationery 6 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Easy, right. Each time you change colors, tie the knot carefully and trim the ends. You can add as many colors and patterns as you like. Think about monograms, stripes, circles, dots, squares, and more. Here are some of the pages I made.

Stationery 7 8 9 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Wouldn’t this make a lovely love letter? Or what about making a set of note cards for your mother for Mother’s Day? Hand made and totally thoughtful, right?

Stationey 10 Love Letters Day 29 | DIY Hand Embroidered Stationery

Tags: DIY, letters, MoreLoveLetters, sew
Posted in 30 Days | Love Letters, DIY and Recipes | 4 Comments »

January 23rd, 2013

Body & Mind Cleanse Day 23 | DIY Sea Salt Face Scrub

There are few problems in my life that can’t be cured with a a hot shower. Okay, so maybe the shower doesn’t solve my problems, but it does make me feel better. In the shower, my head is clear, my shoulders relax, my jaw isn’t clinched. And this feeling lasts even longer if my post-shower routine includes some lovely moisturizer and my favorite robe.

Sometimes I really treat myself though with an all over scrub. I’ve tried those scrubs at the drug store. Sometimes just reading those ingredient lists is like scanning a novel. And in this 30 Day Body & Mind Cleanse, whole and simple ingredients are the best way to truly clean me inside and out. So I made this Sea Salt Scrub with three ingredients that were actually in my kitchen. Simple? You bet. And this scrub totally ups the cure-all-ability of any hot shower.

Sea Salt Body Scrub

5 tablespoons of Sea Salt
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 lemon, seeded and juiced

Here’s the only trick. Mix the sea salt and olive oil together very well first. The oil will coat the salt so it won’t dissolve when you squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture, which is the next step. And you want the salt to remain coarse because that is what will help to super cleanse your all-over skin. All that’s left is for you to enjoy in your shower.

This scrub is inexpensive and easy to make, so feel free to use it all over to clean and purify your skin. Plus, the recipe and proportions can be changed to suit your needs or wants. Your skin and mindset will love you for it.