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DIY Gift Idea: Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar

Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar

I love making homemade gifts during the holidays. Not only is it more personal than something store-bought, but it’s a budget saver as well. One of my favorite quickie gifts to make is hot cocoa mix. With mason jars being all the rage, this gift in a jar is the perfect neighbor or teacher gift for the holidays!

Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar Supplies:

4 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp sugar
8 tbsp powdered milk
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
16 oz pint sized mason jar (I used a wide mouth jar)
sandwich bag
scrap fabric
ribbon

Combine powdered milk, sugar, and cocoa mix in a large bowl until well blended. Pour mix into a mason jar. If necessary, wipe down the inside of the jar to remove any mix residue on the top half of the jar.

Add marshmallows and chocolate chips to the sandwich bag. Squeeze all excess air out of the bag and twist to form a “ball” of marshmallows.

Carefully place the marshmallow bag on top of the cocoa mixture with the excess plastic at the top so the lid will conceal it. Be sure to add your bag slowly so that you don’t cause the cocoa mix to spill.

Cover the mason jar top with fabric. It’s a fast and easy way to make the packaging look a little more “fancy!” Simply cut a piece of scrap fabric slightly larger than your top.

Place the fabric and top on the jar and use the canning ring to secure it in place. Tie a ribbon around the top to finish it off! Gift with the instructions to add 3 tbsp to 8oz of hot water.

Do you like to make homemade gifts as well? What are your favorite DIY gifts to make or receive?

~ read more about Melissa ~

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November 26, 2014/8 Comments/by Melissa Riker

arts and craft, Contributor, Crafts, decor, Decorating, DIY, gifts, Holiday decorating, Uncategorized

DIY Snow Globe Ornament

Jaime here today from That’s My Letter and it’s officially holiday prep time! Today I’m sharing a DIY snow globe ornament with a wood base that makes a perfect gift for anyone big or small.

This snow globe ornament is constructed on a wood base where all the interior pieces can be glued to the base and then the clear globe is placed over the scene. The globe is plastic and the entire ornament is very lightweight so it won’t weigh down your tree branches!

You can put nearly anything inside the snow globe as long as it fits under the dome. I used bottle brush trees, wire candy canes and a wood dowel sign with the family name printed on cardstock. Add a little faux snow and you have the cutest little winter scene.

The faux snow will cover any unsightly hot glue and adds just that tiny bit of sparkle.

Add a small wood ball on top to compliment the wood base with a string for hanging and you have a keepsake ornament that will look beautiful on or off the tree.

Materials:

3″ clear plastic craft ornament
2″ circle (cut from cardstock, only used as a template)
3″ wood square (1/4″ plywood)
mini pom poms
mini wire candy canes
mini bottle brush tress
1/8″ dowel
small wood balls with hole in center
red string
white glue
paint brush
faux snow
x-acto knife
sandpaper
hot glue gun & glue sticks
scissors
pencil
black sharpie marker

Instructions:

Step 1: Using an x-acto knife cut around the ornament opening enough to remove the neck portion. Don’t worry about being neat here the goal is to remove the neck and have a wide enough opening for scissors. Read more

November 19, 2014/3 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio

accessories, Aged, Contributor, Crafts, decor, DIY, Home Decor, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Tutorial, Uncategorized

Aging Galvanized Metal Quickly

Hey everyone, it’s Jacque here from The DIY Village! I am so excited to share this DIY tutorial with you. I love the look of old metal buckets, but finding them with the nice patina is easier said than done. I am constantly coming across nice, bright and shiny buckets. I finally found a bucket that I liked the shape of and decided I would age it myself. Get ready to learn the quick process of aging galvanized metal that allows you to age it in minutes instead of decades!

Materials:

Galvanized Metal Bucket
Painter’s Tape
Spray Paint
Cotton Balls
Rubber Gloves
Nail Polish Remover
Sand Paper
Zep Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Steel Wool

Instructions:

Start with a clean galvanized metal bucket. Make sure all debris is removed by wiping the bucket down with a damp rag.

Decide where you’d like your painted stripe to appear on your bucket.

I positioned mine where the bends in the bucket are.

Tape off the rest of the bucket leaving a metal band showing through.

Spray a couple coats of spray paint in the color of your choice on the band area. (Red would also be a fun option for a vintage look.)

DIY Personalized Wall Shelf

Happy Wednesday Pretty Handy Readers! Today’s project is a DIY personalized wall shelf and I’ll show you how to make it. I’m Jaime from That’s My Letter, a fellow DIY blogger who builds, paints and sews. I made this wall shelf as a gift for Bryce’s birthday, it makes a great statement AND it’s useful too!

Just a bit of painting and assembly to make this awesome, personalized wall shelf. And of course you can adjust the paint colors to fit your scheme. Bryce happens to have navy painted walls in his bedroom so I know this wall shelf will really pop once hung in his space.

The stained wood shelf adds just a touch of warmth and coordinates well with the hardwood floors. For a deeper shelf, use a wider board. I used a 1×3 but you could use a 1×4 or larger.

Materials:
(Amazon affiliate links included)

1/2″ or 3/4″ plywood cut to desired size (approx. 2′ x 4′)
scrap piece of 1/2″ plywood approx. 4″ x 36″
1×3 pine board cut to width of plywood
9″ MDF Pre-cut letters
Single robe hooks
French cleat kit
paint, roller & brush
stain & foam brush
sandpaper
tape measure
pencil
wood glue
2″ wood screws
3/4″ wood screws
drill & bits
nailer & finish nails

Instructions:

Before beginning, layout your letters onto plywood and cut the plywood to size based on the length of the name.

Step 1: Apply stain to the 1×3 shelf piece on all sides using a foam brush. Wipe off the excess. Set the shelf aside and let it dry.

Step 2: Paint your letters. Paint your plywood back (not shown).

Step 3: Distress the edges of the letters using sandpaper. Read more

August 20, 2014/10 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio

arts and craft, Crafts, DIY, Do It Yourself, Gift Ideas, gifts, silhouette, Tutorial, Uncategorized

DIY “Eat Your Veggies” Cloth Napkin Gift Set

Bringing a hostess gift to someone whose home you are staying in is apparently a pretty universal thing. I had never heard of such a thing until I was in my late 20’s. It’s not a mind blowing concept but I have come to appreciate the simplicity of the thoughtful gesture. Granted, if you are a “Real Housewife”, then I’m pretty sure if you don’t show up with a bottle of Cristal you get the stink eye. Hostess gifts don’t have to be spendy, they just need to be thoughtful. Today I am going to show you how to create an inexpensive gift for the hostess with a sense of humor. Gather around and learn how to make these “Eat Your Veggies” cloth napkins.

Materials:

Silhouette Cutter
Computer
Iron on Heat Transfer material
Napkins
Iron
Ironing Board
Towel
Tape Measure

Instructions:

Start by pre-washing the napkins. Measure how big the lettering should be by folding the napkin (half fold or quarter fold napkins) and measure the printable area.

Arrange the words as you would like them to appear on the napkins. Watch your dimensions! Duplicate the image as many times as you have napkins.

Right click on the image and flip the image horizontally. This will be the mirror image allowing the words to be read once they are applied to the napkin.

Send the wording or images to the Silhouette or other craft cutter.

Once the image is cut, weed out the negative spaces. Read more

August 13, 2014/0 Comments/by Jacque Knowlton