Latest Holiday Decor Finds

December 8, 2018December 8, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 10 Comments

Happy Saturday! I’ve been so busy with school lately and the end of the semester coming up, but I thought I’d do a quick post on some holiday decor I’ve recently boughten online.

As I’ve said in earlier posts, I moved out of my parents only a few years ago and don’t have the greatest collection of holiday decor. Trying to find budget-friendly decorations can be a little tough sometimes, so I’m going to show you these cute decorations I just got from Amazon that are fairly cheap. I was going to buy much more, but decided I’d hold back in order to save for Christmas gifts.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the following products.)

Here’s what I got:

I’ve been looking for a set of holiday-themed throw pillow covers for awhile, and finally found some. I love how the red looks with my grey couch!

The set of four 18 x 18″ throw pillow covers can be purchased on Amazon here for $18.99.

Figurines are always my favorite for decorating, and I thought this little light up Santa was so cute.

The little light up Santa Clause is 8″ tall and can be purchased here for $19.18.

I don’t know why but I’m loving reindeers this season, and this little reindeer has the prettiest details.

The reindeer is available in three different sizes. I got the small 8″ tall reindeer, but I think the only size left available is the large reindeer which is about 3″ taller than the small one. It can be purchased here for $12.95.

I know it’s not much, and I definitely wish I got more, but at the same time I’m glad I’ll have saved some extra money for gifts. Thanks for checking out my new decorations! I hope you liked them and hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend!

Twine Tabletop Trees

December 2, 2018December 2, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 15 Comments

I have been seeing these little trees all over the place, and was dying to get some to add to my holiday decor. The only thing is they seem quite expensive in stores, and I’ve seen tons of DIYs on Pinterest, which gave me lots of inspiration for these twine-wrapped tabletop trees. Below I will show you how to make these trees and everything you will need to make them.

They’re actually much easier to make than I expected. I saw some that used cardboard or a cone-shaped piece of foam, but all I had on hand were paper bags. I was thinking a rolled up paper bag might be strong enough to hold the string, and I was right! The string actually makes the whole tree a lot stronger and sturdier when it’s all glued on, almost seems like there’s no way its just a paper bag on the inside!

I added the little red and white buttons to make it seem like ornaments on the trees, but they look just as good without them! Currently thinking of doing a third one without any buttons to mix it up. Also, I think a little star topper would have looked great, but unfortunately I didn’t have any.

What you’ll need:

Paper Bag
Thick String/Twine
Buttons (optional)
Paint Brush
Scissors
Tape
Glue

Most likely you probably already have a paper bag, scissors, and tape on hand. For gluing on objects, I just use an old plastic paint brush that I’ve had laying around.

For these trees, I used a thick natural twine. You can find something similar on Amazon here ($5.79). Another type of thick string or twine would look great as well.

I got a pack of different holiday-themed buttons from Amazon. I used the snowflake and flower buttons from it, but it comes with a few other shapes and colors as well. You can find the holiday-themed variety pack of buttons on Amazon here ($8.99)

The glue I used is the same from my last few posts. It is called Golden Gel Mediums Heavy Gel Gloss, and works great at holding down the string. You can get it on Amazon here ($12.89).

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the products linked above.)

Step 1: Start by gently pulling off the handle and cutting out the large side of the paper bag. Then begin tightly rolling the piece of the paper bag with one end pointed, like a cone. The photo below shows what I mean.

Step 2: Once the whole piece is rolled, tape down the edges to hold it together while you glue on the string.

Step 3: Now cut the large bottom end of the cone to make it straight so that it can stand up. I’ve noticed using smaller scissors helps a lot with this part.

Step 4: Now we can start gluing on the twine. Add a good-sized amount of glue to the very top of the cone to get started.

Step 5: Start wrapping the twine around the paper cone at the top, you may have to overlap the twine at the top to get it to hold while the glue is drying.

Continue wrapping the twine around the cone, adding glue as you go before you wrap. Try not to wrap it too tightly, or it will start to warp and add ridges towards the end of the paper cone.

Step 6: Once you get to the end, cut off the twine. You’ll have to overlap it a little in order to keep the bottom even, so add some glue underneath the end, push it down onto the glue, and add some more glue on top to keep it sealed.

Step 7: (optional) Now you can start adding any embellishments if you wish. I added these cute snowflake and flower buttons to make it look like ornaments on the tree. I thought it looked just as good without them too. It’s all personal preference! I just wish I had a little star I could add on top as a little tree-topper.

I’m so happy with how these turned out, and very glad I didn’t end up buying any in stores when I can make them myself so easily. Hope you guys like them as well!

DIY Letter Ornaments

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 4 Comments

So, I’m starting to realize I have a crafting obsession with rhinestones. 😳 They’re just so much fun! In this post I’m going to show you how to make these cute little letter ornaments. They’re a fun way to add personalization to ornaments, which makes them great gifts for your friends and family as well!

Unfortunately, I had already made these ones last year, so I won’t be able to show you photos of each step, but I will let you know everything you need to make these ornaments and give you step-by-step instructions.

What you will need:

Wood Letters
Glue/Adhesive
Paint Brush
Rhinestones
Glitter
String

All of these items can be found on Amazon, and I have included links to each below. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the following products.)

I have had these wood letters for ages and can’t remember where I got them from, but you can find similar ones like on Amazon like these ones here ($8.99).

The adhesive I used is the same I used in my last blog post. It is called Golden Gel Mediums Heavy Gel Gloss, and you can find it on Amazon here ($12.89).

The rhinestones I used were also from my last post, and you can buy large packs of them on Amazon here ($15.57).

I used gold glitter for mine that can be found on Amazon here ($10.99), but other colors would look great too.

The string I used was just some regular white string. Other thin types of string would work as well, such as thin hemp string.

Step 1: Cover the letter with adhesive using the paint brush. You can just add it to the front of the ornament if you don’t mind a plain back of the ornament.

Step 2: Dust the ornament with glitter while the adhesive is still wet, then shake off any excess.

Step 3: Glue on the rhinestones with a good sized dab of glue for each.

Step 4: Once the adhesive is dry, tie on the string. With these I did what is called a “Lark’s Head” knot (as I was told by Google 😉), so that the ornaments hang straight forward instead of going to the side.

Step 5: Now all that’s left is to tie off the string! As with the ornaments in my last post, *make sure you put adhesive on the knot when you tie off the string so that it doesn’t come loose while hanging in the tree.

These ornaments are probably the easiest I’ve ever made! Hope you like them 🤗

Rhinestone Ornaments

November 24, 2018December 1, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 22 Comments

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Now that it’s time to take down the fall decorations and start getting ready for Christmas, I thought I’d do a post on these bow and rhinestone ornaments. Making ornaments is one of my favorite crafts to do during the holidays, and they also make great gifts. I’ve noticed people really appreciate when you take the time to make them things by hand yourself. It shows you put some time and care into the gift.

These rhinestone ornaments are super cute, easy to make, and could be a great stocking stuffer or small gift for anybody you know! Below I will show you how to make these ornaments in just five easy steps, the items you will need to make them, and where you can get the items.

What you need:

Foam Balls
Rhinestones
Small Bows (optional)
Glue/Adhesive
Paint Brush
Sewing Pins
String

The items that I used can all be purchased on amazon. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the products that are linked below.)

For my ornaments I used smooth foam balls that can be purchased in packs of 12 on Amazon here ($6.11). Using smooth styrofoam balls instead of the rough ones helps when you’re gluing on objects like the rhinestones.

Any rhinestones would do really, I used a mixture of clear and green from two variety sets of rhinestones. The clear rhinestones come in a pack of various sizes that can be purchased on Amazon here ($14.61). Unfortunately, I could only find the green rhinestones at Michaels, they can be purchased here ($9.99). Amazon does have them in a variety of other colors though, they can be purchased here ($9.99).

The little white bows I used can be purchased on Amazon here ($7.79). These are totally optional, but I feel they add a nice touch.

For the adhesive, I used Golden Gel Mediums Heavy Gel Gloss that I got for an art class I took awhile back. It can be purchased on Amazon here ($12.89). I imagine Mod Podge would work similarly, but I didn’t have any when I started these ornaments.

For these ornaments I used two different types of pins. The first type that I used are white ball head pins that can be purchased on Amazon in packs of 250 here ($6.48). I use them to pin on the string that will be used to hang the ornament. The second type are regular silver pins to pin on the bows. They can also be purchased on Amazon in packs of 750 here ($6.40).

Really any string will do. I used some white string that I had lying around, but have also used thin hemp string that looked great with more natural-looking ornaments that I made in the past.

Step 1: Cut off about 6-8″ of string, put the string on the ball head pin and dip the end of the pin in the adhesive. The adhesive helps the pin hold the weight of the ornament and remain inside the ball when you hang it on the tree.

Step 2: Insert the pin into the foam ball.

Step 3: Glue on the rhinestones. This is the easy part, and here you can decide how you want your colors spread out. To glue the rhinestones, I put a little dab of glue down with the paint brush, then push the rhinestone on top of the glue. Eventually you’ll have the whole foam ball covered. I try to let the rhinestones dry for a couple hours before adding the bows, but you can probably do it now if you’re careful.

Step 4: {Optional} Insert a small silver pin into your bow. I try to shove them in behind one of the flaps of the bow so that you don’t see the head of the pin. There’s a photo below to explain what I mean. Then insert them wherever you’d like! I put four bows on mine.

Step 5: Now all thats left is to tie off the string of the ornament! The reason why I suggested at least 6-8″ of string is to save you enough room to easily make a bow or knot to tie off the string. I typically do a bow, then add the adhesive to the knot of the bow to ensure the bow can’t come untied.

Pretty easy and straightforward! I think the most useful tips are knowing the spots that could use adhesive in order to make a strong and sturdy ornament, like the adhesive on the bow above. There are so many ideas for making your own ornaments, I’m sure I will be posting more in the future! Happy holidays! 🎊

Gelatin Hair Mask with Coconut Oil and Vitamin E Oil

November 18, 2018November 22, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ Leave a comment

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Yesterday was a lazy day for me and I decided to make myself a hair mask. It’s been awhile since I’ve made one, but my hair definitely needed it, its been so dry and brittle. When I’m not trying out store-bought hair masks I like to make my own, it’s super easy to do!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp of Gelatin
1/2 Cup of Water
1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
1 Pump of the Vitamin E Oil
1 Tsp of Conditioner
A Few Drops of Essential Oils (these are quite strong so I only did one drop of each)

First, microwave the water for 60 seconds. Then add the gelatin to the hot water and stir until it has dissolved.

Next, add the coconut oil, vitamin E oil and conditioner. Mix it until all of it has combined. Lastly, mix in your essential oils if desired. Be careful not to put it on your hair if it’s still too hot, you may have to wait for the mixture to cool before you add it to your hair.

You can always use the little Knox gelatin packets, but I use this beef gelatin from Vital Proteins. It can be purchased on Amazon here ($33.98). Your hair, skin, and nails are largely made up of collagen, so adding it to your hair may give it the boost it needs.

Coconut oil and vitamin E oil are also both great for the hair and skin. I usually find both at the grocery store. I also like to add a little essential oil (also found at the grocery store). For my mask I used patchouli and cinnamon for a nice fall scent. If you guys know of a better line of oils than the ones I use feel free to let me know! I’m still in the process of figuring what the good brands are. 😅

I also like to add a little conditioner to help the gelatin wash out easier in the shower. Acure’s shampoo and conditioner is my favorite right now. As per usual I get it at my grocery store, but you can also get the set of shampoo and conditioner it Amazon here ($25.99). There’s a few different kinds, but the Argan Oil & Pumpkin is my favorite and it smells amazing!

Here’s a picture of my hair before and after using the mask. It’s even been a day later and my hair is still so soft and shiny! This mask also does a great job at taming my frizz, which is a definite plus. Hope you like it! ☺️

{As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of the products that are linked above.)

DIY Metallic Painted Pinecones

November 8, 2018November 23, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 30 Comments

With several pine trees in my backyard I seem to have a constant supply of pinecones, which make great decorative accents! There are also so many crafting possibilities with pinecones. Later on I’d like to try making some Christmas ornaments with pinecones, but for now we’ll stick to them as accents.

For the longest time I’ve had this metallic silver acrylic paint that I’ve never used. I also had a bag filled with pinecones, so I decided to try painting some with the acrylic paint to see how it looked. Honestly, using some spray paint would probably be a lot quicker but this way I could do it inside without making a mess, and I thought I might as well try out this paint that’s been sitting around. Either way, the pinecones turned out great! I currently have them as a vase filler in my guest bathroom.

The exact paint that I used can be purchased from Amazon here. {As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of this product.}

Painting them was super easy. First, I rinsed off some that had a lot of dirt left on the pinecones from being outside. A little bit of dirt won’t hurt either, I feel like it makes them look a bit more rustic. *Just a reminder that pinecones absorb water and will tighten up, so you’ll have to let them dry for a day or so if you rinse them. Next I started painting!

Working top to bottom, I used a smaller brush to get into the little crevices easier. Also make sure to paint all the undersides.

Once dry they look much more metallic-like and shiny. Some metallic gold paint would have looked great too! I’m thinking I’ll do some red for Christmas. I tried to paint most of them and leave some natural to give some contrast. So quick and easy, I’m happy with how they turned out!

Halloween and Fall Decor Haul 2018 🍂

October 14, 2018November 23, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 14 Comments

My greatest apologies for being absent for so long. This year has been a little crazy for me, but I am happy and excited for my return!

To get back in the groove of things, I’ve decided to write a blog on some of the new fall and halloween decor I just purchased. As a college student who moved out of my parents home just a few years ago, I did not have the greatest collection of decor for my own home. When looking to purchase new decor, it can be hard to find items that aren’t too expensive. It also helps to get some ideas for inspiration if you’re looking for something new.

I decided to check out Michaels online and found lots of awesome things for fairly cheap! Below I have included the different items and photos showing how I placed them throughout my home. (Each photo has the specific items labelled by letters to make it easier to find them.)

I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves to get the small pumpkins when they come out in the produce department at the grocery store. The only problem is they don’t last very long. Before shopping for decorations, I kept thinking how awesome it would be to find some small fake pumpkins that I could use year after year. I was also thinking how cute it would be to have a big basket full of them!

A. The basket in the photo above can be purchased here ($7.49). I figured it would be a great buy because I can still use it throughout the year.

B. The small pumpkins come in different sets of colors and I bought two different sets to mix up the colors in the basket. The red and orange pumpkins can be purchased here ($3.99), and the cream and orange colored pumpkins here ($3.99).

Pumpkin spice has become so popular, and I thought this sign was so cute!

C. Because it is meant to be a tabletop sign, it does stand on its own and cannot be hung up. It can be purchased here ($5).

In my opinion, you can never have enough pumpkins around the house for fall decor. Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I got the spiders in the photo, but I know similar ones can be found at most stores with Halloween decorations.

D. I got two of these tabletop pumpkins for my dining room table, they can be purchased here ($4.99).

I was originally looking for a larger scarecrow to place on the bench on my front porch and thought this would be large enough. Unfortunately, I did not look at the dimensions! I was able to find a good spot in the house for him though.

E. I ended up placing this little sitting scarecrow on the coatrack bench in my entryway. It can be purchased here ($4.99).

I love Halloween decorations that go well in the kitchen! This little poison bottle looks great alongside my salt and pepper shakers on the kitchen counter.

F. The poison bottle can be purchased here ($3.49).

I also found these little candle skulls and decided to place them on the shelf in my guest bathroom. They come in sets of four, and are surprisingly very detailed!

G. The candles can be purchased here ($2.99).

As I said before, I love decorations for the kitchen. I found this little sign to hang on the wall above my kitchen cabinets. The writing is quite bold and can still be seen from far away, which is a plus.

H. The sign can be purchased here ($4.99).

I also found these bat lanterns and pumpkins to place at the sides of my front door. The lanterns come with flameless flickering candles attached on the inside that can be turned on with a switch on the bottom of the lantern. The pumpkins are more of a reddish orange, which is actually really pretty and makes them stand out a lot.

I. The lanterns can be purchased here ($9.99).

J. The pumpkins can be purchased here ($7.99).

Here is my front door all put together. I love how the lanterns look with the pumpkins.

I had an old dried out wreath that was ready to be thrown out, so I decided to upgrade it with some spiders and webs. Both are really easy to find at most Halloween decor stores. I got the doormat at World Market a year or two ago, but I don’t think it is available anymore.

I bought the caution tape from Party City last year and it is still available! It came with a set of three differently-styled caution tapes.

The caution tape can be purchased here ($3.99).

Speaking of caution tape, here is a photo of a different style from the same set above. I used it to decorate the door to my guest bathroom.

It’s nice that the set comes with different styles of caution tapes so you can do different themes around the house.

That’s all so far for my new Halloween decor! If I come up with any new decor projects before Halloween comes I will make sure to write a new post about it. Thanks for reading and wishing you all a happy Halloween! 🎃

How-to: Make Your Own Photo Wall

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 12 Comments

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Photo walls are becoming incredibly popular for home decor. Who wouldn’t want all their favorite photos displayed for all to see?!

When I was shopping for instant cameras, I noticed kits selling for $15+ that included everything needed to hang your photos on your wall (which was typically just string and clothespins). To be honest, I almost bought one of these kits, but then realized how easy it would be to make myself with things I already have at home!

All you need is:

Your beloved photos
String
Pushpins
Clothespins/Paperclips

Clothespins would probably work better, but sadly all I had were paperclips, which work just fine (just not as secure). I’ve also noticed people using little light strings instead of regular strings, which looks fantastic, but I just decided to go with what I already have.

Step 1: Measure out the size you want your photo wall to be and how spaced out you want each row. For instance, my rows are spaced out 7 inches from each other and are 36 inches (3 feet) long each. Make marks where you want each pin.

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Step 2: Now cut your string to the length you measured and marked on the wall, but MAKE SURE you add an inch or two for slack and enough string to tie a knot around the pin with.

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Step 3: Tie your strings to the pins, and make sure to tie them tight so it cannot become loose! You may have to double knot, especially if you’re using a thick string like I am.

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Step 4: Hang up your photos with your clips or clothespins! Your photo wall is complete, for now! As you take more pictures, you can always add more rows.

I haven’t taken many photos myself, and hope to add more rows soon.

DIY Sugar Scrub

January 20, 2018November 24, 2018 ~ s.marsh.c ~ 11 Comments

Body scrubs sold in stores can get a little spendy nowadays, especially considering how easy they are to make yourself!

This body scrub is definitely an essential during the dry winter months, and you already probably have all of the ingredients for it right at home.

Below are the steps and ingredients I use to make my own body scrub.

The type of sugar you use all depends on how coarse you want your body scrub to be. I chose brown sugar for this body scrub, which is coarser than white sugar. Salt can also be used, which tends to be the most coarse.

Whenever I can, I try to reuse old jars. I chose an old jelly jar that I found lying around, but almost any container will do. Once you have a container, fill it with the sugar/salt of your choice.

I like to use coconut and vitamin E oil in my scrubs. Coconut oil is incredibly moisturizing, and vitamin E oil has many skin-nourishing benefits. I also like to add 5-7 drops of essential oil to add a nice scent. I chose a citrus oil.

Because a scrub is so easy to make, measuring portions isn’t really necessary. As long as it will fit into your container of choice, then the portions are really up to you. To make things super simple, I measured out the oils to 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of vitamin E oil.

Now that you have all your ingredients, add the oils to the sugar/salt.

Then, mix together the scrub until the sugar absorbs all the oil. You may have to add more sugar/salt until it becomes consistent.

Now you have made your own body scrub! How easy was that?!