Month: January 2013

Makeup brush holder (from a candle jar)

Hello World!

You may have realized due to my previous tutorials, that I love Bath and Body Works candles. I always buy them on sale and also use a coupon to get a better deal. I have reused the candle jars to plant succulents, organize craft supplies, hold lip glosses, ect. Here is my most recent candle jar repurpose.

(See tutorial to make vase below: Link.)

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I used a candle jar to hold my makeup brushes. (Not all my brushes are in the picture, I had five drying because I just cleaned them.) It was really simple to make.

1.  Burn down as much of the candle as you can.

2.  Remove the cooled leftover wax/wick bases with a metal spoon. (It should just pop out.)

3.  Reuse that leftover wax on a candle warmer and/or throw it away.

4.  Clean your jar with some steel wool and Dawn (I found it works better than Dollar Store soap).

5.  Remove labels if you wish. I left mine of because I just love this label.

6.  Fill half-way with uncooked rice, beads, beans, sand, ect.

7.  Stick brushes into your rice.

Tada! You have a super easy makeup-brush holder. You also could do this to hold pens, paint brushes, chopsticks, ect.

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I just bought these Ecotools brushes on sale at Rite Aid. I love these brushes! They are great for blending. All the brushes are very soft and easy to clean.

 

Paper Hearts Garland

Hello World,

I recently purchased a paper punch from Ross (of all places to find crafting supplies) for only $5!!!! And this punch is huge compared to the ones sold at Michael’s. Check out below to see how to make your own paper hearts garland:

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1.  Find a decent amount of paper you want to punch. I found an old music book at my local recycling center. Turn on a movie and go at it. Try to salvage as much paper as possible when positioning your punches. I was able to punch a few sheets of paper at the same time without hurting my punch. (My paper was thin.)

2.  Gather all your paper hearts, thread up your machine (and coordinating bobbin), and set your machine to a straight stitch.

3.  One at a time sew through paper hearts. I fed paper heart after paper heart through my feed dogs without lifting my presser foot.

4.  Continue sewing paper hearts onto your strand until you have reached your desired length. Tie your tail end threads each in knots to secure your ends.

Now you have some super cute home decor!  I hung mine up in my living room, along with string lights, and some red pom-pom yarn my mom bought me for Christmas. (Pretty sure you can find the yarn at Michael’s or Joann’s.

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I might have punched a little too many paper hearts, but I think I will sprinkle them across my dining table when I get around to decorating the rest of my apartment. (Yes, I know it is only the beginning of January, but I have always loved Valentine decorations!)

Happy Crafting!