Homemade Crazy Crayons - A Homemade Stocking Stuffer

I have made these homemade crayons a few times for gifts. They are such a wonderful gift, all colorful and shaped like hearts. I made some for my niece for her birthday a few years ago and also made a batch for a college care package that I sent to my sister (check out this notebook doodle treasure bag I made to put the crayons in!) And this year J is getting some in his stocking!

Anyone with kids has a ton of broken crayons in a box somewhere. Homemade crayons are the perfect solution! Take the broken and sad crayons and turn them into beautiful new crayons, perfect for little toddler hands (and big kid imaginations!)

before...

after!!!

These crayons are really easy to put together. The hardest part is peeling the crayons. I found that if you are having trouble getting the paper off of your crayons, just soak them in some cold water for a few minutes. That should make it easier. If that doesn't work use an Xacto knife or a vegetable peeler and very carefully peel off the paper.

Homemade Crazy Crayons

What you will need:

• a bunch of old crayons
• a cutting board
• a large kitchen knife
• a mini muffin tin or silicone candy mold (oven safe)

Preheat the oven to 170F. If using a flexible silicone mold, place it on a cookie sheet for stability.

Peel all of the paper off of the crayons. Soak crayons in cold water if the paper is being stubborn.

Cut the crayons into pea sized bits. 

Arrange the crayons in your mold, you can do any combination of colors you like! (J loved helping me fill the cups with chopped crayon bits!) Fill the cups as full as possible, the crayons will melt together and will not overflow.

Bake at 170F for 15-20 minutes, just until the crayons have melted.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the mold. If you are using a metal mold and you are having trouble getting them to pop out, just stick the mold in the freezer for a few minutes and then they should pop out very easily. 

45 Homemade Stocking Stuffers

19 days until Christmas!

Here is a great list of little gifts you can make to fill up those stocking that have been hung by the chimney with care.

*UPDATE (12/10/13) - I realized that I should have included links to the tutorials for all of these ideas so you can just click to the link and get crafting! Quick note about tutorial links: There are tons of really great tutorials floating around the internet machine and I just linked to a few of them. Also, I haven't tried all of these yet so please don't blame me if they don't work :)

1. headband (t-shirt head band from A Beautiful Mess)
2. hair clips (here is a beautiful pearl clip inspired by Chanel from Clones n' Clowns) 
3. small dollies or softies (check out my mermaid dolly tutorial review)
4. Peter Pan collar necklace (glamorous necklace tutorial from A French Diary for your Zooey Deschanel wannabe!)
5. sleep mask (Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly Golightly sleep sleep mask tutorial from Oh Lovely Lolo)
6. crayon roll-up-also for markers, pencils, paintbrushes, knitting needles, makeup brushes, etc... (use my tutorial)
7. brooches (sweet sequin heart brooch tutorial from Vivid Please)
8. friendship bracelet covered ear buds (for tangle-free earbud cords use this tutorial from Kiss Me Awake)
9. animal masks (crazy cute raccoon felt mask tutorial from Mom Spark)
10. felt food (apartment therapy's list of free tutorials)
11. i-spy bag (great for little minds! tutorial from A Little of This, A Little of That)
12. painted/dyed wooden spoons (love this idea to add a little color to your kitchen, tutorial from tessacotton)
13. washclothes (my mom crochets washcloths on long road trips and while watching sports with my dad. I have a few that she has made and I love them! I use them for cleaning and for bathing. make some with some lovely cotton yarn for yourself using this tutorial from Ball Hank n' Skein)
14. scraper sponge (these are wonderful for getting stubborn grime off of pots and pans, even non-stick! here's a tutorial from Maggie's Crochet)
15. treasures bag (use my notebook doodle treasures bag tutorial)
16. homemade crayons (use my homemade crazy crayons tutorial)
17. body sugar scrub (so many recipes to choose from, this one from Wellness Mama sound good!)
18. homemade lotion (here is a whipped body lotion from The Bikini Gardener) 
19. homemade soaps (this is a tutorial for beautiful purple marbled lavender soap is from Lovin' Soap)
20. coupon wallet (there is probably a good free tutorial for a coupon wallet out there somewhere but the reviews on this instant download by iSew on Etsy makes it worth the $8)
21. pickle aka mini emergency kit (make one of these mini emergency kit for anyone, but especially those with kids. its full of everything you could need to get out of a pickle :) Use this DIY tutorial from Tidy Mom or make up your own!)
22. fruit preserves/jelly/jam (every year my cousin makes jelly to give out to all the households in the family, I can easily say that that jar hardly makes it into the new year before its gone! here is a recipe for crockpot apple butter from The Brown Eyed Baker [she is my favorite food blogger!])
23. camera strap (check out my tutorial review)
24. coffee cozy (here are my doughnut cozy tutorial, rocket ship cozy tutorial, conversation heart cozy tutorial)
25. pincushion (one can never have too many pincousions! This tutorial fromPaper. String. Cloth. is so cute and looks pretty simple to put together, you could make one for every stocking on your list!)
26. needle book (I've made a few of these over my sewing lifetime and I could use a few more! Use this tutorial by Jessy Ratfink on instructables.com)
27. Peter Pan /Robin Hood hat (I recently made this for my nephew for his Halloween costume, it turned out really well and was super easy! I used this pattern and tutorial from Sew in Harmony)
28. hot chocolate spoons (I remember seeing these in a coffee shop when I was a little girl and thinking they were the most magical thing ever! Make some using this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess to flavor warm milk for hot chocolate or coffee for wonderful mocha.)
29. sunglasses case (use my Audrey sunglasses case tutorial)
30. reusable lunch bags (i'm planning on making a few of these for my kiddos when we get to the school age. I love the idea of not throwing away plastic baggies every day. use this tutorial from i heart nap time)
31. marble maze (what a great little toy for busy toddler minds! use this tutorial from Our Little Corner of the World)
32. Altoids box Thumbelina bed (this would probably be super easy to make up a pattern for, but save yourself the trouble and buy this one from mmmcrafts on etsy for $8!)
33. lost tooth pillow (this monster tooth fairy pillow is just too darn cute for words! email Just Another Hang Up for the PDF)
34. finger puppets (there are tons of finger puppet patterns out there, but I am loving these cute little penguin puppets. they remind me of the penguins from Mary Poppins. use the free PDF from Red Roof Patterns)
35. matching memory game (I remember loving memory games as a kid and this tutorial by Craftiness is Not Optional looks so simple and inexpensive)
36. quite book (this is a highly personalizable gift. you can make pretty much anything you want for you little person. check out How to Make a Quite Book for more info)
37. neck tie (the Hubs is one of those dads who wheres a lot of ties, I love the idea of making him one that is just his style and personalized. use this tutorial from Molly's Sketchbook over at The Purl Bee)
38. bow tie (check out my tutorial review)
39. scarf (this is such an easy and quick t-shirt infinity scarf tutorial)
40. hat (crocheting a hat can be such a relaxing thing to do while watching a movie or chatting with friends,check out these 38 free crochet hat patterns for beginners on All Free Crochet)
41. gloves/mittens (up-cycle a sweater and make these beautiful felted wool mittens using this downloadable PDF from RebeccaMeaDesigns on etsy for $8)
42. socks (I have never made socks, but I wish I had some cozy homemade knitted socks. especially if they had a great Fair Isle design. *hint hint mom* use this great tulip sock knitting pattern from Whit's Knits over at the The Purl Bee)
43. Sharpie painted coffee mug (I made a mug for the Hubs last January for his birthday. it said, "COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS" and he loves it. I would recommend using a special oil-based paint pen specifically for using on glass. get some really good tips and tricks from DIYopolis and a full tutorial from A Beautiful Mess)
44. gift card envelope with a fabulous gift card (use my tutorial)
45. coasters (use my kiwi coasters tutorial)

I love stocking stuffers! Hope this  list is inspiring and that it gets you crafting and filling those stockings!

If you have any more ideas or if you have a tutorial on your blog leave a comment and I will add it to the list.

XOXO,

Coco

Master Bedroom Pillows Makeover

When we got married we registered for a great bed set from Bed Bath and Beyond. It's vibrant and happy and lovely in our small bedroom. The only problem is its just a little too matchy matchy.

I think I was on a wedding registry high (pointing that little gun at items is super addictive!) and I didn't think about how mainstream everything would look. 

I have since come to my senses and learned that one should never buy everything from the same store. Shopping around is way better. Even if a collection is beautiful, don't buy the whole thing. It just ends up looking like you set up the store display in your house. Zero personality.

I am in love with our duvet cover. So that we will keep. I also love the vintage green crochet chevron blanket at the end of the bed. Its the throw pillows that could use some work. On the one hand I want to start over with our throw pillows. On the other hand I don't want to spend the money it would require to get cute new pillows. Solution: recover the pillows we already have!

This is the pillow that I am getting color inspiration from. Its a combination of teal, chartreuse, Kelley green, navy, purple, magenta, lighter pink, and goldenrod. This pillow sits on a great blue chair over in the corner of our bedroom and it will really pull everything together once the room  is done.

Truthfully, I would love two magenta velvet pillows, but I am not going to fork out the dough for that. So here are some of my fabric ideas. 

Don't you love the little hand of my helper in the corner?

I would love some input. Do you like these fabrics? Which one is your fave? Which fabrics would you use if it was up to you? Any combination of these or suggestions for different colors or patters or styles. Give me your creative juices!

Leave a comment with your ideas and then enter your email address and follow Domestic 360 for updates as our bedroom gets a little TLC.

Happy Decorating!

Xoxo,

Coco

P.S. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!

DIY Plate Wall

In our old apartment we has super high vaulted ceilings. I spent so much time trying to figure out how to make those walls beautiful. We had some awkward shaped walls too, the wall behind our dining room table was also the wall that was in front of the staircase leading up to our loft. It was this weird angled thing and so hard to decorate. I settled on a plate collage. It was beautiful. I loved it. It brought a ton of color and interest into the space. I hung the plates so that they sort I migrated up the angle if the wall, really embracing the weirdness.

You can kind of see the plate wall in our old place, behind my musical boys.

 When we moved into our new place in July I quickly hung the plates above our dining room table just as they had been in our old place, though not in the same pattern. And I quickly decided I didn't like it. Nope, the plates just did not have the same effect in this new apartment. At least not on that wall. I was ready to give in the towel and pack up the plates. But my wonderful hubby inadvertently gave me an idea. I think his exact words were "The wall above the stove needs... something." Brilliant Hubby!

Not working...

My original plan for the wall above our stove was to hang some floating shelves for added storage. But thanks to some creative solutions I didn't really need the extra storage. Plus I wasn't too keen to do the work of installing shelves in an apartment that we aren't planing on being in forever. Once I gave up the idea of shelves over the stove, it opened up a huge blank wall. Enter: Plates. 

Sad boring wall.

To make sure the plates formed a good pattern, before I punched any holes in the wall, I traced each plate onto craft paper, cut it out and taped the tracings onto the wall. I played around with the pattern until I got something I was happy with. Then I hung the plates exactly where the tracings were.

Do this! It makes a huge difference in the finished product and in the process.
So much less frustration and guessing.

[plates are from Target, Marshals and various thrift stores]

I love, love, LOVE the way it turned out. It adds so much color and interest in my tiny kitchen. 

What do you think of my plate wall? Do you have a wall in your home that is just screaming for something interesting? Leave a comment and let me know!

Xoxo,
Corey

6 Chic DIY Halloween Wreaths

If I had my way I would have a wreath for every season and every holiday. I would change it out regularly and my door would always be festive and beautiful. 

Halloween presents a really awesome opportunity to decorate any door with pizzazz! Here are some of my favorite DIY Halloween wreath ideas from Pinterest.

Some of these links go to tutorials, other just to pictures, others to places where you can buy the wreaths. I think most of them are pretty DIY-able. If you can't figure out how to make one of these just leave a comment and I will try to make a tutorial. 

Candy Corn Wreath
From rwposies.blogspot.com

Chevron and Bats Wreath
From tatertotsandjello.com

Day of the Dead Wreath
From fabricateatlanta.com

Glow-in-the-Dark Eyeballs Wreath
From homeandgarden.craftgossip.com

Harvest Moon Wreath
From flickr.com

Maleficent Wreath
(I mean come on! This is  freakin' awesome!)
From etsy.com

Snake Wreath
(honestly, I debated putting this up here. I hate snakes. I have a major phobia. just this picture gives me the heebee jeebees. but its a pretty cool halloween wreath. just don't expect me to come over if this is hanging on your door.)
No source

Spooky Grapevine Wreath
From www.hometalk.com

Vintage Scull Wreath
From etsy.com

For more great Halloween wreaths and decorating ideas follow me on Pinterest. Check out my Festive!  and Festive! Halloween! boards for fun holiday inspiration!

Happy Haunting!

XOXO,

Coco

Tribal Vest - Super Easy DIY

A few months ago I did the costume designs for a new version of The Jungle Book at Synetic Theater. I had a really great time working on this show and imagining what the characters should be wearing. We wanted to go with something pretty edgy and not too animalistic. In other words, we needed to find a way to portray the animal characters in a new, modern, and essentially human way.

A lot of this came from the costumes, I used animal prints and tribal influences. I was really inspired by all the awesome tribal art out there and especially how it is influencing fashion. Tribal fabric is so beautiful and unique. I'm sure the patterns and colors have some deep meaning in the cultures that they come from, but for me and, I would guess, most American's they are just beautiful expressions of a cultures art.

Tribal Vest

One of the costumes I was most excited about was a simple denim vest I designed and painted for one of the wolf pack characters. I loved it so much that I had to make another one that I knew wouldn't just sit in costume storage collecting dust until the next performance. The only problem was that I can't wear motorcycle vests, they just don't do my figure any favors. So, I made one for my sister!

Tribal Vest in Fashion Action!

Here is the thing with this project, its SUPER EASY! Seriously, this is one of those projects that you can do in an afternoon with a good cup of coffee and some reruns of The Office. There are no rules when it comes to tribal patterns, graphic is good, and monochromatic makes the pattern really stand out, but there is nothing saying that you have to make your vest look anything like mine.

Tribal Vest - front

Tribal Vest - back

I purchased the vest from Forever 21, and used a black fabric marker for the first vest I made (the costume). The only problem with using a fabric marker is that I got a little lightheaded working on the vest. I used fabric paint on the vest I made for my sister, and that worked just as well. It just depends on what you are more comfortable using.

Tribal Vest - Super Easy DIY
Materials:

• Denim vest (you could use pretty much any light-wash vest. Check out a thrift store! I got mine from Forever 21.)
• Black fabric marker or fabric paint and brush (I used black, but feel free to try out other color combos!)

Process:

Find some inspiration for tribal patterns, decide what you want your vest to look like. I painted only a few sections, the front panels and the bottom band.  I thought about painting a tribal elephant on the back, but that didn't end up happening. 

Plain old vest - needs something awesome!

Tribal Vest - painting 

After you have decided what you are doing, just get to it! Paint or draw on your pattern. If you are painting, make sure you put down newspaper or something to protect your surface. Don't be hindered, just go for it! Like I said, there really isn't a way to mess this up. If you have an area that you don't like, just fill it in. 

Tribal Vest - painting progress

See? Super EASY!

Here is the pattern that I used (I don't have any rights to this photo, check out http://www.fubiz.net/galleries/set/kate-moross/photo/5445704182/ for the original source):

Kate Moross - Multicolour Tribal

Here are a few other tribal inspirational ideas (again, I don't have the rights to these photos):

Pattern by Sandra Dieckmann

Tribal Crayon by Vasare Nar

Tribal Henna Elephant

Tribal Elephant Sweatshirt

Indian Woman by AnastasiaMarie

Tribal Feather