Friday, May 30, 2014

INSPIRATION NATION//DIY PEN BOUQUET

This is a graduation gift special! A super-fun gift to make and an even more amazing gift to receive. Of course, as always this DIY is extremely versatile so you could easily replace the clay flowers for silk of even crepe paper/fabric flowers or you could use the air dry clay recipe to make other vibrant toppers like a miniature Starbucks coffee mug or some clay high heels to go on top of your pencils/pens. The possibilities are endless!
This DIY Pen Bouquet features some big colorful blooms and since I was topping my pens with florals, I decided to make a whole bouquet of them.
DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts

When your sweet grad girl runs out of ink over time, she could just use them as beautiful decor or even discard the pens and use just the flowers as keepsakes. Probably if she is a crafty soul like you, she may even figure a way to upcycle them!
DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts
DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts


I just used a glass vase I'd modpodged with glitter to add some classy glamour and popped the pens in. For an extra realistic effect I stuffed in some leaves spilling out of the jar's rim.

Here's how you can make your own:

Materials:
-A set of pens. I used a pack of six.

-For small quantities of air dry clay:

 Cornstarch &Glue (The Elmer's school glue kind) in 1:1 ratio
 A few tesaspoons of baby oil to reduce cracking
 A microwavable container and a stirrer
 Some lotion

Stir up all the ingredients in the container and microwave it with breaks in between; keep stirring the clay so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Keep heating up until it no longer sticks to the sides/bottom and becomes smooth. Knead it by smoothing on some lotion onto your hands till the temperature reduces back to normal and store in clingwrap because air will dry it out if you keep it out in the open. Don't store in moist places to prevent mould!


For larger quantities:
Simply buy some, or maybe you already have some on hand?

-Acrylic paints
-Green electric tape or floral tape
-A jar or a ribbon to tie up the bouquet

How-to:
1.Once you have your clay ready, simply have a sample (or a photograph) of the flower you want to simulate and mold it accordingly. I used this and this picture to inspire me throughout. I also had one of my fake flowers in front of me while I was molding just to keep track.

2 For each petal, start off with a mini ball then flatten it out into the shape of a petal. For the bud at the center, cover the pen's cap top completely and then move outwards with the petals  making the flower larger as you make the petal curl outwards. Scrape of the excess clay accumulated around the cap (at the flower's base) after finishing the rose making sure you leave behind a very thin but smoothly merged layer so that individual petals don't crack and fall off later.
DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts

3.The result? A super natural-looking rose!

5. Air dry clay takes around 12-24 hours to dry depending on the size. So leave it out for a day!

6.Paint it any color you like. I suggest using different colors of the same family and adding a hint of yellow to give a little contrast.
Try experimenting with a variety of flowers

7. Dress up the pens (and any peeking  gaps on the cap which you should be having unless your flower is enormous) with green tape .

8, Finish off with a pretty bow and a gift tag or pop it in a cute mason jar or the likes for even more fresh effects!

Enjoy! The best part of the DIY is with the exploring and painting. You can never get enough of the combinations you'll get!
Even easier to create with a bunch of friends! You'll create a bouquet in no time!

DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts
DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts

This photograph is my mum's personal favorite. No.Idea.Why.

DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts

Zooming in on the other types of flowers I made. Was so fun to fashion flowers out of clay I didn't even know the name of. And now I made myself look like an idiot on the world wide web.

DIY Botanical Pen/Pencil Bouquet as Grad Gifts #diy #ideas #gifts

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Wishing all the grads a great future,
Love you all,
Nash









Monday, May 12, 2014

CRAVINGS RAVINGS // MANGO FLOAT CHILLERS!

Food fantasy, that's what this is.
It actually happened to be born out of one. One fine brunch at Mugg & Beans, we happened to order a tantalizing drink which I, at that time had no idea would make its way to the blog. Honestly, I can't remember the name of that magical sherbet, but this is an oh-so-glorious dupe for a way more affordable price per glass, and because the entire thing looks like marbled layers after layers of juicy, ripe mangoes with sweet, creamy vanilla icecream that look like they're floating atop each other, I named these babies: Mango float chillers!

Dad can't seem to get enough of these, neither does mom. I made these two days in a row just because they were that delicious. Perfect for the blazing summers here.

And then I tossed on some whipped cream and chocolate chips/kiwis and more mango chunks for good measure. Invite family and friends over for a casual outdoor gathering and these will be the star of your party or snuggle up with an individual one to pamper yourself after a sweltering day out.


Delish.

Mango Float Chillers
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

About a cup and a half of chilled mango puree
An equal amount of Vanilla ice cream as the puree.
Whipped cream (to top)
Icing sugar (as preference. I used 1/8th cup)
Corn syrup/Mango syrup (optional)

For the topping:

Mini chocolate chips
Other diced fruits

How-to:

1. Leave out the icecream and mango puree (if you're using the frozen version) to soften until semi-solid.
2. In a blender combine all the mango puree with the required amount of icing sugar, I recommend to add a tad bit lesser sugar than your prefer because the vanilla ice cream adds a lot of sweetness. For an even thicker and candy-er version, add about a tablespoon of corn syrup and keep aside.
3.In another bowl, take out little chunks of the semi-solid vanilla ice cream and churn it with a spoon till it's a thick and creamy liquid.
4. First spoon in the layer of mango puree as the base. Take a spoon and bring up a little of the puree on all the sides. Then spoon in a tablespoon of the vanilla ice cream bringing it a little above and below with the spoon into the puree. Then spoon in the puree again. Gently fold in a little to create the marbled effect between each layer.
5.keep repeating step 4 till the glass is 3/4th full!
6.Top with whipped cream and add mango syrup or fresh fruits. I added mini chocolate chips in one and fruits in the other.

Serve chilled!


Look at all those lovely marbled layers!


And that healthy doze of semi-sweet chips! :)

Florals make everything all the more prettier don't ya think??

Hooked on this?? Why not pin it and share it to let everyone know? 
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Stay happy!

Love, Nash
(PS: I'm in the midst of a thunderstorm of exams right now which is why I haven't been uploading regularly, sorry!)


Friday, April 11, 2014

INSPIRATION NATION// DIY ROSES FROM EGG CRATES!

Mommy dear has quite got the hang of my crafty endeavors now which is why she gifted me an empty egg crate last week. I suppose only us craftstresses would see the opportunity there; so I turned this basic kitchen trash into treasure : DIY Roses from egg crates! It was obvious wasn't it? I'm such a rose person, and all of us are looking for new ways to make this Spring pop! Thanks, mum!

The instructions are really basic. Just cut, paint, mold, repeat. Then fashion them into just the sweetest, romantic rose using your favorite super-glue and use them any way you wish. No one's even probably going to guess these beauties were made with egg crates!

You'll need:
-An egg crate, in a light color preferably.
-Acrylic paints in different colors and large-tipped paint brushes
-Newspapers (for easy clean-up)
-Super-glue of your choice

Optional:
-Sturdy wire for steams
-Green ribbon

How-to:
1.Begin by cutting across each row of little cones from the egg tray. Then cut out each row into individual cones. Don't worry I know these will be pointy for now.
  Snip off the pointy end of the cones to make them more curvy. Like rose petals, yeah? Paint them, preferably with a large fluffy paint brush! (I used two different colors, hot pink & bright cherry red to get a more natural effect.) Make sure to get around all the nooks and crevices.

2. For the center of the rose take the smallest half cone (you find them on the extreme left and right of each row of cones) and curl it inwards. Then glue down to secure and make it look like a bud.


3. For the rest of the cones. slit with a scissors as shown in picture across the length of the cone so that you get a longish petal and then mold this to fit around the bud.

4. Keep repeating and adding more 'petals' until you have a rose in full bloom!

5. If you'd like to pop 'em in a vase like me, wrap some green ribbon onto metal wire ( I used the ones from my foam curlers in my DIY Ring Box post). and glue them down to the base of the rose. (Don't forget to hold in place for a few minutes till the glue is dry and the rose sits smug!)

You can use these as gift toppers too or for photography props! Stunning either way!


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And here's the DIY Ring Box I talked about above. The foam curlers have metals inserts in them which I used for the stems of the roses!


Check out the rest of my DIYs in my DIY gallery, you wouldn't know what you may discover. ;)

Lots of hugs,
Nash ( I think you can tell I love a lot of pink & red, lol)



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