Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath Salts

Speaking of Bath & Body Works, man I love that store! From the minute you walk in, you are overwhelmed by all of the different aromas. My favorite scent in Eucalyptus Spearmint.  It smells so fresh and clean! Now that I have turned our kitchen into my own apothecary, I’m a very happy mama. 

Do you remember the episode of friends where Chandler tries the bath salts?  “The bath salts! They’re starting to effervesce! It’s different. (Pause) It’s interesting.”  LOL

Anyways, I digress…. on to the bath salt recipe. 

Bath Salt Ingredients

To create these bath salts, you only need two ingredients plus your essential oils!

• 1 cup of mineral salt or Epsom salt
• 1/2 cup baking soda (for the effervescing)
• 3 drops of spearmint oil
• 8 drops of eucalyptus oil

How to Make Homemade Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath Salts

1. Begin by mixing the salt and baking soda together.  Be sure to get all of the baking soda mixed in with the salts.
2. Next, add the oils.  I start with the spearmint because it is the strongest and you are trying to balance out the smell.
3. Stir well and store in an air tight glass container.  (so many different glass containers to choose from…and I love gifting these cute containers!) 

Eucalyptus has a great fresh and invigorating scent.  Combine that with spearmint’s relaxing scent and it makes for the perfect bath at the end of a long day!

Homemade Gift Ideas

As you can tell, I love gifting homemade items. There is something so wonderful about creating a gift from the heart and sharing it with those you love. If you’re looking for more ideas for unique homemade gift ideas, here are some of my favorites: 

• DIY Candle Melts
• DIY Citronella Candles
• Garbage Disposal Fizzies
• DIY Eye Mask
• Distressed Serving Tray

Happy creating! Psst: and the best part about creating these types of products is that you get to enjoy the soothing fragrances as you create them!! 

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Mason Jar Fall Luminary

We have been so inspired by all of the beautiful fall decor that has been popping up in stores lately!  The crisp, warm colors of fall are so inviting.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money on fancy fall decor when you can make your own, and this year I am bound and determined to change that.  

We whipped up this cute Mason Jar Fall Luminary in no time at all. This would also make a wonderful classroom or craft activity. The supplies for this fall craft activity as so simple. With just a few supplies needed, this is an affordable fall or Halloween craft, and the process of making these homemade mason jar luminaries is enjoyable and fun!

Materials needed to create Mason Jar Fall Luminary

• Cricut Maker or Explore
• Adhesive vinyl
• Mason jar
• Acrylic craft paint
• Foam brush
• Twine
• Votive candles and filler

How to Make Fall Luminary Jars

1. I began by cutting out a maple leaf of adhesive vinyl with my Cricut Explore.  If you don’t have a cutting machine, you can trace and cut out a leaf design on adhesive vinyl.
2. Apply the cut vinyl maple leaf to the smooth side of the mason jar.
3. Pick an acrylic paint color that you want to use.  I chose persimmon for fall.
4. Begin painting a thin coat of paint on the mason jar. Pro tip:  I use a foil cupcake liner for my paint!  It makes clean up a breeze!
5. Be sure you allow the paint to dry completely between each coat.  Otherwise, it will clump and pull away from the glass.  It took about 3 coats for it to be completely covered.
6. Once the mason jar is dry, gently peel away the vinyl leaf decal.  Touch up any rough edges with a small paintbrush.

I added some corn kernels to the bottom and placed the votive candle inside like I did for my Thanksgiving mantel.  Add some twine or ribbon around the top of the jar to finish it off!

Super cute and adds just a hint of fall color and decor to any home! Plus it looks beautiful lit up in the evenings!

More Fall Crafting and Recipe Ideas

Don’t you just love fall crafting? It’s such a wonderful way to welcome in the new season. Here are more of our favorite fall craft and recipe ideas:

• Mini Mod Podge Fabric Pumpkins
• Wooden Pumpkin Lantern for Fall
• Fall Craft: Easy Paper Pumpkin Craft
• Easy Fall Snack for Kids: Scarecrow Pudding Cups
• Mini Pecan Pies Recipe

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Garbage Disposal Cleaning Tabs

Sometimes you just have to take things into your own hands. When attempting to solve a stinky disposal issue, I turned my kitchen into a mini science lab and created this concoction. Ok, so only 4 ingredients but it still felt pretty dang exciting to create my very own garbage disposal cleaning tabs.

How to Make your own Garbage Disposal Cleaning Tabs 

They turned out pretty good and honestly, I’m excited to give them gifts! Not only will they clean your disposal, but they make your kitchen smell amazing!  Just in time for all of that spring cleaning!

Ingredients and Supplies for Homemade Disposal Cleaning Tabs

• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3/4 tsp dish soap
• 10 drops of lemon essential oil
• Parchment paper
• Cookie sheet
• Glass jar
• Garbage Disposal Fizzies printable (optional)

Instructions for Making DIY Disposal Cleaning Tablets

1.  In a large bowl, mix together baking soda and salt.  
2. Slowly add liquid soap.  Stir well.  It will look like wet sand.
3. Add 10 drops of lemon essential oil and mix well.
4. Using a small measuring spoon, scoop and pack the mixture and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
5.  Continue until you run out of mixture.
6. Allow to dry overnight!

They smell SOOOOO good! I used lemon essential oil but you could also use Citrus Fresh or any other citrus scented oil.

Drop a couple in the garbage disposal and turn on! Smell be gone!

Click HERE to print your FREE Printable!

 Did you know that CreateCraftLove has 100s of FREE printables? All printables are for PERSONAL use only!  Please do not re-sell, redistribute or claim as your own. If this printable is posted to the internet, please give credit and link back to Create.Craft.Love.

Download directions: Click link above. This will bring up a Google Drive folder. Click the download icon at the top. This will save the folder to your computer. Simply open the file and print! YOU DO NOT NEED TO ASK PERMISSION TO VIEW.

I used a 2 inch hole punch to cut out the printable. Each printable comes with 6 labels. They will fit the short large mouth jar lid (like the one I used) or the standard mason jar lid!

These Garbage Disposal Cleaning Tabs would make great housewarming gifts!

Looking for more homemade gift ideas? One of our favoriting things about crafting and creating, is gifting! Homemade gifts are the best, here are more homemade gift ideas:

• DIY Candle Melts
• DIY Citronella Candles
• DIY Eye Mask
• Distressed Serving Tray
• Homemade Kool-Aid Lip Balm

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DIY Candle Melts

I love my candle warmer! What I don’t love is having to spend an arm and a leg to replenish my candle melt supply. Once I discovered the power of essential oils, I knew making my own homemade wax melts could become a reality! This tutorial is so simple! I can’t wait to show you how to make your own candle melts too!

First, let me just start with a disclaimer: Some essential oils may not maintain their chemistry and therapeutic properties if heated. That being said, I did not make these for therapeutic effect. I made them for scent and ambiance.

Paraffin wax should NOT be used for candle making. When heated, it releases toxins. Beeswax is totally safe and actually has healing properties itself.

Supplies for Making Candle Melts

• Soy wax chips
• Glass bowl
• Essential oils
• Candle pouring can
• Silicone baking mold

I used soy wax to make these candle melts.  

How to Make Homemade Candle Melts

1. Begin by heating 1 cup of soy wax in a glass bowl in the microwave. Heat until melted – about 3 minutes on high.
2. Remove from the microwave using oven mitts.
3. Next, add your scent! I chose to use lavender because I love how it smells and it is so relaxing!  Add 15-20 drops of lavender essential oil to the melted wax.  
4. Stir until well mixed.
5. Pour the melted wax mixture into a stainless candle pouring can.
6. Carefully, pour wax into silicone mold. Be careful not to over fill. (Not that I would know.)
7. Allow wax to dry.  It will take about an hour to harden.
8. Gently pop the candle melts from the silcone mold.

I also made a batch of eucalyptus because it smells fresh and clean!

They smell amazing!  And I love that I can quickly whip up a batch once I run out!  

1 cup of soy wax mixed with essential oils will yield 8 candle melts in the silicone mold I used.

More Homemade Gift Ideas

Aren’t these wonderful? And they would make such wonderful gifts! Here are some ideas for more homemade gifts that you can make: 

• DIY Citronella Candles
• Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath Salts
• Garbage Disposal Fizzies
• DIY Eye Mask
• Homemade Simmering Potpourri Jar

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DIY Citronella Candles

Nothing can ruin a beautiful summer night like those pesky mosquitoes, am I right? Not to mention they are tiny vectors of disease (Malaria, West Nile Virus, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever) but I digress…

To my dismay, those store bought citronella candles do NOT seem to work. The scientist in me decided to research this annoying conundrum and I found the problem! Guess what? They use citronella scented oil, not citronella essential oil.

Want to Learn How to make your own DIY Homemade Citronella Candles?

• Mason Jars
• Soy candle wax
• Citronella essential oil
• Candle wick
• Hot glue gun
• Microwave safe container

How to Make Homemade Citronella Candles

1. You need to prepare your wick. I bought waxed wicks with metal bottoms.
2. Apply hot glue to the bottom of the metal. Place in the mason jar (center as best you can – I used a candy stick to press it into place. Set aside and allow the hot glue to cool completely.
3. Fill your microwave safe container half way.(Patience is a virtue but it is not one of my stronger traits.  Therefore, I decided to microwave the wax instead of using the stove.)
4. Depending on your microwave, melt the wax in 30 – 60 second intervals.  It took about three minutes to melt the wax down.
5. Now your wax should be melted.  Carefully, remove the bowl from the microwave.  The wax will look like olive oil.
6. Using an eyedropper, add the citronella oil to the hot wax (about five drops).  Stir oil into the wax.
7. Wrap the wick around the candy stick to keep the wick centered. 
8. Pour the wax into your mason jar.
9. Allow to cool and the wax to solidify. This took about two hours.
10. Once the wax is cool, cut your wick to size.

They turned out wonderful!  They smell really good and they actually work! I actually sat outside taking pictures for 30 minutes last night and did not get a single mosquito bite! I love a successful craft project!

If you are looking for fun and practical craft ideas, here are a few more favorites: 

• DIY Candle Melts
• DIY Citronella Candles
• Garbage Disposal Fizzies
• DIY Eye Mask
• Easy DIY Homemade Lemon Hand Soap Recipe
• Distressed Serving Tray

Whatever it is that are creating, I hope it fills your heart with joy (and chases those pesky mosquitos away!!)… that’s what creating is all about!! 

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We have a super awkward, large empty wall that has been difficult to decorate since the day we moved in. The vaulted ceiling is centered on that side of the room making it even more difficult to solve.

I thought that if I created a faux board and batten accent wall with a picture ledge, I could easily add to the space and move wall decor without putting a ton of holes in my drywall. When we first moved into our house, my dad and I did a board and batten wall with banquette seating in my dining nook.

The reason this is a Faux Board and Batten Accent Wall is because I didn’t place plywood down over the wall itself. True decorating aficionados will tell you that you can’t add battens to a textured surface but I’m here to tell you it’s not only possible, it really elevates the space. This was an easy weekend project!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Materials needed to build your Faux Board and Batten Accent Wall:

• 1x4in x 6ft – vertical battens (quantity will depend on your room measurements)
• 1x4in x 8ft – horizontal batten
• 1x3in x 8ft – picture ledge
• 1/2in x 3/4in x 8ft – molding under picture ledge
• Liquid nails
• Ryobi Miter Saw 10 in
• Ryobi One Cordless AirStrike 18 Gauge Brad Nailer
• 1.5 inch brad nails
• Gallon of paint with primer
• Tarp
• Painter’s tape
• Paintable caulk
• Wood putty
• 180 grit sand paper

Begin by measuring your wall. Our wall from the door to our deck to the casing to our hallway measured 161 inches. Because you can see the new accent wall from my dining nook where the original wall was done, I wanted to maintain the same height and width of the battens. That vertical height is 57 inches from the top of the baseboard to the top of the horizontal batten. The width of the space between each vertical batten is 13.75 inches. I added the width between battens (13.75in) to the width of 1 batten (3.75in) and divided that by total wall length which gave me 9 battens.

Remove the outlet and light switch covers. Tape over to protect from dust and paint.

My husband and I marked the height on the wall and then marked where each vertical batten would be placed. We started with placing the horizontal battens. Add liquid nails to the back of the horizontal batten, place on wall, level and then adhere the horizontal batten to the wall with the brad nailer.

Since I had such a large expanse, I abutted two pieces of wood to create one long horizontal batten. (You can sand and add wood filler later so no one will notice!)

Next we began adding the vertical battens. As anyone who has done home projects in the past is aware, the wall isn’t necessarily straight or level depending on how your house has settled over the years. I recommend measuring each vertical batten and then cutting. Once you get a rhythm down, this process goes quickly.

I didn’t remove the floorboards because I wanted to keep the same ones throughout my house. So we cut a 45 degree angle at the base of each batten where it met the top of the baseboard using my Ryobi miter saw. Follow the same process for adhering the batten to the wall as you did with the horizontal batten.

Continue this process until all of your battens are measured, cut and adhered to the wall.

Wood putty is my favorite part! Apply wood putty to any knots in the wood or nail holes. I also paid close attention to the seam on the horizontal batten where the two pieces of wood joined together. Once painted, you will not be able to tell this wasn’t one long piece of wood! Allow the wood putty to dry and sand smooth. Wipe off any excess sand dust with a clean rag.

Next, begin caulking between the battens and the wall. This allows for a smooth finish once painted.

Now you will want to measure and cut the two pieces of 1x3inch wood to use as a picture ledge. We nailed the ledge from the top into the edge of the horizontal batten. Then you will add the square molding under the picture ledge for extra support. Measure and cut the square molding and nail into the horizontal batten.

Repeat the caulking and wood putty process on these added pieces.

Finally you will paint out the battens and wall to match your trim (or whatever color you chose). Using the paint with primer, we painted three coats total. Follow directions on the paint regarding dry times.

I am head over heels with how this turned out. My husband was impressed by how much it added to the living room even without being decorated yet!

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Farmhouse decor is still trending.  I love the simple style elements.  I thought using an embroidery hoop would go well with my bedroom decor and I was right!  This Embroidery Hoop Earring Holder took 5 minutes to make.  Not even kidding.  FIVE MINUTES!  You can whip up as many as you want to hold all of your earrings.

Materials needed for Embroidery Hoop Earring Holder

7 inch wood embroidery hoop
DMC stitchable mesh
Lace ribbon
Scissors

Did you know DMC sells embroidery mesh?  It’s reversible!  One side is silver, the other side is gold.  The material is a fabric and it is super flexible and MEANT to be used in embroidery hoops!  I have only seen it on Amazon or online at DMC.

Unroll the stitchable mesh.  I chose to use the silver side.  (Gold doesn’t really go with my decor but that could be a fun take on this project!  Paint your embroidery hoop and use the gold side!)  Lay the inner hoop down on your craft service.  Place the stitchable mesh and lace ribbon over the hoop.  I had to tape down the four corners to keep the mesh from rolling in on itself.

Secure the mesh and ribbon by placing the outer hoop over the inner hoop.  

Tighten the screw at the top as far as possible.  Next, turn the whole thing over and trim the edges.

(See the pretty gold on the other side?)

To finish off this beauty, add all of your dangly earrings.  I have way more earrings than this but I still wanted you to be able to see the project itself. 

How easy was that?!  This Embroidery Hoop Earring Holder is such a fun way to incorporate your style into functional decor.  Hang in your bedroom or bathroom!

And of course, you can use embroidery hoops for so much more!  Check out our Embroidery Hoop Floral Orb!

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I’ve been busy helping to organize a baby shower for one of closest friends these past couple of weeks.  Her nursery theme is space and she wanted the shower to reflect that.  With the help of my Cricut Maker, I whipped up these cute centerpieces.

Assembling the Baby Shower Centerpiece

I used an image from Design Space called Star Rocket (#M384DE).  In order to make the centerpiece dual sided, I needed to create two rockets for every centerpiece. 

Begin by cutting all of your individual components.  Glue the rocket piece with the windows to the back piece.

Hot glue a paint stick to the moon.

Glue one rocket over the paint stick at an angle.

Turn over and mirror the rocket on the back side.  Glue in place.

Next, glue the one big star and one little star to the front side of the moon.  Repeat the process by mirroring the stars and gluing in place on the back.  Set aside.

Now you will create your diaper base.  Take a newborn diaper and open it.

Start at one end and roll the diaper.  Secure it with a tiny elastic hair band.

It takes 7 diapers to create each base.  Begin by placing one rolled diaper in the middle and then place the remaining six around the middle diaper.  Secure together with a large rubberband.  Hide the rubberband by covering with a piece of ribbon.  Glue ribbon to itself.  I added a yellow paper star to the middle of the ribbon.

The Baby Shower Centerpieces turned out perfect and Kristin loved them!  She was able to keep the diapers from the bases and is going to use the rockets in the nursery.

I’d love for you to pin this image!

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DIY Backyard Games for Summer

Summer is meant for being outside and we love to host a good cookout! We are blessed to live in a wonderful neighborhood and that means we play host to a bunch of the fellow neighbor families. We usually just let them run around in the yard and play on the swing set. But how much fun would it be to come up with something a little different for them?  

What are some of your favorite outdoor backyard games?  I remember playing croquet and badminton as a kid.  But the idea of taking indoor games, outdoors, really appeals to me.

Using everyday sponges for a water fight instead of water balloons? Genius! Some of these games can be made with scrap wood left over in the garage. Others will take some planning but I’m sure it will make your next cookout a hit.

 As always, please pin from the original source!

What other games for the backyard can you come up with? Have you seen that Hungry Hungry Hippo video with real people? I wish I could think of a safe way to do that outside.  

And I’ve always wanted to make a slip and slide baseball diamond. Or even kickball with slip and slides!  Can you imagine the fun that would be?!

More Fun Outdoor Games and Ideas for Families

• DIY Snowball Fight
• Water Balloon Olympics
• Bubble Wand Lightsabers
• Squirt Gun Tie Dye
• Sidewalk Chalk Games and Ideas for Kids

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A couple of weeks ago, my husband suggested we print up our National Park pictures to display in our home.  (You can’t tell a creative blogger you want to display something and not expect it to turn into a project.  LOL) I countered with the idea of creating a gallery wall to display the pictures.  We have this small alcove off the main room that leads to the master bedroom and I have had such a difficult time deciding what to do with that space.

He was totally on board but said I was in charge of figuring it out.  We hit up Michaels, picked out some frames on clearance, and had the pictures printed.  Later that week I was at Target and spied this awesome wood pallet wallpaper and knew what I wanted to do with it!

To make your own Pallet Wood Wall:

Measure out your space.  I used my rotary cutter and mat to cut the pieces.  You can manage this with scissors but I found this easier.

The back of the wallpaper states to apply to a smooth surface.  The wall I wanted to use this on was textured.  But I’ll get to that fix later on.  Keep reading!

Once cut, carefully remove the backing.  Apply to the wall.  Smooth any bubbles out.

As you can see, he still got roped into helping me.  Continue cutting, applying and smoothing as you work your way up the wall.  Sadly, I put the bottom piece upside down.  If you were to turn this piece the other way, you will notice there is about 1/4 inch of a new plank.  Place the wallpaper the other direction and overlap the next piece over that section.  Then you will not see the seams.

To secure the wallpaper, I bought 12 foot quarter round that I had Home Depot cut to size.  Use a nail gun to attach the quarter round into the corners of the wall.  This will serve two purposes.  It will secure the wallpaper to a textured wall and it gives it a finished look.

I placed it on the sides and across the top near the ceiling.

Then it was time to add our pictures!  Kyle really wanted to use the family pictures we took in front of the National Park signs.  Sadly, those are all horizontal so it made the wall a little difficult to configure.  But I’m kinda in love with how it turned out!

The canvas is a picture of Reed walking among the sequoias with a John Muir quote about walking in nature.  I love it!

We are visiting five more National Parks this summer!  I can’t wait to add more pictures to our wall!

Click HERE to see more of our DIY projects!

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