DIY Crystal Succulent garden - beautiful tabletop centerpiece

I love all kind of plants both indoors and outdoors, especially Succulents. I have a lot of different Succulent species at home and from time to time I like to make different home decor arrangements or Succulent gardens as they are called. Last week I decide to combine two of my passions Crystals and Succulents and show it here. So here it is, my miniature Crystal Succulent garden :)

If you wish to know how to make your own Succulent garden see my previous tutorial post with DIY instruction!

Eventually these little cuties will grow, divide, produce babies and they will need to be re-potted into a bigger bowl so they can look like this :)

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DIY Honey Lavender salve tutorial. How to make a healing ointment recipe

I love using natural products for all of my personal care so I thought I’ll share with you my favorite recipe of Honey salve with Lavender that I’ve been making for my family for years.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil ~ 2 oz (57 ml)
Cocoa Butter ~ 0.5 oz (15 g/ 15 ml)
Beeswax ~ 0.7 oz (19 g/20 ml)
Honey, preferably raw honey ~ 1 tsp (5 ml)
Vitamin E ~ 1/2 tsp (3 ml)
Lavender essential oil (or your own choice) ~ 10-20 drops

1.    Combine Olive oil, Cocoa butter and Beeswax into a mixing bowl and melt in a double boiler or in a microwave oven.

2.    Allow salve to cool on the counter. When the mixture has cooled down to approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40°C degree Celsius) you can start adding Honey and Vitamin E. The essential oils should be last. Blend the whole mixture well with rubber spatula, spoon or with the electric hand mixer.

 

3.    Transfer the finished salve into the smaller containers of your choice. Recipe yields approximately 100 ml (~ 3,5 oz) of product.

Notes:

•    Honey is a known source of the bacteria spores that cause botulism. The spores are not nearly enough to hurt an adult and have never been known to cause harm by applying to wounds. Still, to be safe, don’t use honey or honey salve on children under two years old unless the honey has been sterilized.

•    Heating raw honey past the maximum hive temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit changes honey’s essential composition and degrades its quality. It partially destroys honey’s beneficial enzymes and ‘boils off’ volatile compounds that account for the unique, delicate floral aroma of the honey. If you wish to preserve as much of the honey properties as possible, wait until the mixture has cooled off to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35°C degree Celsius). Most commercial honey is already heated to 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit (70-80 °C degree Celsius) so if you are using commercial honey, you can add honey right after melting your oils/butters/beeswax together.

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DIY Cold Process Swirl Soap Tutorial

Spoon swirling is a very simple technique with a big impact. In this tutorial, I will show you exactly how easy it is to create this soap using spoon and two colors.

Ingridients:
Olive Oil ~ 7.9 oz (225 g)
Coconut Oil ~ 4.4 oz (125 g)
Avocado Oil ~ 1.8 oz (50 g)
Cocoa Butter ~ 1.8 oz (50 g)
Shea Butter ~ 1.8 oz (50 g)
Alkanet root powder 1 ¼ tbs
Lye (3% superfatted) ~ 2.51 oz (71.4 g)
Water ~ 5.3 oz (150 ml)

Additives:
Jojoba Oil ~ 0.53 oz (15 g)
Lavender and Orange essential oils ~ 0.4 oz (12 g)

Colour preparations: Infuse the oil of your choice (I use Olive oil) with Alkanet root powder.

To create this soap you will need to follow my basic cold process soapmaking tutorial. Melt your oils, add the lye and stick blend it like you would with any basic batch of soap. At the end of your trace, add extra oils (superfat your soap) and essential oils of your choice. You want a strong trace so that the soap is close to a pudding consistency. It should be thick, but still slide off the spoon easily.

Directions:
1. Pour a small amount of the soap into the separate container and mix it with your infused (colored) oil.

2. Pour one layer of your base (uncoloured) soap into the bottom of a mold.

3. Here's where your artistry comes in. Use the spoon to scoop out the purple colored soap and holding the spoon close to the yellow layer, allow the soap to gently slide off the spoon onto the first layer. The soap should not completely cover the previous layer.

4. Distribute the remains of your base soap as a third and final layer.

5. I dotted the surface with colored soap and then dragged a toothpick through the dots to make swirly designs.

 

 

6. Pop out after 3 to 5 days, cut it in bars and allow to sit for a full 4 to 6 weeks to cure and finish the saponification process. Recipe yields approximately 4 bars of soap, 4.5 oz (~ 125 g) each.

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All my DIY projects, craft tutorials and recipes

Beauty and Health

Avocado Hair Mask
DIY Cold Process Soap
DIY Facial Masks
DIY Moisturizing Hand Creme Tutorial
DIY Sunscreen oil recipe
DIY Cold Process Swirl Soap Tutorial 
DIY Honey Lavender salve tutorial

Home Decor

DIY Christmas Ornament Tree tutorial
DIY Falling Leaves hanging tutorial
DIY Marimo ball mini aquarium
DIY Succulent gardens
DIY Crystal Succulent garden

Jewelry Tutorials

DIY Ruffled Gemstone Hoops earrings tutorial
DIY Tree of Life Tutorial

Electra - Gemstone hoops. Rock Crystal Clear Quartz hoop earrings in oxidized sterling silver. Handmade jewelry by Arctida.

It's been 3 years since I've made my second DIY jewelry tutorial. Over these past 3 years I've made several different variations of gemstone hoops with different metals and gemstones. So here is the latest variation, this time with Rock Crystal Clear Quartz hoop earrings and oxidized sterling silver. Inspired by winter, ice and frost...

 

Do you want to make a pair of hoops like this your self? Here is my tutorial for Ruffled Hoops earrings!

DIY sunblock recipe, make your own Sunscreen oil - natural skin care product

I love making natural skin care products and most of beauty products in my home are made by me. So off course now when the spring is finally here and vacation season is approaching it is time to make my own homemade natural sunscreen oil. The basic rule for sunscreen oil is carrier oil that has its own natural SPF properties + sunblocking agent (zinc oxide or titanium oxide) and then some extras of your choice. I usually use whatever oils I have at home for the moment but I prefer combination of Sesame oil, Jojoba oil and Avocado oil (70%, 20% and 10%).

Here are some good carrier oils for the recipe: Sesame oil, Coconut Oil, Jojoba oil, Hemp oil, Avocado oil, Soybean, and Peanut Oil. All contain SPF levels between 4-10.

Ingredients:
135 ml (~ 4,5 oz) Oil blend (use any combination of the oils listed above)
15 ml (~ 0,5 oz) Zinc oxide (non-nanoparticle)
3 ml (~1/2 tsp) Vitamin E
10-20 drops of Lavender essential oil (or your own choice)

I prefer to mix a small part of my oil mix and oxides before mixing the sunscreen. If you wish to do as me, wearing your gloves and mask, carefully measure zinc oxide or titanium oxide into your blending container. Add approximately ¼ of the oil blend and mixture to the powder, blend well. Continue blending until the powder is thoroughly mixed with oil. Transfer the oil/oxide mix into the new container. Add the rest of the oil mix, Vitamin E, essential oil for scent and shake your container/bottle until everything is thoroughly mixed together. You can also combine everything in your blender from the start, and blend until well mixed.

Transfer the finished sunscreen into the smaller containers of your choice. Recipe yields approximately 150 ml (~ 5 oz) of product.

Notes:

* This recipe contains zinc oxide at 10% which gives it a SPF of around 6-11. See the chart below to reduce or increase the amount of zinc oxide/titanium oxide based on your family’s needs. Make sure not to inhale the zinc oxide/titanium oxide, use a mask if necessary!

* Beneficial, sun protecting essential oils include lavender, myrrh, carrot seed oil, and peppermint.

* Avoid using citrus essential oils, such as bergamot, orange, lemon or lime. They may cause unpleasant skin reactions when exposed to the sun. They also reduce a sunscreen's effectiveness.

* When using this oil you will get a soft white tint on your skin from zinc/titanium oxide. If you wish to make it less visible, add some iron oxides or cacao powder.

* Be aware of the shelf life of products made without preservatives. The beauty (and simplicity) of making your own product is that you don't have to adhere to the stringent industry guidelines of manufacturing to lengthen the shelf life. Simply make enough to be used within a short period of time.

* This is the recipe that I have used for my family for years with great results. However, I cannot guarantee that yours will be the same experience because it has not been tested in an FDA/ EMA approved lab. In other words, by sharing this recipe with you, I hope you understand that I will not be held responsible for any adverse reactions, sunburns, or skin cancers.

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DIY tutorial Marimo moss ball mini aquarium with sea treasures

I have always liked to collect seashells and sea glass from every beach that I’ve been (and now my daughter brings home even more things from the beach than I ever did). So if you are like me and have a lot of sea treasures just laying around perhaps this DIY could be something for you :)

I’ve recently found the cutest little plants, algae actually, that looked so adorable I just couldn’t resist buying one. They called Marimo moss balls, although technically they are not moss but algae. Since I don’t have a real size aquarium at home and I’m not planning to get one, I decided to make a miniature aquarium that doesn’t require much care.

So here is a DIY instruction on how to make your own pretty mini aquarium or water terrarium containing Marimo moss ball and your own collected beach treasures.

Supplies – glass container/bowl/vase of your choice, sand or aquarium gravel, marimo ball, sea treasures of your choice: shells, beach glass, drift wood etc… 

 Step 1: First, add a layer of sand or gravel to the bottom of your container

Step 2: Fill the container with water and start adding your beach treasures. Arrange them any way you'd like.

 Step 3: Add Marimo moss ball and enjoy your mini aquarium that requires very little care :)

 

How to care for your Marimo balls:

Marimo's are actually very easy to take care of, probably one of the easiest plants (algae) that live in water. You just have to change the water every one or two weeks, they require normal household lighting to make food (indirect sunlight is fine) and you should turn them over once in a while for them to keep their round shape (I do it every time I change water).

and psst, if you wish your Marimo ball to float just squeeze the water out of them :)

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DIY Christmas Ornament Tree - how to instructions tabletop centerpiece

The Christmas is almost here and we have all the decorations in place. This year me and my little princess decided to make an Ornament Christmas Tree. I’ve seen these kinds of trees surfing the Internet and thought it would be a perfect project to make together with my daughter :)

Supplies: A mix of round Christmas ball ornaments in at least 4 different sizes, knitting needle, ribbon spool, pieces of craft cotton or Styrofoam. 

2. Thread the knitting needle up through the bottom of the spool. If the spool has a large hole – you can stuff it with pieces of cotton or Styrofoam to make sure the needle stays straight.

3. String largest Christmas ball ornaments onto the needle, slipping the metal loops on the balls over the point of the needle. Continue with smaller sizes until you are satisfied with the end result.

3. I removed the metal ring from the top ornament and hid the tip of the needle by placing the ornament upside down over the tip.

I love absolutely love the finished tree, it is so festive and pretty and it was so easy to make! 

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DIY autumn home decor Falling Leaves tutorial - how to make a fall hanging

The fall has left us already and winter has not taken a real grip on south Sweden just yet. All leaves are gone and it is wet and cold outside. I miss fall colors, so me and my daughter decided to preserve some of the autumn leaves that we collected and make a pretty window hanging with them. We used maple leaves because they come in the whole range of autumnal colors, from golden yellow to burgundy red and me and my little princess really love the shape of these pretty leaves :)

So here is a fun DIY project with fall leaves to remember the Autumn.

Supplies: colorful leaves, candle wax or beeswax, double boiler, monofilament, clothespins

1. Slowly melt candle wax or beeswax over a double boiler; never allow wax to boil. Dip leaves in wax one at a time, holding by stem. Gently shake off excess wax. I used candle wax in this project.

2. Hang leaves on clothespins to dry. Some may be dipped again, depending on desired look; let dry between coatings. I used an old newspaper underneath the leaves to avoid wax stains on the floor.  

3. Hang finished leaves from lengths of monofilament.

I love how this project turned out. The leaves look like they've been frozen in time while falling down from the tree. And it gives us a chance to enjoy fall just a little bit longer! Next weekend it is time to start decorating before Christmas here in Sweden. I'm thinking of maybe making a Christmas decoration out of these leaves so stay tuned :)

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DIY Succulent gardens - how to instructions tabletop centerpiece

I love plants and I love succulents especially! Their shapes, colors and unusual looks always make me happy and amazed at the same time. I’ve already tried making succulent mini gardens before so when a couple of days ago I found amazing vintage bowls/vases at the local thrift shop I just had to do something about them :)

So here is a DIY instruction on how to make your own pretty succulent garden.

Supplies: bowl/vase/planter of your choice, succulents, cactus/succulent potting soil, decorative stones and pebbles, charcoal.

The pretty vintage bowls that I bought and some of the plants and cuttings that I've had at home...

Step 1: First, add a layer of pebbles to the bottom of your container. This will ensure that water drains to the bottom of the container and that the roots of your plants aren't sitting in water. If you have planters with drainage holes you can skip this step. Add a layer of charcoal (black sprinkles on the picture) above the pebbles to battle any possible smell issues.

Step 2: Fill the planter with potting soil up to an inch or two below the top of the planter. Plant succulents in planters. You can mix multiple types of succulents in each planter or use all the same. Arrange them any way you'd like.

Step 3: If there are spaces where the soil shows you can cover the exposed soil with flat rocks, pebbles, aquarium gravels, moss or other pretty greeneries.

... and here are my finished pretties :)

 

I loved how they turned out! So I made another one as a centerpiece for my mom (white oval bowl that used to be a nursery for my young succulents on second pic).

Some of the succulents and cacti that I've used in my arrengments: Sempervivum, Echeveria Lola, Echeveria Pulidonis, Haworthia Fasciata, Crassula Radicans, Crassula Ovata C. portulacea, Gollum Jade, Crassula perforata, Sansevieria cylindrica, Kalanchoe, Crassula rupestris, Adromischus cooperi Crassulaceae, etc...

I'm planning on making a Plant Terrarium next time, so stay tuned :)

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