INSPIRATION NATION// GRAD GIFTS ALERT!

It's all about celebrating incredible futures this month as I wrapped up the best of the best deals for you in a neat pinnable graphic. From inexpensive gifts that are worth far more than their price to moderately priced gifts they will cherish for a long time to come; these gifts range from hers, to him and gender-neutrals for those who aren't that sure what their grads may prefer!

I've also included my own DIYs as well as featured a couple of other talented bloggers because let's just put it straight, everyone's got such droolworthy ideas!

TO DIY:

For her:

1. Set of notepads/ mini journals : Can be used for pasting keepsakes or writing brilliant ideas. These are so easy to make, totally customizable and can be made in many, many numbers!
See the link for DIY Notepads here.

2. DIY Ethinic Envelpe clutch: Which girl doesn't adore a doze of high-end fashion? Get the luxe look with a homemade version now. She'll be delighted!
Get the link for DIY Envelope Clutch here.

3.DIY Botanical Pen Bouquet: Pens or Pencils, this DIY Bouquet for the creative, writeoholic grad will totally light up her workspace and home decor! 
Get the link to the tut here!

For him:

1.Gym-worthy Ipod Holder: It can't get better than this! This easy-to-sew Ipod holder by Design Fixation fits snugly on your arm while you burn those pesky calories!
See the Ipod holder tutorial here!

2.Copper-pipe pencil holder: He'll be super-impressed with this classy industrial-lookin' copper DIY pencil holder by A Fabulous Fete fit to liven up even the plainest of desktops!
See the Pencil Holder tutorial here!

3. DIY Ipad Case: Have a faux animal skin placement mat or something of the likes? It's the shortest cut to make an Ipad Cover for a bit of fashionable protection! Roughly fold in half and fold over the extra onto the initial side securing with velcro like a clutch!

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TO BUY:

For her:

1. Floral Cnavas Backpack ($ 26) : Charlotte Ruse really knows how to do summer with this beautifully feminine backpack! Great for summer time trips and effortless style!

2.Rosa Pocket Notebooks ($ 10): If there's any stationery brand that can steal a girl's heart in an instant, it's Rifle Paper Co.! These two pretty notebooks are perfect to jot down memos in style!

Assemble:
3.Neon Nailpolish in Rainbow Sherbet ($3.99) - Best-selling and oh-so-vivid
4.First Blush Eyeshadow Palette ($ 1.99)- Double them up as rosy blushes!
5. Summer Strut Heels ($29.99) -Coral is always in!

from Rue 21 and Style For Less is a pretty package to make a fabulous gift for the summery fashionista!

6. Rue 21 Gift Card : If you'd like her to decide for herself what'd set her heart racing, give her one of these!



For him:

7. Thumbs up UK Fli-Tunes Sound Amplifier. Frisbee ($16.43)  A Flying Disk and sound amplifier for your phone in one? No way! Yes way!

8.IPhone Pocket Projector ($69) This product will be so worth the price to be shelled out! Perfect for travel and has first-rate reviews so you know he'll rave about it as soon as it's put to use!

9. The Inkless Metal Pen ($ 28.00)  No sharpening, never runs out of ink and made of metal. How much more swag can this have?
                    
10.Word. Notebooks,3-pack ($9.99)  Don't guys get swanky ideas too? Let his keep track of to-dos with flair!

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Gender -Neutrals:

1. ITunes Gift Cards ($25, $50, $100) : Include your personal message and give this fanciful card to a very overjoyed recipient!

2. Mosaic Photo Book ($20) : Lets grads stow away their priceless moments and breathtaking photography in a stunning photobook straight from their...phone! Check out the ultra-cool and easy process on the homepage!

3. Treatsie Gourmet Sweet Box Subscription ($29 and above) - Caramel popcorn, Espresso cookies, chocolate truffles, Almond Chocolate Toffee. Who canNOT relish this?

4. Custom Mugs, Shutterfly (Varying Prices)  Got any favorite pics they have while they sip on their cuppa joy? These cutom mugs from Shutterfly are definitely unique. Keep favorite snapshots hand because they're about to create a one-of-a-kind mug!

5. Collage Squares Ipad case ($49.49): Shutterfly is all about versatility so whip out an Ipad case that will be the crowd's envy using your grad's awesome snapshots! They'll treasure it, no questions!

Which one's your favorite?

Let me know!

Lookin' for other DIYs? I have hoards of ideas for you in my DIY Gallery!



Heart this? Show the love and pin it!

Lots of hugs,
Nash

**PS: I'm not sponsoring any of the brands mentioned above not do I have an affiliation program with any of them. All the ideas mentioned above were based solely on personal choice. 















1. 

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

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If you liked this DIY, make sure you pin it so other peeps can benefit from it too! (cuz' sharing is hot!)


Subscribe to Craft A Doodle Doo ( in the sidebar) or join me on Pinterest/Facebook for endless more wacky DIY ideas and fab eateries!

Check out all my other fantastic DIY ideas in my DIY Gallery!



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

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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Follow me on Pinterest and Facebook or subscribe to get a better deal of DIY goodies and heavenly recipes in store for you!

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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!)