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!

Liked the idea? Pin  it! (cuz' sharing is hot!)
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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)

THE FREEBIE JUBILEE//MODERN REVELATIONS COLLECTION!

I hope you darlings didn't think that the start of my online shop meant the end of my freebie collections. I was just so busy getting my shop up and running and launching a few new products that I had to side track uploading freebies for a while and I'm glad to say I've put together a new freebie for you! :) :)

This is the first time I've introduced something Ikat. (I think I've found my new design crush!) Aaaand lots of gorgeous contrasts, monotones and of course my trademark floral patterns with a twist.

Perfect for the design contemporaries out there looking to add a dash of energy to their projects. Use these for scrapbooking, invites of all kinds, treats, party favors, giftwrapping, screen printing and endless other ways to switch the spark to your creativity!

Please be considerate and note that these printables are strictly for personal use. All printables available in my online shop can be used commercially. If you have any doubts, just drop me a mail!

You can download the entire collection here. (Download instructions if you are a newbie to this: Once the download is done, right click and extract the files from the folder. The files are huge, so I had to compress them for a quick download!)

Last of all, enjoy & don't forget to pin n' share!

Let me know what you think! What would you like to see next?
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Subscribe to Craft A Doodle Doo or follow me on Pinterest & Facbook for regular updates of freebies!
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(And you can see my other gorgeous digital printables in my freebie gallery!)



Lots of love,
Nash
(Trouble extracting files? Just drop me a comment to let me know and I'll upload the individual images for you!)

BEAUTY IN A NUTSHELL//FOUNDATION MELTDOWN TRICK!

Sans primer, sans makeup setting sprays, sans milk of magnesia or whatever else you may use to get your foundation NOT to budge; this is the mother of them all.

I learnt this trick from gossmakeupartist on Youtube. If you haven't been visiting that channel to help solve some serious makeup doubts, then you aren't lookin' good enough. But here's the deal, you have oily skin, or maybe not. Maybe you're like me and maybe you just have a pesky oily nose which tends to be the only place where foundation slips within less than 30 minutes and then it shines like the next brightest chandelier in the room. You can thank me later because this right here is how to make your foundation last ALL day.

The trick sounded so outrageous, so utterly tempting for my poor nose which loves to sport humongously large pores and tremendous shine that I needed to put it to the test.

The secret ingredient is..loose powder. I know, I'm not kidding you. The whole fancy-shmancy deal lies with the timing of application: not after foundation, apply it before foundation.

According to the video, it has to be loose powder, not compact. So here's what I did, I'm more of a compact powder kinda girl, so loose powder isn't an available luxury in my crib. I used cornfour/cornstarch instead.

Guess what, it worked perfect.


Materials:
-A clean small jar (sample jam jars work perfect.So do travel-sized lotion jars. After you wash n' dry them, give them a clean with rubbing alchohol). This makes it great to pop in your purse.

-Cornflour/cornstarch or loose translucent powder (if cornflour looks ashy on your skintone, even though it's fairly translucent, mix it with a tad bit of cocoa or cinnamon powder)

Coupled with my DIY primer recipe and my DIY blotting tissues, this is a meltdown ninja combo.Even alone, it stands proud. :)

The Test:

I kept checking regularly throughout the day for the ultimate stay-on test. I tried this with two foundations. A totally crappy foundation (Maybelline Dream Liquid) which doesn't suit me at all - It has great finish but one hour later, it slides all off my face, leaves my face patchy, even my forehead shiny, you get the gist. With this? My nose was still a tad shiny, but there was NIL dragging around with the foundation. Even 8+ hours later, it looked like I had just put it on. Skin was even all round, it hadn't slid off places and disintegrated. None of that nonsense.

Also there was a reduction in oxidation. How-utterly-cool. (Normally, this foundation makes me look as dull as a muddy puddle.)

Next, I tried it with a friend's foundation. I'm not sure what company it is but it was a long-last foundation and I love it to bits (probably the one I'd purchase next). I already love the foundation because it stays on so long and applying the powder before the foundation and after moisturizer, sunscreen etc. just made it completely shine-free & truly gorgeous.

My friend and I wore the same foundation on that particular day and though hers faded a lil and still looked pretty with a teeeensy bit of oxidation, mine didn't budge or fade. Win!

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So if you have a favorite foundation, this trick is gonna make it your beyond favorite. If you're trying to make a nasty foundation work, this is gonna make it workable.

And don't worry about your face looking cakey. I promise it won't. In fact, the cornstarch acts like a filler (just like primer) post-moisturizer for the skin. I suppose the video specifically mentions loose powder because it is finely milled and won't make your foundation look cakey.

The best part? This is so ridiculously cheap.

Have any questions or comments? Ask below!

Don't forget to share and pin! Also subscribe to Craft A Doodle Doo or join me over at Pinterest & Facebook for simple, outrageously genius tips!

Love, Nash