DIY Favorite Hairties

Get ready for one of the easiest DIY projects ever. You know those pretty elastic hairties that come in all kinds of colors and patterns? You can make them yourself!

Anthropologie, $12 for set of 5

It's as easy as ordering some elastic, cutting strips of about 8 inches, tying the ends in a knot, and burning the ends for just a second with a match to keep them from fraying. 

You can find all kinds of cute hairties through Etsy, but you can make your sets completely customizable by just doing it yourself. I also made myself some headbands, which I wear all the time. They would make nice little stocking stuffers for the holidays.

For the life of me, I can't figure out where I ordered my elastic, but here are a couple places to order: 

Abbiesboutique.com (good prices, 80 colors in basic elastic)

Sunshineshoppesupply.com (huge variety of colors, patterns, and textures sold by the yard)

I think I'm going to order some in velvet, chevron, glitter, and houndstooth. Pictures to come!

Read More

3-Step Handmade Vanilla Extract

I haven't heard any Christmas music yet, but the holiday spirit is definitely upon me. I'm really excited about the gifts I'm making this year, but I don't want to give anything away... so I'll share an easy gift from last year: handmade vanilla extract, in 3 easy steps (and one month of prep time)!

Vanilla beans can cost you $10 or more for just a few of them at your regular grocery store. That's why I recommend buying your vanilla beans in bulk from Amazon. About 50 came in my bag, which ends up to be about $0.70 a bean. You will have enough beans to make two vodka bottles full of extract, but unless you have a lot of people to give to, I suggest just making one bottle and using the rest of the beans for vanilla-infused sugar, creme brulee, homemade ice cream, hot chocolate, and other goodies.

Now, store the vodka + beans in a cool, dark place (like a pantry) for at least 1 month. The longer the beans sit the in the vodka, the stronger the vanilla extract becomes and the darker the liquid will look. Every month, gently turn the bottle upside down a couple times. 

I got these bottles for about $1 each at Michaels. The labels were also from Michaels. They're not the perfect labels because they're a bit too big for the jars, so the edges keep peeling up...make sure to compare your labels to your jars and pick the right size :) Add a piece of vanilla bean to each jar for a special touch. And there you have it--one super easy and practical gift for anyone who likes to bake. 

Read More