DIY Gnome Garden

My mom, sister, and I were shopping a few weeks back at Gordman's when she found gnome and fairy garden accessory kits. She said her best friend had one and how cool it was. She was tempted to buy a kit herself, but I reminded her that Mother's Day and her birthday were coming up.

So my sister, brother, and I went in together to make my mom a Gnome Garden. Of course, I'm the one who ended up doing all the shopping and the work. I'm not much of a gardener, but it was still a fun,quick little project. Would be great to do with kids as well!

I started with this Echo Valley Gnome Garden Accessory Kit. I picked mine up at Gordman's for $19.99 but used an in-store 20% coupon to get it for $16 + tax. I saw the same kit at Menards for $19.99 as well. Although the box shows this picture on the front, it only includes the accessories, not the plants, soil, pot, etc.

Echo Valley Gnome Garden Accessory Kit

The kit includes:
-Gnome figurine
-Birdbath
-48" fencing
-Chair
-Wheelbarrow and shovel
-Birdhouse on stake
-Arbor


I found the perfect planter at Hobby Lobby and it was 40% off.

My local Menards also carried a couple additional accessories, I purchased a trellis there for $2.99. I also purchased a bag of potting soil there.
As far as the plants go, the kit actually had a list of recommended plants. Of course, I couldn't find most of them, but went off the list to find some herbs and ground cover.

The plants I purchased:
-Alternathera - Striking foliage is great as a background or accent for gardens or containers.
- Sperngeri 'Asparagus Fern' - Perfect foliage accent, attractive in containers.
- Crassula pelluicida variegata 'Calico Kitten'- Succulent. For rock gardens, containers and low-water plantings.
- Oregano
-Thyme


To put this Gnome Garden together, I started by filling the bottom of the planter with larger rocks from one of my own gardens at home (because I was too cheap to buy a whole bag of rocks when I only needed a few!). I then filled in the gaps with very fine rocks/sand that Dylan had in the garage for the winter months (he used to work in a rock quarry). I added the potting soil, leaving a couple inches of space at the top of the pot. I drew a quick blueprint in my head of how to lay out the plants, but then I just winged it. Turns out I may have bought one too many plants, the garden is pretty full and I'm not sure how much my mom will be able to expand it! After all the plants were in place, I scattered a few smaller rocks, added in the accessories, watered the plants, and it was done!

All supplies included, I spent about $50.

I can't wait to give it to my mom tomorrow. Because she has been eyeing them up for a while, I think she will love it! I personally adore it (I have a soft spot for gnomes) and might make myself one in the future!

The Magic of Coconut Oil

After seeing many Pinterest posts and reading up on some blogs, I decided to buy myself a jar of this magical product- Coconut Oil. The list of what you can do with coconut oil is lengthy, but I'll describe what I've used it for so far.

Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (Unrefined) from Walmart, about $7

My uses for coconut oil:

-Oil Pulling. You may have read articles about oil pulling on Pinterest- it's quite the fad right now and it's what sparked my curiosity about coconut oil. This article I read on Fashion Lush blog teaches the step-by-step process of oil pulling, click here. Essentially, you swish coconut oil in your mouth in the same way you would mouthwash, for about twenty minutes. The benefits include: whiter and stronger teeth, detoxifies the body, banishes bad breath, and headache relief!

- Quick and easy lip balm. Swipe some coconut oil on your lips for quick and easy moisture.

-Eye makeup remover. Use your finger to grab a dollop of coconut oil, rubbing it on your eyes in a circular motion. It removes eye makeup much more quickly than the usual Vaseline that I use, and leaves your skin feeling soft.

-Lotion. Rub some coconut oil on dry spots, like elbows, for instant moisture!

-Shave gel. Use coconut oil instead of shave gel or soap. Your legs will be silky smooth!

-DIY Sugar Scrub! Click here.

-Hair frizz. Rub a little coconut oil on fly-a-ways to prevent frizz (be careful not to use too much or you could end up looking greasy).

-Hair mask. In the shower, apply coconut oil from mid-shaft to ends, let it soak in while you continue your shower routine. When you wash out you will have seriously softer hair!


These are the uses for coconut oil that I have personally tried so far. Frankly -I'm in love with the stuff! You can also use coconut oil for cooking and baking. I haven't tried that yet because it does have a distinct coconut flavor.

I'm glad I got sucked into the hype of coconut oil. I'm amazed with how silky smooth it makes my hair and skin, and plan to continue on my oil pulling regime.


Mallory

DIY Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub

1/4 cup granulated brown sugar
1/2 cup organic unrefined virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp honey

I have been using this simple recipe for a facial scrub, body scrub, and also as a lip scrub to remove dead skin before applying lip color! It tastes and smells delicious and truly leaves skin feeling super soft!

DIY Vanity Staining- Easy Bathroom Makeover!

Hello,

Right now we are in the process of fixing up our house to get it ready to sell. Dylan would like to have the house on the market in August and I plan on moving to Duluth in September.
Our goal is to make things look as awesome as possible, but without spending a lot- I'm sure most people have that goal when renovating, right?
I have MANY projects to get done before August (mostly by myself with no help from Dylan, mind you) and this is the first solo project that I tackled. And let me tell you, I am SO proud of how this vanity project turned out! Let me describe to you how simple it is to completely update the look of your bathroom vanity for less than $20!

Would you believe that these are the SAME vanity?

Minwax Polyshades in Espresso Satin - this size container cost about $10. I could have gotten away with the smaller size but didn't want to take the chance! I still have enough for many more staining projects!

Tools and Supplies:
Minwax Polyshades in Espresso Satin (this color was not available at my local Menards, found it at Home Depot)
5-10 cheap foam brushes (I threw mine away after each coat)
Painters tape
New knobs and pulls if desired (could spray paint your old ones if you liked the shape of them)
Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint (used to spray paint the hinges rather than buy new)


1. You will want to start by cleaning the vanity. This is a step that I could have put a little more effort into. I scrubbed lightly with soap and water with a sponge. I think a scrub with a little more 'elbow grease' would have definitely helped with the application.

2. The beauty of Minwax Polyshades is that you don't have to sand!!! That's right. The product is designed to lay over the current varnish/stain that is on the wood. Again, I think it would helped my stain application to have at least lightly sanded, but I am still happy with the way things turned out.

3. To make it easier to stain all the nooks, crannies, and edges, I removed the doors and drawers and laid them out on an old sheet for staining.

4. Tape off your sink, floor, walls, etc. and lay a sheet to cover the floor if needed.

5. Get to staining! The key to this project is VERY light coats. Start at one end and slowly drag the foam brush to the other. YES, it will take longer to do 4-5 very light coats as opposed to 2-3 heavy coats, but the results will be worth the extra time! My very first stroke was thick, and the stain started to bubble up on the surface and wouldn't even soak in.
I worked on this project over the course of a weekend, allowing between 12-24 hours between coats (just because I had other things going on over the weekend as well). I did 4 very thin coats of stain.


6. After giving at least another 24 hours for all coats to set, I added the new knobs and pulls, which really made the look.

New pulls, around $4 each from Menards

7. I spray painted the old hinges (because there was nothing wrong with them) with a dark oil rubbed bronze color, because I wanted them to blend in with the color of the stain. Another option would be to get new hinges or spray paint your hinges to match with your new knobs and pulls!

Door on the left after 1 coat. As you can see the difference is very minimal- THIN coats.

TIPS:
-Scrub that baby clean beforehand! Do not half-ass this step. It will make a difference. I found leftover soap residue, dust, etc to cause quite the problem for me.
-Drag the brush from one and to the other, without stopping, as much as possible. If you lay the brush down in the middle, you will see a brush stroke.
-Again- VERY THIN coats. This is the key to this product. Without sanding, essentially this product is just laying on top of the current varnish. Thin coats will stick better
-Be careful not to let any stain drip - and if it does, blend it in quickly. It doesn't take long for it to become tacky and hard to manipulate.
-Remember the edges of the doors, drawers, etc.

Finished Product

I couldn't be happier with how things turned out for the price! Like any DIY project, it's not perfect, but it makes a huge difference in the look and feel of my bathroom. Only a few more small steps and my bathroom remodel will be complete! More to come soon!

Mallory