Project Nest is P&N’s sweet, little handmade haven.
So lock and load those glue guns and pull out your popsicle sticks, mamas, it’s about to get crafty in here!
Happy handmade holidays! Here are three quick and easy DIY gifts to whip up for the special folks in your life.
Project one: Paint-dipped wooden utensils
These pretty stirrers are perfect for shindig hosts or kitchen-comfy friends and family members.
Cost: Approximately $18 for 2 gifts, with plenty of paint and shellac left to make more.
Total time: 20 minutes, not counting drying time.
Supplies:
• Wooden utensils
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Food-safe shellac
• Painters or washi tape
I found my bamboo utensils at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $5 (for a 6-pack), and picked up the paint for $2 a bottle at Michael’s. (You could use less expensive paint if you prefer, I just happen to be a fan of the Martha brand!) I already had a paintbrush and tape, and the food-safe shellac was $7 at Home Depot.
Instructions:
1. Decide about how far up your utensil handles you want to paint, and tape off accordingly.
2. Start painting! I wanted different hues of yellow and blue, so I just mixed up a few different shades by adding white paint.
3. Let your paint dry completely before moving on to the shellac stage.
4. Take your utensils outside and spray on the shellac. I found this shellacto be safe for use on kitchen utensils. However, it didn’t specify on the bottle, so I decided to only spray on the painted parts, and leave the areas that would touch food bare.
5. Once the shellac has dried completely, pull off your tape (carefully!) and enjoy the shiny prettiness of your creations. Tie them up with pretty ribbon and a tag, and you’re done! The hardest part is deciding whether to gift them or just keep them for yourself. Good luck!
Project two: Peppermint sugar scrub
An at-home solution for pampering tired hands and feet; these make a perfect gift for a babysitter or preschool teacher!
Cost: $15 for 6 scrubs, not including packaging. (As shown, packaging is estimated to be less than $1 per jar.)
Total time: 10 minutes
Supplies:
• Sugar
• Carrier oil (such as grapeseed, vegetable, olive, etc.)
• Essential peppermint oil (or other variety, if you prefer)
• Packaging: jelly jars, cupcake liners, bakers twine, wooden sticks
I grabbed my sugar and oil at Trader Joe’s; the essential oil came from a local health food store.
Instructions:
1. Here’s the recipe for the scrub: 2 parts sugar (or salt, if you prefer) to 1 part carrier oil, plus a few drops of essential oil of your choice. To fill six jelly jars about 2/3 of the way full, I mixed 4 cups sugar with 2 cups grapeseed oil, and 4 drops of peppermint oil. (It was a little strongly scented, so I might only use 3 next time.) Stir all your ingredients together in a bowl.
2. And that’s it. Easy, right? Now the fun begins … packaging!
3. To recreate our packaging, fill a jelly jar about 2/3 full of scrub, and top with a cupcake liner. Tie a bit of twine around the top and slide in a wooden stick, so the recipient has a built in stirrer/scooper. Stick on a label or tie a tag and voil
