DIY - A Pumpkin And A Princess

How to install a showerhead

June 17, 2013 1 Comment

This post is brought to you by Delta faucet.

How to install a showerhead video tutorial

A few weeks I told you all about my new Delta showerhead. I’m going to be honest and tell you that I had NO idea how easy it is to install a showerhead. I’m still fairly new to the whole DIY game and let’s be honest I’m still terrified of most of my powertools. When I signed on as a Delta ambassador I quickly became overwhelmed with fear that I was going to show you something that I didn’t even know how to put together. For some reason I thought there was much more to this than there really is.

We are well on our way with this bathroom makeover and I couldn’t be more excited! My husband works a lot so there isn’t much time for him to work around the house, but we’re hoping to finish within the next few weeks. Eeek! I can’t wait to show you the new bathroom! You know when you watch HGTV and are suddenly empowered to do all this home improvement stuff and then you quickly realize it’s not as easy and fun as it seems? Trust me, I’ve been there! But this bathroom makeover is something that I’m actually looking froward to..in fact I can’t wait! I’m working on re-staining the vanity and still need to find the perfect tile for the flooring. I want to do as much as I can myself but being a newbie means I’ll let the pros handle the flooring. :)

I’m still torn on the wall color. Some days I want to embrace the white and have a white bathroom with small pops of color and other days I dream of colored walls with colorful accents throughout. I’m ridiculously indecisive..ask my husband!

Installing my new Delta In2intion showerhead was quick and easy to do. It took me maybe 3 minutes from start to finish. Yup, that easy!

Step one: remove the existing showerhead by turning it counterclockwise. Remove any old tape that may be leftover.

Step two: wrap the teflon tape around the base.

Step three: twist the new showerhead on until it’s tight.

I even made a little video showing all the steps. :)

My kids are LOVING the new showerhead! The handheld has been a lifesaver for us with toddlers. I’ll keep you updated on the bathroom progress..if only I could decide on a wall color already!

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I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Delta Faucets. I received a product sample and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Filed Under: DIY

Homemade Lemon Soap {Mother’s Day Gift Ideas}

May 3, 2013 53 Comments

Happy Friday, my friends! I have another Mother’s Day gift idea to share with you today. This homemade lemon soap recipe smells amazing, it’s definitely one you’ll want to try. The lemon zest gives the soap a great texture and the citrus scent will leave your hands feeling rejuvenated. With only three ingredients required this soap recipe is easy to make and makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

If you’ve been following along my soap making adventures this year I have to say that this is my favorite so far! For this recipe I used the goat’s milk soap base again because it makes soap making a breeze and it’s available at most craft stores. Beside the citrus scent what I like is that I didn’t need to add any colorant to the soap. The lemon zest mixed with the melted soap produced a yellow color on it’s own.

Homemade Lemon Soap

Supplies:

Goat’s milk soap base

Lemon essential oil

Lemon zest of 3-4 lemons

Step one: Cut soap into cubes and microwave in 30 second intervals (I like to use a large Pyrex measuring cup to melt the soap in). This recipe makes 3 bars of soap and I used 13 cubes of goat’s milk soap base.

Step two: Melt soap for about a minute. Add another 15-30 seconds if it’s not completely melted.

Step three: Once soap cubes turn liquid add a few drops of the lemon essential oil and the lemon zest; stir well.

Step four: Pour into soap molds and allow to harden for at least one hour. Press mold to release soap.

***Update: If you decide to use the lemon zest I recommend adding a preservative. I’ve read vitamin e oil can be used but haven’t tried it. You could omit the lemon zest and the essential oil will provide enough lemon scent.

Looking for more homemade Mother’s Day gift ideas? Here are some of my favorite!

Homemade Lavender Bath Salts

how to make bath salts

Honey Brown Sugar Scrub

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub recipe

Homemade Lavender Soap

Homemade Lavender Soap

Mother's Day gift ideas and homemade soap tutorial

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Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Gift Ideas Tagged With: homemade, lemon soap tutorial, soap

Flower Pillow Cover {HGTV Fabric}

May 2, 2013 41 Comments

I recently received some of the new HGTV Fabric available at Jo-Ann to review and the first thing I thought of was how perfect the yellow and grey fabric matched my current home decor. Since I’m currently working on updating my front porch I knew adding bright, colorful pillow covers would be easy to do. With the grey and yellow fabric I made a flower pillow cover to coordinate with my porch makeover. It’s still a work in process but I hope to finish this weekend and show it to you next week! Flower pillow tutorial apumpkinandaprincess.com

HGTV and Jo-Ann have partnered together to offer trendy indoor and outdoor home decor fabrics, available only at Jo-Ann stores. There are currently 74 exclusive designs available online and instore. Keep reading for a special coupon at the bottom of the post!

I received two different patterns of the HGTV fabric and coordinating trim. I have an idea for my son’s room with a geometric pattern fabric that I can’t wait to try. For my bench pillow I used the light grey floral print and I think it fits perfectly for what I had in mind.

To make an envelope pillow cover you will need:

My pillow form is 17 inches so I cut a total of three pieces of fabric

-one 17 inches (the front of the pillow)

-one piece 21 inches cut in half

I was so excited to make make the pillow that I forgot to take pictures of every step. I hope I can explain this as easy as possible, please feel free to email me if I confuse you at all! :)

I took my long piece of fabric (the 21 inches) and cut it in half. I sewed a half inch seam where I cut the pieces in half on one side of each piece. This will be the seam on the envelope closure.

envelope pillow cover tutorial

I then placed my 17 inch fabric right side up and my two smaller pieces right side down, overlapping each other by a few inches (the hemmed seams are in the middle of the pillow). The picture on the right above shows what it should look like before adding the third piece right side down, that will overlap the piece on the top. I pinned it together and sewed around the entire perimeter. This is really basic sewing here, all you need to do is sew a “square” and you’re done.

Since the “long piece” was cut into two and then aligned with the 17 inch piece, it creates an envelope closure on the back of the pillow case. This makes it easy to wash or replace your pillow covers.

envelope pillow cover tutorial

So here’s a little secret about the ribbon flower on the front of the pillow…it’s removable!

To make the yellow ribbon flower I ruffled 4 yards of 2 inch wide ribbon. I then wrapped the ribbon around to create a flower design and hot glued onto a round piece of felt along the way. I made a button using the HGTV fabric and a button making kit you can find at Jo-Ann. So I bet you’re wondering how it’s removable, huh? Well I actually safety pinned the felt on the back of the flower to the front of my fabric cover. You’re probably thinking what? Why? Well, at first I wasn’t sure if I would like the flower on the front so I didn’t want to sew it straight onto the pillow cover. Then I ran out of ribbon and the store is out of stock in the color I need. I would like to add two more yards of ribbon to create a bigger flower. I figured it’ll be easy for me to add more felt and ribbon to it if I need to.

Flower Pillow Tutorial apumpkinandaprincess.com

HGTV Fabric

Want to make your own flower pillows with the new HGTV fabric? Well here’s a coupon to use for your next shopping trip to Jo-Ann. But you’ll have to be quick because the coupon expires on the 4th. To make things even sweeter Jo-Ann is currently offering their HGTV fabric at 50% off AND you can use the coupon on top of the sale!

Flower Pillow Tutorial apumpkinandaprincess.com

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Disclaimer: Jo-Ann stores provided me with the HGTV fabric to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Decor, DIY, Home Decorating Tagged With: flower pillow, Grey and Yellow, HGTV Fabric, Home Decor

Graduation Party Ideas

April 17, 2013 4 Comments

Graduation season is quickly approaching and its time to start thinking about graduation parties! Whether you know someone graduating from preschool or high school, this Chalkboard Place Setting is the perfect addition to any graduation party. Today I’m sharing an easy chalkboard placemat tutorial that can also be used as a chalkboard photo prop.

Chalkboard Placemat Tutorial

Creating a chalkboard placemat was easy to do with the We R Memory Keepers Classic Wreath Lucky 8 punch.The Lucky 8 punches come in 10 different styles, each one creating a decorative design along the border of your paper. They work great with any size paper and can be used for scrapbook layouts, mini albums, in frames, or to create a chalkboard place setting.

Lucky 8 punch review

The lucky 8 punch allows you to create 3 designs by controlling the tabs on the top of the punch. You can choose to punch only the border, only the decorative design, or the border and design together.

Chalkboard Placemat Tutorial

To make a chalkboard placemat and place setting I used:

-chalkboard paper

-graduation hat favor box

-Classic Wreath Lucky 8 punch

I created two chalkboard placemats, one with only the border and one with the border and design. I used chalkboard to outline the border one of the placemats. To use the Lucky 8 punch you align each side the with edge and punch all four sides. Then you flip the paper over and punch the remaining four sections. The best part about the placemats is that they double as chalkboard photo props! That is of course if they stay clean, no messy eaters allowed here! ;)

Chalkboard Placemat

Chalkboard Placemat Tutorial

We R Memory Keepers wants to give one reader a Lucky 8 punch of their own! To enter use the rafflectopter widget below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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We R Memory Keepers provided me with the Lucky 8 punch to review. As always, all opinions are my own. Giveaway ends 4/25 and winner will be notified by 4/27. Winner will have 48hrs to claim prize before a new winner is selected. This giveaway is not affiliated or endorsed by facebook.

Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Paper Crafts, Parties Tagged With: chalkboard crafts, chalkboard placemat tutorial, Graduation Party Ideas

Moss Clay Pot

April 12, 2013 11 Comments

Happy Friday, my friends! I’m feeling especially giddy about this weekend because we are headed on a little family vacation before my four day trip to Utah. You can follow along my adventures on instagram! Before I leave for the next 8 days I wanted to sneak in a little gardening and spruce up the porch. I liked my porch so much last year that I knew I had to do the same this Spring. The first part of my Spring porch update was to make a Moss Clay Pot to hold bright and colorful flowers in.

moss covered clay pot

To make the moss covered pot I used:

-Sheet moss (available at most craft stores)

-clay pot

-white acrylic paint

-burlap ribbon

-hot glue

Step one

Paint the pot in the color of your choice. I chose white but a bright yellow or turquoise would look great for Spring.

Step two

Once the paint has dried, glue the moss onto the clay pot. Trim off the excess moss with scissors.

moss covered clay pot

Step three

Use burlap ribbon to embellish the clay pot. If you’re wondering why I didn’t sew the pleats its because my secret is wired burlap ribbon! Its really easy to work with, especially for making bows in case you didn’t want pleats.

moss covered clay pot

Step four

Fill your pot with soil and a flower. I plan to find a yellow plant to replace the purple, since my porch is getting a yellow makeover this Spring..more details coming up!

Spring Flower Pot

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Filed Under: Crafts, Decor, DIY, Spring Tagged With: moss, moss clay pot, Spring porch decor

Homemade Bath Salts

March 15, 2013 17 Comments

Happy Friday, my friends! Any exciting plans this weekend? I’m hosting a mini spa party with my best friend and our daughters. Its going to be a fun little girls night in! In preparation for our party I’ve been making spa party favors. Today I’m sharing a Homemade bath salts recipe. This lavender bath salts recipe is simple to make and is perfect for giving away as a gift!

how to make bath salts

Homemade lavender bath salts recipe:

1 cup Mineral and Dead Sea Salt

1-2 drops of lavender essential oil

4-6 drops of soap colorant

In a bowl mix together salts and lavender essential oil. Add in coloring and mix until well combined. If you prefer a darker color increase colorant one drop at a time until you achieve desired shade. Store in an airtight container to allow the lavender essential oil to infuse the salts.You can leave out the colorant if you would like to keep this recipe as natural as possible. Another great idea is to mix in your favorite herbs to the mix.

In case you are wondering I found the mason jars at Target, the mineral and dead sea salt at Michaels, and the colorant at Michaels as well.

Here are few more ideas you might enjoy:

Honey Brown Sugar scrub

Sugar Scrub recipe

Homemade Face Scrub

Homemade Lavender Soap

Fill sachets or mason jars embellished with twine and paper to give the bath salts as a gift.

how to make bath salts

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Homemade Bath Salts, Spa Party

Homemade Vanilla Latte Soap

March 1, 2013 30 Comments

If you enjoyed the Homemade Lavender Soap Tutorial last week and you like the scent of coffee then you’re going to love what I’m sharing with you today! After playing around with a few more homemade soap recipes I created Vanilla Latte Soap Bars.

homemade soap tutorial

Have I ever mentioned that one of my favorite ways to relax is to sit in a busy Starbucks reading a good book? For some reason the combination of the noise and coffee aroma relaxes me. These soap bars remind me of the scent of my Starbucks latte!

homemade soap tutorial

To make the soap I used goat’s milk soap base cut into 13 cubes. I used 13 cubes because I found that this makes exactly 3 soap bars with my soap mold.

Supplies:

13 cubes of Goat’s milk soap base

1/4 cup brewed coffee

coffee grounds

vanilla essential oil

soap mold

Homemade Vanilla Latte Soap Tutorial

1. Brew one cup of coffee; set aside coffee grounds.

2. Cut soap into cubes and place in a double boiler or microwave in 30 second intervals (I used a large pyrex measuring cup over a double boiler).

3. Melt soap over low-medium heat.

4. Once soap cubes turn liquid add a few drops of vanilla essential oil. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of coffee and coffee grounds; stir well.

5. Pour into soap molds and allow to harden for at least one hour. Press mold to release soap.

This homemade coffee soap recipe smells amazing! I’m still fairly new to soap making but I’m really enjoying it so far. I plan to try new recipes and more natural ingredients as I continue to experiment. I have a few Spring/Summer scents that I want to try out, and of course share with you some new homemade soap tutorials!

homemade soap tutorial

What are some of your favorite soap scents?

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Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Coffee soap recipe, Homemade Soap Tutorial, Vanilla Latte Soap

Homemade Lavender Soap

February 22, 2013 36 Comments

Last week I shared how to make honey brown sugar scrub and today I’m back with a soap tutorial. This lavender soap tutorial is so easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. Once you try soap making you’ll love making soap to give to friends and family.

DIY Lavender Soap

I haven’t made soap in years, not since I made the cupid soap bars to give as Christmas gifts, but I’ve had this Goat’s soap bar for months and knew it was time to put it to use. I used the leftover lavender from my lavender mason jar tutorial.
Lavender soap tutorial

Supplies:

Goat’s milk soap base

Lavender essential oil

dry lavender

soap colorant (optional)

***update: I recommend adding a preservative or omitting the lavender if the soap will not be used immediately. I’ve read vitamin e oil can help preserve natural items like lavender but have yet to try it. I’ll keep you updated when I do. :)

DIY Lavender Soap

To make three lavender soap bars you will need about 13 goat’s milk soap cubes.

1. Cut soap into cubes and place in a double boiler or microwave in 30 second intervals (I used a large pyrex measuring cup over a double boiler).

2. Melt soap over low-medium heat.

3. Once soap cubes turn liquid add a few drops of lavender extract, colorant, and lavender; stir well. The lavender will naturally float to the top as you can see in the picture above.

4. Pour into soap molds and allow to harden for at least one hour. Press mold to release soap.

And there you have it..your own lavender soap bars!

I made one without purple colorant and two with the colorant. There are also plenty of ways to naturally color your soap if you prefer to not use dyes. I do suggest using essential oils over fragrance oils though, both can be found at your local craft store.

Supplies used:

Goat’s soap base

Lavender essential oil & soap colorant from Michaels

Soap molds from Hobby Lobby

Recipe for Homemade Coffee Soap

homemade soap tutorial

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Homemade Lavender Soap