Apothekayla the *book* {GIVEAWAY} [Closed]

Happy May everyone!

What? You don't remember me?

It's me, Catherine! Blogger behind Happily Ever Crafter. I know, I know...I took a LONG hiatus for the holidays. My last post was December 18th and it is now May 2nd! Ouch.

Well you see, what had happened was...

I decided to take a break for the holidays and while we were dealing with the craziness of moving. Then just overall life happened, and after that I've had very busy work schedules. I've been working a seasonal evening job while trying to find a good day job. I was even working 70+ hour weeks for over a month. Let's just say, that was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Things seem to be settling down now but it's still busy! Although I can't guarantee I'll be back consistently for another short while, I'll do my best! Work, work work! It feels good to be back, though...I've missed you guys!!



And now, to celebrate my return to blogging AND a blogger friend of mine's birthday...I have a fantastic giveaway for you all!

My lovely blogger friend Kayla, the wonderwoman behind Winterstead and ApotheKayla, just launched her very first book! It's called ApotheKayla: Year One: A Beginner's Guide to Making Holistic Health and Beauty Recipe and we're working together to bring you all this wonderful giveaway! One winner will receive an AUTOGRAPHED copy of the book! 

So this giveaway is celebrating three awesome events! 

1. Kayla's birthday is today!!! 

2. Kayla just launched this awesome book!

3. My *triumphant* return to blogging!

Hemp paste is just one of the many awesome recipes you will get if you win (or buy!) the book!

Who wouldn't love some luxurious, homemade, all natural shaving cream?? This book is chock full of recipes that will have DIYing all your health and beauty needs in no time! 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS!

• Prize: One copy of ApotheKayla: Year One: A Beginner's Guide to Making Holistic Health and Beauty Recipe
• To enter: Follow the prompts on my Rafflecopter widget below! The more you do the more entries you get!
• Starts: Friday, May 2nd, 2014
• Ends: Friday, May 9th, 2014 at midnight
• Limited to U.S. residents only, sorry! 
• The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Saturday, May 10th, 2014! I will e-mail the winner to confirm. If I don't get a confirmation within 48 hours I will have to choose another winner, so  be sure to check back here and check your e-mail!
• Kayla will be signing the winning book and shipping directly to you if you're the winner! 

Now all you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below to enter!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck! 

CONGRATULATIONS TARA B.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered!!!


And hey, if you feel like you're Bad Luck Brian and just want to go ahead and buy your own copy, you can head over to Amazon and get yours! Plus, it's never too early to shop for Christmas presents! This book is a great addition to any home that's becoming more and more 'crunchy'!

Didja miss me? I missed you!! What's been happening in your life in the fabulous year 2014??

Till next time,
Catherine

DIY: 4 Step Gift Bag {Guest Post}

A couple weeks ago I shared how to make gift boxes out of cardboard tubes, you can read that post HERE. This week I've got one of my favorite bloggers guest posting for me with her 4-Step Gift Bag tutorial! Pam from Brown Thumb Mama has an awesome blog about gardening, thrifty living, recipes and lots of laughs. Be sure to "like" her Facebook page too!

I hate wrapping presents. Searching for paper, finding boxes, awkward-sized packages...and don't get me started on the ribbons, bows, and foofy decorations. Gack. A couple of years ago, I decided to make gift bags of all sizes to use for Christmas presents. Keep in mind that I'm not a very good seamstress, so this was a big accomplishment for me! I decided that a little bit of work up front would give me years without wrapping paper. It was too good to be true! Yes, yes it was. I realized at the end of the day that nobody had returned the bags their gifts were in. So here I am, sewing up another set of gift bags. This time I took some pictures so you can make them too. You will need: Fabric Thin ribbon for the drawstring Sewing machine Iron Measure the size of your gift. (This seems obvious, but if you saw the first batch of too-small-for-anything bags I made you'd understand.) Give yourself at least an inch of space all the way around, and cut out the desired shape.

1. Start with the Quick-Fold Trick

Turn the fabric over so you're looking at the wrong side. Fold the top two inches over so the fold runs off the side of the fabric. Pop it with a hot iron so the fold will stay. Sew down the middle of each fold and run the stitches straight off the edge of the fabric. Repeat on all four corners.

2. Sew up Sides and Top

Run a straight stitch up from the bottom to close up the sides, stopping when you get to the folded part. Fold over about 1/4 inch of each top flap, iron it so it stays, and stitch across.

3. Finish Drawstring Tunnel

Fold down each of the top flaps, and sew all the way across to make the drawstring tunnel. Don't sew the bag shut (ask me how I know). Repeat on the other side.

4. Add the Ribbon

Thread the ribbon through one side of the tunnel, across the "jump," and out the other side. Knot the ends. Repeat, starting the ribbon on the opposite side, so you can pull the knots to close the bag.

And you're done! Jackjack suggests that you stuff the bag full of good presents.

Drawstring bags have tons of uses beyond Christmas presents. Use a light muslin and make produce bags to take to the farmer's market, or pick out a fun print and make a bag for the kids' blocks, or whip up birthday party goodie bags.

Hi! I'm Pam, otherwise known as BrownThumbMama. I'm a corporate writer by day, hobby gardener, avid reader, and housework avoider by night. 

I'm here to show that everyday, working moms and families can enjoy good health and nutrition while living a thrifty life. I give examples, recipes, and real-life stories of our family to show how we do this. 







Thanks for guest posting for me Pam! I'll be making some of these bags for sure! I may wait till after Christmas this year so I can get fabric that's been marked way down ;-) 

Till next time,
Catherine

DIY: Cardboard Tubes Turned Gift Boxes

 I originally wrote this post last year but I wanted to bring it back for The Skinny Pear's DIY Christmas Series! Be sure to check out the other fantastic posts by fabulous bloggers! You'll be able to DIY all of Christmas this year! 

How cool would it be to go from this: 

(via)

To this: 

I had seen this idea on Pinterest and decided to try it for myself. I got the original idea from the blog Sweet Charli specifically. It was really quite simple and fun to do! 

I don't know about you but I'm always in need of a small gift box whether it's for jewelry or a gift card and these are the perfect size! You can customize them for Christmas, birthdays and more! You could even use them for party favor packaging! 

Supplies:

• Clean cardboard tubes
• Ribbon
• Twine or pretty string
• Scrapbook paper
• Hot glue gun/glue or tape
• Scissors
• Tissue paper

 Directions:

Fold one end of your cardboard tube in. Think like you're trying to close one of those paper coin rolls from the bank. 

Fold in the other half. Secure it down with hot glue or tape. When you've got that locked down, wrap your gift in a small amount of tissue paper and stick it inside. Fold and secure the open end of the tube the same way as the first one. 

Now decorate them however you'd like! I used an extra piece of scrapbooking paper from another project  and wrapped it around, securing it with hot glue. I also used a small length of ribbon my husband had saved from a gift he received. The man knows me. 

For this one I used a thicker piece of the same scrapbook paper and different ribbon. I just switched the directions of the ribbon and paper from the previous box. If you don't want it to be as obvious that it's a cardboard tube, just wrap the whole thing in scrapbook paper. Chances are people won't even notice! Generally people are more focused on what's inside! 

I love this idea because the possibilities of design and decoration are endless! You can even bust out that Bedazzler you've been dying to use! ;-) 

What are some other unique ways that you like to wrap gifts?

Till next time,

Catherine

DIY: Popsicle Stick Snowflakes

This is my first post on the DIY Christmas Series that a great group of blogging friends and I are doing! Be sure to check out all 30 days of great posts! My good friend Joyce over at The Skinny Pear is the mastermind behind this awesome series to get you ready for Christmas with all things DIY! 

Here's a super easy and fun little project if your house is in need of some more Christmas decorations! Or, just winter in general. 

These are great because they're cheap and easy but also super cute! You can hang them up on the wall, the fronts of your kitchen cabinets or even use them as front door decoration!  The original picture for inspiration is here. 

You'll need: 

• Popsicle sticks/Craft sticks - I got the medium sized ones but I saw several sizes
• Hot glue
• Paint color(s) of your choice
• Paint brush (unless you're using spray paint)
• Ribbon

Optional items: 

• Glossy finish spray
• Glitter
• Decorative pom-poms or other little bits and pieces

Directions:

 Of the three snowflakes that I made, I started each one with this basic shape. You can make your snowflakes however you want, though!

To get this shape easily, I started with one triangle.

Then added two more sticks to the side, and so on.

Now have fun and make some cool snowflake designs! I did three different ones. 

This one is the same as the last one except the horizontal sticks on the outside are placed further along and not in the middle like the previous one. 

Now get your paint. 

And get to it!

After painting about half of the first snowflake I decided I did not like how blazing red the paint was. I added just a couple drops of black paint, mixed and got the dark burgundy on the left. It was better, but not quite it. I added in more red and got the pretty cranberry color on the right.  

The picture doesn't do it justice but it's a really pretty cranberry red and I thought that was just right for my little snowflakes. 

All you have to do now is let them dry and hang them up with some pretty ribbon! 

I really like how they turned out! I'll be keeping these bad boys up until the first day of Spring! 

Don't forget to check out the rest of our DIY Christmas Series! 

Do you like crafts with such simple and cheap materials like craft sticks or cardboard tubes? What kind of things do you make out of them?

Till next time,

Catherine

I've linked up to Family Fun Friday Week 45 with Happy and Blessed Home!

DIY: Chalkboard Paint Labels

In the past 6-8 months I've really been trying to store things in glass jars rather than plastic that can leech chemicals into the contents. It started because I want to make healthy decisions for my husband and I but also because I couldn't handle throwing away perfectly good glass jars anymore! 

Growing up, we had a local dump that we'd take all our trash and recycling to. My dad had a great system of composting, recycling, and burning so that the amount of trash going into the dumpster was at a minimum. 

All food scraps went into the compost bin. Plastic, paper, glass, and cans went into recycling. Any kind of personal info like mail and documents went into the burn barrel. 

Then I got married and moved from home to a place that doesn't offer recycling! I think I get a little twitch in my eye every time I have to put a cardboard box into the trash can. 

But as far as glass jars go, I save almost all of them and put them to good use. Mostly I repurpose them into storage for bulk items but I also fill them with different things to give as gifts.

After a while I was getting weary of not being 100% sure what I was grabbing. You know, the whole baking powder vs. baking soda fiasco waiting to happen. Fortunately I never had any mishaps but I was waiting for it! 

Thanks to a Michael's gift card I received from a lovely and thoughtful friend for my birthday, I finally got chalkboard paint to ease my mind in the kitchen! 

Not to mention this project is super easy!

All you need is:

• Chalkboard paint (I found my Martha Stewart brand at Michael's for about $7)
• Foam brush
• Chalk
• Naked jars

Instructions:

Are you ready for how simple this is?

Shake up the bottle and squirt some paint onto a paper plate then dip your foam brush into the paint. Make sure you get an even coat on the brush. Now simply brush across the jar where you want the label to be.

As you can see, one coat doesn't cover it completely. Let it dry completely and then do another coat.

Paint the rest of your 45,356 jars.

Here you can see the difference between one coat (left) and two coats (right). 

Two coats (and sometimes three) get the job done. Let it dry for 24 hours.

Once they're dry, scratch chalk across the paint to "season" it.

Cover completely then just wipe away with a dry cloth. 

Now just write the name of the contents of the jars and you're good to go! Excuse my handwriting. It's not good to begin with but writing with chalk makes it worse!

I love seeing this in my cabinets now!

Always good to know the difference between baking powder and baking soda!

I absolutely love this project! It's so easy and inexpensive! I've heard of other ideas like painting printer labels but for an item that will be washed and reused, I thought painting right onto the jar would make more sense. And if I ever empty a jar and need to fill it with something new, it's as easy as writing on the jar!

The only downfall is that I have to be careful to not wipe off the chalk but it's really not that big of a deal. First world problems anyone? It's totally worth it to have a cute and organized kitchen!

How do you label your kitchen and your life? What have you used chalkboard paint for?

Till next time,

Catherine


I've linked up with Life After Laundry & Sensational Creations with their Less Laundry, More Linking party! Go check them out and spread some blog love!