Olive is a lover of all things yoga; her passion for the ancient art astounds and impresses me. So when it came to figuring out a good birthday present I had so many great ideas. I love crafts and I wanted to bring yoga and crafts together to make Olive a birthday present with lots of love put into it.

Inspiration can come at the funniest time, while standing in Wal-Mart the idea for Olive’s birthday present came to me. I decided to reinvent an idea I saw on Pinterest. I purchased a plain white porcelain serving tray and decorated it with a set of metallic Sharpies also purchased at Wal-Mart. I chose to draw an Om symbol which is prevalent in yogic tradition and quite meaningful to Olive.

After drawing the Om, the tray needed to be baked in the oven @350 degrees for 30 minutes to set the ink. When the tray is finished, remove and let cool completely…..and that is seriously IT! Simplest personalized craft EVER! 

**EDIT** Unfortunately the Sharpies do not stay on after washing. It was a fun craft and despite all the Pinterest posts stating this works, alas it does not :( You could do this on porous unfired porcelain with success but not the store purchased variety. A better option is to try pens that are designed for porcelain use.  You can purchase porcelain paint pens
from any craft store (like Michaels). Then continue much the same as with the Sharpies, draw on your design and then bake it in your conventional oven at 300°f for 30 minutes and you’re done! **



 

Olive loved her present and is now using it as a coffee table tray. In fact, she loved it so much we decided to do this craft again but for Christmas presents. For this round we chose coffee mugs, and bowls purchased at the dollar store. You can do this craft with any piece of porcelain, and any set of permanent markers, the possibilities are endless!

Olive decided to take the finished mugs and turn them into Christmas cheer packages for her family. I used the bowls for candy dishes and incorporated them into my Christmas décor.

We enjoyed the simplicity and ease of this craft project especially during this busy and often chaotic time of year.

Sending warm wishes to you and your families during the holiday season,

Olive and Button

You know what really chaps me? Trying to find a good vegan chapstick! Have you ever tried to buy vegan chapstick, in a normal store? I dare you, Good luck! Every chapstick we have come across seems to have beeswax in the list of ingredients. You just can’t get away from it.

That being said, we decided to DIY it… We came up with a simple recipe that feels as good as smells. Are you ready for this…?? Cocoa-Peppermint Chapstick!

For the recipe you will need the following:

1oz candelilla wax

1 oz cocoa butter

.75 oz shea butter

2 oz liquid oil avocado oil

4 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil (orange essential oil is also nice)

1 tsp beet powder (optional)

½ tsp cocoa powder (optional)

Double boiler (or two pots, one on top of the other)

Funnel (small enough to fit into chapstick tubes)

Chapstick tubes

In a double boiler melt down the candelilla wax, cocoa butter, shea butter, and avocado oil, stirring frequently. Add the essential oil, and stir well. Empty half of the mixture and quickly pour into half of your containers. Add the beet powder and cocoa powder into the remaining mixture in the double boiler. Whisk well. Once desired color is achieved pour the mixture into the remaining tubes. Let sit for at least one hour. 

Now pucker those pretty pouters,

Olive and Button

We love smelly good things! We also love smelly good things on fire! This brings us to our love of candles. Unfortunately many of the store bought varieties are not vegan and are loaded with toxic chemicals such as toluene and benzene which are known to cause cancer. Another downside to store bought candles is their price, most good quality less carcinogenic varieties cost anywhere from $15-$30 each. With the upcoming visit of our jolly friend in the red suit approaching it seemed appropriate to want to dabble in a little DIY candle making. They make the perfect little gift or even stocking stuffer. Not only are they vegan but Eco-friendly as well.

This is a project you can get very creative with. We decided on mason jars we had on hand but you could use containers such as vintage tea cups, vintage stem ware, tins, vintage cookware, or any ceramic, glass or metal container of your choosing. You could also add dried flowers, herbs and leaves for decoration. The possibilities are endless!

To make these easy DIY soy candles you will need the following:

1lb microwavable soy wax (purchased @ Michaels for $8.99)

Wax color chips (can also be purchased @ Michaels)

Essential Oils for scent (we used lavender and pomegranate)

Double Boiler (if you do not have one, you can use two pots, one on top of the other)

Skewers (for holding up your wicks in their containers while the wax sets)

Soy Wicks (purchased @ Michaels in whatever size needed to fit your container)

Something to stir the melting wax with, any kitchen tool will do (no wooden spoons)

Glue gun or glue dots.

Scissors

Instructions:

Fill bottom of double boiler with enough water so that it touches the bottom of the top pot. Boil water on low-medium heat, once the water has become hot enough place half the bag of soy wax into the top of the boiler. Half of a 1lb bag will make 3 candles in small one cup jars. Melt the wax down until it becomes a liquid consistency, stirring frequently. Be very careful not to allow the wax to become over heated as it can catch fire. Add essential oils until desired scent is reached. If you would like your candles to have color, add wax chips now. Set up your wicks; using a hot glue gun to adhere them to the bottom of your containers. Once all ingredients have been melted, pour the wax into the containers. If wicks do not sit straight, use the skewers to hold them up. Leave them to set overnight.

All in all, this was a very simple project. With all the possibilities we are excited to get more creative with our candle making endeavors in the future. This was such a successful trial we don’t think we will ever buy candles again!

Till Next Time, Wick It, Wick It Good,

Olive and Button