Christmas DIY Gifts: Chalkboard Paint, Shower Tablets, Sugar Scrub, and Homemade Gift Wrap

This post can also be found here on Click On Detroit, my local NBC affiliate's website.  Black Friday has come and gone, but there is still time to make these crafts!

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Black Friday is one of my most favorite days of the year . . .  but not for shopping.  Actually, the thought of going into a store with a competitive, crazed crowd that will stop at nothing to get their prized bargained goods is a major trigger for my anxiety.

I much rather cozy up to my Thanksgiving leftovers and start decorating for Christmas.  I also start my homemade gifts that weekend, too.  I know that DIY crafts can be a polarizing topic, but I like to dabble in crafts because using my creativity to make something from start to finish makes me incredibly happy.  Having said that, I do not look for perfection and the crafts must be easy. 

This year, I am really stepping out of my comfort zone.  I have started a passionate love affair with chalkboard paint that began with a Thanksgiving craft.  It is so easy to use!   This pin really inspired me to create these different chalkboard crafts.

 

First I took the glass out of a picture frame and painted it with two coats of chalkboard spray paint.  I did the same to the wooden frame with a jute string that I bought at craft store.  I made sure that I covered the jute with tape so the paint would not get on it.

With the wood frame, I wrote on part of the frame and then erased it with a napkin to give it a chalkboard look.  I then wrote on the frame really hard to make sure the letters were clear and blew away the extra dust. 

Then, I added some snowflakes (the only thing I kind of know how to draw).

When I was done, I sealed it with a matte spray sealant.  Be sure to hold it far away from your craft so it goes on evenly and doesn’t blow the chalk away.

I love this antique-y feeling of this frame. The real chalk gives it character.

I practiced on the glass with some regular chalk, but I didn’t like how it looked.  It didn’t give that same worn look like on the wood frame.  So I tried a chalkboard marker.  Because I had more control with a fine tipped maker, I think it looks crisp and clean.

Another bonus to using a chalkboard marker: no sealant needed.  It dried instantly and does not smudge.

For past Christmases, I have made sugar scrub.  I prefer using sugar instead of salt because salt will sting if you have any cuts on your hands (which is usually my case in the winter time, thank you very much, OCD).

I started with ½ cup of olive oil (although you can use any kind you choose) and ¼ cup of sugar. 

I added more sugar until it became the consistency of applesauce, about 1 cup.

Then I added essential oils: 15 drops of lavender, 15 drops of eucalypts, and 7 drops of spearmint.  I used Aura Cacia and Whole Foods 365 brand, but Young Living oils are excellent.

I then scooped some of the mixture into a plastic container.  I love the look of a mason jar, but I don’t like to bring glass containers into the shower.

Then I made a tag with some card stock.  I matted a plain white piece of cardstock to a piece of cute Christmas themed paper and tied it to the container with jute.  This way, it is easy to remove and won’t get soggy in the shower.

I really wanted to try something new with essential oils, and I found this recipe on Pinterest for shower tabs.  I have used store-bought ones and love them!  They make the shower smell like a steam sauna!  So I had to try to make these myself.

First I took 1 cup baking soda and ½ cup of Epson salt.

The directions said to use 2 teaspoons of water to get it to the consistency of wet

sand, but not feel wet.  I ended up using 3 teaspoons of water.

Then I added essential oils: 20 drops of lavender, 20 drops of eucalyptus, and 15 drops of spearmint.   Young Living has a great reputation for being a high quality product, but if you are mass-producing these gifts, Aura Cacia and Whole Foods 365 are fine, too.

I scooped the mixture into greased muffin tins and pressed them into the pan.  They need to sit for at least 24 hours.  Trust me on this one.   I tried to take them out after a few hours and they crumbled.

Now that you have these super cute DIY Christmas gifts, what better way to wrap them but in homemade wrapping paper?!  There was a time where I would not understand why anyone in the world would make wrapping paper, but after seeing homemade wrapping paper in Have Yourself a Very Vintage Christmas, I had to try!

I make it really simple by using brown craft paper, rubber stamps, and ink.

I wrap the box and use the stamps to decorate the paper. 

Then, I take a soft red ribbon and make a bow.

To make the tag, I take a piece of cardstock and fold it in half.  Inside, I tape a piece of white cardstock and write on it.

Next, I put sticker on it.  I L O V E  these Anna Griffin Twinkle Bright 3-D Stickers!  It breaks my heart that they are no longer in stock anywhere.

Then, I punch a hole in the corner and use a little piece of red glitter pipe cleaner to wrap it around the ribbon.

And here is the finished product.

For total transparency, I do NOT wrap each present like this.  But for me, doing a little art project like this is like therapy.

For more Christmas pin-spiration, check out my Pinterest Christmas board.

How do you like to spend Black Friday?  Do you like to do DIY Christmas crafts?

My Thoughts on Ferguson and White Privilege

I have been watching the scene unfold in Ferguson.  I was glued to various media outlets when Michael Brown was killed and again when Darren Wilson was not indicted.  I have been angry, sad, and confused.

I also feel guilty – guilty that the color of my skin has afforded me a different set of life experiences that are not the same for everyone.  Not that my life experiences are fabulous and wonderful, but I think that some things may be easier for me than people of color.

This guilty feeling has slithered itself into my consciousness before.  I was in the 3^rd grade, and I had just learned about slavery.  I was horrified to discover how white people stole Africans away from their families and put them on a boat with no bathrooms.  I was in disbelief when I learned that once they arrived in America, these people were treated horribly – sold like property and made to work for abusive, rich white men.

This was too much for my eight-year-old mind; I could not understand how people could treat others so cruelly.  I felt a deep sense of shame and wished I could go back in time to rescue all of the slaves – the only solution my young mind could figure out.

Looking back, even at eight years old, I knew that my perspective and heritage were not a universal experience.  I didn’t have the language for it then, but the guilt and shame were rooted in white privilege. 

When Darren Wilson was not indicted, I felt the exact same way: ashamed.  Ashamed because the system that is supposed to be fair didn’t seem fair, because I don’t have the same fear of police brutality for my son.

Marie is the same age I was when I learned about white privilege, and I am struggling with how to approach this with her.  I am toeing the delicate line of arming her with the truth, yet not crushing her spirit. 

So I took to the Internet to help me.  I found so many informative posts out there from a variety of perspectives.

But this quote in the Rage Against the Minivan blog post written by Kristin really spoke to me:

“No one is saying that all police are racists. In fact, it's quite possible that many of the cops who have slain black boys weren't themselves racists by the general definition of the word. But they wereliving in the context of systemic racism . . . “

I feel inspired by this quote because it focuses on communication and working to understand another viewpoint.

 I want Marie and Thomas to know that it is wrong to make judgments based on skin color and not to discount someone else’s experiences because they are different from our own.

I want to help them be aware that everyone does not have the same start in life, hoping to nail it like this teacher did when shetaught her class about white privilege. 

But I also don’t want them to feel guilty or bad about who they are or the quiet, predominantly white neighborhood in which they live. I want them to feel empowered to stand up for what is right.  I want them to never to look the other way or giggle along with a racist joke or comment because it might be convenient for them. 

I want my children to be aware that it is these seemingly insignificant things that are huge and damaging:  going along with the crowd perpetuates systemic racism.

Also, I do not want them to think that every police officer abuses his/her power. I want them to be able to look at a situation and think critically about it; not just accept something because it would be less confrontational.

I feel overwhelmed by how one person can actually affect any change against something as big as systemic racism.  I can only hope that by raising children who are aware and courageous I am playing a part in its dissolution in the future.