DIY Review: Scented Candles

I've been waiting to do this DIY since August, when I bought the supplies. I finally had the opportunity to do it with my family over winter break. I actually made two kinds of candles: one using the tutorial from Yes Missy, and the other that I came up with on my own.

Supplies:

• Soy wax flakes (I bought a pound, which was enough to make about 8 very small candles)
• Scented wax cubes
• Candle wicks
• Fragrance oil (you really only need a couple drops)
• Cute containers (we used old candle votives and I bought these cute wooden containers at Goodwill)

Step 1: Set up the wicks so that they stand up straight. This will ensure that they're straight when you pour in the wax. We used tape and a skewer on one batch, and tied the wick around the skewer for the other batch.

Step 2: Melt the wax. We did this by submerging a large glass of wax into a pot of boiling water. When the wax is mostly melted, put 2-3 drops of the fragrance oil into the wax and stir it around.

Step 3: Pour the wax into the containers. Make sure to do it over a piece of newspaper or aluminum foil so the wax doesn't get everywhere. The wax stops being hot pretty quickly, but takes about 12 hours to cool completely into solid form.

This time around, I used scented wax cubes along with the wax flakes to give the candles a scent without the oil. I used about 2/3rds wax flakes and 1/3rd wax cubes to ensure a strong but not overwhelming scent.

Here's what the wicks look like tied around the skewers. When the wax cools, cut the wicks clean off. 

And voila! Some beautiful scented candles! They were pretty expensive to make, but the ones in the fancy containers were worth it– those can be $25+ at the store.

Spaces & Faces: Sophia

Meet one of my roommates from Seattle: Sophia! We only got to live together for a couple months before I moved, but they were some damn good months. Not only do we get along really well, but look how cute her sense of style is!

I love this idea– she added velcro to the back of her makeup palettes so she could hang them on the wall and easily remove them to do her makeup. This is a great space saver and a really unique way to decorate your walls.

These skulls are leftover from her birthday party (her birthday is on Halloween, so all the decor was spooky themed). I love this Bob's Burger's window poster– it's from the first episode and you can actually see it from the street below us.

Spaces & Faces: 3201

Welcome to my apartment! (Finally). I've lived here since October 2015, but apparently it's taken me over a year to finally get my room to the point where I can put it on the blog. Now, just in time for me to move out in a couple weeks, here is a look at my living space.

My bed is where I spend most of my time. I've had most of these pillows and this duvet cover since freshman year, so my room aesthetic has largely remained the same. Emily painted this beautiful piece of art as a rough draft for an incredible gallery piece she did, and I got to keep it because I was one of the people that posed for her.

I've slowly been building up this gallery-style wall since I moved in: it was originally just the quote cards, but has since grown to incorporate my first-ever wedding invite, my sister's grad announcement, some DIYs, and some miscellaneous pictures.

I love the aesthetic that hanging up my jewelry creates. Not only is it like a little wall of art, but it's a super practical way to store my necklaces.

I love my &s: I hope to acquire more of them as I continue decorating my living spaces.

The foot of my bed features some of my own paintings of little succulents.

All of our furniture came from the university, but we do our best to spice it up with our own unique touch, like these DIY wine bottle vases.

Carolyn has a bunch of really cute quote canvases: these are two of my favorites. It doesn't hurt that they're both so aesthetically pleasing.

Living with two dogs (and three women) is a whole bunch of fun. We spend a lot of Friday nights together on the couch watching Harry Potter movie marathons and sharing junk food.

Spaces and Faces: Lauren

My little sister has one of the most unique and beautiful senses of style. Everything in her life is hand-picked with thought, which makes getting presents from her a real treat. Her room is the perfect demonstration of her style and holds everything she loves in it.

A Broke & Fabulous Holiday Season: DIY Gift Guide

This is my favorite gift guide to make every year because I get to comb through my Pinterest page and find tutorials that I've wanted to try out but haven't had time/an excuse to. Last year, I focused on art DIYs, so this year I found a couple wearable and/or usable DIYs to gift. Check them out and give them a try for yourselves!

For a special twist: use a unique charm instead of a circular connector.
Get the full tutorial from Honestly WTF

For a special twist: use a different scent of essential oil.
Get the full tutorial from The Idea Room

For a special twist: Use a plain Dollar Store vase instead of a mason jar.
Get the full tutorial from Please Note

For a special twist: thumb tack an initial or another shape.
Get the full tutorial from Life in Velvet

For a special twist: try it on a different ceramic piece.

Get the full tutorial from Poppytalk

What kind of DIYs are you doing for this holiday season? Let me know in the comments below!

Spaces and Faces: Emily

When Brendan and I drove down to California, I had the excellent chance to see my best friend and the home she grew up in. As I've mentioned, I think someone's space is an excellent representation of who they are, especially when their space has been developed throughout their life. Emily's high school room is the perfect example.

The first thing Em told me when I came into her house was that her mom was looking forward to repainting the entire house because it was like a giant crayon box. Emily's room was no different, being entirely painted sherbet orange. "I surprised myself choosing orange paint because I've always been a blue kinda girl but I went to pick out paint chips and randomly saw the color and was like 'yup, that's the one.'"

Emily had decorated most of our room last year, and I was not surprised to that her room at home was adorned with the same creative flair. She had a story for everything I asked about: from the sunglasses near the ceiling ("they broke, but I still wanted to showcase them") to the collaged hand on her shelf (a project from art class).

"Over the years I hung up a lot of my own photography... All of the black and white prints are mine, and a lot of the colored ones around the door frame, too. I just really wanted it to be a space that reflected me and what I was thinking creatively, so every time I found something or made something that seemed right I put it up!"

"I made the painting space this summer... After taking a painting class during winter quarter I'm spoiled and feel like I need an easel, but I'm also poor so I just taped a bunch of garbage bags to the wall (to protect the paint) and hung up my canvases off of thumb tacks. It was a godsend this summer, since I've discovered that painting is truly a way for me to relieve anxiety and unwind."