My Homemade DIY Endeavors This Week

Monday, March 16, 2015

Earlier in the week, my "happy" box arrived!   I subscribe to the Homegrown Collective service who send out a box of DIY projects once a month. There are generally 3-4 DIY projects with all materials included, and they are seasonally chosen, so the projects are beneficial to the current season each month.


This month the theme was "honey"... it doesn't get much sweeter than this! :)


The box is a delight to open as you have to pull all the items out from under the brown crimped paper to see what came this month.



There was a jar of beeswax pastilles, a jar of raw honey, a bottle of grapeseed oil, two essential oils - peppermint and sweet mandarin, organic chili peppers, as well as the tools for making the DIY projects including a wood buffer sheet, sandpaper, 3 wooden utensils, a wooden honey dipper, 2 lip balm tubes, 2 salve containers, and one mason jar.



I started out with the wood butter project first.


It went very well.  You mix beeswax and grapeseed oil together until they are melted, and then pour into container to harden.


The directions called to melt the beeswax first, and then add the warmed grapeseed oil.


Took just a few minutes to make!


Next, I sanded down the wooden utensils included in the kit with the sandpaper provided.


And then rubbed on the wood butter - wow!  What a transformation!  This wood butter can be used on any wood to buff and restore the natural color.  I have a lot of wood butter left over - it goes a LONG way! - and I will be using it around the house to buff up my wood furniture.


The next project was honey lip balm. I gathered all the supplies...


... melted the beeswax, added the honey, and a few drops of peppermint essential oil ...


... and poured the mixture into the two lip balm tubes provided - it went easier than I thought it would... the mixture poured easily.  Since it was my first attempt, I didn't fill the tubes up all the way because I didn't know how much the liquid would expand when cooling.


And there was enough left over for two "salve" containers full of the lip balm as well.


I apologize for the poor pictures, as we had very little natural light when I was making the balms (it rained all day), and I had to use the flash... which gives poor results... but hopefully you get the idea.

Overall, I was very pleased with those two projects!  One thing that is a problem when working with beeswax is the fact that when it hardens, it is hard to get clean.  I think the cleanup was the worst part of the whole project!

I learned that when working with beeswax, using a wooden popsicle stick to stir the mixture really is best, because it can be thrown away.  The mason jars also work well, but you want to use a wide mouth mason jar so you can stick your hand inside to wipe it clean.  I soaked the mason jar with hot water for a few minutes, dumped the water out, and then wiped the wax off with a clean cloth.

I probably won't make the last project they sent directions for, which is a honey body scrub, as I already have some different scrubs and it is not something I would use.  However, it is great to have the directions for future reference.

This was a fun group of DIY projects, and best of all, I have lots of ingredients left over to play with some other recipes I have in mind! I hope to share those with you soon.  :)


 Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth

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14 comments

  1. That looks like my kind of box! What fun to get HONEY in the mail!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    Grace & Peace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a really *sweet* treat indeed! And it was locally sourced raw honey, pretty awesome! Thank you for coming by today to visit :)

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  2. Very cool...I have heard of beer and wine of the month clubs, but never craft of the month! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is pretty awesome, I look forward to the time of month when it comes now very expectantly. I have enjoyed learning new DIY skills. I'd never even heard of wood butter, but now I keep finding ways to use it around my house, so that is pretty exciting to me! Thanks for stopping by today :)

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  3. What? I have never even heard of a DIY once a month craft club! How cool is that? Just curious as to how expensive it is? It sounds like a lot of fun! xo Diana

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    Replies
    1. I know! It is pretty awesome, and now I am looking forward every month to its arrival. You can go to their website at http://www.homegrowncollectives.com, and find the different pricing agreements that they have. It is not a "cheap" endeavor, but I have found it to be a worthwhile when I consider all that is involved with the box and shipping it as well, and the opportunity to try new things. I love the essential oils that come with each kit as well, I have amassed quite a collection of them!

      Hope your day is blessed, and that your little Sweet Cheeks gets to feeling better soon!

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  4. I bet that box smelled good when you opened it up. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The essential oils smelled lovely, and best of all - I have a lot left over after making the projects! Thanks for stopping by today :)

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  5. How cool is that! I have never heard of this club. How do you join? I love the idea of making a homemade project that you can actually use. How fun... I made homemade salve and I really liked that and I use it everyday. I have been wanting to try making a lip balm. Hmmm......

    Thanks for sharing.

    Have a wonderful day!
    Amy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amy! It is a wonderful box to get in the mail. It is carefully packaged and thought out, and the projects are seasonally appropriate. It is a bit "pricey" but when you consider all that goes into putting it together, and the fact that you have much of the product left over for other uses, for me it is worth it. You can go to their website at the homegrowncollective.com and they have different pricing options available. I don't think I would have been brave enough to try making lip balm (ordering all the tubes etc.) without giving it a try first. Now, after doing it, it really went so easy and quick, that I am considering ordering bulk lip balm tubes to make myself. Thanks for stopping by today :)

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  6. That box looks awesome and those projects look so fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is definitely a "happy box" when it arrives! The packaging, the contents, the instructions, and the products/tools that can be used on other things makes it a worthwhile project for me. Thanks for stopping by today!

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  7. What a fun package to look forward to each month!!! Thank you for sharing the neat projects with us. This is right up my alley!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is a lot of fun, and I can't wait for the next month to arrive already!

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