Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts

 I've been asked repeatedly if my press-on nails are manufactured and the answer is no. The nail themselves may come from China but they are definitely designed by myself all by hand. From that point on (a couple years ago), I said I would make sure to also hand paint and hand write each and every Thank You card so when a customer gets their order off of whatever platform I sold it off of they would know it came from an indie operation. 

Sharpie, Stamp Pad, Watercolors, Rubber "Thank You" Stamp, Index Cards

Everything I use to make my Thank You cards can be found at Dollar Tree, eBay, and Hobby Lobby. It's extremely easy and relaxing to do. Even though it's nerve-wracking when you have a bunch of orders and forget to make the Thank You cards I still feel grateful when making them.
Water Colored Index Cards

I can sit on the floor and make loads of these watercolor designs on the blank side of an index card. To me, it's therapeutic and calming. I'm usually listening to a podcast or watching a show while painting.
Stamped Watercolor Index Cards

After the index cards dry after a couple minutes you can now stamp them with your choice of color ink pad. I ran out of black so I'm using dark purple. I stamp "Thank You" in the middle with a flower on each side. leaving plenty of room for cutting shaped edges and writing your desired website at the bottom.
This is the finished Thank You watercolor card with my chosen website written at the bottom with a fine sharpie marker. I always cut the sides down with  special craft scissors and add in a pretty nail decal set (I have many repeat customers so I like to give everyone something every time they order to show appreciation) I really enjoy the art of things being hand painted and hand made. I will always be a fan of indie work I mean Hello my name is Melle INDIE lol. Make sure your supporting indie businesses and indie business owners. Thanks for stopping by! Now go paint something!

 This was more of an experiment. I saw a quick video with a lady grating a bar of  Zote melting it with water, adding essential oils and storing it to use on dishes, clothes, for cleaning and even a bleach alternative. I have plenty of Zote bars in my pantry and I love DIY so I gave it a try. I must say that this is one of the BEST DIY projects I've ever done and I will use it for LIFE!

This one bar of white Zote grated with a grater from the dollar tree, mixed with about a gallon of water, scented with eucalyptus & lavender essential oil and mixed with a hand blender made all of this soap!
I had to look for more containers! I had so much soap I couldn't believe how much liquid one bar of Zote had made! It was very soapy and creamy. I'm not going to lie after it sits it has the consistency of snot (I know I'm gross right?) But it's good clean snot. This was the perfect recipe in times like this were you have people literally fighting over soap, hand wash and toilet paper. I even gave one bottle to my Mom there was so much! The only word that came to my mind was "ABUNDANCE" I wrote it on my dry erase board.
This was a clear example of abundance and how we have everything we need right in front of us if we look for it. I was very humbled that day. I actually made this batch on May 8th 2021 (5/8/2021) It's close to a week of having this stockpile of soap and I haven't even put a dent in it! I've hand washed some clothes, washed all my dishes, put some in a foaming hand soap dispenser and I still have plenty. It's truly a blessing to learn these type of things at this day and time. No fighting over soap for me.

Another tip if you want it to come out more like a liquid. Put a little squirt or two of your favorite dishwashing liquid in each bottle. I used some lavender scented Dawn and it gave it more bubbles, more scent and it's a little less thick. I will be using this Zote DIY soap FOREVER! On my next batch I might just make a tutorial post because it's too easy not to try! I wish abundance for anybody reading and make sure to try this at home!


NOTE* A Bar of Zote is about $1.00 in some places $1.09 but the popularity of Zote and the simplicity of the ingredients is getting noticed and I expect the price to be going up. It's sold out a lot at Wal Mart so if you see it at the $1.00 or $1.09 price grab a couple while you can at that price.