Tag Archives: diy

How to make holly jolly scented bubbles with Method!

Crafts + DIY, , , , , , ,

The Peach is a big fan of bubbles.  Blowing them and catching them.  It is a great and inexpensive way to have fun with your kiddo. I used to buy whatever bubbles I could find, but one day I watched a bubble pop over the Peach’s head and it sprayed into her eyes. She immediately squinted and started to cry and I had to take her in and wipe her eye with a wet compress. All of a sudden it hit me that I needed to find a better bubbles solution.  Something less… uh.. toxic.

Fortunately, I only needed to look as far as my sink! I realized I could make a batch of safer (and cheaper!) bubbles with Method.

Since it is the season for easy, quick holiday projects, the Peach and I decided that this would be a fun one and a great opportunity to use Method’s holiday scented dish soaps. I really love the sugared mint scent but the frosted fir is pretty fabulous as well!

So, here are the deets.

Pour the following amounts into into the mason jar:

  • 2/3 cup of filtered water
  • 2 tablespoons glycerin*
  • 4 tablespoons of Method dish soap

I have my assistant help me do this—it’s that easy.

Put the cap on the mason jar and shake it for about a minute or so.

Then let the bubbly fun begin! You can also stir the ingredients slowly and let it sit overnight as well if you don’t like the bubbles up top. But we didn’t mind that much!

A quick note about glycerin—I had never used or bought glycerin before, but it makes the bubbles last longer, so it is a great addition and not the freakish product I thought it was. It can be bought at any drug store or even supermarket. I had no idea that glycerin was made from vegetables—I like the gylcerin derived from coconut personally, which I picked up at Whole Foods.  You can also use light corn syrup as well, but that leaves a sticky residue where the bubbles pop.

I made a wand using a pipe cleaner. I made the opening about the size of a quarter and just twisted the ends up. Super easy!

Or you could go big and buy some cool bubble pipes.

In fact, the whole project took less than 5 minutes and the Peach loved helping make it.  She also really enjoyed the immediacy of this handy little project!  And the clean up was quick compared to many other craft projects I have tried with my three year old.

The weather was so nice this weekend that we tried the bubbles out immediately.  We spent a good hour running around blowing and catching bubbles.  Eric even got into the act, blowing bubbles for the Peach to catch.

Oh, and by the way, when a bubble broke and a little bit of the bubble liquid dropped into the Peach’s eye? She laughed!  If that isn’t a sign that Method is a safer product, I don’t know what is!

Thanks Method for inspiring this little holiday DIY!  And you can get these yummy smelling goodies at Target or Method’s Website!

I think this might be my go-to holiday giveaway for kiddos! Have you ever made your own bubbles? Wanna give it a try ?

This post brought to you by 

but all opinions are always our own. To read more on Method’s green practices, ingredients and philosophy, go here!

Easy Peasy Dyeing Vintage Slips Tutorial

Crafts + DIY, ,

I have been collecting vintage slips from estate sales, thrift shops and other misc. places for over a year with the goal of dyeing them pretty Easter egg colors that would add a dashing little bit of color to my normally all black winter wardrobe.  Dyeing them has been on my craft project list for SO LONG. The magical lure of an extra day added to the weekend gave me the perfect excuse and additional time to finally DYE THOSE SLIPS.

Here is what you’ll need to start your dyeing adventure!

  • A non-porous large pot–stainless steel/Teflon/enamel will do
  • Rubber gloves
  • Dye of choice. I prefer liquid Rit dye and feel it is better than the powder and read reviews saying it dyes fabric more evenly than powder
  • Vinegar–this is essential for dyeing synthetic fabrics such as the nylon of vintage slips. If you are dealing with a natural fiber like cotton or silk, you will use SALT instead to help set the dye.

But before you rip open that dye, you must dress the part–like my fashion forward all black look of an old t-shirt and a pair of black sweat pants my mom left me. I’m even wearing good old rubber Crocs in black. Basically you want to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting splashed with color and pretty much ruined.

1.) Fill pot with water–1 gallon and add 1 cup of vinegar.

2.)Add half of the bottle of dye and stir and set water to just simmering.

3.) While waiting for water to simmer, prep your slip by getting it very wet with water.

4.) Let the magic begin and DIP THAT SLIP!

5.) Keep slip in water and stir very often.  Keep heat at a simmer making sure it doesn’t boil over for 30-60 minutes.

6.) After 30-60 minutes take slip out and rinse it under hot water turning down to cold water. This helps set the color. Some color might come out, but that is normal.

7.) After you have rinsed the slip for a good five minutes, squeeze out as much water as you can and hang to dry. As you can see, I got carried away and went on a dyeing tear!

And voila! You have a lovely slip in an equally lovely color! I think they are so jaunty just on their own, but you could add a few rows of contrasting colored lace to fancy it up even more if you wanted.

Remember–all of this glamour does come with a price. Dyed items like these slips are not to be added to your regular laundry or  you could end up with a bit of a mess.   Hand washing only for these sassy slips. But that is how you should treat vintage clothing anyway.

Enjoy and I hope you give it a try. This was surprisingly less fusssy than I thought it would be and took time than I thought it would which was a nice surprise. Plus it was a whole lot of fun too!!!

Have you ever tried dyeing slips? Or anything for that matter?  What was your experience like?