Today my favorite sister, Courtney, and her partner puppy in crime, Stella, spent the day with me.  We decided that since I have been nowhere near a spa in ages, it was time for beauty treatments.  So….we found 10 cool DIY projects to try today.  Here’s what we did today:

1. Courtney put my hair up in a braid to keep it out of my face.

2. Courtney created a cute retro style head wrap to keep her hair back.

3. We made some refreshing watermelon mint water.  All you do is muddle a sprig of mint with a few scoops of watermelon in a mason jar, add ice, then fill the jar with water.  Finally, shake well!

4. We needed lids for our watermelon water (since I am now a total slob!) so we put a piece of paper under the lid and poked a hole in it for a straw.  The Pinterest version uses cupcake liners, but we didn’t have any so we improvised!

5. We made some lavender mint hand/ foot scrub.  The original recipe calls for a different scent of soap, but we had lavender, which smells divine and added a few drops of mint.  All you do is put sugar in a mason jar, mix in Dawn soap with Oil of Olay and mix well.  Then, scrub your hands and feet until a nice lather forms.

6. Next, we made a simple facial mask with water and baking soda.  So easy!  It exfoliates and removes blackheads very well.

7. While our masks set, we moisturized our hands with an olive oil honey serum.

8. Then, no surprise, I got hungry!  So…we made delicious, creamy Nutella cool whip Popsicle.  We just blended 1/2 c. milk, 3 tbs. Nutella, and 1 c. cool whip in the blender the poured them into Popsicle molds.

9.  Well, the popsicles had to set so we had some microwave popcorn to tide me over and in the meantime, did a spice mask.  We simply mixed cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey and rubbed on our faces.  Nutmeg and honey act as natural anti-inflammatories, which can reduce swelling and redness in skin. They’re also great for soothing acne scars and preventing infection. In addition, the nutmeg and cinnamon also work to exfoliate your skin when you wash this mask off.  And…if a little drips near your mouth, it tastes great!!!!

10.  Finally, it was time for my pedicure!  Since I haven’t been able to reach my toes in weeks and I can’t go to a salon, Courtney gives me a pedi every two weeks.  Such a sweet sister!  This time we did “mermaid toes”.  Courtney buffed and trimmed my toe nails as usual then cleaned the oils off with rubbing alcohol.  She then painted two coats of Essie “Turquoise and Caicos” nail polish on me.  She topped it off with two coats of Essie Luxe “shine of the times” and now I have shimmery mermaid toes!

We really had a wonderful day!  I am so blessed to have Courtney as my sister.  I hope our girls are close like this when they are older.  And, I hope they are close to their brothers too!

These DIY projects were fun, cheap, and easy.  All worthwhile!

hugs,

Amber