Mango & Peach Margarita

It has been a while since I posted a drink recipe! I wanted something spicy and refreshing so I decided to go with a mango margarita it’s just what the doctor ordered. All the ingredients used were under $30 and will be enough for me and my friends.

 

Ingredients

1 whole mango ( cut up for blender)

2 Cups frozen peaches

1 Cup Sliver Tequila

2 Cups lemonade

2 Tablespoons Simple sugar

Tajin Clasico seasoning

1 Lemon

1 Lime

Steps

1. Cut up mango

2. Add mango and lemonade to blender 

3. Add 1 cup of tequila to blender

4. Blend

5. Add frozen peaches and simple sugar to blender

6. Blend until smooth

7. Pour Tajin seasoning onto plate

8. Rim Margarita glass with lime or lemon

9. Cover rim of Margarita glass with Tajin seasoning

10. Fill glass with ice and then add Margarita from blender

11. Garnish with lime

12. Enjoy!

D.I.Y. Whipped Shea Butter

With Mother’s day right around the corner it can be stressful getting last minute gifts that’s why I love homemade ones. I wanted to whip up one of my favorites Shea butter, it is great for dry skin and gives your skin a great glow in the sun. Once you have all the ingredients the steps are very easy and it is a great way to keep kids busy and entertained.

Materials

6-8 oz Shea Butter

2 Spoonfuls of Virgin coconut oil

2 Tablespoons of Sweet Almond oil

15-20 Drops of Lavender oil

Lavender Beads* ( optional)

10 Drops Lemon oil

1 pot to boil water in ( fill halfway)

1 Electrical mixer

2 glass bowls ( one to boil in and one to mix the Shea butter in)

Mini sealed mason jars to store Shea Butter

1 towel to keep hands dry

*Warning this can get a little messy use your towel to wipe your hands dry so you do not get it everywhere like I did*

Steps

1. Fill pot half-way with water bring to boil
2. Place glass bowl on top of pot to create double boiler
3. Add Shea butter, Coconut oil and Sweet Almond oil to glass bowl
4. once all ingredients have melted down remove from heat.
5. Transfer to second glass bowl let cool for 2 minutes
6. Add essential oil drops and gently stir
7. Place in fridge or freezer to harden
8. Once hardened let sit at room temp or microwave for 30 secs to slightly soften it.
9. Began mixing it to create whipped texture
10. Add lavender beads to the bottom of the mason jars
11. Begin filling jars with Shea butter
12. Place in cool dry area until you’re ready to gift.

How did it turn out for you? Let me know below!

D.I.Y Gem Ribbon Bookmarks

Hi everyone, how has your week been? Thanks to my friends my book collection has been growing lately and I have been taking time to read whenever I can. I wanted to make some cute bookmarks and decided to try out recreating ribbon ones, there are various ways to make these so search around to see what methods work best for you! I did not have any gems on hand but I did have a lot of old broken earrings and necklaces lying around, I recycled them to make the bookmarks.

Materials  

Ribbons

Old earrings and necklaces

Fabric glue or glue gun

HeadPin/Eye Pin ( found in jewelry making kits and I used it  to wrap around the gem) * Optional*

exacto knife or some tool to make small hole in ribbons and remove gems from earrings.

 

Steps

1. Remove gems from necklaces and earring casings 

2.Using Eye hooks loop them through the hoops that the necklace gems already have attached on them. 

3. Cut small hole in ribbon and stick the eye hook through, wrapping around the ribbon 

4. Use glue or a hot glue gun to secure the eye hook to the ribbon.

5. Fold Ribbon in half and and glue pieces of ribbon together or simply tie ends together

6. Never lose your page again!

Is this a craft you would create?  Let me know below!

Spring SkinCare

Typically my skin is dry and sensitive but this winter I did notice a change it became more oily and clogged. I wanted to try out some  new products along with my skin care staples. Everything except the Vitamin C Serum is under $20, making it great for those on a budget.

1.   Indian Healing Clay: I love using this clay, it is made from 100% natural calcium bentonite clay which helps detox skin and keep it clear, I use it weekly  or whenever my skin feels too oily. I have also tried it as a hair mask and I recommend trying it! It removed all the products from my scalp and defined my natural curl pattern.

2. Alba Botanica Acne Deep pore Wash: I love using this all natural cleanser it has also helped keep my skin from getting too oily and does a great job of removing makeup and dirt I use this daily.

3. Sweet Almond Oil: I love using this at nighttime to moisturize my skin, I apply this to my face and body it gives it a great glow and not too heavy. Sweet Almond oil is great for sensitive skin and and for eczema sufferers, I love that this lightweight oil could help it without clogging my pores.

4. Aloe Vera Gel: I use this to moisturize my skin and hair in the morning it absorbs fast and makes my skin feel and look great, This gel does have a slight smell to it but I have grown used to it, Aloe Vera Gel is great for eczema and keeping skin smooth.

5. Vitamin C Serum : I have just started using this product this month so I can say that I do like the results so far and love how it feels under my eyes and I use it after my toner . It helps with my dark circles and can even be applied before makeup.

What is your current skincare routine? Let me know below

D.I.Y. White Chocolate and Nutella Covered Oreos

Over the years I have had my share of chocolate covered strawberries, this year I wanted to try something different. Using what I already had at home I settled on Oreos, ( I had generic oreos)  white chocolate, nutella and left over peppermints. This was my first time trying it and I did not know how to set the chocolate ( did I let it cool or freeze them after dipping?) With the help of google I found Genius Kitchen and found that you just let the chocolate cool and the cookie will harden. I found the Oreos I made with white chocolate and the ones I mixed with white chocolate and nutella hardened better than the ones I dipped  just in nutella, although they were just as good as the other two, they were messy so I think you should eat them right away!

Ingredients

Oreos Cookies ( or generic Oreos)

Half a bag of Nestle White Chocolate Chips

1 Peppermint candy Cane for garnish

Nutella

 

Steps

White chocolate 

1. Place  white chocolate in  microwave safe bowl keep melting and stirring until it has a creamy texture.
2. Stick fork in side of oreo to avoid sticky fingers dip cookie in heated mix
3. Place cookie on wax or foil.
4. Add crushed peppermint to top of cookie and let cool

Nutella + Chocolate 

1. Add nutella to heated white chocolate stir
2. Dip cookie
3. Place cookie on wax or foil.
4. Add crushed peppermint to top of cookie and let cool

Nutella 

1. Dip cookies in nutella mix ( does not have to be heated)
2. Place cookie on wax or foil.
3. Add crushed peppermint to top of cookie

D.I.Y. Rose Body Scrub

How was your Valentine’s day? I enjoyed spending time at the Cleveland Museum of Art, if you have not been before I recommend going not only is it free but it is also located near other great attractions in University Circle.

After eating all my chocolate covered oreos  and drinking all my wine I thought about what to do with  leftover roses, I decided to use it in a body scrub. This is perfect to use as a foot scrub and can be made with sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. I wanted to use the rest of the Himalayan salt I had left over in my kitchen I love using dried flowers in my D.I.Y.’s    so i won’t mind if the roses dry out even more, if the look of deaf flowers is not appealing try making a smaller batch that you can use quickly!

Materials

Organic Roses or Pesticide free Roses

Pink Himalayan salt

Air-tight container

Steps

1. I like grinding my salt even more, using my electric grinder  I grind it to the consistency I like.
   

   

    

2. Remove roses from stem and add to salt.
3. Store in airtight container and use in shower or bath to exfoliate feet and body.
   

   

Rum Covered Pecans

Lately I have been a simple sugar addict anything I can cover or drink is at my mercy, I love candied coated pecans and I wanted to try my own version with spiced rum. These are the perfect amount of sweet and nutty, try these out and let me know what you think.

 

Ingredients and Materials

1-2 Cups Pecans

2 Shots of Spiced Rum

2-3 Tablespoons of butter

3 Tablespoons sugar

Cinnamon powder* Optional

 

Steps

1.  Heat oven to 350º
2. Melt butter, cinnamon, rum and sugar in pan
3. Bring to boil
4. Add pecans
5. Stir 2-3 minutes
6. Transfer pecans to foil lined pan
7. Heat in oven for 8-10 minutes
8. Let cool and continue to harden
9. Enjoy!

D.I.Y Body Shimmers

 

With Valentine’s Day around the corner I have been thinking of fun gifts to give to your loved ones. This Body and face glitter is easy to make does not take a long time. I used all natural Aloe Vera Gel and body safe glitter, I loved rubbing them on my eyelids as an eyeshadow alternative, I can not wait till music fest time!

 

Materials

Aloe Vera Gel

Body and face

 

safe glitter

small containers with lids

Mini mixing spoon

Steps

1. Coat bottom of  container with glitter
2. Add aloe vera gel
3. Stir to mix glitter around
4. Test them out!
5. Secure tightly with lid

 

Maca Blueberry Smoothie

Let me tell you about my body has been loving for the past week, I have been looking for coffee alternatives to help with my energy my research brought me to Maca Powder, a plant that comes from Peru that is used to make medicine, and added to foods because of its nutritional value and energetic properties. I purchased organic and gelatinized (easier on the stomach) Maca powder so that I could add it to foods and drinks, I like the smoothie because it is easy to make in the morning before work or a workout and provides you with energy without the jitters.

Ingredients

1 Cup coconut milk

1 Cup Blueberries

1 TSP Flax seed

1 Half- full scoop Protein powder of your choice

1/2 TBSP Maca Powder

1/2 TBS Agave Nectar

1/2 Cup Ice

Steps

1. Add milk to blender first then everything else, ice should be the last thing to make it easier to blend.
2. Blend until creamy and thick
3. Taste add more nectar or sweetener of your choice if needed
4. Enjoy before work or a workout

Glazed ButterScotch Popcorn

What do Caramel, Toffee and Butterscotch all have in common? My love for them. I am  addicted to their sweet and rich flavor, I love buying the huge bags of flavored popcorn from the store and treating myself. Unfortunately I did not have time to get my popcorn from the store so I decided to make my own with what I had; Butterscotch chips, Butter and popcorn, I knew I could melt down the butterscotch and pour it over the popcorn but I did not know how to get it to harden. I found my answer on VeryBestBaking.com   you bake it! I did like the way it turned out and would like to  try it with caramel and toffee flavoring as well.

Ingredients and Materials

1 Microwavable popcorn bag

2-3 Tablespoons of Butter

Pinch of Salt

Baking pan

Wax paper

Foil

Mixing Bowl

Steps 

1. Heat  oven to 275°
2. Heat Popcorn on safest setting, place into mixing bowl
3. Heat butter in small saucepan
4. Add butterscotch chips and salt to saucepan
5. Stir until melted, once melted remove from heat
6. Pour over popcorn and stir until popcorn is coated
7. Place into oven, heat for 25-30 mins to harden.*
8. Remove from heat and let cool
9. Enjoy

   

   

   

   

   

   

Lavender Brewed Coffee

This was a quick and simple recipe that I wanted to try out after buying a huge bag of lavender buds. I love lavender because of it’s healing and calming effects it soothes my anxiety and helps prevent my migraines, lately I have been using lavender in teas and my skincare products, trying it in in coffee seemed inevitable. This took about 10-15 minutes to make but can be made quicker when you make the lavender simple syrup ahead of time.

Ingredients

1. Lavender Buds
2. 1 Cup Brown Sugar
3. 1 cup water
4. Coffee ( Mines was brewed ahead of time and has cinnamon and tumeric in it) 

Steps

1. Bring water and brown sugar to boil
2. Add lavender buds, slightly reduce heat
3. Let heat for 5 minutes
4. Remove from heat and strain out buds
5. Transfer syrup to mason jar
6. Brew  coffee the way you like
7. Add syrup to coffee and stir
8. Add more sugar if needed

• Leftover syrup can be stored in fridge
• Can also try with iced coffee

DIY Jelly Soap

 

I tried my hand at making my own soap. I love creating my own products and find it to be even more exciting when you have helpers, partnering with my nieces we recreated this Jelly Soap DIY following along with BuzzFeed’s Nifty channel   in the video Gelatin was used I also that for these, in the future I would like to try them with a vegateratin alternative like Agar Powder.  While the kids enjoyed these  because of the looks and texture I would like a firmer soap base if I were making these to stock up on for myself so they would not fall apart as fast.

 

Materials

(I used all the ingredients used in the video as well as my own)

16 OZ Gelatin or Agar Powder

1 TBSP Salt

3/4  Cup Boiling Water

1/2 Cup Liquid Soap

Spray Bottle of Alcohol

Pinch of glitter or Lavender Buds

lavender Oil Drops

Peppermint Drops

Tea Tree Oil Drops

 

Steps

1. Bring water to boil
2. Transfer water to mixing bowl or measuring cup
3. Stir in Gelatin and body shimmer or glitter
4. Pour mixture into molds
5. Add essential oil drops
6. Add more glitter or lavender buds
7. Spray top of mold with alcohol to dissolve bubbles
8. Place in fridge for 2 + hours
9. Remove from molds and enjoy!