Martenitsa Bracelet & Puppet Tutorial

Martenitsa Bracelet & Puppet Tutorial
Photo credit: Arne Zacher

In Bulgaria there is a centuries old tradition of celebrating Baba Marta aka ‘Grandmother March Day.’ It begins on March 1st and continues all month long. The entire celebration is all about bidding adieu to winter and welcoming in the fresh blooms of spring. Along with the festivities, is the tradition of making Martenitsa adornments to give to friends and family, which you wear all month long to promote happiness and prosperity. We’ve been learning quite a bit about this tradition from the Martenitsa Story and through these projects from The Saturday Market Project, and wanted to share it with you. Here is my version of the bracelet and puppet…

Martenitsa Bracelet & Puppet Tutorial

I used the materials I had around the house, but would love to have picked up the gorgeous mule spun, Imperial Ranch Yarn from The Saturday Market Project shop. I could spend all day looking through their supplies – cotton thread from France, a Japanese marbling kit, and these needles (swoon). Not to mention their list of projects and stories, including this feature on my favorite, hidden supply store in San Francisco.

Martenitsa Bracelet & Puppet Tutorial

I’ll let the The Saturday Market Project take it from here with these first two tutorials…

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Celtic Knot Pretzel Recipe

Celtic Knot Pretzel Recipe
When I was about fourteen years old I was competing in an Irish dance competition (yup, wearing one of these crazy dresses and wigs) and right before I got on stage my mom gave me a Claddagh ring adorned with Celtic knotwork. Until about three weeks ago, when it snagged on a shirt and broke, I hadn’t ever taken it off. I guess you could say this tutorial today is inspired by that ring.

This Celtic knot is called the Trinity Knot or Triquetra. It has many different meanings, but overall it symbolizes three different forces that join as one. Also, it’s one of the easiest Celtic knots to do, because it doesn’t get nearly as complicated as some of the others. Are you ready to give it a try in this tasty St. Patrick’s Day treat?

Check out the Celtic Knot Pretzel Recipe after the jump…

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Pretty Prudent Trend: Scientific Decor

We’ve recently found ourselves completely smitten with science-inspired designs in the home – beakers, periodic tables, anatomy charts, microscopes – you name it, we love it. The great thing with scientific decor is that you can go for a vintage approach with the rustic metals, brighten it up with nature, and teach an educational lesson at the same time. I will also take any chance I can get to buy more glass jars, specimen jars are totally not the same thing as mason jars. If my hypothesis is correct you might be falling for scientific decor too?

See all our favorite finds for Scientific Decor after the jump…

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DIY Romantic Lace T-Shirt

DIY Romantic Lace T-Shirt
Hanna from Pearls and Scissors is here today with the prettiest t-shirt tutorial you ever did see. We’re just a little over the moon for this project (if you couldn’t tell), and love even more that she shows you how to draft your own pattern for it. Make a few in bright colors to step into spring early. Once you’ve sewn it up, head on over to Hanna’s Etsy Shop to accessorize with her handmade accessories.

DIY Romantic Lace T-Shirt
See more t-shirt inspired projects here: Hot Mess T-Shirt Dress | One Shoulder T-Shirt Dress | DIY Zipper Top

Check out DIY Romantic Lace T-Shirt and learn how to make the pattern after the jump…

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The Easiest Laundry Basket Liner DIY Ever

Thank you to P&G for inspiring this post and helping me get my laundry situation under control.

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When we are asked to do a post for Gain Flings at Target, I almost couldn’t do it – only because laundry is THE WORST and I HATE IT. But I took a minute to think about what would make me enjoy laundry just a little bit more. The creation of Gain Flings, which are convenient little pods stocked up with detergent, oxy boost, and febreeze all in one, that you can just toss in the wash (available at Target), is definitely a bonus, but it’s still laundry. I thought about what drives me the most crazy about laundry and it hit me. I use actual cloth towels in my kitchen. I cook A LOT, so I go through three or four of them a day. I never feel like walking to my bathroom to throw them in the hamper, so they always end up piled on top of the washing machine (which for me, is actually in my kitchen) looking extra gross. I decided I would take this opportunity to fix this little laundry situation. After all, little things go a long way, not just in laundry but in all parts of life.

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So I purchased myself a lovely wire laundry basket, and set about making an easy-peasy laundry station. I wanted a place I could toss my kitchen laundry, but also store my Gain Flings and clothespins and other laundry necessities. I also wanted it to be a simple tutorial that anyone who is capable of basic sewing could whip up for themselves.

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Behold, the Easiest Laundry Basket Liner DIY Ever. This is a simple sewing project you can use to line any basket, with bonus pocket fun!

Click through to get the full tutorial for the Easiest Laundry Basket Liner DIY Ever, and to ALSO enter to win a $300 Target Gift Card!  (more…)

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Doing Your Nails: The Basics

Doing Your Nails: The Basics
Ally, from Nail in the Coffee, has had some great tutorials up her sleeve, but today she is taking things back to the basics. If you don’t exactly feel like painting your nails is your forte, this will give you the extra nudge to try, try again. For those of you that feel pretty confident in your nail painting skills, Ally will give you the rundown on nail care and painting tips. I’ll let her take it from here…

Before you paint your nails, before you begin your nail art, there are some things you should do to take care of your nails – let’s call these The Basics. I’m going to go over my basics (Steps 1-5), and then reveal the method I use to paint my nails nicely – without having to clean up (Steps 6-10)! I recommend taking a peek at my Top 5 Must-Haves so you know the products I love to use, that I’ll be referring to in this tutorial.

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Be inspired to get creative with your nail art by checking out Ally’s Open Heart and Delicately Dark nails, along with these four tutorials above.

Check out Doing Your Nails: The Basics and these four tutorials after the jump…

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DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer

DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer

Keep the clutter to a minimum with a beautiful DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer. This project starts off in the pantry, and turns a few tins from this,

DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer

to this,

DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer

and finally to this…

I am absolutely in love with it and am having the hardest time just deciding where I want to put it. That’s also kind of the beauty about it though – you can easily transport this anywhere without the tins sliding around. Use it to organize your desk, craft supplies, the kids’ school supplies, and any other clutter you might find. Grab a few old tins and I’ll show you how easy it is to make!

DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer

Learn how to make the DIY Upcycled Desk Organizer after the jump…

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No-Bake Coconut Snowballs Recipe

No-Bake Coconut Snowballs Recipe
In honor of the polar vortex I’ve cooked up a recipe for coconut snowball bites. However, unlike the polar vortex, these snowballs will leave you wanting more. This recipe was inspired by my good friend who hosts a pop-up restaurant each week with clean dinners. They consist of home cooked meals with no GMOs, chemicals, additives, preservatives, gluten or major allergins. After I tried her amazing desserts I wanted to explore more rawesome and healthier options.

These bad boys are gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, and the best part is they can be made in five minutes without any cooking. Have some fun with the recipe and change them up by adding berries in the center or chocolate chips. This is a recipe the kids can definitely help you with too.

Check out the recipe for No-Bake Coconut Snowballs after the jump…

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