Snowy Day: Vol. II

Try these 3 great DIY projects today.  They are perfect for keeping your snow day creative and fun.

                                                 1.  Homemade Face Mask

I don't know about you, but the cold weather tends to aggravate my skin.  To reduce redness and irritation, try this mask. The apple cider vinegar helps to stabilize the pH of your skin, while the oatmeal lessens irritation.

-1.5 tablespoons dry instant oatmeal

-2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened yogurt

-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

-1 teaspoon honey

-Strong-brewed green tea

Blend the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, and add 3 tablespoons hot, strong green tea to the mixture. Stir regularly for a few minutes, adding tea as needed until you’ve created a thick paste. Apply it to your face and let sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe clean gently with a damp cloth. Rinse with cool-to-warm water, but do not use soap, and pat dry gently. Repeat twice a week for best results.  For more mask options, look here.

2. Make A Valentine

Valentine's Day is around the corner.  Today is the perfect day to whip out those art supplies and make Valentine cards for your loved one.  In the mood for some romance?  Try the poetry of Hafiz for some literary inspiration.  Below is one of his works.

All the Hemispheres

Leave the familiar for a while.
Let your senses and bodies stretch out
Like a welcomed season
Onto the meadow and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof.
Make a new watermark on your excitement
And love.

Like a blooming night flower,
Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness
And giving
Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.
All the hemispheres in existence
Lie beside an equator
In your heart.

Greet Yourself
In your thousand other forms
As you mount the hidden tide and travel
Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven
Are sitting around a fire
Chatting
While stitching themselves together
Into the Great Circle inside of
You.

3.  Plan Your Living Wall
 

Start planning your Spring garden.  There are many plants that you can begin indoors, as well as various options that can remain inside year around. (for the urban dweller).  I am really excited to start my living wall - vital art that enhances any space.

The simplest living wall is a succulent wall garden.  
To create this, you will need a frame, potting soil and succulent clippings. (You can purchase a preassembled frame from a home supply store, or you can create one yourself). Creating one yourself will require a picture frame, a wooden shadow box, planting fabric and potting soil.

After you add your potting soil to your planter, make sure that the wire is accessible. The wire is what will secure the plants in place. To plant the succulents, poke the ends through the wire and push them into the soil. After arranging the plants, let the frame lay flat in a sunny location so that they can take root. This will take anywhere from about 4 to 10 weeks. Once the plants take root, the garden is ready to be displayed on a wall. 

Overwhelmed with where to start?  Buy yourself a starter kit.
*The instruction kit above was sourced from livingwallart.com.