DIY Dainty Bookmark

I know how expensive bookstore-bought bookmarks can be - although cute, they're horrible for your wallet. Here's a way you can make cute bookmarks at home yourself!

You Will Need:
-Hole Puncher
-Various Charms, Pearls, or Dainty Objects
-Plastic Earring Hookers (You can find these at the dollar store!)
-Ribbon
-Felt or Sturdy Lace

1) Cut out a piece of felt/lace the width you want your bookmark to be. Using hot glue, wrap ribbon around the very top.
2) Hole punch a hole at the top through the ribbon; string an earring hooker through the hole.
3) Using the other end of the hooker, attach a charm and squeeze the end closed.

That's all! Enjoy.

Pink Butter Cream Frosting Recipe

Those of you who follow me on Twitter probably saw my tweet about making pink frosting cupcakes for my friend's birthday yesterday! Well, a lot of you DM'ed me after that asking for a follow up recipe on this blog...so here it is! Ta-da!
(I got this recipe from The Cupcakery!)

You Will Need:
-4 oz./1 stick unsalted butter, softened
-4 oz. vegetable shortening
-5 cups powdered sugar
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons whole milk
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
-Red food coloring

1) Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and salt for about 30 seconds.
2) Add half of the powdered sugar and milk to the butter mixture and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
3) Add the remainder of the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl again.
4) Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy. Add red food coloring, a few drops at a time until desired color is achieved.
5) It is preferable to use the frosting on the same day you make it, but it can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days if tightly wrapped. Make sure and stir the butter cream well before using to get the air bubbles out of the frosting and then pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Organizing Makeup Brushes

Before, my makeup brushes were nearly always scattered and misplaced. As a result, the bristles often got worn and I found myself rushing to the store to get new brushes more than often. After I developed an organizing system for my brushes, I never misplaced them and they were always within a fingertip's reach when I needed them. More importantly, my wallet stayed fuller for longer periods of time. Here are a couple tips to organizing your makeup brushes and developing and organizational system for your beauty supplies...

1) Get a container.
Just like anything else, you have to start from the base. In this case, it's the container that holds your brushes. I recommend acrylic cups (like the ones pictured above) that you can get at the dollar store. Cups keep your brushes upright as opposed to bins, where your brushes are placed horizontally. When brushes are placed in bins, they catch germs and bacteria easier and also bristles might get ruined.

2) Fill up the bottom.
If you don't have a full set of brushes or the width of your cup is too big, consider placing coffee beans or rocks at the bottom to hold your brushes upright.

3) Wash your brushes regularly.
Nothing's worse than having a full 20 set of brushes, only to have them infected with bacteria. Wash your brushes regularly by the cup to prevent germ outbreak.

4) Personalize your brushes.
This especially comes in handy when you're trying to tell set-from-set or have a fixed brush cleansing schedule! Click here for a quick DIY follow-up post on personalizing your brushes.

Happy Sunday!

DIY Makeup Brush Personalization

I've always had an issue with having a cluster of makeup brushes and not being able to tell them apart. The worst part about this fiasco was when I didn't know which ones needed to be cleaned and which ones didn't. Here's a quick DIY idea that you can use to personalize your makeup brushes and keep different sets apart!

You Will Need:
-Nail Polish
-Yellow Masking Tape

1) Apply a ring of masking tape around your brush. You should apply the tape 1-3 centimeters from the bottom. Make sure it's secure - you won't want nail polish bleeding through in the latter steps!
2) Carefully, use any color nail polish and paint the tip of the brush. You won't have to worry about "staying inside the lines" because the tape is there to make a perfect and pretty straight line without hassle!
3) Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour for the nail polish to dry completely. To allow the tip of the brush to dry without touching any surface, place the brush on a table and leave the tip hanging out.

Enjoy your personalized makeup brush set!

PS - If you're looking for more than just colored tips and would prefer to customize the whole brush instead, look here for a pretty tutorial!

Keeping Ear Buds Untangled

Although I have heard some great organizational tips for storing ear buds (my favorite is the Q-Tips container idea by Jen from iHeart Organizing!), I've never really heard of ways to keep them untangled. I feel that this is an even greater problem than storing them, because every time I pull out my iPod to listen to music, I find myself spending 15 minutes untangling my ear buds just so they can be the proper length! Not to mention the hassle when your traveling.

Here's a solution to keeping them untangled: Cover the wiring! The best (and most professional) way is to get them clear-coated with plastic. Unfortunately, this isn't something you can just pick up at the store and apply it when you get home - you need to take it to a professional ear bud manufacture, which also requires a lot of money.

I experimented a little and came to the happy conclusion on keeping your ear buds untangled with this little DIY project. Instead of plastic, why not coat it with string? You can go to the dollar store or any craft store to pick up colorful string (the kind used for making friendship bracelets). Wrap it around the wiring, cut it off once you get to the end, and carefully glue it with a tiny dab of hot glue. (Make sure it doesn't touch the wiring, though! That could be bad.) If you don't like the unfinished look of hot glue on the end, you could even go as far as taping a small strip of masking tape to the top.

Happy un-tangling and and enjoy!

PS - We're hosting our very first giveaway here on Pinkscript very, very soon! Stay tuned for more details.(:

DIY Jar of Quotes Decor

It's common knowledge that jars can serve as great, inexpensive decor items around the house. Personally, I've never been a huge fan of rustic decorations - I prefer more girly, vintage ones! Today I decided to combine the inexpensive jars ideas and add a touch of girly personality to it. The end result? A jar of quotes! Here's a super easy way you can make this; all you need is an empty jar, a Sharpie, and a pretty quote!

First, give the jar a good rinse. Next, using a Sharpie, imprint one of your favorite quotes onto the jar. (The quote I used was "We live in a jar and think the lid is the sky...", totally fitting for a jar! Hahah.) Don't worry about mistakes - just use a dry erase marker and scribble over the mistake you made, and wipe it off with a tissue! Then, trace over whatever you wrote to seal the ink. All done!

DIY Framed White Board

I've always had a little obsession with white boards. Here's a simple-yet-charming way you can put an old frame into good use...

1. Cut a piece of paper (any color/pattern works!) the size of the interior of the frame. The white board I made used a 16x12 sheet.

2. Place the sheet of paper and back-board back into the frame; done!

DIY Fondue Recipe

One of my favorite desserts is fresh fruit and pretzels dipped into warm chocolate fondue. Here's an easy way you can whip up a quick batch without all the hassle required in traditional fondue...

You will need:
-Frosting
-Milk
-Ice Cream

1) Pour 1 scoop of ice cream (I like using Vanilla Bean) and one teaspoon of milk into a medium sized bowl. Mix well.
2) Gradually, add one cup of frosting into the mixture. Stir until formula is thick.
3) Over a medium flame, heat the fondue for about 2 minutes or until it becomes a paste.

Enjoy!