DIY Marshmallow Wreath

Marshmallow Wreath

Supplies:

1 foam wreath

4 bags of large marshmallows

1 bag of small marshmallows

Ribbon

1 box of 250 toothpicks

Also:

Paint, glitter, Epsom salt

This is a super easy kid friendly craft. Take your foam wreath (I do not recommend cutting the wreath in ½ to make it into two. The finished wreath does have some weight to it and you do not want it to fall apart when you go to hang it.)

To start, insert your toothpicks ½ way into the wreath and then add a marshmallow. Try not to allow the toothpick to come out of the top of the marshmallow. It will give it a more polished look in the end if you don’t.

That is it, fill the whole wreath adding one marshmallow at a time. You can add the smaller ones in to fill the gaps or make a design like little stars with the smaller marshmallows.

To give our wreath a little extra, I took one of the packages of marshmallows outside, laid them out on a piece of cardboard and spray painted them silver. I then added the silver ones here and there throughout the design.

When we were finished with the wreath we took some regular craft glue, added some to the tip of a clean paintbrush and added glue to the tops of some of the marshmallows. After added the glue we sprinkled Epsom salt onto the wet glue.

It gave the wreath some extra Christmas bling.

While I painted on the glue, my Witchlet went behind me sprinkling on the Epsom salt.

It was a two Witch job..:)

The total cost of this wreath was about $13.00. I had the Epsom salt at home so I did not add that into the cost.

DIY Christmas Wreath

Christmas Ornament Wreath

Supplies:

1 wire hanger

Glue

Your choice of decorations

Ribbon

Floral wire

I chose to use silver and blue for the color scheme of my wreath. Before undoing your wire hanger mold it into the shape of a circle. Also, take the time to glue the tops onto your Christmas balls before putting them on the wreath. They will pop off after you are finished and it is near impossible to put them back on.

Undo the wire hanger top and slide the decorations on pushing them towards the opposite end. You can maneuver them around while you are doing this to hide the wire underneath. Make sure to leave yourself a few inches at each end to re-wrap the wire together again. Once you have done that take the top wire closure and wrap it into a circle for hanging. At this time you can now make sure there are no gaps in your design. If there are take some floral wire, wrap it around the top of some of your left over ornaments. Now wrap the floral wire around the wire hanger filling in any gaps.

Add your bow and you are done!

                            

The total cost of this wreath depends on how much you spend on ornaments. I purchased mine at wal-mart. I bought:

1 package of turquoise balls:$4.98

1 package of silver balls $8.98

1 package of decorative ornaments:$4.98

1 package of small ornaments $3.50

Ribbon$2.47

Total cost: 24.91

I do have extra ornaments left, now enough for a whole wreath but enough for another craft I have in mind.

The Danger of Products on the Market Today!

Is Your Home Making You Sick?

I have been telling, more like begging, my family, friends, and clients to pay attention to the products they are using everyday. These items that you come into contact with on an everyday basis are so unhealthy, most being on a cancer causing level. It is not worth it to continue to use them and it is so easy to replace them with organic and natural products. If anyone would like to contact me for ideas on how to replace the use of certain products with organic products please do not hesitate to contact me, and also, share this with your friends and family so they also can make the changes needed to keep their homes free of these harmful products.

Below you will find brief summaries on each harmful product, if you use any of these products do your own research and see for yourself how harmful these products truly are.

Kat

TheOrganicBrew.com

The color dyes that make soap more fun to use and frosting more fun to eat have been linked to increased hyperactivity in children. "What you put on your skin can go straight through to the bloodstream," says Loidolt, the consumer health advocate. She recommends avoiding perfume and chemical-packed lotions. Yellow #5 isn't something we should eat -- or bathe in

Baby bottles (and other refillable hard plastic bottles and plastic flatware) are commonly made from polycarbonate plastics, the most common type on the market. Unfortunately, when washed and heated, these plastics give off bisphenol-a, or BPA. BPA is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and has been tied to developmental and neurological problems for unborn children. 
The slinky little dryer sheets that keep clothes fresh are chock full of chemicals, including ethanol and chloroform. The ingredient benzyl acetate has been linked to pancreatic cancer and benzyl alcohol is known to cause upper respiratory irritation. When it reacts with ozone, the ingredient limonene can form formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. 
Candles that contained more than two dozen volatile organic compounds, which the EPA says can cause nose and throat irritation, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. Some of the 100 chemicals tests are classified as toxic under federal laws and can be affecting you even without your knowledge. The doctor recommends making your home fragrant with mint leaves or cinnamon sticks.
In addition to containing known harmful ingredients like ammonia, lye, phosphate, and chlorine, the majority of home cleaning products (just about everything under your kitchen sink) contain a vast array of chemicals, including toxic ethylene-based glycol ethers and non-toxic terpenes that become dangerous when they interact with ozone in the air. You need good ventilation when using them.
An estimated 60,000 new homes--more than half of them in Florida--contain contaminated Chinese drywall that may be giving off dangerous levels of sulfur and other chemicals. The bad drywall is also extremely corrosive to copper, so wires on appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners may be affected. 
Nonstick and stain-resistant coatings, used on everything from your favorite omelette pan to your suede sofa, include perfluorinated acids (PFAs). Though their toxicity in human is still unclear, in animals, PFAs cause birth defects, thyroid hormone abnormalities, and liver damage.
Figuring out whether plastic containers are safe can be confusing: polyethylene is safe, polycarbonate isn't; polypropylene is safe, bisphenol-a isn't. After repeated reheating, polycarbonate, a chemical seen in several plastic storage products, can leak BPA, the dangerous hormone disruptor found in some baby bottles.
A single fragrance typically contains several hundred chemicals. Fragrances and other beauty and personal care products often contain the man-made chemicals called phthalates, or plasticizers, molecules absorbed through the skin that have caused birth defects in male genitalia in animals and may cause lowered sperm count in boys and premature breast development in girls. 
Superglue and other super-strength adhesives induce sensitization. Exposure can start with allergies and lead to asthma. Other hobby materials can be dangerous, too; people who deal with leaded toys, the chemicals involved in stained glass making and amateur metal refining should be careful.
Between the adhesives, stain protectors, flame retardants, and the "new carpet smell," carpeting combines a lot of potentially unhealthy elements. Put together, these chemicals have caused respiratory and nervous system damage, as well as allergies, headaches, and nausea. Let the carpet air out for a few days in a well-ventilated area.
Foam containers are made of polystyrene, whose chemical ingredients can seep into food and your morning cup of coffee. Styrene has been blamed for skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, depression, fatigue, decreased kidney function, and central nervous system damage. 
Particle board, fiberboard, plywood, paneling, and some insulation, can emit formaldehyde, which the EPA calls a probable human carcinogen. Some of these materials contain urea-formaldehyde in the glue, which the EPA says is the highest indoor producer of formaldehyde, the chemical that can result in asthma attacks and other upper respiratory irritation, and burning of the eyes, nose, and throat. 
Household bleach contains a concentrated form of chlorine. When people use chlorine bleach and an acid-based or ammonia-based cleaning product together, or even one after the other, they produce a cloramine gas that can be fatal. Short term effects of chlorine exposure include vomiting, difficulty breathing, coughing, and eye, ear, nose, and throat irritation. Avoiding aerosol sprays.
Flame retardants used on upholstered furniture, mattresses, and electronic equipment have undoubtedly saved many lives, but there is a trade off. These polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, have caused memory and learning problems in rats and mice, as well as slowing their thyroid function and neurological development. The effect on humans is not known, however.

Laser and ink-jet printers sure make our lives easier, but recent studies show that they also release volatile organic chemical emissions and ozone particulates, which have been linked to heart and lung disease after being inhaled. The jury is still out on whether the exposure levels in the average home are safe.

A single fragrance typically contains several hundred chemicals. Fragrances and other beauty and personal care products often contain the man-made chemicals called phthalates, or plasticizers, molecules absorbed through the skin that have caused birth defects in male genitalia in animals and may cause lowered sperm count in boys and premature breast development in girls. 



Nonstick and stain-resistant coatings, used on everything from your favorite omelette pan to your suede sofa, include perfluorinated acids (PFAs). Though their toxicity in human is still unclear, in animals, PFAs cause birth defects, thyroid hormone abnormalities, and liver damage.
Watch warning labels! No one expects consumers to be experts, however, or to know which funny-sounding chemicals are known carcinogens. Look for products that give away the ingredients. Stay away from anything with a color in it. Labels that say 'keep windows open' and 'use in a ventilated room' are a dead giveaway."
Household bleach contains a concentrated form of chlorine. When people use chlorine bleach and an acid-based or ammonia-based cleaning product together, or even one after the other, they produce a cloramine gas that can be fatal. Short term effects of chlorine exposure include vomiting, difficulty breathing, coughing, and eye, ear, nose, and throat irritation. Avoiding aerosol sprays.
Flame retardants used on upholstered furniture, mattresses, and electronic equipment have undoubtedly saved many lives, but there is a trade off. These polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, have caused memory and learning problems in rats and mice, as well as slowing their thyroid function and neurological development. The effect on humans is not known, however.
Laser and ink-jet printers sure make our lives easier, but recent studies show that they also release volatile organic chemical emissions and ozone particulates, which have been linked to heart and lung disease after being inhaled. The jury is still out on whether the exposure levels in the average home are safe.

Check out TheOrganicBrew.com for Organic and All Natural Products for the body, mind, soul, and home!