Flower Pens

Flower pens add a decorative accent to your desktop and are fun and easy to make. For this project, you can choose any kind of artificial flower that you like. You will also need ballpoint pens. I chose Bic Cristal Xtra Bold because they are bright and colorful, although any ballpoint pen will do.

You will need:

• artificial flowers
• ballpoint pens
• green masking tape or floral tape
• sturdy scissors

Instructions:

1. Start by measuring the length of the pen.
2. Cut the stem of the flower about half the length of the pen. If you can’t cut all the way through the stem, bend the stem several times until it snaps.

3. Next, cut several inches of tape. Wrap the tape around the top of the pen one time.

4. Then place the stem against the pen and begin to wrap the tape downward. Make sure to wrap it tightly and spiral down the pen as you go.

5. Continue to wrap the tape down the pen. When you run out of tape, cut several inches again and start where you left off.

6. Wrap the tape to the end of the pen, leaving some room for the cap.

You’re done!

DIY baking soda air fresheners with essential oils

These DIY baking soda and essential oil air fresheners are an easy way to freshen the air without using a spray. Baking soda absorbs odors while the essential oils give off a pleasant scent.

You can use any essential oils you like. I used a combination of lemon, tea tree, and eucalyptus essential oils for a deodorizing effect.

Deodorizing Essential Oil Blend

• 8 drops tea tree essential oil
• 16 drops lemon essential oil
• 12 drops eucalyptus essential oil

For this recipe, you will need a 4 oz. mason jar and mason jar inserts. I found these decorative galvanized metal inserts on Amazon.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. mason jar
• mason jar inserts
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• essential oils

Instructions:

1. Measure 1/2 cup baking soda into a bowl.
2. Add 30 – 40 drops of your choice of essential oils.
3. Mix well.

• 4. Scoop the baking soda mixture into the mason jar.

• 5. Place the lid back on the jar with the insert. You’re done!

How to Re-pot a House Plant

Taking care of house plants can be more than just making sure they have enough water and sunlight. Eventually, house plants grow and they will need to be re-potted into a larger planter.

Before you start re-potting, you will need to figure out what size planter you will need. If necessary, measure the planter you already have, and choose one that is just a few inches larger. Make sure there is a hole in the bottom for drainage. You will also need a saucer to place under the planter to catch any water.

Next, you will need potting soil. I chose a mix that is specifically for indoor plants. For this project, you might want to lay down some old newspaper or something else you have on hand to catch the potting soil and help with clean-up.

What you will need: potting soil, planter, saucer for planter

Instructions:

• Start by gently removing the plant from the planter. An easy way to do this is to lightly squeeze or shake the plant to loosen it from the planter. Then, grab the plant at the very base with your fingers and gently pull it from the container. Try to keep the soil and roots together.

• Next, place the plant in the new planter to figure out how much soil you will need to fill the bottom. If the top of the plant soil is about 4 inches from the top of the new planter, I will need about 4 inches of soil in the bottom of the pot.

• Remove the plant and fill the bottom of the pot with soil. Make sure to pack the soil down lightly as you go.

• Place the plant back into the planter.

• Fill the space surrounding the plant with more potting soil, making sure the pack the soil down as you go.

• Fill the pot to the top with soil, leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch for watering. Then, thoroughly water the plant.

• You’re finished! Place the planter in the saucer and find a spot near a window where it will get sunlight.

DIY Essential Oil Room Spray

Essential oils have countless uses around the home. Not only are they used for their therapeutic properties such as relieving stress, relaxing, and uplifting, they are deodorizing and smell great!

This is an easy recipe for making your own room spray using essential oils. I used both lavender and vanilla essential oils because it is one of my favorite combinations. There are many essential oils to choose from. Orange and cinnamon are a great combination if you like fall spice. I also like orange and mint to freshen a room.

Some essential oils are know to be energizing and uplifting, such as; lemon, sweet orange, peppermint, and lemongrass. Other essential oils are relaxing, such as; lavender, clary sage, vetiver and ylang ylang. And some are refreshing, such as; spearmint, lemon and pine. There are also many essential oil blend recipes to choose from on Pinterest.

For this recipe, I use a 2 oz. cobalt glass spray bottle. Amber glass is also a good choice when using essential oils. The colored glass helps protect essential oils from outside elements such as sunlight so the oils last longer.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. spray bottle
• 1/4 cup distilled water
• 1/4 cup witch hazel
• 30 -40 drops essential oil

Instructions:

1. Add 1/4 cup distilled water and 1/4 cup witch hazel to the spray bottle.
2. Add 30 – 40 drops of essential oils.
3. Replace cap and and shake bottle.
4. Label the bottle (optional).