Flower Cascade DIY: An Andrew Kenshin DIY

Flowers. I love them. Like LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE them. If I could have a vase of fresh flowers in my kitchen everyday that would be heaven. But alas that is certainly not cost-effective nor is it environmentally friendly. (LET THE FLOWERS LIVE!)

Anywho...

I found this glorious piece of art over at Brit + Co. while searching for decoration ideas for my wedding. Here's the original: http://www.brit.co/faux-flower-ideas.

Gorgeous right?! 

Now here's the price tag: $1,800!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know about you but that is INSANE for a stick with some fake flowers stringed on. 

So of course I made my own for like a billionth of the price. Plus I got to use my favorite flowers, roses!

Here's what you'll need:

• A long branch of your choice. I went for a walk in the forest in my backyard and found mine within 5 minutes. If you live in the city go for a hike somewhere and search search search! Price: free <3

• Fake flowers of your choice. I found all my flowers at Michael's. The roses were a steal! Michael's carries rose bouquets for just $13 each and each bouquet has over 15! Individually fake roses can run you $3 each!  For this project I used 3 rose bouquets, one roll of ivy, one orange flower branch, and one white flower bunch. Price: $59.12

• Hot glue gun and 3 glue sticks. Price: basically free <3
• Twisty ties (I cut the ones that came with the rose bouquets). Price: free <3

Steps:

1. Cut all your roses off from the bouquet (leave a 2-3 inch stem).

2. Map out how many flowers you want in each row and how many rows you want total. For the roses I did one row of 15, one row of 11, one row of 10, one row of 7, and one row of 6. I then added 3 rows of ivy, 3 of my orange flower branch, and 3 of the small white flower bunch. Total of 15 rows.

3. Plug in your glue gun and start gluing your flowers together. This is the most time-consuming part of the project as you have to wait for the glue to dry between each flower. Make sure each flower is nice and secure. I found gluing the stem of the flower to the base of the previous flower worked very well. Also attaching them behind a leaf worked too.

4. Continue gluing until you have completed all of your rows.

5. Now get your twisty ties (I cut mine and spray painted them gold for fun) and space them out on your branch.

6. Now the tricky part. Twist your tie once onto the branch and then attach the top stem of a row and twist the rest of the tie around it. Now hot glue the stem and twisty tie together. Don't be skimpy on the glue!

7. Continue until all your rows are securely attached to the branch. Go back and add more glue if needed.

8. Allow the glue to really dry before you move it!

Done!

Now you have a GORGEOUS piece of art that will last forever! I used this as a backdrop decoration at my wedding but this would look great in a living room or even as an awesome headboard!!!

Backdrop for our wedding <3

Now it's a BEAUTIFUL headboard!

Get creative with color and flower combinations! The possibilities are endless!

Oh, and this DIY cost a grand total of $59.12! And there were extra roses at the end! SAY WHAT?! That's WAYYYYYYY cheaper than the $1,800 original but that's also way cheaper than buying a headboard or even making one!

Enjoy lovelies! <3 xoxo

Frugal-chic Tea-riffic Face Wash: An Andrew Kenshin DIY

I have a confession to make.

I'm guilty.

Of not posting in FOREVER due to wedding CRAZINESS the last month (my apologies).

But not only that, I'm also super guilty of paying WAY too much money for face wash.

I mean $35 is a bit steep for something you're literally washing down the drain (no matter how flawless and glowing the label says it's going to make your face look).

So newly married and newly frugal Andy decided to make his own!


The base of this face wash is organic green tea, chock full of healing antioxidants and anti-aging properties. And the lavender and tea tree oils fight bacteria and acne while the witch hazel and baking soda refine your skins texture. What's not to love?!


So here's what you’ll need to make some tea-riffic face wash:

• 3/4 cup Organic Green Tea. Make sure to use distilled water and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• 2 tablespoons of Baking Soda
• 2 tablespoons of Witch Hazel
• 2 tablespoons of Raw Honey. Or for a vegan version substitute with Avocado Oil.
• 1 tablespoon of Liquid Castile Soap (I used Dr. Bronners Lavender)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum
• 1/4 teaspoon of Vitamin E Oil
• 15-20 drops of Tea Tree Oil
• 8-15 drops of Lavender Oil
• 6-10 drops of Peppermint Oil

Mix all of your ingredients together in a blender until everything is fully combined.

My trusty magic bullet :)

 Transfer your delightfully fragrant concoction into a jar or bottle with a pump and voila! All done!

Fresh batch of Tea-riffic face wash and some leftover wedding flowers <3

I've been using this stuff for about 2 months now and I have to say it is the BEST stuff I have tried. It exfoliates very gently and just enough to not irritate my face, and it also gets my face super clean! Plus all the essential oils and witch hazel have refined and shrunk my pores. My face has never been this clear and happy since before I started getting acne! 

This recipe will last for about 2 months and it costs less than $6! Frugal AND effective!

Pair this with my Lavender and Rose Night Cream and you've got yourself a dream team! <3

Try it out and post in the comments how you like it! :)