Stapless to Halter Dress DIY

Posted in clothing, diy by peppermintsandhoneybees

Hello,

I’ve been starting to get a little sad now that summer is heading towards an end but I’m also starting to get into the fall mindset and have started wearing more olive greens and burn oranges now.

I recently found this dress I really really wanted two summers ago from Pacsun. I didn’t buy it at the time because it was a little more than I was wanting to spent so I let it go. On my most recent trip to Plato’s Closet though I found it on the sale rack for 50% off! the only problem was that it was an XL and I am usually a small or medium. it also had a hole by the zipper and a few of the seams were starting to come apart.

I figured since it was so cheap I could try to fix it, so I made it into a small by sewing the side seams smaller and hand stitched the holes back. I sewed out the zipper which really wasn’t a problem on this dress because the back was stretchy so I’m still able to get it on without a zipper. After I was done I decided that I kinda wanted it to have straps so I wasn’t pulling it up all day. (I’m sure you small chested girls know what I’m talking about!) I also didn’t want to have to wear a strapless bra with it, again the whole pulling it up thing!

Since it’s the end of summer I was able to find this black bikini top at Old Navy on sale for $4.95 and I hand sewed it into the front of the dress for a built in bra plus halter straps, pretty clever I think. 😉 I machine sewed the straps to the top so they would be secure and hand stitched the cups in so that the stitching wouldn’t show through the front. Also I’ve been having sewing machine issues, which are very frustrating and angering sooo yeah….I’ve been hand-stitching what I can. But I’m pretty happy with the result. 🙂

I also got this green shirt at Plato’s Closet for $2.50! I thought they looked nice together

30Jul2014

Sesame Soy Kale Chips

Posted in Food by peppermintsandhoneybees

If you’re like me you love anything sweet to snack on but sometimes something salty and crunchy is in order. I made these kale chips yesterday and they are almost already gone! They’re super easy to make and healthier than most salty snacks!

You will need:
•a gallon sized ziplock bag
•one bunch of kale. Must be cleaned dried and removed from the stems
•soy sauce
•sesame seeds
•garlic (optional)

Begin by cleaning kale and ripping it up in sections about an in ch or two wide. Lay it out to dry as I did here.

Next add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the bag with 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. I added about 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic to mine as well.

Add the kale and seal with air in the bag. Then shake until it is all coated. Next open the bag and let the air out, close it and work the mixture in so it is evenly coated throughout the kale.

Spread the kale out onto a lightly sprayed baking sheet or pan and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until it’s crispy.

Then enjoy! I should warn you they are addicting. 😉

For more flavors I found a list at Refinery29

22Jul2014

My trash finds of the summer

Posted in home by peppermintsandhoneybees

So this weekend my neighborhood held a trash day for bigger items and furniture. I of course went around to see what was out and found a wicker chair and ottoman and a coffee table just on my street! I could see why they were out for the trash. The chair and ottoman needed cleaned and repainted and was missing a couple pieces. They aren’t perfect but the price was right so I took them and made them new-ish. Now I just need to find a cushion! The table I took because we’ve been wanting to get a coffee table, but in closer inspection I discovered that two of the rungs on the bottom layer are split and it’s a bit wobbly. Not really great for the living room but not as noticeable for an outdoor table. I love saving things and making them new!

Before

After!

5Jul2014

Record Table

Posted in craft, diy, home by peppermintsandhoneybees

Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope you all are having a great weekend and got to see some fireworks and some friends and family.

So I’ve seen these easy side tables made with a plant stand and old records and thought I’d make one for a birthday present for a birthday coming up. I bought the plant stand at Menards and I think I got my records from good will. I’ve had them a while waiting to make things with them.

When I got home the opening to the
Plant stand was a little wider than I had planned on it being but I made it work by just gluing the three prongs that stick up. I used e6000 glue and so far it is holding. The records were a little flimsy so I used two glued together do that it could hold more. So far so good!

Also we went into Chicago yesterday to see some friends and watch fireworks at Navy Pier so here are a couple pictures from our fourth!

Jenna ♥️

23Jun2014

Colander Hanging Basket

Posted in diy, home, pinterest by peppermintsandhoneybees

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all having great Summers so far! Sorry it’s been so long since I posted anything, I was in Indiana visiting family and friends and have been busy doing typical Summer things like weddings, garage sales and so on. I’ve also been trying to beautify my outdoor spaces as well so I thought I’d share this DIY colander hanging basket. It’s pretty easy and I’ve been meaning to make it for a long time now I just needed to acquire a metal colander. I was helping a friend have a garage sale this weekend and she had an old colander that she let me have in return so voila!

all you need is:

A colander

Dirt

Plants of your choice

Chain plus S hooks to stick either in the colander holes or around the handles

And another hook for the top

my supplies

I actually found a hanging basket chain kit at Walmart, it was in the chain and rope section. I had to bend the S hooks to get them to fit but all in all it was very easy.

Before the chain, I made a mess!

Plus the colander is perfect since the water drains right though the holes!

Happy making! Let me know what other found objects you have used to put plants in.

Jenna ♥

30May2014

Photos for my etsy site

Posted in Products by peppermintsandhoneybees

I haven’t had much to post lately, but I made a few new items for my Etsy store Peppermint Emporium .
I had Ben take some product photos last night so I’ll show some of the pics.
The dress and shoes are vintage.

Check my store out for more jewelry and fun stuff!

Jenna ❤

14May2014

DIY Hummingbird Feeder

Posted in diy by peppermintsandhoneybees

I’m so excited for warm weather finally and cannot wait to decorate my patio since this is the first summer we have had one in about 4 years. I want it as nature friendly as possible. (partly because I like to watch my cats freak out at birds and other animals!) I made this hummingbird feeder very easily with just a red bottle, copper colored wire and a special hummingbird feeder that I bought off of amazon. The color of the bottle doesn’t have to be red but I know they are attracted to red so I figured it wouldn’t hurt. I bought my bottle from Pier One. I just wrapped the wire around the bottle, making sure it was secure and made a loop at the top to hang it from.