Living La Vida Holoka


How to Make a Patriotic Terrarium

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I was provided product samples free of charge from Oriental Trading in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was provided for this post.


Sometimes your original ideas don’t work out and you’re left with lots of sand.  LOTS and LOTS of sand.  Like four pounds worth of it in patriotic colors.  So I decided to jazz up an apothecary jar I had in the dining room and make a terrarium.  You all know by now that I love a good terrarium project, but I think I’m pretty much banned from buying anymore succulents or air plants. Even though they’re supposed to be easy to take care of, I’ve still found a way to kill them! Instead, I’ve decided to stick with the fake kind, like the air plant I used in this project.

At first, I actually just had the sand layered in the jar.  After putting the lid back on the apothecary jar, I realized that it needed “something.  So I grabbed my stash of seashells and one of my fake air plants to create a patriotic terrarium.  This terrarium starts with four layers of colorful sand.  Red, white, and blue layers add a patriotic touch, while silver sand gives it a little sparkle!  Then, I positioned my air plant and added seashells and small pieces of driftwood.



SUPPLIES

  • Apothecary jar, or other glass terrarium container
  • Burgundy sand
  • White sand
  • Turquoise sand
  • Silver glitter sand
  • Fake air plant or succulent
  • Small seashells and driftwood

STEPS

  1. Start layering sand in a glass jar or container.  Add the silver sand first.
  2. Then, layer the turquoise sand, followed by white sand.
  3. The burgundy sand gets poured in last.  Gently tap the container as you pour in each color to smooth the sand out between layers.
  4. Next, start adding your plants and arranging your seashells.
  5. Place the lid back on your jar and display!


This terrarium gives off definite summer vibes! It’s perfect, patriotic decor for the 4th of July holiday that you can leave out all season long!  Get some of the supplies needed to make this patriotic terrarium at Oriental Trading, including the jar, shells, and sand. 

Want to keep those summer beach memories alive?  Add some of the seashells you’ve collected from your travels into the terrarium.  You’ll have a great piece of decor to keep out all summer!

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DIY Mermaid Sea Salt Scrub

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You know how I recently told you how I truly felt about the unicorn trend?  I may not be a fan of rainbow-colored-everything, but I am a huge fan of mermaids!  Of course, I love beautiful, fairytale mermaids like Ariel, but I also enjoy reading some of the crueler myths behind mermaids, too.  Most of these myths say that mermaids attracted sailors and caused drownings and shipwrecks.  It isn’t always pretty under the sea!

But you can still feel like a pretty mermaid with this DIY Mermaid Sea Salt Scrub!  It’s made with sea salt, which gently exfoliates the skin without being too abrasive.  Then, I mixed in coconut oil to help to moisturize the skin.  But the most “mermaid” ingredient in this scrub is definitely spirulina. Spirulina is a blue-green algae powder that’s full of benefits for your skin (anti-aging, acne fighting, helps with dark circles) and body, on a whole! 

I also added a little gold mica powder (a mineral found in cosmetics, like eyeshadow) so you can really glow! The shimmery touch of gold will allow your inner mermaid to shine bright!  After showering and using this salt scrub, your skin will not only feel incredible, but it will have a nice summer glow from the gold mica powder, too!


SUPPLIES

  • 2 cups fine sea salt, divided
  • 3 tbsp. organic coconut oil
  • 100% pure essential oil (I used orange and lime)
  • 1 tsp. spirulina 
  • Gold mica powder
  • Blue food coloring

STEPS

  1. Split the cup of sea salt between three small bowls.
  2. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to each bowl and stir.
  3. Next, add drops of essential oil to each bowl and stir.  The amount of essential oil you add is up to you, but I usually start with 10 drops and work from there.
  4. Add a drop of blue food coloring to one bowl and stir until it’s well combined.
  5. Then, add a drop of green food coloring to another bowl.
  6. Begin layering each color into a container or jar.
  7. Gently swirl the colors together with a popsicle stick or spoon.
  8. Seal container or jar until it’s time to jump in the shower and scrub up!



This scrub is great for areas like your feet or elbows, but gentle enough to use all over! It’s perfect for scrubbing up after a day splashing around at the beach or just pampering your skin at home! Shop this DIY below and let your inner mermaid glow!

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If you like this salt scrub DIY, you might enjoy these scrubs as well:

Filed Under: DIY

Very Berry Wine Slushies {SoFabFood Post}

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Drink in a little nostalgia today on the SoFabFood blog with these fun Very Berry Wine Slushies made with Merlot and fresh berries!

 

Today I’m sharing a refreshing summer recipe for Very Berry Wine Slushies on the SoFabFood blog!  I remember walking to the convenient store as a kid to grab a slushie during the summer.  I’ve put a fun adult twist on fruit slushies with this recipe. Add some fresh summer berries and Merlot for a tasty way to cool down during the hot and humid days of summer!

This Very Berry Wine Slushie recipe would be a perfect, patriotic drink for the 4th of July!  Serve up a pitcher during your next backyard gathering for a cool drink that adults will love!  Want to make a kid-friendly version?  Just ditch the wine!  I hope you’ll head to SoFabFood today to check out this deliciously refreshing slushie recipe!

DIY Patriotic Tassel Necklace

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I was provided product samples free of charge from Oriental Trading in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was provided for this post.


Today is Flag Day and the older I get, the more patriotic I tend to feel during these holidays.  Maybe it’s the fact that when you’re young, you’re not always exposed to friends and family shipping off to the armed forces. We tend to take our freedom for granted a lot of time.  But when 9/11 happened, it opened up my eyes to the sad situations happening all over the world.  And it’s made me so thankful for our country and for our independence.

I mean, I’ve rocked one of those classic Old Navy $5 flag shirts with the best of them on the 4th of July as a teen.  But it isn’t just about wearing the American flag for a day while you barbecue and shooting off fireworks. It’s about being thankful every single day.  As a woman who sees how other women are forced to live in other countries, I will never take advantage of my independence.


So today I wanted to share an easy DIY tassel necklace so you can show off your pride any day of the week. This tassel necklace gets a patriotic touch from its star charm.  It’s festive enough for the 4th, but subtle enough to wear throughout the year.

SUPPLIES

  • 1.8 m gold chain
  • Red, pink, or blue faux leather tassel
  • Gold star charms
  • 4 gold jump rings
  • Spring clasp closure
  • Pliers

STEPS

  1. Cut the chain to your desired size.  I cut my chain about 25 inches long.
  2. Open up 2 jump rings and add one to each end of the chain.
  3. Slip each end of the spring clasp onto each of the jump rings.  Close jump rings with pliers.
  4. Next, find the center of the necklace.  Open a jump ring and slip it onto the center of the chain.
  5. Add a tassel and close the jump ring.
  6. About halfway up one side of the necklace, add the last jump ring.
  7. Slip a star charm onto the jump ring and close.
  8. Rock your patriotic necklace with pride!


You can find supplies to make this DIY tassel necklace on Oriental Trading!  The tassels came in multiple colors, but I used a pink and a blue tassel.  I also got the gold star charms from there.  Add as many charms as you like to this necklace.  I wanted to keep it rather simple.

So whether you need a necklace to wear to your next backyard barbecue or you want to show off your patriotism in a subtle fashion, this is an easy DIY necklace you’ll want to wear all year long!

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How do you show off your patriotism?

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