Swirl Nails

Its magical what you can do with some water and nail polish! This catchy swirl pattern is one of my favorites to wear because of all the colors you can put into your nails!

Items Needed -

A cup (Disposable is best since the cup will get nail polish on it)

Tape

A bobby pin or needle

Any nail varnishes of your choosing

Water (distilled preferably)

Swirl Nails

 1. Apply base layer color to nails (clear or a solid color) (Note: I used clear nail polish in this tutorial, but if you want more vibrant colors I suggest using a solid color)

2. Tape around nails. Typically takes about three small pieces of tape. To place tape, apply one piece to the base of your nails. Place another on the side of your nail, repeat on the other side of the nail. 

3. Open all nail polishes for easy access. Taking each nail varnish, place one drop of each color on top of the previous color (The nail varnish will spread out) (If nail polish sinks, use distilled water)

4. Once colors are dropped onto the water, take your bobby pin or needle and create small circles in the colors to create your swirls. 

5. Now taking your taped finger dip it into the mixed nail varnish. The water will press the nail polish into your nail, sealing it. When you pull your nail out of the water make sure that the remaining nail polish sitting on the water does not get on your nail!

6. Once nails are dry, peel of the tape around your nails. If the tape didn't cover an area of skin that got nail varnish on it, use a q-tip with nail polish remover and clean off those little spots.

7. (Optional) Apply top coat/clear coat to seal in your nail varnish (this will make it last longer)

Congratulations! You now have creative swirl nails that will impress all your friends!

Crochet Legwarmers

To start, Happy Valentines Day! Anyway, I received this wonder baby alpaca yarn for Christmas and I've been dying to use it. Therefore because its quite chilly where here in Washington State I decided to make, the once again fashionable, legwarmers to keep from the cold! Its difficult choosing a pattern and none that I found really caught my eye. Therefore this very simple pattern is written by myself. Enjoy!

Items need:
Crochet Hook: Size J
Yarn: Knit Picks brand 100% baby alpaca yarn in "Fog Heather"*
*In this pattern I used two rounds (each round in 110 yards)

Crochet Legwarmers

Beginning Cuff-
Rnd One - Ch 7
Rnd Two - Back loop sc seven, sl st (Repeat Rnd Two for 25-30 rows depending on ankle/calf size)
Rnd Three - sl st closed

Calf -
To begin calf, turn cuff so one of the holes is facing towards you
Rnd One - In each blue space sc, over each red space ch 2, sl st to start Rnd Two

Rnd Two - 2 sc in each ch 2 space from previous Rnd, sc in each sc of previous Rnd, sl st to start next Rnd

Rnd Three - Ch 3, skip 2, sc in next three* (Repeat until entire Rnd is complete)

Rnd Four - 4 sc in each ch 3 space, ch 3* (Repeat until entire Rnd is complete)

Rnds Five - Thirty Five (Depending on calf length, you can shorten or continue Rnds)

Rnd Thirty Five - Where you would normal ch 3, ch 2 and where you would normally sc 4, sc 2 

Rnd Thirty Six - Repeat Rnd Thirty Five

Cuff Ending - 

Turn work, as to crochet alongside the calf piece

Rnd One - Ch 7 from your calf piece

Rnd Two - Back loop sc 7, this should bring you back to the main piece of work. Sl in ch 2 space* (Repeat this until you've made it around the circumphrence of the calf piece. 

Rnd Approx. 25-30 - Sl st work closed

Congratulations! You now have warm, comfortable legwarmers!

DIY: Facial Scrub

Perfect for those days when you need to feel refreshed or a Girls-Night-In get together, these two facial scrubs with have your skin feel softer and revitalized!

Ingredients for Merry Mint Facial Scrub - 

1 1/2 tbsp Honey

1 tea bag Mint Tea

1 tbsp Granulated Sugar

Ingredients for Warm Green Tea Facial Scrub - 

1 1/2 tbsp Honey

1 tea bag Green Tea

1/2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tbsp Granulated Sugar

Other items needed - A kettle, facial pads (if preferred), 2 mugs, 2 small bowls, a towel 

(Note: Only need two of each item if you are making both facial scrubs)

How To Start - 

1. Turn on your kettle and bring water to a boil. Once water is boiled pour it into a mug with the tea of the mixture of your choice.

2. Wait for tea to cool (The tea must be cooled enough that it will not melt the sugar or brown sugar)

3. While waiting for tea to cool, in a small bowl mix honey & sugar for the Merry Mint Facial Scrub (Right in Image) OR mix honey, brown sugar and sugar for the Warm Green Tea Facial Scrub (Left in Image)

4. Now that the tea is cool, and 1 tsp of each tea into the bowl with your mixture. Mix together. (If you wish for your scrub to be less thick, then add more tea)

5. Your facial scrub us now ready to be applied. Using your fingers (or facial pads) to rub the mixture onto your face. Gently rub around in small circles, making sure to get all over your face. 

6. Once the mixture has been rubbed in thoroughly, rinse your face with luke warm water

7. Use towel to dry off

8. Feel your face, you'll be impressed by soft it is! 

Watermelon Cookies

I had a really great time doing this recipe a few years ago (which is the photo above), so I decided to bake them again to share with you this cute watermelon cookie recipe! (All photos below this point)

Ingredients for Sugar Cookies:

3 Cups Flour

1 Tsp Baking soda

1 Tsp Baking powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Unsalted Butter

1 1/2 Cups Granulated sugar

2 Eggs

Red food coloring

Icing:

2 Tsp Milk

1 Cup Confectioners Sugar  

(May need more sugar for a thicker consistency)

Black or brown food coloring

**Also needed: A round cookie cutter, Green sprinkles/sugar crystal, Non-Stick spray, A blender/mixer, Two Ziploc bags and/or icing bags

To Make Watermelon Cookies:

In blender mix wet ingredients and sugar into a mixing bowl. Gradually add butter and flour into the mixture until in its a smooth but fairly thick mixture.

Add Red food coloring to make the cookie dough pink in color.

Roll out the cookie dough into a 1/2 inch thick sheet. Cut dough into rounds with round cookie cutter. Then proceed to cut the rounds into halves and place on your cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about seven to ten minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned.

Remember to spray your cooking sheet with non-stick spray so your cookies do not stick!

While the cookies are in the oven, prepare the icing.

Separate the icing into two bowls, one bowl containing 3/4s of the icing and the other with 1/4 of the icing (The measurements don't have to be exact) . With the 3/4 amount of icing bowl, leave it white (or you can dye it green, but I preferred to keep mine white). With the 1/4 amount of icing bowl dye the icing black (if you do not have black, mix all the colors that you do have together and you should get a dark brown color)

Once your cookies are out of the oven and cooled begin applying icing to the curved sides of the cookies. To do this take your Ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners, fill the bag with your icing, and squeeze until you have consistent flow coming out of the hole. (Note: Hole size should be approx. 1/2 centimeter) Or you can use an icing bag.

Then proceed to dip the side of the cookies with the icing into the green sprinkles/sugar crystals. 

Once all the sides of the cookies are frosted and sprinkled, take the black icing and apply small tear drops all around the center on the cookie to look like watermelon seeds. This is were you will need your second Ziploc bag, cut a hole in the corner about the same size as you did with the last Ziploc bag (or you can use an icing bag). In order to make a teardrop shape you apply pressure to the bag until a small round dot has appeared on your cookie, then proceed to lightly pull forward. 

Congratulations, you now have wonderful Watermelon Cookies to impress your friends!

How To Crochet

Welcome to The Dynamic Diamond DYI Blog! As this is my first post I planned to show you all how to crochet! I have plans to do more difficult patterns in later blog post, but it is best to start with how to crochet for those who don't know yet.

First you will need to know the abbreviations used in crochet patterns -
St - Stitch
Sl Sp - Slip Stitch
Ch - Chain Stitch
Sc - Single Crochet
Dc - Double Crochet
Fl - Front Loop**
Bl - Back Loop**
Yo - Yarn Over
*These are not all abbreviations used in crochet, but they are the most commonly used
**In one crochet stitch a loop that is NOT nearest you is the back loop, while the loop facing nearest to you is the front loop (All stitched shown are down using both back loops and front loops in a crochet stitch)

Items needed for this tutorial -
A crochet needle (Any Size)
Yarn (Any kind)

Single Crochet Stitch

In the photo I have a  piece of work that I have just started, I feel it is easier to see how to do a stitch on a work that is already started rather that just starting. 

First Step: Insert hook into first stitch

Second Step: Yarn over (with hand not holding the hook, place yarn over the top of the hook).

Pull through the first crochet (two loops) [First image shown]

This should create a loop on your hook (two loops should be remaining on your hook)

[Second image shown]

Third Step: Yarn over and pull through that last two loops on your hook

Congratulations! This creates your first single crochet!

Double Crochet Stitch

Step One: Start by yarning over. Insert hook into next crochet stitch.

(Image above displays yarn over, two loops from crochet stitch, first yarn over, and then original loop in that order)

Step Two: Yarn over and pull through crochet stitch (two loops)

Step Three: Yarn over and pull through last two loops

Congratulations! You've now finished your first double crochet stitch!