YOLO DIY Cosmetic Bag

yolo-black-white-stripes-glasses-cosmetic-bag-diy-triangles

My sister-in-law and I went shopping, and I tried on a pair of designer jeans on sale for $100 from $200ish. I liked them, but didn’t really NEED them. You know, that age-old teaching we teach our children and tell ourselves – need vs. want. Do I really need this? Or, do I want this? My sister-in-law said, “Just get them. My new motto in life is YOLO.” I did a semi-smile and nod reaction, then asked, “What the heck does YOLO mean?” You may be thinking that I live under a rock, and perhaps I do, but I honestly had no idea what YOLO meant. She shared her hashtag wisdom upon me that day and told me that YOLO stands for…You Only Live Once. #YOLO

What powerful words that we often forget. You Only Live Once. We have one shot at this ONE beautiful, amazing, hard and miraculous life. Why waste it? Make the most of everyday, and live your best life…and life will give it’s best to you. YOLO!

Long story short, I bought the jeans. And, I learned what YOLO stands for.

Shortly thereafter my sister-in-law embarked on a new journey in a new city with a new job. She was nervous, but brave. I sent her off with a reminder of what she taught me that day, and some tips to go with it.

DIY YOLO Cosmetic Bag

You’ll Need:

  • Cosmetic bag {mine was $3 from Target}
  • Acrylic paint
  • Golden GAC 900 Medium, to make regular paint into fabric paint
  • Freezer paper
  • X-acto knife
  • Paintbrush
  • Gifts to go inside. I found most of my gifts {see below} from my favorite small town bookstore, The Bookworm
  • Watercolor paper
  • Watercolor paint
  • Gold sharpie or gold leaf pen

Directions:

First, I used Microsoft Word to design my YOLO to place in the middle of the bag. Print YOLO on regular computer paper, then trace it onto freezer paper.

YOLO-freezer-paper-washi-tape

 Use an X-acto knife to cut out the words and a border. Then, iron in onto the costmetic bag.

yolo-freezer-paper-trace-diy

Paint YOLO with black ink.

YOLO-black-diy

Design a pattern around YOLO. I chose to do triangles, so I randomly made a geometric triangle shape print with Frog’s Tape. Then, paint inside the triangles.

yolo-painters-tape-green-diy

yolo-bag-pink-triangles-diy-target

Shop for all your small gifts that go inside the YOLO bag.

yolo-bag-gift-diy-costmetic-bag-candle-lipstick-compass-tea-bag-chocolate

Once your YOLO bag design is complete, start to make the tags to go along with each gift. Cut watercolor paper into triangles. Freehand the words of wisdom for your friend in gold sharpie or gold leaf pen. Then, use soft watercolor over it.

pink-watercolor-tags-gold-diy

My tags read:

Wear red | red lipstick
Set your own direction | Compass button
Indulge in sweetness | Curly Girl chocolate bar
Remember to laugh | Blue Q funny chewing gum box
Celebrate | Hyrda Soap Hangover Bath Tea Bag
Stop to smell the roses | Paddywax Rose scented candle
Believe in yourself | Quotables The Sky is the Limit matchbox
Be Kind | Be Good to People chapstick

wear-red-lipstick-pink-watercolor-gold

compass-button-pink-watercolor-tags-gold-diy-gift

curly-girl-chocolate-bar-indulge-in-sweetness-pink-watercolor

remember-to-laugh-coffee-gum-pink-watercolor-diy-gift

stop-to-smell-the-roses-candle-diy-gift-pink-watercolor-tag

believe-in-yourself-pink-watercolor-tag-the-sky-is-the-limit-candle

be-kind-be-good-to-people-chapstick-pink-watercolor-tags-diy-gift

Attach the labels to each item.

YOLO-wear-red-diy-gift-watercolor-pink-tags-bath-tea-bag

YOLO-wear-red-diy-gift-watercolor-pink-tags-bath-tea-bag

Place all the fun items inside the DIY YOLO cosmetic bag and gift.

yolo-black-white-stripes-glasses-cosmetic-bag-diy-triangles

DIY Cosmetic Bag Party Favor

DIY cosmetic bag

How do you leave a little sparkle?

Maybe its your personality? Smile? Random, simple acts of kindness? A charming accent? Whatever it is, find it and do it because I love people who enter a room and own it, and leave me with a good feeling, or a memory when they walk out the door. I’m talking about the people I don’t forget, and leave a trace of their optimism behind with me. I have friends like this, who are special and simply amazing, and I believe they “leave a little sparkle wherever they go.” So, for a recent Bachelorette celebration for one of my bestie’s, I made cosmetic bags with this quote to go along with our Sparkle theme for the weekend. More photos of that extravaganza to come, but for now, a DIY.

You’ll Need
$3 cosmetic bags from Target {in the travel cosmetics section}
Chacopaper from Michaels
A printed quote
pen
Krylon Gold Leaf Pen from Michaels

DIY cosmetic bag

How To
Use Microsoft Word to create your quote in a favorite font.
Print your quote on a regular piece of printer paper.
Cut the quote and a piece of the Chacopaper the same size as the quote.
Layer the paper, bottom-up, starting with the ‘chalky side’ face down on the cosmetic bag {you can feel the ‘chalky’ side}, your quote and then top it off with the ‘tracing’ paper.
DIY cosmetic bag party favor
Use a black pen to firmly {without tearing} trace the quote on the tracing paper.
Once finished {or you can even get a sneak peek to see if its working if you can lift the edge without moving the paper} lift the 3 sheets of paper from your cosmetic bag and you will see a traced image of your quote. I used the white Chacopaper, so it appeared white like the photo below.
Use the Gold Leaf pen to carefully trace your ‘image’
Voila.
DIY cosmetic bag party favor

DIY cosmetic bag party favor{images via j. sorelle}

Travel Essentials for Those Who Fear Flying

I am terrified to fly. I hate everything about it. And, since I’ve had kids, it’s gotten worse. I love to see the world and am grateful for all the amazing places I’ve traveled to, most of which wouldn’t have been possible without an airplane. But, even if I book a flight months in advance, I find myself daydreaming about being on the flight and I am filled with anxiety – it’s like I can feel the turbulence without even being in the air. It’s the loss of control {yes, I’m a control freak}. It’s the thought that a gigantic piece of metal with an engine is in the air with a lot of people and bags. It’s the thought of it crashing. All of it scares me. So, for some upcoming trips, the bar and some serious lavender may be my best friend…or maybe I should give up my ‘homeopathic only’ for the day and go straight to the Xanex.

I ran across these cute and fun travel accessories from Flight 001 – love that shop – you must check it out. At least if I have to travel, I may as well put some humor, organization and pretty accessories into it.

flying essentials_jsorelle

1. Flyin’ Drunk Luggage Tag

2. Evian Facial Spray

3. To Go Bottle Set

4. Mini Emergency For Her Kit

5. Heavily Medicated Pouch

{images via Flight 001}