Paper House Lantern // DIY

The wonderful chilly weather lately has got me eagerly anticipating Christmas. And snow. Oh, snow! Autumn and winter are by far my favorite seasons.

One splendid aspect of these seasons is decorating; lately my mind has been overflowing with ideas for Christmas. I am particularly fond of warm lights, and the other day I had the idea to make this paper house lantern. It is fairly basic, and oh so cosy. Here is how to make your own...

note: you actually won't need washi tape - you will need clear tape alone.

Step One //

Cut out one 4 x 11 inch strip of paper.

Step Two //

Measure a square that is 4 x 4 inches at the bottom of the strip, and draw a line indicating where it begins.

Step Three //

Fold the strip along the line, creating a letter L shape.

Step Four //

Cut out three strips of paper, all measuring 4 x 7 inches.

Step Five //

Draw lines on a strip of paper, divided into a 4 x 4 grid.

Step Six //

Using the grid as an outline, cut four windows with a utility knife.

Step Seven //

Repeat steps 5-6 on each strip of paper, including the L shaped piece.

Step Eight //

Use clear  tape to attach strips of wax paper to the backs of each piece of paper (the sides with grids).

Step Nine //

Connect each part with clear tape, and begin to tape the walls to the base of the L shaped strip.

Step Ten //

Continue to tape the walls down until you have a house without a roof.

Step Eleven //

Cut out two 4 x 4 strips and one 4 x 8 strip of paper.

Step Twelve //

Snip one of the squares into two halves.

Step Thirteen //

Cut a circle-shaped window on one of the triangles, and tape a square of wax paper to the back.

Step Fourteen //

Tape the triangles to each side of the square.

Step Fifteen //

Fold the triangles up and tape the 4 x 8 strip to the top, creating a roof.

Final Step //

Place a handful of LED lights (not  real tea lights, that is a fire hazard) inside the house, and place the roof on top.

Ta-da! Your little house lantern will bring much holiday warmth to any room, and will definitely increase the anticipation of Christmas.

Have a wonderful day!

Maiden Braids Tutorial

Many of you asked for a tutorial on how I do my maiden braids, so here it is! It is very simple - braid your hair into two braids, pin each one across with two bobby pins in an x shape, and then bobby pin to your hearts delight. It takes only a couple of minutes, and it results in hours worth of feeling like a princess - which is always delightful.

The song that I used is a cover of "The Moon Song" by my wonderful friend, Dakota. Do visit her channel!

Have a lovely day!

Pressed Flower Pendant // DIY

Spring came so quickly and is already disappearing, but I managed to save a few pretty flowers with this DIY. I made a forget-me-not pressed flower pendant, and I plan on making another with baby's breath.
If spring is still hanging on a little longer where you live, you can follow this simple step-by-step to preserve a bit of spring 2014 for forever!

I got a three pack of the glass pendants from Michaels craft store, but I'm not sure where else they carry them.

Lay out the flowers that you chose on a napkin and then close them in it and a layer of wax paper to protect the pages of the book.

Next, place it between two pages of a book, or between a stack of books, and wait about a week.

After the flowers have finished pressing, place them between the two pieces of glass and insert it back into the pendant.

Now tie a string through the pendant's loop to create a necklace, and you are finished!

Enjoy your little spring souvenir. :)

I hope that you are all enjoying your day and are doing well. Happy belated Mother's Day, as well!

xo Rachelle

Banana Bread Muffins

When I first discovered my gluten and dairy allergies, one thing I missed the most was banana bread. It's always been a favorite of mine. 

Thankfully, I happened upon an amazing gluten/dairy-free banana bread muffin (two of my favorite things combined!) recipe, and it's become a favorite in my house.

I found the original recipe here, but I've tweaked it a bit. It is extremely versatile - you can add 1/2 cup of raisins, blueberries, or nuts to change it up a bit. 

My family's favorite way to eat these delicious muffins is with bacon, eggs, and strawberries. We also pack them as snacks and eat them with a yogurt or a smoothie in the morning for breakfast.

They are so so delicious, and would also make a wonderful Mother's Day morning treat if you plan on making breakfast for your mom!

Prep Time // 5 - 10 minutes

Cook Time //  20 minutes

Total Time // about 25 minutes

Yield // 12 standard muffins

- Ingredients -

• 2 cups gluten-free flour mix (I use Bob's Red Mill 'Sweet' White Sorghum Flour')
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Equivalent of 3 eggs Egg Replacer (you can also mix 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal with 4 tablespoons warm water)
• About 3-4 medium sized bananas
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce

- Preparation -

1 // Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a standard 12-cup muffin tray and set aside.

2 // Pour the batter into the muffin tray using a 1/4 or 1/2 cup measuring cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Have a lovely, wonderful day!
xo Rachelle

How To Do VSCOcam Effects in Photoshop

I recently fell in love with the iPhone app 'VSCOcam' (you've probably noticed if you're following me on Instagram), and I've been using it on every single one of my Instagram posts. I love it so much, that I wanted to edit my blog photos with it, which was a bit of a hassle, so I decided to try to recreate the effect with Photoshop. 

It took me a while to figure out how to do it well, since I am a bit of an amateur when it comes to Photoshop, but I finally got it right and I think it is a close enough replica.

Here's how you can edit your photos with a VSCO effect in Photoshop...

After you have opened the photo in Photoshop that you want to edit, click 'Image > Adjustments > Exposure'. Now, this part really depends on the photo that you are editing, so you may have to tweak the numbers slightly, but for the photo that I was editing, I changed 'Offset' to +0.1200 and 'Gamma' to 1.29 to create a VSCO looking effect. Simple as that!

As I said, the numbers will vary depending on the original exposure of your photo, but it should be easy to figure out what looks right.

If you want a VSCO black and white, effect, it's just as easy! Here's how...

Change 'Offset' to +0.0500 and 'Gamma' to 1.36, then desaturate your photo. Again, the numbers may vary depending on your original photo, so you may have to play around to get the right effect.

After you have desaturated the photo, open up 'Exposure' again and change 'Offset' to +0.0600. And there you go! You have yourself a replica of a VSCO effect.

I hope that you found this useful...please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments. Also, do keep in mind that I know nearly nothing about Photoshop, so I apologize if I did something wrong or stupid...I tend to do that. ;)

xo Rachelle

Picture Frame Chalkboard

With Mother's Day this weekend, I thought that this picture frame chalkboard would be a perfect gift for moms. It can be used in the kitchen for a menu or chore list, in a bedroom for to-do lists, drawings, reminders, quotes, Bible verses, and anything else that you wish to put on it. It is so simple and so cute! I wouldn't blame you if you just made one for yourself. ;)

So let's get this party started...

You will need a spray paint color for the frame, chalkboard spray paint, and a picture frame (I got mine from Goodwill).

And then you paint the frame with your first color and the glass from the picture frame with your chalkboard color. Here are some helpful tips to ensure that your project doesn't end up badly:

1. While painting, lay the frame/glass over newspapers or a rag.
2. Paint the frame and the glass separately (don't have them near each other while painting) to avoid accidentally getting the wrong paint color on one of them.
3. Don't paint on a windy day! The paint will drift all over.
4. Paint in the shade, if you can. Unless it is cold or wet.
5. Wait for the chalkboard to dry before you draw on it!

To erase your chalk creations off of the board, you can use a chalkboard eraser or just an old rag.

My 16 year old brother (Isaiah) drew this amazing picture on one of our chalkboards. He is so artistic!

If you try this out, I'd love it if you emailed me a picture of it or posted it to Instagram with the hashtag #bbchalkboardcreations.

Are you doing anything special for your mom for Mother's Day?

xoxo

Rachelle

Guest Post by Dakota - Sock Curls Tutorial

 Today my amazing friend is going to do a hair tutorial for sock curls. :)

 

Hi There! My name's Dakota. Nice to meet you! It is such an honor to post on Stella Bella Girls! (Isn't Rachelle just so sweet? I am in love with this blog.) Here's a little intro about me: I'm 13 years young. I like all things vintage, but am in love with modern-style too. :) I am obsessed with polka-dots, waffles, reading, sewing, and all things crafty! The perfect day for me would be a rainy day spent curled up on a window nook with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. 

Today, I'm doing a fun tutorial on how to do sock curls. Now, let me tell you about my over-night curlers experience. When I first got into no-heat hair curlers, I picked up a little box of foam rollers...and I had short hair (Blech! I'll never do that again! Well, at least the way it was cut then.) Thinking the thinner, smaller rollers would work better for my hair, I applied them using little pieces of hair...only to wake up the next morning with a Shirley Temple 'do. :( Pigtails worked that day. Anyway, over the course of a couple of years I have tried just about every kind of overnight hair contraption, and sock curlers are currently reigning supreme over all of them. So, without further ado, let's begin!

(I have to apologize in advance for the semi-bad photos....I now know that night time and iPhone's do not go together very well. Bare with me.) Firstly, for best results with these little beauties, you should attempt this at night time. Wash, add mousse (pictured), and blow dry your hair before you start for maximum curl.

Now, since you're all ready, grab your materials: 6-8 knee socks (depending on how thick your hair is), a brush, a rat-tail comb, (or pencil, or bobby pin, or anything with a pointy end for that matter), three small hair ties, and mousse, (which should already be in your hair).

 

Step 1. Separate your hair into three sections. To do this, just part your hair into two deep side parts on either side of your head with the rat tail comb.

 

Step 2. Tie each section off with the small hair ties.

 

Step 3. Undo the middle section of your hair. To start your first curl, pick up a medium-thick piece of hair from the front (you can take a smaller or larger piece of hair, but keep in mind the smaller the piece, the tinier and bouncier the curl will be, and for bigger sections you'll get large, wavy curls). Brush out the section and place the middle of one sock on the tip of the back side of the piece. (I hope that made sense...)

 

Step 4. Holding the sock and your hair as one, roll the sock down, away from your face, towards your scalp. 

 

Step 5. When you get to the bottom, roll it in as tight as you can and carefully tie the ends of the sock together to make a knot, being careful not to tie any flyaways in with it. (They hurt a lot!)

 

Step 6. Repeat step 4 by grabbing another piece of hair below your top curl. Repeat down the middle section of hair until there is no hair that is not secured into a tie (I normally use 3 socks per section).

 

Step 7. Repeat this process with the two other sections of hair, only working from the top of the side down instead of the middle down. 

 

Step 8. To finish, (for the night), you can tie a really large bandana around your head...but the socks stay pretty tight during the night. :) Now you can go to sleep! Good night!

 

Step 9. Rise and shine! To take out your curls, untie the socks starting at the bottom and unwind the hair. 

 

Step 10. You'll most likely have thick spiral curls, so if you wanna go vintage on me, you can stop here, but...

 

Step 11. I prefer to tip my head upside down and shake 'em out a little to messy it up. 

 

Step 12. As you can see, I secured mine off to the side for a messy ponytail, but the options are limitless with curls like these! Now go enjoy your curlies!

 

Before I go, I'd like to share this bible verse: "Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." -1 Peter 3:4. It's a great reminder that even though God calls us to take care of our bodies on earth, we should be even more conscious of our inner self, which is much more important. 

Well, that's it! Thanks for reading! And, most of all, thank you Rachelle for inviting me to post; it was so fun! Have fun curling! xoxo Dakota :)

 

 

Dakota has an Etsy shop where she sells adorable handmade items that she crochets or sews. She has lots of adorable hats and some blankets and burp cloths as well. Check it out!