DIY Almond Milk

Hello! Today we're making DIY almond milk. You will need:

• 1 cup of raw almonds
• 2 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)

First, put your almonds in a medium-sized bowl or pot.

Then pour water over the almonds, making sure they are totally submerged.

Cover with a towel and leave on the counter or refrigerator overnight.

Once they are done soaking, strain the almonds and rinse with cold water. 

Then, put your almonds in a blender or food processor with the two cups of water.

Blend well.

Now, take the liquid and pour it into a large pot through a kitchen towel or cheesecloth-lined strainer. You can also use a spoon to help push the almond milk through the strainer.

Your almond mixture should look like this when everything is strained: 

The residue that stayed on the top of the strainer is almond flour, which can be used for other recipes, such as my DIY French Macarons recipe: http://vastisdiyblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/diy-french-macarons.html. When you remove the strainer, your almond milk is at the bottom:

 At this point, add the vanilla, and you can sweeten the almond milk with whatever you want. I went for maple syrup. After that, you're done! This is how mine turned out:

This DIY recipe was so easy to do. It's pretty time consuming as it's a 2-day project, but it is so worth it. It is a great alternative to store-bought almond milk, and it's much healthier! I hope you try this one out!

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Banana Ice Cream

Hello! Today we're making a DIY healthier version of ice cream made out of bananas. I chose to make a coffee flavored version. For this, you will need:

• 2 frozen bananas
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons of coffee grounds
• 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

First, blend the bananas until smooth in a blender or food processor. 

Next, add the coffee, salt, and cinnamon. 

Mix well, and you're done! This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so easy to make. I like how the banana taste isn't too overpowering, and that you can add any flavor you want to this ice cream. I hope you try this out!

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Jelly Cube Slime

Hello! Today we're making DIY jelly cube slime. You will need:

• 1 magic eraser sponge
• scissors
• clear glue
• optional: food coloring
• optional: glitter
• slime activator (I used 1 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of borax)

First, cut up your sponge into small cubes.

Then, add in 1-2 drops of your food coloring or glitter. 

Mix well and add in your slime activator.

Then, knead your slime until it is no longer sticky.

Add the sponge cubes, and you're done! This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so easy to make. The sponge cubes in this slime make the texture so satisfying! I hope you try this one out. 

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Seed Cakes

Hello! Today we're making DIY seed cakes, inspired by the recipes from Victorian England. You will need:

• 1 cup of flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 ounce of caraway seeds
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of milk

First, preheat your oven to 350º F. Then grease a muffin tin. After that, mix the butter, flour, and together.

Keep mixing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 

Then, add the sugar and caraway seeds.

Mix well. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add in the eggs and milk. 

Mix, then pour the mixture into the muffin tins. Bake for 35 minutes, and you're done! This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so easy to make. I like how such an old recipe can still taste amazing! I hope you try these out. 

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Crayon Watercolor Resist Art

Hello! Today we're making resist art with white crayons. You will need:

• white crayon
• white paper
• watercolor paint
• paintbrush

First, take your crayon and draw or write whatever you want. I wrote March. When you paint over this, the thing you write or draw will be left blank.

Then, paint over the crayon markings with watercolor paint. Let it dry, and you're done! This is how it turned out:

This DIY was so easy to make. I love the resist effect! I hope you try this one out.

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Lucky Paper Stars

Hello! Today we're making DIY paper stars. You will need:

• small strips of your choice of paper

First, tie a knot with your strand to look like this:

Then, fold the short end of the knot into the knot:

Cut off the excess paper.

After that, fold the paper over itself, wrapping it around the whole pentagon.

Once you run out of paper, fold the end of the strand under the previous fold just like in the beginning. 

Cut off the excess paper. Finally, use your fingers to puff up the star. This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so easy to make. It takes less than five minutes for each one, and I love how you can make a lot in a short amount of time! I hope you try this one out.

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Nutella Pops

Hello! Today we're making DIY popsicles from Nutella! You will need:

• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 1 cup Cool Whip
• 1/2 cup milk

First, pour all of your ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Then, whisk everything until combined.

Pour the mixture into popsicle molds. If you don't have these, just pour the mixture into small paper cups with a popsicle stick in between.

Stick them in the freezer overnight, and you're done! This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so easy to make. It took less than 15 minutes, and it tastes amazing! I hope you try this one out. 

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Quilled Paper Cards

Hello! Since Valentine's Day is only days away, today we're making cards using a rolling paper technique called quilling. You will need:

• paper- I used scrapbook paper
• cardstock
• paper
• optional: heart stencil
• glue 
• ruler
• toothpick 

First, use the heart stencil to draw a heart shape on the cardstock. 

Cut a square around it.

Set the cardstock aside and with a ruler, cut out 1-centimeter strips of your paper. 

After that, use a toothpick to spread the glue along the edge of a strip or paper. Then, use the outline of the heart to align the strip to half of the outline.

Next, glue another strip of paper onto the other half of the outline and cut off the excess. 

To make the basic quilling effect, wrap a piece of paper around a toothpick. Feel free to play around with different techniques.

Arrange your quilled paper around the heart until you are satisfied with the result. This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so fun and relaxing to make. It's not as time-consuming as it looks, and I like the different styles of quilled paper you can make. These make excellent cards, or even as gifts. I really hope you try this one out!

Until next week,

-Vasti

DIY Tornado Jars

Hello! Today we're making DIY tornadoes in a jar! You will need:

• any jar of your choice
• dish or hand soap
• food coloring

First, fill your jar up with water, leaving an inch of space from the top.

Then, add a teaspoon of soap.

Add in 1-2 drops of food coloring.

Stir, and put the lid on the jar.

Gently give the jar a swirl, and your tornado effect will appear! This is how mine turned out:

This DIY was so simple to make, and it took less than 5 minutes! I love the effect! I hope you try this!

Until next week,

-Vasti