Adorable and Affordable Gift Ideas

I know it isn't the gift-giving season for most people, but for me, I always give gifts to others just because I feel like it! I compiled a quick list of cute and affordable gifts you can gifts to others!

I love love love this little trinket dish from Francesca's! It's such a great gift for your sister and in fact, my sister gave me this as part of my graduation present. Currently, I keep it on my desk with my Alaska Airlines flight wings sitting on it :)

You can find it here.

This was also part of my graduation present and is also from Francesca's. This fluffy pillow doubles as room decor and a gift card holder! I currently have this hanging on a metal loop that's attached to my bed.

You can find it here.

My sister in law gave this to me for my 17th birthday because of my consistent dry humor. This is a great gift for anyone who is sarcastic or has a really great sense of humor. It's such a sad book that it's funny. 

You can find it here.

Washi tape is always a great gift for anyone! This decorative tape has so many creative uses and will always come in handy! I buy mine from eBay for a dollar or so - much cheaper than the ones you find in stores.

You can find it here or simply search "washi tape" into eBay's search box.

So the mason jar has tons of uses now - most of which are frickin' adorable. You could DIY this mason jar drinking cup, or you could just buy it - whichever suits you! I do love these cups because they're cute, convenient, and BPA free! I took my cup to my first hiking trip and it turned out to be a really good subject for photography.

You can find it here.

Hopefully, I have helped you stir up some ideas in your mind for a cute gift to give to your friend or family member!

~Misbah

DIY: Convert an Old Book to a Journal

While summer cleaning out my closet, I found a bunch of old daily calendars and address books (who even uses those?!) among other school supplies. Some of the daily calendars were super cute and I just couldn't throw them away! I decided to turn them into journals/art books! 

Materials:

Old book, large paint brush, white paint

Normally, you would buy this paint type of material called Gesso which artists usually use to convert old books into suitable canvases for sketching. Gesso does not come in small containers and I didn't need a gallon of the stuff so I used white paint instead! It works just as well :)

Procedure:

Take a bunch of white paint and slather it onto the pages of the book. Wait for it to dry, then add another coat. Repeat until the words/drawings on the page are almost gone. However, some people (me included) like the look of words in the background of sketches, so you can always stop after one or two coats. 

I had to use two coats on my pages to cover them faintly. Here is a comparison! 

 And I doodled on mine! As for the cover, I cut a piece of card stock with my name on it and taped it down on the "Address Book" print with washi tape! Get super creative with stickers, ribbons, construction paper and other cool supplies! Share your creative journals with me by sending them to my email: coffeeandkhajoor@gmail.com 

~Misbah

DIY Hexagonal Nut Bracelet

I would like to begin this post by apologizing for the incredibly weird lighting changes throughout the entire post. The sun was leaving me and I had to make up for it by using fluorescent bulbs (ugh).

Now that we've got that out of the way, I'd like to mention that this is such a creative little way of making jewelry! I absolutely love taking weird things and making them into something awesome. Before we begin the tutorial, I'm just going to mention that this DIY was actually a bit difficult for me and did take a bit of practice before I got the hang of it mainly because I'm not used to braiding things other than my hair. If you braid string and other things often, this may be super simple and if not, this may be challenging. Regardless, it's fun!

Materials:

For this super cool project, you will need about 18 hex nuts and twine! I bought the hex nuts at Home Depot and there were 6 in one pack for $1.89. The twine was from Walmart and I bought this twine a long time ago so I have no clue how much it is, but it's probably no more than $2. 

Step 1:

Cut three pieces of twine in lengths of 2 feet. Personally, I only had to use one foot because I was blessed with an awkwardly skinny body and my wrists are very boney. Then create a knot with a loop on one end of the twine bundle, pictured above.

Step 2:

Begin braiding the twine. I braided until 1 inch, however feel free to braid more depending on your wrist size.

Step 3:

This is where life became complicated. Feed a nut through the left or right side of the braid (whichever goes next in your braid), then cross over while holding the hex nut in place with your thumb at the base of the braid. Then feed a nut through the other side and cross over. Repeat with all the nuts. Always keep your thumb at the base, holding the nuts in place or else your bracelet will go all over the place. That happened to me and I had to start over many times. Do not be discouraged if you do not get this right away, it required quite a bit of practice for me!

Step 4:

After you are finished braiding all the hex nuts, continue braiding with a regular braid for the same length you began with on the bracelet. I braided for another 1 inch.

Step 5:

After you finish the regular braid, tie a tight knot to complete the braid. Measure out how much more twine you need for bracelet sizing. Then tie another knot to complete the sizing. Based on how large the loop you created in the first step, you may need to double or even triple knot. I recommend putting clear nail polish on all the knots created so that it will be secured.

Finished!

And here is my arm candy.

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and leave a comment telling me how it went for you!

~Misbah

Top 2 Facial Cleansers + Review!

Over the years (especially those awkward years), I've experimented with tons of cleansers trying to find some that not only work well with my skin, but also do what they claim. I've gone through the really awesome and the really bad and I know how hard it is for many of you to find a good facial cleanser that will suit you! After years, I was finally able to narrow my search down to two really awesome cleansers. These two do wonders for my skin! Hopefully these two suggestions will work for you, and if they do, let me know in the comments below! Also, if you have any suggestions for me, leave me a comment or message.

Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser: I've heard all the hype about this cleanser and finally decided to try it out. After using it, I cannot stress to all you girls out there how much you need this cleanser in your life. It contains natural charcoal which is known to lift out impurities and lemme tell you, it sure does! The product comes out charcoal-colored, but once it foams up, it becomes white and smells just like any of the other Bioré cleansers. When you massage it on, you can feel your skin begin to tingle and there's this really awesome heating and cooling sensation. It feels so calming! After you wash it off, your skin is noticeably brighter. I could feel my skin cleaner and so refreshed! It really cleans out all that gunk because I used a toner afterwards and there was nothing there! This is a must for everyone!

Noxzema Anti-Blemish Daily Scrub: I don't normally have acne, but when those pesky spots do appear, I need a quick way to get rid of them because who loves spots? Whenever I see even the tiniest spot, I use this cleanser (usually at night) and when I wake up the next morning, I wake up to clear skin! All those little and big spots are gone! Noxzema works miracles for my me, but it does definitely dry up my skin due to the high amount of Salicylic Acid. To fix this, I just slather a good amount of Vaseline over my face. If I use it in the morning, I slather moisturizer! Also, sometimes it's that time of the month and those spots just do not want to go away, even with this cleanser. I first use this cleanser and then afterwards I rub on elf's Zit Zapper. The Zit Zapper has Tea Tree Oil which is known to fight spots!

I hope this might help some of you with your facial issues because we all have them and girl, do not be ashamed.

~Misbah