I’ve noticed a growing trend on the DIY side of the internet, where people are taking old bookcases and turning them into some pretty cool, space saving, upcycled dollhouses. All you need is a bookcase or shelving, some paint/scrap paper, etc to decorate, and a tiny doll moving company to get your little ones dolls to move in.

Love,
Jodie

PS. This DIY is a great excuse for you to play with the dollhouse as you build it

Head over to her step-by-step tutorial here.

Love,
Jodie

Wondering what a spirit streak is? It’s an amethyst extension, made of 100% human hair. For a donation of $5 a streak is applied with a professional grade adhesive, which lasts one to two weeks. For a donation of $15 a streak is sewn in and can last one to two months.

I went in today and got an awesome haircut from the lovely Monica, as well as my first sewn in extension ever! The best part is (other than Monica, I adore her) was that I got to enter my donation straight to NoHo Hair Salon’s Relay for Life page, so I can guarantee you that your FULL donation is going straight to The American Cancer Society.

You can go into the salon or even just donate remotely here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12CA?pg=team&fr_id=37130&team_id=1163432  …. but why not have some fun if you live in the area?

A little background on the salon:

Robbie is one of the region’s most sought-after colorists and Monica is becoming the Art District’s favorite hair artist with an edge.

Visit their website here: http://nohohairsalon.com/
“Like” them on facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/NoHoHairSaon
Or just plain visit them in person here: 11049 Magnolia Blvd., Suite 200 (Ground floor), North Hollywood, CA 91601

Love,
Jodie

PS. I strongly encourage tipping

A couple of days ago, Kelly over at StudioDIY blogged a great tutorial on making a piñata. You can check it out here , or read my version below. I’m pretty much using her pictures and instructions, but making it a little bit greener (in true Barley & Birch fashion)

What You’ll Need:

• Old Tissue Box
• Old newspaper (or magazine) pages.
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Glue
• Treats!!!

The Steps:

1. Cut your pages into about 1″ strips, and snip them to create a fringe. You’re going to need a lot of this. Put on that show that’s been sitting in your DVR for weeks, and have at it.

2. You also need to cut ribbon for your handle and decorative ribbon for the bottom (optional). Kelly’s were all 18″ lengths. Make a big loop out of one strand for your handle, and tie the rest of the strands together to make a tail.

3. With your scissors poke a hole in one top corner of your tissue box, then poke another hole in the opposite bottom corner. Pull your ribbon through the holes you created, making sure that the knots you tied are large enough not to slip through each end.

4. Fill your piñata with treats! Once filled, seal it up with scrap paper.

5. To adhere your fringe, start with the sides of your box. Run thin lines of glue around the box and gently wrap the fringe around and around. Make sure each layer of fringe is very close to the previous layer so you prevent any of the box from showing through.

6. Once the sides are completely covered, you’ll want to add fringe to the top and bottom. Do this in the same manner as before, but instead of wrapping you’ll cut your fringe at the end of each line. (Optionally, you can do ALL sides in this manner. It would probably be better if you’re using magazine pages, or shorter strips)

7. Wait for glue to dry.

8. Hang up and admire.

9. Destroy.

10. Eat treats.

Love,
Jodie

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup acrylic paint in the color of your choice
• 1 tablespoon unsanded grout (this is a powder, so make sure to work in a ventilated area!)
• mixing cup or bowl
• spoon
• paint brush
• object/board/wall you plan on painting.

The Steps:

1. Mix your paint and grout until it’s a smooth, non-lumpy consistency.

2. Paint your surface.

3. When the paint is completely dry, “slate” the surface by rubbing chalk along the surface and then lightly rubbing it off. This will help prevent “staining” when you write/doodle on your new chalkboard.

Enjoy!

Love,
Jodie

“Clothes don’t grow. Kids do.”

Every parent finds themselves with a ton of clothes their kid(s) have grown out of. ThredUP makes it possible to trade such items for ones in the size you currently need. Members bundle 15+ “new to you” items in a box, then log the contents online by size, brand, gender, and style. Other “thredders” can then purchase the box for $9, plus the cost of shipping, and must eventually contribute packages of their own. You can also join the Super Thredder Program and earn double cash back for every 3 or 4 star box you send when you list your box at the Super Thredder rate.

Go on, check them out. Can’t hurt.

Love,
Jodie

What You’ll Need:

• Crayons
• A canvas
• Hot glue
• A blow dryer
• A tarp/old newspaper in case of a mess

The Steps:

• Pick out the colors you want to use, and figure out your layout.
• Using the glue gun, adhere the crayons onto the canvas with the tips pointing down.
• Prop the canvas up, with tarp/newspaper under it.
• Use your hair dryer to melt the wax. Experiment with the setting to see which works the best for what you want. >>>WARNING: The wax CAN splatter, so make sure to protect the surrounding areas, and wear long sleeves just in case<<<

Here are some examples of variations of melted crayon art.

Black or colored canvas.

Cut out initials or shapes.

Use different shades of blue to create a rain or water effect.

Shades of green can create a grass effect.

And this one is just simply my favorite of all time.

Love,
Jodie

We had to share with you all. It is so wonderful. We are Caine’s newest fans.

This first recipe is intended to make one serving and serve immediately.

Banana Blueberry Buckle

2 tablespoons fresh blueberries
1/2 large ripe banana

Puree blueberries and banana in a blender; serve.

This second recipe is for 10 servings, to be made and stored until needed:

Mango, Carrot and Apple Puree

What You’ll Need:

• Newspaper
• A ruler
• Gluestick / Your favorite glue
• Scraps of cardstock/chipboard or index cards.
• Holepuncher
• String/Ribbon
• Eyelets (optional)

Got those gathered? Good. Now head over to the tutorial here.

Love,
Jodie