Valentine’s Day: Do It Yourself
Valentine’s Day is coming up fast and it’s completely up to you on how you spend the day. It has always been known as a holiday for couples but what are you expected to do if you’re single? Well, I say you should do it yourself! Yes, I mean let Valentine’s Day be a time where you learn to relax and be independent. I guarantee you will find yourself enjoying the sweet alone time, all you have to do is turn off the cliché Valentine’s day movies and stop letting society pressure you into feeling like you have to spend this day with someone. There are many activities that will show you new ways to relax, treat yourself and wind down on this lover’s holiday.
The first Do It Yourself (DIY) activity that you should engage in relates to keeping yourself relaxed. A lot of times, we are stressed from daily activities and we don’t have an immediate or portable outlet for this stress. This first activity will teach you how to make your own stress ball!
Needed Materials:
- Flour
- Dried Rice
- Funnel or an Empty Plastic Water Bottle
- Scissors
- Rubber Balloons
Procedure:
- Gather the flour and dried rice in a cup or empty water bottle.
- Transfer the cup’s contents by either sticking a funnel into the balloon’s opening or stretching the balloon opening over the uncapped top of the water bottle that has the stress ball filling already inside.
- Once you have done that, pour the flour and dried rice in the funnel or flip the water bottle so that the flour and dried rice slides into the balloon.
- For a palm-sized balloon, make sure you fill it approximately 2-3 inches deep.
- When the contents are inside of the balloon, pinch and remove the funnel or water bottle from its opening and remove any excess air in the balloon.
- Tie the neck of the balloon closed tightly and use the scissors to remove the excess rubber from the balloon. Make sure you don’t cut too close to the knot you made because this could cause a tear in the stress ball.
- Wrap the stress ball in two other balloons closing, tying and snipping the excess rubber off each time.
- (Optional) Draw a face on the stress ball with a sharpie and admire your work!
The next DIY activity comes in the form of a self-care remedy. There are times that we forget to wind down after dealing with a long day of stress and we forget to take care of ourselves. By making a face mask, you are guaranteeing yourself a fun evening and giving yourself the opportunity to experiment with just one of the many DIY face masks. The one that I will teach you how to make is one that includes Honey and Coconut Oil!
Needed Materials:
- 1 Tablespoon of honey
- 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
- (Optional) If you want to add lemon juice to the mixture, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and change the measurement of honey to 2 teaspoons.
- Small bowl
Procedure:
- Mix the honey, coconut and optional lemon juice in a bowl until it has a sticky texture. Don’t worry about it appearing thick because it will warm and soften when you apply it to your face.
- Put the sticky mixture on your face and keep it on for 15-20 minutes.
- Once the mask has sat on your face for the allotted time, rinse it off with warm water and apply your daily moisturizer.
The last DIY that I will share is just an extra treat to remind you that you don’t need anyone else to make your night sweet. Indulging a little on this Valentine’s evening will literally be the icing on the cake.
Needed Materials:
- Mason Jars
- Cake Mix (of your choosing, homemade or store bought)
- Icing (of your choosing)
- Large Pan
Procedure:
- Fill the jars with the cake batter so that they are a little over half- full. Make sure you keep the jar lids off.
- Preheat your oven 350 degrees.
- Fill a large pan with water and place the jars in equidistant from each other. The water in the pan allows for even cooking and ensures that the jars don’t crack.
- Bake them in the oven but make sure that you add 15 minutes to the cooking time because the water slows the baking process.
- Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and remove the jars from pan so that they can cool.
- Lastly, frost your cake by adding the icing and sprinkles if you want extra flavor.
- Enjoy the yummy dessert you just made!