A Fresh Scent

So... a while back I did a D.I.Y. air freshener with water beads as a gift for my friend. It was a long belated Christmas/birthday present. Haha. My apologies. :P

I've been meaning to post up this project for a while... But, as per usual, life got in the way and I got extremely lazy. Mainly because I didn't feel like uploading all the photos from my camera into my computer. Hah. Haha. 

Anyways, here I will attempt to go through the entire process of how I made this air freshener. Mind you, this was a "huge" undertaking for me, because its very rare that I document an entire process. The primary reason for why don't document things is because I don't follow directions/patterns very well. In addition, I change my mind a little too often for me to care to document everything. Plus, sometimes I just get caught up in making stuff that I forget to put down my work and stop to take pictures from multiple angles. Haha. I'm always really impressed by bloggers that are able to keep up documenting every phase they go through. Props.

I originally had the idea to simply spray your favorite scent into the water beads... but after doing a little bit of research, it looked like most D.I.Y. air fresheners used scented oil rather than just a liquid based scent. This is probably going to be a very long post... because I tried to take pictures of each step that I took. Hopefully I won't run out of things to say after a while. Haha. XD 

Let's get started! :)

The items I started off with was this glass container and the cap. When I bought it, it had a cork cap on it, but I decided later on in the process that I didn't like having the cork. You shall all see later what I mean. Haha. XD

The bird and floral design is a result of a crafting session with a few of the girls from my church. A little before Christmas some of my friends and I got together to to do some glass etching. The process for glass etching was rather simple: cut out the design you want imprinted, put etching cream on the cutout, let sit, and then wash it off! And, thanks to a very, VERY useful computerized cutter, we were able to get beautiful and perfect cutouts (had it been up to me, I would have spent a rather long time cutting out my own design, full of imperfections and frustrated failures. Haha). Of course, to get a design that you really want PLUS getting it all clean and pretty is a whole different story. Hahaha. XD

Right then, moving on. 

Now, in order for the scent to be able to come out of the bottle, you would naturally have to create an area where air can pass through the top of the container. I didn't want to leave it open because the water beads would fall out if the container ever tipped over.

At first, I thought it might be cool to just puncture holes in the cork cap, but the more I tried to pierce holes in the cap, the messier it got. I realized that, because the cork was really thick, the holes would have to be unattractively large. Haha. So, I thought of something else. (On a side note... I have no idea where that cork cap went. :( )

My brilliant idea was to cover the top with something similar to cloth caps that are used to cover jars and stuff. I happened to have some extra mesh lying around, so I decided to try to make a cap out of that mesh. If you're wondering about the mesh, it was actually extra mesh that I took from home. My mom and I put a new screen on our backyard sliding door, and we cut off the excess mesh and I took it because I thought it might eventually be useful for something.

And voila! Useful! :D

The mesh needs to be at least an inch wider than the diameter of the top. The reason being that the mesh needs to not only cover the top, but also come over the edge of the top to wrap around the top, and still have extra mesh to spare. After cutting out the square of mesh, I took thick thread and doubled it, then threaded it through the mesh. 

It took me many tries to thread the top correctly, actually. Every time I threaded the cap, it was too short and small, and when I tightened the threads, it would be too small and fall off of the top of the container.

It also took me a while to figure out how to tie the threads together. Both ends I used a simple double knot. I ended up using the adjustable sliding knot for the area where the threads crossed in order to allow for the cap to be tightened and loosened at will. I wanted to be able to take the cap off because then it would be able to refill the container with water beads and mix in difference scents, if necessary.

When I finally figured out how to put the cap on, the hardest part was finally over.

Now, it was time for the fun part! :)

If you're never played with water beads, its a lot of fun, especially if you're not working on a craft. ;) I actually first purchased these water beads a few years back in order to plant things in it. The tricky thing is, you need to regularly change out the water, or else mold starts to grow on the water beads. :( I learned that the hard way. Haha. But I had so many water beads, that it didn't really matter if I had to throw some away during my trial and error phase. Haha. 

Fun stuff.

Apparently you can make your own water beads as well. But, I don't really know how true that is. So, if anyone ever tries it... let me know how it turns out! :P

Here's what the water beads look like when they are dehydrated. You can purchase water beads fully hydrated, as well as dehydrated ones. I happen to have blue and green beads cuz... those two happen to be my favorite colors (not particularly in that shade, but I tend to favor blues and greens more than other colors).

And all you gotta do is put them in water, and wait for them to grow! I'm always fascinated by the beads cuz, when they are expanding... they actually don't expand like the way a water balloon would (swell up). Instead, if you look closely at one bead, it actually looks like a bunch of other tiny little bubbles grouped together and swelling up at the same time. Weird but strangely fascinating at the same time.

Here is it still in the growing phase. I had to add more water at this point because it was running low on liquids to suck up and expand on.

I probably waited roughly an hour for these beads to grow to full size. I probably didn't need to wait that long, but after the beads expand to their full size... it's not like it explodes or anything if there's too much water. So I just let it sit in order to ensure that they had reached their maximum capacity.

I completely overestimated how many beads I would need, so I ended up having quite a bit of extra water beads. Those I ended up playing around with for a while (longer than I care to admit. Haha) and I finally just left them on my counter to dry out and return to its original dehydrated state. It took quite a few days, actually. I even spread them out in order to allow for more surface area in attempts to dry them out quicker. I supposes it would shrink quicker if I placed a paper towel under it or something.

Then, all you gotta do is buy an essential oil scent, and add in a few drops! Mix it around until you think that its well infused into the beads, and then you're pretty much done! I went with my friend to Bath & Body Works and she picked out the scent she wanted. In this case, I used approximately 5-7 drops of Caribbean Escape.

And finally, simply put the cap on, and tighten the strings! Yay! Air freshener complete!!

It was kinda funny working with the essential oil. I was trying to test out how strong the smell of the air freshener was, and to see if it would be able to actually "freshen" the room. However, I think by the end of the project, I was so used to the smell, I couldn't tell what I was actually smelling. I also put my nose up to the opening of the bottle way too many times, which probably dulled my senses even more. Haha. XD

All in all, this was a pretty fun project to do. I found out that the glass etching that I added on the outside of the jar became pretty much invisible after I added the water beads into the jar, which was slightly disappointing. I think, if it had been a solid wall of color, rather than individual beads that were placed in there, it would have been more visible. Perhaps I can try making one of those gel candles or something else next time. :)

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this post! More to come! I promise!

It just might... take a while. :P

Thanks for reading!

:)

Milestone

Mmm... Well, I'm not sure if this would be considered a "milestone," but it seemed like a fitting title. Somehow, "The time period where I'm trying to figure out my life and not be lame about it" was just too long of a title.

I guess I'm going though something that everyone goes through once, twice, three, four...?... (you get the point) times in his or her life. Its something that some people embrace while others... they shy away from it.

I'm talking about...

Change.

Specifically, I'm talking about my life after graduating from undergrad. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and I knew that I would go through a lot of struggles during this time. I don't have a degree in a very applicable area (Japanese Studies and Chinese studies are, shockingly, not specific enough to land me a job that I want), and I most certainly do not have enough experience in work to get anywhere in life. Haha. And it's been a struggle for me.

Now, I don't mean to write about this to point out how sad I am and how pitiful my life is. I don't want people to think that I am wallowing in my lack of a direction or anything. In fact, in all honesty, I know that I have many more blessings than I deserve. I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear on my back, a loving family, a loving church, a loving community, and a job.

So... Why am I struggling through this?


The other day, while I was sharing about my day with my pastor and his wife, he asked me if I was stressed. My reply was a quick and definite: YES. I'm STRESSED.

He laughed and said, "That, is very blatantly, sin."

What? Sin?? Can't a girl catch a break? Isn't it natural to get stressed when you're tired? There's no need to go as far as to call it sin...

... or is it?

But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how accurate he was. True, it may be just "stress" that I am going through. But, at the heart of it, I lack trust and faith in God's plan. I don't know what I'm doing with my life right now and, therefore, I panic. I want God to reveal to me exactly what I should be doing, exactly how I should do it, and... I want it all right now.

As of right now, I can honestly say that I'm... unsatisfied. The job that I have, though it is a blessing to even have a job, has nothing related to what I want to do in the future (of course, when friends and family ask, I can certainly twist it in certain ways that make it sound like it is). It's a small company that forces me to take on a lot more responsibilities than I expected for a part-time, entry level position. It's stressful and draining. And, while it does prepare me for working life and dealing with authority figures in the work place... most people will agree with me in concluding... I probably need to get another job.

Of course, God usually has something else in mind. :P

And, naturally, God has something in His Word that directly speaks to such a situation:

[Romans 5:3-5]
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not pust us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (NIV)

Whatever it is that I am going through right now... God is allowing me to go through it for a reason. I am to grow and to learn from this struggle and, hopefully, emerge wiser and more mature.


There. Simple right? Now that I understand why God is putting me through these challenges, I should happily embrace these challenges and thank God for allowing me to go through them.

But, I think there comes to a point in my life where I have to recognize when God is telling me to persevere and when He is telling me to take a leap of faith.

What do I mean by that?

I believe, in certain instances, God is telling me that I should stand firm to my ground, and accept my circumstances as challenges that will mold me and grow me. In other instances, I believe that it may be time to move on.

This is where change comes in. Now, I can sit here all night and talk about how, if I stay at my current job, I can learn about small businesses, learn about dealing with stress, learn about interacting with customers and people, etc. But, at the heart of it... I know that this is not a place where I can make a career. I know that God has something bigger and better planned for me, and I know that, one day, I will have to leave my current job and trust in God's plan elsewhere.

The question is: When? When will the change occur? Is it now?

As I pray and meditate on what God wants me to do... I lean towards the idea that God wants me to move and to change. And... here... is where fear enters. Fear of changing. Fear of taking the leap of faith and allowing God to be in control.

And that is where I stand now. At the edge of a forest (pardon me for my cliche), afraid to walk in because I'm afraid to discover new things. All because I'm too comfortable with this little patch of grass that I've been sitting on. And, even though the grass makes me itchy and annoys me sometimes, I'd still rather sit on this grass and convince myself that this grass is already plenty green and that I can still discover new and exciting things. Like that little ladybug that flew by, or the morning dew on the blades of grass. I'm too scared to walk into the forest and allow God to bless me and show me new wonders.

I'm not an adventurer.

But God calls me to have courage and embrace change.