Totally Useless DIYs Everyone Should Know

Beautiful Eyes Provided By www.cba.ca

Do you ever have a moment where you find a lazy trick to something just to make your life that much easier? That lazy girl inside of me loves when I find things like that. I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but this past Christmas break I have been writing down little tricks I've discovered while visiting my family in Philadelphia. My family also helped me come up with some of these. Also, my cousin found this website that gives you 5 Morning Hacks for the Lazy Teen if you want to check them out! Anyway, here are six that I have come up with and I hope you try some! And please don't forget to vote on my poll if you haven't already (I mean there is only over 1,500 days left). Anyway, enjoy!

Have an addiction for strawberries like myself? Have fun with eating them next time by using a straw. Stick the straw through the bottom up to easily pop off and remove the stem! I find that this is the best way to remove the whole stem without a huge mess or anything.

I love listening to music on my phone. For me it get's everything done faster. Like cleaning my room, doing school assignments (like this one) and pretty much everything else. I also hate earbuds and headphones. They never stay in and my dogs love to eat them. So I usually just use the speakers from my phone. To DIY my own speakers I put my phone (speaker facing down) into an empty bowl. The bowl will project its sound and will fill the whole room with music!

I remember watching a cake boss episode where one of the sisters teaches a group of girls the proper way to eat a cupcake. She told them the right way to eat a cupcake is to put the bottom cake part on the top to create a sandwich with the icing in the middle. It's probably the most genius thing in the history of the world. I mean it makes every bite have and equal amount of icing and cake! You have to try it it will change the way you eat cupcakes forever. 

This DIY is for the breakfast chefs (I think there's such thing). Any way, use an empty plastic water bottle to separate an egg yolk from its whites by squeezing the bottle and slowly loosening your hand so the air will suck up the yolk only. I remember my grandma showing me this when I was little. You're welcome.

The "gif" above may fool you but this DIY still has to do with chocolate, only my favorite thing in the universe that I could not live without. Did you know pulling the tab on a hershey kiss wrapper immediately unwraps the foil and pops out the beautiful chocolate? Again, you are so welcome.

I bet you didn't know that pulling a banana by the shorter stem will easily peel of in two sections! Yup thats right, its proven to remove the peel easier, which is why monkeys peel bananas like that in the wild!

5 DIY Tricks For Every Amazing Dog Owner

I, Kelley Hennessy, am a complete dog lover. I now have four dogs which can be hard to take care of.  Here are five tricks that will make every dog owner's life a little easier. (Click HERE for more tips!)

(Photo Courtesy Of: Alexandra Zaslow)

Two of my dogs are husky, meaning long thick hair that gets everywhere! My mom found that using a squeegee (what you may use for car windows or maybe shower doors) is the best way to get that dog hair out of your carpet. Another thing that helps are damp rubber gloves. The gloves easily pick of the fur right into your hands! Leaving your carpet hair free. When it's my job to clean the carpets, I run a vacuum over everything first to get most of it up, but sometimes there are those tough hairs that are too tough for the vacuum, and that when I get my sister to due the rest with this easy trick.

 (Jake, he was our first dog which I am the closest with, five years old)

My two male dogs are much more hyper and always go crazy when it's time to eat. I notice that they will eat their food without even chewing it, which sometimes causes them to have hiccups or even get sick. When we told the vet about this problem he told us to add a tennis ball with their food to slow them down. The tennis ball makes it harder for dogs to gulf their food down since they have to work their way around the ball. This trick works most of the time until your dogs gets smart and tosses the ball out before eating!

(Naki, she's everyone's favorite and nicest and now acts like a mother to Teak, three years old)

One thing that comes with puppies is accidents. I remember one stain that would not come out with the pet cleaner we were using and when I did some research, I found that pouring dry baking soda straight onto the carpet and letting it sit for a few minutes made the carpet good as new! If use have a puppy, all you need is a thing of baking soda to do the trick.

(Teak, he's our newest to the family and the craziest, he's only ten months old)

My one dog has the worst breath in the world! When I would try to brush her teeth I would have to pin her down just to get the tooth brush in her mouth. Then I thought about putting dog tooth paste on treats to realize shortly after that she was just swallowing the toothpaste. Then my sister came up with the idea of putting the toothpaste on her chew toy and basically having her clean her own teeth! This idea has worked ever since but is something you have to keep up with to maintain a clean dog breath.

(Kea, she's our oldest and strongest, sixteen years old!)

I remember when after we brought our first dog home going to the pet store. I wanted to get him all of these toys but my mom would tell me they were all just too expensive. I noticed my dog would like to take water bottles of the recycling bin to play with. That's when I had the idea of making my own toys. All I did was add some treats to a plastic water bottle and cut little holes around it so he could smell them. I remember him running away with it to a corner and chewing on it for hours!

All About Me!

 Hi, my name is Kelley Hennessy. My birthday is November 9, 1999 making me fifteen years old today. I only have one younger sister named Quinn. We are exactly one year and one week apart. I was born in Pennsylvania and lived there for ten years. I had a big house, with a pool in the back and went to a catholic school with uniforms. 

 I have a huge family with my mom being one of eleven siblings, giving me over fifty cousins. Out of all of those cousins, I mainly grew up with three of them, we were like sisters and still are today. All of my mom’s family lived in the city of Philadelphia and we lived outside of it in the suburbs. I remember my mom not having to go to work when I was a baby, so my three cousins who were all my same age would always be dropped off since their parents had to go to work. We basically grew up together, most my best memories were with them.

 Then, five years ago, the summer before fifth grade was when my dad wanted to live “the mountain life” and we packed our bags for Park City, Utah. It was hard for my family to see me go since we are so close, but we made it happen and I still fly out to see them every Christmas, spring and summer break.  

 When I first moved here I went to Park City Day School, a small private school on Pinebrook Road. They had uniforms, but was much less strict and I loved it there. I skid more than I ever did, and made new friends, some I still have today. I also started going to dance at Dance Tech which happened to be right down the road from me. There I mainly did ballet and hip-hop, but also did jazz and tap for a year.

 In the summer before seventh grade, I knew I didn’t want to go to Park City Day School anymore because I I did there would have been only three other kids in my ENTIRE grade! I remember going to summer camp and having all of these friends that were going to Ecker Hill and they told me all about it. That seventh was when I started in the ParK City School District, and have been there ever since! I’ m now in Treasure mountain and cannot wait to get into the High School building next year!

 I enjoy the simple things in life. Being in a happy state of mind, and I don't think people should settle for less than they deserve. I always look toward the next best thing or special event. I enjoy seeing others happy. When someone else is down, it breaks my heart. I've been through more than most people my age, but hey, it's what has made me stronger. Life has thrown me challenges, and so far, I've come out on top. I love music, hanging with friends and family, cheer and sadly, Starbucks (I'm addicted). Favorite cheesy quote: "There is more to life than beauty on the outside, what's on the inside is where it counts." :)

DIY Your Leftovers!

In my family when it comes to cooking dinners, we always make a huge amount so we can always have some for the rest of the week. I personally hate having the same thing over and over and want to share how I like to change things up.

Have some leftover mashed potatoes? Make some cheesy mashed potato pancakes by just mixing some mashed potatoes, cheese, chives and eggs together. Then frying them in cooking oil! I add sour cream to mine and it tastes like cheesy heaven! They end up being crispy on the outside and nice a gooey from the potatoes inside. Want to know a quick tip about frying? My grandmother taught me that if you put the end of a clean wooden spoon into your oil, you will be able to tell if it's hot enough by seeing bubbles form around the spoon. Works every time I promise!

(Photo Curtesy Of: Kelly Senyei)

Still craving the fall season? How about some pumpkin spice Rice Krispy treats! Your inner white girl will be obsessed with these! I love making these after Thanksgiving when there is leftover pumpkin puree. For this all you have to do is malt some butter and pumpkin puree in a pan, add a bag of marshmallows, and keep stirring until it looks like warm icing. Warning: It tastes amazing! After that, add a pinch of cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt to get that fancy spice taste going and take off the heat. Your last step it to mix in the Rice Krispies and viola! You have delicious pumpkin spice treats that your friends are going to love!

(Photo Curtesy Of: Nealey Dozier)

My sister is obsessed with cranberry sauce and I personally don't like it. But what I do like is cranberry butter! Sounds weird at first, but its this light pink whipped butter that's amazing on bagels! All you have to do is use a hand mixer to whip some butter and cranberry sauce together and you will fall in love! It's not as strong as cranberry sauce and more  of a buttery, creamy taste that you can even put on sandwiches!

(Photo Curtesy Of: Anna Angel)

Not a huge fan of plain Jane sweet potatoes like myself? Turn them into delicious sweet potato bites!I just mix the cooked potatoes, some parmesan cheese and salt into a blender and roll them into balls on a baking tray as if I'm baking cookies. After they're baked for around fifteen to twenty minutes they taste just as good as the cheesy mashed potato pancakes! I personally like these more then the pancakes because I prefer some that's not too cheesy and this is just the right amount!

(Photo Curtesy Of: Jordan)

I love these four ways to recreate leftovers and please leave me a comment if you try any of them yourself! Also, if you haven’t already, vote on my poll so I know what you guys would like to see more of! Want to get more fancy with your recreations? CLICK HERE for more leftover recipes!

DIY Acne Mask

(Photo Courtesy Of: *Acne Remedies)

Almost everyone I know that’s my age, including myself is fighting acne. We all hate it, and we all want it gone. Have you been breaking out due to stress, or maybe hormones? I've found the perfect mask for you! 

What you will need:

• One Apple (I used red, not that it matters)
• About three tablespoons of honey
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Blender
• Small container (to put the product in)

*Quick Tip: This apple honey mask works best when it’s fresh. In other words, do not keep in refrigerator to apply later.

Start off with cutting up your apple into about one inch chunks, then add to blender.  Next, add your honey and blend!

This was where I made a mistake. As you can see below, I blended far to long, making my mask at thin as water. Speaking of water, I also added half a cup to my mixture! 

*Quick Tip: I highly recommend to just use the ingredients above for an easier application. In other words, don’t use water!

My Mixture:

My consistency was way too thin and I had a terrible time trying to put it on. :/

Anyway blend for a short period of time until the mixture has combined, but is still chunky. Then pour into your container and it is ready to use! Apply with either clean hands, like I did, or a clean paint brush.

*Quick Tip: Wash your face before applying mask for better results.

Let the mask sit on your face for about ten minutes. It feels very soothing and your skin will feel squeaky clean when you wash it off!

Now you're probably wondering, how does this mask work? Well, honey has anti-biotic properties, which stops bacteria growth and the apple's grains have glycolic acid which works as an exfoliation, cleaning your face and clearing up the skin's pores. Together, they fight to minimize acne!

*Quick Tip: Still want to know more about how apples and honey are good for your skin? Click Below:

Apple Health Benefits for Skin 

Honey Health Benefits for Skin

Use this mask about once or twice a week to keep acne from appearing, or just use whenever you're breaking out. This mask is amazing for the skin and I love what it does for me! I hoped you enjoyed my mask and please comment below telling me how it worked for you. Also, please vote on my poll so I know what you guys would like to see! Thanks! :)

DIY Hair Growth Treatment

(Photo Courtesy Of: ALEXANDRA DALUISIO)

Last summer, I dyed my hair ombre. As I was getting this done I also had my damaged ends cut. Turns out I had 6 inches of damaged hair from heat styling with no heat protecting. I hated how short it was.

My hair literally right when I got into the car from the salon:

Anyway, I wanted my hair to grow back, and I wanted it back fast. So I started searching hair growth treatments. Most things I found were up to fifty dollars, which I knew I wouldn't have after paying for the salon and heat products. I decided to research certain ingredients that are really good for hair growth, like maybe foods I could start eating.

I learned that to get longer hair you have to start at the "root" of the problem, aka, your scalp. You start with your scalp because most people have scalp inflammation without even knowing it! That is leading to slow hair growth.

So now you're wondering, what does my scalp need? The answer, sulfur. The juice in an onion has tons of sulfur which your scalp needs to create blood flow and to open your blocked pores, making your hair grow faster! 

I know what you're thinking, eat an onion?! Don't worry, I have created a treatment that only involves you applying it to you scalp and not your mouth.

So to create this easy treatment all you're going to need is:

• Half an onion
• Blender, cheese grater or juicer (I went with the cheese grater)
• Small container with lid to hold your new product

*Quick Tip: I used a red onion, but a white onion, or any other kind of onion will work!

So now that you have your ingredients that were probably in your home, you are going to grate your onion into your container. When I was doing this, I cried like no other!

*Quick Tip: Need some onion cutting tips? CLICK HERE

Once your done you should have small chunks of onion, or what I thought looked like purple applesauce. It should feel more like a liquid between your fingers. That’s the juice, or in other words, what our scalps need! I’d say I did about three tablespoons but you should vary between two and four tablespoons depending on how thin or thick your beautiful hair is.

*Quick Tip: Apply out of the shower!

So once you have your treatment all you have to do is dab your finger into the juice and rub all around your scalp.

*Quick Tip: Massage your scalp about three times a week for best results.

Then wait between thirty minutes to an hour! I kept mine in for about forty-five minutes. Then wash your hair and you're done! Store the rest of your treatment away. I’ve been doing this one to three times a week and have been getting amazing results!

*Quick Tip: The smell will come out after washing your hair.

I hope you liked this, please vote on my poll! :)

DIY Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino

(Photo Courtesy Of: Yeni Konu)

If you have read my "About Me" page, you will know that I am obsessed with Starbucks, it's a bad addiction. If you ask any of my close friends you will know that one of my favorite things to get is the Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino (I know, one of the worst drinks you can get). Anyway, I have spent way to much money on Starbucks and I am tired of giving in to their expensive drinks. So I have decided to create this yummy drink of my own!

What I used for my delicious drink:

• One cup of milk

• Between two and three tablespoons of chocolate syrup (I ended up using melted chocolate chips)

• Half cup of chocolate chips (I used semisweet)

• Between one and one half cups of ice

• Blender

• Spoon

• Cup

• Straw (Optional)

• Whipped Cream (Optional, I did not have)

So I started with adding the milk and chocolate syrup to the blender and lightly stirring with a spoon. Then I added the ice and chocolate chips and blended until I couldn't hear any big chunks of ice breaking anymore. After that I poured my mixture into a cup. If I had whipped cram or syrup I would have topped it off with that.

Quick Tip: Want to see some of Starbucks secret drinks that you need to try? These drinks are amazing and cannot be found on the menu! CLICK HERE to check out this interesting video!

Apart from no garnishing, the drink tasted exactly like the five dollar ones I purchase in Starbucks. I am so happy I found this drink and plan on not going to Starbucks as much. Please comment below and let me know if you would like to see more DIY Starbucks drinks because I have a lot more ideas! Also, please vote on my poll so I know what you guys want to see more of! Thanks! :)

My Heavenly Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino:

DIY Lipstick Out of Crayons!

(Photo Courtesy Of: 21st Street Blog)

 
Have you ever wanted to make lipstick from crayons? I have finally found a formula that's non-toxic, and completely safe. It is even safer than most lipsticks you purchase in stores. This is great for anyone who wants to try different colors, without emptying your wallet! I plan on using a dark color for my scary halloween costume. I have made this formula with the simplest ingredients possible that you should already have in your home. This project is a lot of fun to make and I hope you enjoy!

*Quick tip: You can also put oils into your product to add fragrance. 

So for this project you will need:

• Coconut oil or Vaseline (If you use coconut oil instead of vaseline, there will be a slight scent of coconut.)
• Color crayons of your choice (I would use the brand “Crayola”)
• Container to hold your new lip products (things like a jewelry holder or an ice tray will do)
• Oils for fragrance (optional)
• Pot
• One cup of Water
• Small oven-safe bowl (that will easily fit in the pot)

So you want to start with removing the paper from your crayons. Then you are going to cut the crayon into three sections, each one should be about one inch long. Put your pot with one cup of water between low to medium heat and place your small bowl in the center. 

*Quick tip: The bowl should touch the bottom of the pot without flotation and the should have enough room on the sides for you to be able to grab the bowl without burring your fingers (which is what I did).

For more of a sheer look, put one half tsp. and for an opaque look,  add one fourth tsp. of coconut oil or vaseline per inch of crayon added to the bowl. I decided to go for an opaque look and used vaseline instead of coconut oil since that was what I had in my home. I added one fourth tsp. of vaseline, then a one inch piece of crayon and stirred until they turned into a thin liquid. Then I added another one fourth tsp. of vaseline and one inch piece of crayon to the mix and stirred until everything was completely melted. I repeated this step until a total of three one inch pieces of crayon and three one fourth tsp. of vaseline were well blended. This process only took about thirty seconds to a minute because the crayon burns very easily. 

You can mix different crayons together to get the color you desire, but I just did the same crayon for each color. Anyway, after you mixture is melted, carefully pour into your small container and wait for it to cool before you apply. Then you can wash out your small bowl and repeat with as many colors as you like! Oh and don't forget to vote on my poll! I want to know what you guys want me to blog about! :)

 

For extra tips and tricks CLICK HERE for a video tutorial!