Naturally Color Your Cake Frosting with Dried Hibiscus Flowers!

 "Glowing Inside" 5x7 print by Etsy Shop Jeff Coat Art

I have always been mesmerized by the beauty of hibiscus flowers. My beloved Grandpa Bill would grow big hibiscus blooms in his garden and I often remember him picking one for me which I would then put in my hair like one of the beautiful Tahitian ladies in the famous Paul Gauguin's paintings. Below is a painting of a hibiscus flower that I found on Etsy that is absolutely stunning!

 "Red Hibiscus Painting" by Etsy Shop Onerase: Original Art by William Gilliam

In April, I made this brightly colored Barbie doll cake to celebrate the welcoming of my precious baby niece Lydia. I naturally colored the cake frosting with a homemade hibiscus syrup. Isn't the color vibrant?! The recipe is very simple. All I used was about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of dried hibiscus flowers; I placed them in a small pot with about 3/4 - 1 cup of water and I added 1/4 cup of sugar. I simmered this "tea" on low for an hour or so until the liquid reduced down to a thicker solution "syrup". While simmering, I made my buttercream frosting which was just a few sticks of softened butter that I blended with powdered sugar (sweeten to taste). Once my hibiscus syrup was ready, I added it to my frosting and I was amazed at how beautifully radiant the color was! It made a dark raspberry pink color...which was almost red!

Here is an example of what your tea will look like below; you can find these dried hibiscus flowers "Organic Hibiscus Tea" in Etsy shop Happy Earth Tea:

Looking for a vintage Barbie doll for a homemade doll cake? I have some here in my Etsy Shop: Vintage Barbie Dolls.

 This blog article was contributed by the Etsy Recyclers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles

Upcycled Decoupage Iphone Covers!

Handpicked magazine clippings and Yogi brand tea tags were upcycled and reused in this one-of-a-kind handmade decoupage masterpiece! These images and phrases are securely covered with two layers of glossy Mod Podge sealant so your iPhone can bounce around in your purse and be protected. Please check out the handmade upcycled decoupage iPhone cases here in my Etsy shop: Eco-Friendly Freckles!

This blog article was contributed by the Etsy Recyclers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles

Polish Your Vintage Patent Leather Shoes with Coconut Oil!

Add a glistening shine to your vintage patent leather shoes and make them look new again with just a little good old-fashioned coconut oil. Not only does coconut oil bring revitalized beauty to your hair, skin, and over all health (not too mention, it is great to supplement with it daily to prevent Alzheimer's), coconut oil will polish up your favorite pair of vintage black patent leather pumps beautifully! Likewise, you can even use coconut oil to polish the vintage wooden furniture pieces in your home!

 "Pure Unrefined Virgin Organic Coconut Oil 4 oz." by Etsy Shop Ablution33.

All you need to do is get yourself a soft terrycloth towel and first dampen it with a little soapy water or just water by itself and delicately clean the exterior of your patent leather shoes to ensure that you have cleaned away any remains of dirt or other stains. Then take about a teaspoon of coconut oil and place it on the tip of your terrycloth towel and gently polish and shine your shoes with a light circular motion...and voila, you have revamped your vintage pair of patent leather shoes making them shiny once again and now they're ready for the dance floor!

You can view this 1970s pair of Naturalizer black bow tie patent leather pumps as well as my other shiny vintage patent leather ladies shoes here in my shop.

This blog article was written by Etsy Recyclers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles