#1 Alcohol ink candleholder – crafts.squidoo.com/how-to-use-alcohol-ink-on-glass

This simple project I found on Pinterest teaches how to splatter paint a glass candleholder using nothing but some alcohol inks and a can of compressed air. Though the entire tutorial was mashed into one paragraph, it didn’t make it any less easy to follow and execute. On top of that, the tutorial gives a lot of freedom in what colors to use or where exactly to drop the ink, leaving plenty of room to exercise creativity, making the project as long or short as someone wants it to be. The only drawback was that the tutorial didn’t mention that the only way for the splatter effects to appear at all was to use the canned air to blow in the opposite direction the ink was flowing. If done in the direction the ink was flowing, all the ink would do is run faster, making no splatter effect at all. This makes you turn the candleholder all around, which is quite annoying. Even though the example the instructor gave was brighter and better looking than the candleholder I ended up with, it’s obvious that her result came from experience and not necessarily skill, which is nice to see. Overall, this project is easy enough for anyone to do and lets in enough creativity to be enjoyable, leaving you with something you actually want to keep.

#2 Cilantro-lime cucumber salad – thefoodcharlaton.com/2014/01/06/cilantro-lime-cucumber-salad/

After pouring over page after page of Pinterest recipes for a delicious meal on a hot summer’s day, I stumbled upon a recipe on how to make a cilantro-lime cucumber salad. Like any recipe, the instructions were precise and straightforward which left little room for error and plenty of room for adjustments, which was sadly needed. Though the salad certainly looks refreshing, the end result was horribly bitter and way too sharp. Though adding some sugar certainly lessoned the bitterness, it did nothing to soften the sharpness, which is what really broke the salad and left it hard to choke down, leaving a disgusting taste in my mouth.

#3 Sparkle mod podge paper necklace – modpodgerocksblog.com/2013/01/sparkle-mod-podge-paper-necklace.html

Jumping onto Pinterest, it didn’t take to long to find a long list of easy to do mod podge crafts. Though I had never used mod podge, which is a type of crafting glue, I wanted to try and make the cute paper flower necklace I had found. The instructions were very short and fast, not wasting time and getting to the point, as well as giving visual representation to follow along and compare. However, the tutorial failed to mention how expensive the project was, how long the glue actually takes to dry, and the fact that the necklace likes to lean forward when being worn. Even with these drawbacks, my necklace came out looking almost exactly like the visual representation, minus the chosen colors and parts. Overall, this entire project is very easy and simple, perfect for any age and would make a great gift.