MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING: DIY BRIDAL SHOWER TEACUP CANDLES

Last week I shared these DIY place cards for my best friend's bridal shower, and I got to put my maid of honor DIY duties to use when creating the favors! I created these fun teacup candles to match the tea party, and they were easier to make than I expected.

What you'll need:

- Vintage teacups. I got mine from various antique and thrift stores.

- Various candles. I picked up a ton of tea lights from the dollar store, along with a few pink and red candlesticks to add color.

- Candle Wick (like this.)

- Scented Oil (make sure it is safe to use for candles.)

- Glitter (make sure it is safe to use for candles.)

- Aluminum pan. I got mine from the dollar store.

- Large pot. You'll want to be able to fit the pan inside the pot comfortably.

- Measuring cup.

- Chopstick (or any type of stick you can use to stir.)

If you don't want to ruin your own kitchen supplies, you can pick up a large pot and measuring cup from a thrift store like I did (for only a dollar each!) It's worth it so you don't have to worry about wax drying on your stuff.

First clean your teacups completely (thanks mom for reminding me to do that!) and cut your candles and tea lights into small pieces like below, throwing away the wick. Start boiling an inch to two inches of water in the large pot.

Place the small pieces into the aluminum pan and once the water is boiling, place the pan inside the pot. While you're waiting for your wax to melt, place the candle wick inside the teacup. Occasionally stir the melting wax with a chopstick, and pick out any wick that may have been left behind.

Once the wax is melted, pour it into your measuring cup, adding a few drops of scented oil and sprinkling in glitter. Then pour the wax into your teacup, holding the wick in place. You'll want to do this part as neatly as possible, since the wax dries quickly and it will come out uneven if you pour it in too fast. 

Try and not move the teacup until it is partially dry, so the wax stays evenly. Once you see the top is somewhat hardened, sprinkle some extra glitter on top. Leave the teacups overnight and in the morning, they should be good to go! If you find that they've sunken in the middle, heat up some more wax and pour it on top to even it out. Also once it's done, you can trim the wick to about 1/4". 

By mixing different shades of pink and red with the white, I created different shades. It was so much fun hunting for different teacups, and I loved how each one had a unique design!

It's been my favorite DIY project so far!

x Jill

FAVORITO FRIDAY: VALENTINE'S DAY WITH LUSH

Celebrate Valentine's Day with LUSH and our newest favorite bath and beauty products! LUSH gave us the Neon Love Soap and The Kiss Lip Tint to try and you'll definitely want to pick it up before the holiday is over.

Neon Love Soap ($7.85): This soap contains bergamot and rosewood oils to create a rich fragrance, and a blend of fresh figs, passion fruit juice and soya yogurt to nourish and soften skin. Cut a sliver to reveal a “heart” felt surprise inside.

This soap has the ability to make an apartment smell better than any candle has. Would it be that weird to leave bars of soap around the house?

The Kiss Lip Tint ($9.25): A delightfully whipped up mixture of moisturizing butters such as Fair Trade shea and cupuaçu with a very tasty organic agave syrup. This tint easily smoothes onto lips leaving a high shine finish, boosted by PET-free sparkles. Organic mandarin and almond essential oils create an uplifting fragrance, and guarana seed powder, a natural lip plumper to make your pout simply irresistible.

A perfect tint - moisturizing, a little bit of color, and can double as a cheek stain.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jess & Jill

JILL'S WARBY PARKER HOME TRY-ON

I have never had the best vision and can't watch television or drive a car without squinting (side note: I learned the hard way that driving without your glasses is a criminal offense. I like to live on the edge, but I digress...)

While I've had bad luck with contacts in the past, I've been meaning to get around to getting better glasses but haven't had the chance. And in walks Warby Parker at the perfect time! As you know from Jess's post, Warby Parker allows you to order up to five pairs of glasses to be delivered to your home, so you can test them out before you commit. But being the true Libra that I am, I'm having a little trouble picking which ones I like best. 

So that totally calls for a photo shoot, right?

Warby Parker makes selfies so much more fun!

Which pair do you like best?

x Jill

TAX FREE WEEKEND AT 900 NORTH MICHIGAN SHOPS

Celebrate Presidents' Day with 900 North Michigan Shops and three days of tax free shopping! Over 40 retailers will offer 9.25% off their purchase to all shoppers! Shop everything from Kate Spade New York, Michael Kors Collection, MaxMara, Club Monaco, J.Crew, and more! (Full list of participating stores here.)

We can't just leave you with just shopping! Use promo code 900TAXFREE and get a free first ride with Uber. If you're already a member, get 9.25% off your ride with promo code 900SHOP.

What store are you excited about shopping tax free?

Jess & Jill

JESS'S WARBY PARKER HOME TRY-ON

Glasses are part of who I am. I haven't gone a single day without prescription glasses or sunnies since the third grade! I was lucky enough to have four-eyed parents that knew that wearing the same frames year after year was like wearing the same sweater every day, and they always took me to update my glasses whenever I wanted a change. With the increasing prices of well, everything, glasses were put on the back burner once I was on my own. Spending a few hundred dollars on glasses was not on my priority list... Until I met Warby Parker. 

As long as you've seen my face on Jess & Jill, I've been wearing Warby Parker frames. I've got the Colton in Revolver Black Crystal (my main frame), Japhy in Black Revolver Crystal, Sibley in Revolver Black, Reece in Sandalwood Matte, and my favorite sunnies, Everett in Gimlet Tortoise. No need for an intervention, this is a good addiction! Every prescription pair starts at $95 (a little extra if you're blind like me). Yeah, just $95. That includes the handcrafted frame with high-end, anti-reflective polycarbonate lenses (that's good, trust me). They even have sunwear! Non-presciption start at $95, $150 with prescription. That price is a steal when previous sunglasses have costed more than a few hundred with polarized lenses. Not only are they giving you an awesome deal, they also give a free pair of glasses to those in need for every pair they sell. Warby Parker looks good and does good.

If you're thinking that it can't be easy to buy glasses over the internet of all places, don't worry, they've got it down pat! Warby Parker's Home Try-On is a fun and simple way to update that beautiful face of yours. Pick five frames in the color of your choice and it's on your way to your house for free for five days. Fall in love with one, two, or however many pairs and just head back online to order your new pair of glasses! Warby Parker sent each of us our own Home Try-On and I'm up first! 

My five pairs of Warby Parker frames are here! I've got the Preston in Gimlet Tortoise, Arthur in Gimlet Tortoise, Walker in Canton Blue (new Spring Collection color!), Theo in Blue Marblewood, and Linwood in Violet Magnolia. Almost all of my WPs are black, so I decided to go a little different route in the color realm for some change. 

Which pair of Warby Parkers frames should I get?

This is where you come in! I've pretty much fallen in love with every pair, but since my pocketbook won't really allow to get that many glasses, I need your help. Which pair of Warby Parker frames should I get?

Have you tried Warby Parker's Home Try-On?

Jess

This post was sponsored by Warby Parker and will receive a pair of glasses each in exchange for sharing. Opinions and commentary are entirely of Jess & Jill.