Make Over Your Home With These 23 DIY Rugs

How To Make A Hand Knit Blanket

Materials:

• Approximately two pounds of Roving or 10 Skeins Chunky Yarn

Instructions:

*Not pictured* The roving that I purchased and linked to was incredibly thick, so I split it into two pieces by pulling it apart at the middle, v easy. If you get skeins of chunky yarn, you will not need to do this. You also don’t have to split the roving; it really depends on how chunky you want your blanket to be, so feel free to experiment and find the right weight for your desired look.

Begin by measuring out the tail of your yarn, roughly one arm length for each stitch. This does depend on the length of your arm, but measure out at least 20 arm lengths.

Create a slipknot for your first stitch. Make a loop around the thumb of your left hand, and pull the tail through the loop, creating a slip knot.

Slide the first stitch onto your right arm, making sure you keep it loose enough that you’ll be able to slide it back off.

Make a loop with the yarn from the tail, and feed a piece of the working yarn (attached to the ball) through the loop, creating another loop.

Take the loop created from the working ball of yarn and slide it onto your arm next to the first stitch. This is how you’ll create all of your starting stitches. Repeat until until you’ve used all the yarn from the tail you measured out, sliding each new stitch onto your arm.

This is what your arm should look like as you’re creating your stitches!

Once you have all 20 stitches on your arm, slide them off onto the surface/table you plan to work on. I ended up with slightly more than 20 stitches, because I have uber long arms :)

Take the working yarn and feed a small loop through the first stitch on the left hand side of your row.

TA DA, so easy! Repeat this to each stitch.

Repeat again going right to left.

Keep going back and forth, making loops inside the previous stitches, until you get to your desired length.

To finish off your blanket, take two of the top stitches all the way to the right and feed a loop of the working yarn through them.

Repeat this step until you have reached the left side of the blanket.

Make a knot with the remaining looped yarn.

You now have the world’s coziest blanket, and you made it with your own two hands!

Oh so cozy.

Puppies loved it just as much as people did around the office!

Her modeling debut! A natural!

COZY AF!

Materials and Tools:

• Roasting sticks
• Spray paint
• Masking tape
• Star stickers

Instructions:

To create a blue striped roasting stick, use masking tape to mask the wooden handle in a striped pattern. For the second roasting stick, apply star stickers in a random pattern on the handle. Cover the metal portion of the sticks with masking tape to protect it from paint.

In a well-ventilated area, spray the wooden handles in light coats. Once the paint is dry, peel the masking tape and stickers off the wooden handles and roast away!

Pretty and patriotic.

We're thrilled to kick off our new Jetset Journeys series, where we turn the best U.S. cities to explore this year into our own personal playgrounds. This is not just a travel guide but a way to spark your creativity and your wanderlust for weekend and week-long travel. Pack your bags , join us here every week, and get jetsetty this summer.

Though you might not get summers “off” anymore, the season is a great chance to slow down a little, press the reset button, and carve out some time for yourself. What better way to do this than to book a visit to a wellness retreat? There are so many options available that include indulgent massage treatments, nourishing meal choices, and activities like hiking and forest bathing geared toward getting you more centered and reconnected with yourself. Here are a few of our favorites.

Located just about 20 miles from downtown Austin, this lakeside all-inclusive wellness getaway feels much farther from the city than that. Your stay includes all meals, snacks, and nonalcoholic drinks, including fresh juices and smoothies; access to the spa’s pools and relaxation spaces; wellness activities; and gratuity.

Summer is a beautiful time to visit and enjoy full access to the resort’s watersports, such as hydrobikes, waterskis, wakeboards, and kayaks on secluded Lake Austin. Daily programming includes activities like lakeside yoga, guided hikes through private trails in the Texas Hill Country, Japanese sword classes, myofascial release in the water to help unwind those stubborn knots in your neck and shoulders, Tarot readings, and wine cruises.

The on-site spa’s [ comfort zone ] FACE SPAce is the first of its kind in the U.S., utilizing new specialty therapies to stimulate collagen and leave you glowing. Challenge yourself to a treatment that includes an outdoor cold plunge (this can be fun with friends) followed by a warm, soothing massage to fully relax. Then follow it up with a thoughtfully presented meal, such as heirloom tomato salad, whipped ricotta made with local honey, or Texas blackened redfish, served in the dining room or outside on one of the breezy patio spaces.

If you’re looking for an all-inclusive wellness getaway that feels deeply meaningful, head to Sedona’s breathtaking Boynton Canyon, where the iconic spa Mii amo has recently reopened following a $40 million, two-year renovation. Here you’ll find 23 casitas with private balconies or patios, in-room kiva fireplaces and soaking tubs, as well as a new restaurant called Hummingbird.

Daily guided meditations and special presentations and ceremonies (examples include a Summer Solstice Ceremony and Canyon Bathing) create an ideal environment to slow down and refocus.

At the spa, beyond the typical massage and facial offerings, you’ll find a unique to Mii amo menu of services, including Chakra Balancing; Aura Photography; a Connection Ceremony that focuses on letting go of past hurts or welcoming in new beginnings; an Inner Quest including special ceremonial elements like braided sweetgrass and cedar/sage oil; and Intuitive Massage.

The chef-created menu at Hummingbird includes items like salmon ceviche, duck breast, poulet rouge, and gluten-free and vegan selections, and there’s a juice bar serving a full slate of smoothies, juices, and wellness tonics.

Next door at neighboring property Enchantment Resort you’ll find additional amenities you can use while exploring the surrounding 400 miles of trails.

Secluded within 16 acres of majestic redwoods in Northern California, about an hour south of San Francisco, is the all-inclusive Canyon Ranch Woodside. There are additional locations in Tucson, Lenox (outside of Boston), and Las Vegas.

If you find forest bathing appearling, this is the ideal wellness getaway for you. The resort celebrates its forest environs from its 24 luxury treehouse rooms that peek through the forest, to ropes courses and guided meditations that take place under the magnificent canopy. Locally sourced dining menus are served al fresco or in a cozy dining room and include afternoon tapas, colorful salads, and fresh salmon.

Each day, Canyon Ranch offers dozens of mind-body activities including hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, dancing, and free-flow abstract painting. Upcoming summer wellness presentations and workshops focus on themes such as “Wisdom of the Horse and Herd” equine therapy; “Activating Your Empathy and Intuition”; and “Find Your Purpose.” Spa treatments include Forest Aromatherapy Treatment and Hiker’s Retreat, designed to perk up your feet after a strenuous hike.

You can design your own stay at the Art of Living Retreat Center depending on your intentions. Customizable itineraries include silent retreats, wellness cleanses and detoxes, meditation-focused retreats, and happiness retreats. This summer, guest faculty will lead sessions on “Healing Through Feminine Practices,” “Trusting Our Transformation,” and “Experience the Divine.”

The spa offers Ayurvedic-informed treatments, including Eye Bathing, targeting relieving tired eyes with warmed ghee; Clear Breath Support with herb-infused oils to clear the sinuses; and a treatment to settle the nervous system, with warm oil poured into the ears. Round these out with soothing body wraps and massage treatments for the ultimate restorative experience.

Buffet-style meals are prepared with vegetarian, whole foods, and are informed by Ayurvedic wisdom, including selections like Jamaican Jackfruit Stew and Gado-Gado Peanut Sprout Salad. Each day, you can enjoy yoga sessions, nature walks, a fire circle, and there are additional class options such as pottery and Ayurveda cooking.

The newest all-inclusive wellness resort on this list just opened in October 2023. Hemlock Neversink is situated on 230 acres of land in the Sullivan Catskills, about two hours northwest of New York City. Your stay includes all meals and non-alcoholic beverages, programming, and on-site amenities.

The prix fixe menu at the on-site restaurant Bittersweet highlights plant-forward cuisine, including options like enoki mushroom and warm spinach salad and roasted cabbage or skirt steak.

Enjoy spa treatments such as the 90-minute Return to Nature Ritual, which exfoliates with berry seats and white peat, then hydrates your skin with organic mushrooms, helichrysum blossoms, and berry oils. Then float while breathing in birch extract and other aromas.

You’ll find a variety of workshops, yoga and meditation classes, and there’s even a goat sanctuary on site (you can go for a daily goat hike for some animal therapy), as well as tennis courts and hiking trails. This summer, nationally recognized guest instructors will teach classes and lead workouts on mat pilates and dance cardio in the honey-toned wood Movement Building, and in the Activity Building, do a Catskill honey and tea tasting, join a Shamanic drum circle, and make a vision board.

Main Photos: Lake Austin Spa Resort

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