DIY Sugar/Salt Scrubs

I know I have posted my own scrub recipes before but I thought it would be cool to share some of the scrubs I have seen others make.  They are super super simple, most of the ingredients you should already have on hand, they are easy on your wallet, make great gifts and....boy do they ever leave your skin feeling super soft!  I cannot say enough good things about them.  So, without further ado:

Chocolate peppermint scrub

Pumpkin spice sugar scrub

Lavender sea salt scrub

Vanilla brown sugar scrub

Not that I would suggest doing so, but some of these sound good enough to eat.  Enjoy!

Valentine Photo Frame

As my profile says, I have a hubby who travels ALOT for his job.  He misses many a birthday and special occasion because of it.  This year is no exception.  He is overseas right now and will be missing Valentines Day.  I know its not necessarily a major holiday but its still time away from the family.  I try and do what I can to keep our relationship front and center, even with the thousands of miles between us.


I don't know about you, but I always seem to have these little wooden dollar frames from michaels hanging around my house. I wanted to use one to showcase me and my hubby this V-day.  We were very fortunate to go to Jamaica kid free about a year and a half ago.  While there, I convinced my white knuckled man to go zip-lining with me.  My husband hates anything where he is not in control so this was B-I-G, and most certainly memorable (and monumental on his part). I couldn't think of a better picture of what love is than doing something you are afraid of or incredibly uncomfortable with just to please your spouse. (insert the cheesy aww's here, I know) Here is the final Result:

Supplies:  Wooden frame from Michael's
                2 Sheets scrapbook paper plus word art
                Mod Podge
                2 different colored pieces of felt
                Scissors, heart punch or cricut cartridge
             
I wish I could take credit for the tutorial on the flowers, but I can't.  You can find detailed directions for these rolled flowers here.  I used mod podge to glue the paper down onto the frame and also to seal it with a top coat.  Once dry I added the embellishments.  Easy peasy.  One little hint about the frames.  When you buy them, they come with a cardboard piece in the middle with the dimensions on it.  DO NOT throw that piece away.  It is perfect to add stability and backing to whatever picture you decide to frame.  That's about it.  Now go and display your crafted glory!

Easy Valentine Decor

I have kids.  Big suprise there.  They keep me super busy with all of their extra activities.  Especially when my hubby is overseas.  I still want to do a little decorating, even if it is minor and I'm short on time.

I'm all for quick results in craft making and this project really couldn't get any easier.  We have all seen the pre-cut letters in ever craft store.  For the most part, they aren't that expensive, especially when you get them on sale.  They make for quick and easy decor for any holiday amongst other things.  Combine those letters with some scrapbooking paper, mod podge, and a few embellishments and you are ready to go. 

There is a little trick too if you don't have any mod podge lying around.  Simply take your regular old glue and mix equal parts of glue and water.  Instant mod podge!  If you want a high gloss finish, I wouldn't suggest this method though.  Just my personal opinion. The 'extras' are really what makes these projects pop!  Just use what you have on hand.  Flowers, eyelets, ribbon,buttons, jewels, tags, pins; it all can be coordinated into this project. 

Valentine Gifts for Teachers

I really do try to remember my children's teachers, especially around any holiday.  They work so hard for our kids and are not given enough credit for the work that they do.  I've been on a mission these last few days to search for projects that could be made for them without breaking the bank, yet still personalized and special.  Here are some of the ideas I have found:

Valentine Fortune Cookies

Heart Shaped Soap

Decorated Candy Bar Wrappers

Decorative Hanging Cone

Now it's just a matter of collecting the supplies and getting a move on.  What are your suggestions for teacher gifts this upcoming Valentines Day?









Digital Scrapbooking Sites

 

Since I have already shared some of my digital scrapbooking pages with you (this one being my hubby and I), I wanted to give you some site ideas to help jump start your own and get you shopping.  Now that Christmas is over, the pictures are taken/developed, and Valentines Day is just around the corner, these pages/kits/albums would make great gifts for yourself or others.  My choices have been made by looking at quality and detail in design, variety, color, and having a multitude of package options.  Having more options is a must as I don't always want to buy a whole kit when a quick page will do.  Or, if I want to use a new alphabet or learn a new action, I want to be able to do purchase them separately and stretch my money farther. So, here goes:

Scrapbookgraphics

Pickleberry Pop

Designer digitals

The photo above is just a sample of what you can do (for your sweetie or whoever) with just a quick page purchase and two or three added elements.  I know I have stressed this before but, quick pages are the perfect option if you are a newbie tackling this hobby or if you want to finish a project on the fly (or are impatient, like myself).  Have fun.  There is no right or wrong here and its sooo much easier than you may think.

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Family Favorite Christmas Cookie: Rugelach!

Ever since I was a little girl, my mom always made us, what we would call, 'walnut roll ups'.  I never knew there was a fancy name for these cookies until I was an adult.  All I knew is that I loved them and could make my entire diet focused just on them.  They are a buttery, yummy, sweet, nutty cookie that we roll in powdered sugar.  My mother used to make hers entirely by scratch and nothing could ever come close to hers. 

As I am now grown with my own kids, I wonder how my mother ever found the time to make these from scratch and always have them turn out perfect.  Oh, I tried.  But if I made these cookies, they would be the only ones I would ever make, aside from the traditional sugar cookie one.

Until about two years ago. I had a subscription to womans day and found a recipe for raspberry-walnut-rugelach .  I have never had much success with magazine recipes but had to give this one a try.  It uses the refrigerated ready-to-use pie crusts for the base of the cookie.  Let me tell you what a time saver that ONE step has saved me.  I was really skeptical at first but, was delighted with the outcome of this recipe!  It has now become a family favorite that I am able to make every year, even when short on time.  I thank God for that one!  I hope you will try it, especially, if you are a rugelach lover like we are.  You still have time, believe me!  We are making ours today. 

Enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!

TP snowflakes

I'm sure many of you have seen a plethera of ideas when it comes to toilet paper rolls on pinterest.  Lord knows, I have.  I wanted to try my hand at a few projects with them, especially since they cost nothing.  I chose to start out with some simple snowflakes.  I wanted to use them as ornaments and also decorations on some of my Christmas packaging.

Supplies for 4 included 4 toilet paper rolls, cut into 5 pieces each.

Once cut, I glued the pieces together at a point. I then spray painted them with white spray paint that I already had.  While the paint was still wet, I applied a translucent glitter and then sprayed it with a clear glaze.  I gave mine a few coats to seal in the glitter.

To bring the flakes together, I added a snowflake button in the middle to cover up the glue.

I waited a good day before doing anything with these snowflakes. 

Here they are attached to one of my gifts:

Peppermint Snow 'Bombs'

I cannot even begin to tell you how many 'bath bomb' recipes I have tried and have always failed at them for one reason or another.  This one stuck to the mold, that one crumbled, another was too wet, yet another too dry.  On a wimb, I decided to make up my own recipe to see if I could do any better.  It actually worked!  I stayed away from using any water or witch hazel and I did have to wait a few days for them to dry but the recipe turned out perfect and I can't wait to share them.

Recipe:

4 oz. baking soda

2 oz. citric acid

2 oz. corn starch

2 oz. epsom salts

2 TBS. coconut oil

1/4tsp. Vitamin E. oil

1/4 tsp. essential oil (I used peppermint)

Combine all of the ingredients WELL with your hands and place in round molds.

I found some plastic round 3 inch molds that split in half that worked perfectly.  You really need to pack this in as tight as you can and remove from the mold s-l-o-w-l-y and carefully.  I placed mine out to dry where they couldn't be disturbed.  Because of the size, I waited three days to start messing with them and they were rock hard by then.  I didn't have to worry about them breaking at the point.  Wrap them up in any way you choose to give as gifts to friends.  These smelly wonderful.  They really are 'the bomb'.  :)

Deck the Blogs by Ninth and Bird

 I've submitted some entries to this contest.  Please click the icon above and vote or just join along by adding your own creations. 

Gingerbread Lollipop Bucket

I know this is going to come out wrong but here goes:  We are not putting up a tree for Christmas.  It's not that I dont want one, really I do.  But, we are headed up north for the holidays for a few weeks and I will be decorating THAT tree and two is just tooo much.  Especially if I can't really enjoy them both.

So, instead of pulling out all of my holiday decorations that I would normally do, I have been making smaller items to place around the house to continue to keep me in the holiday spirit until we leave. 

I love making anything with these crazy fan folds and this was the perfect opportunity to utilize them.  What's not to love? 

The bells came from the dollar store in a pack of 9.  All of the paper came from the same paper pack (I love getting more bang for my buck.) I stuffed the bucket with polyfil to make it look like snow.  There is no snow in sunny Florida so I will make-shift it any way that I can.

I used shish-ka-bob sticks for these 'lollipops' and kept them their natural color.  I didn't want to take anything away from the gingerbread men as the stars.  And the bucket had enough color on it on its own.

So, there you have it.  Just one of many quick, simple, frugal holiday decorations for the home.

Rag Quilts

I {heart} Pinterest.  I can spend hours just browsing through that site, filling my head with creative ideas and new projects I should start.  Oh, and I start them!  Problem is, I dont always finish them.  My attention span is that of a fly when it comes to my patience in crafting.  I love it all.  I just want it all done NOW so I can move on to the next.  But this picture by  Do it Yourself Divas stopped me in my tracks:

photo credit

I have never wanted to explore quilting (note my attention span issues). Too time consuming, too precise.....two words that DO NOT describe me.  But, rag quilting?  Who would've thought?  No need for perfection or huge amounts of time.  Just some fabric and the desire to put it all together.  I really was skeptical at first.  Could I really make a quilt in a short amount of time?  Turns out, YES YOU CAN! This quilt took me a total of 4 hours to complete and all of 6 yards total of flannel fabric.  (anyone else take advantage of the 1.49/yd sale at joanns this past weekend?)

The only difference in my quilt versus the one in the above photo is that I chose to snip my sides as opposed to binding them.  And I can't believe how soft and warm this is.  I will definately be making another one once I get my hands on another good fabric sale.

My daughter picked out the owl fabric for its 'cool' factor.

Her favorite colors are lime green and blue.  I don't think I could match this any better to her liking if I tried.

 

**TIP** When cutting your fabric into strips, I found a fabulous short cut that really works.  Simply snip the fabric at the desired width.  Mine was at the 8inch mark. Then, rip it all the way towards the other end.  The rip actually does tear in a straight line and saves you oodles of cutting time.**

Handmade Holidays: Christmas Photo Books

When it comes to crafting, there really is no 'last minute' anything, at least not for me.  I need time to get my creative juices going and can't just come up with some new project on the fly.  Lately, I have been working on a cardboard Christmas album to give to one of my friends.  I made one for myself a few years ago and it is soo fun to look back on a Christmas past. You can find these albums in the dollar spot at Michaels.  (not yet decorated, of course)

I try really hard to add pages for things other than photos.  There is so much more to the holiday besides the pictures.

There are gift tags and favorite holiday recipes and music.

There are wish lists and traditions and the family Christmas tree.

There are all those family 'funnies'  and mishaps that make the holiday so memorable.

I want to capture every moment.  The journaling only adds enrichment to the project and the process.

Make it yourself Mondays: Card sets

For the first time this year, I participated in the craftaholics anonymous handmade gift swap.  Basically, we are paired up with someone in the states to swap gifts with.  The woman I am swapping with loves the color red, coffee, chunky picture frames, and more.  It's been really fun getting to know someone who I, otherwise, never would have met.  And I really hope she enjoys her gift.  I made her a stationary set incorporating her favorite color and her love of coffee.  The pictures are posted below:

I hope she receives her gift before she reads this.  I think she will but you never know.

Included in this little set is a bookmark, cards, gift tags, and thank you notes. 

I wanted to make a good variety of items for more than one occasion.  I purposely chose NOT to make christmas cards or products by the off chance that my 'partner' already purchased hers elsewhere.

All this really takes is some cardstock, embellishments, and some imagination.

If you have a chance, check out the craftaholics website.  There will be a flikr set up and links to other participating bloggers.  Enjoy!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

I just finished designing our Christmas Card for this year.....and here it be! Our family took a trip to Atlantis this year and I just had to find a way to show off that beautiful dolphin, so this was it! What do ya think?  I'm trying to get on the ball for the holiday season as I am going out of town for Christmas and will need to get them out a little early.

I think I have used shutterfly for over 5 years now and have never been disappointed with their quality or service.  If you are considering printing your own, they have many many designs to choose from, using 1 or more pictures. 

**My opinions are strictly my own. I am not paid for this post, but may be compensated in product. **

Handmade Holidays: Peppermint Soap

For a woman who does not like to eat candy canes, I sure love the smell of peppermint.  Aside from the aroma, peppermint can aid in minimizing headaches and migraines-all the more reason to use the essential oil.  The smell can help clear your sinuses too.  As far as using it in soap, it is antibacterial and antifungal; great additions without the use of harmful chemicals such as triclosan.

Soap is sooo simple to make using a melt and pour base.  For this soap I used a goats milk base.  Once you have melted the base in a double boiler or in 30 second intervals in the microwave ( you don't want it to boil), you simply add 1 tsp of peppermint essential oil to 1 pound of goats milk soap base.  I even added a tsp of vitamin E oil for softness.  Pour the soap into molds and spritz with alcohol to get rid of the bubbles on top.  Once the soap is solid and completely cooled, remove from the mold and package accordingly. 

I can't wait to give these as gifts.  I have a few friends who are peppermint crazy and will love this!  Now, you try it!

Handmade Holidays: Vanilla Extract with a Twist

There are many people/places on the internet that are showing you how to make your own vanilla extract to give as gifts for the holidays.  The basic ingredients are vanilla beans and vodka.  I wanted to 'jazz' this project up a bit to make it all my own. 

I'm a cherry fan:  dried cherries, cherry pie, cherry soda, fresh cherries....basically the 'bubba gump' of anything cherry.  So, the last time I was at the liquor store, I bought CHERRY flavored vodka instead to do a little experimenting with.  I still had to let my mixture sit for a minimum of two months.  It is finally finished and ready for a taste/smell test.  Let me tell you, this is yummy.  There is just the right hint of a cherry background flavor to perk it up.  I guess you could also use the juice from your maraschino (?) cherry jars but I couldn't give you an exact measurement.  Cherry flavored vodka took the guesswork out for me.  These little treats are ready for Christmas gifts now. I'm thinking black forest cake is the first big dessert on the menu with the extract!

***Just as a little side note:  I also tried to do this with orange flavored vodka but wasn't thrilled with the results.  For whatever reason, the vodka wouldn't soak up as much flavor from the vanilla bean so I just totally canned that one.

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