Make it: Home Spa Day: Lip Balm, Soap and Bosdy Scrubs

Pucker up! With personalized flavors and labels, homemade lip balm will give you plenty of reason to smile. From the Emmy Nominated episode of Creative Juice - "Take a Break Basket"

Materials:
2 tsp. beeswax
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil (grape seed, olive, avocado or hemp)
1 tsp. honey
vitamin E capsule
essential oil or cake flavorings
lip balm containers
disposable plastic pipettes
packing tape
optional: old lipstick & lip balm filling tray

1. Use a double boiler on low heat (or a medium size glass bowl placed in a saucepan partially-filled with boiling water) to melt the beeswax. When melted, add the oil. Use caution, wax is a highly flammable substance.

2. Remove mixture from heat and whisk in honey and vitamin E oil (pierce capsule with a pin or scissor tip), whisking until there are no clumps. Optional: add a shaving or two of lipstick to create a sheer lip color.

3. Let mixture cool, but not harden, before adding approximately five drops of either an essential oil or cake flavor of choice. When using oils, use only essential oils -- lip balms are in constant contact with your mouth and fragrance oils do not taste good and should not be consumed.

4. Pipe into containers (available on-line from thesage.com ) and refrain from moving until hardened.

5. Make paper labels and apply to the tubes with packing tape (packing tape is the same width as lip balm tubes).

Break the mold with countless combinations of scents, colors and additives that give handmade glycerin soaps a unique personal style. From the Emmy Nominated episode of Creative Juice - "Take a Break Basket"

Materials:
1 lb. melt-and-pour glycerin soap base
essential oil
bar mold
spray bottle with rubbing alcohol
plastic cling wrap
microwave
medium glass bowl
optional: additives such as lavender, peppermint, etc. & glycerin soap colorant

1. Cut a 1 lb. brick of glycerin soap base into 2" cubes. Place cubes in a glass bowl and cover with plastic cling wrap to keep excess moisture from evaporating. Melt on high for one minute and stir until melted.

2. If desired, add a few drops of colorant and/or additives to the soap and blend thoroughly. Add several drops of essential oil to the mixture and blend.

3. Pour the soap into molds. Spray the soap surface with rubbing alcohol to remove excess bubbles. Allow the soap to harden/set for several hours before popping it out of the molds.

4. Package the soap in a paper sleeve trimmed with decorative scissors, place it in a cellophane bag or wrap it in tissue paper. Embellish paper labels with ribbons, stickers and rubber stamps and attach to the packaging.

When things get rough, fight back with granular body scrubs! Let them do the dirty work for you! From the Emmy Nominated episode of Creative Juice - "Take a Break Basket"

Sugar Scrub Ingredients:
2 c. turbinado (raw) sugar
1/2 c. avocado oil
1/4 c. apricot kernel oil
essential or fragrance oil (we used ginger and vanilla)
honey
plastic screw-top jar for storage
shrink bands sized to fit jars
embossing or heat gun

1. Mix together sugar, oils and honey with fragrance or essential oils.

2. Spoon the mixture into containers, seal and label with a sticker or pre-made label printed on sticky paper.

3. Insert the jar through the shrink band sleeve. Apply heat with an embossing or heat gun. The band will shrink and wrap around the jar, sealing it closed.

This recipe makes approximately four 4-oz. containers.

Salt Scrub Ingredients:
2 c. coarse sea salt
1/2 c. avocado oil
1/4 c. apricot kernel oil
essential or fragrance oils (we used cucumber and green tea fragrance oils)
honey
plastic screw-top jar for storage
shrink bands sized to fit jars
embossing or heat gun

1. Mix together coarse sea salt, oils and honey with fragrance or essential oils.

2. Spoon the mixture into containers, seal and label with a sticker or pre-made label printed on sticky paper.

3. Insert the jar through the shrink band sleeve. Apply heat with an embossing or heat gun. The band will shrink and wrap around the jar, sealing it closed.

This recipe makes approximately four 4-oz. containers.

CHA - Winter Show Day 1

Goofing off on set up day at the Plaid Booth: Michael Jolly, Candie Cooper and Steve


This will be the only moment we have for a pic! Candi is making really cool Jewelry with Plaid beads and baubles.....if I could only steal a moment to make a piece!


Ohh La La: we have a new book in the house...Fabulous Fabric Beads by Kristal Wick!


Early Morning Day 2....lots o' makeup & a big breakfast - yum.


My sister came by for a little crafty sister support! Thanks Erin!!!


Altered Tiaras are the first project of the day....look for step-by steps soon.


Party Hat Madness! with the new Extreme Glitter and Mod Podge by Plaid.


Queen of the day! This is the purple glitter - flake free.


Crafty Blogger (aka the swell designer) popped by to make a tiara and say hello.


Steve is holding court as we begin the afternoon candle making! Step by steps coming soon....


So many awesome crafters stopped by for afternoon Mod Podge projects.


Ladies and gents...the lovely and talented Jenny Ryan - Look for new classes at reform school in Silver Lake. Wow.....so cool and fun. Visit soon.


Me, Drew Emborsky and Vickie Howell at the Lark Cocktail Reception. Yummy appetizers, bubbly drinks and the best craft books around! Who could ask for anything more?


The Lark Books party - so happy to be with lark! My new book 100 Onesies releases Spring 2010! (100 techniques for altering a baby onesie - over 150 projects in total + baby shower ideas complete with invites, cake recipes and mocktails) I just wish Deborah was here....:(

How cute!

We Are Off To CHA

Come see why we are stuck on Mod Podge!
Plaid Booth # 3717

Make it Take Schedule:

Sunday, January 25
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Queen Bee Party Hats and Tiaras
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. - Altered Party Candles

Monday, January 26
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Mini Art Collage
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. - Scrabble Tile Rings

Tuesday, January 27
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Altered Poker Chip Pins
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. - Collaged Heart Magnets

inspired

sew cute, inspired, happy and ready

Press: JuBella Interview

Check out the interview I did with Ju Bella!

click here

make it: appliqued t-shirt skirt

make it: reverse appliquéd t-shirt skirt

Recycled an old t-shirt and skirt into a new fashion!

Cut out a design.

Pin in your desired position on the inside of the skirt.

Sew around the edge.

On the inside, cut around the sewn area.

On the outside, cut around the sewn area, removing the skirt fabric.

Add a few more cutouts from the t-shirt
by sewing them directly to the skirt.

Bake it: Marinated Kalamata Olives

Look for un-marinated olives in bulk at your local grocery store. The pic above is from Goldern Farms market near my house. I buy tons of produce from them. Most stores will stock olives in cans or jars. This is a great way to add a little flavor and zest to them.


Pour boiling water over the olives. Scoop out the olives and transfer to a storage container. Discard the water. This cleans the olives and removes any waxy or oil buildup.


Chop 3 cloves of garlic and slice 1 clove.


Add a the garlic, a few peppercorns and a few red pepper flakes to the olives.


Add a generous amount of olive oil to the olives. Toss to coat.


Refrigerate overnight. Toss a few times to keep moist. Serve at room tempature, scoop out the olives from the oil with a slotted spoon. Delicious on their own or with hummus and pita.

Make it: Barrette Holder

Make it: Owl Barrette Holder

Now you can keep rack of all your little ones barrettes and bows in one easy spot. Look for fun new wood shapes including, guitars, hearts and animals at Michaels. This project we designed for Plaid using Mod Podge.

	227 - FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Bright Green, 2 oz.
	CS11301 - Mod Podge ® Matte, 8 oz.

	Wood owl shape (or other shape of your choosing)
	Scrapbooking paper (3 sheets of coordinating designs)
	Ribbon (2 coordinating colors - 1.5 feet of 1 color and 3 feet of the other)
	Adhesive letters (to spell the name of your choice)
	Craft knife and cutting mat
	Hot glue gun

1. Using one of the sponge brushes, basecoat the wood owl shape with Bright Green. Allow to dry and apply a second coat. Allow to dry for 24 hours.

2. Use the craft knife and cutting mat to cut shapes of scrapbooking paper to cover areas of the owl.

3. Apply scrapbooking papers to the owl using a new sponge brush and the Mod Podge gloss. Apply Mod Podge directly to the bottom of the papers and adhere to the owl. Allow to dry for two hours and then coat the entire surface of the owl.

4. Affix the adhesive stickers to the owl with the name of your choice.

5. Cut the 3” of ribbon into two 1.5” strips. Hot glue the three strips of ribbon to the back of the owl. Allow project to dry completely before using.

Come Say Hi at CHA!

Come see why we are stuck on Mod Podge!

Make it Take Schedule:

Sunday, January 25
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Queen Bee Party Hats and Tiaras
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. - Altered Party Candles

Monday, January 26
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Mini Art Collage
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. - Scrabble Tile Rings

Tuesday, January 27
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Altered Poker Chip Pins
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. - Collaged Heart Magnets

Make it: Pom Pom Scarf

Make it: Pom Pom Scarf
from the Citrus in the City episode of Creative Juice

Materials:
pompon maker
yarn in various textures and colors
scissors
plastic canvas needle or yarn needle

1. Following loom instructions, unhinge one of the arms and begin wrapping with yarn. Wrap evenly until the entire arm is covered with yarn. Next, snap the arm into the center of the loom and cut the end of the yarn.

2. Repeat the wrapping process for the second arm, fold arm in and snap in place.

3. With small scissors, insert one scissor blade into the groove of the loom, between the loops of yarn, and carefully snip along the tops of the loops.

4. Wrap a small piece of yarn around the groove on the loom and tie in a single knot.

5. Remove the pompon from the loom and pull the tied string tight. Tie a double knot.

6. If desired, use scissors to trim the pompon, giving it a more uniform appearance, or leave it as is with a "wilder" look.

7. To string the scarf, thread a yarn needle with a long length of yarn (at least a foot longer than the finished scarf). Thread the first pompon by pushing the needle through the center area where the pompon is tied off. Tie off the strand of yarn being used to thread the scarf.

8. Continue threading pompons, tying a knot after each pompon is added until scarf is the desired length. Tie off the end of the yarn and snip the end.

Clean Sweep Magazines

Mod Podge Magazine Holder

It is time to get organized and clean out your magazines. Store the the ones you can't part with in this Mod Podge Magazine holder we designed for Plaid. Visit this link for step by step instructions.

Where Women Create - Click to Enlarge

Make tear sheets of projects, recipes, color palettes, design ideas or anything inspiring and place the sheets in a file folders or 3-ring binders. Organize the your tear sheets by subject so you can easily track down ideas. Visit my blog post to see the whole Where Women Create story and see my organized office.

Ready to ship!

Make re-cycled packing materials with what you want to discard from the magazine by shredding them in a paper shredder. The perfect cushion for shipping etsy and ebay items. Visit my blog post on this here.