Craft a Spa Scrubbie for Your Bath Time Wind Down

Baths are a popular way to wind down and relax after a long, tiring day. They seem to rejuvenate both body and soul. Make your bath extra special with a bath tea or bath oil for skin nourishing and aromatherapy benefits.

Flamingo Toes has a terrific diy tutorial for crafting a spa scrubbie to use in your bath or shower. All you need is a little cotton, an old towel, some lace and a few basic sewing skills. If you don't have a sewing machine, there's no need to worry. This project is small enough you can conquer it by hand. Once your scrubbie is complete, Flamingo Toes also offers up a bath and body recipe for making a Tropical Tea Soak. A little cornstarch, dry milk, oatmeal, and tea leaves and you're all set. While the recipe doesn't specify the type of oatmeal, I recommend using colloidal oatmeal - available at most drug stores - as it dissolves in water and offers all of the same benefits as using rolled oats. You'll find the tutorial for this project, along with a pdf pattern, and the recipe for the bath tea here.

Of course, once you've gotten started making goodies for your bath, you're not going to want to stop at just one! These recipes are perfect for stockpiling for your days off work, or for packaging and giving as gifts. Here are just a few more bath recipes you'll find via Soap Deli News Blog.

• Lavender Rose Milk Bath Soak - Craft a handmade lavender rose milk bath with the ingredients from this recipe and relax your worries away in a long soak in the tub.
• Champagne and Pomegranate Sea Salt and Goat Milk Bath - Yum. This recipe is perfect for those of you who enjoy a long soak in the tub! And it smells great! (You can buy Strawberry Champagne Scented Shea Butter Soap, Goat Milk Lotion, and Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen if you don't have time to craft your own products.)
• Bath Oil Recipes - Create your own bath oils for smooth, silky skin and a relaxing bath experience. 
• Cold Comfort Bath Soak - This handmade bath soak recipe is also perfect if you're suffering from seasonal allergies or a cold with nasal congestion.
• Milk Bath Recipe Collection - Recipes for making your own luxury milk baths at home.

What's your favorite type of product to add to your bath water?

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Eco-Friendly Handmade Paper Goods Giveaway

Oh snap! I love this shop! The Brush and Mallett is a handmade, artisan shop that offers a selection of handmade paper goods - everything from unique wedding invitations from stationery to greeting cards.

Handcrafted by Breia and Ryan, The Brush and Mallett is owned and operated by a soon-to-be husband and wife team who love working together to make cards and smiles. It all began when Breia was looking for a fun outlet for her creative spark. With Ryan on hand to help to stoke the creative fires, The Brush and Mallett was born. Breia works on all of the front end stuff - drawing, cutting, scoring, etc. -  while Ryan takes care of the more technical side with the computer work and keeping his lovely fiance organized.

Looking to beef up your file of handmade cards for those special occasions? From now through June 12th, 2011 you can enter to win a $25 gift certificate to The Brush and Mallett. And while you're waiting, you can purchase as many cards and greetings as you like at 20% off during the duration of this contest. Just enter coupon code GIVEAWAY20 at checkout when you shop online at The Brush and Mallett.

To enter this contest you just need to visit The Brush and Mallett and choose your favorite product. Then leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite item. This contest will end on June 12th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per person per entry method. This contest is open to those residing in the continental US ages 18+. The winner will be chosen at random from among all eligible entries using random.org. Your information will not be shared or sold. The retail value of this prize is $25. 

The first method of entry is required to enter this contest. If you'd like additional entries into this contest, you may complete each of the following tasks for one additional entry each.

1. Fan The Brush and Mallett on Facebook. Leave a comment with your Facebook name stating that you've become a fan.

2. Follow The Brush and Mallet on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter username.

3. Tweet this contest on Twitter. Include @soapdeli in your tweet so I know you've done so. Leave a comment stating that you've tweeted this contest.

4. Blog about this contest. Leave a comment with the link back to the blog post.

5. Add any product from The Brush and Mallett to your wishlist on Kaboodle or Pin It on Pinterest. Leave a comment with the link to your public wishlist or board.

 

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How to make custom lip balm - Easy DIY lip balm recipes to get you started.

Have you ever wanted to make your own lip balms? Making lip balms is easy, although it can be a bit messy as well. The reward is well worth the clean up though!

iMake Blog has a wonderful lip balm tutorial for crafting your own custom lip balms in the amount you need. Quantities of ingredients are listed in ratios so you can make as much or as little as you like, and by varying ratios you can make a harder or softer lip balm.

When choosing your flavoring or scent for your lip balm there are several things to remember. If you are using essential oils be sure you buy and use only essential oils that are safe for lips. Your supplier should mention whether or not they are suitable for use in lip balms. These essential oils should be Certified 100% Pure. Additionally, you'll not want to scent your lip balm batch with more than 1% essential oils to your batch's total weight.

Flavor fragrances or flavor oils as well should be specified for use in lip balms. Don't use regular fragrance oils in your lip balms. As with the essential oils, usage of flavor fragrances should consist of no more than 1% of your total recipe while generally with flavor oils you can use .4 - 4%. Using too much of a flavor oil can make your balms bitter, so be precise! You can also buy sweetener for your lip balms which should be used at 1-2% of your recipe should your flavor oil come unsweetened.

For the Homemade Lip Balm Tutorial from iMake Blog, click here.

If you're looking for more specific lip balm recipes, then you may want to check out these articles on Soap Deli News Blog.

• Handmade Lip Balm Recipes - A collection of lip balm recipes including basic lip balm, honey-kissed lip balm, and cold sore lip balm.
• Shine, baby, shine. Handmade Lip Gloss Recipes - DIY recipes for crafting lemon lip gloss, camphor lip gloss, cranberry lip gloss, honey lime lip gloss plus links to recipes for cocoa vanilla lip gloss, apricot-orange lip gloss, and bubble gum lip gloss.
• Therapeutic Lip Balm Recipe - A simple lip balm recipe that calls for camphor, sesame oil, beeswax, glycerin, and vitamin e.

Are you a lip balm junkie? If so, what's your favorite flavor?

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This soap is totally boss.

Today I stumbled across an unsolicited review of my handmade 202 Latin Night Shea Butter Soap on the blog, Sores of the Open Heart, and I was thrilled by what Boobie Cookie, author of the blog, had to say!

My favorite highlight from her post is that "this soap is totally boss." Boobie Cookie praised the fragrance, the lather, the quality and the price. If you're interested in finding out more about what she had to say, you can read the review on her blog here.

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How to Create and Customize Your Own Herbal Salve Recipe

Herbal Salves are great products to keep in your medicine chest. Whether you buy them or make them yourself, they work because of the medicinal properties of the herbs and botanicals used to create the product. Salves can be used routinely year round to treat minor skin damage, burns, bruises, rashes, and even sprains. If you're planning on making your own salves and ointments, I recommend purchasing organic ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Wonder Wonder Blog offers a step by step photo tutorial for making your own diy Herbal Salves. Because of the multi-purpose uses of salves, Hikaru uses her salves in place of creams, eye cream, hand cream, and even lip balms!

Hikaru's handmade salve recipe calls for a variety of herbal infusions mixed into a base of shea butter, beeswax and a bit of Vitamin E oil. The recipe is construction in order to allow some customization and provides instructions on creating your choice of herbal infusions from herbs such as lavender, rosemary, calendula, chamomile, comfrey and mint. You can customize your salve based on your most common ailments by choosing the proper herbs for your condition. Mountain Rose Herbs is also an excellent resource for researching the properties of any carrier oils and herbs you may consider using. Grab the recipe for making your own herbal salves now at Wonder Wonder.

Looking for a more specific recipe before you start experimenting with your own? Soap Deli News Blog offers a recipe for Calendula Ointment. Calendula is known for it's skin care properties and is widely used to soothe inflammation, control bleeding and heal damaged skin tissue making it perfect for use in ointments and salves. You'll find the Calendula Ointment Recipe here.

You can also craft a Skin Nourishing Salve perfect for treating insect bites, minor itching and irritation, and minor cuts. It can also be used as a nipple cream. Made from wild grown plantain and violet leaves that you can find growing in most any lawn, this recipe describes the herbal infusion process and provides an exact recipe for making your salve. Get the details here.

Additionally, you can also check out this salve recipe for a Scrapes and Scratches Healing Balm. It does not call for an herbal infusion, saving you a step, and instead utilizes essential oils including tea tree oil, lavender, tagetes, and rosemary in a beeswax and sweet almond oil base. 

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DIY Chalkboard Paint Ideas

Chalkboard paint has become all the rage. And it's uses for creating home decor pieces that you can personalize with the swipe of a piece of chalk have become seemingly endless. I love this idea for spray painting wine bottles and then personalizing them with a faux label or design.

Source: Ruhhi Auda Blog - Newport: French Kitchen

These bottles can be used simply as decorative pieces, vases for your favorite flowers or even as pricing structures for store products. Here are a few other ideas that are easy to craft and simple to love!

1. Chalkboard Door. This door is painted with magnetic chalkboard paint making it perfect for the kitchen or office. Write notes or pin schedules, coupons and recipes with a magnet! (Source.)

2. Chalkboard Sign. Create a mini sign to show the way to your wedding or party. (Source.)

3. Chalkboard Storage Cabinet. Cover your child's cabinet or night stand with chalkboard paint and provide them with a place they can safely draw on the furniture! Or spice oup your own furniture thrift store finds and create decorative drawings that match your decor and can be changed whenever the mood strikes. (Source.)

4. Framed Chalkboard. Re-purpose an old frame or mirror with a bit of paint, then hang on your wall for a handy spot to keep notes. (Source.)

5. Custom Color Chalkboard Paint. Customize your chalkboard paint by mixing white chalkboard paint in with the black. Use the different colors to create a memo board or calendar that can be re-used time and again. (Source.)

6. Chalkboard Labels. Use chalkboard paint to create unique labels such as these which have been spiced up with a little DecoArt Thick Texture Paint. Adhere to jars and containers. (Source.)

7. Chalkboard Serving Tray. Cover a tray with chalkboard paint to make serving fun! (Source.)

Have chalkboards made their way into your home yet? What unique projects utilizing chalkboard paint are your favorite and have they made organization easier for you?

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Cold Comfort Bath Soak for relief of seasonal allergies.

If you enjoy a long soak in the bath, then you're going to love these diy bath and body recipes made with natural herbs and botanicals from The Herb Companion. Each recipe has been created with a long luxurious soak in mind and includes recipes for bath soaks, salts and scrubs.

My favorite recipe is for the Cold Comfort Bath. While it's late spring now and not exactly cold season, this handmade bath soak recipe is also perfect if you're suffering from seasonal allergies and nasal congestion.

COLD COMFORT BATH

Yield: 31/2 ounces

2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers and leaves
2 tablespoons dried rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon dried gingerroot powder
2 tablespoons dried eucalyptus leaves
Fresh eucalyptus leaves, rosemary leaves to float in bathwater (optional)

Mix together dried herbs. Place them inside a square of natural fabric or a metal tea ball. Secure your bundle by tying the ends with a bit of sting. To use: Hang the herb bag under your water tap. Fill the tub with warm (not too hot) water, letting the water flow through the herbs. Get in the bath, squeeze out your herb bag and place it behind your neck as you bathe. You also may use it to scrub your body with a bit of soap.

To see the rest of the bath recipes available from The Herb Companion, check out their blog post, Soak and Scrub Your Cares Away. The available recipes include Myrna Loy Bath, Cold Comfort Bath, Honey Bath Tablets, English Lavender Bath, Superwoman Bath, Sunflower Soak, Fresh Gingerroot Bath, Bath Salts, Southwest Scrub, and Geranium Petal Body Scrub.

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Easy Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Now that we have our cucumber plants in the ground I'm already thinking about all of the ways I can use them in salads and other recipes to consume them. My favorite way to eat cucumbers though is as pickles! Not to mention pickling is a great way to preserve your harvest past their shelf life!

One Perfect Bite has a terrific recipe for making your own homemade refrigerator dill pickles. These pickles not only taste great, but don't require any special equipment to make. They can also be eaten the same day and will keep up to two weeks in your fridge! You can grab the recipe here.

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Salt Scrub Recipe for smooth summer skin.

Salt is a great for exfoliating skin. Plus is has the added benefit of removing toxins from your skin. A salt scrub made from a combo of sea salt, your favorite oils and scents is perfect for getting your skin in shape for tanning season this summer or to just show off those legs! Use your handmade salt scrub all over your body for soft smooth skin paying special attention to feet and hands!

Everything Fabulous has a simple diy salt scrub recipe that's perfect as a springing board for creating your own custom concoction using your choice of ingredients. My favorite oil to use is rice bran oil as it's gentle, not overly greasy and the properties of the oil make it perfect for mature or aging skin. 

When using essential oils to scent your recipe I recommend not using more than 2% of your total recipe to scent and be sure to research any essential oils you plan on using first so that you are aware of any sensitivities it may cause. Citrus essential oils can make you more sensitive to the sun while others shouldn't be used during pregnancy. If you have arthritis, try a blend of rosemary and peppermint oils for increased circulation - an added benefit from just one simple product! Should you choose to use fragrance oils, you can use up to 5% fragrance. You can check out Everything Fabulous for the tutorial on making salt scrubs here.

For more information on crafting your own bath salts rather than a scrub, refer to the article Enjoy Making Bath Salts for definitions of the different types of salts available for making your own bath products along with a recipe for making bath salts in bulk. 

Or, if you prefer sugar over salt, then check out an array of sugar scrub recipes within this blog article, DIY Sugar Scrub Recipes for enjoying or gifting. It includes reasons why sugar is good for skin along with a collection of handmade sugar scrub recipes you can make for yourself or to give as gifts. The article also includes free printable labels for packaging your creations. 

What's your favorite product to exfoliate with? Salt scrubs, sugar scrubs, or something else?

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CMB Display Designs Gift Certificate Giveaway

CMB Display Designs is a small indie biz run by an Ohio gal named Carolyn. Inspired by the idea of one-of-a-kind treasures and vintage finds with history, Carolyn creates and sells handmade framed cork boards and decorative push pins along with vintage accessories and housewares in her shop. She got started selling online after she created a cork board to display her grandmother's jewelry that had long been tucked away in a box. 

Since creating her display, Carolyn experiences a little bit of of happiness every time she passes by it. Wanting to share her passion with others, Carolyn began selling her cork boards online. Her hope is that her customers will create their own displays that bring them joy and allow them an easy, yet beautiful way to display the things they love in their home.

And now through June 5th, 2011 you can enter to win a $35 gift certificate to Carolyn's shop,  CMB Display Designs. Entering is easy. To enter this contest you just need to visit CMB Display Designs and choose your favorite product. Then leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite item. This contest will end on June 5th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per person per entry method. This contest is open to those residing in the continental US ages 18+. The winner will be chosen at random from among all eligible entries using random.org. Your information will not be shared or sold. The retail value of this prize is $35. 

The first method of entry is required to enter this contest. If you'd like additional entries into this contest, you may complete each of the following tasks for one additional entry each.

1. Fan CMB Display Designs on Facebook. Leave a comment with your Facebook name stating that you've become a fan.

2. Follow Carolyn's blog Live Beautifully through google friend connect. Leave a comment stating that you're a follower.

3. Tweet this contest on Twitter. Include @soapdeli in your tweet so I know you've done so. Leave a comment stating that you've tweeted this contest.

4. Blog about this contest. Leave a comment with the link back to the blog post.

5. Add any product from CMB Display Designs to your wishlist on Kaboodle or Pin It on Pinterest. Leave a comment with the link to your public wishlist or board.

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The Parade of Nations and a falafel recipe.

Yesterday was the annual Local Colors Festival in my hometown. It's an annual festival that celebrates the diversity of the nationalities living here in the Roanoke Valley, of which there are over ninety. This spring festival boasts a parade of nations and a series of performances that last all day long. There are also a multitude of vendors selling wares and food that are representative of their countries.

I attended Local Colors for the parade - the sun and my allergies don't allow for much more this time of year - and took photos of some of my favorite participants. You can see my album of parade photographs on my facebook fan page for Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen. 

The featured country for the Local Colors Festival this year was Egypt. And coincidentally a popular dish from Local Colors is the Falafel, a hugely popular Middle Eastern dish sold by food vendors on the streets of Cairo. Falafel is served as a main dish in sandwiches or as an appetizer on salads with hummus and tahini. Following is an excellent Falafel recipe you can try from Epicurious.com if you're interested in making this dish yourself. To make this recipe truly authentic, omit the cilantro and substitute fava beans for the chickpeas.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4-6 tablespoons flour
• Soybean or vegetable oil for frying
• Chopped tomato for garnish
• Diced onion for garnish
• Diced green bell pepper for garnish
• Tahina sauce
• Pita bread

Click here to view the recipe preparation instructions along with additional information on the history of Falafel.

Have you ever tried Falafel? And what's your favorite non-American dish?

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Hello flower garden. Smile for the camera.

I have had a spot on my camera for the longest time. It was most annoying but it didn't seem to be on the lens. Apparently it was dust on the sensor, and after discovering that yes! there is a cleaning mode for this, I think I finally got the sucker. I haven't tried a close up shot since "dusting" but the test photographs from normal range I took today aren't showing any signs. Fingers crossed I got it.

Anyhow, I really wanted to get my camera cleaned before tomorrow because tomorrow is our annual Local Colors Festival and I want to get pictures of the parade. It's always so colorful and fun with amazing costumes and the cutest kids ever.

In the meantime, I did take a few "practice shots" of my parents' flower gardens. I think they're really pretty and just wanted to show off all the hard work my parents have done to whip them into shape.

(Pictured above.) Looking toward the yard. The lighthouse was handmade by a co-worker of my brother's and given to my parents one year for Christmas. The purple flowers up front are verbena. They make great ground cover because they spread like wildfire and come back up every year. Plus they bloom all spring and summer long!

Same area, but looking toward the street with the driveway on the right. I wish these were brighter but the day was pretty overcast with no sun in sight by the time I got home from picking my son up from school.

I love this little flower garden with the fountain. These little pink flowers are one of my favorites! I have no idea what they're called though.

This arbor is a recent addition. I believe they added it last year - at least I know the plant climbing it was put in then. It's already gotten quite a nice start this spring. Along the side of the house we have vegetable gardens that are tiered in much the same way because it's along a slope.

Do you have flower gardens that you're especially fond of? What's your favorite flower?

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New Blue Ridge Rose Goat Milk Lotion

It's here! I now have a matching goat milk lotion made and ready for sale for my Blue Ridge Rose Soap! My handmade Blue Ridge Rose Goat Milk Lotion is available in a new 4oz. size and is the same great recipe you've come to love!

Exceptionally rich and creamy, this handcrafted goat milk lotion boasts a floral, feminine scent that combines the fragrances of roses and wild violets that grow within the Blue Ridge Valley. It's scent combines a soothing medley of wild rose and sweet violet blossoms with touches of coconut, orange, and musk. The fragrance from this lotion lasts and lasts on your skin so a separate perfume is not necessary. It contains a skin smoothing blend of nourishing ingredients including goat's milk, shea butter, honey, aloe, sunflower and soybean oils. It's perfect for hydrating dry skin and can be used all over as a body lotion or as a daily facial, moisturizing cream. This lush lotion is nice and thick so that such as with a cream, a little goes a long way. 

You can purchase this goat milk lotion now exclusively from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen. Never tried my lotions? While supplies last every order from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen will include a free sample of my new Blue Ridge Rose Lotion. It will automatically be included with your order, so no coupon code is necessary. But hurry, these will go fast!

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Stevia - the sweet herb. Here's how it grows.

Stevia is the hot, new sugar substitute as it doesn't affect blood sugar and it's not chemically produced. In fact, stevia is an herb you can grow in your own garden and then reap the rewards every fall. Here's how to grow and harvest stevia for use.

It's recommended that you buy the initial stevia plants that you intend to grow since starting from seed can be tricky and stevioside levels - what makes the plant sweet - can vary widely in plants started and grown from seed. Buying your plants from a local nursery or like me - from a farmer on our city market - ensures you're buying higher quality stevia. My plant is now over two feet tall and just a few weeks old. Because stevia is sensitive to colder temperatures, you should wait to plant your stevia after all danger of frost has past and the soil temperatures are consistently in the 50s - 60s or higher. I think mine's finally ready to go into the ground and sprout more green, leafy sweetness, however I've been waiting on this rain that we've had for the past week to stop first. Stevia plants will also do well in pots that are 10" - 12" in circumference.

When transplanting your plants to a garden area, be sure to plant them in rows 20 - 24 inches apart and space each plant about 18 inches from one another. Stevia grows tall and wide - about 30 inches tall and up to 24 inches wide so you need to allow for this growth. Use the same soil you would for your regular garden plants adding compost to lock in moisture and add extra nutrients. Low nitrogen fertilizer is best or even an organic fertilizer would be fine. Water your plants frequently during the summer months but take care not to over water.

Harvest your stevia leaves in the fall as late as possible. The cooler fall temperatures help to intensify the sweetness of your crop. It's recommended that you cut your branches from your plants before stripping the leaves. You can also use the tips of the stems as they often contain the same amount of stevioside as the leaves from your harvest. If you're in a climate where stevia will survive a cool winter, prune the plants so the stems are about 4 inches high. Generally you can get a second harvest from these plants, but a solid third harvest is not as likely, nor will it be as productive. Otherwise be sure to keep cuttings from your harvest to root indoors, pot and keep for planting next spring.

Once you've harvested your stevia leaves you will want to dry them on a screen or net. Good air circulation is a must but this process doesn't require a lot of heat. You can likely dry your leaves outside on a warm day in full sun in about a 12 hour period. Once your leaves have dried, simply crush them by hand or in a coffee grinder to release the sweetness for future use. A liquid extract can be also produced by mixing a cup of warm water with 1/4 of fresh, finely crushed stevia leaves which you would then refrigerate after 24 hours.

Have you tried stevia or do you plan on growing this amazing herb in your garden this year?

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DIY Sugar Scrub Recipes and Pretty Jars for enjoying or gifting.

Sugar Scrubs are easy to make and a great natural alternative to many commercial products that exfoliate and moisturize your skin. But what makes these recipes fun is creating your own packaging. So skip the Gladware containers and make your creations as special on the outside as they are on the inside. Maybe Matilda Blog has a simple how to crafting decorated jars for your sugar scrubs. And what's better is if you make too much, these jars make gifting a snap!

These diy decorative jars simple require some readily available 7oz. jars from JoAnn's for about $1 each - though recycling any existing glass jars you've emptied and washed would be an eco-friendly option - several coordinating scrapbooking papers that rock your world, Modge Podge, a brush and scissors. You can find the complete tutorial for this project along with a basic sugar scrub recipe at Maybe Matilda, so check it out. Rachel gave her creations as baby shower gifts. But what you do with yours is all up to you!

Want to get a little more creative with your sugar scrub recipe? Here's a collection of recipes from Soap Deli News to inspire you.

• Lemon Sugar Body Scrub Recipe
• Homemade Foot Scrub
• Restore the Beauty Sugar Scrub
• Honey Sugar Scrub Recipe
• Sugar Scrub Recipe Collection
• Chocolate and Orange Brown Sugar Coffee Scrub

So, why sugar scrubs? Salt and sugar scrubs are great for exfoliating the skin. However, sugar, unlike salt, produces glycolic acid. Glycolic acid, like the alpha hydroxy acid found in many expensive beauty products, offers positive cosmetic results and is reported to improve dry, thickened, sun-damaged and problem-prone skin. It also reduces inflammation, promotes earlier removal of dry skin scales, and optimizes moisture retention. You can buy quality, organic carrier oils and essential oils for your diy sugar scrubs from Mountain Rose Herbs.

What are your favorite ingredients for a sugar scrub? Do you have a preference for scent or oils used?

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Sewing made simple. A diy travel sewing kit for non-sewers to sew. Or something like that.

My friend Ben is a crafty seamstress - seamster? - who is on his way to becoming a sewist - "someone who creates sewn works of art, which can include clothing or other items made with sewn elements." Currently he stitches backpacks together with a craftsmanship I doubt I could master with my current lack of patience. Recently, however, he informed me that he's decided to make his own clothing. And how could I expect any less from a fine arts major and alumni of my own Alma mater? However, not only will he be making his own clothing, he has also offered to sew together my dresses that have been sitting stalemate for over year at my grandmother's house. I have several dresses from vintage patterns that I'd bought fabric, thread and notions for and even went so far as to cut out not only the patterns but the fabric. as well. They simply need stitching. 

So when I ran across this diy project for making a diy felt travel kitty sewing kit, I thought it'd make an awesome gift for him with his birthday less than a week away. Unfortunately, I'd probably have to man it up a bit. Perhaps with a Peter Rabbit character wearing a bow tie. I'm not sure kitties are his thing.

Anyhow, you can find this fun diy sewing project over at Sew4Home. It's a super simple project that makes sewing easy and would be great for kids just learning the craft or thread and needle challenged grown ups kind of like me. So swing into your favorite craft store, grab some needle and thread and a collection of colorful felt and get started!

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Celebratory bunting and a happy birthday.

Today is my friend, Leah's, 30th birthday. And since I'm smack in the middle of my thirties - at least until I turn 36 next month - I am going on record as saying it is the best decade ever. So welcome to your thirties, Leah! May they be awesome and delightful and full of joy. It also gives me a really good excuse to share this super cute craft project I've been dying to post about for a celebratory bunting paper lantern.

While bunting has traditionally been more of a festive form of flags for those in European nations, I think bunting is way more fun than just slapping up flags on poles like we tend to do in America at festivals and parades. I'd never even heard of bunting until I became a regular shopper on etsy and it's international community. They remind me of stringing rows of lights at Christmas.

Bunting, according to Wikipedia, originated at the "turn of the 17th century, and [was] used for making ribbons and flags, including signal flags for the Royal Navy... Today, "bunting" is a term for any festive decorations made of fabric, or of plastic, paper or even cardboard in imitation of fabric. Typical forms of bunting are strings of colorful triangular flags and lengths of fabric in the colors of national flags gathered and draped into swags or pleated into fan shapes."

Anyhow, you can check out this incredible diy tutorial for a festive bunting lantern at You had me at bonjour blog. Make it, love it, and perhaps you'll be kind enough to let me know that I'm not the only American who was clueless for so many years about bunting.

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Strawberry Shortcake Season

I had a tasty post drafted and scheduled for today, but Blogger ate all of my posts since Wednesday. I guess I made it really hungry after talking about all that Strawberry Shortcake in the article I had planned. Since it's gone, you'll just have to settle for the slightly watered down version of that post. You still get an awesome recipe at the end though.

Anyway, we just had our Annual Strawberry Festival here in Roanoke that benefits the Community School - a local private, school system that supports academics and the arts. So I've been craving strawberries since they announced the event weeks ago. But now that the event has come and gone, the strawberries in my own garden are starting to ripen. 

In fact, we had just enough strawberries the other day to make a classic strawberry shortcake piled high. Since I am not a fan of store bought short bread though, I let my dad eat this one that I made.

Personally I prefer good old strawberry pie. But I am intrigued by this recipe from Country Living for Turbinado Shortcakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. It calls for good old fashioned biscuits in lieu of the shortcake and instead of glaze, the strawberries are soaked in orange juice and sugar. You'll find the recipe here.

So, what's your favorite strawberry treat?

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A black collar book event.

Reading is one of my favorite past times. However, it seems like I'm always struggling to find a way to keep my place in a book. I lose bookmarks left and right and I'm often folding the book jacket onto my page of choice or using an old fast food receipt I scrounge up from the floor board of my car. So when I stumbled across this adorable idea for a diy bow tie page marker, "brilliant" came to mind. 

Not only are these "bookmarks" a snap to make, they're also pretty as a picture. It's also a great way to recycle any fabric scraps you may have that you weren't quite sure what to do with. I like the idea of making up a handful of these and giving them as teacher gifts. Hop over to How About Orange for the instructions on making this simple, eco-friendly craft project.

In the meantime, I'm holding my place in Blood Promise by Richelle Mead. It's the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series and also a teen novel. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi/fantasy and paranormal fiction, so this series is right up my alley. Sometimes I have to dip into the teen fiction pool for something interesting while waiting for a new novel from one of my favorite "adult" fiction authors to come up with something new. Generally I find I am not disappointed.

So what's currently on your reading list?

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A DIY clean for an OCD happy.

When I am stressed I do the obvious things. I read, I veg in front of Netflix watching bad movies and sci-fi series that I never would have known about if not for the internet. I nap - sometimes a little too much. I try not to yell and snap at the those around me trying to be helpful when I just want to be left alone. But days like today, when my life is in complete chaos... Days like this the little things don't help.

 

So it's days like these that I clean. Yes, clean. Cleaning I guess is therapeutic for me. It's the one thing that allows me to make everything right and put things in their place. And it could explain why there are so many people with OCD in this less than simple world.

However, not only is cleaning therapeutic, but it's also necessary. That is, unless you enjoy your bare feet sticking to the floor and maggots breeding in your fruit bowl. Cleaning, however, can also be crafty. That is if you're making your own green and clean solutions for everything from the bathroom to the kitchen to the laundry. DIY cleaning works, it's less expensive and it's non-toxic.

With that I want to share an awesome collection of DIY Green Cleaning Recipes that I found at Re-Nest. There are 25 recipes for cleaning everything in your house from the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room to your living room and specialty cleaning. You can grab the collection of all 25 recipes and articles here. Also be sure to check out my own recipe for making diy laundry detergent using handmade soaps.

I also recommend checking out Sew Chatty Blog for a free printable cleaning chart. It serves as a handy reminder and to do list making it easier to keep those everyday chores on task. Plus, be sure to visit Design Finch Blog if you're looking to label your cleaners for easy organization and something far cuter than black Sharpie scribble. Not only does Design Finch offer a few additional homemade cleaning recipes, but the bottom of the article contains a handful of links to free printable labels for your handmade household cleaners. Additionally, you may also want to check out my blog article from last summer, Eco-friendly alternatives to everyday conveniences. It contains a great tutorial on crafting your own washable Swiffer cover using a loom plus re-usable and unique product ideas.

So what's the skinny on you? Do you clean when you're stressed? And what's your favorite magic, natural combo for a green household clean?

 

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Handmade Natural Rosemary Mint Soap

I have two new soaps curing. I made these last week. Both are Rosemary Mint. However, one is just a plain jane bar scented with rosemary mint fragrance and sprinkled with rosemary leaves. The other is a special, very limited edition shampoo and body bar created for my friend Leah. It's scented with rosemary mint but then also has natural rosemary, peppermint and tea tree oils added. It's my regular olive oil and shea butter recipe but with unscented, luxury goat milk soap balls added for extra love. 

The shampoo and body bar is awesome if you are prone to acne or suffer from seborrheic dermatitis. I used essential oils known to help aid in the relief of these problems.

Rosemary essential oil is used often for aching muscles, arthritis, dandruff, hair care, and poor circulation. While tea tree oil is great for acne, oily skin and even athlete's foot and cold sores. It's touted as being anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. Peppermint essential oil is often used for  skin irritation and itchiness as well as dermatitis and acne. So the three make a great combination for scalp and skin care. Look for these soaps at Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen in about three weeks.

In the meantime, you can craft a new soap dish while you're waiting. Fiskars has a simple diy tutorial for making jewelry dishes, but with a hole or two in the bottom of the dish, and maybe some feet, you can convert these fun polymer clay dishes into a home for your favorite soaps.

Also don't forget you have until the end of May 11th, 2011 to enter to win a $35 gift certificate to Delinda Boutique. Delinda Boutique offers affordable handmade, decorative throw pillow cases that are perfect for sprucing up your home decor for the new season! You can enter here. The contest is open worldwide.

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Handmade Greeting Card Giveaway from Julie Ann Art

Handwritten notes are fabulous to give and receive. In the age of technology, emails and text messages, a physical thinking of you is both memorable and just plain awesome. So share your thanks, love or just a hello with a handmade greeting card from Julie Ann Art. Right now Julie Anna is giving away a $25 gift certificate to her shop. She sells her own line of greeting cards with cute illustrations for special occasions that you're sure to flip for. 

Find something now and can't wait to win? Enter coupon code SOAPDELI at checkout when you make a purchase and score 20% off your purchase while this contest is running!

For your chance to win this contest, you'll just need to visit Julie Ann Art and choose your favorite product from Julie's shop. Then leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite item. This contest will end on May 22, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per person per entry method. This contest is open worldwide to those ages 18+. The winner will be chosen at random from among all eligible entries using random.org. Your information will not be shared or sold. The retail value of this prize is $25. 

The first method of entry is required to enter this contest. If you'd like additional entries into this contest, you may complete each of the following tasks for one additional entry each.

1. Fan Julie Ann Art on Facebook. Leave a comment with your Facebook name stating that you've become a fan.

2. Follow Julie Ann Art on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter username.

3. Follow Julie's blog Julie Ann Art through google friend connect. Leave a comment stating that you're a follower.

4. Tweet this contest on Twitter. Include @soapdeli in your tweet so I know you've done so. Leave a comment stating that you've tweeted this contest.

5. Blog about this contest. Leave a comment with the link back to the blog post.

6. Add any product from Julie Ann Art to your wishlist on Kaboodle or Pin It on Pinterest. Leave a comment with the link to your public wishlist or board.

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Broken. DIY fix it. For cars. Not people.

My efforts at blogging this week have been sparse at best and I apologize. It's always so easy to set your mind to something and say you're absolutely going to do it, but then life interferes and mucks everything up. So not only am I single again with a broken heart, but my car is also now broken and in the shop.

Anyway, if you're a single gal like me with no clue about cars, I figured I'd make today's crafty project about car tips. I mean if guys think cars are projects so can we. So here are 8 DIY Maintenance Tips for Your Car that you can handle with ease. They won't solve problems caused by dumb arse ex's, but don't ever let a boyfriend touch your car - like ever - and it may survive longer. I'm keeping my HHR as long as I can since the ex-husband is ordered to pay my car insurance as long as I own it - meaning one less expense to worry about. 

As for the tip about changing your own oil - well, if you can't manage it - and in some newer cars it's just too much of a pain to get to anything without having the right tools - take it to Sears. I got my oil changed there for $22 a month ago with a coupon. Plus they check and fill all your fluids and rotate your tires for free. I also got my empty windshield wiper fluid topped off for nothing. Been going there for a few years and no problems from them to speak of and it cost me the same as it would if I'd done it myself.

So anyone else with car horror stories? Or ex's that seem to keep haunting you long after they're gone?

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Around we go.

I love these old playground merry go rounds. I can't seem to find them at any of our local parks anymore. Perhaps the liability of having them eventually got too high in this new, get rich quick scheming world. But it was the whole allure of spinning so fast on one of these contraptions that you could fly off and bust your head that made it so appealing. The danger of a cracked head, skinned knees or a busted tooth. Now to get hurt on a playground you practically have to entice a bully to beat you senseless with a rock. Wait. Can you still find rocks on playgrounds?

So, obviously this is the wrong kind of merry go round, but you can craft it yourself from paper and spin it however fast you like. Perhaps you can send some pet rocks flying? Or those tiny Polly Pocket dolls. Get the project here. And should you find a hardcore diy project for making a playground merry go round, please share it here!

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Homemade Foot Scrub

This delightful and simple diy recipe for creating your own handmade foot scrub is courtesy of my guest blogger, Julie Anna of Julie Ann Art Blog. Julie loves to blog about crafty projects and fun handmade finds she's discovered. She's also owner of the indie biz Julie Ann Art on Etsy where she sells a variety of unique, handmade greeting cards. Be sure to check back with Soap Deli News Blog later this week for an exciting giveaway from her shop!

Homemade Foot Scrub.

Giving myself a pedicure is one of my favorite ways to spend my "me time." It's fun and relaxing, and having pretty feet is just a bonus! I rarely go to the salon because I have all the ingredients in my kitchen for the best homemade food scrub (and I bet you do too!).

What you'll need:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond oil (can be substituted for olive oil)

Just combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix till they turn into an even consistency. It's best to soak your feet in warm water first to loosen any tough, calloused areas. Then just slather on your homemade foot scrub to get pretty feet in no time! I even tend to use it on my lower legs as well, feels so good!

It smells delicious, works like a charm, and the cost is steal because the ingredients are already in your home! 

For extra rough soles, I also recommend using Rebecca's Exfolimint™ Peppermint Foot Soap. It works like a pumice stone but without the dry feeling pumice stones leave afterward. You can find out more about this fabulous, handmade foot soap here.

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When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.

“When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.”  - Joseph Joubert (French Essayist and moralist, 1754-1824)

I almost feel bad for taking the weekend off from blogging, but my week did not turn out anything like how I had anticipated it to and I found myself in need of a shoulder to cry on. Needless to say, I just didn't feel the computer was quite the appropriate shoulder - lacking any sort of bone and musculature necessary to form a shoulder for starters. I do wish in times like these though that I could just press pause on things for a while and then hit restart once I've settled back into myself peacefully. But should I instead find myself lost in the cracks of depression with myself a long way off, well that just wouldn't do.

So I'm picking my chin up, tossing aside the people who say they love me, but don't really, and moving on with the one thing I know I can do - soap. In short, break ups suck and having someone constantly trying to keep you balanced in a state of not knowing sucks even worse. But you don't need to know all of that. And I'm sure you don't want to hear it. Though I know there are at least a few of you out there who know exactly what I'm talking about and have been there a time or two. So today's post is about destruction. Because sometimes you just have to pitch a fit and break a few things to feel better. And I found the perfect solution. It's destructive, crafty, kind of gross, and too cool for words. 

If your days in the office have you jacking pencils and paper clips as your only recourse of getting back at that corporate scum who sees you as a number and not a person, then put those suckers to good use. If you're fresh out of stolen office stock, then snag some from that mean kid down the street who keeps stomping on your flower beds and growling at your dog. 

Office supplies are the best kind of therapy. They are easy to misshape and destroy. But from chaos is born something new, and sometimes something better. So kick your office supplies figurative butts and be uber cool doing it.

Meet, the pencil wasp. He's nasty looking and sure to scare the crap out of someone who's deathly allergic to bees. But better yet, you use up a lot of aggression in his making, destroying an ordinary symbol of the workplace and turning it into something acclimate to superhero's sidekick. The entire tutorial for this project, along with making a caterpillar, a common house fly, and an earthworm, can be found on What I Made... Blog. Which incidentally is a blog of pure awesomeness. So be sure to check it out, make something, blog about your own creation, then come back here and post a link telling me just how awesome you are. Because you conquered the world of crappy emotional bs with the all mighty power of craft.

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