Miracle Milk Bath

This would make a nice last minute Christmas gift, or a gift to yourself to relax  with an inexpensive at-home DIY spa treatment from ingredients that may already be in your cupboards.

This recipe was adapted from Tablespoon and will equal 3 recommended bath treatments (1 cup each), although prefer putting mine in an old Parmesan Cheese shaker and sprinkling or pouring into my bath instead.

The mixture is to be added to a hot bath to detoxify, deodorize and moisture skin.

• 1 Cup Baking Soda
• 1 Cup Epsom Salt (Tablespoon used regular salt instead)
• 1 Cup Powdered Milk
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Clean dry container(s) or plastic bags
• Bowl to mix ingredents in
• Spoon

Optional:

• Printer
• Scissors
• Free Lacy Graphic The Graphics Fairy
• Photo Editing Software
• Glue or glues stick
• Gold Acrylic & sponge brush or spray paint

aaPut the ingredients in a bowl

Mix together.












.Pick out the container you want to use and spoon mixture inside

 I used a Free Lacy Graphic The Graphics Fairy to create a vintage looking label.  I used the free version of  Picmonkey to add the text to the label, then cut around the edges and used glue to glue it to the bottle.  

As I wanted it to have a vintage vibe, I used acrylic paint to paint the lid gold, dabbing with a sponge brush, allowing to dry and repeating 3 times.

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Happy Crafting:)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (on a Edsel Logo Cake)

For my son's 20th birthday he wanted a vanilla cake with buttercream frosting and minimal decorations and something more "grown up" than past birthday cakes, so I decided to make him an Edsel logo as
he and his father own a 1959 Edsel Villager (pictured left).



I used a boxed cake mix, but went in search on the internet for a buttercream frosting recipe, as I had never made it before and found this super easy and delicious recipe on Food.com for Vanilla Buttercream Frosting by Sprinkle's Cupcakes (featured on Oprah).

I used canned decoration frosting to look like the emblem on the front of the car and instead of writing out EDSEL I just used the letter "E".   As the canned frosting did not come out consistently it; there would be nothing and then it would glob out, resulting in less than professional looking results but tasted great and my son loved it.

If I had it to do over, I would use red licorice strands for the logo and lines and just used decoration frosting around the edges.



I wasn't sure how much I would need as the amount was set up to frost cupcakes, so I went for 18 "cupcakes", but probably ended up with enough left over to frost another cake.  The recipe below is what I used, but you can click on the hyperlink and type in number of cupcakes and the software calculates what you will need.







Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (From Sprinkle's Cupcakes)

•  1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened (I used unsalted butter)
• 5 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine butter sugar and salt and cream them together (I used a mixer).

Add milk and vanilla and beat 3-5 minutes until creamy.   It came out very thick and I added a teaspoon of water to get it to more easily spread on the cake.

Campfire Starter

Easy to make campfire starters from items you normally throw away.

Some former co-workers and I are going to go on an overnight camping trip in July, which is going to be an adventure for me as the closest I have ever been to camping is staying at Motel 6, but I remembered making these at Girl Scout daycamp when I was young and they are useful for starting a campfire.

Items used:

• -   Toilet Paper Tube
• -    Dryer Lint
• -    Scrap paper or Napkin
• -    String

Stuff the dryer lint inside the toilet paper then wrap the paper or napkin around the toilet paper tube.

Scrunch the ends into the end of each tube and then tie string around the end to secure.











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Stutt Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff

1 Minute Pen Makeover With Duck Tape

Quick and easy way to turn a plain ball point pen into a snazzy pen.

This was inspired by a desk set my supervisor has at work that she and her granddaughter made using one of the many wonderful print Duck Tapes that are now on the market.

Items used:

-   Ball Point Pen
-   Duck Tape
-   Scissors

The Duck tape I bought was more the consistency of packing tape and I got off of a clearance rack at Walgreens for .79 cents, but I think any Duck (or Duct) tape would work.

To be sure the cap still fit on both ends I laid out the tape and cut to length leaving some of the original pen exposed on both ends, laid the pen and one end of the tape as pictured and carefully rolled it up.

For the cap (not picture) I cut a small piece to wrap around the handle area of the cap first, then piece that was long enough to fit up to just where the handle meets the cap and wrap it around, then a piece fit from the top of the handle to a little over the top of the pen, wrap it around, pinch the tape shut at the top and then snip off the remaining excess at the end.

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Coin Catcher

This is for a Father's Day present next week and cost under 20 cents to make.

This is another incarnation of Soap Dish from Bottom of 2 Liter Bottle except the purpose is for it to be a catchall for change or perhaps a wallet and cell phone.

To make follow the instructions from here except that instead of rhintestones you will need 18 pennies to glue around the edge.

You will also want to let it dry upside down as the weight from the pennies will cause it to slide down if upright; this way they are nice and neat against the edge.










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Unicorn and a Rainbow Notebook

As it seems my son will use whatever notebook is handy as his own, I decided to come up with one there is no way he would want to be seen.

It was painted with a layer of blue acrylic paint then glued on with craft glue a unicorn drawn on a scrap of fabric with black fabric paint and outlined in dimensional paint.   The rainbow consists of nail polishes from my stash as some of my Sharpies have gone dry.

After taking the picture I wrote "Happy Thoughts" in the lower right hand corner with a purple Sharpie to balance it out a little more

Nope, he won't be toting to his automotive classes.  

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30 Days of Creativty

Refashion of Girl's T-Shirt to Dress

This is a dress I made for donation to Dress A Girl Around The World and it for a Size 8 girl.  The skirt is only slightly gathered, but if you wanted a fuller skirt you could double up on the yardage cut two pieces, on for the front and another for the back.

Items used:

• T-shirt 
• T-shirt in contrasting color (I was able use the sleeves off of an adult t-shirt)
• Half a yard of fabric
• Dollar Store Lei
• Button
• 1/2 yard of fabric (more for larger sizes)
• Sewing machine and thread
• Scissors
• Straight Pins
• Iron
• Ziplock baggie (optional)
• Needle
• Clear or sparkly Nail Polish

This a Size 8 girls t-shirt, but it the same concept could be used to make any size.

First I cut the sleeves and about halfway down on the t-shirt off.

Save the bottom for a different project.

Cut 2 strips of the contrasting fabric 4 inches wide and as long as the width + 1 inch. (1/2 inc for seam allowances.

Right sides together stitch the two strips together. Press seams open.

Pin the right side of the strip to the right side of the t-shirt with the seams at the side of the t-shirt and stitch together.

 For the bottom skirt, fold the right side to the wrong side  1/2 all the way around at the bottom, then fold up  1/2 inch again the top stitch 1/4 inch away from the edge all the way around.

Run a basting stitch 1/4 of an inch and 1/2 inch from the edge at the top up to 1/2 inch from each edge and leaving the threads long so the fabric can be gathered.

Right sides together, pin the long side of the fabric together in and stitch.  Press seam open.

Right sides together pin the back seam at the center back of the t-shirt (find center back by folding t-shirt in back and then insert a straight pin.  Gather and pin then stitch.

Take the Dollar Store Lei apart by clipping the string.   For easier clean up I opened a ziplock baggie and pushed everything off the string into the bag (there are little clear plastic pieces in between each flower that can be hard to see and they can mess up a vacuum cleaner).

To help prevent the edges of the flower from fraying and used sparkly nail polish around the edges of the three flowers I chose and also put a little on the button and allowed the to dry before stacking the flowers on top of each other and pinned them to the dress.

Put the button in the center and hand stitch the flowers/button to the dress.






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Happy Crafting!

Soap Dish from bottom of 2 liter bottle

I was inspired by a post at Alessia's Scrap Craft to create my own version of the bottom of 2 liter plastic bottle into a soap dish, although I made mine taller.  Not only does it cost almost nothing to make, it keeps the soap from getting soggy and gross on the bottom.

Items used:

• 2 litter plastic bottle
• Kitchen shears, Xacto Knife, box cutter or some other method to cut the bottle
• Rhinestones 
• E6000 or other strong clear glue

1. Decide how tall you want your soap dish to be.  I used a line that was already on the bottle below the label for a guide.
2. Cut the bottom off of the bottle (I used kitchen shears as I found I have better control over keeping the even, to start the cut, pinch the plastic slightly, cut, then insert one of the blades inside the bottle).
3. Glue rhinestones around the edge - I alternated blue and clear about and put them the length of 2nd bend in my index finger as a rough guide, but you could glue them wherever you wanted.

Happy crafting!

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30 Days of Creativity

Ruffles and Bow Baby Blanket

This is a baby blanket I made for great-niece, Tegan.  Isn't she a cutie?

I wanted to make something befitting of a little princess and came up with a ruffles and a bow baby blanket and large enough to last her through the toddler years.

• 1 yard stretch fleece (I bought at Hancock Fabric, but any colorful fleece would work)
• 1 yard fleece coordinating or contrast fleece for the ruffles and the bow 
• Matching Thread
• Sewing Machine
• Straight Pins
• Scissors
• Iron

Cut the coordinating fleece into into seven 4 1/2 inch strips.

Sew six of the strips together using a half inch for the seam and sewing the two ends together to make a circle.

On one edge use a gathering stitch (I broke mine into several sections for more uniform gathering).

Pin and gather around the edges of the stretch fleece evenly and stitch together.

To finish off the edges, press the seam allowance toward the blanket, pin and iron, then top stitch all the way around the trim off the edges underneath up to the top stitching.  It will look like the picture to the side.









For the bow:

Cut a 24 inch piece off of the remaining strip.  Stitch the two ends together then fold so that the stitched part is in the center, right sides together.  Pin and stitch one side, then part of the other side, but leave a small opening large enough to turn inside out then  hand stitch the opening shut.

In the center on the back side of the bow fold each edge towards the center and pin.  Stitch down approximately 1/2 inch away from the center seam in back to secure the pleats.

Cut a piece off of the remaining strip about six inches long fold each end in to create a strip, wrap it around the bow and stitch it to the bow then stitch it to the blanket.

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25 Ways to Wear A Scarf

Sorry for the DIY MIA...work has been hectic, but I do have several projects that I have already completed to post in the future.

A scarf is a way to add pizazz to any outfit.  I am a scarf collector and I thought I would share this clever video on Youtube by wendyslookbook that show 25 ways to wear a scarf.  While some look similar, there are a few I had never seen before and they are fabulous inspiration for adding a scarf to you wardrobe.

Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

As a co-workers favorite food is bacon, we decided to go with a bacon themed carry in and I made Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies adapting a recipe from Tablespoon posted by Kristy of
The Girl Who Ate Everything.   They were delicious and the bacon added a tasty element to the cookies, but nobody could actually taste any bacon.

Made 2 1/2 dozen cookies

For Candied Bacon

• 8 slices center cut thick bacon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees, place foil on a baking sheet, lay the bacon flat, spoon half of the brown sugar on top, put in the oven for 10 minutes, flip bacon over and spoon the remaining brown sugar over the top of the bacon and bake another 10 minutes, or until bacon is is crisp.   Allow to cook and cut into small pieces.

Cookies:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 16 oz pkg)
2 TBSP Milk

Normally when baking cookies, I will cream the sugar and butter together first and sift the flour, but my son was doing the mixing and put everything in a bowl and blended everything but the chips and bacon with a mixer and once well blended added them in.  There may have been a difference in the texture, but I couldn't tell.

Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees,  Line a baking sheet with parchment, spoon large heaping rounded tablespoons on to the baking sheet and bake 12-13 minutes and take out oven but allow to cool on the baking sheet.  (We like a soft chewy texture, if you like a crispier cookie leave in a minute or so longer).

I am a follower of the blog Girl Who Ate Everything and if you are looking for scrumptious recipes she has a plethora for all types of foods and I haven't tried a recipe yet that I didn't like:)

Recipes on Tablespoon by The Girl Who Ate Everything
Blog of The Girl Who Ate Everything

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with Tablespoon or The Girl Who Ate Everything or Chocolate Chip Cookies, I am just a follower/fan

Use a Pop Tab to Add Closet Space

I know Joan Crawford wouldn't approve with her "NO WIRE HANGER EVER!" rule, but this nifty little trick I picked up from the video below using a pop tab does help give you the ability to put more in your closet, especially light items such as t-shirts.

Items needed:

• 2 hangers
• Pop tab off of a soda can 

Thread the top of the tab through the top hanger and then thread the second hanger through the bottom of the tab.  

For details, see the video below where I learned of this trick by Crazy Russian Hacker (I so want to hear him say "Moose and Squirrel" like Natasha on "Rocky and Bullwinkle".)

DIY Zoe Karssen Inspired Bat Sweater

I was inspired to make the above after seeing it on  Cut Out + Keep (picture of inspirations and video tutorial is below) to jazz up an oversized long sleeve T-Shirt that had some bleach stains. I looks much more sparkly in person.

I didn't want an exact copy cat so I made it designer better by adding green glitter paint around the bat to give it an eerie glow and a smaller bat in lower right hand side to cover a bleach stain.




I did mine a little differently though.

Items I used:

• Long Sleeve T-Shirt
• Paper
• Pen, pencil or Sharpie
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Green Glitter Acrylic Paint
• Fabric medium paint additive
• Scissors
• Foam Brush
• Iron
• Large magazine
• Plastic bag
• Straight pins

I put the large magazine inside a plastic grocery bag, tied off the end and put it inside the shirt so the paint wouldn't bleed through.

I folded a piece a standard piece of printer paper in half and freehanded a shape similar to the bat shape.

I pinned it to the shirt, drew around the shape with a Sharpie then painted around the bat with the green glitter acrylic paint mixed with the fabric medium (2 parts paint to 1 part fabric medium.  All paints purchased at Michael's on sale last week 5/$2).

It was looking too much like a toxic Batman so I added more green glitter paint to make it a rectangular shape (using the large magazine underneath as my guide).

I then dabbed around the edges with the black paint with the fabric medium and then painted the rest of the bat shape with black paint.

For the small bat shape I just freehanded a smaller bat and this time I pinned down the outline and used the black paint mixture to dab the bat shape.

I allowed it to dry overnight then ironed it the next day to help seal the paint.

See Diy Zoe Karssen Bat Sweater and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

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FREE full-size sample of New Olay® Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo for Vocalpoint Members

Vocalpoint, a free to join online community that offers free samples and coupons from time to time, is currently offering a free full-size sample of New Olay® Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo.

You also get a $1 coupon towards New COVERGIRL Clump Crusher by LashBlast Mascara.

For further details click here.

Free Kindle E-Book - Learn Japanese Vocabulary - 101 Household Items Flashcards

Amazon currently has Learn Japanese Vocabulary - English/Japanese Flashcards - 101 Household Items - Flash Ebook for free (normally $2.99).

I downloaded it because I sometimes watch Japanese foreign films on Netflix and have to rely on the subtitles. It might be nice to actually  understand a word now and then, but it would great to use as a teaching tool and it is simple enough for grade school age children.

On one page there is a picture of the item and the word in English.  On the next page is the word in Japanese in both how it would be written and how it would be spoken.  You also don't need a Kindle; Amazon  has a free Kindle for PC's program that you can download and read right from your computer.

To download, click  here.

As Amazon is always changing what his free (check before clicking purchase), I recommend hurrying over and grabbing a download while they are still available.

Source: amazon.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

ThredUP - Join Get $10 Credit

ThredUP is an online consignment shop where you can buy or sell higher end name branded in new or nearly new condition kids clothing (12 months and up) and accessories.   However, I do see they are in Beta testing to add a women's section.

They currently have a promotion where you can get a $10 credit for joining  here and also give a get a $10 credit by sharing a link if someone joins and makes a purchase.

I don't have any little kiddos in my life but bought these for a donation to Samaritan's Purse   (For more info on Samaritan's Purse click here).  

I purchased the above brand new with tags pair of Kid Memory shoes, and still have .01 cent credit.  The site indicated I saved 41% of the retail value.   Currently they have a shipping promotion for $2.99 for the first item, .99 each additional item and orders over $50.00 are free.   They also have a 30 day return policy.

I received a free pre-paid shipping bag with my order to load up and send in items .  It is a very large bag; I am showing it taped to my bathroom door and it is almost half as long and an about 6 inches shy on each side of covering the top of the door.

Brands they will take:  Oiliy, Mini Boden, Tea Collection, Hanna Andersson, Guess, Ralph Lauren, Janie &                                     Jack, Baby Lulu and Baby Nay

Brands they don't want:  Faded Glory, Garaminals, George, Sonoma, Athletics Works, Kids Connection,
                                      Koala Kids and Walmart

They even have a calculator where you can enter the item, size and brand and it will give you and estimate of what it is worth.

If you want to share your scores via Facebook you can click on your order and it generates a picture of what you bought and how much you have saved.

I am very happy with my purchase and based on this positive transaction I can recommend ThredUP
if you are in the market to score some great deals on higher end kid's clothing without the higher end price tag.