A Bookworm Creates

It happens on occasion... I attempted something that failed.  Twice.  I do intend to try again, however... not in time to make tomorrow's blog post deadline.  Everything began with this idea to make bath bombs.  We've  (probably) all seen those FB ads for a certain bath bomb company that includes jewelry in their bath bombs. I have mixed feelings about bath bombs, but I really, really, really wanted to try making them.  So I stalked the bath bomb and soap making section at my local craft store.  All I needed was 1 thing and it could come in two forms: citric acid. What?  It's a powder and it creates that awesome fizzy effect when the bath bomb hits the water. I could get it in one of two forms - a 5 lb bag of citric acid or a bath bomb kit. There were two kits, but I didn't want to smell like lime, so I waited impatiently for the none-fragrance included kit. I had my lavender and vanilla for the soaps... I'll avoid the lime and margarita fragrances.

Truthfully, as often as I passed the soap and candle making supplies while making a beeline towards Hobby Lobby's polymer clay selections, it never really registered. What started me on this road is better addressed in my next post (bath bombs).  But the more I researched my second idea (the body scrub) the more I found that I wanted to experiment with for this series. That doesn't mean I won't come back later in the year with more DIY beauty recipe experiments, but as I type this I'm nearing the end of this series. Research into the body scrubs lead me to the body scrub cubes that use the glycerin to solidify the scrub (which for me had mixed results).  That naturally lead to the melt and pour glycerin soap.   I went through so many pages on  www.soapqueen.com  looking for inspiration until I found the swirled cubes. How difficult can it be? Right? I found my 2lb block of clear glycern soap at Hobby Lobby.  Disappointingly the other craft store didn&

I seriously might have to make some more of these.   They are so easy. You. might be asking, 'Why can't I just put my scrub from the other posts into an ice cube tray and be done with it?' Why? They won't harden up.  This recipe calls for melt and pour soap. For these I did two different recipe attempts. First up -   Lavender Sugar Scrub Cubes Ingredients 1/4 cup coconut oil (or your preferred oil) 1/4 cup melt and pour glycerin soap 10 drop lavender fragrance or essential oil 1 cup sugar Wow! I've been using a lot of sugar lately! Directions Measure out your coconut oil and put in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. The melt and pour glycerin soap block I bought came in sectioned cubes and I cut four cubes off and grated the cubes.  For a 1/4 a cup I ended up grating 1 cube, but I suspect my measurement was a bit off.  You can also cut the glycerin soap into small chunks and melt that way.  My math suggests each cube is 2 oz

For the second post in my DIY Beauty Recipe series (I have 3 other posts planned so stay tuned) I'm tackling DIY Foot Scrub. What makes this scrub different from the previous scrub? This foot scrub contains Epsom salt.  Epsom salt, while not technically a salt, is high in magnesium which is very good for you.  It has several beneficial properties both internally, externally, and for your garden. In this post we are focusing on the external benefits.  When I was 21 I fell down some stairs at work and badly sprained my ankle.  Ever since whenever the weather is bad or about to be bad my ankle acts up.  Epsom salt foot soaks usually helped.  Epsom salt can help with inflammation... Why not just continue with the soaks? It's winter and my heels are horrible.  Who else is in that dry skin boat? I decided to combine the two issues into one product.  Ideally, you can substitute sugar for this the salt in this basic scrub recipe.  You can replace the salt for oth

It's a new year and everybody has their goals.  Resolutions.  To-Do list.  Whatever it is you want to call it. Getting into shape happens to be one of the most popular resolutions.  It's unbelievable how many people came to my gym for new memberships while I was working out the other day! One of my goals is to do better concerning my blogs.  Fingers crossed. Today we are starting off the year with a DIY Body Scrub.  It's a new year and what a better time to take care of yourself? A quick google search found this DIY Brown Sugar Vanilla Body Scrub from  Fiber Artsy .  It's a fairly easy recipe and you most likely have these ingredients in your own kitchen! Ingredients Needed 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup of oil (think coconut, sunflower, olive oil, or any other beneficial oil - meaning not vegetable or canola oil) 1 tsp vanilla fragrance or vanilla extract I also recommend a container. Note*  I used coconut oil, a vanilla f

Admittedly there is a small sense of panic when I'm prepping for a arts and crafts show. (And I have 2 this month!) Do I have enough inventory? Too much? Is my layout ready? Do I need to do yet another practice layout? Displays. Book page roses. Tote bags. It all rolls around and around in my brain. All I really want to do is take a nap. Instead I'm checking the weather and designing polymer clay sculptures. And writing projects are knocking.  Can I really add one more story to my work in progress/idea list? Not really.  But I can check that I have enough dewey decimal necklaces.