Making solid shampoo bars

Solid shampoo bars are quite popular for traveling and are a mainstay at Lush products.  You can make your own for a fraction of the cost of a lush bar and without all the icky parabens and SLS.  I found a website that not only provides the ingredients but also a nice tutorial.  It's very similar to making cold process soap, but the base oils are a little different - more castor, jojoba, avocado and wheat germ oils for their conditioning  properties.  Panthenol is another good addition.  The recipe and insructions from soap kitchen don't have all those oils but it sounds like a good starter recipe. 

INGREDIENTS12 oz (340g) of cold, clean water
125g of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) beads or pearls
8oz (227g) olive oil (preferably pomace grade but virgin or extra virgin will do)
8oz (227g) coconut oil (hard variety)
6oz (170g) palm oil (hard variety)
6oz (170g) castor oil (B.P. grade)
3oz (85g) sweet almond oil
1oz (28g) jojoba oil




Emmy Gabriel notes: "One drawback to shampoo bars is that they will leave residue on your hair after several uses.  This problem is easily remedied by using a Rinse after every few washes.  A simple rinse can be made as simply as combining 1 part Apple Cider Vinegar with one part Water.  However, you can create more elaborate Rinses by incorporating teas, Infusions, Hydrsosols, Extracts, or other specialty ingredients.  If you aren't crazy about the aroma of Apple Cider Vinegar, try adding a few drops of Lavender Essential Oil to your rinse.  Also, check out our Herbal Hair Rinse Recipe or Ayurvedic Hair Rinse Recipe for something extra special."

Aromatherapy the easy way!

Head to your farmers market (or local florist) and buy eucalyptus, lavender and bay leaves.  Place this herbal bouquet in your bathroom  to turn it into a healing oasis!  The steam from your bath or shower will release the essential oils and herbal scents from these plants.  Benefit from the calming effects of lavender; the fresh, woody, medicinal scent of eucalptus (which will clear your sinuses!), and the antimicrobial and anti fungal properties of bay leaves will help clear your air!

Building out my links page...

I've finally got a few links on my link page.  Check it out!  In addition to my recommended suppliers and affiliates, I also have a search box for Amazon.  Please use the search box the next time you are thinking about your Amazon purchase.  I am a member of the Associates program so any purchases through the search box has my embedded link (you'll see crafty mojo in the URL), and will earn some credit.  Thanks! I'll be adding more but am happy to get a start - now all of my pages are populated!


 Candlewic - For NEW customers, enter promo code welcome to receive $10 off your first $50 order.  One time use only. You can enter the website by clicking on the graphic to the left.


Here's what the search box looks like:

Embellish with Flowers!

One of my crafty friends, Ann, gave me this awesome flower pin.  She also made a cool flower ring I featured a while back.  She used felt, glue and a button to put this together.  I noticed it matched my cowl very nicely.  Flowers are nice embellishments to articles of clothing, handbags and anywhere you want a touch of Spring! 

For the little tykes...

Little kids love pictures involving their families and homes.  My friend Kathy came up with this great paper craft activity for the wee ones.  She cut out familes and people ahead of time, and provided glue sticks, stickers and markers for the kids to create their own pictures.  This activity is developmentally appropriate for pre-Kinder children (ages 3.5 - 5) and encourages hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, recognition of shapes and colors, etc.

Ten Thoughts to Detox your life, conquer fear and take charge of your health

I was recently at the airport and reading a magazine while waiting for the flight.  I came across this thought provoking list and wanted to share with you all.  It relates to the "crafty" theme since you are re-crafting your life:-), which is always a good thing!

The list is by Terri Trespicio from Whole Living magazine (Jan/Feb 2011 edition).  Note: the original list is in black.  My commentary is in purple.

1. Make this the year you follow through.  I typically lose steam and drop the ball on important projects - I want to pick 2 things and follow through with them (one of them is this blog!)
2. Invigorate body and mind: exercise until your spirit soars.  Yup, need to work on the exercise!
3. Other people may have opinions about where your life is headed, but only you have the power to prove them wrong. I don't like the part about proving others wrong because it's not about proving but being happy with the direction of your life.  We need to remind ourselves that opinions are just that and we can always take action to get ourselves to where we want to be.  if it's intimidating, start with small steps. 
4. The path to fearless living goes straight through the roadblocks, not around them.
5. Seek out foods that sustain, nourish and warm you. I need to work on eating better too.
6. Creativity goes beyond sheer artistry; it takes courage to express your ideas. Agree.  so many times we block our own creativity because we are afriad to express our ideas/not sure how others will respond to them. 
7. Disagreements offer invaluable insights.  Don't avoid them - study them.  By studying disagreements, we learn a lot about ourselves and our partners, and perhaps we can change our behaviors or be at peace with agreeing to disagree. 
8. To truly detoxify your lifetyle, think about what you can add in, not just take out.  Yes, I typically focus on cutting things out but I like the part about adding things in. 
9. The coziest homes aren't merely filled with stuff; they're designed to bring people closer.
10. An ending doesn't have to be sad.  It's the only way to begin something new. I like this perspective.

Thanks for sharing this list Terri!  I will do a post 6 months from now to check my progress on this list.  Here's to learning to take better care of ourselves in 2011!

Reading is Fun again!

Here's a nifty craft for all the bookworms or felt lovers out there.

We used felt letter stickers, and foam stickers to decorate these felt bookmarks.  Pull yarn or ribbon through the hole for greater visibility in marking your page.  All supplies are available at Michael's or your local craft store.

This is a terrific rainy day activity and also good to jump start a reading program.

Black and white scarf

Here's one of my recent yarn projects (it's complete now and has found a new home!)  This scarf is made with a black and white yarn pattern which apparently is quite popular in my building.  One of my neighbors received one as a gift, and another neighbor is working on a scarf with the same yarn.  It's soft and comfy!  I was off to a great start on this, but it sat around for a while...in all it took me about 5 weeks to complete.

All natural deodorant

This post is for Alton, who is interested in natural deodorant.  Now, I haven't made this yet myself and will be on the lookout for more recipes but thought this one was relatively simple, and all natural.  It's worth a try.  I will be posting a few more recipes as I come across them.  Here's one for starters.  Now, someone who tried this said she had red itchy bumps after a few weeks and thought it could be a baking soda allergy.  The nice thing about homemade products is you can adjust and experiment to find a formula that works for you.

For this recipe, you will use:

• coconut oil
• baking soda
• corn starch
• essential oils (optional). Tea tree, sandalwood, lavender, lemon, and neem oils are good choices. Use one, none, or create your own blend!
• container

Click here for full details from Helga of Live Green Mom.  Now, if you have sensitive skin, you might want to adjust your recipe to something like 6 tbsp corn starch, 2 tbsp baking soda, and 2 tbsp coconut oil.

Make your own gummy bear candy at home!

This is my next craft project with niece and nephew. I need to get gummy bear molds.   If you try this out, let me know how it goes for you.

 image from popfi.com by Stephanie Sturgis. 

Gummies are one of my favorite candies - they are fat free!  I love sour patch kids so I will look into how to make them salty and sweet.  For the time being, lets stick to gummies.   In this tutorial, we are using gummy bear candy molds, but you can feel free to substitute with other molds (little cola bottles, stars, hearts, flowers, etc).  The candy making section of Michael's has a nice mold selection, or you can go online for even more choices.  The recipe below has no preservatives so eat them fast! I'm not sure what the shelf life is but if you happen to have any leftover, you can store them in the fridge.



Ingredients

• 1 small box jello (with sugar)
• 7 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup of water

Procedure
Mix in a saucepan until the mixture resembles playdough. Place pan over low heat and stir until melted. Once completely melted, pour into plastic candy molds, and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Gummy bear molds are available here.

The recipe above is from Carroll's Desserts/Baking Blog. 

Calling all Germaphobes

Yes, that's me too.  If you're sick, I will seriously run the other way because I hate to admit this but my immune system is poor.  When sick people look at me for just a second, I will catch their cold - no contact necessary!  So, when I saw this, I thought it would be neat to feature on the blog. 

Click here for more details

What do you think it is?  If you guessed a cell/smart phone, electronic gadget sanitizer, you're right!  Just drop in your high tech toys (I suppose crafty toys like hole punchers, glue guns, and the like could be thrown in here too - to fit the crafty mission of this blog!), and they are zapped by UV light which safely zaps up to 99.9% of certain surface bacteria on your phone.  Bacteria that are killed by the UV rays from this gaget include:  Streptococcus, e. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes.
By killing the germs in the first place, you are less likely to get sick.  No fuss, no mess.  Get yours today!

Note: this is not a paid advertisement.  And I am not receiving any money from promoting this product.  i just think it's cool.  Will I get one?  Hmm...maybe I will give it to someone who lives with me so I can use it:, too:-)  .  Right now, I use the sani-wipes that are all over our office to keep my phone clean.

 

What? I Can Make Coca Cola at home?!

I was listening to this American Life Episode 427 on 2/11 where they cracked the secret of the coca-cola recipe.  How could I not post this for you all to make at home?! 

"The formula for Coca-Cola is one of the most jealously guarded trade secrets in the world. So we were surprised to come across a 1979 newspaper article with what looked like the original recipe for Coke. Talking to historian Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country and Coca-Cola, we were even more surprised when we found reasons to believe the recipe is real.

Want to try and make the "original recipe" yourself?" 
Show host Ira Glass asked Jones Soda, working with its flavor partner, Sovereign Flavors, to whip up a  batch. After tinkering with the mix to account for modern flavoring technology, they produced a soda that was pretty close to the real thing.  They will be posting the procedure soon on their website!  But if you can't wait, visit wikihow now for full step by step instructions and tips (as well as warnings!)

The Recipe:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color
   

The Secret 7X Flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):

Alcohol:  8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops

Mini Me

The preschool kids did little self portraits using cardboard cutouts from Michael's.  And construction paper. It was a great exercise in colors and pasting. The activity took them about 15 minutes (of course, there was prep work ahead of time). Aren't they cute?

Colorful Candles from 2/12 Class

Over the weekend, I taught a candle class to an enthusiastic bunch at beautiful Half Moon Bay.  We had a great turnout and a very fun class.  I'm experimenting with my new camera and took a few photos. 


Feb 2011 Candle Class


On the left is a group picture of the class.  Yup it was a full house! Below are a few of the candles that we made.  I love all the bright colors and wonderful scents.

Colorful Candles

I enjoy teaching, especially crafts and hobbies because generally, the people who have signed up are interested in learning and want to be there (unlike other school or educational settings!)  It's fun for me to see the joy in students' faces as they make their very first candle.  This class is only the beginning and I welcome all my students to contact me with questions after the class - as we all know more questions come to mind once we start doing the projects on our own.  Also, feel free to send me photos of your candles or other projects - I'm happy to post them on the blog to keep the conversation going and to inspire us all. 


 I'll post student comments in the comments section of the blog soon.  Here's a sneak preview:
"Candles are doable!!"
"The class was very enjoyable and fun!  thank you!"
"Melanie packed a lot of information in a short amount of time"
"I liked all the hands on projects."
"The class presentation was great!"
 "Please offer more of your classes."
"I liked the variety of projects we made.  Melane was very knowledgeable and easy to learn from. She was helpful with projects and responding to questions."
"This was a great introduction to candles!  I can't wait to take more of your classes!"

Welcome to our new chandlers! (that's the term for candlemakers). Thanks for spending a fun Saturday morning with me.   I look forward to hearing about your candlemaking adventures.

Conversation hearts revisited

For the procastinators out there, here's another take on conversation hearts. If last week's Val Day topiary project was not your cup of tea, this one is a lot easier.  All you need to do is click and print!

(Now if sweetie makes this card for me for Valentine's day - that would be too funny! I'll definitely know it was last minute:-)!)

Here's the link for the card.  And don't forget to print out an envelope template to make for your card!

And while you're at it, here's a matching gift tag to put on any treats you want to give.  This project would obviously look much nicer if you have a color printer, but if not, you can always print in black and white and use markers or colored pencils to add color.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Cowl - More VDay ideas

I was recently in a Winter Product Swap (will post photo soon).  One of the goodies I received was this stunning red cowl made by Melissa.  She made 25 cowls or scarfs over the course of 6 weeks, which to me is amazing!  In a six week period, I'll be lucky if I can finish a scarf.  Her handicraft is fantastic and this shade of red complements my skin tone quite well.  It's perfect for Valentine's day and I've gotten numerous compliments when I wear it.  Thanks Melissa!  To see her current knitting projects, visit her blog.  She'll have an etsy site soon and I'll post to let you know when it's up!

You can use red yarn to make cowls, hats or even a little heart pin - the possibilities are endless, but if you haven't started yet, and you're trying to make it for Valentine's day, you might need to pull an all-nighter.

Pinball anyone?

As part of our Valentine's day weekend, we went to the Pacific Pinball Museum (this was after my candle class, for those keeping track:-) of my whereabouts). The museum was humming with activity - you can play any pinball machine in their collection!  (There are over 90 historic and fully playable pinball machines onsite).

That got me to thinking...it would be interesting to show people how to make their own pinball machines.  You can go really simple (photo on left) using cereal boxes or all out (photo on right) made of wood.  Below are some links to get you started.

                                                                   

 How to make a simple pinball machine using cardboard.
For the Rice krispy photo, you will need:

• Cereal box and extra cardboard
• a small soft ball
• Rubber bands
• scissors
• glue gun and glue sticks

Here's a 20 step version that corresponds to the "make pinball" photo:
You will need:
- Cardboard Box
- Extra Piece of Cardboard
- Some Thin Cardboard…Like from a Cereal Box
- Tape
- Glue
- Rubber Bands
- Strong Cardboard Tube (about 6 inches long)
- Pencil
- If you want to decorate it – decorative paper
- ruler
- marble or ball-like candy

Optional Materials to Use for Obstacles

- pins, straws, bottle caps, bottle, paper fastener, other household items (use your creativity)

Feel free to send in photos of your homemade pinball machine! 

Looking for a Valentine's activity?

I'm making my list and checking it twice to make sure I bring all the materials and tools I need for class tomorrow.  Teaching is a joy for me, but getting everything prepared for the class takes time and planning.  Join me for a natural aromatic candles class in picturesque Half Moon Bay - this is a great Valentine's Day couples activity.  Take the class in the morning, head to the beach in the afternoon, enjoy the sunset, and end the day at one of HMB's romantic B&B Inns or the Ritz Carlton!

Click here to read more on the class and register. I'll take some pictures during the class and post afterwards.



When Bath Salts are NOT Bath Salts

The other day, I was listening to NPR and heard this feature story on bath salts.  Beware and shop carefully!  It's probably better to make your own or buy from reputable brands such as Burt's Bees.

"Across the country, packets of white powder with names like Vanilla Sky, Ivory Wave and White Rush are being sold in convenience stores and gas stations. The packets are labeled and sold as "bath salts," but they are actually a drug that produces a meth-like high and sometimes violent behavior in users. Law enforcement has caught on, and Florida recently joined Louisiana in banning the sale of the powders." Read the full article.

I found some photos of these products and have posted them here in case you're wondering about the packaging. 

You can make a basic bath salt for soaking using equal parts of epsom salts, baking soda and sea salt.  Epsom salt reduces swelling, relaxes muscles & is a natural skin softener and exfoliator.  Baking soda relieves itching, washes away oils and perspiration, and softens skin.  Sea salts cleanse pores and soften the water.  You can sub table salt for sea salt, but it has less minerals than the latter.  Of course you can spice it up with dried flowers, essential oils, color, etc.  Enjoy!

My Top Ten List for Lemons

Recently my friend Yvonne gave me a bunch of lemons and limes from her tree.  I took 6 for myself but ended up with the whole bag.  Apparently she had already left a bunch in the office break room, and she didn't want to bring these home.  So I took them to a group meeting and passed out the rest.  But I still had the 6, so i thought I would put together a top ten list that I like to use lemons for.  There are a zillion uses for lemons so feel free to share your tips as well. 

This list is not inclusive - just a few creative ideas, and staying away from the obvious no brainers like lemon bars, lemonade, lemon juice, lemon water, etc...

1. y'all know I love B&B applications so the first has to deal with EXFOLIATION!  You can mix lemon pulp and brown sugar to exfoliate and clean your feet.  After rubbing the pulp and brown sugar on your tootsies, rinse and follow up with your favorite moisturizer.  A nice variation on this is to soak your feet in a bowl of milk, and then use lemon wedges on the calluses and rough patches.  The lactic acid of the milk, followed by the citric acid in the lemons will exfoliate your feet and whiten yellowed toenails.  How's that for a two-fer?
2. Kill bad breath.  Squeeze a lemon for the juice.  gargle with it and say good bye to halitosis (temporarily).  If you're at a restaurant, you can put the lemon wedge from your water or iced tea in your mouth and rub it on your tongue and teeth. 
3. Speaking of odors, you can also get rid of fish, garlic and onion smells from your hand by soaking your hands in lemon juice for a few minutes, or cutting a lemon open and rubbing it in your hands.
4. Brighten your white laundry by adding 1/2 Cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle of a normal laundry load.
5. Soothe a sore throat - my favorite combo involves ginger, water, lemon, and honey.  This hot drink will soothe your throat, provide vitamin C, and clears up some of the congestion.
6. Minimize food oxidation - don't know what to do when your apples, pears, or gaucamole turns brown?  Prevent or minimize the browning by sprinkling with lemon juice before serving.  Also works with potatoes and cauliflower (i.e., keeps them white).
7. Clean your microwave - Squeeze your lemon to obtain the juice and place the juice in a bowl with 1 cup of water.  Microwave for a five to ten minutes.  The condensation from the lemon water makes the microwave easier to wipe down and also deodorizes it.
8. Garbage disposal  cleaner- Take the lemon from #7 and cut it up into smaller pieces.  Run those pieces in your garbage disposal to clean and freshen it. 

Image from Penny Sanford Sikes, 2009

9. Air Freshener - This one is a bit more crafty: You'll need a lemon, cloves, ribbon, a nail, and thumbtack.  Use the nail to poke holes in the lemon.  Then stick the cloves into those holes to bring out its fragrance. Fold the ribbon over and tack its ends to the end of the lemon to make a loop You can hang your new air freshener or pomander.  This can also be done with an orange or a lime.  Visit Penny's blog for a step by step tutorial.  
10. Refresh your cutting board - To get rid of the smell and help sanitize the cutting board, rub it all over with the cut side of half a lemon or wash it in undiluted juice straight from the bottle.

Reader photo: Chinese moon cakes

Thanks to Katy W. for sending in this charming photo.  She made the moon cake recipe and had a few improvements.  She thought it could use a little less butter.   And suggests a yummy variation - using peanut butter and putting a hershey's kiss on top (instead of jam) for a chocolaty new year's moon cake.  maybe I will try that!  I also love the bunny rabbit she drew for Chinese New Year. 

If you've done any of the crafts on this blog or have projects to suggest, please send them over - I'd be glad to share your experience!

Crafty Ideas: Green Bay Packers - Super Bowl Champs

I'm not a big football fan though I do like the Super Bowl commercials, half time shows and snacks!  Well, to be honest, I love snacks in general!   I also enjoy being out and about during super bowl sunday because it means NO LINES anywhere, and generally great traffic (because everyone is watchng the game)!!!

To commemorate the winning team, I found a few crafts that were Green Bay inspired...crochet doilies, crochet coasters and patches...slim pickings but hey, it's crafty!  You can visit this site to order these items if you don't want to make it yourself:

Green Bay Packers Crochet Doily:

For the Teachers out There - Creative Uses for Chalk

This is a special post for all the teachers out there.  Although I have seen the high tech boards in some high school classrooms, I know that many of you still use chalk and write on chalk boards due to school district budget constraints.  Here are some other uses for chalk - yes, this is white sidewalk chalk or white chalk used on blackboards.

Repel ants - Keep ants at bay by drawing a line around home entry points. The ants will be repelled by the calcium carbonate in the chalk, which is actually made up of ground-up and compressed shells of marine animals. Scatter powdered chalk around garden plants to repel ants and slugs.

Polish metal and marble - To make metal shine like new, put some chalk dust on a damp cloth and wipe. (You can make chalk dust by using a mortar to pulverize pieces of chalk.) Buff with a soft cloth for an even shinier finish. Wipe clean marble with a damp soft cloth dipped in powdered chalk. Rinse with clear water and dry thoroughly.

Keep silver from tarnishing - You love serving company with your fine silver, but polishing it before each use is another story. Put one or two pieces of chalk in the drawer with your good silver. It will absorb moisture and slow tarnishing. Put some in your jewelry box to delay tarnishing there too.

Remove grease spots - The chalk will absorb the oils that hold dirt in.  Rub chalk on a grease spot on clothing or table linen and let it absorb the oil before you brush it off. If the stain lingers, rub chalk into it again before laundering. To get rid of ring-around-the-collar stains, mark the stains heavily with chalk before laundering. The chalk will absorb the oils that hold dirt in.

Keep tools rust-free - You can eliminate moisture and prevent rust from invading your toolbox by simply putting a few pieces of chalk in the box. Your tools will be rust-free and so will the toolbox.

Source: Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things (see Amazon link in the top left)

Don't throw out that bread tag!

Hubby is probably rolling his eyes at that title.  The last thing I need is a bread tag collection.  But, check this out - you can paint them into these snowmen or monsters and use them when you give out baked treats.  This is a great rainy day project for you and the kids.  Click on the captions to learn how to make them!  I don't eat a ton of bread so if you're reading this, please save your bread tags for me [but keep it on the down low:-)]

Snowman Bread Tag Project

And here's the monsters one

Bread Tag Monsters - Aren't they cute?

What do you do with all the conversation heart candies?

Ok, with Valentine's Day in ten days, I thought I should at least feature a crafty Val Day project, and with enough time for you to make it.

I saw these topiaries from Carol and thought they might be a fun project, and a great conversation piece for your office desk OR to brighten up your table for Valentine's Day dinner.

Photo from Carol Eldridge

Click here for step by step directions. 

You will need

• flower pot
• acrylic paint (for the flower pot)
• styrofoam ball
• craft glue (quick drying) to stick the hearts on the styrofoam ball
• heart candies
• lace doily
• ribbon
• a little bit of felt

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today kicks off the Chinese New Year celebration!  It's the year of the rabbit. 

  

(1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011)

People born in the year of the rabbit are said to be: You are the kind of person that people like to be around-affectionate, obliging, always pleasant.  You have a tendency, though, to get too sentimental and seem superficial.  Being cautious and conservative, you are successful in business but would also make a good lawyer, diplomat, or actor.

Three of my friends are pregnant and will give birth to little year of the rabbit baby girls!

Another variation on the vintage luggage dog bed

ok, for the non-crafty types OR if this project looks a little more involved, you can also purchase one.

In this version, you don't separate the luggage but keep the lid attached.  You can get this for $295 at La-Di-Da.   (Yes, at that price, I suggest learning to get crafty so you can go the Do-It-yourself route!)

Have you made hand sanitizer before?

Everyone knows that washing hands is the best way to keep germs away.  What do you do when you can't wash your hands?  You can clean them with your own homemade hand sanitizer.  Here's how!

You will need:
- a 3 oz bottle
- 1.0 oz aloe vera gel
- 1.5 oz rubbing alcohol
For extra potency, you can add tea tree oil and lavender essential oils. For a recipe this size, you can add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil or 2 drops of tea tree & 1 drop of lavender (to take the edge off the medicinal smell of tea tree).  Both tea tree and lavender essential oils are not only antisbacterial and antifungal, but also antiviral.

You can alter your batch size -just keep the ratio of 3 parts alcohol to 2 parts aloe vera gel to ensure germ fighting abilities).