Project: Cappuchino Milk Bath

This delicious scented milk bath combines skin soothing Oat Flour with gently exfoliating Milk Powder to create a luscious, skin pleasing combination that you and your tub will love.  The sweet, familiar aroma of our Vanilla Frappuccino Fragrance Oil adds an indulgent twist to this recipe, but it can also be made with all natural aromatics.  Treat yourself, or a fellow latte lover to this yummy bath time treat.

Cappuccino Milk Bath 
Makes 1 20 oz. (by volume) Container
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Dendritic Salt
• 1 cup Oat Flour, Fine
• 1 cup Whole Milk Powder
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 ounce Vanilla Frappuccino Fragrance Oil*

Directions
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the Baking Soda and Dendritic Salt, and stir well.  Measure and pour 1/2 ounce of Vanilla Frappuccino Fragrance Oil into the bowl and mix it well to disperse the oil.  Next, add 1 cup of Oat Flour and 1 cup of Whole Milk Powder and stir again, making sure to break up any clumps.  Measure 1/2 cup of the mixture and set it aside in a smaller bowl.  Add two tablespoons of Cocoa Powder to the large portion of mixture and stir it well to disperse its color.  You can add more Cocoa Powder if you want the color of the powder to be more dramatic.  Spoon the brown mixture into the container first, followed by the white portion of mixture.  Make sure to tap the powder down as you are filling the container so that you can fill it completely.
Usage & Packaging
This recipe was created for use with our 3x6 Acetate Rounds, but it would look lovely in almost any tall, clear jar.  Make your batch look extra scrumptious by adding a Wooden Scoop, a Brown Ribbon, and our Printable Tags.  Download them here: Download Cappuccino Milk Bath Labels

*To create an all natural version of this recipe, substitute Roasted Coffee Oil and a few drops of Vanilla Absolute for the Fragrance Oil.

from: The Natural Beauty Workshop

Summer Time Grass Soap

This recipe is from: http://www.marthastewart.com/266987/homemade-grass-soap

We used a pound of glycerin soap to make four to five bars of soap.

Tools and MaterialsScissors
Wheatgrass, health-food stores
Blotter paper
Flower press
Melt-and-pour glycerin soap base, thesage.com (regular soap base available at Pearl Paint)
Sharp knife
Glass measuring cup
Grass fragrance oil, naturesgardencandles.com
4-inch mini loaf pan, broadwaypanhandler.com
Spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
Waxed paper
Twine


Grass Soap How-ToCut a 5-inch-square section from a flat of wheatgrass. Pull out individual blades with roots attached, and lay in a single layer on a sheet of blotter paper. Top with another piece of blotter paper. Sandwich between pages of a flower press. Let dry, two to three days. Cut glycerin soap (we used clear and white) into small pieces with a sharp knife. Fill measuring cup. Microwave on medium heat until melted. If desired, add a few drops of grass fragrance.

For a bar with long blades: Trim the dried grass to desired length, removing roots. Pour a thin layer of glycerin into a loaf pan. Lay five to seven blades on top, and let dry for 30 seconds. Spray with alcohol to eliminate bubbles, cover with more glycerin, and spray again with alcohol.
For a bar with chopped grass: Mix cut dried grass into glycerin, and pour into pan; spray with alcohol. Let harden, 2 hours. Freeze 20 minutes; release from pan. For gifts, wrap stacked bars in waxed paper, and secure with twine.

Urban Art using Colored Drinking Cups - very cool!

For all the geeky gamers out there - check this out!  Here's the link to Pixeled Fence, a gamer's urban art project.  He talks about how he constructed them, and has pictures of his son and daughter helping him too.  He used spray paint and a bunch of cups to put this together.  A paper blue print with the layout of the color pixels helped!  These are located in Utah, but maybe this art form will spread to other areas as well!

Metroid Pixel Art Cup Close up

Details

• Subject: Classic Metroid (Nintendo Game)
• Location: Provo, UT. Carterville Rd over University Ave
• Cup Count: 670
• Colors: 7 (About 9 cans of spray paint)
• Build Time: About 2 Hours

Details

• Subject: Classic Mega Man (Nintendo Game)
• Location: Provo, UT.  Carterville Rd over University Ave
• Cup Count: 731
• Colors: 6 (About 8 cans of spray paint)
• Build Time: About 1.5 Hours

Teacup Candles

Continuing on the teacup theme...
here's a craft that I have made - I used the chinese/japanese style tea cups for my candles but these european ones with handles work well too.

These dainty teacup candles offer a way to reuse old candles. We've used this technique with seashells, sake cups, and more.

Candle How-ToIn a small pan set over a large pan of simmering water, heat partially burned candles until melted. (Clip a candy or candle thermometer to the small pan; keep temperature around 185 degrees.) Remove old wicks with tongs.

Cut a piece of wicking to 2 inches more than a teacup's height. Clamp one end to a wick sustainer; tie the other end around a wooden skewer. Dip wicking and sustainer into melted wax to coat. Remove, and press sustainer to cup's bottom. Pour wax into teacup, stopping 1/2 inch below cup's rim. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. To even well in center, use another skewer to prick a circle of holes about 1/16 inch deep around wick. Pour in melted wax until surface is 1/4 inch below the rim.


from: Martha Stewart Living, Volume 150 May 2006 http://www.marthastewart.com/268488/make-a-candle

Teacup Pincusions

Teacup Pincushions

The Martha Stewart Show http://www.marthastewart.com/267628/teacup-pincushions

4.15

Tools and MaterialsWool sweater
Pins
Scissors
Needle
Thread
Fabric glue
Lingerie bag
Unfelted cord
Felted white circles
Teacup Pincushions
How-To1. Select a sweater to felt (ones made of lambswool and Shetland wool with no more than 10 percent nylon work best). Cut off sleeves from sweater and cut them open so there are no crease lines.
2. Wash in a washing machine with hot water and soap until the fabric is felted. (To test felt, snip fabric. If it is felted, the fabric will not fray.)
3. Make the center of the "tea" by cutting two 5-by-11-inch brown and cream rectangles. One by one, fold rectangles lengthwise and pin to secure. Stack one on top of the other, offsetting the top one by 1/2 inch to the left. Starting from the right, roll widthwise until spiral is about 2 inches in diameter. Secure in place with pins. Cut off excess length. Baste in place with a few hand-stitches. The folded edge of the roll will be the top. Trim unfolded edge of roll, rounding it slightly like the base of a teacup.
4. Make the cup. Take a 7-by-4 1/2-inch rectangle of felted wool. Fold widthwise, right sides together. Sew short ends together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance to form a tube. Slide tube 1/2 inch down over top of the brown roll. Carefully turn the tube right side out. Secure at top with fabric glue. Trim bottom, if it is longer than the roll, and make a running stitch around the bottom of the tube. Pull the thread so the fabric gathers at the bottom. Secure in place with fabric glue.
5. Crank out cord on the "embellish-knit." Felt I-cording by putting it in a lingerie bag and washing it in hot, soapy water in the washing machine. You will need about 1 yard unfelted cord total. Glue a 5-inch piece of I-cord end to end, forming a circle; pin in place.
6. Create the base of the cup. Turn cup upside down. Glue I-cord circle to bottom of cup; pin in place.
7. Make handle. Fold a 10-inch length of I-cord in half lengthwise and sew together down the middle with a zigzag stitch. Sew a small loop at one end of double-wide strip of I-cord. Glue handle to cup and secure with pins.
8. Glue a 12-inch I-cord around a 3-inch felt circle to make a saucer. Glue saucer to bottom of cup.
9. To make the whipped cream dollop, take three felted 1 1/2-inch white circles. Fold one like a taco; when butted together, they look like a dollop. Attach to top of tea with a pin.
ResourcesThe "Embellish-Knit" used in the segment can be found at bond-america.com. The pins are from joann.com. We used fingering weight wool yarn to knit I-cord.

I don't think i will ever make these but I thought they were cool! 

Get Clean with Juicy Watermelons!

Summer time reminds me of BBQs, pool parties, and yummy watermelons!  Here's a soapy version of this favorite summer time fruit.  This project incorporates a lot of interesting techniques you can use for other projects. 

Ingredients

21 oz Clear Soap Base

3 oz White Soap Base

Liquid Glycerin

Watermelon Fragrance Oil

Half Round Loaf Mold

Glossy Silicone Tray Mold

Liquid Green Colorant

Liquid Black Colorant

Non-Bleeding Red Colorant

Red Blue Mica

OR buy all of the ingredients you need just by clicking on the “Buy It Now” icon below.

ONE: Prep the watermelon “seeds” by melting 2 ounces of clear soap base and mixing in a couple drops of liquid black. Pour the soap into one side of the glossy tray mold and let cool. Once the soap has cooled, release the soap from the mold and use a ruler and an craft knife to cut thin strips of black. You’ll need five long slivers.

TWO: Now it’s time to make the “rind.” Melt 7 ounce of clear soap base and  mix in .7 ounces of liquid glycerin and 6-7 drops of liquid green colorant. Mix well and pour the soap into the tray mold. Spritz with rubbing alcohol to eliminate air bubbles. Let cool.
Hint: The liquid glycerin adds some pliability to the soap so we can bend it with out breaking.
THREE: For the white layer of the rind, melt 3 ounces of white soap base and mix in .3 ounces of liquid glycerin. Let the white soap cool to 125-130 degrees, spritz the cooled green layer of soap and pour the white soap down the middle of your mold.
Tip: I wanted the white section of the rind to be super thin. Three ounces of soap isn’t quite enough to cover the entire bottom of the mold so make sure you pour the soap down the middle of the mold. It’s ok if the sides are not covered in white.

FOUR: It’s show time. Release the green and white soap from the mold, bend it down the middle and place it into the half round log mold. Make sure that the white soap is even on both sides. Scoot the soap to one end of the mold and press it down firmly. Seal the other end with plastic wrap. You can wrap some of the plastic underneath the soap if needed.
Tip: See how my mold is tipping a little bit? You’ll need to find something to prop up the mold. I used two small matching bowls.

FIVE: To make the sweet, inside of the watermelon, melt 12 ounces of clear soap base and mix in .5 ounces of watermelon fragrance oil. For the fantastic pink color, I combined non-bleeding red with red blue mica. Mix well and let the soap cool to about 130 degrees and have some plastic wrap on hand to cover the soap to keep it warm between pours.

SIX: Spritz 1 long black sliver of soap and the white soap layer in the mold. Then pour about 1/3 of the pink soap. Place the long black strip of soap into the wet soap. Spritz with rubbing alcohol to get rid of any air bubbles. Then cover the remaining pink soap with plastic wrap to keep it warm. Let this layer cool for about three minutes and repeat this step two more times. On the second pour add two of the black slivers (one on each side of the original) and on the third pour add the last two black slivers (again on the outsides of the previous pour).

SEVEN: Once the juicy soap has cooled, unmold the soap and carefully slice off the long, green edges with a knife (and put it in your scrap soap bin). Then slice the watermelon in to guest size wedges.

Original post from: http://www.soapqueen.com/personal-ramblings/juicy-watermelons-slurping-up-summer-2/

4th of july robotic centerpiece

This Fourth of July craft is bursting with patriotic pizzazz! by Amy Kaldor-Bull 

See larger photo

Total Time Needed:   1-2 Hours

Do U need a GR8 helper 4 your picnic on the 4th? Well, this is one can-do robot. His recycled-can head holds a hair-raising array of utensils, and a clear container belly keeps cookies safe from eager little hands until it's time for dessert.

Materials

• 2 cardboard tubes (toilet paper tubes, or wrapping paper tubes trimmed to about 5-1/2 inches)
• 1 roll each of red, white, and blue duct tape
• Clear 1-gallon, food-safe plastic pail (we got ours from stampendous.com)
• 2 (15-ounce) unopened cans of food, with labels removed (for weight)
• Clean, empty metal can or plastic bucket (ours is a 12-ounce peanut can)
• Parchment paper (optional)
• 2 metal bottle caps

Instructions

1. Wrap the cardboard tubes with red and white duct tape. Affix an arm to each side of the pail with a loop of tape.
2. Wrap the bottom of the canned goods with red tape. (Tip: Write the contents on the top of each can so that you'll know what's in them.) Place loops of tape on their lids, then press the pail into place on top.
3. To make the robot's head, wrap the empty can or bucket with blue duct tape. Cut eyes from white duct tape and a mouth from red. (Tip: The eyes and mouth are easier to make if you first attach the duct tape to a piece of parchment paper. Cut out the shapes, then peel them off the parchment backing.) Attach the bottle caps to the white circles with loops of tape. Stack the head on top of the pail.

Happy Independence Day!!

from: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/patri-botic-centerpiece-895378/