2011 didn't follow the plans I had for it, but even when things don't go as planned there can be moments of brilliance.
In April, shortly after Jenny and I launched this blog, my mother had a grand mal seizure. Not only was this terrifying for her as well as the rest of us, but it was also baffling since there is no familial link, nor does she have seizure disorder. Long story short is that it was determined to be a seizure of unknown origin and she was restricted from driving for six months. Since my sister and her two children live with us, I found myself being a chauffeur and babysitter more often than I had previously. My crafting table became a play area. I adore my niece and nephew, but babysitting them made updating regularly impossible.
To stay up on crafting trends I applied to Michael's as the Scrapbooking and Jewelry instructor and have been teaching there since June. I hope to expand my jewelry classes and turn the scrapbooking over to someone else next year. I have learned quite a few new techniques, many of which I look forward to sharing with you!
Even though this year had some incredible difficulties, there were also many blessings and I look forward to continuing with this blog in 2012 and hopefully many years to come.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Easy Peasy Melt and Pour Soap
I always get excited when I see all the pretty soaps on Etsy.
Last summer my sister and I decided to try our hand at making soap for the first time. I wasn't comfortable with the entire soap making process, which involves lye, so we went the alternative and easy route.
Melt and pour soaps!
Basically you melt soap and mold it into new and fun shapes. The possibilities are endless!
Not only are they easy (and cheap) to make, but they make fantastic homemade gifts for family and friends!
Here's what you need to get started:
- a scale (we used a postal scale that measures in ounces)
-soap (to melt and pour into a new shape)
- a soap mold in any shape (we used rectangular for ours)
-dye for coloring (make sure it's safe for soaps, do NOT use food coloring)
- essential oils or fragrances made for soaps
Everything we used in the following tutorial came from local craft stores (Michaels, Joanns and Hobby Lobby).
Important note: Make sure you check the ingredients if you have any skin allergies to anything!
Step 1:
Weigh your soap. For the mold we used we needed approximately 3.4 oz.
The molds don't tell you how much soap you need, so it's basically a guesstimate (we filled our mold with water and weighed it to find out).
Step 2:
Put the soap into a microwave safe dish and heat it until it's fully melted, which is approximately 30 seconds.
Step 3:
Add your fragrance and color. You have to be quick with this step because otherwise your soap will start setting before you pour it into the mold!
Be creative with your colors and fragrance! We used tangerine fragrance and a red/orange color combo for our soap.
Step 4:
Pour your melted soap into your mold!
Step 5:
In approximately a half hour (or less because we cheated and put the mold into the freezer), your soap will be finished! It should pop pretty easily out of the mold.
And I just realized I never took a picture of our finished orange colored, tangerine soap (because apparently I'm lame). So here's a picture of other soaps we made with different molds!
There's TONS of different soap molds out there, both in craft stores and online. Be creative and have fun!
Stay tuned for the next tutorial on how to make soap with a pretty design imprinted into it!
Last summer my sister and I decided to try our hand at making soap for the first time. I wasn't comfortable with the entire soap making process, which involves lye, so we went the alternative and easy route.
Melt and pour soaps!
Basically you melt soap and mold it into new and fun shapes. The possibilities are endless!
Not only are they easy (and cheap) to make, but they make fantastic homemade gifts for family and friends!
Here's what you need to get started:
- a scale (we used a postal scale that measures in ounces)
-soap (to melt and pour into a new shape)
- a soap mold in any shape (we used rectangular for ours)
-dye for coloring (make sure it's safe for soaps, do NOT use food coloring)
- essential oils or fragrances made for soaps
Everything we used in the following tutorial came from local craft stores (Michaels, Joanns and Hobby Lobby).
Important note: Make sure you check the ingredients if you have any skin allergies to anything!
Step 1:
Weigh your soap. For the mold we used we needed approximately 3.4 oz.
The molds don't tell you how much soap you need, so it's basically a guesstimate (we filled our mold with water and weighed it to find out).
Step 2:
Put the soap into a microwave safe dish and heat it until it's fully melted, which is approximately 30 seconds.
Step 3:
Add your fragrance and color. You have to be quick with this step because otherwise your soap will start setting before you pour it into the mold!
Be creative with your colors and fragrance! We used tangerine fragrance and a red/orange color combo for our soap.
Step 4:
Pour your melted soap into your mold!
Step 5:
In approximately a half hour (or less because we cheated and put the mold into the freezer), your soap will be finished! It should pop pretty easily out of the mold.
Ta da! Soap!
And I just realized I never took a picture of our finished orange colored, tangerine soap (because apparently I'm lame). So here's a picture of other soaps we made with different molds!
There's TONS of different soap molds out there, both in craft stores and online. Be creative and have fun!
Stay tuned for the next tutorial on how to make soap with a pretty design imprinted into it!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
We're late!
We sincerely apologize for the inconsistency of our posts the last month or so. Now that Jen #2 is on summer break, please expect more posts!
Stay tuned for our Etsian interview and also a tutorial on how to make your own melt and pour soap!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Coffee for a Good Cause
If you're anything like me, you get coffee out as often as you make it at home. I like the convenience of Starbucks and we have many of them here in California. I tend to keep a balance on a card so no matter how tight things get, I still have a little wiggle room for a cuppa.
I love this card design anyhow, but did you know that 5 cents from every purchase made with this card goes to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa? I have had a RED card for the last 3 years and even though it's not much, I like the idea of being able to do a little good when I go to buy my coffee.
Do you have a charity you like to donate to? Tell us in the comments to be entered in a drawing for a $5 Starbucks RED card!
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