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We're movin' on up!

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Cheers,
Jennifer & Kitty

Relaxing Herbal Tub Tea

These little tub tea bags are so cute!

For this craft we wanted to make a spa gift that wasn't in a bottle or a jar. Turns out, nine pretty tub teas fit perfectly in a cigar box! 

YOU'LL NEED

Materials & Embellishments

Pretty cigar box, 6"x7"x3"
9 gold organza favor bags, 3" wide
Florentine paper, 5"x6"
Ivory paper, 31/2"x41/2"
Red organdy ribbon, 28" long, 1" wide
Dried lavender flowers, 11/4 cup
Dried chamomile flowers, 11/4 cup
Chamomile Roman essential oil, 30 drops
Ylang Ylang essential oil, 10 drops

Tools & Supplies

Glue stick
Ultra fine black Sharpie
Bowl
Measuring cup
Tablespoon
Spoon

WHAT TO DO

1. To create the relaxing herbal tub tea, combine the lavender flowers and chamomile flowers in a bowl. Add 30 drops of chamomile roman essential oil and 10 drops of ylang ylang essential oil to the mixture and stir with a spoon.

2. Make 9 tea bags by filling each organza favor bag with 3 tablespoons of the lavender and chamomile tub tea. Arrange the tea bags 3 across by 3 deep in the cigar box.

3. To make the instruction card, print the instructions for using the tub tea on the center of the ivory paper. Glue the ivory instructions page to the center of the Florentine paper with the rubber cement. Lay the instruction sheet on top of the tea bags.

4. Close the lid and tie the red organdy ribbon around the cigar box.

Relaxing Herbal Tub Tea Instructions: Drop a tea bag into your bath. Ease yourself into the warm water and relax. For a more intense aroma, use three tea bags.

Crafty Shopping Tip: You can buy empty cigar boxes for a dollar or two at cigar shops like Tinder Box.

Grateful Gobbler

This turkey book is a great craft for kids on Thanksgiving Day!

Make this fun, fanned turkey book to show friends and family what you’re grateful for!

Materials

1 sheet red, orange, yellow, and brown paper, 8½" x 11"

1 brad

2 googly eyes, ½"

adhesive foam tape

Tools

tacky glue

hole punch

pencil

scissors
marker

1. Print and cut out the feather, head, body, beak, and waddle templates. Trace the feather template three times on the red, yellow, and orange papers. Cut out the feathers. Trace the head and body shapes onto the brown paper and cut them out. Trace and cut the beak from the yellow paper. Trace and cut the waddle from the red paper. 

2. Glue the googly eyes onto the turkey’s head. Fold the beak in half and glue the bottom half to the turkey’s face. Glue the waddle to the back of the head so it hangs down from the turkey’s neck.

3. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the bottom of each feather. Punch a hole in the top of the turkey body. Slide the brad through the body and all the feathers, then bend the ends of the brad back. Use a piece of adhesive foam tape to attach the head to the top of the brad.

4. Use the marker to write what you are thankful for on each feather of the turkey!

Vanilla Cupcake Lip Balm

 

This sweet treat makes a great gift for teachers.
Kids can make it with Mom, with just a little supervision!

We’re really getting into making spa crafts for Christmas gifts this year. We love cooking up the recipes, then packaging our creations into pretty little gifties! We tried out this recipe for lip balm over the weekend, and it was just too easy not to share. We’re going to make them as stocking stuffers for all of our friends. Sweet!

 

Vanilla Cupcake Lip Balm

This delightful cupcake lip balm is a sweet treat and a cinch to make!

Lip Balm Ingredients

1 tablespoon beeswax pellets

2 tablespoons vitamin E oil

Vanilla essential oil

Red lipstick 

Materials & Embellishments

½ ounce to 1 ounce clear plastic container

1 flatback Swarovski rhinestone, Light Siam, 4mm

Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac

1 sheet glossy cardstock 

Tools

Pyrex cup

Chopstick

Potato peeler

Microwave oven

Scissors

Double-stick tape

Toothpick 

1. In the Pyrex cup, melt the beeswax pellets into the vitamin E oil by microwaving for about 1 minute on high. Stir with the chopstick. Continue to heat, 10 seconds at a time, until all pellets are melted into the vitamin E oil. 

2. Add 4 to 6 drops of vanilla essential oil and stir. 

3. Use the potato peeler to shave the lipstick, about 3 shavings, into the mixture. Stir with the chopstick until thoroughly melted and blended.

4. Dispense into the plastic container. Let cool.

 

5. Print the label on glossy cardstock and cut it out. Attach the label to the top of the lid with double-stick tape. Glue the Light Siam rhinestone to the cherry on the label using the toothpick to apply the Gem-Tac.

Big Easy: Make a big batch of this lip balm by multiplying the recipe. You can make dozens of party favors or stocking stuffers at once!



Right-click to save label to your computer.

At 300dpi, this label will print 1.3" x 1.3".



Tea Tree Salt Scrub

Rub a palmful of salt scrub over dry skin in the shower to exfoliate and moisturize!

More spa fun! We have been trying out all kinds of recipes for homemade spa goodies to give as gifts this Christmas. We've already figured out our favorite body butter (Rich Cocoa Body Butter!). And now we have a wonderful salt scrub. We love how the brisk scent of tea tree makes this salt scrub refreshing and invigorating.

Salt Scrub Ingredients

1½ cups table salt
10 tablespoons vitamin E oil
Tea tree essential oil

Materials & Embellishments

15-ounce lidded, wide-mouthed jar
2 flatback Swarovski rhinestones, Crystal, 5mm
12 flatback Swarovski rhinestones, Crystal, 3mm
Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac
1 sheet glossy cardstock

Tools

Mixing bowl
Chopstick
Scissors
Double-stick tape
Toothpick

1. Mix salt and vitamin E oil together in a bowl and stir with a chopstick.

2. Stir in 32 drops of tea tree essential oil and stir until blended.

3. Dispense the salt scrub into the jar, pressing the mixture down with a chopstick.

 
4. Print the label on glossy cardstock and cut it out. Embellish the label with the rhinestones using a toothpick to apply the Gem-Tac. Use double-stick tape to attach the label to the front of the jar.



Click on the image above to view the label actual size.

Then right-click to save the label to your computer.

It will print 2.25" x 5" at 300dpi.





Bead Show Inspiration

Just some of the beads we bought at BABE! The icy blue beads are for a necklace called
Ice Is Nice (free how-to) featured at Bead Inspirations.

 

We love a good bead show! And the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza is one of our favorites. Picture a huge hotel conference room loaded from wall to wall with tables of beads. The sellers have everything bead related: handmade lampwork beads, strands of gemstones, hanks of pearls, bails, clasps, brass stampings, all kinds of findings, and loose beads galore. And best of all, almost every table has necklaces, bracelets, and earrings made by artists just to inspire you to buy more beads. And boy were we inspired!!

 

One of our favorite stops was at the Craft Fantastic booth. The gal there sells everything you need to make gorgous pictures pendants and bracelets, including the pictures! We bought silver bezels (she calls them trays), sheets of vintage bird and butterfly imagery, and glass squares to place on top. We just clicked around on her website and she has a free Tray Pendant tutorial for putting it all together. How nice!

Rich Cocoa Body Butter

Real cocoa infuses this creamy body butter with the fragrance of rich chocolate.

This creamy body butter makes a lovely gift.

Body Butter Ingredients
3 ounces cocoa butter
1 ounce vitamin E oil
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
Vanilla essential oil

Materials & Embellishments

3.5-ounce short, wide-mouthed jar
Brown satin ribbon, 5/8" wide
Brown satin ribbon, 1/8" wide
Gold shank button, 7/16"
Krylon Gold Foil Metallic spray paint, 18 KT
Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip
1 sheet glossy cardstock

Tools

Pyrex cup
Chopstick
Microwave oven
Scissors
Double-stick tape

Steps

1. Scoop 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa butter (3 ounces) into the Pyrex cup and melt in the microwave. Add 2 tablespoons of vitamin E oil (1 ounce) and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and stir with a chopstick.

2. Add 15 drops of vanilla essential oil and stir the mixture until blended.

3. Dispense the body butter into the jar and let cool.

4. To decorate the jar, spray paint the lid with the Gold Foil Metallic spray paint. Tie the wide brown ribbon into a double-bow with tails. Tie it onto the neck of the jar with the thin brown ribbon. Glue the shank button over the knot.

5. Print the label on the glossy cardstock, cut it out, and attach it to the lid using the double-stick tape.



Right-click to save label to your computer.
At 300 dpi, this label will print 1.6" x 1.6".