BATHTUB CRAYONS

Kyle loved stuff like this when he was little and going to keep this on my to-do list for maybe making a present for Mia or another youngster in the future.

Pepperpaints has the tutorial over at http://pepperpaints.com/2009/02/27/bathtub-crayons/

You just need:

• Several bars of Ivory or gycerin soap


• A grater


• Measuring Cups


• War Water


• Food Coloring


• Cookie Cutters

You grate the bars of soap up, slowly add up to a cup of warm water to 1 cup of grated soap. Add food coloring and stir until stiff - add more water if too thick or more soap if too thin, then spoon the mixture into the cookie cutters and then freeze them until they are solid, the remove them and allow them to dry at least overnight.

Sugar Hair Removal Recipe

This is from an e-mail that I receive from Looking Good

"This recipe for hair removal and save a bundle on systems that cost a fortune. This recipe costs about $1.00 to make.

Give it a try it really works.

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon, lime.
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey

Mix all ingredients and Put in microwave and cook stirring occasionally until it has boiled about 2 minutes, stir it and microwave again for about 20-30 seconds.

Let it cool till it is warm and you can spread a THIN strip onto your skin. Make sure your skin is clean, so the oils in your skin and hair don't keep the sugar from sticking.

Dust the area with cornstarch first then using a small knife with no blade, a plastic putty knife, or a tongue depressor apply where needed."

Mini Dress Form Jewelry Stand

I found the gem of a tutorial over at Craftchi.

http://craftchi.com/blog/?p=943

It involves making a jewelry stand out of a Barbie type doll, fimo/sculpey clay and a wire hanger and it is very retro awesome cool.

Instead of using the doll as the base itself, I think I will either make a duct tape form of the doll or mold it in the clay or mold it on the clay on the duct tape form. Decisions, decisions.

Also, instead of candle holder, I think maybe an old thread spool glued to a base (maybe of clay also) would be cooler.

Make Skull Beads without a mold

Creative Kismet posted an awesome tutorial over at her blog on how to make skull beads without a mold and using a broken pencil tip to create the eyes, nose and teeth in polymer clay then paint the features with black acrylic paint.

http://blog.creativekismet.com/2008/10/20/tutorial-no-mold-polymer-skull-beads/#comment-103567

The awesome clipart to the left is free from http://www.rottentoons.com/skull-clipart.php

and they have several other free cool skulls for (non-commerical use only)

Horror Cartoons & Skull Logos

HANDMADE HANDLOTION

Sonoma Garden has a how to make Handmade Handlotion and even had label that can be downloaded put put on jars.
http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/how-to-make-handmade-handlotion-w-label-download/

She indicates she makes several jars in less than 5 minutes with only 4 ingredients the cost is less than $1 a jar.

Recipe from her site:

• 1 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup emulsifying wax
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 24-36 drops essential oil

In a pyrex measuring glass I combine the olive oil and emusifying wax and microwave for 1 minute until it is all melted.

I have found that our coffee mugs hold almost exactly 1 1/4 cup of water, so I fill is up and microwave that for 1 minute. While that is heating up, I add the essential oil into my melted wax/olive oil mixture.

Then pour the hot water into the wax/olive oil mixture and watch it turn milky white. I then pour the hot lotion into wide mouth pint size jars and let cool overnight. The next morning you’ll have a fresh jar of homemade natural hand lotion!

A site that is suggested that ingredients be purchased from:

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/cgi-bin/Main.pl?AID=099823&BID=30

There is also another recipe at Montisorri by Hand
http://montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/2007/08/make-your-own-hand-lotion.html

Here is that receipe from that blog:

• 6 oz. liquid oil (such as canola or olive oil)
• 3 oz. solid oil (coconut oil, shea butter, etc.)
• 1 oz. beeswax (find it here, along with other organic products)
• 9 oz. of water
• 20 drops of orange essential oil
• 30 drops of vanilla essential oil

Pour the 6 oz. of liquid oil into a 16 oz. heat-proof measuring cup. Add pieces of solid oil to the liquid oil until the total volume reaches the 9 oz. mark, then add the 1 oz. of beeswax. Put the measuring cup into a pot filled with water and place it over medium heat on the stove top. Stir until the all of the solids melt. This can take a little while.

Remove the measuring cup from the water and let it cool to body temperature. It will become more thick and opaque - keep stirring it as it cools. Briefly place the 9 oz. of water in its own container into the pot (still filled with hot water) to bring it up to body temperature.

Pour the 9 oz. of water into a larger mixing bowl. Get out your hand mixer and turn it on high speed. Slowly begin pouring the oil mixture into the water. Continue processing until the mixture reaches a thick, creamy consistency. Turn off the mixer and add the drops of essential oil, then mix it up a bit more.

ANGRY CHICKEN "TIE ONE ON" CHALLENGE

This looks like a fun challenge - you make an apron but you are not allowed to spend any money - only use things you currenty own.
http://angrychicken.typepad.com/tieoneon/

I might make the heart apron that I already spent money printing off the pattern and instructions at the library and if I recall, it was a free project from Jo-Ann Fabrics that I found online a few months ago.

There is also the 'butt apron" that a user on Craftser (need to look up who) posted using the back of an old pair of jeans and I already set aside pair of Kyle's jean short (he won't wear jean shorts because he thinks they doesn't think jean shorts in general look masculine enough on men).

I have also been thinking about the now too small sleeveless, shapeless, shift dress that I bought because I love the band of African critters at the bottom and only wore a few times - it could be cut up to make a cute apron (or it could end up being a tote bag of a kimono style shrug or top).

Deadline is April 30, 2009

Here is a link to 52 different free apron patterns over at Tip Junkie for some more inspirations:
http://tipnut.com/56-free-apron-patterns-you-can-make/

HOMEMADE NUTELLA

Angry Chicken posted 3 different recipes with a review of each - not sure which one I want to try!
http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2008/12/chocolate-hazel.html