Yummy body scrubs

Natural, yummy smelling, super effective body scrubs! What more can you ask for?

Mrs Emma and I went into the kitchen and tested the recipes from Martha Steward. After a few test runs we came up with the following results:



We ended up tweaking the recipe a little. We used 2 cups of fine white sugar or roughly grained salt, 3/4 cup of oil and 12 drops of essential oils. The oils we used were peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, and coconut. We wanted oils that were natural and not too heavy, and it also turned out that these mixes really well. We made a mint-coconut, mint-eucalyptus, mint, eucalyptus and coconut-lemon. It is hard to even choose a favorite from these. Finally we also added a few drops of food colouring for a nicer look.

We made some fantastic scrubs. I already tested one in the shower and the result and the smell is just perfect. And the ingredients are natural. In fact so natural that I even tasted some of the coconut-mint sugar scrub. Even the taste is good!

I am giving these away together with a little pillow to put in your wardrobe. These contain dried peppermint leaves and will leave all your clothes smelling minty fresh!

A few christmas ideas

There are so many fun and cool projects to do for christmas; this being both decorations and homemade gifts. We are trying to make both at our house, and so far we are doing kinda okay. However, there are a few things I just wont get done this year. But it is okay. I'll start on them sometime in January when I don't have any projects coming up anyway and then I should be done by next christmas, right? I am pretty sure that would work.

So on my to-do list for 2009 I have take care of the little man, my own Prince Charming and the little apartment and do these three projects. It sounds doable! Yey!

Mini stockings


Shimmering trees


The Button Wreath


For instructions on how to do make these lovlies, templates and so on, just click on the name of the project and you'll end up with Miss Martha Stewart - Yes, she is pretty annoying, but I'll forgive her, since she makes some good stuff!

A few projects

As we were making our christmas decorations I noticed that our straw wreaths were gone. I looked everywhere for them, but couldn't find them. Finally I figured that I must have thrown them out last christmas. It was the night before the 1st advent so I wanted to make a advent wreath of some sorts. It ended up as an advent plate. Here you see the result. Not exactly what I had in mind but I kinda like the result. It makes me think of the forrest, a forrest with pearls growing though!
Next year, however, there will be a real wreath, don't worry.


And then I started working on the sleeping bag for the little one. He really likes his old sleeping bag and he sleeps really well in it. Unfortunately he has outgrown it, and I couldn't find a new one that lived up to my criterias (easy to wash on a high temperature) so I decided to make one. This Sunday I figured I better get it over with and started on the project. It was much easier than I had feared and I really like the result. And most importantly the little one likes the result - and sleeps well. I haven't finished the trim at the top of the sleeping bag and I also want to cut off a little bit of the straps, but other than that here it is. I'll post nicer pictures of it when I've finished it.


And finally ... if you really want to do something, you'll find some way of squeezing it in. Thank you, Emma, for squeezing it in with me.



Recipes, tips and pictures of the finished product will come later.

I have this long list of things ...

Am I the only one? You know, am I the only one with a looong list of things that I want to do or to make? Christmas is getting closer and closer and our plan to make all our gifts ourselves ... well, let's just say it doesn't look too good right now.

So maybe you can be inspired by the things that I am wanting to do. If you make these, let me know how it went. And pictures, please do send pictures!



For instructions, just click here and here


Instructions here.

But thinking about it, it doesn't look that complicated, maybe I could just squeeze it in. That saltscrub, maybe with some vanilla and ...

Fabric Heaven

Far away from my little house lies the magic fabric heaven. That is where all the good little girls with sowing machines go when they die.

At least that is what it feels like when you go there - that you have died and gone to fabric heaven!

This week I loaded up the little one in his buggy, got my sister and the lovely Emma with me and took the train and the bus and ended up in fabric heaven. No, that is not the actual name of the store. It is my nickname for the store, but it very adequately describes the place!

I got loads of nice fabric - some to make a new (maybe even two) sleeping bag for the little guy, some for a funky dress for my friends daughter (She is two years old - should it worry me if I also want one for myself?), fabric for little cubes I want to make for Samuel for christmas, then some I just fell in love with because it was pink and soft to touch and so on and so on.

I am responsible for the christmas party at our church tomorrow, so I don't really have time to start working on any of the projects right now. However, tomorrow evening ... hmm! I have a date with my sowing machine. I did however use some of my new fabric to make little gifts for the babies at the party.

For now you can see a picture of some of the fabric I got.

Merry Christmas

On the 29th of November Mike and I started on the christmas decorating. We hung up a few things and made some simple decorations. We mainly used glass baubles and pine branches. Seeing as we are christians I like the decorations not to be focused on Santa Claus and elves. Instead we have a very simple nativity scene that I got at Woolworths a few years ago.


How can you resist these two guys?


I had bought different kinds of pine branches and for reasons unknown to me I also picked up a bouquet of small pink roses. They looked very cute, they were cheap and all, but why I decided to get them for our christmas decorations still puzzles me. Anyhow I decided to put them into a wreath together with some pine branches. I think the wreath would do wonders ... at a funeral.


I ended up hanging it on a cupboard in my crafting room. Cause after all I like the way it looks. It is just not right for christmas. Anyone going to a funeral soon?

These are some of the decorations we have around the house





My better half especially likes the decoration with the pinecones and glass baubles in the big glass vase. He thinks it is "Elle Decoration"-material. How can you not love him?

Merry Christmas everyone!

Paper bag styled books

Yesterday the lovely miss Emma was over. Or wait, she is married so she is not miss any longer. I am thinking hard to figure out what her title is then. I guess I am tired because my brain is not working.

Anyway we made these fantastic book. It took about half an hour and it looked super cool. They are brilliant as gifts for christmas or just to bring to a friend. I am absolutely in love with them. Will produce many! Emma is making instructions for them, and she even figured out how to make them even cooler while we were sitting there. She is our scrapbook rebel! Yes, there is even a little jingle that go along with that title.



I didn't decorate my book. I got too excited and suddenly couldn't choose what to do which resulted in me being paralyzed with too many options. I will finish it later with pictures and all. For now there is just a picture of the little man tucked inside one of the pockets of the book. I am so in love with this book. I need to meet more people who can show me such things!

Instead I worked a little on a wreath for my brother and sister in law. It is my first attempt to make anything wreath-like so I was quite excited. It is not finished yet, but I am like it so far. My husband got quite dissapointed when I told him it is not for us, so I am making one for us afterwards. It is a nice thing for the winter season, I think.


And finally, my sister came over and celebrated her birthday here, which was a blast. We managed to celebrate for two full days. We love birthdays!


Amongst other things I made her a bathroom rug as her birthday gift. I used 3 meters of cotton fabric which I tore up making strips of almost an inch each. I then sowed all those strips together and crocheted the rug. It didn't take too long and it was really fun to do. The little man also liked it. He had a great time with the rolled-up strips to. My husband was shocked that it was to be used as a bathroom rug. He wanted to use it as a wall decoration! If I could just make 3 more and then we could ... I stopped listening around that point.

Tillykke til Lisbeth

Hurra for Lisbeth!

Gratefullness

So recently I have been encouraged to write three things everyday that I was grateful for. Ever tried that? You end up with some pretty interesting things, and it makes you see life in another perspective.

The other day I woke up at 6 with a very awake Samuel. I tried to ignore it for a while, after all 6 o'clock is pretty early. Finally I got up and took him out to change his diaper. And then I figured out why he had woken up so early. His diaper had leaked, so parts of his little stomach was covered in poo, and he was cold and wet. I felt like a bad, bad mother! I changed him and got him dressed in some new, dry clothes, and woke up Mike to look after him while I changed all the bedlinnen on Samuels bed. That night I wrote on my list that I was very grateful for Mike who played with Samuel while I fixed his bed, and that I was grateful for my washing machine! I like having to change my way of thinking so instead of whining over me getting up early, smelly diaper and a huge load of washing, then to be grateful for the oppertunities I have instead - like the fact that I could immediately put the bedlinnen in the washing machine and in the evening it was dry and ready for new emergencies.
I highly recommend making such a list!

I have made quite a few stuff lately, but it is gifts for my sister in law, my sister and my friends daughter, so I can't really post the pictures until
I have given it. I am actually quite excited about the gift for my sister. My husband is totally in love with it and if he could have his way I would massproduce it and we would have this item all over our house. Curious? Pictures are coming on Wednesday, my sisters birthday!

My new craft room

On a Saturday evening I got this great idea: Wouldn't it be nice to make the messae board I had planned? In a matter of 1½ hours I had glued, hammered and cut and the result was my new lovely message board. I am so in love with it!
Mike and Samuel was both in bed and the house was so quiet. And I was sitting looking at my fabric which was in chaos more or less all over the room. And so I got another idea: Wouldn't it be nice to colorcoordinate my fabric - and while I am at it just reorganize the entire craft room? Brilliant idea! And I love the result.
But why did I think it was a good idea to start a major project like that late in the evening, the day before you have 8 guests over for lunch? It doesn't make any sense? Sometimes I wonder whether my body and my brain are communicating at all! I went to bed around midnight, totally exhausted and not finished with the organizing. I had tried to get some fabric up on a cubboard but almost tripped off the chair I was standing on, so I gave up and went to bed. Next morning, while making porridge and getting ready for church I finished up in the craft room. After church my dad, Conni and two of the kids came over and at 4 the missionaries came too. They had a nice meal and everyone was talking excitedly - apart from me who was half asleep in the beanbag! I cannot recommend this to anyone. But then again I am not sure it would have been better to do it another time. Isn't there always something coming up?

Anyhow, I got the frame for the message board at an antique store and the actual board from a DIY store. The fabric was some old bedlinnen that doesn't fit our bed:



And the message board in use:



And all the nice fabric. I just love how it's easier to find things now. And I feel so much more creative!

Monkey prints

I got this cool stamp for textile printing! I think it is so cute and I just love it for Samuels things. Now, if only I had more t-shirts and bodystockings without any print on ...
I also got two cool new crafting books from the "Tilda" series. They are done by a Norwegian crafty woman, Tone Finnager, and I love most of her things. So far I have made this little teddybear during one of Samuels naps and I've also made a little bag for cosmetics using the patterns in the book. I love my new books! A Lot! One was a birthday gift from my dad and Conni and the other one was in preparation for the christmas decorating in our house. Yeah, I really wanted it and I was ready to justify it in any way.

Stamps galore

Hello guys

Welcome to the SALE! Miss Anne has emptied her drawers and are looking to get rid of some of her supplies. It is a super deal! Look through it and see what you would like. Write it down and send me or Anne a mail with the list. Some of the things are limited, so first come first serve. If the item is sold out, Anne will notify you.

Just to give you a feeling of how much you are saving we also wrote the original price. Notice that even the original price is cheaper than Panduro!

The stamps are mainly from a Swedish company called October Stamps which makes amazingly good stamps. The image is sharp and clear, they clean up easily and they very seldomly need to be trimmed. Super quality!

the price is in Danish Kroner and it always a piece, unless otherwise specified!

Happy shopping ; )

stamps

The price is a piece apart from the two sets (with the hearts and the circles and dots)

Colours ...

Chalk colours! There are two ordinary ones and one with glitter (C). The price is for a palette with 9 different colours in.
Stamp pens - use them to colour the stamp or to emboss certain parts of the stamped image. Notice the super deal if you buy a package!!
Stamp pads - what would we do without them? The one in a black package (E4) is transparent and creates a cool "shadowy" image, sort of a watermark. So cool!