DIY day spa - Sea Salt Body Scrub

You might find this interesting (you might not too, that's fine) BUT before I found my feet making lovely frocks for fabulous ladies, I had thought that I would base my business around the making of yummy potions and balms. Mainly a yummy bees wax bottom balm for babies - hence the name 'naughty shorts'. TRUE STORY!!

ANYWAY, I thought that I would take the time to share a few of my favourite recipes with you. The first being an indulgent sea salt body scrub. The body scrub is not the most relaxing ritual, but it is one of the most beneficial for removing dry dull skin and leaving your body smooth and moisturised.

This is EASY peasy to make and the ingredients wont cost you a fortune. Sea salt is the perfect ingredient for an oily scrub, as it makes your skin super thirsty and it will absorb all of the goodness in the oil.

YOU WILL NEED -

• 500ml of oil - Please use a nice quality Extra Virgin Oil...  Olive Oil, Macadamia nut oil, Almond Oil, Castor oil or a yummo combination of your choosing.... 
• 500 grms of rock sea salt
• Essential oils of your choosing - I used peppermint essential oil, and a few drops of a vanilla perfume oil - It made me smell like an after dinner mint!! 
• A pestle and Mortar
• Clean dry glass jars with lids

METHOD -

• Pulverise your rock salt. I mean really Smash it!! You want the salt in a fine powder. I would recommend breaking it down in small quantities. If you don't pound your salt fine enough, you won't enjoy using your scrub. Don't rush this step...
• Spoon your salt mix into your clean glass jars, about 1/3 full...
• Top up your jars with your mix of carrier oils, 
• Add about ten drops of your essential oil, and that's it!

HANDY HINTS -

• Use your scrub on dry skin for best results
• Use a spoon to take your mixture from the jar - any moisture in the jar will dissolve your salts making the mix useless...
• If you are making the scrub as a gift, make sure it looks the part! Package it up with a beautiful spoon and a handmade tag, all tied up with jute twine.

Voila! I hope you enjoy.

Bec x

Swamp thing...

Yesterday I dedicated a few hours to the ritual of self maintenance. My ritual involves gooping black dyes into my eyelashes and eyebrows. A dark brown dye for my head of hair. A bit of scrubbing. Some toe-nail painting....

Most of these things I used to trust to the beautician. But after becoming a family, and realising that the cost of beautifying ones-self is no longer a priority, I became pretty snappy in the ways of the DIY day spa....

Being quite fair naturally and preferring my hair dark, I have learnt that you must cover all of the light hairs around your face thoroughly! It is better that you have a dark stain around your face for a day or two, than you have a halo of baby blonde hairs around your face for a month!! My sister taught me that!!

I was also rather chuffed with the arrival of a few pairs of lovely coloured socks!! Not exactly the most exciting news, but as I have decided to jump on the socky bandwagon, these really made my day!!

I did manage to sew yesterday, but it was hard work... I was clumsy and my head felt like it was going to explode again. It has dawned on me that perhaps the pain in my head could be explained by hay-fever! I have never had it before, but I am off to the chemist to get my hands on some claratyne. I hope its works!! I will keep you posted.

Hope you are enjoying some delicious weather in your neck of the woods.

Bec x

A weekend of 'not much'

snacking...

have you met my person before? She is 2 now!! And her favourite place is always right
in the middle of whatever quilt I have just made...

I made this random summer blanket this morning...

It is backed in some lovely blue sheeting...

...and made up of a few old tablecloths, barkcloths and scraps.

This does not have any batting, and it is constructed with the front and back sewn
right-sides facing and turned the right way round. 

It was nice and easy to make! Only took a couple of hours. I think I will add
a crochet edge....

Twitter birds all cut and ready for sewing...

Speaking of birdies.... look what my little sister brought back from London for me!! I have always loved this particular piece by Rob Ryan, and I guess she knew it. very spoilt I am. My mum in law took one look at it and said 'oh that's perfect
for you'... Ha ha, thanks a lot yaya!



On Friday I managed to start a few twitter dresses. I was still feeling pretty crappy, but after a couple of 'cold and flu' tablets I was pretty much off my face - doped up on pseudoephedrine. No wonder you need to show your drivers license when you buy these over the counter!! I haven't taken these tablets for a few years now, and I don't remember them having such a strong effect. I must be more sensitive than I used to be...

I am still feeling pretty pathetic now - I am sure your all sick of me complaining! My mumma has come to stay with me for a few nights. My beautiful, gentle mum!! She has the magic touch of an experienced home maker. She floats around my house collecting things and re-arranging. My house always looks so beautiful when she has been to stay. She is like a disney princess with a little singing bird on her shoulder. Having her here is definitely making me feel better. Thank you my mum!!

Hope you have had a wonderful weekend!!

Bec x

Scrap-tastic give away announcement...

Yummo scraps....

A rainbow of scrappy goodness....

All wrapped up and ready to go to miss Belinda!! Yay!

I would like to say a huge big thank-you, for all of your lovely 'get-well' comments. An especially big thank-you to miss Tracey B for taking the time to include a chicken soup recipe!! I have not tried it yet, but I certainly will.

I am so pleased to announce that miss Belinda, comment # 43 as chosen by the random.org number generator this morning, will be the receiver of this yummy parcel of scraps!! I am quite chuffed with this bundle. It is a bundle that I would certainly be happy to receive,  so I hope that you will enjoy it too!!

To all of my international friends, YES you certainly would be eligible for my give-away, alas your numbers did not come up this time, BUT I would like to say thank you nonetheless, as while I have been sick, your beautiful pictures and crafty inspirations have been making me tres happy! My favourites, if you wish to check them out, are Silly Old Suitcase, Tea Wagon Tales and a new favourite is miss Dee over at Dee-Construction...

Now, I am happy to say that I am feeling better... Still not 100 percent, but the post-sickness clean up in under way. After a week of everyone camping in the lounge-room, the carpet has its own ecosystem going on. The dishes haven't been done for a week, but surprisingly there is not much there, as no-one has really been eating anyway.

My love has gone back to work, my small person is at daycare, so I plan to dose myself up on cold and flu tablets and get things back in order...

I hope that you are well and happy wherever you may be.

Mwah!!

the yuckness has taken over.... And a give-away!!

Hi you guys. I am sick as a dog! My love shared his man flu with me, and now I am every bit as sooky as he was!! I shouldn't have made fun of him! Drats! Luckily I looked after him pretty well, so now he is reciprocating. In fact, my sweetheart has just gone to the shops to get me some jelly...

So I thought that I might do something a bit fun, in the form of a 'scrap-tastic' give away!! Yay!!

Its time for me to face facts. I HAVE TOO MANY SCRAPS. So I want to share with you... Not just crappy scraps either... YUMMO scraps! If you are a fabric addict, as I am , then you will probably understand that making the decision to part with even morsels of fabric - was a BIG one! ha ha.

Leave a comment below if you are interested, and I will randomly draw a winner when I get around to it - hopefully tomorrow but I am sick so you just have to go easy on me... People can keep entering until I call the give-away as closed...

You know what else I have noticed is my page-views are nearing 80'000!! Surely that will be cause for celebration soon! If you are a silent reader - please say hello!! I would love to meet you! Please don't be shy!

The lucky winner will receive a pretty bundle of scraps - as many as I can stuff into a prepaid post-bag!!

There will be PLENTY of delicious scraps for your crafty endeavours.

So yay! Go on! Do it!!

Scrap management, before and after...

Sneaky peek of un-packed bags of thrifty goodness...

Hello fabric!! 

...new DELUXE fabrics!! They are Divine!

Big plans....

New books to enjoy....

Hi lovely peeps. It feels like forever since I last said hello, but it has really only been a few nights, I think...

Anyway, I have been sick! We all have been. We have all had varying degrees of yuckness over the last few days. Luckily mine seems to have come and gone already, and I am looking forward to a sewing day tomorrow. My love, on the other hand has been the worst affected, and sadly it looks as though he might not make it. Seriously. He is THAT sick....

Little Z has been showing all symptoms of the yuckness, but unless you had to deal with the 10 loads of washing that she has created over the weekend, you probably wouldn't know it for the smile on her face as she continues to skip around the house. She is amazing.

So, whilst I have been lolling around in my pj's, feeling a bit weak and sorry for myself, I have not managed much aside from a little bit of scrap folding. I have more scraps than I know what to do with, they are actually taking over my studio... More about that another time.

I also managed a bit of package opening, a little bit of reading, a few hot baths and lots of sleeping...

So I am forcing myself to stay awake now, at least until the washing machine has finished its cycle, so that the fabric that's in there might be ready to sew in the morning... I have plans.

I hope you all had the most wonderful weekend!! 

P.S - Thanks so much for your opinions on the add! You guys are the best and I love you xoxox

PPS - I just discovered that it is a very special and talented ladies birthday! So 'happy happy day' miss Katie Mitchell. Go and visit her blog over here and while your there you will get to see a few of my favourite photos.... tee hee!!

Please! I need your help!

Hello!! I am desperately trying to come up with an add to put in the Meet Me at Mikes 'Good Stuff' catalogue... This is what I have come up with so far. What do you think. Enough info? Too many pictures??

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hope you are having the most fabulous weekend.

Mwah!