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Bath Fizzies
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The effervescence of bath fizzes will scent your bath water as they bubble.
What you'll need:
- Baking soda
- Citric acid
- Cornstarch
- Spritzer bottle
- Food coloring
- Essential oil
- Small molds (such as shaped ice cube trays - such as our Silicon Apple Ice Cube
Tray #6880.
How To:
Sift 1 3/4" cup of baking soda, 1 cup of citric acid, and 2 cups of cornstarch into
a bowl. To add color, fill a small sprtizer bottle with water and add about 6 drops
of food coloring. Pour 1 cup of the powdered mixture into a glass bowl. Lightly
spritz with colored water, stirring after each spritz, until the powder packs tightly.
Add waer slowly, so the mixture does not fizz. Check the consistency of the powder
with your fingers; when it can be tightly packed or shaped, stop spritzing (this
may take a little while). Add 5 or 6 drops of the essential oil. Mix well. Firmly
pack the mixture into the molds. Allow mixture to set for 2 hours then carefully
pop out the tinted tablets. Package into cellophane bags with a ribbon to make a
nice gift.
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Soap
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Soap is easier to make than you'd think. Make a great gift with interesting shapes
and packaging them into interesting containers such as mugs and bowls.
What you'll need:
- Container or molds for desired size and shape
- Bench scraper
- Clear glycerin or white glycerin soap
- Measuring tools and essential oils
How To:
Coat molds evenly with nonstick cooking spray or petroleum jelly; wipe out any excess.
To determine how much glycerin you'll need, fill the molds with water, then pour
the water into a liquid measuring copy. Note the amount, then pour out the water.
Chope the glycerin soap into 1/2 inch chunks with the bench scraper; place the chunks
in the measuring cup and microwave the glycerin soap, covered with a paper towel,
on medum for 30-second intervals until it is melted but not boiling. Add chunks
of glycerin soap, as needed, between intervals until the amount of melted glycerin
soap in the measuring cup equals the amount of water you measured earlier. Remove
glycerin from the microwave, and stir with a spoon until it's smooth. Skim off any
bubbles with a spoon. Use a toothpick to add food coloring stirring until the desired
color is reached. Reheat the mixture for 15 seconds to fully incorporate the color.
Mix in any oils or other additives, if using. Use oils sparingly (4-5 drops per
cup of soap mixture). Pour the melted soap into the greased molds. Let them harden
for 2 hours. Carefully release the soap from the molds.
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Freezing Herbs
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A great way to save money is to freeze herbs. Normally you grow or purchase more
than what you need at first.
What you'll need:
- Ice cube tray
- Herbs
- Knife or kitchen shears
- Water
How To:
Wash the herbs, cut them into tiny pieces and then fill the sections of an ice cube
tray about half way with the cut herbs. Cover the herbs with cold water and then
freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag squeezing as much
air as possible from the bag. Drop them into soups, stews and sauces as needed.
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Decoupage
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You can decoupage almost anything made of wood. You can start with either unfinished
wood, or re-do an existing piece or flea market find. Try to stay with thinner for
best results (like gift wrap!)
What you'll need:
- Decoupage
- Scissors
- Low-tack masking tape
- Water-based sealant glue (such as Mod Podge)
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Craft knife
- Brayer
- Paper towels
- Water-based satin varnish
How To:
Start with a clean piece. If it's painted, it's best to strip off any varnish or
laquer. Cut out designs from your selected paper carefully with scissors or craft
knife. Use the water-based sealant glue to affix the designs to the surface and
then apply same glue to top to seal the design. Keep the design flat by smoothing
out any air bubbles. The brayer tool will help press trapped bubbles from under
the paper the keep creases from forming.
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DIY Gift Bags
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Here's a simple to wrap tiny gifts using just scraps of gift wrap. These are also
great for gift cards too!
What you'll need:
- Gift wrap
- Bag template
- Scissors
- Shaped shears (optional)
- Tap
- Waxed twine
- White craft glue
How To:
Start with the bag template, enlarge or reduce to the desired size. Find a piece
of giftwrap that is at least the size of the bag template. Flip gift wrap over to
reverse side and trace and cut out the template design. Trim the top edge with shaped
shears if desired. Pre-fold along all of the lines where indicated. Turn so that
all of the largest squares are on top. Cut slits along the lines shown as solid
in the template at bottom. Crease along all lines and bend into bag shape, tucking
smaller bottom side flaps under larger ones. Tuck the extra side flap inside and
tape. Used waxed twine for handles; glue inside bag. Wrap your gift in a sheet of
tissue paper and slide into your new bag.
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Serving Trays
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Transform an old picture frame into a pretty holiday serving tray.
What you'll need:
- Find an old picture frame that is large enough ot serve as a tray to hold drinks
and hors d'oeuvres.
How To:
Remove the hardware from the back of the frame. Place cardboard insert from frome
onto wrapping paper and trace shape. Cut out paper and slide into frame beneath
the glass.
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Basket/Gift Shred
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Save your giftwrap and colored tissue to reuse to make colorful basket filler, use
with gift bags, or use when shipping packages to loved ones! The color not only
brightens up the event, you're recyling gift wrap and saving money too!
What you'll need:
- Household paper shredder
- Any leftover gift wrap or colored tissue
How To:
Make sure to remove any leftover tape and ribbon from leftover gift wrap. Smooth/flatten
paper and run through shredder. Mix colors that coordinate with each to create a
colorful shredded mix.
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