Friday, January 8, 2010

Homemade Bath Salts!

I've been wanting to try making some homemade bath salts for birthday gifts for several of my stamping friends and I found a great recipe online at BetterBudgeting.com.  It's a great site for tips on saving money which is especially helpful given today's economy.  I ordered these great jars from My Favorite Things, they are the perfect size for filling with just about anything and they have squared sides which makes for easier altering (at least for me anyway!)  They come in a set of 4 for $13.95. 



The label is also from My Favorite Things, it's called Time for the Bubbly Label.  I stamped it on GP110 White, colored with Copics and cut it out and mounted it with dimensionals onto a strip of DP from my stash.  Ribbon is from my stash as well, I believe it came from the Offray Ribbon Outlet. The Large Scallop Circle was punched out of SU's Cool Carribean (retired).  Flowers are Prima's from my stash along with the large glittery brads.  Flowers are mounted on the scallop with a large dimensional purchased from Texas Jody Lynn.  These were a lot of fun to make and I hope the birhday girls enjoy their gifts!

If you'd like to try making the Homemade Balt Salts yourself, here's the recipe, they are very easy to make:

HOMEMADE BATH SALTS

In a large glass or metal bowl, stir together:  2 cups Epsom Salt or Dead Sea Salt or 1 cup of each (I doubled the recipe so I'd have enough and used both salts.  I found the Dead Sea Salt at my local craft store)  If you use the Dead Sea Salt, be sure to remove any dark pieces that may have slipped through processing.

1-2 teaspoons of baking soda, if desired (makes skin soft) 

10-12 drops of essential oil (I used Green Tea w/cucumber which I also purchased at my local craft store)

Several drops of coloring, which I found at my local craft store as well (I used green)

Next:  Stir together really well, at least two minutes.  The more you stir the more the scent begins to come through.  Pour into whatever containers you are going to use and decorate as desired.  You can use mason jars, baby food jars, or even spaghetti and jelly jars.  I also found some pretty glass containers at Walmart that weren't expensive.




Thursday, January 7, 2010

January ShoeBox Swap Card

Amanda from the Meade Girls is hosting a Shoebox Swap this Saturday and I can't wait!  It will be a nice relaxing activity after the rush of the holidays!  Here is the card I created to take to the swap.  I thought a Valentine Card would be nice since Valentine's Day is right around the corner! 




Card Ingredients are all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated: 
 
Stamps:  Love You Much, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Pretty In Pink
Cardstock: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Raspberry Tart DP, GP110 White
Accessories:  Pretty in Pink Ribbon, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Folder, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals
Rose Red and Black SU Markers, Sponge

Monday, January 4, 2010

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010 Everyone!  I know it has been quite a while since I've posted anything, so much has happened in the last couple of months and I just haven't had the time to keep up with my blog.  Hopefully, now that the holidays are over I will be able to get back to posting regularly! 

Since my last post we have lost Rusty, our Golden Retriever who was diagnosed with cancer back in September.  He fought a good fight and hung in there as long as he could but sadly passed away at home on Oct. 19, 2009.   Then, not even a month later, on Nov 16, 2009 we lost our 12 1/2 yr. old Yellow Lab Sadie to congestive heart failure.  She and Rusty were buddies and practically grew up together so after he passed away she stopped eating and went downhill rapidly.   She apparently had some heart problems that we weren't aware of and with her not eating, things just got much worse.   She didn't respond to medication and an appetite stimulant and we unfortunately had to have her put to sleep to stop her suffering. 

But there is also good news to share as well.  We recently adopted two Golden Retrievers that desperately needed homes.  Dusty came from Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue in WV, is about 2 years old and is a real sweetheart.  He's also Mama's Boy!  Sammy was adopted from the PG County Animal Shelter.  He was found as a stray so we don't know anything about him at all but we think he is around 7 years old.  He was very thin and has some ear and skin problems but we are working to get him healthy again.  He's a real sweetie too and loves his Daddy especially!  We miss Rusty and Sadie terribly but are happy to be able to give Dusty and Sammy the loving home they both deserve so much. 

Here's some pics of the newest members of our family!

Sammy
                                                                                         Dusty

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Laurel Shoebeox Swap





I love shoebox swaps!  If you've never been to one you should definitely go sometime!  They are so much fun and you meet such nice people!  Fortunately we have several per year in our area hosted by several wonderful ladies!  Besides the nice people and great food, there is so much inspiration to be had with all the different cards!  I always come away with some great ideas for color combos, layouts, and new stamps to be purchased! 

I recently attended a swap in Laurel, MD hosted by ScrapKathy on Splitcoast Stampers.  This was Kathy's first time hosting a swap and she did a fantastic job!  You would have thought it was her 100th, not her first!  Every single card was wonderful, I couldn't have picked a favorite if I tried!  This is the card I made for the swap, which was a Fall/Winter theme.  

Here's the ingredients, all are Stampin' Up! :  Stamp:  Home for Christmas; Cardstock: Handsome Hunter, Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red DSP; Ink: Choc. Chip, Handsome Hunter; Accessories:  Small Oval and Oval Scallop Punches, SU Markers, Brads, Handsome Hunter Ribbon, Dimensionals

My New Blog


Welcome to my new blog! I've switched over to Blogger as I wasn't all that happy with Typepad since I'm not terribly web saavy and it was much harder to use.

So, I'm starting all over and will be adding to this new blog as time permits. Since my last post on my old blog I have been dealing with the devastating news that our 10 yr. old Golden Retriever Rusty has cancer of the spleen/liver and hasn't been given a lot of time. Right now he is doing well but we've been told he will become weaker as time goes on. So I am spending lots of time with him and also working with our local Golden Retriever Rescue at the moment. So my posts will probably be limited for a while. As some of you may remember, I named my blog Golden Paper Dreams in honor of my love for Golden Retrievers and my passion for stamping. Here's a pic of Rusty just taken about a week ago out on our deck.  Looking forward to getting my new blog set up!