| Scented
Bath Oil |
|
What you will need:
1 cup almond or pecan oil
Concentrated candle dye (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pure vitamin-E oil
1/2 teaspoon essential oil, for scent Dried herbs or flowers (such
as lavender sprigs or rose petals)
8-ounce bottle with cork stopper
Decorative label Rubber cement
12-inch length waxed beige cord
12-inch length 1/2-inch-wide ribbon
Red sealing wax and stamp
Vegetable oil Chopstick
|
| 1. |
Measure almond or pecan oil.
If coloring oil, pour off about 1/8 cup into custard cup. Shave 3
to 4 slivers of candle dye into custard cup oil, microwave on high
10 seconds and stir with chopstick. Repeat until dye is melted and
color is evenly distributed, then return mixture to measuring cup.
Add vitamin-E oil and essential oil, pour entire contents into bottle
and insert cork stopper. |
| 2. |
For visual interest, drop
in dried herbs or flowers. |
| 3. |
Create label and attach to
bottle using rubber cement. |
| 4. |
Loop waxed cord around bottle
neck, catching ribbon at back (see illustration A).Then draw both
ribbon ends over top of bottle and down front. |
| 5. |
Wind cord around neck, tie
off (illustration B) and cut excess. Trim ribbon ends. To apply sealing
wax, cover stamp with a thin coat of vegetable oil. Light candle and
hold sealing wax over flame for 10 seconds. Then cut a 1/8-inch circle
from softened wax with a sharp knife. Using tweezers, position wax
on ribbon ends, then impress with stamp. |
|
Yields 1 cup bath oil. |
|
| Bubble
Tubes - Great for Kids to make! |
What you will
need:
2 feet of clear plastic tubing, 1 inch in diameter (available at hardware
stores) 2 corks to fit the ends of the tubing Glue Water of glycerine
Food coloring Glitter or small beads, if desired |
| 1. |
Glue a cork into one end
of the plastic tubing and let dry completely. Fill the tube with water
or glycerine to within an inch of the uncorked end. Add a few drops
of food coloring. |
| 2. |
Add glitter or small beads
to the liquid. Glue the other cork into the open end. Let dry completely.
Tip the tube back and forth and watch the bubble travel (toddlers
love this). Tie bows around the ends to give as a gift. |
| |
NOTE: Be safe! Always check
to see that the corks are securely glued in place. Don't give tubes
with small beads that could get swallowed to toddlers. |
|
| Christmas
Tree decorations for the kids to make. |
What you will need:
1 White bread loaf
Cookie cutters
Straws
Paintbrushes
Paints
Glue
Gold string
Glitter Sequins, beads, etc.
Directions:
Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes into white bread. Use the end of a
straw to make a hole near the top of the shape. Leave shapes to harden
overnight. Paint in bright colours using either poster paints or powder
paints with a little household glue added. Leave ornaments to dry. After
ornaments have dried, turn them over and paint the other side. When
dry, add beads, glitter etc. Loop gold string through hole. Hang on
Christmas tree.
|
| Covered Clay Pots |
|
What you will need:
Newspapers Colored paper napkins or tissue paper
Clay pot with a bottom hole for drainage
Small sponge-tipped paintbrush
1/4 cup white glue diluted with 1/4 cup water
Pencil
1. Spread newspapers
over your work surface. Open up a napkin or piece of tissue paper and
place the clay pot in the center. With the sponge-tipped brush, heavily
paint the glue-and-water mixture onto the pot.
2. Next, lift the
napkin or tissue up and around the pot, pressing it against the sides.
Fold any extra napkin at the top inside the clay pot. The napkin should
be wet with the glue mixture and firmly molded against the pot. Place
extra pieces of napkin over any bare spots.
3. Gently paint an
extra coat of the glue mixture over the pot. Finally, use the pencil to
poke open the drainage hole at the bottom. Let dry completely.
|
| Stress
Bags for sore aching muscles. |
Stress Bag - a lovely gift to make.
You need a piece of fabric about 15 inches long and 6 to 7 inches wide.
The best types of fabric are cotton or towelling. Fold material in half
and stitch around the edges leaving the end open. Tuck edges in and stitch
down the middle of the bag. Fill each tunnel with rice (not the quick cook
type). Stitch the end closed. Warm by placing in microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
Check as temperature depends on your microwave. To use cold - place in ziplock
bag and put in freezer for 2 hours or more.
|
| ~
Here are some poems to attach to your stress bags ~ |
|
This little pillow filled with
rice, Is such a comforting device.
Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on HIGH
and kiss those aches and pains goodbye.
Apply it to the troubled spot,
The heat will ease the pain a lot.
Or warm those little toes, so cold.
You'll find this nice to have and to hold.
Or freeze it for a little while,
And fix that boo-boo up in style.
Instead of a compress made of ice,
Use this pillow filled with rice.
|
Top to toes, front
to back.
There are many uses for this little pack.
Tired and weary, feel like heck?
Heat and hang it 'round you neck!
Headache coming? The kind you dread!
Take it from the freezer and cool your head!
Who can sleep with ice cold feet?
This little friend can warm your sheets!
Aching back, sprains and strains?
Use this pillow to ease your pains! |
| JigSaw
Photo Frame |
A
jig saw photo frame
Cut 2 pieces of tag board into a festive shape. You could trace around large
cookie cutters.
In the center of one piece cut out a circle large enough for a photo to
show through. Glue a special photo onto the center of one piece of tag board.
On the other piece with the hole in it, glue random pieces of a jig saw
puzzle. These pieces can be overlaped to give a multi dimensial appearance.
Spray with gold paint. Let dry and then glue onto the other piece of tag
board so that the photo shows through the opening. |
 |
| Merry Christmas and have
a wonderful and safe New Year! |
