{So}Sartina Peppermint Lip Bliss Balm and my as-good-as Burt's Bees Recipe

{So}Sartina Peppermint Lip Bliss Balm

True confession time: I have an addiction to Burt's Bees lip balm. Who doesn't, right? It's minty goodness soothes the chappest of dry Minnesota lips. And dry Minnesota lips are, unfortunately, easy to come by around here.

Last year I ran across a recipe for a Burt's Bees copycat lip balm on Pinterest, and I was soon ordering lip balm tubes on Amazon and gathering the ingredients to make my own lip bliss. That first recipe was ok, but it disappointed in texture and stay-ability. Other recipes included many more ingredients which was not cost effective to me. I wanted a simple, natural recipe.

After a little playing around with ingredients and amounts, I am finally satisfied! My {So}Peppermint Lip Bliss Balm (available for sale in my Etsy shop) has the perfect amount of spicy, tingly mint and great weather protection stay-ability.

{So}Sartina Peppermint Lip Bliss Balm and my as-good-as Burt's Bees Recipe:

2 oz. beeswax
3 oz. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. pure lanolin
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
25-35 drops of peppermint oil

25 empty lip balm tubes

1. Melt beeswax in saucepan on low.
2. Add coconut oil, lanolin, vitamin E oil and melt.
3. Add peppermint. 
4. Carefully fill tubes. Reheat as necessary to keep mixture liquid.
5. Cool.
6. Cap.
7. Enjoy!

Birthday Bunting

I've never been so happy to have saved a few scraps from the big crafting purge of our move. These are scraps of men's dress shirts already hacked up to make aprons. The sleeves and backs were the bits left. Who saves stuff like that? Uhhh. Me. 

 I am just beside myself that they happen to MATCH my kitchen! 

AND matching yarn!! Too much accidental coordination, I tell you. It's too good! I can't stand it!

I probably should have ironed them, and the edges are rough, so it's not perfect, but neither is this house, and neither are we. My favorite home decor blog's tag line is "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." Good enough is sometimes best, and necessity sometimes spurs the best creativity. 

The birthday girl wanted paper streamers and balloons, and I was feeling the pressure to buy more than we could or else disappoint. It turns out I already had just what I needed.

We all like this much better anyway.

Don't you?

Paint Something. It feels good.

Do you ever get itchy to change things up in your house, or is it just me? I've had the bug lately, but I've resisted well the urge to spend on things like new modern bedding or leather chairs for my living room and bedroom or whatever else I wish for but cannot finance right now.

Instead, I've been reinventing things I already have.

Case in point: wall item I bought at a garage sale.

I stated earlier that I wanted something new for above my kitchen sink, and decided this piece would work well if it was spruced up with some paint to match my new color highlights in there.

As is typical with me, I'm not quite done with it, as I need to spray some varnish over the whole thing, and I wasn't very particular in my painting method, but I rather like the way it turned out. I do plan to hang it on the wall rather than just setting it in the puddle of water that gets splashed up on my sink and counter.

All in good time, or next year, whichever comes first!

I did buy a canvas and paints for the other kitchen wall, but I haven't been brave enough to start it yet (or honestly taken the time to plan out my painting). But I will do it! Soon!

Have you reinvented anything lately?

If you don't do that kind of thing, check out the link below! Dayspring has great wall art!

Sharing at WFMW, because painting saved me money and that works for me!
And I'd like to disclose that the top link is a compensated link for which I will receive store credit to CSNstores.com.

Valentine Yo-Yo Table Runner

Remember these? 

When I was a teen, crafty people were making vests, place-mats and who know what else from them, but in my blog perusing recently, I came across a table runner that inspired me to make a Valentine version that I showed on yesterday's post.

My phone showed a missed call and voice-mail tonight, and when I touched the screen to see who had called, I was surprised and pleased to see the picture of a friend whose voice I haven't heard in years. We were neighbors on our college's married housing campus, graduated with growing pregnant bellies under our gowns, and found excuses to hang out as our babies grew to toddlers and we added more babes to our families. She moved home to Maine a number of years ago and was breaking our phone silence wanting to know how I made the table runner that was in my post yesterday.

(I called them pinwheels, but they are yo-yos, which is probably why she couldn't find a tutorial when she googled it...and that just shows you how my brain works. I'm the creative mind, not the detailed, precise sort of mind. And I make mistakes. All the time.)

It's a good thing I had this post nearly ready to publish! So here you are Ruth!

Start with a pile of fabric scraps cut into circles 4 inches in diameter. I've been thinking I would really like one of these in plain white fabric or a white on white pattern.

Stitch around the edge of the circle, about 1/4 of an inch from the edge. On the first stitch, the needle should be inserted from the right side (the patterned, printed side) of the fabric to the back like Megan is pictured stitching above. The loose threads will then be on the right side of the fabric, making the next step easier.

Now I just realized this is the tricky part and you might want pictures...so I quick took a couple. (I couldn't hack the evening interior lighting so I've changed the color saturation....)

Loose threads on right side of fabric:

Pull on threads till the circle looks like so:

Continue until the gathers are tight in the middle:

 

 Notice my nails? I don't need a hand model anymore! 

(Robb quit biting his nails soon after he lost the first 25 pounds. 

I guess one discipline leads to another. Not to be outdone, I have also quit biting. Again.

Hopefully for the last time. )

You can play with the gathers a bit so they are evenly distributed, 

but I don't put that much effort into the process. 

Tie the first half of your knot.

At this point you may want an extra set of hands. 

Stick one finger on the gathers, continually poking at the middle and keeping the rough ends down as you pull the thread tight with the other hand. 

I like my manicured nails, yes I do.

Tie it tight, making sure the ends are all tucked in.

Thread a needle with the extra thread ends, insert needle into center of circle and exit the edge of the circle. 

Cut off thread ends, iron flat, and viola....

Before you know it you'll have a pile of these:

With just a few more stitches attaching the circles together, you should have something like this:

Picture taken with Retro Cam on my Evo. What is your favorite phone camera app?

And what do you remember being made from yo-yos?

Vintage Valentine Wreath

Remember this? My fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants Christmas card wreath? By the end of the season, it was plumb full of cards. But with Valentine's Day approaching, and the rest of the kitchen decorated, it was beginning to feel a little out of place.

So I stripped it.

Poor bare wreath. Can't leave it that way, all sad with haphazard ribbon.
No, it won't do.

So I did what I always do. I searched the great and mighty Google.

And then I found a veritable treasure trove of Free Printable Valentines.
Cue in the sound of the printer. And paper cutter.

Not quite right.

There we go.

For now, this works for me and my kitchen wall. But I have a real hankerin' to hit up Walmart for a couple of canvases, get out my paint brushes, and make true my threat to forge a painting or two for myself.

You never know. It could happen.

Want to try it for a weekend project? Use a wire coat-hanger bent into a circle tied up with wired ribbon in the same way as I have done above. Then simply paper clip various shapes of valentines and paper doilies to your liking.

She is her Mother's Daughter

No fabric scrap is safe from Megan's scissors.

Nor is this cat safe from being dressed in a custom-made-by-Megan Valentine coat.

She laid out her fabric, placed a store-made kitty coat on top, cut around it, hand stitched a few hearts....the same simple steps I take when I want to make something and don't have a pattern.

Yes, she is her mother's daughter. I am so proud.

Poor cat.

Disclaimer: We have said Cat is not allowed in the house, and though Cat is pictured in the kitchen, he is allowed no further. He comes in to eat to avoid attracting more stray cats to our farm. We are a one farm-cat family and would like to keep it that way. :)

Sharing today for You Capture: red

Persnickety and Patches

This morning Megan couldn't find anything to wear. She's not even ten, and it starts already.

This could be a problem, because as shallow as it sounds, I find I like my children so much more when they are dressed and their hair is combed. These simple things are easily forsaken when school is done in the dining room and there are no plans to be anyplace where anyone cares what we look like (besides me) until 6pm.

I went through Meg's pants and jeans with her, and she eliminated one after the other.

"They feel funny inside with pills."

"I have to wear a belt and I hate them."

"They're too tight in the thighs."

"They have holes and I don't like the draft and I don't have any clean leggings to wear under them." (Her solution to the draftiness.)

Jeeez. You mean I need to do laundry too?

But I knew an easy solution that could be done faster than a load of laundry.

Do what my mom always did.

Fashion some patches.

At least Megan won't have to wear leggings under them now.

(And I can procrastinate on the laundry for a few more moments.)

Christmas Card Wreath

I have a bad habit. I have many, actually, but today I'm only telling you one.

I save stuff I think I might use someday.

Maybe that's a good habit, but not always. Now, I think I've gotten better, and I don't keep everything anymore, and certainly not anything large like bar furniture. (Ok, I admit, I have a fainting couch in storage. But that's the only large item! And..... maybe a nice headboard and footboard.)  Mostly I get rid of stuff I don't need, but certain unique shapes or items I know would cost a lot or be difficult to find, I save.

The topic of today's discussion: a large round wood ring.

On Saturday, I randomly had an idea (the way all my good ideas come,) and I searched for this round frame and almost panicked that I had trashed it. Thankfully, I only looked two places before I found it hanging on the stair rail to our basement. (I also have random storage places.)

I found a bunch of Christmas ribbon in red green and gold  - I never toss Christmas ribbon - cut it up and tied random pieces to my frame. Then I wrapped some berries I scavenged from an old wreath and paper clipped my Christmas card collection to the ribbon.

This hangs above our kitchen table now and I think I like it! And I'm so glad I didn't toss that silly wood ring!

Sponsors/ Affiliates: Shop the DaySpring Online Store
Disclosure: This post has a sponsored link.

Music Paper Chain and Christmas Links

Megan kept saying, 

"It just seems wrong to cut up this old hymn book!"

"Are you sure it's OK?" 

But cut we did, one inch strips, and then with glue stick,

 

made rings of music to go 'round the tree.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Don't have an old hymnbook laying around and want to get your craft on with your kids this weekend?

Here are a few links I've found:

 printable nativity paper dolls : 

just print, cut, and play! Cute.

colorable nativity paper dolls

print, color, cut, and play! Classic.

Ann Voskamp's free advent devotional, Jesse tree, activity book
A must read. For elementary aged kids to adults.Ann's writing consistently brings me to tears. Paper ornaments for a Jesse tree. 80 pages, free to print!


advent calendar, gift tags
 lovely projects

advent coloring pages 
 a coloring page for every day of advent, complete with a related Scripture. Great for young children.

Then there's my collection of ornament crafts:
sled
reindeer
the prettiest clay ever
crocheted snowflake
tin can lid angel

The snow is coming down here, whiting out the surrounding fields. It's cozy, being blanketed in white. Cookies are on the agenda this afternoon with a generous side of Christmas music.

What creativity are you cooking up?

Sponsors/ Affiliates: Shop the DaySpring Online Store

Learning on the Rug

She asks again, and this time I have an idea. I find old towels, cut two inch strips. Most may not choose to teach or begin a new sewer on this machine, but I know she will learn to guide the fabric. Her hand will learn the feel and the tug and the hum. Her fingers will guide.

She works hard and long and we stop once or twice to adjust. I've always been the machine adjuster. The knives dull quick and the motor starts its tired sound, and we take a break. We braid.

And what was old becomes something new in the hands of a skilled worker. A rug is braided and a girl is taught to craft.

I'm glad my girl wants to learn. The passing on of these things seems almost holy. This learning to create. This using our hands.

He created. We create. Because we are made in His image.

And she is being made in mine.

For Tuesdays Unwrapped. Because I like to unwrap. :)

Because I Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

For a Friday

 
Cost of dining room furniture: $550.00 on craigslist
Sale of antique dining room set : $150.00 on craigslist
Original cost of antique dining set 10 years ago: $100.00 at garage sale
Adjusted cost for new furniture thanks to thrifty shopping: $400.00
Knowing that guests will not fall to the floor when a wobbly antique chair finally gives way: priceless

My favorite kitchen knife: free as gift
Favorite knife run through dishwasher repeatedly: broken
New Santoku knife: free!!
 
Walmart frame: $3.00
Pictures off Flikr: free
Message of hope in my home: priceless

My Easter Tree

I did it! And I love it!

I printed off Ann Voskamp's Trail to the Nail Tree pictures and devotions,

one for me, and one for a friend, 

and while our kids played outside in the glorious weather today, 

we cut and pasted and chatted. 

And then we took our girls to dance,

and took a walk, enjoying the weather for ourselves, 

and then I cut these branches off her bush 

and came home and tied ribbon and hung pictures and eggs.

And now I'll go to bed,

happy to have something new and pretty,

that I made with my own hands.

But especially grateful for friends

and spring,

LOVE,

forgiveness,

and the 

cross.

For more DIY projects, visit A Soft Place to Land for DIY Day every Tuesday.