Beauty: Basic Lip Balm Recipe

We are continuing our series for The Holidays: Recipes, Decorating, & More! The Holidays is a time for gift giving, delicious meals, and family time. One of my favorite holiday traditions is getting a Christmas stocking filled with candy, fun stuff, books, cosmetics, coupons, gift cards, etc. So to prepare you for filling those Holiday stockings we will be posting different lip balm recipes that you can make your self. These make great stocking fillers for anybody.

Here is the foundation on how to make you own Lip Balm.

The basic formula is:

• 1/4 cup vegetable or nut oil
• 1/4 ounce beeswax
• 1 teaspoon honey or glycerine
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon natural flavouring oil aka Essential Oil.


Instructions:

Heat the oil and beeswax in a double boiler (or microwave) until the beeswax has melted.
Remove from heat and whip with an electric beater until creamy.
Add the honey or glycerine and approximately 5 drops of flavouring oil; whip some more.
Add more flavouring if desired.
Store in small glass jars, small tupperware bowls, decorative tins or film containers.
Try different oils on your lips to choose the best one for your skin and taste preference.
If the Balm is too hard (waxy), add more oil to your mixture.
If it is too soft, add more wax.
You can add a few drops of beetroot juice for a beautiful & natural red colour.
But instead of going to that trouble, you can just shave off a little of your lip stick for that
beautiful (not natural) colour.

Tip: Don't use food colouring as it may contain alcohol base. Never use extracts found in cooking sections of the grocery stores as they contain alcohol.Use safe essential oils. The good part about them is they have thousands of great flavours. Comfrey, Rosemary, Tea Tree or Camphor Oils are excellent for healing effects.

Question:

How do you know if it's time to throw away your gloss?

Answer:

If it changes colour, odour, or texture, throw it away.

Crafts: Snowman Cookie Jar

Keep your cookies fresh and warm with an adorable snowman cookie jar. You can make this cute little guy using glitter and glue and you can have him out all winter long.

Materials:

Decor Art Dazzling Metallics Products Required
                 DA 148 Emperor's Gold
                 DA 121 Sky Blue Pearl overcoat

Ceramcoat Products Required
                2013 Blue Danube undercoat
                2505 White
                2506 Black

Folk Art Products Required
                  656 Metallic Blue Sapphire

Americana Products Required
                  DA12 Tangerine

 Finishing Spray Product Required
                   Rust‐Oleum Painters Touch (or something similar) Gloss Crystal Clear Spray

Unfinished Snowman Head Cookie Jar

Steps:

1.Purchase unfinished cookie jar.
2.Undercoat hat ball & hat trim with Blue Danube. Let dry thoroughly.
3.Overcoat Sky Blue Pearl 2‐3 coats for best coverage. Let dry throughly.
4.Hat Base & scarf paint 2‐3 coats Metallic Blue Sapphire for best coverage.
5.Apply 3‐4 coats of gold to ear muffs for best coverage.
6.When piece is completely dry use finishing spray for a shiny finish. When spraying jar bottom fill with paper towels so spray does not get inside.


By: Karin Doggett from http://Whitedovecrafts.ShopHandmade.com

Crafts: Elf Candy Cane Holder

Kids can create a holiday candy cane holder with foam materials and Glue Dots. The candy cane holder project is perfect for a Hodge Podge Crafts event. If you are a Mom or Dad planning a party, or a school or local park district looking for ideas with some left over crafts, the candy cane holder craft project is perfect.

Materials:

•1" Glue Lines
•Mini Glue Dots
•Craft Glue Dots
•1 photo cube (MCS Industries, 3x3")
•Craft foam in red, green, white, pink, light brown, black and flesh colors
•Scissors
•Pencil
•1/8" hole punch; 1/4" hole punch
• Face and hat pattern (download and print)

Steps:

1.Take photo cube box apart and insert one half into the other leaving the top open. Secure the sides with Craft Glue Dots.
2.Cut green craft foam 14‐1/2" x 1" for the arms.
3.Cut red craft foam 3‐3/4" x 15" for the body.
4.Cut 4 strips of white foam, 1/4" x 4" for the hat.
5.Using this printable pattern, cut out the head, hat, fringe, gloves, cheeks, mouth, nose, bowtie and bowtie center from the various foam colors.

6.Cut or punch 2, 1/8" circles from black foam for the eyes and 1/4" circles from the white and green foam for the buttons.
7.To assemble, apply 1" Glue Lines around the photo cube at the top middle and bottom.
8.Then cover all four sides of the photo cube by wrapping the large red craft foam around the photo cube. (where the ends meet will be the back of the elf.)
9.Use 1" Glue Lines to attach the white foam strips to the hat. (Cut off excess white foam to fit the hat pattern.)
10.To create the face, attach the eyes, cheeks, nose and smile using Mini Glue Dots.

11.Create the hair by cutting strips of brown foam and attaching with Mini Glue Dots.
12.Using 1" Glue Lines, attach the hat to the face and the face to the back of the photo cube so the face is facing to the front of the elf's body.
13.Apply Glue Lines around the top edge of the outside of the box and secure the arms so they wrap around to the front. Attach the gloves to the arms using Craft Glue Dots. Now attach the buttons to the body front using Mini Glue Dots.
14.Finish the hat off with fringe and attach to the back of the hat using Mini Glue Dots.
15.Assemble the bow tie by adding the green circle to the center using Craft Glue Dots and secure the bow tie under the elf's face.

By Robin Tarnoff for Glue Dots.com

Crafts: Sparkle Name Stockings

Use iron‐on designs and paint to decorate plain Christmas stockings this holiday season. Be creative and add a bit of sparkle to your Christmas decorating with this easy stocking craft.
Materials:

Tulip® 3D Fashion Paint

65000 White
65038 Black
65042 Fluorescent Green
65079 Silver
65083 Blue
65140 Deep Turquoise








Tulip® Glam‐It‐Up!™ Iron‐On Fashion Designs™

Penguin
Penguins
Santa Hat
Snowflake
Tree








Supplies

•Pressing cloth
•Paper towels
•Cardboard
•Iron
•Stockings
•Scissors

Instructions:

1.Preheat iron to wool setting.
2.Select Iron‐On Fashion Design and remove from packaging. For larger designs, if desired, cut out elements of design to place in different areas on stocking. Peel backing from design and position where desired on fabric, plastic side up.
3.Cover design with a thin cloth. Press and hold iron over design for 30 seconds. Let cool, then remove plastic.
4.Turn stocking inside out then iron over design area for 15 to 20 seconds. Let cool.
5.Insert a piece of cardboard into stocking to prevent paint seepage. Start flow of Black Slick 3D Fashion Paint (or desired color) on a paper towel, applying an even pressure on bottle for a smooth line.
6.Create name at top of stocking with Black Slick or desired color. Let dry.
7.Use other 3D Fashion Paint colors to embellish Iron‐On Fashion Designs and to create fun holiday scenes and sayings. Refer to photo. Let dry, remove cardboard and enjoy!

By: Allee Marderosian for ilovetocreate.com

Crafts: Felt Christmas Tree

Let your kids design their own Christmas tree using colored felts. This fun Christmas craft for kids is decorative and easy.

Materials:

•Scissors
•1 - 12 x 18 Pirate EZ Felt Sheet
•Scrap Pieces of Stick‐It Felt Sheets Pattern

Steps:


1.Draw two identical tree forms on EZ Felt or download a template here and place on EZ Felt to cut out.
2.Cut out trees from pattern.
3.Cut the corresponding slits on each tree. One tree will have a slit going from the top of the tree to the center point. On the other, the slit goes from the bottom of the tree to the center point.





4.Cut out ornament shapes from your remnant pieces of Stick‐It Felt and place on both sides of tree shapes.
5.Slip the two trees together.