An apology… and an exciting announcement.

My dear WordPress friends. I feel as though, for the past couple of weeks, I have been neglecting you all. For this I am so incredibly sorry. 😦 I’ve been running about like the proverbial headless chick, and I think you’ll like why.

Drumroll please.

I’m opening a boutique! Ta-da!

I’ve recently partnered with a dear friend to create and launch an online shop dedicated to equipping those who chose to live simply. The store with carry soaps, lotions, candles, cosmetics, accessories, gifts, etc. I’m incredibly excited, but also swamped! Thanks so much for your patience as I stumble around and forget to post daily. I’ll be better – I promise. 🙂

More updates to come as we get closer to our launch!

Project of the Week: Four Ingredient Lip Balm

Of the six items in my makeup bag, my chapstick is by far the one I use the most. So as I set out to simplify my life (and frankly, my budget) it made sense to me to start with lip balm. I dug around on the interwebs for a few days, and finally found a few recipes I could adapt to make my own. Here we go!

Ingredients:

Beeswax

Canola oil

Peppermint extract

Vitamin E oil

Small saucepan

Glass measuring cup

Butter knife

Small jars or plastic chapstick tubes

Wax paper

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Step One: Melt the wax

Place the measuring cup into a saucepan of water. Then add the wax. I started with enough wax to equal roughly 1/8 c melted. Tip: adding a bit of canola or olive oil to the water will keep it from boiling over.

Step Two Mix in the oils

I used 4 tbsp of canola oil, 2 tbsp of vitamin E, and about 2 tsp of peppermint oil. Stir well.

Step Three: Pour and Chill

Fill the plastic cups, and put them in the fridge to cool.

Ta-da!

What I’ll do differently next time:

The balm turned out a littler waxier than I thought it would be. Not too waxy, but I think I’ll be a little more liberal with the canola oil or vitamin E next time. What do you think?

Project of the Day: Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Okay, I know this isn’t strictly crafty, but who can resist this recipe in the fall?

Ingredients:
1 c. milk (I used 2%, but I don’t think it matters what kind)
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla coffee flavoring syrup (I used Torani)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of cloves
pinch of ginger

I mixed all the ingredients in a nalgene water bottle first, because shaking it all together is much better for mixing it than whisking. After I shook it (for only about 30 seconds so the cream doesn’t coagulate) I heated it all in a pot on medium until the mixture turned orange and the spices began to float. Ta-da! Jar and enjoy.