Scented Bath Salts

This is a very easy project I recently did with my MOPs group.  It is very relaxing massaging the salts together with the coloring and scent.  The fragrances filled the room while the moms were working on their craft and enjoying each other's company.  This project also works well as a party activity and take-home favor for bridal or baby showers, or as a girl-scout or brownie project for Mother's Day gifts.

Supplies Needed
Epsom salt
Coarse sea salt ($.69 for a # bag @ Smart & Final)
Baking soda
3.5 oz. Bottle with cork (6 for $2.64 @ save-on-crafts.com)
Raffia
Silk rose pick
Scent (soap-making section @ Michael's)
Coloring (soap-making section @ Michael's)
Scissors
Zipper sandwich bags

Instructions
1. Take zipper sandwich bag and add in 3 Tbsp. each of Epsom salt, coarse sea salt and baking soda.
2. Select desired scent and add approximately 3 to 5 drops of scent to the mixture in the sandwich bag.
3. Close and securely zipper the sandwich bag and shake or gently massage the salt and scent mixture to evenly distribute the scent.
4. Choose a color for your salts. Add 5 drops of coloring to your salt mixture. You can add more drops of color later if you desire a darker color.
5. Close and securely zipper the sandwich bag and gently massage the salt mixture to distribute the coloring, gently breaking up clumps of color you may see.
6. Once your salts have the desired level of scent and color, cut one bottom corner of the bag (approximately ½ inch diagonal) and funnel the salt mixture into the bottle.
7. Tie a raffia bow around the neck of the bottle. Trim ends of raffia if desired.
8. Thread the silk rose pick through the knot in the raffia bow. Wrap the excess wire of the rose pick around the raffia bow.
9. These bath salts can be added to bath water for soaking, or can used as a scrub by creating a paste with water or olive oil.

No Knit Scarves (Based upon a Martha Stewart project)

 

The left scarf is 4 bunches of 3 strands, the right is 4 bunches of 4 strands. 
These scarves are "Thick and Quick" yarn.



The blue scarf is 4 bunches of 3 strands, the red scarf is 4 bunches of 4 strands.
These scarves are the "Loops and Threads" yarn.




Supplies needed:

Bulky-weight yarn (We used Wool-Ease or Jiffy "Thick and Quick" yarn and "Country Loom Loops and Threads" yarn.)

Scissors

Masking Tape

Wire Hanger

Instructions:

1. Cut 12 pieces of bulky-weight yarn to about 2 times the desired length of the final scarf. 

2. Divide yarn into 4 bunches of 3 strands each. (If you have enough yarn left over to cut 4 more strands, you can make your scarf slightly thicker if you want by adding an additional length of yarn to each of the 4 bunches, so that you have 4 bunches of 4 strands each.)

3. Tie 2 bunches together with a square knot, leaving 6 inches of fringe at end; repeat with remaining 2 bunches.

4. Using fringe ends, tie both bunches onto hanger, spaced about 4 to 6 inches apart. (Alternatively, you could use binder clips or clothes pins to secure your scarf to the hanger.)  Using masking tape, secure hanger to a chair, door knob or other stationary object.

5. Knot inner 2 bunches of yarn together, spacing knot about 2 to 3 inches from existing knots (I used three fingers to determine my spacing).

6. Knot left bunches together and then right bunches together.

7. Alternate knotting the inner bunches and the left and right ones, spacing knots evenly apart, until about 6 inches of yarn remain on the end.  (One knot inside,  two knots outside, one inside, two outside and so on....)

8. Finish so that final knots mirror opposite end, and trim to even the ends.

Mom vs. Toddler: Perserverance Requires Focus on Long-term Goals

My 2 year old son loves his Buzz Lightyear action figure (it's not a doll--it's not!).  He likes to bring it with him when riding in the car.  He even sleeps with it at night.  He has watched the Toy Story 3 video more times than he can count.

The other day, my son hit his 5 year old sister with his Buzz Lightyear .  He was probably imitating the action he has seen on Toy Story 3, when one of the kids in the Caterpillar Room takes Buzz and treats him like a hammer.  However, in this case, the result was my 5-year old in tears. 

For this he got time out and I told my son in my "Mom" voice that he could not hit his sister with Buzz and that he had to apologize.  He refused.  He knew he was in trouble and tried to run away.  He also put on his sad, pity-me face.  When I told him to say he was sorry, he said, "No, and I'm not sorry eeder (either)."  I sat him down on my lap, made him look me in the eyes and told him, that if he did not say he was sorry, and if he hit people with his Buzz Lightyear, Buzz would have to go away.  This lead to more tears from him, but still, "no, and I am not sorry eeder."  I took Buzz away and hid him in a closet on a high shelf.  My son threw himself onto the floor and cried, "I want my Buzz..." in such a sad little voice too.  I again explained to him what behavior was required and then ignored his tears and left him on the floor.

During this whole series of events I felt some internal conflict because part of me could not help but react to his sad little face and the tears.  I felt bad taking away his favorite Buzz.  Part of me wanted to do whatever was needed to stop the tears.  But, I knew I could not let him fail to apologize for his behavior and reconcile with his sister.  If I gave in, sure, his tears would stop, but in the long term, he would not learn there were consequences to his behavior.  In addition, my daughter was watching this whole scene.  If I gave in, the lesson to her would be that I would allow someone to hurt her without consequences.  It would also show favoritism toward her brother.  It would also teach them both that tears and tantrums were a way to escape discipline.  So I had to resist that part of me that wanted to respond to my son's tears and sad, pitiful little voice. 

It took approximately 15 long minutes before he finally got up to apologize to his sister and give her a hug.  I could tell that my daughter was really pleased that discipline had been applied and that my son had come around and apologized for hitting her.  Peace and harmony had been restored.  Buzz was allowed to come back. I survived another parenting moment.  Whew.