The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Tuesday 17 January 2017

The Christmas challenge. Beautiful bath products.

This week I went on from soap to other bath products. My trip to Lush and snooping at labels and prices led me to the website that also contained glorious ideas and ingredients.
Then I looked on Pinterest and followed some DIY Lush links. Oh my goodness you can make so many very similar things so easily!

I love things that smell beautiful and bath and body products generally! Mum gave me some money at Christmas so I invested in some essential oils that I know I love and have a good effect on me. These are Rose, Geranium, Patchouli and Ylang Ylang.
These are all relaxing, nurturing, calming... help me sleep etc. You have to find the scents that work for you. You probably already know what you love. It is interesting checking into the properties of each of them.  So I invested in these.

 I made gifts for myself and for the present cupboard. The idea is I will build up a theme of spa/beauty gifts and give little kits. I need to be watching out for suitable containers or little baskets.
Also hopefully this year we will make over our bathroom. So I have a new bathroom glory box and I am putting away some lovely things to bring out when it is done. I have candles, towels, pretty soaps... now I will add some jars of bath soak etc to this collection.

The first thing I made was bath bags that I have made many times before.  They are just squares of muslin filled with powdered milk and fine oatmeal. You can also add almond meal to this which is gorgeous but I didn't as this makes them a bit expensive. I added a drop of each of my oils to them.



In the bath they release the softening milk, oatmeal and scent. Then they become kind of soft and mushy and you rub the bag on your skin and it very gently exfoliates. They feel beautiful. I wash my face with these and can get two baths out of each one.  They are so soothing.  Every time  I make them I think I will make a years supply then I consider the volume! So they are more a treat.
The ones for me have gone into big jars. You want to seal in the scent and not lose it.
The ones for gifts I packaged into cellophane bags...



I used more of my dried rose buds to decorate them.  This gave me a little pile to stash away in the gift cupboard. 

Then I made a bath soak you can keep in a jar and scoop into the bath. I made this with the same scents, powdered milk and epsom salts.  I packed some up to go into my spa gifts.


In op shops I always watch out for pretty containers and had several cut glass lidded jars to use.  The scoops are baby formula scoops I have been saving up knowing they are just lovely for something!
I would say this is very soothing, softening, calming...  Epsom Salts are really lovely to soak in. Good spas all over the world use this as a detoxifying soak and it is so easy to do at home. Your skin feels lovely.

Then I made a fine rose and sugar scrub. This turned out really well. It works wonderfully. I don't get on with coarse scrubs as they are scratchy.  Dark brown soft sugar with honey is my usual scrub.
I saved rose petals all summer.  I blended these with about equal castor sugar. That is super fine sugar.   
The blending make it even finer. Then I added a drizzle of almond oil. Not enough to make it wet but it just softened it further.


This was kind of an experiment.  I have used it on my face everyday. I just love it.  Now it has occurred to me to try it with fresh roses as they would have oils in them... but it might not keep so long.  I will let you know on that.
I truly think exfoliating is the best thing you can do. Then your moisturiser just soaks in so much better and you look fresher.  This worked so well I basically can't make enough of it!  I am packaging it up the same in cellphone bags. 

So that is my week of gift making.  It was really good fun and my bath has been bliss!
I have a list of other things to make because I found recipes I really want to try. These include hair masks, powder and a Lush copy of a cleaner bar.   I ordered white clay online for one of these so have to wait until it arrives!
Most of the ingredients are simple ones. The most beautiful body power Lush sell feels like silk. It's main ingredient is cornflour. That is on my list to make and I have powder puffs I made last year!

How is your gift making going? What are you working on? 
It is really amazing how week by week the gift cupboard begins to refill!  And as a bonus we get some lovely things for ourselves and our homes as well.

It has been really hot here but today it has cooled down and there is a lovely breeze. I have every door and window wide open letting it flow through the whole house.  And we have been picking peaches! 
xxx







28 comments:

  1. Beautiful gifts! I'm continuing to love your lush replacements! I hope the bubble bars are drying nicely! Andrea

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    1. Dear Andrea, Thank you! I am tipping out the bars today and hoping they have dried enough! Love Annabel.xxx

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  2. Annabel I have birthday and xmas money here and hadn't even thought of essential oils. Thank you for the idea.

    Lynette
    XXXXX

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    1. Dear Lynette, If you can find the ones that really agree with you they are a beautiful investment. For some reason Ylang Ylang is heavenly to me and makes me feel so good. Interesting! But they have elevated simple ingredients into very indulgent! Love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Just gorgeous, Annabel. What luxury!! xx Jen in NS

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  4. Hello Annabel, what a lovely lot of gifts you have organised and beautiful treats for yourself. I bought the same pink chevron type muslin the other week at spotlight, thought at $3.00 metre chuck out, I could use a couple of metres of that. Loving your blog still, this is my third year of following you. Fi xx

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    1. Dear Fiona, I love that we can get muslin in colours now once it was just one choice!
      You have stuck with me and been such an encouraging friend! Thank you! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Of course, I always look forward to your blog days. Fi xx

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  5. Annabel, I love the bath soaks! Did you sew the muslin pieces into bags or are they square pieces tied up? I've been stitching up valentine treat bags for the little ones in my life.

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    1. Dear Patsy, Thank you! They are just tied up with a ribbon. Fast and easy!
      I cant wait to see your Valentines gifts! With love Annabel.xxx

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  6. So pretty Annabelle. I had to look up lush. I didn't see anything as pretty as yours on their website! This week I'm finishing up the coasters for a basket and making some hats. Yes you have me working hard! Have a great day!

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    1. Vickie, Annabel does have that effect on us doesn't she!!! I love it!

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  7. Beautiful and useful bath gifts! Nancy

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  8. Mmm beautiful! When everything gets too much I can be found soaking in a bubble bath, often with a glass of lovely cold wine. I have your bath products as something to make later in the year. I have two muslin baby wraps from the op shop that I will be able to cut up for the products.
    As this is my use it up year I have been making various items from what I already have. This week I completed a Tunisian crochet face cloth suitable for a boy. I had some dark wine coloured Bendigo cotton to use up. It looks lovely and is so nice and soft.
    I took some yukky Tshirt fabric that was gifted to me, out of the op shop donation bag. I will cut this up and make it into Tshirt yarn. This will be crocheted up into a rug.

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  9. Annabel I hit publish accidentally. Oops. I love what you have done this week, The prettiness is catching.
    My son and his family left yesterday. It is so quiet. I want them all to come back now.
    Anyways life is good.

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  10. Annabel I found maggots in a rolled oats container this morning so I was wondering if you have a problem if you store your oats and powdered milk gifts for too long. Then again we don't get the pest control guys in like a lot of people do. It doesn't help to live in a hot house either I guess which the creepy crawlie things seem to love. You are off to such a good start with your Christmas gifts as usual. Well done.

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    1. Dear Nanna Chel, So far no but I had weevils in polenta one time... I keep a lot of bayleaves in the pantry and I think that helps. I don't have sprays in the house. I am not keen on the chemicals if I can avoid them.
      Thanks, it is great to have some things made and get January off to a good start. I am loving my baths I have to say and its been a busy week... at the end of the day a bath is my luxury. I hope your week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Nanna Chel,
      Have you tried putting all grains in the freezer
      when you bring them home. I do a week but less might work. Bay leaves are a huge help.
      blessings,
      Patti

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  11. Hi Annabel!

    Your beautiful work never ceases to amaze me! Simply effective products are treasures!!

    With very warm regards,
    Rachel Holt

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  12. I wish we could have "scratch and sniff" blog posts! As it is, I guess I'm just gonna have to make some of my own to get the effect :-) Thank you for the inspiration!

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    1. Wouldn't that be fun! I'd like "scratch and sniff" for some of the yummy looking food, too!

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  13. Everything is so beautiful and I'll bet your house smelled wonderful while you were working with all of your oils.
    Blessings, Leigh

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  14. Annabel,
    What a beautiful sand color. if someone loves beach themes that scrub would be so pretty in a beach themed spa basket with some shells and such. I love it!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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  15. Dear Annabel,
    Everything is absolutely lovely! I didn't get much done here today because I was too busy looking at the copycat Lush recipes :) I'm finishing up some quilts and creating some containers from things on hand. Blessings, Cookie

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  16. This year I am working on sorting out so no gift making here. Your are lovely.
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  17. Hi Annabel! Finally I have internet access. I feel like I've been gone forever. I've been following your posts on my phone, but haven't been able to comment. Everything looks lush and lovely as always, and isn't looking at high end body products an eye opener, once you realise how easy they are to replicate! I'm looking forward to a big catchup over the weekend. I hope you are well. Hi to all! Love, Mimi xxx

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  18. Beautiful Annabel! Wonderful inspiration for all us ladies in the Bluebird Nation! I have so many ideas but not much time at the moment.I am hopeful that will change soon so I can put all my ideas into work. Happy crafting ladies! Love Gaila in Washington state USA

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  19. Annabel your bath bags and bath soaks look lovely i made the lux soap last weekend and they look& smell lovely john even helped me cut it in to nice shapes also :),i have a few essential oils i got in a health food shop so iam going to try the bath bags this weekend keep up all your lovely work xx

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

Spam is never published... if you are advertising a product or selling website your comment wont be published. I am inundated with stuff about drugs, horses and weird things! I am not going to publish this stuff! Thank you.