The Natural Beauty Workshop

Beautiful Bathroom Projects

Whose powder room couldn't do with a little extra glitz?  These simple craft projects can help add some dazzle to your bathroom decor.  

DIY Decor: Cotton Waffle Bath Mat This is a great concept that is easily customizable.  Just switch out the thread color, or try embellishing it with a different design!

The Casabella Project - Chevron Shower Curtain The chevron style pattern used in this tutorial is gorgeous, but could easily be altered for different types of decor.  Try using stencils, or paint something free hand.

 
Lovely Little Details - Mason Jar Storage How sweet are these little jars?  Try using different shapes and sizes of jars for a more unique look.

Cucumbersome - Etched Glass Bottles These bottles are totally adorable.  Customize this idea by using a different font, or even sillhouette pictures or symbols instead of the lettering shown here.

Crafty Nest - Wine Cork Bath Mat Cork is perfect for making bath mats.  This soft, absorbent material makes a great repurposing project.

Sewplicity - Trimming Towels Tutorial  Create matching towels for your bathroom using this easy sewing project.  Matching fabric to towel colors is a fun way to enhance the beauty and detail of your bathroom. 

Craftster - Towel Tote A matching towel tote for your linen closet, door handle, or shower rod will look great with your fabric lined towels. 

Do you have a favorite bathroom beautification craft project?  Please share it with us in the comments below.

How to Make Scented Fabric Softener & Dryer Sheets

Today, Kristi of Life Soap Simple joins us once again to complete her series of tutorials on natural laundry care.  Last week, Kristi showed us how to make natural laundry soap.  Today she'll be showing us how to make scented fabric softener and dryer sheets that will help to reduce static cling, promote fabric softness, and impart a refreshing aroma into your laundry. 

Natural Laundry Care Tutorial, Part 2: Scented Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets

Making your own fabric softener and dryer sheets is made easy and cost effective by using ingredients and materials readily found in most households. If you like a light scent on your clean laundry, you can coordinate the scents of your laundry powder, fabric softener, and dryer sheets.

Fabric Softener

Equipment

• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoon
• Permanent marker

Ingredients

• 32 ounces Distilled White Vinegar*
• 1-2 teaspoons Essential oil*

Making the Softener

Add your essential oil to the vinegar container and shake well to incorporate. Label your container to let others in your household know that it contains essential oils and is NOT for culinary purposes.

Using the Softener

The vinegar mixture should be diluted with water before being used in your laundry.  For regular sizes loads, combine 1/4 cup of vinegar mixture with 3/4 cups of water.  For large loads, use 1/2 cup of vinegar mixture and 1/2 cup of water.  Add the diluted mixture to the fabric softener dispenser at the beginning of the wash cycle. If you do not have a dispenser, add the softener at the beginning of the rinse cycle. 

This will leave a faint essential oil scent but you will not smell vinegar on the rinsed and dried clothing.  The vinegar helps soften your clothing, and aids in reduction of static in the dryer phase.  This softener also works well with air dried or line dried clothing.

*Never use vinegar on Dry-Clean ONLY garments.
*Use recommended precautions when using essential oils.

Scented Dryer Sheets

Equipment

• Used 100% Cotton T-shirt
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Small airtight container with lid

Ingredients

• 3-5 drops Essential oil*

Making the Sheets

Measure and cut 4" x 4" squares from your cotton t-shirt. One shirt will make quite a few sheets, so you can have a stack ready to go, or give away the extras as gifts.  Place 3 – 5 drops of your selected essential oil on each square.  Do not use more than 5 drops per square, as too much essential oil can leave stains on your clothing or make you sick.  To preserve the aroma of your dryer sheets, store them in an airtight container between uses. 

*Use recommended precautions when working with essential oils.

Using the Sheets

Place one sheet in the dryer along with wet garments and dry as usual.  These dryer sheets can be used twice before they need to be refreshed. To do so, simply toss them into your washing machine to launder, than add fresh essential oil.

Thank you, Kristi, for sharing your awesome tutorials with us!  I for one cannot wait to get started on my natural laundry routine.  I think I'll use a combination of Mandarin and Basil to scent my first batch of soap and softeners.  What scents will you use to fragrance your laundry supplies?  Please let us know in the comments below.  For more great tutorials and luscious soap photos, check out Kristi's blog! 

Hand Carved Labels for Bath & Body

Creating your own unique labels for handmade products can be a rewarding, creative process, especially for those who really love to get "hands on" with all aspects of their creations.  Rubber stamping and block printing are two great ways to create labels that are totally unique and handmade.  With a few simple carving tools and a short list of supplies, you can get started on making lovely handmade labels for your lovely handmade bath and body products.

Rubber Stamping
You can purchase ready made rubber stamps at most craft supply stores, or choose from a huge selection of online purveyors.  My favorite sources for rubber stamps are on Etsy.com.  The rubber stamp community on Etsy offers a great selection of stamps that are really special.  Many artists will happily carve a custom stamp just for you or your business as well.  When I got married a few years back, I used custom made stamps from an Etsy artist to label all of the envelopes for our invitations and thank you cards.  The great thing about using rubber stamps in your packaging is that you can easily use the same stamp on note cards, receipts or invoices, shipping materials, and business cards.  You can stamp just about anything that goes along with your product.  Best of all, ready made stamps are incredibly easy to use.  Just dab them onto an ink pad and press them onto your paper.  You can learn about more advanced stamping techniques at About.com.

If you'd like to make your own rubber stamps, just get a nice sized piece of rubber and some wood carving tools.  It takes a little practice to get your technique down, but carving rubber stamps is very easy and fun.  Just draw an outline of your design onto the rubber and carefully carve it out using a carving tool.  Carving with rubber stamps is the easiest of most carving based print methods since rubber is so soft and pliable.  You can find blank rubber stamps at most Art Supply Shops locally, or you can try looking online.  One particular resource that carries a good variety of supplies and tools is DickBlick.com.  Learn more about carving rubber stamps here. 

Block Printing
Block Printing is very similar to Rubber Stamping, except that instead of using Rubber as a stamp medium, you'll use wood, cork, or linoleum.  These materials are a little bit harder in texture, but the principles of carving are the same.  Block printing is referred to as Lino Printing when linoleum is used for the stamp.  Here's a quick tutorial on Lino Printing, which uses the same technique found in most block printing mediums. 

Here are some photos from my last handmade labeling project.

My hand carved blocks.  The one of the left is rubber, and the two on the right are cork. 

Labels printed in different inks.

Labels made with my rubber stamp.

Finished labels, ready for action!

How do you make the packaging for your handmade products special?

Aromatherapy Hot Water Bottle Cover

Sliding into a warm bed after a long, chilly day is one of life's sweetest pleasures.  Hot water bottles make it easy to cozy up your covers before bed time.  While the heat of the boiled water takes the chill out of icy sheets it can also be used to impart a soothing aroma into your bed.  This simple sewing project creates a cozy flannel cover for your hot water bottle, complete with a pocket to tuck scented sachets into.  

Don't have a hot water bottle handy?  Buy one from us for only $5.00 each!

Directions

1. Cut the following pieces of fabric.  I used a thin quilter's flannel.

• 2 - 11" x 17" 
• 1 - 12" x 6"
• 1 - 32" x 2"

 

2. Create the Pocket: Fold the 12" x 6" piece in half, with the right sides facing each other.  Sew together on 2 of the open sides.  Invert, then tuck in the remaining open end, and sew over edge to close.

3. Attach the Pocket: Place the finished Pocket in the center of one of the 11" x 17" panels and pin it down with the seamed edge pointing up.  Sew across the other 3 edges of the Pocket to attach it to the panel.

4. Prepare the 11" x 17" Panels:  Fold down 1 inch of each 11" x 17" panel and pin. (These should be folded down on the opposite side of the fabric from the pocket.) Stitch along the bottom of the fold.

5. Join the 11" x 17" Panels: Sew the two 11" x 17" panels together, starting just below the folded section at the top and ending at the same point on the other side.  Turn out the cover.

6.  Sew the Cord:  With the right side of the fabric facing out, fold in about 1/2" on each short edge 32" x 2" and pin.  Next, fold the long edges of the piece into the center of the piece, then fold it in half and pin.  Sew the length of the piece on either edge. 

7. Finish: Insert the Cord into the folded section on the top of the bag and pull through.   

To create a quick sachet, simply put 3 - 4 drops of Chamomile Essential Oil  (or another favorite) onto a teabag and slip it into the pocket of your Hot Water Bottle Cover.  The soothing aroma will fill your bed, helping drift happily off to dream land.  You can create even better sachets by filling our Small or Large Tea Bags with Herbs and Essential Oils. 

Handmade Holiday Projects

The Holidays are a great time to get crafty.  If you create handmade skin care products, soaps, or bath goodies, you probably have a pretty good stash of supplies that can make all kinds of amazing holiday projects.  You would be surprised at the many uses some of the ingredients in your skin care stash may have. 

Crystal Snowflakes by Martha Stewart

These beautiful crystalline snowflakes are made using pipe cleaners and borax.  I discovered this adorable craft project while visting one of my favorite craft blogs, Wee Wonderfuls.  A photo of a snowflake she made is featured above.  You can find complete directions here, at MarthaStewart.com.

Simmering Potpourri by Meadowsweet Days

Dive into your herb stash to create a simmering pot of fragrant holiday potpourri!  This simple method encourages you to use what you have on hand to create an intensely fragrant pot of holiday cheer.  You can also create great gifts by packaging simmering potpourri ingredients with a quick set of instructions.  Check out this easy recipe at the blog, Meadowsweet Days. 

Beeswax Tea Lights by AromaTalk

Wendy, at the AromaTalk Blog shows you how to create simple, beeswax candles.  Tea lights are a great way to try out candle making for the first time.  Because they are so small and handy, you can give them as gifts or stash them at home with the knowledge that they will surely be put to good use. 

Last December The Essential Herbal Blog featured a huge list of holiday craft projects this year, all of which use herbs or other natural materials.  Check out the links below to see all of the inspiring projects that Tina featured on her blog:

• Bath Salts & Memory Boxes
• Vanilla Bean Crafts
• Edibles: Deviled Mixed Nuts, Cinnamon Tea, & Almond Bark
• Simmering Potpourri
• Spritzes & Powders
• Chai Tea & Sugarplums
• Tea Blends & Gel Air Fresheners
• Sachets & Eye Pillows
• Incense Papers
• Herb Kit & Lip Balm
• Pomanders, Potpourri, & Spicy Ornaments
• Herb Vinegars & Oils
• Massage Oils
• Sweet Treats & Facial Gifts
• Tub Tea
• Spice Necklace

Handmade Recipe Books

Avid chefs often keep logs of their favorite recipes.  They lovingly compose handwritten cards, pages, or albums to share their favorites with friends, or simply keep track of their most well loved creations.  It only seems fair that handmade skin care enthusiasts should treat their beauty recipes with similar esteem.  This simple tutorial shows you how to create lovely, handmade recipe books in no time.  You can fill these simple books with recipes for your favorite concoctions.  Keep them to yourself, or share them with friends.  A handmade recipe book filled with your favorite beauty secrets would make a lovely gift for a fellow crafter or mixtress.

Handmade Recipe Books

Supplies
12" x 12" Card Stock
Newsprint Type Paper
1/4" to 1/2" Wide Ribbon

You Will Also Need
A Standard Sized Hole Punch
A Ruler
Scissors or a Paper Cutter

Directions
Begin with a 12" x 12" piece of card stock.  You can find an assortment of styles in the scrapbook section of most craft stores.  Using double sided card stock is optional, but a nice touch.  Trim any excess tags or salvages from your card stock, and carefully fold it in half.

Cut along the folded line, splitting the card stock in to two equal sized pieces.  Fold the two pieces in half again and then set them aside. 

Next, take two piles of five pages of newsprint and stack them neatly.  If necessary, secure the stacks together with paperclips.  Carefully cut and measure the stacks of newsprint to create 5.5" x 11" rectangles.  After the stacks are cut, fold them in half. 

Place the stacks of newsprint inside the folded card stock, keeping them as centered as possible.  Again, use some paperclips to keep the paper in place if you need to.  Using your hold punch, carefully punch two holes in the fold of each pile.  Make sure that you punch one hole straight through the entire stack of newsprint and card stock.  The holes will need to line up in order to be bound correctly. 

Measure and cut two 18" lengths of ribbon.  Thread the ribbon through the holes inside the books, and tie a knot and bow along the outside of the books folded edge.

Now fill your books with your favorite recipes! 

Holiday Projects: Upcycled Gift Wrap

Today we are sharing our final Holiday Project of the season.  I hope you've enjoyed this series.  If you've made projects from this series, I would love to hear your stories.  If you took pictures of your creations, you can share them on The Natural Beauty Workshop's Flickr Photo Pool.

Beautifully decorated paper is a huge part of many holiday traditions.  Countless rolls of wrapping paper are sold worldwide each year to make the holidays a little extra special.  Taking a greener approach to holiday gift wrap can be challenging, but with a little creativity you can create your own unique holiday gift wrap by re-using household materials that would normally go to waste!

Fusing Plastic BagsPlastic shopping bags can be fused together using an iron and two sheets of paper.  The fused material is sturdy enough to be sewn, and makes great gift bags or reusable shopping bags!  In this tutorial, Etsy Labs shows you the process step by step.  We've found that thick plastic bags work best.  Thin shopping bags, such as your run of the mill grocery bags are a little trickier to work with.

Upcycled Wrapping Paper
Paper shopping bags are perfect for making upcycled gift wrap.  In this video tutorial, Etsy Labs shows you how to cut and iron your paper shopping bags to create a blank canvas that is perfect for gift wrap.  In this tutorial the paper is screen printed, but you can also decorate it with paint or stamps.  This also makea a great family project as kids will have lots of fun decorating this upcycled gift wrap with crayons.

Ways to Re-Use Wrapping Paper
No matter how creative you may get with your own wrapping, you are bound to encounter plenty of gift wrap during the holidays.  While most of it will probably wind up in the garbage can, here are some creative ways to re-use wrapping paper:

• Salvage the largest pieces, and save them. Many types of wrapping paper can be ironed on a low setting and used again.
• Wrapping paper and old newsprint is great for washing windows.  After wetting your windows with a mix of vinegar and water, wipe them dry using crumpled gift wrap or newspaper.  You'll be surprised with the sparkling, streak free shine.
• Use the crumpled paper as packing material for shipping.  Crushed paper makes great cushioning for shipping fragile items.  This would be especially fun for shipping out late holiday gifts.
• Small scraps of wrapping paper can be used to decoupage ornaments, boxes, and other small objects, making adorable handmade decorations.
• Large pieces can be used as covers for school books.
• If you have a knack for folding, wrapping paper can be used to make lucky stars or other small origami projects.
• Wrapping paper scraps are excellent for creating paper beads.  A similar technique can be used to create household objects like coasters, frames, or ironically, waste paper baskets.

Holiday Projects: Herbal Sachets

Sachets are a small luxury that can make a special handmade gift.  Whether you create a simple drawstring sachet, or a more detailed flower shaped sachet, your handmade project will make a wonderful gift for family and friends.  In this tutorial, I'll show you how to create two different sachets.  Both projects can be made with almost any fabric, but thinner, more breathable fabrics are best. 

Herbal Sachets make great last minute holiday gifts because you can create them from scrap fabric, and leftover herbs or teas.  They are surprisingly quick and easy to make, and so pretty!  Stuff them in stockings, give them as small gifts, or as complimentary gifts to clothing, bath baskets, or linens!

Herbal Sachet Filling
For my sachets, I used the same filling that I used to create the Sweet Dreams Bedtime Sachets in April.  The great thing about this project is that you can use pretty much any leftover herbs, potpourri, or even loose herbal tea to fill sachets with.  To liven up their aroma, add a few drops of Essential Oil to the mixture.  Lavender, Rose, or Grapefruit are all popular aromas for sachets.  You can also use a few drops of your favorite Candle Fragrance Oil to add extra aroma to your sachets.

Drawstring Sachet
Creating a Drawstring Sachet is very easy.  You'll need one 5" by 6" rectangle of fabric, a 6" - 12" Ribbon, and matching thread.  Fold the fabric in half (lengthwise), and stitch one short side, and one long side closed, leaving one short side open.  Fold the open side down by 3/4" and stitch a hem.  Make sure to stitch the hem deep enough to allow room for the ribbon to be threaded inside.  After the hem is stitched, cut a small opening in the hem somewhere inconspicuous, then turn the bag out.  Thread the ribbon through the small hole in the bag's hem.  To make this easier, try attaching a small safety pin to the ribbon first.  Once the ribbon has been threaded all the way through, you can fill the sachet with its Herbal Filling, and tie the bag shut with its ribbon.

Flower Shaped Sachet
The directions for this sachet are a little more complicated, but it is still surprisingly easy to make.  Start out with two matching circles of fabric.  You can use any round household object to trace your circles with.  The larger the circle, the easier the sachet will be to work with, so if you are a beginner, I would recommend making your circles at least 6 inches wide.  Stitch your two circles together following the round outer edges, giving yourself at least a 1/2" seam allowance.  Stitch almost the whole way around, leaving a good sized opening for you to fill the sachet with.  To make this as easy as possible, I would recommend leaving an opening that is large enough for a spoon to fit through. 

Once you are finished stitching, turn the circle out and fill it with your Herbal Sachet Filling.   Fill the sachet about 3/4 - 7/8 of the way up, then use a slip stitch to close the opening.  Now that the sachet's body is finished, you'll need to embellish it using embroidery floss, and a matching button.  Thread a large embroidery needle with a long length of floss.  You'll need about 6 times the width of the flower.  For example, if your flower is six inches across, you'll need about 36 inches of floss.  Secure the floss with an anchor stitch, or by tying a large knot at the end of your thread. 

Stitch through the middle of the sachet several times, pulling each stitch tightly.  Next, form the petals by passing the thread over the outer side of the sachet and pulling the thread through the middle.  Repeat this step eight times to create six even petals.  (You can see an illustration of this technique being used to create a pin cushion here.) Once the petals have been formed, stitch through the middle several times in the same spot to secure the stitching.  Use the remaining thread to attach the matching button and you are done!

Natural Autumn Crafts

Autumn is a great time to be a crafter.  In New England, inspiration lurks around every corner as the colors of the leaves change the landscape from cheerful green hills to sunset colored forests.  Falling leaves, dusty acorns, and ruddy orange pumpkins paint a beautiful palette for the crafty artist to work with.  After a little web surfing I found a great selection of naturally inspired Autumn Crafts that the whole family can enjoy.

Acorn Crafts on MarthaStewart.com
Featuring two tasteful, but whimsical ways to work with acorns. Adorn a mirror with acorns of many sizes, or create adorable napkin rings for Thanksgiving or an Autumn dinner party.  I can foresee the napkin ring project taking on many other uses. These bendable pieces of artwork would look adorable wrapped around a candle base or a bar of soap.

Jeffrey Rudell Creates Breathtaking Thank You Cards on CraftyStylish.com
Jeffrey Rudell shows the step by step process of his incredible paper cutting technique.  The end result is a beautiful silhouette of Autumn wild flowers.  This project requires an awful lot of care and patience, but the effort will certainly be noticed by the lucky recipient of your beautiful note.

Jenny Shares Her Special Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe on ZestyEneterprise.com
What do you do with the massive pile of pumpkin seeds leftover from gutting your October Jack-O-Lanterns?  Many folks wind up discarding the seeds from their Jack-O-Lanterns, not realizing the tasty treat they were passing up.  My father never failed to snatch these little treasures up and toast them in the oven with a little oil and salt.  Jenny from Zesty Enterprise has taken the Roasted Pumpkin Seed one step further by incorporating her special blend of seasonings.

How to Dry Gourds & How to Build a Gourd Birdhouse on eHow.com
Pick up a gourd or two on your next trip to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard.  You may be surprised by the number of objects you can create using a dried gourd.  In the first article, eHow.com shows you how to dry and prep your gourd for your favorite gourd project.  Next, eHow.com takes you through the step by step process of turning your dried gourd into a beautiful birdhouse.  These make great gifts for friends and loved ones or for your neighborhood birds.

Acorn Photo by J.G.

Creating All Natural Body Powders

When I was a child, I had a bad habit of getting into my Mother's stash of skin care and bath products.  She had a special box in the bathroom that was off limits to all kids, but my curiosity got the best of me time and time again.  She had a great variety of fragrant bath goodies and mysterious creams, but my favorite thing to manhandle was her collection of  delicately scented dusting powders.  Each powder was stored in an elaborate case, and included a fancy, ribboned powder puff.  Something about dusting powders just screams femininity to me.  Even as an adult I find myself drawn to the intricately decorated powder boxes that I see in department stores and boutiques.

Aside from being sentimentally endearing, Body Powders can be of great benefit to a natural skin care routine.  Dusting a pleasantly scented powder on your body after a shower or bath can help to keep your skin feeling smooth and silky during humid weather.  Soothing powders such as Oat Starch can help to keep sensitive skin calm and happy all year long.  Body Powders can also help to regulate skin's moisture by absorbing excess oil, and can help reduce friction that can cause heat rashes and irritation which commonly occurs on the legs and arms.

Body Powders are simple to make, and can be composed of a variety of ingredients.  Rice Powder and Oat Starch make great bases since they have a similar texture to talc.  Arrowroot Powder, White Kaolin Clay, and Silk Powders can be added to enhance the texture or properties of a Natural Body Powder.  A small portion of Baking Soda may also be added to contribute a deodorizing quality to your powder.  This is especially helpful for making Foot Powders.  You can also choose to add powdered Herbs to your formulas, but bear in mind that most herbal powders are not ground finely enough to fully blend in with the rest of the powders in the recipe.  This may leave your powder feeling grainy or coarse.  Test small amount of herbal powder recipes before creating large batches to make sure you find the texture to your liking.

To scent your Natural Body Powder, simply add a few drops of Essential Oil or Absolute to a small amount of Rice Powder or Oatstarch.  Jasmine, Rose, or Lavender are some excellent choices.  A blend of Vanilla, Bergamot, and Ylang Ylang would also be wonderful.  Make sure that the Oil is totally dispersed before adding the scented starch to the rest of your batch. Stir the powder well after adding the Essential Oil or Absolute.  Take care not to stir your powder too quickly.  Doing so can cause the powder get into the air and can be dangerous if inhaled.  If you suffer from Asthma, or another respiratory condition, you may want to wear a mask while creating any powder type recipes.

While a box and a powder puff is a luxurious, classic way to package a Body Powder, it is not your only option.  Cardboard Powder Sifters are less messy, and far more convenient than a powder puff.  They are also much easier to find.  However, if you are like me, and have a soft spot for the powder puff, you may enjoy making one at home.  The simple sewing instructions below will help you create a powder puff from scratch.  These make great accessories for Natural Body Powders.

To make your own powder puff you'll need the following supplies:

• 1 8" x 8" swatch of plain Cotton, Terrycloth, or Bamboo Fabric
• 1 8" x 8" swatch of Fleece or another fuzzy textured Fabric
• 1 6" - 8" long piece of Ribbon
• Cotton or Synthetic Batting

Creating a powder puff is easy.  Simply follow the simple sewing instructions below:

• Trace a 6 inch circle onto both pieces of Fabric, then cut them out.
• Sandwich the Ribbon between the two circles and stitch most of the way around the outer edges, leaving about an inch of the circle open.
• Turn the circle inside out and stuff it with batting.
• Using a slip stitch, close the opening on the puff.