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Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

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mother's day gift idea … ♥ lemon poppy seed soap

May 7, 2013 Raising up Rubies21 Comments

Mother’s Day is this Sunday!

it always sneaks up on me. every year.

so with this Handmade Mother’s Day series in full swing

i was forced to plan ahead!

yesterday Crystal from A Pumpkin And a Princess shared some citrus bath salts

she also made this yummy homemade lemon soap that looked so pretty

i was so excited about how simple the steps were

and really started thinking about the endless amounts of combinations

that could be used to make all different kinds.

mom, hostess, birthday … yup, great gifts for all of those peoples 🙂

i combined a few recipes that really liked, made my own

and then just had fun with it 🙂

i hit the craft store and found what i needed …

i chose the shea butter soap

(there is glycerine & goat’s milk too)

the soap molds were not really to my liking so i wandered over to the baking isle

and found these mini silicone bread molds

the coloring was there too … not sure if you can substitute this coloring with food coloring?

hmm… have to look that up.

from the grocery store i got the lemons & the poppy seeds

the soap is already sectioned, so very easy to measure

i first melted 20 ounces of the soap in a large glass measuring bowl

in the microwave for 1 minute then in 30 second intervals

stirring in between each

once it’s melted add the color, essential oil and the foodie ingredients

mix well.

this batch filled 2 of the bread molds a little over half way

placed it on a cookie sheet, and slid it into the fridge to set

while i melted the last 12 ounces.

the second mixture was just as is, nothing added

since i wanted to add another layer that was just white to top off the first

once the first layer was set (maybe 15 minutes or so)

i poured the white layer over the top and put it back in the fridge

this was the result 🙂

so pretty, and looks yummy!

there are so many possibilities with this … layered colors, flavors, mix-ins …

fun. fun. fun.

i wrapped each bar in parchment paper after slicing

and found these small white ceramics in the kitchen section at Target

to be used as a soap dish

tied up with some fabric scraps … and it’s all ready to gift ♥

try it.

make soap.

you can’t mess it up.

and it’s so fun.

♥

linking up here:

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

Kristi @ I Should Be Mopping the Floor

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insta-monday … ♥

May 6, 2013 Raising up Rubies2 Comments

the past few weeks have been somewhat insane 🙂

fun!

but insane 🙂

i haven’t been doing much, if any crafting

but that’s what this new week is for 🙂

crafting.

so in the mean time

i realized i haven’t shared any instagram pictures on here lately

so there’s an overload bout to come your way

here’s the last few weeks worth of snapshots

go find me! raisinguprubies

thankful for little hands & breakfast dishes in the morning

i try to realize that one day these won’t be here 😦

2-3

now that it’s FINALLY getting warm here … garage sales are poppin’ up everywhere!

i hit this estate sale and scored tons of vintage goodness & almost took home this cheesy but sort of cute plastic canvas gingerbread house… eh. what can i say. i had a moment.

4-5-6

gettin’ ready for and then having craft night with my besties 🙂

and then this girl. finally got to meet her in person. she’s the cutest thing ever ♥

and she brought me the cutest gift ever – a little bucket full of vintage sheet squares

sigh….

psalm 119. my heart is set on keeping your decrees… to the very. end.

it is set.

sometimes i totally mess up

(a lot of the time)

(most of the time)

but it’s set.

not goin’ wishy washy with this.

to the end.

new garlands in the shop all wrapped up pretty

a quarter of the orders from last week & the week before

feeling so blessed by that

people on instagram make you buy stuff

everyone was talkin’ about this donut maker thing machine

and about how it was on clearance at Target for $8

so i saw it. we tried it. they’re actually really yummy. and fun.

(for the kids)

(ok, for me too)

this pillow cover from this girl. she’s so talented i just can’t believe it

my craft table looks like this. always.

8 x 4 feet of space

narrowed down to a 2 x 2 foot space

everytime.

i found this cute cross-stitch book at joanns

reminded me of my teenage years… and my cousin 🙂

it was my first real die-hard craft

small peek at my vintage sheet stash

instagram garlands galore goin’ to happy homes

psalm sixteen. eleven. keep my eyes always on the Lord … i will not be shaken.

have you heard this song?

still going strong with the laundry soap

new fabric tapes for whatever craft weekend swag

so cool! that i got to be a part of Meg’s weekend

go read about it. it’s the next best thing to heaven 🙂

was so nice to see a sunny kitchen

the clouds and yucky weather were really messin’ with me

cheese danish. nom nom nom.

packaging up orders is therapy sometimes

another rummage sale. um. acutally make that a HUGE rummage sale.

this was just the “linens” section

i was told that i was crazy for not buying this vintage mint green sewing machine for $10

yes. ten.

but i did find all these goodies 🙂 the best part was the two globes for $5!

this sale was actually so big, i went back a second day

aaaaand then i was pooped

🙂

happy Monday!

be back soon with some crafts n stuff

♥

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a zipper bracelet tutorial … ♥

May 1, 2013 Raising up Rubies36 Comments

Mother’s Day always sneaks up on me 🙂

it’s almost here, and i have a great handmade gift idea to share with you!

all week long, myself & the nine other bloggers, are sharing handmade gift ideas

that will make your mom, or any mom, feel super special ♥

yesterday Megan from the Remodeled Life shared the how-to

for a pretty silhouette necklace …

and i want to show you how to make one of these funky fun zipper bracelets

kay? let’s make stuff!

you’ll need:

7 inch separating zippers ~ charms – beads

20 gauge jewelry wire ~ lobster clasps

and some jewelry pliers

this is really the only tricky part …

using a drill with a small bit attached,

drill a hole through the clamp at the base of the zipper

(slowly & carefully 🙂

using the pliers, i separated the jump ring,

added the lobster clasp and attached it to the the base of the zipper

(where we drilled the hole 🙂

with scissors, trim down both sides of the zipper close to the teeth,

while leaving a bit of the colored edge

to keep the edges from fraying i used the flame from a small candle

to heat & seal the edges of the zipper

(it will also burn off any stray pieces that are left after cutting)

now time to embellish!

i added a few charms and beads to the same ring that holds the clasp

i really don’t make jewlery all that often, so i just went with it!

and tried different things until i found a combination i liked…

it’s fun to experiment

🙂

once all the pieces are attached … wrap it up in a pretty box and it’s all set for mom!

(then maybe make one for yourself too 🙂

will be sharing another project tomorrow

be sure to hop on over and pay her a visit!

happy crafting!

linking up here:

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

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a little girl's craft nook … ♥

April 24, 2013 Raising up Rubies48 Comments

i spent some time over this past weekend

(with help from my family)

spring cleaning my girls rooms … never really shared them on this little bloggy blog

so i thought i’d snap a few pics while it was still clean 🙂

cause heaven knows it won’t stay that way for long.

and cause i’m hoping to change the room up a bit in the near future …

last year for my oldest daughter’s birthday, the hubs built her a mini version of my craft table 🙂

anchored to the wall and with decorative molding

a cupcake stand & mason jars are here

for all the stuff that comes with crafting supplies 🙂

found a few canisters from the thrift stores… they hold spools of thread and stamps

crochet is fun 🙂

this cute little printable calendar is from creative mamma

a few totes for storing odds and ends

and boxes or magazine holders in the dollar section at Target

work great for holding all those loose papers!

remember latch hook?

🙂

here’s a few other shots of her room…

i wrote verses down on parts of her wall

to serve as a reminder and an encouragement

i’m thinking maybe a little paint … maybe some more horses (she loves ’em)

and a bunch of buntings & garlands … yes more of those would be good.

much love ♥ thanks for being here today

linking up to some sweet parties…

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You