Simple Bath Bomb Recipe

 Mix ingredients until crumbly.

 Press down the mixture and make it even all the way around.

Un-mold Bath Bomb.

 Once the Bath Bomb is out of the mold set it aside to dry for at least 2 days.

Lemon and Lime Bath Bombs

 Tangerine and Sweet Orange Bath Bombs

Lavender Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are quite popular and they can be a bit expensive.  It is not uncommon to spend $7.95 or more for a large bath bomb.  I decided to try my hand at homemade bath bombs recently and not only are they simple and relatively quick (30-40 minutes) to make but you can mix and match essential oils and decoratives to fit your moods and desires.  You can find recipes for bath bombs with a quick search online but so far I have gone back to this tried and true recipe time and time again and have not been disappointed.

I have purchased my bath bomb ingredients at local grocery stores and some items via Amazon like my essential oils and molds.  Most of the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to locate.  With this recipe I typically end up with 5 large bath bombs and 1 or 2 small bath bombs with what is leftover at the bottom of the bowl.  If I am only making small Bath Bombs this recipe yields about 12. 

My oil of choice in bath bombs has been organic coconut oil.  However, you can use other cold pressed oils such as olive oil or walnut oil.  They are natural moisturizers that nourish the skin.  If you do not have coconut, olive or walnut oil any vegetable oil will work in it's place.

You can enhance your bath bombs with color by utilizing food dyes.  However, most of mine have been colored naturally by the color of the essential oils and herbs I have added.  Food dyes do not have any actual health benefits so for the most part I have left them out of my bombs.  Although if I was making bath bombs with kids I would be tempted to add lots of bright colors so the bombs would be wild and fun for the kids.

Another tip I would like to share is regarding the essential oils.  When I first started making Bath Bombs I added the essential oils very sparingly.  What I found though was that the fragrance would dissipate over time (if the bath bomb was not used quickly or kept sealed up) and in the bath they would not be as aromatic as I had anticipated.  I would encourage anyone making Bath Bombs to over infuse the mixture's fragrance to account for this.

My last tip is regarding the addition of water to your mixture.  Water can activate the ingredients so it is imperative that you only add water to your mixture using a small spritzer.  You want to use the least amount of water, only adding a small amount at a time to get the mixture to the right consistency.  I have found that about 100-120 squirts added slowly (squirt 20 pumps, mix, repeat) will typically get the mixture to stick together nicely.  Again you do not want to add too much water or you will activate the ingredients.

Simple Bath Bombs
2 cups baking soda
1 cup citric acid
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup Epsom salt (plain or with fragrance - totally up to you)
5 tablespoons of oil (see note above about oils)
100-120 spritzes of water
Pure Essential Oils
Herbs or other decoratives

Kitchen Items
Large stainless steel or glass mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Spoon
Whisk
Bath Bomb Mold (I purchased from Amazon)

Directions
Combine the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch and Epsom salt in a bowl.

Slowly drizzle in your oil of choice and mix with hands or whisk until it is evenly combined.

Fill spritzer with water and spritz 100-120 pumps in to the mixture while stirring in between pumps.

Mix until crumbly.  You can tell when your mixture is ready by squishing it together in your hand and seeing if it holds together.

Stir in essential oils, decoratives and coloring.

Scoop the mixture into your mold filling both sides and them applying pressure from both sides evenly.  Wipe away extra.  Un-mold one side and then the other side.  If it does not hold together return to bowl and spritz in a bit more water.

Carefully set Bath Bombs somewhere safe to dry and allow to set and dry for at least 2 days.

Drop one large or two small Homemade Bath Bombs into a warm bath and enjoy!
     

Thrift Store Rubber Stamp Bargains Are Always Worth Looking For

I needed to stop at the Idaho Youth Ranch last week to work on a project unrelated to cards and rubber stamps.  But while I was there I zipped over to their craft section and found this Stampin' Up! set of 6 unused rubber stamps - Furnished With Love - for only $3.99 in their original case.  How could I pass up that kind of deal?  Since bringing home my bargain I have priced the same set on Etsy and eBay and the same set runs between $8.50 and $24.99 (not including shipping in some cases).  This was originally a Hostess set that you could have earned if you had hosted a Stampin' Up! party.  Since I do not host parties there is no way I would have been able to purchase this set at a party unless the hostess was selling one they had earned or the demonstrator had a used set that they were willing to sell.

What is great about this set is that it is a fantastic reminder that you can stamp relatively inexpensively if you keep your eyes open for bargains at thrift shops and even garage sales.  Often folks are donating stamps and supplies that are no longer needed or wanted and often just like this set I purchased these stamps were unused and in perfect condition.

I created these very quick cards tonight using limited supplies including clearance paper by Websters Pages from Craft Warehouse (.25 cents per 12 x 12 sheet on sale) and a large Bracket Punch I have from McGill which punches out 4 different brackets at one time.  Toss in a little distressing to the bottom layers and some pop dots to add a bit of height to the cards and this set of four whimsical cards is ready to give to friends and family without breaking the bank.        

Little Women Gorjuss Collectable Stamps One, Six and Fourteen

 Little Red - No. 14

Ruby - No. 1

 I Found My Family In A Book - No. 6

For Mother's Day this year Alex started me out with four of the Gorjuss Mini Collectable Rubber Stamps.  They are much smaller than the original Gorjuss stamps that I have been creating with but are just as adorable and whimsical.  In total there are 20 mini stamps in the collection.  I have been adding to my collection (that Alex started for me in May) and recently added the last two.  I was also able to locate the collectors Stamp Folder and they are all neatly stored together now and easy to pull out and work with.  If only all of my art studio was as neatly organized as this one small set of stamps.

I am creating a set of cards using all 20 images.  Instead of coloring the images with my Copic Markers (as I have in the past with the larger Gorjuss stamps) I am leaving these Little Women almost completely without color except for a small highlight with my colored pencils.  I am also rubbing a little color with the pencils on the book pages behind the images.  The book pages are from a copy of the book Little Women that I found falling apart in a thrift shop.  Although I would not normally take apart a book this one was on it's last leg and this was a perfect way to re-purpose the pages that would probably only end up in the garbage.  I have seventeen more cards to create now in the set but am pleased with the simplicity of the first three.         

Simple Teriyaki Sauce

Simple Teriyaki Sauce

1 cup white sugar
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger or fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbsp's. cornstarch
2 Tbsp's. cold water

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly.

Remove from heat and use with your favorite recipe.

The cooled Teriyaki Sauce can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Creating with Gorjuss The Dreamer

This set of stamps is from Santoro-London, and is part of the Gorjuss collection.  Just like the Fox card I put together in October 2015 and the Rainy Daze card I created in March 2016 I used my Copic markers to color the images and then added a little depth with double sided mounting tape and finished the card off with Floral Embellishments.  I also added some distressing to the card to give it a softer overall look and feel.  I selected similar colors to the ones featured on the stamp.  The Floral Embellishments are by Petaloo and I added Stickles (Grape Crush) to the rain drops dripping from the cloud.

Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies

I discovered this recipe on the Taste of Home site.  The cookies are lightly flavored from both lemon juice and lemon zest.  I did roll my cookie in the coarse sugar vs. brushing the tops with coarse sugar.  I might be tempted to up the lemon presence a bit and double the recipe ( as is it only makes 12-14 cookies) the next time I whip these up.

Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs  
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 teaspoons coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Beat in lemon peel and juice. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar; gradually beat into creamed mixture. 

Shape 1/4 cupfuls of dough into balls. Place 6 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Flatten to 3/4-in. thickness with bottom of a measuring cup. Lightly brush tops with water; sprinkle with coarse sugar. 

Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.        

Water Pitcher Template Cards

The Stampers Sampler Magazine features Tempting Templates as one of their regular features and challenges readers to use the template in their designs.  The template featured in the cards I made this week is a simple water pitcher.  You can use the Tempting Template in any way you wish large or small, on it's own, adding multiple templates to your card etc.  It is only limited to your creativity. 

For the four cards above I decided to shrink the template down into a tiny water pitcher and to have flowers pouring out of each.  I like to use limited supplies and layout designs when I am making a set of cards.  In this case I made 4 cards all with a similar design layout.  I have been a bit limited in my card making time but it felt good to stretch my creative muscles this week.  I am not sure if I will have time to play with the template any more this weekend but it was fun to give it a whirl.   

Paper:  Graphic 45
Glimmer Mist:  Tattered Angels
Stamps:  Graphic 45
Ink:  Versa Fine - Onyx Black
Flowers: Burlap - Recollections, Paper - Jolees by You, Heirloom Roses - Tim Holtz and Petaloo - Antique Peach
Pen:  Gelly Roll - Clear Sky - Sakura Japan

The Baked Brownie

I found the Baked Brownie recipe on the Brown Eyed Baker Blog.  It is adapted from the Baked Cookbook  The Baked Series of Cookbooks are something of a national treasure.  You can find their cookbook series on Amazon.  I made these last night and brought them into work today and they completely disappeared.  I did take some pictures on my cell phone and then forgot to download them.  The picture above is from the Brown Eyed Baker Blog.   

A little history about the authors:  After years in the advertising business, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito decided to leave their day jobs and open a bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Baked opened in January 2005 to instant rave reviews. The authors have been featured on Oprah, the Food Network, Martha Stewart’s daytime show, and the Today show. The bakery has been reviewed in countless magazines, both local and nationwide. Lewis and Poliafito live in New York City.

The Baked Brownie
Brown Eyed Baker:  http://www.browneyedbaker.com

1¼ cups (177 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process will work)
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
1½ cups (298 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup (99 grams) packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

3. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large heat-proof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it, about 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

I have had this recipe since the Summer of 2005 from Kraft Foods.  I love cheesecake and these hand-held bars are convenient for an outdoor setting.  Prep time and cooking time are both about 30 minutes.  I took these camping last weekend and shared them around the campfire.  I wrapped the leftovers and froze them individually to enjoy at a later date.  Eventually I would like to try to make these delicious bars with raspberries or blackberries.  I also recommend chilling the crust before adding the jam as outlined in the recipe instructions.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Kraft Foods

6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 jar (8 oz. blueberry jam or preserves
1 cup blueberries

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Mix butter and graham crumbs in 13x9-inch pan; press onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat until blended. 

Stir preserves in jar until softened; spread evenly onto crust. Top with berries, then cream cheese mixture.

Bake 30 min. or until slightly puffed. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Greek Style Chicken Skillet from BHG

I found this recipe recently on the Good Housekeeping site (http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/greek-style-chicken-skillet/).  It was easy to prepare and it was nice to have only one skillet to clean aside from the sauce pan I prepared the couscous in.  I would make one modification though and that would be to double the sauce and add more crumbled feta cheese over the top.  I wished there had been a bit more sauce to help flavor the plain couscous and you just can't go wrong with a little extra cheese.  I have posted the recipe below as I found it on the BHG site.

Greek-Style Chicken Skillet
A tomato-inspired vegetable mixture is spooned over chicken and couscous in this main-dish recipe. To add even more interest, substitute a flavored couscous mix.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 - 1/4 pounds total)
salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 medium)
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
1 10 - 3/4 ounce can condensed tomato soup
2 cups hot cooked couscous*
1/2 cup crumpled feta cheese (2 ounces)

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. In a 12-inch skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken registers 170 F on an instant-read thermometer, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
2. Add zucchini, sweet pepper, onion, garlic, and the 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to skillet. Add the water; reduce heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Stir in soup. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring once.
3. To serve, divide couscous among dinner plates. Place chicken on couscous. Spoon vegetable mixture over chicken and couscous. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

*For 2 cups cooked couscous, in a 1-quart saucepan bring 1 cup water and a dash of salt to boiling. Stir in 2/3 cup quick-cooking couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.