Easy Body Scrub Recipe

An easy to make body scrub that stays solid in your jar. Just scoop out a bit when needed.

Ingredients:

2 cups Epsom salt
3/4 cup Raw sugar
1/2 cup Coconut oil
1 tablespoon unrefined cocoa butter
2 tbsp Sweet Almond oil or Fractionated coconut oil or Jojoba Oil
1 teaspoon glycerin
1/8 tsp of T50 vitamin E oil or 1 capsule VE
20-30 drops of Essential Oil of Choice

Instructions:
Instructions are easy - just mix the salt and sugar together in a medium sized bowl. In another bow, thoroughly mix the oils together and melt in a double boiler or in a pan sitting in another pan with water in it, until almost completely melted - don’t let it burn. I usually put my oils in a 4 cup Pyrex pitcher and then set that in a larger pot with water in it. Then stir the oils over the heat until oils are almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until still hot, but not burning. When oils reach about 100 degrees, then add your essential oils, otherwise, the essential oils will burn off and be of no effect. Let the mixture cool, and then store in jars. If the mixture is too runny, add a bit more epsom salts, if too dry, add a bit more FCO or Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil.

Citrus Salt Scrub

1/2 cup of Finely ground Dead Sea Salt or other Salt
1 oz Whipped Shea Butter
1 oz Fractionated Coconut Oil
30-40 drops (approximately 2ml) of Citrus EO
Optional Colorant if you prefer a particular shade
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the Fractionated Coconut Oil and Shea Butter. Mix these well, until thoroughly combined. Next, stir in the Dead Sea or Fine Salt. Add the colorant and essential oil and mix once more. Spoon into a sterile jar.

The best way I have found to use this neat recipe is to step into the shower and scrub all over with this mixture. THEN turn the water on, shower and rinse. After showering, moisture your skin with a nice shea butter skin lotion. To preserve your recipe for longer use (if not using a preservative), use a clean spoon or spatula to scoop out one serving at a time instead of taking the jar into the shower with you where you’re sure to get water into it!

Herbal Steam Facial

2 handfuls herbs or flowers
6 cups boiling water

Coarsely chop the herbs or flower and place them in a bowl. Slowly add boiling water to herbs or flowers.As you lean your head over the bowl, cover your head and the bowl with a thick towel. Now, simply close your eyes and dream of your favorite quiet place for about 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, just splash your face with lukewarm, then cool water. Herbs and flowers that are great to use include lemon balm, spearmint, chamomile, parsley, violets, rose petals, peppermint, sage, lavender. Always use caution when using hot water, and if you have any allergies to the flowers/herbs, use common sense.

You could also use a drop or two of Essential Oils of the above herbs/flowers. Pure Essential Oils can be found at TLC NATURALLY - just click on the name and browse all the essential oils and the homemade soaps that are made at TLC NATURALLY.

Want to make some cheap and easy bird feeders? This is a very simple way to keep your fuzzy friends happy during the winter, and give your whole family a wonderful and scenic source of enjoyment.

Needed:

Milk Gallon Jugs
Knife

Take the empty milk gallon jugs and where the indent is on the milk jug, cut that part out - it’s about fist sized. Then remove cap, punch out 2small holes in the on the sides near the lid to run string or yarn thru for hanging. Replace the cap, punch a few holes in the bottom of the jug to let rain water drain off and then fill with bird seed. Hang the newly made bird feeder out in the yard where you can best watch the flurry of activity that will soon grace your bird feeder.

~Pam~

Missouri Crafts Network 

Here is an easy and sweet way to make your own sweetener. Stevia is an extremely sweet, noncaloric herb. It is native to Paraguay and has been used to sweeten and flavor for centuries.

However, the FDA has said it is illegal to designate this wonderful herb as "sweet" .. so I leave it up tothe tester to see what he thinks it is! The FDA says it can only be labeled as a 'dietary supplement' ... whatever that is.

To make a liquid extract out of the herb Stevia as a DIETARY SUPPLEMENT (hehe), take 1 cup of vodka and mix it with 3/4 to 1 cup of macerated fresh stevia leaves in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake the jar every day for about 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks, just strain out the leaves thru a filter - such as a coffee filter, label the jar, and store in your pantry. Just one drop will um...make yor drink very tasty - if not sweet  

Blessings ~ Pam

TLC Naturally
http://www.tlc-naturally.com

Coffee soap
Ingredients:
8 oz wt Canola Oil
8 oz wt Coconut Oil
8 oz wt Olive Oil
8 oz wt Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (Crisco)
12 fl oz Water
4.5 oz wt Lye (sodium hydroxide)
1.5 oz of Columbian Coffee - (Oregon Trails)
1 T coffee grounds

This wonderfully Expresso Coffee smelling soap is the coffee lover’s dream. The luscious, wonderful smell of fresh ground coffee will fill you with delight - even if you don’t like coffee! It is also a great soap that washes away those nasty fish, garlic or onion odors! And for the gardener - oh my!! It is a wonderful treat!

Try making some coffee soap today! You’ll be glad you did.

Things You’ll Need

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Gather all the ingredients - this is fun!

For fresh pumpkin, cut up pumpkin, discard stringy stuff and save seeds for later munching.

Bake pumpkin chunks at 350°F on a cookie sheet until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, you can also roast or boil pumpkin pieces until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

Preheat oven to 350°F Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a well-buttered 9×5x3 inch loaf pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted into middle comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Makes one loaf.

I doubled this recipe and added a bit more pumpkin then called for (since I had so much!) and it is wonderful - everyone loves it!!

Make 2 and give one away - or have  a party!

~Pam~

Very easy to make PUMPKIN SOUP!!

Since I had SO MUCH pumpkin meat .. I decided to try my hand at pumpkin SOUP….soup you say??? You should have seen my hubby wrinkle his nose! LOL…however…it is DELICIOUS!!!! I made a whole pot - and while I’m the one that ate the biggest bowl, I plan on freezing this and popping it in the ice cube trays for later 1 bowl soup dishes

here’s the recipe - very simple!

Simple Pumpkin Soup

1/2 cup onion
3 tbsp. butter
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or fat free half and half.

Chop the onions and gently brown with butter in a pan. Put mashed pumpkin with onions in pan. Add the salt, sugar, nutmeg and pepper. Slowly add chicken broth and heat thoroughly, but do not boil. To serve, pour into a tureen and add the cream. Makes 4 to 6 small servings.

Now - for my take - I omited the cream and added just a bit of milk and an extra pat of butter - I also doubled the amount of pumpkin and used stevia instead of sugar. When it was all cooking really good, I decided to take my handy dandy stick blender and puree it a bit more. mmmmm it is WONDERFUL!!!

~Blessings & Health ~
Pam

Wow! I can’t believe all the new members we’re getting at Missouri Crafts Network!! What a wonderful feeling knowing that something you did has had such a warm reception in the craft world!

If you haven’t joined yet, then you need to check us out at Missouri Crafts Network!

Pam

Missouri Crafts Network

This is a great recipe if you have sore muscles after a workout, tennis elbow or just achey bones. It’s pretty easy to make and while I make it for my bones, I’ve also used it on my salad! It’s wonderful either way! You can 1/2 the recipe or double - it’s not an exact recipe.

Athlete Rub

A pint jar
1/4 cup celery salt
1/4 cup hot pepper, crushed finely
1/2 cup crushed rosemary - fresh if possible
Olive Oil - enough to cover all ingredients in jar.

Just put all your ingredients in the clean glass jar and cover with Olive oil. Close that lid tight, shake well, and set in a warm sunny spot for about 2 weeks. Don’t forget to shake it once or twice a day. After it steeps for about 2 weeks, then strain the ingredients out of the Olive Oil and pour into dark amber jars or bottles. When you need a good rub….just pour a bit in the palm of your hand and rub away.

Let me know if you try it and how you liked it!

~Pam ~