One of my new hobbies is making our own bath products, sugar and scrubs, bath salts, oils and bath bombs. I love living in South Texas but the humidity makes it VERY difficult to make the bombs. Martha Stewart must live in a perfect world, hers looked beautiful, mine looked like blobs. Don't get me wrong - they still work and swell wonderful - but not pretty. So I went searching  -  http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/07/back-to-basics-bath-bombs.html Susan's recipe works - on dry days I sometimes need to spritz a little water in the mix. I can't wait to try some of her other recipes!

I make these as Easter gifts - Bundt Cake Bombs with a punch of Lavender! 

Another day, another set of coasters - this set is for a music lover. Normally, I just buy plain tiles at the hardware store but this time I found two sets of tile coasters - ugly coasters - so all I had to do was add my music sheets, brush on a couple coats of  Mod Podge and I am done!

I spend all year making sure each gift is just right and then suddenly it is Christmas and the clock is ticking... the wrapping ends up being Plain-Jane just get the job done - this year each gift will be wrapped as soon as it is done. 

Decorative stitching around a scrap piece of muslin, tied with string and a couple of left over butterflies - the butterfly coasters are all wrapped and ready! 

It is already February and that means it is time to start making this year's Christmas presents. Is this me? The woman who used to do all her shopping the last week before the big day? I suppose the older we get the more we become ourselves and the younger me always had a "project" or two on the table in process. Unfortunately the table in question was the kitchen table and with three kids to feed, a full time job and a life to try to live - I needed the table for other things. So here we are now, the kids have their own tables now and left me an extra room with a table to call my own. I still have a full time job but I also have a partner who does all the laundry and makes life a joy to live.

What does this have to do with Christmas and February? Oh yes - I have time, I have the room and can have as many projects on the table as I like so I might as well make Christmas presents!

I had some plain white tiles left over from repairing the shower wall, old Thesaurus from a library sale, some lovely butterfly/moth clip art, Mod Podge and the last of a roll of cork. I love an old Thesaurus and the idea of cutting the pages out was painful but I knew how beautiful they would be with butterflies printed on them.

Here are the coasters:

The Boot

My daughter-In-Law wanted to give her father the boot for his 60th birthday - but not just any boot... it had to be a University of Texas boot. After a trip to Goodwill and Hobby Lobby - this is the result. She added a bottle of wine to complete the gift.