New things to offer

I'm exited to let you guys know we can now customize bottle cap images for your projects. On our Facebook page you will find an entire album of things you can have added to bows, necklaces, earrings, key rings and more!  A lot of the Disney images were obtained from a blog site. (Ilikebigfreebies.blogspot.com). I noted which ones were obtained from that site as well as a link to find the files yourself if you're a fellow crafter looking for cute add-ons to your projects. As for the A-Z letters, those were created by me, from a template file. An author at the freebies blog was very harsh when she discovered that one of my associates posted her images for sale on etsy (as is her right).  I have removed those images as well as bringing it to the attention of the poster. But because my name is the primary one associated with CCBG I am the one in the spotlight and take responsibility for those I allow to post on my behalf.  I want to apologize to you, our fans because it appeared that our business was trying to "scam" others. It wasn't my intention and I am sorry for the negative attention it brought us.

Now that we're beyond that, feel free to look though the album, request any of them to be added to your bows or request something you may not see. I have a lot of resources ilikebigfreebies.blogspot.com posts new images constantly, or I can purchase what you desire if it's beyond my scope of creation.

Thank you for your support of CCBG and I hope you're all enjoying a peaceful Memorial Day!  Be sure to pause and remember and thank those who make it possible for you to eat your burgers in the sun.

DIY Body Wash

I will admit it: I've been on Pinterest entirely too much lately. But I have learned wonderful things to clean green, spring clean, and make my own puppy chews. But today I'm trying out diy body wash. Here's what I used:

Old pump style lotion bottle, rinsed out

Bars of soap, shaved with cheese grater

Homemade hand scrub

Lotion

So. Grate the soap. Seriously. Your cheese grater will look like this when you're finished:

I grated my soap over a saucepan. I used three travel bars. Seriously. From a hotel we stayed at on our last vacation. Mandarin orange. Then I filled the pan with water and set the heat to Medium. It will be lumpy at first and will need constant stirring. Then it will get a little foamy, like this:

I'm using a slotted spoon so I can tell when all the flakes are melted. Now that they are I've removed the pan from the heat source, turned the burner off and will let it sit for about twenty minutes. While that's resting I'm going to go clean the bathroom. Be back in a few!

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So. I cleaned the bathroom and dusted. The mixture isn't completely cooled, but I didn't expect it to be. There was a light film starting to develop on the top but I scraped it off. (Update: research and different methods show that if you add more water during the melting process this film won't develop). Now it looks like this :

Time to take this over to my other supplies:

I'm going to pour the mixture into the lotion bottle. Wish me luck!!

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That wasn't so bad. Only a minor spill. If you have a funnel I recommend using it. :)

Now to decide whether or not to add hings. It's a grey soap/body wash as it is but I like to feel great and silly smooth. So I'm going to add one tablespoon of my favorite moisturizing lotion. (The mixture is still hot so this will combine well. I put the pump top back onto the bottle and shook it (over the sink--it will leak slightly) until I felt it was blended. It was after all only one tablespoon into hot liquid. Now to add my homemade body scrub. (Available for purchase at www.facebook.com/creativecuties).  I'm adding one tablespoon of it, because it has oil in it and I don't want to slip in the tubby!! Again, I repeated the step of putting the pump on and shaking. Now it's ready to use!  You guys hang out here, and I'm going to go try it out!

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Ta-da!!!!!!  Out of the tubby and feeling so fresh and clean!  A few notes: bar soaps tend to make my skin feel a little drier than body wash so the reaction I felt after the shower was what I expected it to be. I will use my fave soap next time. (It doesn't make me feel super dry). Most importantly, you know your skin. Go with what you love and remember, it's all an experiment anyway!  Bar soaps are cheaper than body wash so if you're not happy with the result you're not likely to be out very much financially. I leave you with this:  don't write on your lotion bottle with sharpie then place said bottle into tubby. The market will run and you'll end up washing these weird streak away instead of enjoying your tubby!!!

DIY Headband Holder

So today I'm going to show you all how to turn a 42 ounce dry oatmeal canister into a cute and sassy headband holder for your princesses and divas!  Here's what you'll need:

-Empty and cleaned oatmeal canister (I'm using quick oats, 42 oz)
-Fabric of your choice
-Adhesive of your choice (I'm using hot glue)
-Scissors

-Ribbon for trim (optional)

-Flowers for embellishment (optional)

First step is to measure and cut your fabric. I was lucky. This scrap of ballerina print left over from an order is the perfect size. Now let's get sticky!

I started with a not so straight line of glue. Then I aligned and pressed the fabric down to smooth the glue and prevent a rough line underneath. 

Next, wrap it around, making sure to stay aligned with your top edge and glue along the entire length of your fabric. (Yes, I only used two strips of glue: one at the start and one at the finish).

I decided to add 3/8" purple grosgrain ribbon at the top as a trim, gluing it all the way around. 

Now let's talk about the bottom. You can trim yours to just the bottom edge so you don't have to glue it or you can glue. Mine was again a practical perfect fit so I opted to glue. Like this:

Now I don't know about the rest of you but I have a total princess. So I decided to add some cute flowers I had on hand. 

Isn't that precious?  Now let's add some headbands!

I opted to add bows, her hair ties and her brush. Because I added flowers, the top went into the recycling bin. 

Very simple, a quick project and it warms my organization loving heart. Have fun with your own or, if you decide it's too much to try just pop on over to Facebook and order one from us! www.facebook.com/creativecuties

Something Different

O.k.  So normally I boast and brag about handmade, creative things.  But, I feel obligated to speak about a product that I was given for free.  (Who doesn't love free?!)  Have any of you ever heard of Bzz Agents or Bzz Campaigns?  Well, I signed up about one year ago, and have received different things to try out and review online and to my peers.  This time I received a razor.  It sounds simple enough; a razor is a razor, right?  NOOOOOO.  I beseech you (busting out the big words today) to give this razor a shot.  I don't know about you all, but to me nothing sucks more than shaving in a shower during winter when you're freezing your bum off.  I mean, the water is hot, you shave, you get goose bumps, your hair magically reappears out of nowhere, you shave again and end up cutting yourself or having some form of razor rash or burn.  (Maybe I'm shaving wrong...who knows).  The point is, if you have experienced any type of irritation from any form of shaving, you should really look into the Schick Hydro Silk Sensitive Care.  Yes, that's a large name for a tiny razor but it is SO worth it.  I've been using the razor for about a week now and I love that my arms, legs and intimate areas don't seem to be aware that I'm shaving at all.  The blades are surrounded by this pretty cool moisture thing; it's not just a strip; it surrounds the blades almost like a Venus, but it's not shave soap.  It's moisturizer and soother all in one shot, but I don't feel slimy.  (Did that make any sense?  I have a head cold if it didn't...blame the mucous). 

Anyway, Bzz Campaign sent me the free razor and I felt that I should shout from the roof tops how awesome it is.  A blog is my version of digitally shouting aloud.  Here are some reference links for you to visit if you're interested in the product:

The facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/SchickHydroSilk

The product page:
http://www.schick.com/us/hydro-silk.shtml

And if you want to become a Bzz Agent and get awesome things:
www.bzzagent.com
 ENJOY!!!