Bath Goodies Dessert Bar

Some time ago, I came up with what I thought was the ingenious idea of having a dessert bar filled with bath goodies, rather than edible treats. Since I'd like for people to hire me to design spa events for them there are some ideas which I put on the "not to blog about just yet" list. BUT, I just came across a great article written in the online magazine Nonpareil, where they give tips, recipes and templates that allow you to create a DIY spa dessert bar, and I had to share it.

                                                                    Photo: Nonpareil Magazine

Since the cat is out of the bag, I might as well chime in with some great picks for a spa themed dessert bar

1. Hand Candies
2. Milk & Cookeez
3. FrenchMacaron Soaps & Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes tutorial by Naiad Soap Arts
4. Mini Towel Cake favors
5. Ice Cream Sandwich Pumice Stone
6. Soap Cakes



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K.I.S.S- Dresses & Bows

I thought I'd kick the week off with a quick K.I.S.S. Here are two Springy DIY projects

Learn how to make these cute napkin dresses via How Does She

 and learn how to make these cute ribbon pomanders via Ruffled


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Milk-n-Cookies: Taste

Photo: Rebecca Thuss for Martha Stewart

The Spa Party of the Month Theme for November is Milk & Cookies ( Yummm!). In the first post of the series I introduced The Pajama Program, a charitable organization that collects new books and PJs for children in foster care & group homes; and suggested hosting a Spajama party in order to benefit the organization. I also provided a list of products, tips, and recipes for putting together DIY Milk & Cookies Manicure treatments, so be sure to check it out.

For each Spa Party of the Month (Taste) feature, I usually provide a full menu of serving suggestions that compliment the party's theme. This month the menu doesn't need much explaining so I'll share some pictures and recipes that may help inspire you when pulling together your own milk & cookies buffet.

I just love this fun, girly, carnival-esque cookie buffet from a Baby Shower thrown by Jen of the blog The Happenings, which was inspired by the shower below thrown by Brittany the blogger behind most likely LATE ( a blog I heart)

Milk can be served in a variety of ways from shot glasses, or in the vintage style bottles that were used above (which are available at IKEA for only $2.99). The Hip Hostess prefers Milk Martinis while the party planners from Colorblind Productions presented individual containers of in a bucket. Ronnybrook Farms (photo via Design Muse) offers attractively packaged milks in a range of flavors including chocolate and coffee.

If you are going to host a milk-n-cookies party during the cold season, it is a good idea to also have hot chocolate, and coffee available, with homemade marshmallows. You can also offer a variety of flavored syrups for those people who may want milk steamers. Not everyone drinks the same type of milk so be sure to offer milk with a lower fat content (like skim or 2%), as well as milk alternatives such as soy, rice, almond or hemp milks.

Now I'll let you in on my little secret.... I really want to be the Martha-y type mom that has fresh baked cookies awaiting, but baking isn't really my forté, though I love to cook. Whenever I do make cookies, I don't start from scratch, I start from cake mix! Here is a site with cake mix cookie recipes; I usually substitute butter for the oil, and add in a few drops of vanilla (to make me feel like I'm doing something). My favorite mix to start with is German chocolate and then add Heath Toffee Bits and Chocolate Chunks in. Another cookie that my grandmother's good friend used to make each time we visited is Potato Chip Cookies, which you'd be surprised are very good.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday when I'll share some Spajama Party decorating tips.

So what is your favorite type of cookie?

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Beauty isn't Just an Art it's a Science!

If you've read this blog before, you may have picked up that I heart DIY projects. I often try to feature crafts that will help to set your party apart from the pack and dazzle your guests both in my K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Soiree) feature and in my Spa Party of the Month themes.

In my Spa Party of the Month posts I often feature recipes for body products that you can make from things that are easily found in most grocery stores. What you Don't know is that in my house we have a big ole' cabinet dedicated to such pursuits which is dubbed "The Apothecary". Inspired by our love of Carol's Daughter products, my mother declared years ago that "We could make this"... and by "we" she mostly meant Me. While my mom and my little sis do dabble in making a body oil here and there I can easily be deemed the family's Chief Mixologist and the one they turn to when they want a whipped body butter. While for us body products are only a hobby, it is one that has paid off in terms of our heightened awareness of the things we use on our skin. As a mother I'm so glad that I acquired these skills, in the earlier months of my child's life I did not use commercial moisturizers on him. but instead made my own unscented products using ingredients I knew would be good for his skin.

Something else that you don't know about me is that prior to being a stay-at-home mother, and self-proclaimed Spashionista blogger, I worked as a grant writer for a children's museum. One of the focuses of our work was promoting hands-on science. The research that I came across with regard to American children and their science knowledge was to say the least somewhat disheartening. Though science/engineering careers are slated to increase over the next decade or so, our children are generally scoring lower on science and math assessments than children abroad, and are less likely to pursue science education at a collegiate level. On top of that, women are less likely than men to pursue science and math based careers.

Research by a team that includes vocational psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) indicates that the self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest.

So how do we instill self-confidence in girls when it comes to science? One place to start is in your own kitchen! By involving your daughter in beauty based hands-on science projects, you are exposing her to a real life career Cosmetic Chemistry. These types of projects can serve to impact not only your daughter's confidence in her science and reasoning skills, but also in her self-image. Just as there has been a push these last few years to "get the kids in the kitchen" to encourage healthy and informed eating habits, you can get your kid in the kitchen to formulate your own beauty products. Take the ingredients of your average smoothie and you can discover the humectant properties of honey, the antioxidant effects of strawberries, the moisturizing and smoothing effects of lactic acid found in yogurt, and the regenerative properties of bananas... so how's that for a tasty facial.

In a previous post I mentioned the statistic that 8-12 yr old girls spend $40 million/month on beauty products. Involving your daughter in formulating her own beauty products, not only decreases the amount of money you spend on commercial products, but it ultimately makes her a more educated consumer.

So throw on your lab coats, or bathrobes and check out some of these pre-packed kits to bring out the cosmetic chemist in your daughter:











Perfume Science & Creative Cosmetics by Thames & Kosomos














Make Your Own Lip Balm by Creativity for Kids & Spa Science by Scientific Explorer


These kits are great because they contain all the necessary equipment like droppers, measuring implements, containers, and are science based. However, you don't need a kit in order to become a mixtress, here are some great resources for recipes to begin creating your very own product line:

Make Your Own Cosmetics
The Natural Beauty Workshop
Homemade Bath Products Blog
Bath and Body Recipes
DIY Cosmetics

Perfect for Parties, Playdates, or just Mom & Me time!

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Find: Diaper Zoo

The little cutie to the left is the diaper elephant I concocted with the help of the wondrously detailed e-book from Brenda over at Diaper Zoo. Diaper Zoo is a must see if you are planning a baby shower. The owner used to sell her diaper creations but now devotes her time to coming up with new products which she teaches you to DIY with her very reasonably priced e-books, featuring photos of each step.


For my own baby shower, we whipped up a mini menagerie of elephants, and giraffes grazing on a piece of green felt, decorated with little sunflowers from the scrap booking section. I set these under the money tree also inspired by a Diaper Zoo creation, at the time Brenda had not yet released the how-to ebook for the tree so I was left to my own devices to figure it out, and thankfully she gave me some tips via email. Instead of using the tree to collect money, it functioned as a sort of wish tree, where guests were asked to leave motherly advice.

Below I've featured a few more of my favorite projects from the Zoo.

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Find: Tie Chair

This past weekend I attended a wedding with my 17th month old in tow. I didn't get the opportunity to do much socializing as I was too busy trying to keep the little wiggler in my lap and not running down the aisles. As there weren't any high chairs or booster seats my husband and I took turns eating and passing the baby back and forth.

While many wedding receptions are adult only, kids do sometimes attend formal events. Couples may have children of their own or have neices/nephews, etc. that will be attending the wedding. Attending special events with toddlers can be fun with forethought and preparation, neither of which I personally employed.

This tie-chair is one element that party guests or hosts that think ahead can incorporate for family friendly events. It's great because for one it looks much better than restaurant high chairs and is cleaner to boot; there is no need to worry about the perpetually broken or non-existent straps in commercial high chairs because the ties are built right in; parents hands stay free, kids butts stay put; it is ultra portable.

For those party hosts that really want to have even the toddler seating tie in seamlessly with their decor, this tutorial by jan andrea, demonstrates how to make similar "chair slings" in a fabric of your choosing. If your going the DIY route, why not whip up phone book covers with a little batting, for those little bottoms that could use a boost. Adding a side or back pocket, in which to stash toys or wipes also isn't a bad idea if you want to keep little hands busy and clean during the event. Putting coloring books, and knick-knacks in a chair pocket is also a way for hosts to show they thought about their tiny guests without cluttering or overshadowing their table decor. More tips on how to throw a kid-friendly event.

Tip: If you are a wedding guest with a toddler buy enough extra fabric to make yourself a nice ring or pouch sling that is dressier than your everyday baby carrier. Free sewing tutorials for these can also be found on jan andrea's site for you or your seamstress to follow.

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