Make Your Own Bath Salts

I came across this recipe in a favorite cookbook of mine, The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook, Volume 1, by Kitty & Lucian Maynard. It makes for a wonderfully fragrant, silky soak, but you must remember to be very careful about slipping when adding water softener and/or oils to your bath water!

*I do not know if you can still buy Calgon water softener, but I do know you can still buy their bath beads, which are scented, and also have moisturizing properties, so they would probably work as well.

The addition of the essential oil is something I've not tried, because I enjoy the scent of the Calgon, but it might be a nice addition. I got the idea from The Mamas Girls blog.

The Queen's Bath Salts

From The Queen Victoria Bed & Breakfast, Cape May, NJ

Makes 6 cups, enough for 12 baths

3 cups Epsom salts

1½ cups baking soda

1½ cups Calgon powdered water softener, in the laundry aisle*

10-20 drops essential oil, optional

Combine Epsom salts, baking soda & water softener in a mixing bowl. If desired, drop in the essential oil, and whisk until well incorporated.

Pour a half cup of bath salts into your bath water, and enjoy! (Be careful of slipping!)

Keep bath salts in a closed container.

Coffeehouse Toffee Triangles

Makes 36 cookies

Just Make These!

¾ cup butter (I always use salted), reserve the butter wrapper

¾ cup/100gm light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg yolk

1½ cups/180gm King Arthur AP flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 14-oz. can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbs. butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

12 oz. chocolate chips (I like Aldi's dark chocolate chips)

1 cup Almond Brickle or Heath Bits

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray a 9x13" cake pan; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the ¾-cup butter and brown sugar until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg yolk, and beat in well. Stir in the flour and salt.

Using the buttery side of the butter wrapper, press the dough into the greased cake pan, in an even layer. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack while you finish  preparing the toffee layer.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium, heavy saucepan, stir together the Eagle Brand and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, stirring constantly., until bubbly. Cook and stir for an additional 5 minutes once the mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping down the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla until incorporated.

4. Spread the toffee evenly over the baked layer, using an offset spatula, so you don't burn your hand (like I did.) Return the pan to the oven, and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, until the toffee is golden. Clean the offset spatula for the next step.

5. Remove pan to stove top, and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top evenly. Return the pan to the oven for another 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from oven (turn oven off), and place on a wire rack. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the cookie base.

6. Sprinkle the chocolate evenly with toffee bits, and press in, lightly. Cool on the rack for 1-2 hours, then cover and chill for several hours or overnight. 

7. Remove cookie layer from pan, (it comes out easily), and place on a cutting board. Using a chef's knife, cut it in thirds down its length, then cut each long bar in half. Each of these halves gets cut into three 2" bars (I use a ruler), then each bar is cut on the diagonal, to make 36 triangles.

Store airtight in the fridge (or not - I don't) for up to one week.

Enjoy!  These make great Christmas gifts for friends and family.

DIY Ink Cube Holder from foam core

I have seen (and coveted) those ink cube holders on YouTube that all my favorite paper-crafters use, but, cheapo that I am, I figured I could probably make one myself from foam core board. 

Here's how I did it:

I cut closely around the base of the ink cubes with a very sharp X-Acto knife, rounding the corners like they are on the cubes, and cutting completely through to my cutting mat. I glued the piece with the cutouts to a solid piece of foam core, and am thinking of gluing a piece of that rubbery, webbed sheet that keeps things from slipping (what do they call that, anyway?), so it won't move around on my desktop.

The cubes and their lids fit in it so snugly, I can turn it upside down without them falling out! It holds 4 cubes and their prospective lids, or I can use both the front and back rows for just the ink cubes, if I'm doing a lot of colors. 

I'm pretty much in love.

Printable Swatch Chart for Ohuhu 72 Alcohol Marker Set

I recently bought a set of 72 Ohuhu alcohol markers, and wasn't able to find a blank, printable swatch chart that I liked, so I made one. If anyone is interested in printing it out, click HERE for the link to the file. Happy Crafting!