Confetti Fleece Rug

A spinoff of the "rag rug," I made this two-color fleece rug for my daughter's nursery. Besides several hours of tedious work while watching TV, the whole project only cost $25.

Supplies:

• 2 yards dark pink fleece
• 2 yards light pink fleece
• 1 fish net (from craft store)
• fabric scissors

Instructions:
Using fabric scissors, cut fleece into 1x6-inch strips and tie in alternating colors to the fish net. You should have enough fabric to make a 3.5 x 5 rug. Just trim the net down to the size you want. Fluff the rug and you're done!

Ladies Spa Evening

Invite your girlfriends over for a relaxing evening of homemade spa treatments! These luxurious ideas are adapted from the book, Home Spa: Cleanse, Refresh, Relax by Jennie Harding.Make a "buffet" of spa treatment options by setting out all the ingredients along with cloth and paper towels for easy cleanup.

Geranium & Olive Oil Foot Scrub | Individual ramekins of sea salt on a tray make it easier for your friends to mix up their own foot scrubs and take them to where they are sitting to do the treatment. Simply use small, circular movements to rub the scrub all over feet. Wipe excess off with a towel after massaging in for 5-10 minutes.

Recipe:

• 2 t. fine sea salt (exfoliator)
• 6 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 20 drops essential oil of your choice (geranium or lavender oils work well)

Herbal Foot Soak | In small glass vases, display fresh garden herbs: thyme (cleansing and refreshing) and rosemary (stimulating and warming). Lavender essential oil (skin rejuvenating and soothing) can be substituted for the fresh herbs, if preferred. A generous bottle of milk makes for a luxurious option, adding a splash to the warm water. Soak feet in herbal water for 15 minutes to allow time for infusion.

Recipe:

• Large plastic bowl filled half-full with warm water
• Handful of herbs or 10 drops essential oil
• Splash of milk (optional; softens the skin)

Marshmallow Swizzle Sticks

I served these yummy marshmallow swizzle sticks along with homemade hot cocoa at a holiday party last week. The peppermint flavor punches up your average cup of cocoa, not to mention they make for a pretty and festive display! I bought the swizzle sticks in the dollar bin section at Target, but regular skewers would work too if you don't mind losing some of the "bling." :) They also make great Christmas gifts for co-workers and neighbors when packaged with a couple of packets of instant hot cocoa and (not-your-cheesy-holiday-type) white mugs.

Here's the recipe:

1. Make a thin glaze from powdered/confectioner's sugar and milk.
2. Crush candy canes or peppermint candy.
3. Dip marshmallows first in glaze, then in crushed candy.
4. Place marshmallows candy side up on a sheet of wax paper to harden.
5. Pierce one or two marshmallows on each swizzle stick or skewer.
6. Arrange on tray and serve with hot cocoa.
   

Robin Bird Birthday Party

A bird theme was a natural choice for my mother's 50th birthday celebration. After all, her name is Robin! Held in the autumnal outdoors at Daingerfield State Park in East Texas, family and friends gathered for a weekend to honor this wonderful woman.

Gift Table | I created this framed 8x10 collage tribute in Adobe Photoshop, using scanned photographs from my mom's childhood layered with digital scrapbooking papers and embellishments. Going along with the bird theme, the text in the collage is a passage of selected verses from the Book of Matthew, Chapter 6:

"Look at the birds of the air ... are you not worth much more than they? ... Do not worry then ... for your heavenly father knows you need all these things. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself."

The wooden frame is from Michaels. Paired with a simple glass Mason jar full of wild goldenrod and a sea blue table runner on clearance from Target, the gift table was complete.

Place Settings & Centerpieces | Guided by a color palette of yellows, blues and browns, a gingham fabric covers the picnic table and large glass jars filled with goldenrod and tied with ribbons serve as centerpieces. Small baskets (bought at Cost Plus World Market on 90% off Easter clearance) were filled with raffia paper and sprinkled with faux robin's eggs. Casual plates--already on hand--reinforce the color scheme.

Dessert | Adapting a recipe for Hummingbird Cake from Country Home Magazine, these cupcakes feature cream cheese icing topped with toasted almonds and coconut for the "nest" and three M&Ms Premium Chocolate Almond candies that mimic the speckled blue of robin's eggs. The cupcakes were displayed on a Wilton Cupcakes and More Medium Dessert Stand.

Happy 50th birthday, Momma!