Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Karen Snyder and I've been a crafter for about as long as I can remember. I am a stay-at-home-Mama of two beautiful children with a husband who makes my dreams possible.

This blog is about all sorts of crafting. I am a paper-crafter from early days, a jewelry-maker with an unending obsession for chain maille. I make chain maille purses, many of which will be chronicled in this blog as their future owners await their completion. I love metalsmithing. I am an indifferent beader and don't get me anywhere near seed beads... they scatter, screaming to get away from me. I love to try new things, have a short attention span so if its a long-term project... I'm probably not doing it LOL.

If you have questions, ask. If you have tips, share. Same with suggestions - share! I want this to be a great forum for people to brainstorm and problem-solve with a good attitude. Crabby Apples need not respond, this is a feel-good kind of blog :)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Earring Entry 8/22/10

Yes, here is today's chance to enter to win a pair of Romanov earrings.  Guess what?  I'll be doing a drawing tonight!  Yay!  Today, I want you to leave a comment and tell me your beauty secret!  What do you do to keep yourself looking and feeling beautiful? 

My secret comes complete with a recipe - aren't you excited?  Jewelry making (and house work and being a Mommy....) is hard on the skin, especially my hands.  I'm always fighting rough, dry skin on my hands, elbows and feet.  This recipe is something I've made for years for myself and is something you can do in your kitchen with just a few supplies.  I use this salve for everything -- it was the diaper ointment I used on my kids and daily applications while I was pregnant kept me from getting even a single stretch mark!

Super Salve  (makes approximately 4 ounces of salve)
1 teaspoon anhydrous lanolin (my local CVS carries this, if you have trouble finding it, there are plenty of sources for it online)
1/2 ounce sweet almond oil
1 ounce extra virgin olive oil
1/4 ounce beeswax (I find it at Michael's and Hobby Lobby in the soap making aisle)
6 drops of your favorite soap-safe aroma oil if you would like (can be omitted)

Combine everything but the aroma oil in a pyrex measuring cup with a pour spout.  Place the pyrex cup in a pan of water on the stove over low heat until the wax is nearly melted.  At that point, remove the cup from the water bath and stir it with a clean utensil (popsicle stick or a spoon) until thoroughly mixed.  Add your aroma oil (if you are going to) and stir again.  Pour into a clean jar (I use some I found at WalMart in the aisle with all the travel-size toiletries), scraping the sides of the pyrex cup to make sure you get it all into your jar.  Allow it to cool completely before capping and store it at room temperature.  Make sure you only dip clean fingers into it when using to prolong the shelf-life.

After a shower, I apply this liberally to my dry hands, elbows and feet.  I then put a pair of clean socks on and sleep in them and wake up to nice soft feet!  Enjoy!



14 comments:

  1. wow karen thats a nice beauty tip :)
    i dont keep good care of myself,i hardly pamper myself. i just do the daily essentials like washing my face,combing my hair and brushing my teeth. :P
    People just say that i have a innocent looking face just because i dont use make up.I guess God just blessed me with natural beaty.. for me beauty comes from inner satisfication and by helping people around :)

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  2. Thank you Mia :) Nothing will make us beautiful like being a good person! You are entered.

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  3. Wow Karen that's agood one...I may have to try it..Did you know Rachel Welch has used nothing but Olive Oil on her face and body her life? And she looks pretty awesome!

    I don't have any that I really use except for Renova which I get from my Dermatologist for my face. Florida sun and my meds are hard on my skin so I use the RX stuff at night and make sure I liberally apply moisturizer daily and protect my face from the sun.

    My fav body lotion is now from Vistoria's Secret..
    Shea Butter which smells so like the tropics it's unbelieveable. All night I inhale and relax..

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  4. Raquel is SO gorgeous! I love the smell of shea butter too :) You are entered Bette!

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  5. A smile is the most beautiful thing you can put on your face. I try to put one on mine as often as possible.

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  6. Thanks for your dry skin remedy. I have had severe psoriasis on my feet, hands, and under my nails,and painful too in the winter.. had it scence my early 20's, I'm 62 now. water and cold weather are the worst for it !!
    So I guess my tip is "in and out" of the shower !!!

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  7. Well said Anne! You are entered :)

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  8. Dora a few folks I know with psoriasis have used this salve and say it helps. Good tip, save on the water bill too! You are entered :)

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  9. I wear makeup for special occasions only- that way, I can feel extra special when I do wear it, instead of feeling like I have to put it on to be presentable :)

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  10. I'm that way too with make-up. After leaving the corporate world behind, I decided that I would only wear it when I WANTED to and that has made it so much more special. You are entered!

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  11. For me it's just a good moisturiser for my face, although having just hit 40, I'm seriously looking at the wrinkle remedies!!!! (Lisa White)

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  12. LOL Lisa -- I'm getting those little wrinkles and lines too. I keep telling myself they are my "Smile Artifacts"! You are entered :)

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  13. Karen I am going to adopt you as my make me feel beautiful person! Soft skin and gorgeous jewelry to decorate it ~ sounds good to me!
    My 'beauty tip' would have to be (besides lots of water) for those dark circles we all dread...very thin slices of raw potato ~ yep, she said raw potato ~ over your eyes for about 10-15 minutes. *poof* dark color fades and so does any puffiness. Read it and laughed doubting it until I tried it. Neat, huh?

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  14. Oh that's a good one Bonnie -- and it DOES work! You are entered :)

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