We all go through those tough times.  Stuff can be happening at work, with our families, with our health or the health of a loved one.  It's nice to put a little gift together for a friend when she is going through something to make it known that you care and just because.  These little things can go a long way to making your friend know that you care and are thinking of her.

To my husband.  I waited a long time for you to come along, and you made my dreams come true.  My husband is actually pretty easy to shop for, something that can't be said about a lot of men.  I seem to find more than enough little goodies that I think he'd like.

The Mint Style August lookbook is out, and they just keep continuing to create great pieces.  The rings are my favorites this month.  This edition is full of colorful stones and statement pieces that you can wear for the end of summer and into fall.  You really need to see these pieces in person to appreciate how substantial they are at such a great price, so if you'd like to see any of the pieces prior to ordering, please contact me to set up an appointment.


If you are interested in purchasing or would like to schedule a showcase, just let me know.  Showcase hostesses do earn credit for jewelry, so if there are pieces you would like to order, consider hosting as a way to make your purchases.

We have two soon to be 20-year-olds, and I always seem to have a more difficult time choosing gifts for men than I do for women.  I know that at this age, a gift of cash is always appreciated, but who doesn't want something to open on that special day?

If you're like me, you have a liquid soap dispenser in every bathroom and on your kitchen sink.  During the summer I love to make easy crafts with A while she is on summer vacation.  I read recently that you can make your own liquid soap by melting down old soap bars, so today we thought we'd try it out.


We started out gathering up all the old hotel soaps we had gathered around the house.  We tried to only use soaps that had a mild fragrance.


We chopped up about six mini soaps to total one cup of pieces.


After chopping, we put the pieces into the food processor to grind it down to a coarse meal texture.


There was a lot of soap dust so make sure you don't inhale and choke.


We put it into a small saucepan over high heat and added 1 1/2 cups of hot water.


We were in one of those moods today where we didn't want to leave the house, so we used some room scent oils that we already had.  It would probably be better to use pure essential oils, but this doesn't seem to be too harsh.


It sort of resembled oatmeal as we waited for it to come to a boil.


We lowered the heat to a simmer, and after it had dissolved a bit, we added the oil, about half a bottle.  We did make something of a mess.  It took about 10 minutes for everything to dissolve, and I still had to strain a few large lumps out.


We recycled an empty from Bath and Body Works.


This mixture actually filled a bottle and a half, and it will thicken as it cools, so if it starts to congeal too much, add a bit more water.  We are very happy with the finished product after our first attempt.  It's actually very moisturizing and has a good consistency and scent.