Pom pom bumble bees

1 yellow pompom with some black embroidery thread :) These are now hanging on the season table tree

Fizzing Bath Tablets

These are suitable for older babies onwards. I wouldnt do them with a newborn though, because the bicarb might upset the pH of their skin.

1 container of Bicarbinate of soda
1 container of Cream of tatar (both found in the baking aisle of supermarkets)
a few drops of essential oil (lavender is good for babies)
If you arent making for a baby - add some dried lavender, or glitter, or both

Mix together

Fill a spraybottle with warm water. Add to the power a few squirts at a time, stirring well, until the mixture starts to stick together - starts to resemble the breadcrumb consistancy seen in the 'rubbing in' method of baking.

Divide into sections of a silicone ice cube tray, leave for a few hours.
Pop out and leave to dry for 24 hours

Moisturisor and nappy cream!

This is kind of a weird texture because the cocoa butter tends to set in 'bits', but once you rub it in it doesnt make a difference, and it is gorgeous and works really well.

Once you've got the hang of making it, you can adjust the proportions. More aloevera makes it more mattifying, more jojoba oil makes it more moisturising. Swap for olive oil for very dry skin.

2 bars of cocoabutter, cut into small pieces for easier melting
jojoba oil, roughly equal to cocoabutter. Swap for olive oil for very dry skin
2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel (available from Holland and Barrett) OR 1/2 tablespoons of fresh aloevera gel squeezed from a real aloevera plant. The shop bought stuff tends to have alcohol in it, and makes the finished product smell like chocolate liquers. Fresh is better for your skin though.

Melt cocoa butter and oil together in a double boiler or in 20second blasts in the microwave. After a 3/4 of blasts, the oil is usually hot enough to melt the rest of the cocoabutter, with vigourous stirring. blast again for another 10 seconds to heat the mixture.

Add aloevera to hot oil mixture and beat with a fork until VERY well mixed. If you cheat, the final product will feel a bit weird, although it will work the same.

Add a drop of teatree oil if you are prone to spots or greasy skin.

Transfer into clean glass containers. This mixture usually makes 2 small empty face cream pots full. If you want a solid that you melt with your finger, Wait until it cools slightly, and then set in the fridge to help it set evenly. If you want a more liquid texture, do not put in the fridge :)

EDITED TO ADD - add a few drops of teatree oil to make a nappy cream

Scented valentines hearts

Cut two identical hearts out of felt. I used pinking shears because I like the effect. I used a paper pattern to make sure I got it right. Cut out any additions you want. I put a light pink flower on mine.

Sew applique onto first heart, using over stitch, then sew the two hearts together using a running stitch. Try not to leave too much gap between stitches. Leave a small gap for stuffing.

Stuff your heart with a small amount of dried flowers. Dont add too much or the seams will bulge and the flowers will escape through the gaps. Dried rose petals and buds have a nice 'valentine's' smell, and I added chamomile, just because I like it. Lavender smells nice, but is harder to keep contained inside the heart.

Sew up your gap, and Ta Da!!

These can be used as gifts, you can use them to scent clothes draws, position on the sofa as a natural air freshener, add a ribbon loop and use to decorate a season table. If you use chamomile flowers, and add a drop of lavender oil, you can pop it under your pillow to help you sleep. If you use rose, and add a drop of jasmine oil to go under your pillow, that apparently has a... erm... 'stimulant' effect ;)

Mutli purpose Bath Melts

Recipe sourced from the Green Parenting Forum. This can be used as bath melts, massage tablets, and moisturising bars.

Melt some cocoabutter in a bowl, either over a pan of boiling water or at 10/20second intervals in the microwave. Organic fairly traded cocoabutter is available from www.akamuti.co.uk.

While this is melting, you prepare your icecube trays. Silicon pop out ones are the best, sometimes found in supermarkets, Poundland, and Ikea does nice heart shaped ones. If you want to use botanicals in your bath melts, half fill each segment with one that matches your chosen essential oils. If you are making massage bars or moisturiser bars, you dont need the botanicals. Add one or two drops of essential oils to each segment.

Top up your icecube trays with melted cocoabutter and pop them in the fridge for an hour or two to set.

Remember - cocoa butter smells of chocolate. Bear that in mind when choosing your oils. Peppermint oil+cocoa butter = mint chocolate scented bath time!

Bath salts

Fill your chosen container (an empty, clean, dry glass bottle or jar is best. Appletizer bottles are pretty and good for presents. Coffee jars are good for large amounts for everyday use) with coarse sea salt. http://www.summernaturals.co.uk/ sell good bulk qualities. If you want a small amount as a one off, or to try before you commit to making loads, sainsburys sell nice jar-sized containers for about 69p.

Empty the salt into a bowl and add about 10 drops of your favourite essential oil. Lavender and Jasmine is relaxing, lavender and peppermint is good for soothing aches and pains, and lavender and tea-tree is healing to postnatal women. Can you tell I like lavender. Stir vigorously until thoroughly mixed.

If you have some 'botanicals' ie dried flowers, add these and stir to distribute them. Botanicals are available from http://www.summernaturals.co.uk/ although check your local market first. Mine does them very reasonably.

Transfer back into your chosen container and label. A funnel can be useful to avoid making a mess. Remember, the salt will have expanded slightly with the oils, so the may not fit back in the bottle quite the same. Give the bottle the occasional tap on the table as you fill, to level the salt properly.