Starry Night Nails...

Mama can you put me on your blog? This is all I heard from daughter Tuesday night after she did her nails. I think I've turned her into a nail polish addict too! (just a teeny tiny bit). This idea evidently had been brewing in her head for a while, so she finally decided to sit down and have a go at it.

 

I love it! She used Orly Liquid Vinyl and Nicole by OPI glitter called Twist of Fate. She never uses a base coat (shame shame) but I think she used an SV topcoat, I doubt it though...I'm still training her, she's seventeen so she's all about going, going, going. Applying a base coat takes too long mama! That's what I hear all the time. So, **sighs and shrugs shoulders** c'est la vie...her nails, not mine.  Anyway, she said this mani reminds her of stars falling from the sky. I think so too. So kudos to my baby girl. Nicely done! Thanks for reading!

Personal Art Piece

Almost every wall in my home is bare. We built and moved into this house in 2006. I know what style I like (Tuscan, wine-themed, Mediterranean style with rich muted colors and rustic wrought iron details), but I can't seem to translate it into real life. Visit Accents of Salado for a better idea of what I'm talking about. Their website is gorgeous! I have bits and pieces in different rooms to show and maybe get some insight on how to decorate from you guys in future blogs ;-)

But today, the focus is the beautiful work of art that sits on my fireplace mantle. It's not Tuscan or Mediterranean by any means, but it's beautiful, and I love it! Everyone that knows me knows that I like African American Art. You all will soon learn that too! My husband has a very talented cousin that drew this by hand several years ago. I loved it so much I had it framed and displayed it here.

I've always loved the way framed art and mirrors look when you just lay them against the wall. So elegant and casual at the same time. Anyway, his inspiration photo was the picture below of R&B singer Mary J. Blige...

Isn't this breathtaking?! It's almost like you can feel her heartache and struggle, even though she's making sure she looks elegant and beautiful for the camera. I just love it. I've never been sure if it goes with the leaves, random statues and candle pillars...but I know I love to walk in and see this picture everyday. He's such a talented artist. We've had him do several other things around the house I may show on future blogs. But for now I had to show this to you guys, because I believe it is definitely worthy of being on a blog called "Beautiful Lovely Things". Thanks for reading!

Homemade Bubble Bath

Hey y'all, I have another one of my homemade BLT's for you today. Oh, and If you read my previous post, my blog still looks the same so far with just a few tweaks here and there for now. Still clueless on what to do with it.

Oh, and before I forget...remember this post from last month? Well, my new bag finally arrived! I'm much happier now! The upside down label on the inside pocket was just unprofessional on their part, and I would not have been satisfied if I had kept it.

(Side Note: for future reference, BLT = Beautiful Lovely Thing, hence the blog name)

Now let's get to it.

I was convinced that making my own bubble bath was going to be difficult and expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised. Bubble Bath is such a luxury to have because after a long day you can soak yourself into a blissful state of comfort!

Here are the items I used:

 

2 cups liquid soap (unscented)

1 bar castile soap (flaked)

3 oz glycerin (or 6 tbsp)

1/4 cup water

15 drops pink sugar scented oil

15 drops fresh rain scented oil

4 drops red color

Add these ingredients to a large bowl and mix them well. I microwaved the soap flakes in the 1/4 cup of water. I bought a really cheap cheese grater that I could use for all my bath products.  It is much easier to grate a bar of soap and melt the flakes than to cut the soap into chunks  and then melt the chunks. I learned that the hard way! The heat from microwaving the soap flakes will help to melt all the ingredients together. You can buy castile soap as a liquid but I prefer this brand and I haven't been able to find it in a liquid yet. 

Castile soap is used to soften and moisturize the skin, and in most brands it is made from 100% Olive Oil. This particular brand (Kirk's) uses all natural coconut oil. Liquid glycerin, a by-product of soap making, is another skin moisturizer.

Essential oils are the key ingredient to homemade bubble bath. They help soothe & relax your body, depending on the scent you choose. I love lavender, chamomile, jasmine, etc. I also use essential oils over fragrance oils in my bath products because I'm always afraid that fragrance oils will irritate my skin. So I save them for candle making!

 

So after I mixed my ingredients, I added them to one of my favorite containers. I saved this one after using all of the store-bought bubble bath. I think I got it from Wal-Mart. Since the fragrances I used are called Pink Sugar and Fresh Rain, I wanted the bubbles to be kind of pink, so I used 4 drops of the red color.

 

And voila! Here it is! I named this one Petal Water because it looks like what the dew on pink roses would look like if you bottled up it all up. If you want more of an opaque bubble bath, use unscented liquid soap or shampoo that is white or milky looking. I used clear with the batch I made today because it fits with the name. Also, adjust the amount of water/glycerin in the mix for the thickness/thinness that you desire your bubbles to be. Now add a capful or so to your bath and enjoy. Thanks for reading!