Sea mud body mask recipe

This Sea Mud Body Mask from Cranberry Lane will help detoxify your skin.

Instructions: (Makes One Body Treatment)
2 Tbsp Sea Mud Base, (Sea Kelp, Green Clay, Calcium Carbonate, Baking soda, Xanthan gum)
5-6 drops of Essential Oils
1 cup distilled or filtered water (heated)

Blending Mask:
Beat all ingredients together, using a whisk or hand blender, until mask begins to thicken into a paste. Add essential oils and or other optional ingredients see below, blend well. (If mask is not being used immediately, pour into a clean plastic bag, knot the end and refrigerate (3-4 days).) Place bag in boiling water until warm to use your mask. Shelf life for mask is 2 weeks refrigerated.

Optional ingredients:
Green Tea Extract: Excellent antioxidant properties. Add 20ml per treatment
Aloe vera gel: Excellent skin healing and soothing properties. Add 30ml per treatment

To use:
Hydra-Soak Mask: Most Convenient Method
1. Exfoliate skin, by dry brushing with a loofah, brush or towel, or use Sea Salt Scrub.
2. While standing in the tub, apply warm mask beginning with the feet and massaging upwards finishing with neck. Avoid contact with eyes.
3. Fill tub with warm water. Relax for approximately 10-20 minutes.
4. Rinse excess mask off in warm shower. Pat skin dry with towel. Apply body lotion or massage oil.

Intense Spa Mask: Apply to clean, dry skin
1. Exfoliate skin, by dry brushing with a loofah, brush or towel, or use Sea Salt Scrub.
2. Apply warm mask beginning with the feet and massaging upwards finishing with neck. Avoid contact with eyes.
3. Wrap body in large garbage bag, or thermal survival sheet to insulate body and activate mask ingredients.
4. Relax for approximately 10-20 minutes.
5. Rinse with warm water, pat skin dry with towel.
6. Apply body lotion or massage oil.

Mask tips:
Always apply to clean dry skin for maximum benefit
Make sure your room is warm.
Remember to hydrate your body, drink lots of water!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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