You've got to head on over to Bev's place for our Blog Spa giveaway from Barefoot Bath and Body.  You totally won't be disappointed!

  We hope you enjoyed our first spa day together yesterday.  In case you didn't have time to pamper yourself with blog-reading . . . check out Bev's tutorials (yep, that's right . . . two tutorials) for a spa headband and an oatmeal facial mask and click here for our first giveaway from Skin Journey.

Then come back here tonight for another great at-home spa treatment tutorial . . . pampering yourself on the cheap can be done ladies!  Let's get to it!

Spa on!

Blog Spa is sponsored by these great shops:

Barefoot Bath and Body
Skin Journey

Abbey James

Elegant Rose Boutique

Amber's Lemongrass Spa Shop

O.C. Styles

Sparetime Crafts

spa headband and an oatmeal facial mask

Welcome to our first Blog Spa Day!  I hope you will be joining Bev and I as we pamper ourselves from head to toe this week.  After all, a girl deserves a week of pampering after a year of taking care of everyone else . . . right?  RIGHT!


Check out the first Blog Spa tutorial over at Flamingo Toes.  Bev put her creative genius at work to show us how to make a spa headband and an oatmeal facial mask.  I'm feeling oh so relaxed already! 

And don't forget to scroll down or click here for our first giveaway from Skin Journey.
Spa on!

Blog Spa is sponsored by these great shops:

Skin Journey

Abbey James

Barefoot Bath and Body

Elegant Rose Boutique

Amber's Lemongrass Spa Shop

O.C. Styles

Sparetime Crafts

welcome to blog spa: take care of your skin giveaway

Wouldn't it be great if we could all pencil in a day at the spa together?  We could finally meet face to face and chat over manicures, gab during facials and giggle in the midst of pedicures. 

Hmm . . . that would have to one pretty big spa!

Well, since we can't do that, Bev (of Flamingo Toes fame) and I want to welcome you to Blog Spa . . . you've spent a year taking care of others, making gifts for others, doing for others . . . this week is about taking care of you.  We will be offering our own tips and tutorials plus giveaways from some great shops. 

So stop by every morning this week for a great giveaway and every evening for a spa tip or tutorial.   

To start off our Blog Spa I want to introduce you to a great Etsy store . . . Skin Journey.  Skin Journey provides a line of quality spa products for body and facial care.   

Republic of India Shea Butter Cold Process Soap

Microdermabrasion Facial Scrub

Italian Mint Squalane Lip Balm

Plus, I love that Skin Journey carries sample/travel sizes as well so that you can try out a variety of products to see which one you like before you commit to a full-size product AND then get your fav products in travel sizes . . . woohoo. 

To kick off Blog Spa, we are giving away a Basic Facial Care Set from Skin Journey.

Basic Facial Care Set from Skin Journey

First entry:

~Tell me about your skin care routine.

Leave a comment for each extra entry:

~Be or become a twelve crafts follower . . . and PLEASE don't just follow for the giveaway and then unfollow once the giveaway is over.  I know that might sound rude, but seriously, if you don't want to follow, don't . . . I won't be mad.  There are other ways to enter.
~Be or become a follower of the Flamingo Toes.
~Visit Skin Journey and let me know your favorite product.
~Heart that product on Etsy (add it to favorites).

~Heart the shop on Etsy (add it to favorites).

~Let me know if you have our cute Blog Spa button up on your blog.

Blog Spa on!

Blog Spa is sponsored by these great shops:

Skin Journey

Abbey James

Barefoot Bath and Body

Elegant Rose Boutique

Amber's Lemongrass Spa Shop

O.C. Styles

Sparetime Crafts

feed me friday: pumpkin crunchiness

I'm in the use-everything-in your-cupboard stage of preparing to move.  The last time I moved I was single.  It is much easier to use everything in your cupboard and just force yourself to eat things like green bean, garbanzo bean, black olive salad (which actually isn't half bad when drizzled with a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt) when you are single.  When you have two children and a husband who aren't as easily appeased, it's much more difficult.

Right now I have enough things stored away in the cupboard to make a few appealing things . . . for a few days.  But by Monday or Tuesday we will be eating barley, stewed tomatoes and baked french fries for dinner . . . I may have a mutiny on my hands. 

I bought the ingredients for today's recipe for Christmas dinner, but I ended up with so many other sweets I decided not to make it.  So my trusty assistant and I drug out the ingredients on our day at home together to make this delicious recipe:

Pumpkin Crunchiness

Here's what you need:
~1 egg and 3 egg whites (This is my lame attempt at keeping it healthy . . . you can use 3 whole eggs.)
~3/4 c. of sugar
~1 c. of skim milk
~1 large can of pumpkin
~1 package of yellow cake mix
~1 stick of melted margarine
~1 tsp. of cinnamon
~1/8 tsp. of ginger
~1/8 tsp. of cloves 
~1/4 tsp. of salt
~1/2 cup of chopped pecans
~a trusty assistant in her best Christmas Eve dress

Here's what you do:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

2) Beat eggs lightly with a fork.  Then add sugar, milk and pumpkin and mix again.

3) Throw in cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt and stir together.

4) Pour mixture into 9 x 13 pan.

5) Spread cake mix out over pumpkin mixture.

6) Drizzle melted butter over the top of cake mix.

7) Bake for 40 minutes.

8) Pull out and sprinkle pecans on top.  Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

9) Drop on some whipped cream and enjoy sans shirt . . . well, you might want to keep your shirt on!

Cook on!