DIY Fizzy Bath Balls

I don't know about you guys, but I love baths with bubble bath, scented bath salts, and especially fizzy bath balls!  Whenever I've seen recipes to make bath balls in the past, I always thought they seemed daunting and overwhelming, with ingredients that I was unfamiliar with.  However, thanks to the geniuses and DIY virtuosos at Pinterest, I found a very doable recipe, which uses only a few ingredients and is relatively inexpensive. 

 

(Image by Buzznet on their website: {http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mizlulu/default/luxury-black-raspberry-vanilla-bath--large-msg-135587326361.jpg}.)

To Complete This Project You Will Need: 

• Baking Soda
• Citric Acid or Cream of Tartar
• Cornstarch
• Epsom Salts
• Oil (Any Variety of Your Choosing)
• Essential Oils or Liquid Scents
• Food Coloring
• A Cupcake Tin/Silicone Mold

Citric Acid is probably the trickiest of our ingredients to find.  If you're lucky & making this recipe in the fall during "canning season", you shouldn't have any probably finding  a 5 oz. jar at your local grocery or superstore.  Ball brand, who make a wide variety of canning supplies and mason jars, can be found easily during that time.  However, if you've missed canning season you can still find Citric Acid online at retailers like, Amazon and Walmart for just under $3.  If you'd rather not have to search the world for Citric Acid, you are able to complete this project with Cream of Tartar instead.  Cream of Tartar is a spice that can found at every grocery and superstore in their baking aisle.  However, if you do opt for Cream of Tartar over the Citric Acid, you will not have the same fizzy effect when it's thrown into your bathwater.  It'll still give the water a nice, soft, silky feel, but you'll miss out on the fizzy excitement.

Epsom Salts can usually be found anywhere with a health & beauty section.  The plain variety is most often sold in a 2 lb. bag for $3 or less.   These are also great for soaking your feet in with some hot water after a long day at work or school!  I found a 16 oz. bag at Dollar Tree for just $1.

For my liquid scent, I chose to use some of the scented candle oil from my last post, as well as a little bit of vanilla.  From what I've read, you can use practically any scented liquid (within reason) to give your bath balls a fragrance, such as hot tea.

Food coloring can be found at any grocery, superstore, or dollar store.  Depending on the size, variety, & brand, you can pay anywhere from $1 per color to over $5 a box.  As far as this project goes, I don't really think it matters whether you use liquid food coloring from the squeeze bottle or the gel variety.  Whichever you choose, you will only need a couple of drops to give your bath balls some color.

First, mix 2 tablespoons baking soda, 1 tablespoon citric acid (or 1/2 a tablespoon of cream of tartar), 1 tablespoon cornstarch, & 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts in a bowl with a fork, spoon, or whisk until there are no clumps.

In another container mix together the oil, scented oils (or other scented liquids), & food coloring.

Next, pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients while mixing or whisking.  Depending on the ingredients you've chosen, you may start to see a slight reaction from the citric acid, but just keep mixing until the mixture has come together & the food coloring is equally distributed. 

Then, begin scooping your mixture into your muffin tins or silicone molds.  I opted for a mini ice cream scooper to make things a little easier.  I'd suggest only filling them about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way full, due to some expansion from the reaction to the citric acid.

Once you've used up all of your mixture, you'll need to let your bath bombs set & dry for at least a few hours or more until they have solidified.



Once your bath bombs have dried in your tins or molds, just jiggle them out or turn them upside down carefully to release them.  Now you're ready for a heavenly bath!

 

Voila! You've Made Your Own DIY Fizzy Bath Balls!
Thank You & Enjoy!

Funfetti Sprinkle Candle

   This week's posts are my last official posts of my school assignment.  However, due to the warm responses of my readers, I will definitely be keeping up with this blog.  Perhaps it won't be twice a week, as assigned, but rest assured, when I complete a DIY or craft project, I'll be sharing it with everyone.

Today's project will be making our own Funfetti Sprinkle Candle.  Just about everyone loves either the taste, look, or smell of sprinkles and other assorted confections, so why not spice up an old candle/mason jar with some sprinkles and yummy aromas for an all-new item?!  As usual, we'll only be using a handful of items which will be relatively inexpensive, and some of which you may already have at home.

(Image by Flickr on their website: {https://www.flickr.com/groups/canoneos600d/pool/89276338@N07/}.)

To Complete This Project You Will Need:

• 2 Pint (16 0z.) Mason Jars or Recycled & Cleaned Candle Jars
• Candle Wicks
• Water
• Corn Syrup
• A Small Paint Brush
• Rainbow Sprinkles
• Wax Flakes or Wax from Old Candles
• Scented Wax Blocks or Scented Candle Oils 
• Hot Glue Gun (optional) or Scotch Tape
• Funnel or Spouted Measuring Cup (optional)

If you don't have any old candles sitting around at home and need to purchase mason jars you shouldn't have too much of a problem.  They are usually available at craft stores & superstores, especially in the fall around canning time, for just a few dollars apiece.  I lucked out and my local grocery store had their fall floral items discounted, which included these brightly colored jars, for just $1 each!

Candle Wicks aren't really an everyday item that you see or buy, so chances are you'll have to purchase them at a craft store.  All craft retailers such as, Michael's, JoAnn's, Pat Catan's, & Hobby Lobby should carry a multitude of wicks.  They usually run about $2-$3 a package (usually about 6), dependent upon the length of the wicks and how many are included.  I purchased my wicks in a package of 6 from a local, non-chain craft store for $2.59.

Corn Syrup can be easily found at any grocery or superstore in their baking aisle in a 16 oz. bottle for under $3.  As luck would have it, I accidentally found myself a bottle of corn syrup at my favorite store, Dollar Tree, for just $1 for a 12 oz. bottle.

Instead of spending the $8-$12 that craft stores charge for wax flakes or blocks of wax to melt down for candle-making, I decided to recycle some old candles I already had, as well as adding in a couple new wax melts & small, dollar store candles.

Scented Wax Blocks can be purchased at most craft stores for $3 or less.  I found mine at my local, non-chain craft store for $2.99 for 6 blocks.  Since this was my first candle-making venture, I wasn't sure how I would like the scented wax blocks vs. scented candle oil, so I decided to buy both.  Scented oils can be found at most craft retailers for $3 or less as well.

Firstly, we'll be coating the inside of our mason jar with corn syrup.  You can either squirt it directly in your jar and then turn & swirl it around to coat the inside, or use your paintbrush to ensure that the inside is well-coated.

Place your candle wick at the bottom-center of your jar.  Some folks who've made this craft in the past have found it easiest to hot glue the metal disk of the wick to the bottom of the jar to ensure that it stays in place. I just used some scotch tape around the disc of the wick & taped it to the bottom of the jar.

 Next, shake in some sprinkles!  With one hand over the top of your jar, use your other hand to shake the jar, causing the sprinkles to stick to the corn syrup surfaces.  You can press any fallen sprinkles back into the sides of the jar.

Once you're satisfied with the covering of sprinkles on the inside of your jar, it's time to melt the wax for your candle.  If you already own a double boiler you're one step ahead of the game.  I do not, so I improvised with my own makeshift one.  Simply fill a medium-sized sauce pan about 1/4 to 1/2 full with water over low to medium heat.  Then place a larger sauce pan on top of the medium one, and place your old candle wax inside.  Within a few minutes you should start to notice your wax melting into a nice, smooth liquid.  Once your wax has melted you can drop in some of your liquid scented oil or your scented wax blocks.

As soon as your wax has reached a melted, even consistency and your scent has been added, it's time to pour our candle!
You can choose to use a funnel or spouted measuring cup for a neater pour, or just pour your melted wax straight from the sauce pot into the jar.

Once your wax is poured into your jar, all that's left to do is for the wax to set and harden.  The easiest way to ensure that this happens as quickly & hassle-free as possible is to stick your jar in the freezer for a couple hours.  Afterwards, you are ready to light & enjoy your delicious new candle!

Voila! You've Made Your Own Funfetti Sprinkle Candle!
Thank You & Enjoy!