Handmade Natural Beauty

I am in the process of becoming a sales rep for this privately owned company that produces handmade toiletries and cosmetics. I bought some lotion, soaps, foundation and lip balm from them a couple weeks ago. I’ve been using it everyday since and I’m completely addicted. Even Ben keeps stealing my chapstick! The mineral foundation is especially fantastic! I was talking to Betsy about it this morning. It’s really light and has the perfect coverage and I haven’t needed to reapply it. Equally, the soap is made with natural glycerin which has made my sensitive skin quite happy.  I finish my official training next week but in the mean time, feel free to take a look around and let me know if I can help. Cheers!

Easy Skirt

I ran across some fabric I loved in the scrap bin at Joanns the other day. It was brown cotton, with a muted red plaid pattern.  I cut it into two rectangles. One was 10″ x 29″ and the other 12″ x 45″. I hemmed under the long side at about a 1/2″ to be the bottom of the skirt and created a seam at about 3/4″ for the elastic casing on the other long side. Then I sewed both the short ends together (make sure not to sew the 3/4″  together). I used 1/2″ elastic and threaded it through the casing and sewed the ends of the elastic together before pulling the fabric over top and sewing it in place.  Then I just turned it right side out. It was really easy and both skirts were made in about an hour. It helped to have the plaid pattern because it made it easier to sew in a straight line (a big challenge for me).

pile o’ goodness

Simple Dress Dilemma

I was inspired to make my daughters little matching dresses since I had such roaring success with Ophelia’s. It took me several hours and several seams ripped before I turned out this little gem.

It was only when I tried the finished product on Miss Mira that I realized in my attempt to keep any loose ribbons from being a hazard that I had made the straps undeniably the wrong size. The fact that she is a mobile little creature who won’t tolerate “beauty takes pain”-ness-straight-jacket-like-sheath-dress also came to light. Looks like Ophelia’s babydoll just inherited a new dress. As you can see, I also made little shorts, but in my haste to turn them out before the end of naptimes, I forgot to make them diaper sized friendly. Pride goeth before the whatsit? Better luck next time.

valentine’s “breakfast”

I surprised my husband with a valentine’s “breakfast” at the end of last week in place of the dinner of left-overs that I had promised him. (I tried to post this before Saturday morning but wordpress wasn’t letting me upload my photos…).


We had scrambled eggs, maple bacon, and heart shaped biscuits with jam. It was a big hit, and it’s always nice when B can finish her dinner in the same time it takes us (there was a night last week where it took her more than two hours to finish her dinner)! I even went so far as to light a few candles and set the table nicely with B’s “Love You Papa” valentine from last year.

Simple Dress

I’ve been eying those cute pillowcase dresses for sometime. The trouble being that I have yet to find a pillowcase that wouldn’t look like a pillowcase to make a dress out of. Yesterday, I decided to try and make one from scratch. I just found this video on youtube and improvised. The fabric is some my mother in law bought for me at Walmart two years ago to make an apron out of. I have the pattern all cut out, I just haven’t gotten around to finishing it yet (I’m notorious for starting projects and not finishing them). I just used what was left over (about a half yard) to make this dress.

Get a Little, Give a Little

If you want to join in the fun and get a little something in return … be one of the first THREE people to leave a comment on this post and you’ll receive a gift from me during this year. There’s a small catch…You knew there would be didn’t you? Post this on your blog or Facebook wall (sorry, no MySpace-ing) referencing this post then come back and leave a comment on this post, telling me you’re in. Fun, huh? And by in, you do know that means you have to pay it forward and give something to three people on your blog or Facebook page. I don’t even care if you make something … just giving something is good with me!

Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift from me. When and what will be a surprise.

Foam Valentines

Yesterday we made valentines. I bought 4 sheets of craft foam for $1.00 each at Michael’s, some foam markers, stickers, and glitter glue. I had regular glue, stickers and ink stamps on hand. I traced out different sized hearts on the foam and cut them out. Glued them and the next day, the kids decorated. You could also make, but can buy pre-cut, foam bookmarks, which make for a nice valentines grandparents can keep and be useful.

Simple Syrup

It has become my favorite coffee sweetener. It’s really easy to make and store.

Boil equal parts of sugar (I used raw for preferential purpose) and water until all the sugar is dissolved. Cool and store in closed container (bottle or jar works best) in refrigerator. If you wish to create flavored sweetener, simply stir in a couple splashes of your favorite extract* before cooling. I made mint this morning and the whole house smells wonderfully minty now!

*Most extracts have some kind of oil that will surface in your mug after adding it to coffee. It never bothered me, but just fyi.

Organicsizeation

It’s been awhile. Mira is teething and Ophelia has been going through this weird clingy stage.  Finally, at long last, both my daughters are asleep and my husband is at some theological debate (held at a local pub which explains the draw.)  I decided to address the million dollar question:
To Organic-size or Not to Organic-size.
(I’m a geek, what can I say?)

I’ve sat on both sides of the fence and the opinion I am about to express is very simply that. I am hesitant to address this particular subject because it tends to be rather inflammatory and since it is a non-salvation issue, I see no reason to blow it out of proportion. We are talking about food (a passion of mine) and how we choose to buy it. I realize I have mentioned my love of organic produce before and thought I should explain my inclination. Personally, I like the idea of growing my own food for the exceedingly superior taste, the discipline involved and the altogether Glory-to-God-ness of it.   However, I live in a lovely apartment on the second floor in Condoville with no sustained direct sunlight and the next best thing to growing my own  is to buy it from the guy down the street. I’m all for supporting the locals. Firstly, because I can appreciate the work they do and secondly, I believe that “Love thy neighbor” encompasses where we put our money. My husband could give you some good resources on that rabbit trail, but you’ll have to talk to him about that as I am trying to keep this from being too long.  In addition, my children have inherited their father’s rather sensitive stomach. While I can easily munch down a large fries, Ben gets very sick at the slightest whiff of McWendy’s Queen Fil-a.  In the spirit of loving my family, I have begun to do the best I can to protect them from the foods we cannot identify at first glance.  When it comes to lotions, cosmetics, and toiletries, I still feel the draw to natural products. They smell better (to me), and don’t irritate my sensitive skin. There is, of course, the question of finance whenever this topic is brought up. I agree, that in our current economy, to buy all natural and organic would easily cost 3 times more then shopping  should. As a teacher’s wife, I’m not burdened with too much extra cash lying around either. In our home, I try to buy natural/organic for only the things that really matter. Fruits and vegetables go without saying (once you’ve had a sunripened tomato from your neighbor, you’ll know what i mean). I try to keep whatever I put on our skin pretty simple (that is no more then 10 or so ingredients and ones I can pronounce and recognize). Mira and I have very easily irritated skin. Ben and Ophelia are mildly intolerant to the homogenization process so I try to buy non-homogenized or soy milk when the budget allows. However, other items, like flour, rice, sugars, coffeebeans etc, I buy wherever it is the cheapest. There are always affordable ways to make your everyday habits a bit healthier on a budget, too. Like eating oatmeal for breakfast and using brown, raw sugar, honey or molasses as sweetener. Throwing together your own salad dressing instead of buying premade is an easy and economical way to improve your dinner. In making over our diets, I have found great liberty from needing to diet. Natural foods (when done right) taste better, have less bad fats, and are more filling. I also feel not a small amount of excitement when I buy that really good cheese we all love and bring it home to have with some really good french bread. I enjoy surprising my family with delectable delights like cocoa covered almonds and wasabi peas (sounds gross but OH SO GOOD!). I’m really not saying you should go one way or the other, I’m just trying to explain why I get so excited about shopping from the farmer’s market or why I get such a thrill from making bread that actually turns out well. We have found some good books and cookbooks on the subject if anyone is interested, let me know. I’m interested in how everyone else manages their food budget and how they make it work. It is, I believe, one of the major challenges of a housewife.