Warm Hands

Day Five: I gave him a set of hand warmers and a note that said, “Take  a brisk walk with mom.”

Bam!:

I gave these hand warmers to the boy this morning and he said, “I have no idea what they are, but they sure smell nice.” Of course they smell nice, I’m not sure I can make anything unscented. It’s a bit of a compulsion, really.

I buy all my herbs wholesale in bulk because of Mireio—but if you don’t have access to a store that will sell peppermint in bulk, you can always use peppermint tea! My guess is you’d just need the contents of one tea bag to split between two hand warmers.  If peppermint isn’t your thing, you can use lavender or balsam or maybe something spicy like  cinnamon and nutmeg. Hand warmers are super easy to make (google is your friend here!) and the addition of a spice or herb just kicks the project up a notch.

And now I feel a bit like Emeril Legasse. BAM, it’s peppermint.

Thrifting on Thursday

An eclectic mix of wonderful!

Today’s coffee date with a friend was rescheduled… but that didn’t stop me from usual Thursday thrift run. What can I say, I’m a bit addicted, but you knew that. . . right?

While combing through the stacks at Goodwill, I had the good fortune to bump into my friend, Sarah Brown. Sarah makes these amazing wallets and tipped me off that she’s introducing Liberty of London to her line. (yay, another convert!)  Turns out, she’s also now my official “Avon Lady!” and she coming to the rescue in a very timely fashion. Lord knows, my pores are expanding faster than my waistline—and I’m fresh out of magic cleanser to combat that. So, I’m going to give Avon a try and help out a friend. See… win, win. 😀

And I”ll keep you posted on the pore treatments. Because, well, we all obsess a little too much about those, don’t we? Pores and thrifting. Yeah, it’s Thursday.

It’s a Boy

So, there’s nothing like a photo shoot to make a girl pick, pick, pick. Really. I’m THAT large? Hello Jonah, this is your whale calling.

Gah. I know, I know. This is NOT a lament about size. (I look forward to your comments) This is not a pitch for all those soothing noises you can make. It’s just an observation. Taking your own darn photo is hard… taking dozens of them with a timer and a wonky tripod is a chore. . . taking photos that need to include your product artfully displayed while you wear a dress made out of the WORLD WORST FABRIC makes a girl critical and just a bit grumpy.

I’m posting the photo under the jump, because I don’t want to stare at it.

(more…)

More Like It

This is what I had planned for yesterday. Pretty, no? Don’t say no. Really, that’s just an invitation for you to say, “Yes!! Yummy!!”

Wow. Yesterday. I slept 12 hours and feel remarkably better. Go figure.

This pile of inspiration was the original agenda for yesterday. I love patterns that say, “Easy Two Hours” because what that usually means is that I can’t screw them up. It also means the end result can also end up looking like a sad sack–but that’s the risk you take. And it’s also why you never, ever use one of those patterns on good fabric the first time out. The red in the photo was just $2 a yard.

I’ve been on a must update my wardrobe kick for a few weeks. With no money I’ve been hitting thrift stores, attempting to be very, very selective. For the most part, I’ve succeeded in finding several sweaters and poet-like blouses that are timely and flattering and in good condition that fit! No small accomplishment, for a girl with Abe Lincoln arms.

But I’ve also been itching to sew. For me. And with March being so slow, this seemed like a perfect time to start. No, really start. Not like last summer where I bought fabric and just looked at it. I’m not sure what my problem is, that I pile up fabric for dresses and skirts and blouses, and then never actually get around to making them. Fear probably.

So, I’ll keep you posted. Especially if this dress does not turn out to be a sad sack. After yesterday’s fiasco, if I can make a dress out of $2 fabric we’re going to call that a budgeting miracle. And as much as I’d love an expensive dress, because  of course it’s better if it costs more! (that’s sarcasm, don’t leave me crazy notes in the comments) I’m pretty sure I can’t make a dress out of my CT scan films.  In fact, if it’s pretty, I might make more like it.

*and I’ve decided to start using the tagging system on these posts like Chuck Lorre uses his vanity cards. Uh, #winning.