Mani Pedi Bliss

Gosh, I had a manicure and pedicure yesterday; using a voucher I got for my birthday at last. It's been so long since I last had one.

My fingers and toes look so prettied up. And the playlist in my head keeps playing, "Walking on Sunshine" even though they are BRIGHT pink.

Happy weekend!

Apron in progress

Cut out, ready to pin. I just liked this random pic!

Homemade Deodorant

Well, I just had to get on the bloggy bandwagon and try my hand at homemade deodorant.

Thank you, How About Orange for the great tutorial! It rocks. Her picture below, mine looks similar, but with fingerprints in it...hehe. I couldn't wait to try it, sorry.

I made three lots of the deodorant and still had some ingredients left over. It smells yummy (I did two lavender and geranium mixtures and also a lemongrass one), and so far they have worked really well.

It's so easy, that you'll wonder why you haven't tried it before. I even used metric cup measurements (I'm assuming it's using US ones in the tute), and it worked like a dream. The result is like a balm, you just run your fingers over it and apply a bit to your underarms. If it's a bit runny at first, just pop it in the fridge.

All you need is coconut oil, baking soda (bicarb), arrowroot powder and essential oil of your choice. Really. Oh and a container to keep it in. You could even put it in one of those empty deodorant containers (the solid style roll ons).

I absolutely love the smell and feel of the coconut oil; it's semi solid, not a liquid at room temp. Delish :)

No aluminium or other nasties in there, which is a definite bonus. I am impressed!

Ohhh yes.

Sometimes things are cool.

Sometimes things are AWESOME.

Yes, that is a Tardis (from Dr Who) birthday cake!!!

The Domestic Scientist blogged about her cake here.

Zipperdee Do Dah

I sewed my first zip yesterday! It was much easier than I thought!

Not perfect, the sewing is a bit wobbly but it is functional. I'm going to keep practicing and get them as straight as possible.

I'm so excited. Now I can sew a zip in, there's so many more projects I can make, that I used to avoid. I have a specific one in mind too, will share soon :)

If you haven't sewn a zip before; google a zipper tutorial. Grab your fabric, your zipper foot and a zipper. Get going! You can do it too. It's not hard!

Now, as for today, I have some projects to finish up, and an apron to cut out!

Oh Miss Friend! Apron Material selection.

For the girly girl apron!

Photo looks a bit more blue than reality!

The Yellow Wallpaper

I remember reading this short story (The Yellow Wallpaper)in high school. I've always remembered it. There's lots of yellow around at the moment, I guess it made it pop into my head!

Good ole Wikipedia explains, ""The Yellow Wallpaper" is a 6,000-word short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine.[1] It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature, illustrating attitudes in the 19th century toward women's physical and mental health".

It's an unusual story, strange but also compelling.

Gilman explains why she wrote it here.

Let me know what you think!

Knee deep in crafting

Oh, how exciting, I can now return to the sewing machine! It has been frustrating confining my efforts to hand sewing while I've been healing.

I've been working on a sewing project for a friend's birthday next week...I wanted to give myself enough time to get it finished, was not sure how long I would be able to sit at the machine. I had no trouble finishing it though. YAY!

No photos...not until next week when the birthday has passed!

I also have an apron to get cracking on for a friend of mine, which I hope to start next week. I am so pleased I will be able to sit down and just sew...bliss. I've been enjoying flicking through my patterns in preparation. I was lucky enough to get a book of Japanese apron patterns a while back, so I will most likely choose one of those or modify another pattern. The vibe is pink and girly. It depends on what pattern I choose as to what material can be used...and there are so many lovely patterns!

In other news; my house is coughing and spluttering. At least the people inside are. Yuck. I really hate being sick, yet I am one of those people that gets whatever is getting passed around, lucky me.

Mysewingcircle

Have you guys heard about this new community?

Go and check it out. You know you want to!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I made liquid laundry detergent today. Yay, me! It's something I have been *meaning to do* for an eon. I can't believe I was so lazy now, it is very easy and cheap too.

All you need is borax (handle with care; I wore disposable gloves), washing soda, pure soap (Sunlight, Lux Flakes, Ivory, Velvet) and water! I also added lavender essential oil, which smells great, and next time I will try eucalyptus and see which of the two I like better. You could make it any essential oil that catches your fancy though. Hmmm. Now I am thinking of rose and geranium.

I used Jodie's recipe she posted on this forum, I found it through good ole Google.

International readers, please take note; the cup measurement used is a metric cup (250 ml). US cup sizes (giggle), both legal and customary, are slightly smaller. They are 240 ml and 237 ml respectively. I don 't believe the measurement needs to be absolutely exact, so I would probably add another 1/4 of a cup or so to even it out.

If anyone is still using the old fashioned IMPERIAL cup measures, use a little less than a cup.

It makes 10 litres, people. For those of you in the US, that is a little over 2 and a half gallons.

I used some plastic milk cartons (3 x 3 litres and 1 x 1 litre one) to bottle the mixture. We go through about a million litres of milk (it seems that way ;p) a week in this family, so it felt good to reuse them. I'll be giving some to my MIL too as we've both run out of the store bought version - at the perfect time!

Will post pics later today! DONE.

Naturally, I will not be held responsible for any mishaps with the recipe, it's not mine, so please use at your own discretion. I find it works great for me. Follow the directions for handling the borax and the washing soda and all should be sweet. Litre is not a typo, we spell it that way :D

Metro Sign

Love this.

Thanks for the tip, Mandi!

Happy Birthday to a special lady

Crocheted Floor Rug...WANT.

Jaw dropping. Made and shown at Ladies and Gentlemen. I saw it at The Coveted (photo) first though.Who wants to make me one??? I am crying (almost) because I can't crochet.

How awesome would this look in a little girl's room in hot pink? Or perhaps in my kitchen, bright red. In the bathroom, turquoise! Or, or or...!!!

GAH!

Well, hi there!

I have been a blog neglecting Tempest. Sorry!

I have had some fun over the Easter period - making Purl Bee inspired barrettes in yellow, red and pinks; having the family around for Easter lunch, making felt flower brooches, going to a craft fair (no pictures allowed - phooey) and general frivolity. We're also preparing for a milestone birthday party in this house, so chaos is ensuing.

I have also, with help from the hubs, let's call him Mr T(empest), sanded down a garden bench and restained it, painted a second hand (FREE) plastic kids table with chalkboard paint and a thousand other things! I have so much energy at the moment! This of course is somewhat tempered by the fact I'm still recovering from an operation, so I can't do all I wish I was doing.

At the moment I feel like a million bucks that has just drunk a pot of coffee.

Next post will have photos, promise!

Hoppy Easter!

A very Hoppy almost Easter to all of you bunnies reading this.

I am looking forward to seeing friends and family and just relaxing.

I may or may not be wearing my cute bunny brooch I just made for a little fun too.

I based it on a reduced size template of Dana from MADE's tute on V & Co.