I’m volunteering with Zero Landfill tomorrow & next Saturday. So if you decide to come for some free carpet & wallpaper samples, binders, fabric, stone, tile, etc., please say hello!
It’s open noon-3pm.
30 North High Street in Akron.
medicine viles used for bead storage
Awhile back I posted some nontraditional bead storage ideas. Here’s another idea…old medicine viles. It’s not my idea. A friend gave these to me with the bead supplies already in them. I wonder what else I can do with the viles though! They’re so unique. Have any good ideas?
I sewed my first tote bag! I love how it turned out, and I’m really pleased with the fabric (It takes me a painful amount of time to make fabric choices). I took the Intermediate Sewing Skills Tote Bag class from Martha at Craft Akron, and she was amazingly patient & encouraging. This is my first time doing a zipper, button hole, and using interfacing. Actually, this was my very first sewing class because I’ve been self-taught. This class revealed a few things I thought I was doing right but wasn’t.
Thank you Martha!
inside of tote
This is one of the few handmade gifts I’ve made this year. I’m still adjusting to life with two kids and taking life at a more relaxed pace. I’ve opted to make less & give more books this year.
I did manage five of these hair flowers so far. I researched how to melt the fabric edges from a tutorial at Simply Vintage Girl. Her flowers have more of a petal look while mine are rounded. For mine I cutout stackable circles from silky fabric, then melted the edges over a candle. I sewed the layers together, sewed beads in the center, and glued on a piece of fabric to the back to hold the clip in place.
baking soda shampoo & vinegar conditioner
I’ve been washing my hair with baking soda shampoo & a vinegar rinse for conditioner. This is my first natural shampoo & conditioner experiment that makes my hair feel & look really nice. Supposedly the baking soda is good for cleansing, and the vinegar is a similar pH to regular conditioner. It is a little quirky though. I have to be sure to remove all the baking soda otherwise it makes my hair feel like it has too much hair product in it when it’s dry.
I got the instructions from the book No More Dirty Looks. They say to dissolve 1 tbsp baking soda in water, put this on your head & scrub, then rinse. Then dissolve 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar in water, pour over hair & rinse. (I use red wine vinegar instead because that’s what’s in the fridge.) The vinegar smell goes away, don’t worry!
my hair, just washed & conditioned, without any hair products added
In my quest to learn more about chemicals in our body care products, I really liked the scope of this book. The authors have done lots of research which is easy to read. They give suggestions for products you can buy or ones you can make. It’s not an alarmist book, but they help those who have never considered toxic & unregulated ingredients in body care and walk them through how the FDA & cosmetic industries work. Plus, they used to be the women who loved their fancy beauty products and told the story of how a nasty hair experience with formaldehyde led to their quest to find safer alternatives that work.
So, while I wouldn’t recommend the baking soda & vinegar hair concoction to everyone, it is amazing how it works so well. I like how I know exactly what ingredients I’m using. But it does take a little time to mix before each wash & can easily look bad (or at least good for ponytails only) if you don’t get all the baking soda out. Regardless, I think it’s important for us to find body products we feel safe about. Do you have any name brand shampoos or conditioners with healthy ingredients you’d recommend? I’ve tried a couple & haven’t found anything amazing yet.
Today I had a beautiful quiet moment while both kids napped. I made myself a Pumpkin Spiced Latte & sipped it while soaking in the beautiful red tree leaves outside.
This is the first latte recipe I’ve used, and it tastes just like a barista whipped it up. I can control the sugar in it (I use half the sugar and no whipped cream). And since I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice, I found the spice mixture to make it. Enjoy!
Did you know you can get lectures from universities & colleges for free on iTunes U? I’ve been looking for info on sustainability and found lots to listen to while I drive or do things around the house. There’s no way I could take college courses at this moment in my life, so this is the next best thing.
Remember Ghostbusters II when the guys were in the abandoned subways searching out ghosts? The venue for Ingenuity Fest reminded me of this. It was on the bottom level of a bridge which led into an underground abandoned subway area. The secret areas of the city were opened up to us for a little adventure, along with lots of bands, technology ideas, & art. I think this was their first time doing this, and I can’t wait to see how it grows since there was quite a bit of room for more activity.
I’m fascinated with home energy efficiency & resourcefulness. I want to wrap my mind around the pros and cons of green living roofs, radiant floor heating, & grey water systems. And because I have no plans of building a new house, how feasible & cost-effective are these for an existing home?
So, for a little research, I went to the Museum of Science & Industry’s Smart Home. I was disappointed that we weren’t allowed to photograph while inside the home, only outside (because of some inventions & artwork). But besides that, the house was amazing to visit and completely worth the $10 admission.
I liked: the solar shades within the windows to keep the solar energy out, duel flush toilets, countertops made with recycled glass, a portable fireplace that runs on denatured alcohol, a gray water system to move used sink water to the toilet, open floor plan for air flow, and of course the rain barrels, green roof, & composter.
And since they renovate the home every winter, I hope to revisit it sometime to see the new technologies.
On our weekend road trip to Chicago, we needed a few stops to stretch our legs. For one stop, we ventured about 15 minutes out of the way to Toledo Botanical Garden (Toledo, Ohio). It exceeded my expectations, with lots of paved walkways (stroller-friendly), a lake, fountains, bridges, ducks & fish, and many little garden rooms to explore. Most of the plants have identification labels. It’s perfect for horticulture inspiration, a relaxing walk, & a packed lunch. Plus admission is free because of all the garden’s sponsors.
