Perfect Polish Every Time! Let's talk toes. And eyes. Funny how the two effect one another. My aging eyes are making it hard to paint my toenails. (Really it's just a logistic problem. All that's standing between your old eyes and Perfect Polish is a cuticle stick, a Q-Tip, and greasy lotion. Put some lotion onto a Q-Tip Wipe it around your nail, being careful to not get it ON your nail. Use the cuticle stick to wipe away the extra. That's all it takes! Hope this little trick helps! I'm linking up to these parties this week!
19 Ways to Slash Your Utility Bill Where George Scott sees red, his clients are bleeding green. Scanning the outside of a ranch home in Longmont, Colo., recently, the energy auditor's infrared camera registered blue and aqua in spots where heated air stayed put. That's what the homeowner expected. But you don't need an infrared camera to reveal utility-bill busters that are left after the obvious stuff is done. That old clunker of a refrigerator in the basement could be costing the equivalent of 10 cases of Bud in wasted energy each year. + Plug the Power Drain As much as 75 percent of electricity use by electronics occurs while the devices are off. + Give the Sump Pump a Break A 0.5-hp sump pump can use $30 a month in electricity during wet spring months, estimates Bill McAnally, an advisor to the Iowa Energy Center and an instructor in energy-efficient building. + Maximize CFLs We've all heard the advice to switch to CFLs. + Seal HVAC Ducts Put away the duct tape. + Block the Stairs (Illustration by Gabriel Silveira)
Four Homemade Cleaners This was easier than I thought it would be. One of Betsy’s goals for the year was to ditch some of our standard cleaners that we use around the house and make them! Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about this project mainly because I wasn’t sure that homemade cleaners would really get the job done. And my lovely wife is a bit of a neat freak so there’s no way she would use something that didn’t perform well. So a couple of weekends ago she went out and bought a few staple ingredients and some empty spray bottles and we spent a few minutes mixing up four different homemade cleaners that have since replaced 90% of the cleaners we use around the house. For the last few weeks we’ve been using them now and I’ve been so impressed by how well they are working, I thought I’d share them all with you in case any of you are interested in ditching the chemicals. The Cost of Cleaning. Basic stuff. Really Clean Cleaning. The Basics. - Homemade: How to Make 100′s of Everyday Products Mixing the Solutions.
Finished Paintbox Quilt The Paintbox Quilt is finished! This quilt is made with 64 - 6.5" blocks in 32 color combinations (8 by 8 blocks with 1.5" sashing). Each combination is a Kona cotton solid and a monochromatic quilting print. One of the blocks in each combination is made with a printed center and outer ring and the other is made with a solid center and outer ring. I had a hard time deciding how to lay out the blocks for the quilt. I alternated the orientation of the squares so the "pulled" corners were going in opposite directions. On the back, I made a pieced panel with a little rectangle of each of the Kona cottons. The letters on the back are just simple Kona cotton appliques, made using this technique. The washed and quilted linen is so incredibly soft, which makes this a very comfy quilt too! I originally had a black and white binding on this quilt, but it was a little "too much" so I ended up going with this gold and white stripe from Kaufman's Pimatex Basics, which I really like.
Push Up, Push Off - Top 10 Moves to Tone Your Trouble Zones - Shape Magazine - Page 8 This move will have your whole body working, so you'll not only hit your chest, but your arms and abs too. How to do it: Start in a plank position (or modified pushup position) and lower your body toward the floor. As you press back up, push off your right arm and lift your hand all the way off the floor (your arm stays extended and your right shoulder rolls back slightly to lift your arm). You can use your keyboard to see the next slide ( ← previous, → next) Need to get rid of saddlebags, arm flab, or a muffin top? Promo Subtitle Say goodbye to saddlebags, arm flab, muffin tops, and more! Image Alt Text fit woman wrapped in measuring tape Title Text Top 10 Moves to Tone Your Trouble Zones Media Folder: Media Root Topics: FeaturedTopic: fat-burning workouts Related articles
handwriting tips You’ve decided you want to improve your handwriting and you’re probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe you’re just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwriting improves). Good for you! A fountain pen may make your writing look a bit better, but if your writing looks as if frenzied chickens got loose on the page, chances are this won’t be enough. Most likely, you’ll need to retrain your arm and hand. After coaching handwriting and teaching calligraphy over the years, I’ve learned to see the characteristics of those who’ll be able to pick up the necessary motions quickly from those who’ll have to work a bit harder. Crampy, uneven letters are often the result of drawing the letters with the fingers rather than using the whole arm to write. People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers. It will take time to re-train muscles and learn new habits.
Four Homemade Cleaners This was easier than I thought it would be. One of Betsy’s goals for the year was to ditch some of our standard cleaners that we use around the house and make them! Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about this project mainly because I wasn’t sure that homemade cleaners would really get the job done. And my lovely wife is a bit of a neat freak so there’s no way she would use something that didn’t perform well. So a couple of weekends ago she went out and bought a few staple ingredients and some empty spray bottles and we spent a few minutes mixing up four different homemade cleaners that have since replaced 90% of the cleaners we use around the house. For the last few weeks we’ve been using them now and I’ve been so impressed by how well they are working, I thought I’d share them all with you in case any of you are interested in ditching the chemicals. The Cost of Cleaning. Basic stuff. Really Clean Cleaning. The Basics. - Homemade: How to Make 100′s of Everyday Products Mixing the Solutions.
Im Just A Guy Who Quilts: Bundles of Joy Quilt { A Tutorial } Every once in awhile I run across a quilt design and say to myself, "I can make that!" Even without taking a look at the pattern. Most of you probably had the same reaction when I posted a picture of this quilt. It's a very simple design and takes a few hours to put together. Finished quilt will measure around 24 x 28. Here are the supplies you'll need to make the top: 1 Charm Pack (or 42, 5" charm squares)1 Yard of a coordinating solid STEP 1: Take your solid print and slice 14 strips that measure 1.25" by WOF (width of fabric). STEP 2: Cut each strip of solid into 7" lengths. STEP 3: Take each charm square and slice them at a random measurement straight up and down. (To save some time, feel free to stack several charm squares together when cutting. Here is a photo of all the charm squares cut and stacked in pairs. I used a Hushabye Charm Pack by Tula Pink for Moda Fabrics. Sew a .25" seam along the edge and press your seams open. Again, press the seams open. Happy quilting,
Baby Shower Gift :: Homemade Sugar Scrub in Decorated Jars I wrote the other day about a project I was really excited about but needed to finish up, and here it is! These were gifts for a triple baby shower (not triplets, but three lovely ladies all due within a few weeks of each other, although triplets would be exciting) that I attended yesterday. All three babies-to-be got sweet goodies from my shop (a bear hat for the little boy and button beanies for the girls) but I wanted to do something for the moms, too. It's so fun to open presents for your little nugget, but poor pregnant mom is the one doing all the hard work, and she deserves something, too! Mamas need some pampering, right? How true it is. And want to know the best part of this gift? (Don't tell my friends.) And I had enough sugar scrub left over to keep for little ol' me, so I can tell you, this stuff is goooooooooooood. And how much cuter would these be if you're a lucky duck who owns a Silhouette or Cricut (or even just cute punches) and could cut fun shapes for the labels? Done!
Most Comprehensive list of Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Why You Should Be Eating Them A Time Magazine article entitled, "The Secret Killer," suggests inflammation may be the engine that drives many of the most feared illnesses of middle and old age including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's. If your health is not a good enough reason to add some anti-inflammatory foods to your diet... How about for vanity sake... inflammation seems to also be at the root of aging. I created a list of foods with the highest anti-inflammatory ratings. Think your safe? What is the IF (INFLAMMATION FACTOR) RATING™ The IF (Inflammation Factor) Rating™ is a tool nutritional data came up with to estimates the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory potential of individual foods or combinations of foods by calculating the net effect of different nutritional factors, such as fatty acids, antioxidants, and glycemic impact. BEST ANTI-INFLAMMATORY SPICES: *(Click on each one to see its full nutritional data) Hot Chile Peppers: IF Rating 50155 Garlic Powder: IF Rating 31176 Ginger: IF Rating 27551 Dessert