Did you have a fun Halloween? I did!

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Halloween has come and gone but it will not be forgotten for quite some time.  Since I was working, I told my patients that I was dressed up as a NURSE, I even had on a Halloween set of scrubs.  This did not fly, however, so one of my co-workers brought up a bag of costume supplies and right before shift change we all dressed up and gave our patients a real laugh.  I'm not sure how the patient's families felt as this was in the middle of visiting hours, but oh well, it was Halloween.

Here are some of the pictures for your enjoyment!

Won't you comment and maybe even send me pictures of your Halloween costumes?

In the Spotlight: Black-Eyed Suzie

Here is another of my favorite art doll makers for your enjoyment. I stumbled onto here sight quite by accident and then couldn't find it again for almost a month. I just couldn't remember her name to be able to Goggle it. Then, quite by accident again, I found the above you tube video. I really love her work. It reminds me of The night before Christmas and Tim Burton, but she describes her work as influenced by the gothic love stories she read in her youth.

No matter the source, I hope you like these dolls as much as I do and encourage you to visit her site often. She is quite prolific and turns out so many beautiful dolls.

Here are some more pictures of her work.

 

 

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Quick and easy Christmas tree decorations

Last year, I decided that I would once again enjoy putting up a Christmas tree and making some decorations with my grandsons.  They, however, did not share my enthusiasm.  Oh well.  I am known in my family as the "Scrooge" as Christmas has never been a favorite of mine.  I really don't much enjoy any of the holidays--maybe because I have been a nurse for so long that I cannot remember being home for a holiday, but for whatever reason, I am just not much into holidays.

When my girls were small, I made ornaments, presents, and decorations during the holidays--mostly due to lack of money and an overabundant amount of free time.  The girls and I made craft time "our time together" and we did have fun.  So, I am now at an age where I don't feel any pressure about Christmas and I again wanted to take part in the holiday in some way. 

I found a craft article describing how to make tree ornaments out of things you normally throw away, and I said to myself--Ah-ha!  I can be crafty and green!  So I began to make my ornaments and then realized that I did not even have a Christmas tree.  Off to Walmart I went to buy a tree.  I ended up getting a tall, thin tree with lights already on it (I hate stringing lights).  I know I could have just gotten a real tree, but I don't really want the mess of needles and such.

Finally, after a concentrated effort lasting a few weeks, I had ornaments and a tree, so I put it up and I actually enjoyed it.  No presents, no other decorations, just a tree with ornaments and lights.  Anyway, here are some pictures of the ornaments and the finished tree.  Hope you enjoy them.  If you are interested, let me know and I will post the directions for the ornaments.  I think they cost about $1 total.

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DIY Pedicure: Treat Your Feet to a Spa Pedicure at Home

 With the holidays coming up and money being spent for gifts, we sometimes forget to pamper ourselves or we simply let things like pedicures and manicures slide, even though we know we feel better and look better when we take care of ourselves.

This article was written in May for the summer season, but I think it is just as applicable for the upcoming holiday season.  Maybe a "girls night" for Mom and daughters during the holiday rush season will be the start of a wonderful holiday habit.  Maybe a gift of a home pedicure for the Dad or sons may teach an important message on self-care and esteem while showing them how much you love them.  In any way, this is a great idea for this holiday season and I firmly support the plan that we all try this during the holiday madness that has become Christmas.

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Spa Pedicure at Home  |  Spa Pedicure

An at-home pedicure is an inexpensive DIY spa treatment to get your feet ready for summer. Learn how to give yourself a home spa pedicure with these steps, tips and homemade spa recipes for pedicure treatments.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 1: Remove old polish

The first step in a home pedicure is to remove any old polish from your toes. Use nail polish remover to remove any remnants of old polish. If your old polish has stained your toe nails or your nails have a yellowish tint, soak a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and apply to the nail. Leave on for a few minutes and then wipe off.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 2: Trim toenails
Use a toenail clipper to cut your nails straight across. Your toenails should not be longer than the end of your toe as this can lead to ingrown toenails. After clipping, file straight across and only in one direction. Going back and forth with a nail file damages and weakens your nails.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 3: Soak feet
Once you have trimmed your toe nails, prepare a foot bath for your home pedicure. A pedicure foot bath is not only relaxing, but is an important step for softening calluses and cuticles. Add epsom salts and essential oils to your foot bath or try this homemade spa recipe.

Homemade Foot Bath Recipe
1 C. Buttermilk (slightly warmed)
½ C. Sugar
6-7 C. Hot water
A few drops essential oil of your choosing (optional)

Milk can be substituted in this homemade spa foot soak, but buttermilk is better because of the higher concentration of lactic acid which works to soften feet and remove dead skin. The glycolic acid in the sugar also helps exfoliate your feet. Essential oils are optional, but here are some suggestions: Peppermint oil for invigorating feet, Lavender for soothing your senses, or Tea Tree oil if you have any problems with foot fungus. You can also put marbles on the bottom of your foot bath and rub your feet along them for massaging action during your foot soak. Soak your feet for 20 minutes or so and then pat dry.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 4: Cuticle Care
After your home pedicure foot bath, your cuticles should be nice and soft. Use an orange stick to gently push back the cuticle. If necessary, use cuticle remover lotion to help with pushing back your cuticles. Don't cut your toenail cuticles, as the cuticles protect your feet from infection. If you have any excess skin on the sides of your nails that needs trimming, you can trim it with a cuticle trimmer.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 5: Scrub Feet
Next give yourself a refreshing spa foot scrub to help remove dead skin and calluses from your feet. If you have access to beach sand it makes a wonderful scrub. If not here is a homemade spa foot scrub recipe.

Homemade Foot Scrub Recipe
1/2 C. Table Salt (or ¼ C. Salt and ¼ C. Sand)
2 Tbsp. Oil (Olive, Almond, Coconut, etc.)
2 Tsp. Liquid soap (bath or hand or even shampoo)
A few drops essential oil of your choosing (optional)

Mix together and massage well into your feet. Rinse well. After scrubbing, you can follow up with a pumice stone to help smooth calluses and rough spots. Avoid using razors or other methods that cut off calluses.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 6: Foot Mask
This step is optional, but if you want to give your feet some extra pampering, try a spa foot mask for superbly soft and smooth feet.

Homemade Foot Mask Recipe
1 Ripe Avocado
¼ C. Honey
1 Tbsp. Oil (Olive, Avocado, Almond, etc.)

Mash ingredients together, apply to dry feet and wrap in plastic. Plastic bread bags or vegetable bags work well over your feet, even if they look a little funny. You can cover the plastic wrap with socks if you wish. Relax for at least twenty minute and then rinse feet and pat dry.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 7: Paint toenails
Use nail polish remover to wipe toenails and remove any excess oils that may remain from your home spa foot treatments. Nail polish does not adhere well to oily nails. Use cotton balls to separate toes when painting. Packing peanuts also work great as toe separators. Apply a base coat, allow to fully dry and then apply two top coats. If you decide not to apply color, use a nail whitening pencil and run it under the tips of your toenails for a French manicure look.

Home Spa Pedicure Step 8: Moisturize
Rub a light foot or hand lotion into your feet and enjoy your soft, smooth, beautiful feet. If you do your home spa pedicure at night, apply a heavier lotion, cover with cotton socks, and leave on overnight.

Use these tips and recipes to give yourself a spa pedicure at home and you can save money and have beautiful feet for summer.

To read the original article, click here

One look at these silly characters explains why Laurie Hardin insists her job doesn't feel like work

Here is an article about one of the artists that I follow closely.  I love her work and find her ability to be so creatively productive envious.  She has a definite look to her work and I find her dolls to be both pleasing to look at as well as cheerful and fun.

Please read this article about Laurie Hardin, she is being featured in her local paper, but I think she deserves more exposure than just local exposure.  I am sure you will agree with me that her work is delightful!
You can visit the original work here>>
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Photo by: Sarah Mulder, Kearney Hub
Laurie Hardin paints details on a Halloween figurine. Hardin first saw the idea of Halloween figurines while watching HGTV.

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Posted: Saturday, October 31, 2009 9:30 am | Updated: 8:11 am, Tue Nov 3, 2009.

By SARAH MULDER Hub Staff Writer | 0 comments

KEARNEY - When Laurie Hardin was brainstorming names for her studio, she didn't have to look very far for inspiration - it was lying right on her studio table.
Hardin's two youngest cats always find a place to carefully walk, lay, play and even get a drink of water on her studio table. Hardin refers to them as her "studio boys," while her husband, Kelly, referred to them as "monkey boys" when they were little because their tails were, and still are, extremely long.
"When I was going to come up with a name and they kept being on my studio table, it just stuck," Hardin said.
Among the paintbushes, paint and figurines on the studio table is a container, once used to clean paintbrushes, with fresh water for the cats to drink. The cats' food, water and toy bowls are tucked safely underneath her table. They even have a special chair to jump onto when trying to get on Hardin's work area.
Hardin's Monkey-Cats Studio features hand-painted and hand-sculpted figurines inspired mostly by Hardin's favorite holiday, Halloween.
"Some people do really dark things, but mine are a bit more whimsical," she said.
Hardin said she saw the idea to make sculpted Halloween figures while watching HGTV one afternoon.
"What I started doing is making my own Halloween figures," she said, noting her initial goal was to make a shelf full of figures for herself.
Hardin admits the first figures she made were disastrous.
After she found a clay she liked that looked like old-style papier-mache, she started showing the figures to her friends.
And then she taught some classes on how to make them.
Then she sold some figurines at a craft show two years ago.
Now, she is in her fourth year of making figurines and recently took 62 pieces to a Halloween show in California called Halloween and Vine. She came home with only seven pieces.
"Halloween and Vine was huge for me," she said. Hardin even had to turn down orders for figurines because she is already about a dozen orders deep.
Before making figurines full time, Hardin, who has bachelor's and master's degrees in art, worked full time. She told her husband she wanted to paint landscapes full time for one summer.
During that summer, she received a couple commissioned pieces, and when she was done, she told her husband she would find work. But instead, she started selling her pieces at craft shows.
She said about a year ago, she realized she could make a living off her artwork.
"It's just been a wonderful thing. I've been so happy doing it," she said.
Hardin said she gets her ideas for figurines through drawings in her sketchbooks.
"I don't ever have a problem with ideas," she said. "Every time I run out of ideas, I just flip through these."
After picking out a figurine to create from her sketchbooks, she mixes clay, which she orders in 25-pound boxes, and works it by pinching or rolling it out. She covers a styrofoam figure with the clay, adds wooden dowels for legs and lets it air dry for about a week. Hardin said it usually takes her about eight hours to sculpt the figure.
After the clay is firm, she primes and paints the object, sometimes putting on eight to 10 coats of paint.
"My surfaces are never one coat of paint," she said. "I like what it does to the surface."
Hardin likes the fine details on her figures, all the way down to sharp points on the stars.
"I will go through paintbrushes like crazy," she laughed. Poking out of a large container on her studio table are new high-detail brushes. Any time those paintbrushes are on sale, she said, she picks up a bunch.
Hardin said she has about four return Kearney customers for the figurines, with more customers in Omaha and Lincoln.
However, almost everything she makes goes out of state. She ships many figurines to California or the East Coast.
"I didn't know when I first started that there were serious, serious, one-of-a-kind collectors," she said, noting a lady in Pennsylvania has more than 20 figurines.
In addition to craft shows, Hardin also sells the figurines through an online market place called SpookyTime Jingles and through eBay auctions.
Hardin also creates figurines for other holidays, but most have a Halloween twist.
"Even my snowmen kind of look Halloween-ish. I don't do that on purpose," she laughed.
Hardin said she will make about 130-140 figures this year and sells about six pieces per month.
"I just feel blessed to be able to do this. It doesn't feel like work," she said. "This is what I need to be doing."
e-mail to:
sarah.mulder@kearneyhub.com

Weaver stretches creative repertoire with dolls

 This is an article I found that talks about how this retired teacher went about becoming a doll maker.

I found her methods very interesting as I never really thought of the process one goes through to be creative and to make art dolls.

After reading the following article and looking at the pictures, I will have to try her method.  Maybe that will be the way I can jump-start my creative abilities.  I have always enjoyed being a student and learning, so her method may just work.

What do you think?

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 Detail-driven

CHIEFTAIN PHOTOS/JOHN JAQUES -- The intricately beaded face of one of Anzlovar's dolls is shown in this close-up.

Anzlovar's small dolls and pins as well as her large art dolls will be for sale at the 25th annual Handwoven Holiday Sale.

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/JOHN JAQUES -- Angela Sue McDowny, one of Anzlovar's dolls, is posed in the kitchen of her home.

This long-limbed doll, with body made from hand-woven fabrics, is one of Anzlovar's creations.

Janet Anzlovar shows a doll she's finishing. The doll's dress was sewn patchwork-style from fabric woven by Anzlovar.

By MARY JEAN PORTER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

Method meets creativity and whimsy in this weaver's art dolls.

Big-eyed and soft-bodied, the dolls made by Janet Anzlovar are detailed masterpieces - of weaving, sewing, embroidering, beading and more.

Anzlovar, who's retired from a long career of teaching in District 70, says she approached doll-making like she did teaching.

"I enjoyed making learning units when I was teaching, so I made one outlining what I would do to be a doll-maker. I set my goals, I listed activities like taking classes and joining a doll club, I listed the resources I'd use.

"I'd take two years out, travel around, read books, meet people," she says. "I would learn to make the dolls in conventional fabric, then apply what I learned to hand-woven fabric. I really did take an academic approach. I wanted to do it right." Anzlovar already was a master weaver with more than three decades of experience when she decided about four years ago to start making dolls. She says she was interested in them but wasn't a collector.

"I had one doll, Susie, as a child. I got married and left her behind but my mother gave her to me some years back. I love her dearly - she's in my weaving room."

From one doll, she's graduated to many, nearly all of them with bodies and clothing made from fabric she's woven. Their faces are hand-drawn with colored pencils, pens and chalk. They have yarn hair and finely embellished garments. They are small and large, they have names and they have pedigrees in the detailed notes and drawings Anzlovar makes as she creates them.

"I make mainly art dolls, though I have made some children's dolls that can

be played with."

Anzlovar says she's a "detail person."

"I love color. Making these dolls has been an outlet for my weaving. I give a lot away, I sell some, I keep some."

She mentions Leslie Molen of Denver and Lauren Vlcek of Colorado Springs as mentors, and says her husband Jim has been a big help: He builds props for her doll presentations, offers constructive critiques and lets her "bounce ideas off him."

Anzlovar has taken doll-making classes in many places and now has started teaching them herself. She's been invited back to New York to teach a class in making hats for dolls. After that she wants to try making dolls from clay and from woven wire.

"Doll-makers are like weavers in that they are very creative, very giving, very friendly people," Anzlovar says.

Janet Anzlovar's art dolls will be among the hand-woven goods, pottery, jewelry and Christmas ornaments offered for sale at the 25th annual Handwoven Holiday Sale, sponsored by Handweavers Guild of Pueblo, which runs Friday through Nov. 14 at the Historic Vail Hotel, 217 S. Grand Ave. Sale hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Guest artists will be Jill Larkin and Frank Grey. For more information, call 561-3762 or e-mail

weaversguild@gmail.com.

maryp@chieftain.com

You can visit the original site of this article here 

Alternative medicine in the mainstream?

Image by Wonderlane via Flickr

 As a psychiatric nurse for the last 20 or so years, I have been an advocate of alternative medicine as well.  I have always believed that we must try to do for ourselves as much as we can before we seek professional help.  I believe that through proper and adequate nutrition and supplementation most chronic medical conditions can be averted altogether or can be halted in their progression. I also believe that herbs and acupuncture can play an important part in keeping the body healthy.

To be very clear here, I believe that if all you have done to stay healthy fails, I do believe you should see your doctor.  Never ignore symptoms of illness.  Use of alternative or complementary medicine should be used for maintaining health.  

So, on that note, I have an article below that I found to be quite interesting.  I hope you will read it and then give this issue some thought.  Tell me what you think.

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More Med Schools Are Teaching Alternative Medicine

Submitted by Tyler Woods Ph.D. on Nov 2nd, 2009

Ten years have gone by and $2.5 billion have been done in research, yet it all comes down to scientists, doctors and researchers have really found no cures from alternative medicine. Still, these mostly unproven modalities and treatments are mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans and more med schools are teaching alternative medicine.
The government has spent more than $22 million to help medical and nursing schools start teaching about alternative medicine. Critics tend to be upset because they feel lesson plans are biased toward unproven remedies. These critics are also upset that more tax money is being spent to train more young doctors to do research in this field, which will launch some of thee bright young doctors into careers as alternative medicine providers.
Doctors need to know about popular remedies so they can discuss them non-judgmentally and give competent advice, the government says, and many universities and medical groups agree. "Patients are using these things" whether doctors think they should or should not, and safety is a big concern, said Dr. Victor Sierpina, an acupuncturist at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Still some critics say it is like teaching “Harry Potter medicine.” Students are being asked to close their eyes to science principles that guide the rest of their training in order to keep an open mind about pseudoscience, they say. Still, it is not stopping med schools from teaching alternative medicine.
One of the largest and well known schools is The University of Arizona's Center for Integrative Medicine. Currently it has medical residency programs in hospitals around the country and is partly sponsored by well-known advocate Dr. Andrew Weil, the center's founder. The Bravewell Collaborative which is a private group promotes such care and offers scholarships for many of the Arizona school's students to get hands-on training in integrative care clinics.
The University of Minnesota offers medical students an elective course in alternative healing methods at a Hawaiian medical center and students raved about things they had tried firsthand, and said they returned more willing to recommend acupuncture, meditation, yoga, herbal remedies and other nontraditional care.
"Consumers are demanding it" and more research is needed to see what works, said Mary Jo Kreitzer, who directs the Minnesota school's alternative medicine curriculum. "Ultimately we need to align policy" so that insurers pay for these therapies” ,
Georgetown University started the nation's first graduate degree program in complementary and alternative medicine and they strive for objectivity, said the program's director, Hakima Amri. She stated the goal is "to train a new generation of open-minded but critical physicians or scientists."
Written by Tyler Woods Ph.D.
Tucson, Arizona
Exclusive to eMaxHealth

Source: 

Associated Press, ABC News 

 

On the net:

• Medical school group: http://www.imconsortium.org/cahcim/about/home.html

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