My prayer dolls are leaving!

I just gave this one to my friend, Elizabeth.  She put it by her bed.  I am happy that she liked it.

I gave this one to my sister and she set it on her bookcase in her bedroom.  She likes hers, too.

On Sunday, I will be sending this one to another friend.  She is actually the reason I tried making these dolls.  She was in a crisis and I felt sending her a prayer doll might help.  Anyway, she will get hers Sunday.  I'll see if she likes it then.

Thursday--Spa Day

I received an email a day ago from a trusted source (actually a work at home mom source) that talked about a mother who had discovered that she was taking such good care of her baby girl that she was actually poisoning her!  Here is a list of items found in most personal care items that are toxic and are absorbed directly by your skin and what damage they actually do:

Here's a "top-ten" list of the most toxic types of substances in skin care products Dr. Sears' Wellness Research team identified - and the dangers they pose to your health:

 

Chemicals Commonly Found In Commercial Sunscreens	Dangerous Side Effects
1. Parabens	"Endocrine disruptors," these gender-bending chemicals mimic estrogen, upset your hormonal balance, and can cause various reproductive cancers in men and women
2. PABA (may be listed as octyl-dimethyl or padimate-O)	Attacks DNA and causes genetic mutation when exposed to sunlight
3. Mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum	Coats skin like plastic and clogs pores, trapping toxins in, slows skin cell growth, disrupts normal hormone function, suspected of causing cancer
4. Sodium laurel, lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (sometimes listed as "from coconut" or "coconut derived"	Combined with other chemicals, it becomes nitrosamine, a powerful cancer-causing agent; penetrates your skin's moisture barrier, allowing other dangerous chemicals to enter your bloodstream
5. Phenol carbolic acid	Circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, death from respiratory failure
6. Acrylamide	Breast cancer
7. Octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC)	Kills skin cells
8. Toluene (may be listed as benzoic, benzyl, or butylated hydroxtoluene)	Anemia, low blood cell count, liver and kidney damage, birth defects
9. Propylene glycol	Dermatitis, kidney and liver abnormalities, prevents skin growth, causes irritation
10. PEG, polysorbates, laureth, ethoxylated alcohol	Potent carcinogens containing dioxane

You probably use them on your body every single day of your life. And since your skin is the largest organ of your body, these nasty chemicals go straight into your bloodstream.
Once they get inside of you, they mimic estrogen, disrupt your endocrine system, and throw your hormones out of whack.

So, that said, it makes even more sense to look into the possibility of making some of these products yourself--you have control over the ingredients and the method of manufacture.

Here is a link to a site that has numerous recipes for all types of personal care items.  Check out some of these at The Spa Index.  Another site that has many recipes to make your own personal care items is Craft Bits.  I know I will be looking these recipes over and seeing which product I want to make for myself as a way to "get my toe in the water" so to speak.  If it is as easy as they say, then I may go whole hog and make everything I use--actually I won't have to because my oldest daughter is now making me lip balm and soap.

Try some of these out and then let me know your results, won't you?  I would love to hear what worked and what flopped and what you think went well.  Talk to me, please!

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• Spa at Home -- Natural Exfoliants (beauty-treatments.suite101.com)
• Jennifer Grayson: Eco Etiquette: Is My Moisturizer Safe? 5 Petrochemicals to Avoid Now (huffingtonpost.com)
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate (nutrition.suite101.com)
• In the Dark (svmoms.com)
• Beauty Isn't Only Skin Deep With Fruit and Flower Power (treehugger.com)
• Natural Sunblock -- Prevent Sun Damaged Skin Without Chemicals (natural-products.suite101.com)
• Toxic chemicals finding their way into the womb (cnn.com)

Window Shopping Wednesday -- Megan Hoover

Here is an artist I found that I simply love.  Her work is fresh, funky, and funny.  All things that make for great art in my mind.  Please visit her blog at WANNA PAINT!  Below are a few of her paintings for you to get a little taste of her work.  Enjoy!

I especially love the little girl floating away with her heart! Such a great talent and a very nice lady, too.

Remember those who died for your right to freedom

Thursday--Spa Day

I love when I find a recipe for a skin care product I use frequently, but find very expensive.  One of these things is the Biore pour strips -- very expensive but necessary!  Imagine my excitement when I found this recipe and tried it, only to discover that this works just as good if not better and only costs pennies!  That to me is a miracle in the making.  So, here is the recipe.  Try it, you'll like it!

Homemade Biore Pore Strips

Make your own homemade pore strips, similar to Biore

After a week of wearing makeup,  washing your face, moisturizing your face, and slathering all sorts of things all of it, a homemade pore cleanser can be the perfect remedy for big, clogged pores and lackluster skin.  The homemade pore strip is a quick homemade beauty remedy that is easy to make and will yield wonderful results.

• 1 Tbsp Knox Unflavored Gelatin
• 11/2 T Milk
• Makeup brush (preferably large eye shadow bristle brush)
• Water
• Witch Hazel or Toner

1. Mix milk and gelatin in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 10 seconds.
2. Using a clean make-up brush, apply thin layer of water and Gelatin mask to problematic areas, staying clear of the eye area. 
3. Let mask dry for 10-15 minutes.
4. Gently tear off film once it's hardened.
5. Rinse off skin areas, making sure to remove any excess film.
6. Follow by applying a toner or witch hazel

Here is the link to the original article for this recipe. There are many more homemade and Budget Beauty Articles posted there for your enjoyment, too.

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Window Shopping Wednesday -- Mystele of Little Glimpses Studio

Thanks to Mystele at Little Glimpses

Tuesday Tutorial -- PolyDollys

Here's a really cute tutorial for making these little polymer clay doll pins.  This looks like the perfect craft to learn how to use polymer clay.

 

 

Materials:
* Your choice of several bright colors of Premo! polymer clay- 1 ounce (1/2 block) each color.
* clay blade
* craft or Xacto knife
* pasta machine set to widest setting
* brayer or acrylic rod
* *small "kid shaped" cookie cutter. NOTE: if you do not have a kid shaped cookie cutter, you will need paper, pencil and scissors
* super glue
* your choice of magnet or pin back.
* oven,
* oven-tested metal or glass pan to bake items on NOTE: a ceramic tile works well, too.
* timer
Directions:
1. To make a striped cane, condition your clay by running two colors through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.
2. Lay one color on top of the other, and trim using the clay blade.
3. The beginning of the loaf should look like this once it is trimmed.
4. Cut the pieces in half and re-stack on top of each other being careful not to put two of the same color together.
5. Keep cutting and re-stacking until you have a cube of clay stripes. If you have a clay roller or brayer, it helps to adhere the clay to itself if you press it down.
6. Choose two more bright colors and cut each into long thin strips.
7. Stack as you did in step 2, trim evenly.
8. Begin the cane by tightly rolling one of the short ends up upon the striped stack.
9. Continue rolling until you have formed a tightly integrated spiral.
10. Create several different sizes and color combinations of stripes and spirals.
11. Slice a thin slice off your choice of one of the striped canes.
12. The slice should not be too thin-it should be approximately 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick
13. If you have a small "kid shaped" cookie cutter, use that to cut a piece of backing clay in your choice of colors.
NOTE: If you do not have a kid shaped cutter, use the provided pattern to cut out the shape from white paper and adhere it to the top of the clay sheet, and use a craft knife to cut around the outside of the pattern.
14. Arrange several thin slices of canes on the kid shape, being sure to wrap them around the edges if needed. Use the craft knife or clay blade to cut canes to fit if necessary.
15. Roll small triangles for hands out of beige or brown clay, and press them to the hand area. Roll a small flat ball of clay for the head and adhere it as well.
16. If you have the cookie cutter, press it to the edge of a cane as shown to create a hat.
17. Press it to the top of the kid's head, and cut a small striped strip for the hat brim, and press it to the edge of the hat.
18. Press two small seed beads in for eyes.
19. Create many different kids using your imagination and have a wonderful time dressing them! Bake in pan for 30 minutes on the center rack of an oven that's been tested and set to bake reliably at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. When cooled, add pin backs or magnets using super glue.
If you do not have cookie cutter: trace image onto white paper, clip with scissors and place on top of clay, cut around image using craft knife. (Note: image is 2 inches tall by 1/3/4 inches wide).

Here's the link to the original post