Silhouette Vase

~ Silhouette Vase ~

I have been work on something that I have called "The Silhouette Project". Basically I have been trying different mediums with the idea that I saw here: 

Silhouette Idea

Project #4 I made a silhouette vase using a wine bottle.

First I printed out this design. 

It is the letter "t" in font Bodoni Ornaments ITC TT.

Then I washed the label off of this wine bottle. 

Peanut butter usually removes labels really well, but we were out so I had to do it the hard way. 

 After cutting out the design I taped it to the front of the bottle.

Next I painted the bottle over the design. I used very short random brush marks that showed. 

This left a texture, but you can also paint it smooth if you like.

Once the paint starts to dry (which should be very quick) peel the paper design off of the bottle. I used a  mechanical pencil to scrap away any paper or paint that got stuck in the design.

Wa-la! 

 Here is a close up of the design.

You could also do this on a plain glass vase, cup, etc. 

We don't really have flowers in the desert this time of year, 

but these weeds demonstrate how it is a vase.

ACV

      Since I can remember migraines have been a part of  my life. When I was a kid they would come with the pollen of spring and almost nothing would relieve them. As I got older they came from stress as well as the routine migraine that came for no reason except that it was "time for one". Like clock work every 3 months for about 3-4 days I would get a migraine that nothing could relieve. Excedrin helped for a few hours a day, and at night they got worse. I would fall asleep (eventually) with a heating pad on my back and a cold washcloth on my forehead.

Last winter I decided I was sick of these migraines and I would look for some home cures. I found a few. Peppermint tea. Pressure points in your hands that relieve tension in the back. ACV (apple cider vinegar). At first I was a little skeptic, but I was desperate. I started by taking tablespoons like shots. All I can say is YUCK! The taste was so strong. So I started mixing it with water. About 1 or 2 tablespoons to 8oz of water. Tasted much better. Guess what...it worked.


Come to find out AVC helps to balance out your body's blood PH. (now some studies say this is not proven and it does not work the same for everyone) I had discovered not too long ago that your blood PH can affect a lot things heath wise (I had been very sick and my body was shutting down when I reached out to a friend who was studying and being to practice Wellness Healing) including energy and the bodies ability to fight sickness.  


Now whenever I feel a headache starting (and sometimes just cause I feel like I need it) I will put a few tablespoons of AVC in a bottle of water and drink it. I have not had a migraine in at least 4 months.


AVC is also good for other ailments (again these facts are disputed and not "proved" but have helped many people). Heart burn will be helped by AVC, again the whole acid balancing thing. There are those who claim it can help intestinal issues (I have some intestinal issues that can get quite bad, I find when I am drinking AVC it does help a little). 


If you know of any good uses for AVC or of its healthy qualities let me know so that I can update this article.

Baking Soda Uses

     When I was a kid and we would run out of tooth paste, my mother would mix together baking soda and water in a little cup and tell us to use that. Oh how I hated the taste, but little did I know how well it worked. Now that I am an adult I have started to use this little trick again. Not just when I run out of tooth paste, but when ever I feel plaque building up or my teeth start to hurt or get sensitive. It works so well and your teeth feel so smooth after. (I can tolerate the taste a lot better too)

She also would have us drink a glass of water with a tablespoon of baking soda in it when we had beans to stop our stomachs from getting too gassy. (now I know that if you add baking soda in the cooking process it helps the same way)

My grandma always had a box of baking soda open in her refrigerator to absorb gross odors. She also used it to help scrub and clean things (kinda like comet).

I have found out through some Pinteresting and googling that baking soda is kinda like 409, it has many great uses. The great thing about it is that it is cheap and not a harsh chemical (like so many things we use these days).

Here are a few of the amazing uses I have discovered and tried (some of them I still plan on trying, but haven't gotten there yet)


Bathtub Scrub

Face Wash

Homemade Glowstick

Shampoo

Remove Splinters



I also found this list of 51 Uses for Baking Soda

If you are looking for chemical free, cheap household/personal cleaner 

baking soda can be your new best friend!

Chem Free

      I've really been into "home remedies" for things lately. Whether that be medicinal, cleaners, or simple solutions for everyday issues. I have made some really great discoveries, most of them I have been able to put into use and work great. Some of them I am still waiting to try. I'm getting to that point in life where me and my husband are talking about kids. The more I think about a little life I think about protecting it and having a safe environment for it from conception to college. There are so many toxins in things we use and digest everyday. Even me being around those things can affect future life. Therefore, I'm trying to find some Chemical Free substitutions for everyday toxins we use.

Below are a few of the discoveries I have made so far:

Windex/All purpose cleaner   ---->   Mix 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle

Mosquito Repellent  ---->  Homemade Repellent Recipe

Face Mask    ---->   Organic Face Mask Recipe

Hair Repair   ---->   Vinegar Hair Rinse

Candles or diffusers ----> Home Deordorizer

Pine-sol   ---->    Floor Cleaner

Shout  ---->  Remover grease stains on clothes

Lysol  ---->  Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Febreeze   ---->   Homemade Air Freshener Spray 

Chapstick/Lipgloss   ---->  Lip Balm

Antibiotics   ---->  Oil of Oregano

Raid   ---->  Ants be gone

Acne Cream  --->  Lemon/honey

Upholstery Cleaner  ----> Clean a microfiber couch

Weed Killer ---->  Homemade weed Killer

Scrubbing Bubbles ---->  Tub cleaner

Also see: AVC and Baking Soda Uses




Do you know any Chem Free solutions for everyday use? Let me know.


*These recipes are also awesome for people with sensitive skin, allergies, glutton intolerance, etc who have a hard time with traditional products that you buy in the store with harsh ingredients.  

Silhouette Painting

For the most part this blog has been a lot of sewing tutorials and updates on how my small business (Abintra Designs) is doing. Today I would like to start adding a few different things to my blog. I have a wide variety of creative skills and interests, and I would like to share those with you as well. Trying new things and expanding your vision is how you grow.

I read a quote the other day that I thought was very appropriate with the theme of this blog (Trial & Error), here it is:
QUOTE

I was browsing Pinterest the other day when I pinned this idea:

Painting Project

In their demonstration they used magazine clipping in a modge podge for the back ground to the silhouette. I was thinking about how I would like to try this when I came across an old painting I had...uh attempted.
Here it is:

When I had first painted it, it was supposed to be an abstract sunset. It did not come out quite like I had hoped, but had some amazing colors. It made a great background for my silhouette painting.

I went on line and searched "silhouette". After scrolling through a few pages of images I found this one:

I opened it in Microsoft Word and stretched it so the outline I wanted filled the page, then printed it. I cut out the silhouette carefully. Then using scotch tape rolled, I attached the cut out where I wanted it on the painting. (don't use too much tape, just enough around the edges to keep it in place) Using off-white acrylic craft paint and a 1/2 in paint brush I painted around the cutout, starting each stroke on the paper and pulling the brush over the edge of the cutout and onto the canvas.


 Continue to paint the rest of the canvas with the off-white paint. Use random strokes for effect. After the paint dries carefully remove the cutout. TA-DA!

You could use many things as a background for a silhouette painting. An old painting, a yard sale print, a dollar store wall hanging, last week's newspaper.  Be creative!

Pizza Rolls Recipe

My husband and I are fans of recipes that are fail proof, easy, and cheap. After more Pinteresting I came across a few REALLY GOOD recipes. These have been tested, tasted, and approved by my friends and family.

This phenomenal recipe is for Pizza Rolls. They came out so much better than I thought (and were quite filling) We had them for dinner with salad, but they would make awesome appetizers for a party. I served them with a homemade pizza sauce. I combined tomato sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, and honey in a pot on the stove and heat on Med for about 15 -20 min.

We also made some Cheesy bread sticks. I cut the cheese in long chunks and wrapped them in a biscuit, then brushed the egg and sprinkled the top the same as the rolls. Again, they were amazing.


*These reheat awesome for lunch.

*My husband also had the idea of adding more toppings inside the rolls. Bacon, mushroom slice, etc.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

~Apple Cinnamon Pancakes~

Easy recipe a friend of mine inspired. Using a box (or 2 depending on how many you are making) of "Jiffy" muffin mix you can make delicious, simple pancakes. 

 Start by combining the ingredients as listed on the box. Muffin mix, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of milk.

 Then add 1/8 cup of water and whisk all ingredient together.

 Spray frying pan with cooking spray (or put a little butter in the bottom of the pan) 

and turn heat to Medium.

 Let the batter cook until it forms little bubbles that pop, then flip and cook about a minute more.

Top with your favorit pancake toppings 

(I bet some sliced apples with warm syrup would be delicious) and serve.

Yields 2 pancakes or 4 teacakes per box of muffin mix.

Summer Dress

Today I decided to get a little creative and make a dress for summer. I used the cut off part of a pair of jeans I had made into shorts and an old shirt that I didn't like how it fit. I began with the jeans. These were stretchy wide legged pants. So it worked really well for the bottom part of the dress.  

I cut each leg up one of the seams and laid it out flat.

 Next I cut the extra off the the side that I cut open. 

This made sewing the two sides together much easier. 

          I took both legs (now open and flat) and sewed them on the two sides, right sides together.

Next I took my shirt (it was an awesome shirt in the store, but I hated how it fit) and measured across the bottom. I chose to use this section of the shirt for my dress, but depending on what shirt you choose to use will depend on what section you use.  

I then basted around the top of the jean portion of the dress. Gathering just enough fabric so that the bottom part of the dress measured up with the top portion. 

With the front side of the skirt and shirt together I sewed them together. 

Because my shirt had a bottom hem I wanted to show I folded that part over before sewing. 

To sew the above seam I used a zig zag stitch, since both materials I was using were stretchy. 

Flip it right side out and it looks like this:

I cut the side of this shirt down to about 3.5" from the seam. This is my arm hole.

Then I hemmed the back and edges of the shirt. I left the top section of the shirt how it was (after I cut off the sleeves and lace of the original shirt) and tied the knots while the dress was on me to measure the size of the "sleeves".

The dress was a little loose, so I made 2 pleats in the back.

 The pleats were about 4" appart and 1.5" deep. 

                                                                         All done!

T-Shirt Tote

A friend of mine asked me to make her favorite T-shirt into a tote bag. I began working on it, but my thread kept breaking. (frustration mixed with a sudden move caused a 3 month pause on the project)

Today I re-attempted the feat. I was slightly more successfully. 

First I turned the t-shirt inside out. I cut the shirt across the top under the collar and then sewed it closed. Next I cut off the sleeves and turned it right side out. Folding the shirt in half (right side in) I sewed the two sides (making a rectangle with the top open). I made a pocket in the back and added camo handles I had picked up on sale at a craft store.

I also experimented with an old Coke T-shirt, making a chill sling bag.

I discovered during these projects that jersey knit is best sewed with a zig zag stitch. This stitch stretches with the fabric. Straight stitches are NOT good to use with jersey knit. Also, using a smaller zig zag stitch will work better as a larger stitch will stretch too much.

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