A Better Me!

For as long as I can remember I have hated to exercise (unless it was so fun I didn't know I was exercising) and I LOVE junk food. Healthy has NEVER been my thing. Recently the consequences of my past choices (not eating right, being too busy so I eat while I work, eating disorders, etc) have caught up to me. Well, they started to catch up to me about a year and a half ago; but I didn't see it that way. I saw it as a inconvenience to my hectic lifestyle that I loved. I did what I did for anything that tried to slow me down, popped some pills and pushed through. Eventually it shut me down completely (like days away from being hospitalized because my body was shutting down) I started to make a few changes and got some nontraditional medicine from a guy who worked in wellness healing. Then I started to watch my diet a little, and occasionally work out. I still wasn't back to 100%. Finally last week it really started to bother me that I haven't felt 100% in over a year. So I decided to DO something about it.

My curent goals are to EVERYDAY:
1) Drink at least 1 gallon of water.
2) Eat healthier (avoiding soda, fast foods, and foods I know mess up my intestines)
3) Exercise in some way (the days I work at the hotel count as exercise, trust me)
4) Create in some way (paint, write, sew, etc)

I'm not going to move a mountain in one day, but I can move it by doing a little everyday. I'm excited about this journey to becoming a healthier me and making a pathway for healthy future children.

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.