Homemade Clean

Making hand soap this week was one of my only creative accomplishments and I'll be honest, it took a lot to drag myself off the couch and into the kitchen. The past couple of weeks have been draining, I won't sugarcoat it, and my energy level isn't where it normally is. But pushing myself to do at least one creative thing was cleansing [pardon the pun] and a bit of a science experiment.

Three simple ingredients: a gallon of water, one bar of soap and two tablespoons of vegetable glycerin is all that's needed.

First, choose a favorite bar of soap [I chose Trader Joe's lavender soap] and shred it with a hand grater, just like you would with cheese. One of the best parts of working with soap and water, was that it made clean up a breeze.

Once the soap is shredded, place it in a pot with a gallon of water and heat on the stove on a medium setting. It's important to note, there is no need for the water to boil. Instead,  slowly stir the soap and water over the course of ten minutes or so as the soap melts. Once the soap is melted, add two tablespoons of glycerin [many stores sell glycerin for under ten dollars, especially health food stores] and stir well. Remove from heat and let sit for 10-12 hours.

By morning, my soap had hardened and needed some extra water added to it as well as a quick mix with the electric hand beaters, which helped turn it into the consistency of hand soap. If your hand soap is just the opposite and is runny, add more soap by melting it in the pot and let it reset. Repeat as necessary to get the consistency of hand soap.

With a funnel, you can ladle the soap into a gallon jug and begin using right away. And for under $10, you have enough hand soap to last a while!

Perspective

My days of late have been filled with sadness and worry. My little, sweet natured Grammy is not doing well and has been in the hospital for the past week. I won't bore you with the details, but it's awful to see her struggling to do some of the things she was doing not very long ago. 

For the time being, life has taken on a new pace. Work, help out at the hospital, cook/clean, sleep and repeat in various orders. There have been large spans of time spent at the hospital helping her manage. The time I have been so fortunate to spend with her has given me perspective. One I hope to be able to hold onto, especially during the days ahead.  

This little Italian lady is just that, a lady. Filled with a presence that remains gracious, polite and kind even when there are staff and visitors by her bedside that she doesn't recognize. 

Over the past few months, I've come to recognize a good part of myself in her, which brings immense comfort, especially when I'm not there and out in the world trying to do the day-to-day stuff that needs to get done. It's easy to become frustrated. Without even knowing it, she offers an important reminder to be gracious, polite and kind. What basic, simple and smart wisdom. 

This perspective is bringing happiness to the simplest of moments: 

:: A bowl full of ripe tomatoes

:: Homemade blueberry lemon muffins

:: Cuddling with Jax-the-Dog

:: Giggling with Grammy

:: A hearty laugh with one of my Aunts

:: Sitting on the floor of my studio eating strawberries and whipped cream with a friend --plotting, planning and catching up

May your week be filled with a perspective that brings you grace to face all that arises. 

Rags to Riches

Boy oh boy, it's been less than a week and it seems like ages since I've stopped by. Time sure does have a way of changing when you're not working. While I was off, I managed to tackle this rags to 'riches' project -- an upcycled skirt made from old t-shirts. Three t-shirts, a sewing machine and some creativity was all I needed to make my this lovely. 

The first t-shirt was about two sizes larger than what I normally wear. Minus the top half of the shirt (arm and collar portion), it was the same width and length as one of my favorite jersey style skirts.

After identifying the base part of the skirt and cutting off the top half, picking out a couple of old shirts I was willing to cut up was up next. This was literally the hardest part, but quite therapeutic. 

I started by trimming off the collar and arms, cutting down the seams on the side and cutting the shirts into two inch strips.

The strips were then used to decorate/design the skirt. Before I was certain of where I wanted each piece, I kept them in place with pins. Before sewing them on though, it was helpful to use Stitch Witchery to keep them in place. The same tactic [ha ha - great pun] was used for the doily. 

It simply was not complete until I was able to add a couple of extra detail touches, such as the flower pocket and tag. The pocket had originally been cut off one of the t-shirts, as well as the tag. The flower was a piece of t-shirt as well rolled up and hand sewn on. 

Elastic was sewn into the top potion of the shirt, and my rags to riches project was complete! This was a great project for me to become one again with my sewing machine, mainly because I was able to follow my own pattern and the fabric was somewhat forgiving to work with. 

Stars and Stripes

We spent the morning at the neighborhood Fourth of July breakfast and parade. Food and coffee for the adults; streamers and garb for the kids to decorate their bikes for the much anticipated parade around the neighborhood with the American flag.  

Driveways were decorated. Flags lined the streets. 

And the start of a Happy Fourth of July was had by all. 

A Page From My Book

A few weeks ago I found a bunch of old encyclopedias at a garage sale for twenty-five cents each. Not knowing what to do with them all, I picked one out of the bunch that interested me the most (you know, fun topics and good imagery). 

When I went to pay, the woman asked me if I wanted the rest of the set. When I replied, telling her I wasn't sure what I would do with them all, she was quite baffled and asked what I planned on doing with the book.  My mixed media artwork reply didn't seem to make sense either. For a minute there, I didn't think she was going to let me have the book. I think we both tossed it up to, two generations with two very different uses for old books. 

Well, I've had so much fun tearing up that old book, that I somewhat regret not taking the other three books home. I had a bunch of dry-rub on prints hanging around and played with transferring them onto the old pages. When I ran out of transfer images, printing on the old pages seemed just as much fun and has the same visual appearance.

These make great, quick, simple and customizable gifts, especially if you're in a pinch. 

Friday's Quote

I woke up this morning feeling a kid on summer break. The next eleven days are work-free days, with no alarm clock going off and no real plans. It's during these stretches of time, that life slows down and time takes on a different meaning.

I'm looking forward to enjoying some of the 'lazy days of summer.' Sleeping in a bit, art projects, outdoor markets, a trip to the beach, cold glasses of lemonade and whatever else feels right in the moment.

 'And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees...I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.' F. Scott Fitzgerald

Lavender Grace

A while back, my mom called me one night and asked if she could purchase a few jars of lavender hand scrub for her friends. Delighted to have an order, I of course said yes. At the time I didn't think much of it, but during one of our lunch time chats, she told me she had a little something for me and to remind her the next time we saw each other.

One of her friends has diabetes and wound up losing her foot and part of her leg. I can't even imagine what that must be like. As part of her recovery, my mom had given her a jar of the lavender scrub and a second one when she used it up. She used it to keep her hands hydrated and feeling nice after her hands took a beating from using her wheelchair. Throughout her recovery she told my  mom what a comfort the scrub was. The scent, the feel and the thought - knowing someone made something for her that aided in the healing process, both mentally and physically.

This wooden sculpture by Willow Tree named, Lavender Grace, meaning 'May all your senses be filled with healing grace' was her thank you to me for making something that brought a little hope and relief to a trying time.

I'm incredibly touched and humbled at the thought, especially considering all she has been through and to in turn, think of me. Lavender Grace now sits in my studio as a reminder of how we can heal one another even in our darkest hour.