Quick Tummy Trouble Relief

I can’t remember where I first read this little trick, but all I know is that it works and is almost too easy. Easy enough that I stored it away in my memory and used it out of desperation once, only to discover it really does work.

Next time you start having digestive issues, try adding 2 drops of peppermint essential oil to a tall glass of water. I like to sip the water over time, but my fiance, who hates the taste of peppermint, just chugs it as fast as he can to get it over with (and if he’s willing to do that it must work well because he thinks all my natural remedies are so “weird”).

Peppermint works by calming your digestive muscles, allowing things to pass and calm down, thus relieving your discomfort. It definitely seems works since anyone I have ever had try it has said they felt much better within 10-15 minutes. I keep a small bottle of oil in my purse so I always have it handy.

*If you are pregnant, or have a diagnosed condition that would cause you to have digestive issues, please use caution when trying this remedy. I have seen some articles that said peppermint can help those who suffer from conditions such as IBS, but I would encourage you to do your own research before trying this natural remedy. Please also use caution when giving this to children. I would not recommend it for any child under the age of two and would suggest diluting the peppermint oil even more for any child under 13.

Try it any let me know what you think.

What other natural digestive remedies have you tried?

*Hey! Please remember I not a doctor or expert. I’m just passing on knowledge to you. Please don’t think that just because something works for me, it will automatically work for you too. Use your own judgement and do your own research before trying anything.

Easy, Cheap, and All-Natural Eye Make-up Remover

I few months ago I posted about my homemade eye make-up removing wipes. Over all I’ve like them, however I wanted a more liquid version and something that would be a little more portable (versus having to remember to pack a few wipes).

This recipe works great and is super cheap and easy. It requires only three items. And no measuring.

You’ll need olive oil, witch hazel, and a container to put it in. (Yes, that’s a coffee mate container holding my olive oil.)

*Few notes:

-Interesting article on the quality of olive oils on the market

-A lot of people use baby oil, which is mineral oil. I do NOT recommend it!

-Witch hazel can be found at places like Wal-Mart. Look in the area where you would find rubbing alcohol, usually on the isle with the band-aids. 

Now that that’s cleared up we can get down to business – making your eye make-up remover. Ready?

Fill your bottle with one part olive oil and two parts witch hazel.

Now shake and use. (You’ll need to shake before each use since it does separate.)

*Note: Less is more! You don’t need much to clean your make-up off. Too much and you’ll end up with really greasy eyes. 

Yes, it really is that easy. And considering you most likely have olive oil already on hand and witch hazel is a whopping $2 a bottle, it’s super cheap too.

Pair it with some cut up fleece squares that you can wash and reuse and you’ll be well on your way to being a little more crunchy!

Pretty Pastel Pinwheels – for baby

Back in the fall, shortly after I finally finished my sister’s quilt, I made one for my boyfriend’s youngest niece. This quilt was actually a year overdue as I had intended to give it to her when she was born. I was in the middle of my final semester in school however and simply did not have time to make it. Although had I been smart I would have made it in the summer, but I mean, why think ahead like that or anything. So she got it for her first birthday instead. I don’t think she particularly cared.

I actually had purchased the backing fabric along with two of the other fabrics the summer before she was born, but had never gotten around to finding more fabric for the blocks. About a month before her birthday, thinking I was all awesome and planning ahead, I picked the rest of the fabrics.

And then I waited until four days until her birthday to get started.

Genius!

(Sounds familiar, no?)

Needless to say, I never wanted to see another pinwheel again once I was done. I actually finished stitching the binding the day of her party.

Thank heavens I had happened to see this fast and easy way to make pinwheels when researching patterns for my sister and it saved some major time. I still had to cut my squares but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made my deadline otherwise.

Overall I’m happy with how it turned out. I wish the contrast was better though. See how those squares with the gray polka dots really pop out? I wish it was more like that in every square. I thought that choosing fabrics was going to be easy, however it turned out to be way more challenging than I thought. I was basing the color scheme off the backing, which was very pastel-y. Turns out it hard to find fabric with those pastel-y colors but in the end, I should have been looking some darker tones too. Oh well, lesson learned.

I also learned that planning each block and making a bunch of the same ones would have been a smarter plan of attack than putting together each one at random. Because of that, I had to no easy way to lay it out, and it ended up taking me forever to lay it all out. After doing my sister’s though, it was still felt so quick to put together.

I wish I could tell you the dimensions, but honestly, I cannot remember. It was something around 40″x40″. Pinwheels are pretty easy to put together, so I think this would be an easy quilt for a beginner. As always, I recommend keeping it small, especially if you are new to sewing in general.

As always, feel free to ask questions if you have them!