Lavender Eye Pillow Tutorial

Good Morning! Well Mother's Day is a month away and here is a lovely gift you could make for any Mommy you know! Select some lovely fabric, I chose Anna's voile of course, mainly because I had scraps left over from Easter. The voile is nice though because it feels so soft against your face. Once you have selected your fabric you will also need to gather rice, lavender buds, and a fabric to use for lining.

Step 1: Cut out four rectangles, 5" x 8"

Step 2: Do any embroidery you would like to add now. I chose to put the words "Dreaming of fabric..." on my front piece.

Step 3: Lay fabric right sides together (including lining) and stitch three sides, using 1/2" seam.

Step 4: Fill the pillow with about a cup of rice and 1/4 cup of lavender buds. If you are sensitive to smells I would use less lavender. Experiment with what smells good to you :) You can either grow your own lavender and dry it or buy some here.

Step 5: Tuck the raw edges in and top stitch your opening.

Step 6: Wrap and send your gift...or enjoy it yourself ;)

Organizing tip of the week

I would like to say that I am organized enough to give you a tip every week...but that's not true. So I am going to try to pass along what I can when I can :) I came up with this last night when I was so tired of her little pony tail holders showing up ALL OVER the house! Plus it's a great way to use your old spools of thread! Now I need a way to organize her bows. What are your tips for storing and displaying hair bows?

My Flower Child

Here are some photos reminding you all to stop and smell the roses. Enjoy your life one day at a time and be present."Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air" Ralph Waldo Emerson

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6 Steps to a Shiny Sink

Ok- if you have never taken the time to shine your sink- today is your day! One of my favorite resources for cleaning tips is www.flylady.com. She has lots of simple tips for helping us clean without getting overwhelmed. Here is her guide (slightly modified by me) to shining your sink- I do this about four times a year, the rest of the time you can just maintain it.

Be sure to rinse well between each step.

1. Take all dirty dishes out of the sink.
2. Fill both sides with hot water. Add about 1/3 cup of Simple Green to each side and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Drain and rinse very well. Sprinkle baking soda in your sink and scrub with a sponge.
Step 4: Rinse the sink very well, then take a sharp edge and clean around the edge of your sink, like you would clean under your finger nails.

Step 5: Scrub around the faucet with a toothbrush- you will be shocked at the gunk that has accumulated there.
Step 6: Spray your sink down with window cleaner and give it a good shine. I use paper towels but you could also use a cloth.
Ok- are you ready for the result?!?!?


AHHHH... one happy mama with a clean shiny sink. Have fun!
jessica

Take some Mommy time

Hello! I hope you all had a lovely Easter. Today my challenge for you is to take some relaxing time for yourself. I know how difficult it is to remember to take care of ourselves, but it is so important! To be a caregiver you must be healthy and clear-minded. (My daughter is sick this week so I am in need of some care myself) So here is my suggestion for this evening - I will be doing it so you do it with me:

Make a cup of chamomile tea - it promotes relaxation and improves digestion- my favorite is Zena's Gypsy Tea

Next, take a bath. Sprinkle some lavender buds or essential oil into the water. Lavender promotes relaxation and peace. When you get out of the bath, condition your skin with some oil- I like sunflower or safflower - you can fragrance it with lavender if you like. Oil is better for your skin than most lotions because oil is what your skin naturally produces.

Finally slip into some cozy p.j.s and pull an eye mask down over your face to block out all light and distractions. Drift off into sweet dreams! Have a relaxing day!

jessica

Things I did today:

Easiest thing I did today:
Took pictures of these beautiful dresses/skirt! These are our Easter outfits. I made the skirt for myself, my mom made the gorgeous smocked dress for Charlotte, and I made the baby doll dress and hat for Charlotte's baby to wear to church. When you have such amazing fabric, thank you Anna Maria Horner, ANYTHING you make will be beautiful!
Hardest thing I did today:
Cleaned out and packed up my fabric stash. Ugh. I tried to be really good and only save the wonderful ones. I put them into plastic bags (the Oven Ready ones) so that nothing will get into them as they sit in storage and wait patiently for us to move to Tennessee. However, I think it will be much like a fabric Christmas when I get to unpack, it will have been 3 months and I will have forgotten what is even in there. I did save out a few fabrics, and everything I need for my quilt as I am going to be working on that and some other home accessories while we are in transition.

Most meaningful thing I did today:
Played with my beautiful daughter at the park -gorgeous day, gorgeous child!
Most creative thing I did today:
Made these little chick cookies for the Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow. I am trying to learn to enjoy baking (it's very precise...) and I would normally have made these from scratch along with the icing, but I am up to my elbows in last minute Easter projects and packing up my house so here is the super easy cheater way to make these cookies. Buy a boxed sugar cookie mix. Buy some pre-made cookie icing. Buy some sweetened shredded coconut, and yellow food coloring. You will also need some kind of orange candy - I chose Starburst.

Mix the cookies and roll them out according to the directions. Using a heart cookie cutter, cut out a cookie. Cut it in half- this will make two chicks. Using a small circle cookie cutter cut out two circles - these are the heads. Attach the circles to the half-hearts. Cut out the rest of your cookies. Here is a tip: to make "perfect cookies" make more than you need, then only select the best ones to use. I cook 14 cookies when I need 12. Bake according to directions. After they have cooled, ice them with your icing. Really good icing tips here. Pour the coconut onto a cutting board and chop it finely. Place it into a bowl and dye it yellow. While the icing is still wet, sprinkle the coconut onto your cookies - these are your fluffy little chick feathers! Add a little beak and cheep cheep cheep! ( i also added 1 sprinkle for an eye)

Wow busy day! but so wonderful-live your life to the fullest! Enjoy your holiday everyone!
jessica

Picnic anyone?

Ok, I will admit it. I am a snob about Wal-mart. I don't like going there. I always go to Target, which I love :) However yesterday, circumstances were such that I found myself wandering the aisles of my local Wal-mart. I needed contact solution and didn't have the time to drive to Target. So Charlotte and I were walking through some of the Easter things when I stumbled upon these plates and cups. All plastic or melamine but so cute right? And the best part is they were $2.00 each! And the yellow plate was only $1.00! So no, they are not the plates from Anthropologie that I want, but you know what? They are what I can afford, and they won't break if my cats jump across the table, or if Charlotte's dancing sends her flying. And when I pair them with my own dishes and my Anthropologie S&P shakers, they look pretty good. I think they would be perfect for a party, way better than paper plates, and you could use them over and over. So I decided that they are my housewarming present to myself, for the house that we will move into...whenever we find one:)
Congratulations Wal-mart, you just moved up slightly in my opinion and I will try not to be so snobby about you in the future.

Have a springy day!
jessica