Getting Clean ...and a Recipe!

A few weeks ago I came across the One Green Generation blog while they were going through a detox cleanse. I followed along until they finished and it seemed like such a great experience for them! I bought the book and have been working my way through it. It sounds like a cool deal to me so I told hubster about it and it's a go with him too. I want to finish the book and then we'll get started. The total cleanse is for 21 days + a week long elimination process that is done before the cleanse is actually started. I think I'll do the whole thing, but I told my husband he can at least try for the 7 day cleanse and if he feels up to it he can continue with me. I'm pretty excited about it and if anyone is interested I can do daily posts like they did on OGG. The book says keeping a journal is a good idea anyway.

Anyhoo, on to the recipe! This is another "bath and body" recipe in my quest to make myself and my environment cleaner and greener! This time it's for a powdered deodorant. I used to use just straight baking soda but found that it really made me itch so I went back to the stick deodorant/antiperspirant. I was reading recently that the soda by itself is too strong and that it should be cut with corn starch so I thought I'd give it another go. I tried this recipe and have been using it for over a week and really like it. I even got hubby on board! I'm pretty sure the recipe came from the OGG blog too, I just cut mine down so it would fit in my 4 oz. jars.

Powdered Deodorant

1/4 cup Baking Soda ( I use Bob's Red Mill "Aluminum Free" Baking Soda)
1/4 cup Cornstarch (I'm wondering if arrowroot would work too?)
2 drops Tea Tree essential oil (I use NOW brand)
1 Bay Leaf

Mix the soda and starch together. Add the 2 drops of tea tree oil and stir with a toothpick (or whatever you have on hand. I used a bobby pin since I was mixing this up in my bathroom!). Pour into a small jar or other container with a tight fitting lid. Stick one bay leaf in there and close up the jar. Shake to mix it all up. I let mine set overnight but I don't know if that's absolutely necessary. I'm sure you can just use it right away. To use, I take a cotton ball and use it like a powder puff to apply enough powder to cover my underarm area. It doesn't take much!

Now, this doesn't prevent wetness; although, the starch does absorb a little. I swear I have had no odor and my husband says he hasn't either! Cool! The real test will be this summer when even the store bought stuff doesn't help me out.

Next up is homemade laundry detergent! There are about a bazillion recipes on the web for laundry soaps. I'm trying a powdered one and I'll let you know how it works!

In sewing news, the time is coming when I'll finally be able to unveil what those crazy Pattens by Figgy's ladies have been up to with their book! I can't wait!

I know, I'm sorry....

I haven't updated this baby in a super long time! Ugh! I've just been totally bogged down lately with a big custom order and a sick child. She's pretty much well now but was home from school for almost 2 weeks with bronchitis and a throat and sinus infection. Yuck, poor baby! It *almost* turned into pneumonia and thank goodness it did not.

I'm almost finished with the custom order but I ran out of the ribbon so I'm waiting on more of that. I did make some progress on the bra I'm making for my friend Amy (Hi Amy!). The last fitting went really well, I think. We're getting closer to a good fit.

I finished my black and red Danglez bra and a nude Queen Elite some time ago. I think I've finally got a good fit with the QE. The red and black fits good but I think I need to tweek the cups just a tad. There's just something not quite right yet. I might stop sewing bras for myself for just a bit since I've upped my exercise routine and will hopefully start losing weight again. I joined an aqua aerobics class and I still swim in the morning with DH. I love this class though! It's really fun and everyone is sooo nice. It's at our local community college and I was so worried it was going to be full of cute-n-tiny college girls. Well, I'm the youngest by at least 20 years and there are all sizes. Yay!

I have no pictures of the new bras as my camera is sorta jacked up at the moment. It's dying and just needs to be replaced. I can borrow DD's so I can at least post some pics here and at PR.

Well, I better go and get busy. I rearranged my living room yesterday and just have a few more books to put away and need to vacuum under the couch.

*Oh* I have to tell you all that hubby and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Sept. 1st! I cannot believe it has been that long, it's gone by so fast. I've been with him since I was 16! How does he put up with me?!

Have a great weekend!

Whew!

Well, I just got back from the eye doctor and had some good news to share. Last time, my eye pressures were up really high but when she checked them today they were normal! Whoo hoo!! I still have some nerve stuff going on that we have to keep a close eye on. It's basically the very beginning stages of Glaucoma. With me being an artist and fanatical sewist it really made me nervous and well, downright scared! I mean seiously, I just can't go blind. I feel relieved and all the more determined to eat well, exercise, and be healthy.


I want to wish all the fellow Mommas out there a belated Happy Mother's Day! I hop you all had a loverly day! I had a nice day of sleeping in, lounging around, and I even took a nap! Gene cleaned the kitchen for me, too! Now that's a major gift. For my present, I'm getting some Le Creuset cookware. YES! I fell in love with it when I was a bridal consultant some years ago and have been wanting some for, like, EVER!! If you can't tell, I'm most excited about this.

Oh! Look what I found this morning!!! Yep, those are baby apples! The tree is covered with them this year so I'm really hoping for some delish apples this fall. I've mentioned before how wonderful these little guys are so I'm pretty stoked.

I've been at a bit of a dead end with sewing. I did work on a special order for panties and got them done Saturday. I made about 4-5 muslins for the bodice of Butterick 5181 and it's just not workin'. I think I'm going to scrap the bust dart and just do gathers. I'd like to squeeze a little bra sewing in today since the rest of the week I'm babysitting for some friends of ours. Their little girl, who is about 21 months, is good as gold and I love watching her. I'm kinda thinking about breaking out my Portabello Pixie patterns and making her something. I haven't tried them yet and they are so darn adorable!!!

I totally scored the other day at the thrift shop and I want to show you what I got. I'll try to get some pictures taken and post tomorrow or later today. Anyhoo, I absolutely love vintage lingerie (who could have guessed that?!) and so if I find some I like to add to my collection. I picked up some frothy peignoirs and an orange, yes orange, nightie! It's so cute. I hope someday to fit into it! I also added to my vintage pattern stash. Surprise, surprise!

Until then, have a lovely Monday!

Whoo hoo

Yippee! I got my custom bra pattern from Danglez yesterday! I held up my original tracing to the new pattern and it is considerably smaller. In a good way I think. Dini was also very generous in that she included a patterns for a diagonal seam and vertical seam cup! Cool huh?

I am working on Butterick 5181 view B right now, though. I think I've got the bodice fitted. Well I tissue fitted it and today I want to get a muslin made up to make sure it fits in fabric! I had to do a 3" FBA so we'll see. It's a cute dress and as I've mentioned before I really like this maxi style so I hope it works on me. I'm thinking about wearing it with a little cardigan or something to cover my heavy upper arms. Of course when it's super hot this summer I'm not going to give a crap about my arms! But for now....

I'm totally exhausted this morning. Gene and I started up our swimming again after being off for 3 weeks. We were all sick with coughs and crap but all better now. It's amazing how much strength is lost in 3 weeks! I've also started reading Jillian Michaels' new book Master Your Metabolism. I just started and am only about 1/4 of the way through but so far it's a good read. She talks about all the chemicals and crap that are in our food and environment that are messing up our bodies and how it in turn makes us fat. Very interesting and kinda scary!

Well, I think that's all I have for this post. Will get some pictures up when I have more done on the dress. Also I know some of you are waiting for that tutorial on how to make the front bra band narrower. I have not forgotten! I will get to that ASAP! ;-D

Until then, have a good one!