Decorator Pillows and Handmade Flowers

Last fall my husbands grandmother gave me a pile of decorator fabric remnants that someone had given her.  When trying to figure out what to do with them I thought maybe I could make some throw pillows or some purses.  I decided to go with the pillow idea.  Once I started looking around for pillow forms I was surprised to find out how very expensive they are.  I was planning to make six pillows on a budget of $10. I was reading some blogs looking for ideas of how to stuff my pillows without spending a fortune, and came across the idea of buying $3 pillows at Wal-mart (or wherever you go to buy junky stuff) and cutting them down to size.  I bought 4 pillows for a total of $12.  If your lucky to find them on sale you could probably get them for $2.50 each. 

First, I cut each $3 pillow right in half.

Then I zig-zagged the raw edges together.  I don't think anyone will ever see my sewing job, so I wasn't too persnickety about it being perfect.  I squared off the corners too, tucking them in and sewing them diagonally.

Then I took two pieces of my upholstery scraps and put them right sides together, leaving an opening to turn it right side out and insert the pillow.  I used as much of the fabric as I could (why not?).

Then I turned it right side out and pressed it flat.  I sewed two more seams- one around the very outside edge to make it lay flat and another about 1.5 or 2 inches in from the outside (leaving the center area big enough to fit the pillow), and of course leaving that opening to insert the pillow.  You don't want the center to be any bigger than the pillow as your finished pillow won't look stuffed enough. Rather, make it about an inch smaller than the pillow so it will be nice and firm in the end.  

Next I stuffed the pillow inside and sewed it shut along both seams.   I was not concerned about making the case removable for washing, as I had not made a huge investment in making them (surface clean only please!).  

Then I decided that the pillows needed a little something extra.  I've seen several things online about making organza flowers by cutting up pieces of organza fabric and melting the edges, and I've always wanted to try it.  Well, unfortunately to say I had no organza on hand and the closest fabric store is nearly 3 hours away, so I used what I did have on hand.  The same afore mentioned grandma has given me quite a few random fabric scraps (thank you grandma :)  and I had a few things to choose from.  Any thin material that melts will work- any synthetic material.  Cotton, linen, silk and wool WILL NOT work, they just burn and crumble.  If you are not sure whether a material is man made or natural, just take a match to it and see if it melts or crumbles (don't burn down the house or your fingers- I am sure you knew that part :) If it melts, it is a synthetic material, and if it crumbles it is a natural material.  

Anyways, I cut out several very unperfect flower shapes out of some thin shiny synthetic material. Some were bigger for the bottom of the flower and some a little smaller for the upper layers. You can make as little as 5 layers, but I recommend more like 9 layers for a fuller flower.  

Then I lit a tea candle and got to work. On the smaller pieces I used a tweezers to hold it close to the flame so I wouldn't burn myself.  I came to the conclusion that if I ever have to run through a burning house and I am wearing synthetics, I would rather get naked than risk getting fabric melted to my skin!  Anyways, don't let the freshly melted parts touch your fingers.  Hold the fabric close to the flame and let it slowly melt.  If you put it too far into the flame it will just catch on fire.  Melt it until there is a melted ridge along the edge and it starts to curl up, molding it into a flower type shape.  

Then I took all the layers and stacked them up, arranging them in a eye pleasing way.  Then with needle and thread I secured the layers together.  On the back side I really cinched the center in together to give the flower more of a cupped shape than just flat.  

I kept on working with the needle and thread until the flower was a nice shape and then sewed a button in the center.  I used some pretty buttons I had saved off of a dress I threw out.  You could sew on some beads instead if you wanted.   

I think they turned out pretty, don't you?

I hand sewed them onto the pillows and then they were done.  I kept one for myself and gave the rest away as gifts.  With not too much money, and a little bit of work on my part, I was able to make a few decent gifts that didn't blow our budget.  :)  If you were a recipient of one of these pillows, now you know how little money I spent on you :o - OH NO!  :D

While I was at it I decided to make some flowers for my hair.  I made one cream one and one brown one.  

I attached the flowers to a hair pin, using a small piece of felt for support.  

I made several little black poppies on small hair bands for some little girls I know, too.  

 

I probably wouldn't spend the money to go out and buy the fabric for these projects, but they were fun and economical since I had all the material already on hand.  

I still have a bag full of decorator fabric left- do you have any other good ideas I could try?  

Home Made Body Lotion Recipes

These are some lotion recipes I whipped up this winter and gave away as gifts.  This was my first experience with making lotion, but I think it went pretty well.  Homemade lotion is economical and is healthier for you than store bought lotions because they don't contain any chemicals. Home made lotions are practically edible! The first lotion I made was with almond oil.  It smells really yummy- just like almond frosting or almond cookies!  

Almond Body Frosting (Lotion)

1/4 teaspoon borax powder

1/2 cup water

1 cup almond oil

2 Tablespoons grated beeswax

1 teaspoon almond extract 

In a small heat resistant container, dissolve the borax in the water.  You can find Borax in any grocery store next to the laundry detergent.  In a second heat resistant container combine the oil and the grated beeswax.  I ordered my oil and beeswax online here.

Put the oil and beeswax in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until the wax has melted.  

Put the water and borax mixture in the microwave for 1 minute, or until just under boiling temperature.  Your goal is to get the water and the oil to approximately the same temperature before combining them.  

Next pour the borax water in the blender and turn it on.  Then while the blender is running, add the oil in a slow steady stream.  

Blend on high for about 2 minutes.  It will look white and thick.  If it is still really runny, just let it cool off for 5 minutes or so and then try blending it a little more.  As it cools it will get thicker.  

Blend in the almond extract and pour into containers with lids.  This recipe makes enough lotion to fill 3- 4 ounce bottles.  

The first time I made this recipe the lotion was still runny a few days later.   I put it back into the blender and it got really thick and creamy right away.  When you use this lotion it will give your skin a soft sheen that will soak in within a few minutes leaving your skin nice and soft.  

Here is another recipe for making body lotion using sunflower oil.  

Helianthus Body Lotion

1/4 teaspoon borax powder

1 cup water

1 cup sunflower oil

1 Tablespoon grated beeswax

essential oils (optional)

Combine borax with water in one heat resistant container and combine oil and wax in another heat resistant container.  Heat the oil for 2 minutes in the microwave (until the wax is melted) and heat the water in the microwave for 1 minute (just under boiling temperature).

Turn on the blender and pour in the hot water mixture.  While the blender is running add the oil in a thin steady stream.  

Let the lotion whip for 2 minutes until it is thick and creamy.  If it does not thicken up immediately, let it cool down for a while and whip it up some more. 

Don't forget to add some of your favorite essential oils.  I added 5 drops of lavender and 10 drops of rosemary oil to mine.  Then put it in a bottle and tie a pretty bow in it.  :)  This recipe makes enough lotion to fill 4- 4 ounce bottles.  

The greenish looking bottles are filled with massage oil.  Here's how I made mine:

Fill the bottle with Grape Seed Oil (found in the cooking oil section of the grocery store) and add 15 to 30 drops of your essential oil of choice.  This would also work wonderfully with sweet almond oil or any other light oil.  

One last lotion recipe I made using Grape Seed Oil:

Grape Seed Oil Lotion

1/4 teaspoon borax powder

1/2 cup water

1 cup grape seed oil

2 Tablespoons grated beeswax

essential oils (optional)

Mix the borax and water.  Mix the oil and beeswax.  Heat the oil in the microwave for 2 minutes until the beeswax is melted.  Heat the water in the microwave for 1 minute until hot, but not boiling.  Pour the water into the blender and while it is on high, add the hot oil in a steady stream.  Blend for 2 minutes until thick and creamy, allowing to cool if necessary.  Add  the essential oils and put in a bottle with a cover.  

I used 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and 5 drops of peppermint essential oil in mine.  This recipe makes enough to fill 3- 4 ounce bottles.  

I hope you have as much fun as I did with these recipes.  If you've made lotion before, I'd love to hear from you and maybe even get some pointers or new recipes to try!

Introducing...

Nutmeg

Ginger

Pumpkin

Spice

Just in time for Thanksgiving :) 

Growing Our Own Food

 Here is a photo recap of a few of the things we raised to eat this summer.  

This is a photo of my garden in July.  I had 7 rows that were 4 feet by 25 feet each with grass between each row for walking on.  We had a warmer than usual summer and we got some rain too, so it was a great year for gardening. 

I planted lettuce twice this year once in April and once in July, so we had DELICIOUS lettuce all summer and fall.   I really miss it now that it is winter!  We cut the lettuce about an inch above the soil and it grew back at least three times before it started heading out.  

I think these Chattooga beets are really pretty and they were sweet too.  Still I am the only one in my family who will eat them though.

I like growing things in my garden that you can't find at the grocery store, like these bi-colored carrots. 

Good old green and yellow beans. 

Raspberries from the garden.

Blueberries from the wild. 

Heirloom Rattlesnake Snap beans.  The purple disappears when you cook them. 

This is my garden in August.

I grew some pole beans in with the corn.  We never did get any corn, but we got a few beans.  I think I'll try a fence next year for the pole beans so that they get more sun and skip the corn all-together since I've never gotten any corn. 

The pepper plants were loaded with green peppers just waiting to ripen to red, orange, or purple.

We got lots of huge green tomatoes, but as soon as they started to ripen our free-range egg chickens would eat them, so we had to put up a fence in a hurry.

This is Kira and an abnormally large Chattooga beet. 

I made some apple butter with little apples from the neighbors tree.  

I was afraid the frost would get my tomatoes and peppers, so I brought them all in on the same day.  One full table of sweet peppers (and some jalapeno peppers), a half a table of almost ripe tomatoes, a half a table of ripe and almost ripe black cherry tomatoes......

... and one full counter of totally green tomatoes.  Most of them eventually ripened up nicely for canning, salsa making, etc. 

I had so many green tomatoes that I decided to make green tomato salsa and green tomato pie.  Believe it of not they were both really delicious!

Here are some of the big colorful heirloom tomatoes we got. They didn't keep long though- you definitely had to do something with them quick once they got ripe!

I waited for my peppers to ripen to color once I brought them in the house.  

Then I cut them up and froze them to make omelets, stir fry, and fajitas this winter.  I also canned the extra jalapenos I didn't need to make salsa.  They are so hot I am not sure what I'll do with them!

I made this tomato soup with all the surplus garden stuff I needed to use up from the garden.  It had 6 cups carrots, 6 cups celery, 10 cups onions, 18 garlic cloves, 32 cups tomatoes, plus seasoning in it. I was amazed at how good it actually turned out considering how many vegetables are packed in it!!!

Here is one of our adult Californian meat rabbits.  

These are some freezer babies (they don't stay this cute forever!).  Californian crossed with Champagne D'Argent.  

These are our new Boer meat goats.  They are so cute and sweet I am not sure if we will eat the weathers or if we will sell them.

These are heirloom Calipso dry beans from my garden.  

These are heirloom Painted Pony dry beans from my garden.  

 These are heirloom Hidatsa Shield Figure dry beans from my garden. They were originally grown by the Hidatsa Indians who lived in North Dakota in the Missouri River Valley.

I only got a few pounds from this years crop of dry beans, so I'll probably save most of them for planting next year and hope for a big crop then. I originally got the seeds at www.seedsavers.org

I saved seeds from the peppers I had that weren't hybrids.  

I also saved seeds from the black cherry tomatoes by fermenting off the gel coating around the seeds.  I have enough seeds for about 100 years I am sure! Next year I'll have to save seeds from some of my other favorite heirloom tomato varieties too (I just didn't get around to it this year).  

We also have about 30 free range chickens that supply us with eggs, but I didn't take a picture of them this year yet.  

While not necessarily cost efficient, I enjoy raising as much of our own food as we can.  I have gained a little experience (this is the 4th year we have had a garden) and I have much, much, more to learn I am certain!