SIMPLE DIY 'ALL NATURAL' FACIAL CLEANSER..

Easy D.I.Y.  on how to make your own 'all natural' facial cleansing wipes. 

A few years ago when I was diagnosed with Basil Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer which thankfully is very treatable and easy to have surgically removed I decided to rethink what I put on my skin.  

These BCC's as they are called are probably from sun damage but one was on my breast close to my armpit which my dermatologist said could be as a result of using certain harmful underarm deodorants. This made me rethink all of my skin care products and more specifically their ingredients! I switched to a natural ingredient deoderant straight away as I haven't tried making that yet but I have made my own cleanser and moisturisers and they work just fine!

 

All you need is:

1 pack of cotton Pads

10 drops Tea tree oil

10 drops Lemon Oil

2 Tablespoons Almond Oil

2 Tablespoons Boiled Water (Cooled)

1 Mason jar or any clean container.

Method:

It's so easy! Simply mix the cooled boiled water with  the oils in the mason jar.

Close the lid tight. Shake really well and add the cotton pads straight away before the mixture has a chance to separate. 

Let it cool down and store it in a cool place (refrigerate if possible so it lasts longer) and that's basically it.

I used a small mason jar which I put through the dishwasher first to make sure it was sterilized as you want everything to be as clean as possible to eliminate the risk of bacteria growing. The tea tree oil helps out here as it already contains natural anti bacterial elements. 

Lemon is a natural cleanser and the almond oil is a good carrier oil. You might want to add more oils depending on how much cotton pads you use. If you don't want your cleanser to be too oily just add extra water, lemon and tea tree oils but less of the almond oil.

I love using this cleanser because I know it's all natural with no harmful ingredients whatsoever added to it.  If you have really dry skin this moisturises your skin also rather than completely stripping away all your own natural oils.

It's hard to find all natural cleansing and moisturising products without spending a small fortune so I love being able to make my own now and it's actually a lot of fun to be able to make them as I know exactly what is in the jar when I go to use it.   

When I was younger I wouldn't have given a whole lot of thought to this stuff but if you think about it, whatever you put on your skin is being absorbed down into it on a daily basis so it should be of the best quality and all natural if possible.  

Hand Knit Bob The Builder

Remember This Little Guy?

Is anyone else fascinated by the talents of people who knit? Well I am. I cannot knit for nuts. And when Bob the Builder was all the range years ago My Auntie Claire didn't just run out and buy the plastic version  of him. Oh no - she made her very own hand knitted version of him for my son (who is now 16) so he's been in the attic all those years well over a decade now. Bob that is, not my son. Although we do have two imaginary people called Bridget and Mary who live in our attic and they're responsible for all the things that get lost or broken! But sin scéal eile. So ya, this little guy gets my vote or at least the work that went into him. He even has his own ittle hammer and tool belt made separately! So cute..

Actually I just realised he even has a special little holder thingy on the back of his tool belt for his hammer. Really amazing details! So you can see why I couldn't part with him. Recently my Aunt offered to teach me how to knit so I might just take up knitting in my old age. And we all know what Bob the Builder would say...

Or was that Obama?

Super Easy DIY 'NO-SEW' - Recovered Bar Stools

The before looks really bad but these chairs were actually still so comfy to sit on and still very sturdy so I decided to recover them. 

So this a close up of the cat claw damage....  

And here's the after before the next battering from the cats of course. They're clawing as we speak. We gave up shooing them off stuff long ago. That's how it is if you have cats.

I use an old cushion to get a more plump seat

It was just meant to be a quick fix but I think they turned out really great and took so little time to do (approx one hour per chair).  Oh! and I stuck in an old cushion to each stool to make them a bit plumper as they had gotten a little deflated over the years.

One other thing I did was use the reverse side of the fabric.  Here's a photo of the 'right' side of the fabric and while it's really nice I just didn't think the white stripe would be suitable for kitchen use so I flipped it and luckily the reverse side had a black fleck of thread going through the white stripe which gives it a more grainier look and I think it looks just as great and will be easier to keep clean.

The flip side...

This is all you need. A good Staple gun and sissors.

Here's a close up of some stapling and tucking details. You can barely see that one staple unless you are up close and scrutinising! 

You can just see one staple there on the black stripe but I can magic marker over that. The other staples are either hidden or landed on the white stripes so they're almost invisible.

Kevin giving me a helping hand for this part..

And here's Kevin helping me take this next pic just to show you how to flake those staples in there good and strong. I'm even seeing some pug hair on there already!! Oh yeah did I mention - we have two pugs also:-)

Here's a closer look of the above photo. I thought I'd have to add some piping here to cover the staples but because I added an extra cushion under the fabric - the seat puffed up and covered all those staples saving me that extra step.  Horray! You can see also I didn't have to cut and match up my fabric for this part. It's all one long piece of fabric. Well now wasn't that just handy dandy as that police officer lady  would say in 'Fargo' What was her name... anyway great movie.. must watch that again.

And here's a shot of the underneath. Pretty ugly but who cares it's all stapled good and tight and no one gets to see this part only aforementioned cats:-)

I'm very happy with them.Now I need to decide what colour to paint the legs. Any suggestion?

Kitchen DIY - Brighten Up Your Kitchen with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

Below: Before the cabinets were painted.

Below:  The Cabinets are painted with Annie Sloan 'Olde White'  Chalk Paint and finished with Annie Sloan Clear Wax.

Below:  Walls are primed & french doors are ready to be painted dark grey.

Below:  The french doors were painted with Colortrend Templar Grey.

Below: Walls painted in Dulux Parisian Cream.

 Below:Doors were all taken off and  before the new wainscot back splash went up we took the opportunity to add extra electrical outlets as the island gets so much use with phones and laptops etc. charging. 

Below: Opting for a wooden wainscot back splash instead of tile adds some texture and warmth which can sometimes be lost in an all white kitchen.  

Oval table is painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in 'Graphite' and given two coats of Annie Sloan dark wax for sheen and protection...  Spot the hammer!

Below: We added hammered pewter door handles for more texture and, well, just because they're gorgeous.

All the tiny wooden pine knobs were switched out for the more dramatic Hammered Pewter Handles. This made a huge difference to the overall look..

And to add some colour, this sturdy little geranium flowers in the kitchen almost year round.

Cobalt blue accessories are great against white for some added contrast.

A cozy reading nook never goes astray..

Wooden love heart..

More wooden love hearts :-)

One last before and after!

 Just one more.. 

And that's it for now..