Pamper Yourself

Happy Friday my darlins - hope you have all had a wondermous week!  We made it to the weekend - WHEW! My week has been sooooooo sloooowwww and just dragged on that it's made the week seem even longer. *sigh*  Anyway, after all of the other tips I've passed on to you this week, I wanted to end the week with some ways you can pamper yourself very inexpensively!  I'm sure you can tweak these as you go along - probably with essential oils or something to make it even "sweeter". :o)  Enjoy and let me know if you use any of these.  I personally plan to make up a few concoctions this weekend to see how they work for myself.

Gentle Scrub for Fresher Skin - 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Chopped fresh tomato

2 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream

Place the sugar in a small bowl.  Add enough fresh chopped tomato to moisten, then add the yogurt.  Combine and apply to you clean, damp face and use your fingertips to gently massage the formula into your skin.  Allow this to remain on your skin for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Super Soft Skin - Squeeze a tablespoon of lemon juice on a cotton ball/cotton pad; dab the lemon-soaked cotton ball/pad in sugar; rub the cotton ball/pad over your face as you would a facial scrub.  Scrub gently over your face for a minute.  Rinse face after you are done scrubbing and your skin will feel as soft as a baby's bottom!  

The sugar will eventually dissolve, so you can re-dab the cotton ball into the sugar as many times as you want or desire to do so.  However, please note - use this at the most once a week.  If you do this more than once a week, it will cause damage to your skin.

To exfoliate dead skin and diminish the appearance of freckles and age spots - Gently rub a cut lemon and 1/2 teaspoon sugar granules over the skin for a few minutes.  Repeat at least once a week until the darkened areas fade.  (I need to do this one myself to see if it will get rid of my age spots)

Lemon Hair Conditioner - Mix the juice of one lemon with one cup warm water and apply to hair.  Allow to remain for a few minutes, then rinse.  This will add fresh bounce and shine to your hair. 

For smooth, pretty feet -  In a foot bath, combine 1 cup of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 cup milk and enough water to fill the basin. Soak feet for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.  Do this once a week for several weeks for noticeably softer, smoother feet.  (I bet this will be great during those harsh winter months!)

Astringent toner for oily skin -  Combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon distilled water and 1 teaspoon witch hazel.  Apply with a clean cloth or cotton balls to skin, then rinse.  Do NOT use this on broken skin as it will sting!  This will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Honey cornmeal hand softener - 
1/4 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons hemp milk (or milk of your choice)
1 tablespoon honey
1 drop vanilla extract or essential oil (optional)

In a small saucepan, stir in the milk and cornmeal and simmer over low heat until thickened into a loose paste. Remove from heat, allow to cool and stir in honey and extract or oil, if using.  Massage mixture into hands and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.

Green rub for pretty feet -
2-3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons fresh avocado or avocado oil

Mix both ingredients in a small bowl until they form a meal-like mixture.  Place feet on a towel.  Put one  half of the mixture in the palm of your hand, rub both hands together, apply to one foot, working the gritty and emollient meal into calluses and rough spots, and up around the toes.  Repeat with the other half of mixture on the other foot.  Rinse and dry feet thoroughly.  Repeat treatment once or twice a week.

Peppermint Foot Scrub -
1 cup Epsom Salt
1/3 cup almond oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon castile soap
6 drops of peppermint essential oil

Mix all ingredients throughly in a bowl.  Soak your feet first if desired, using 3 quarts of hot water directly from the faucet.  Pour the water into a basin and mix in 1/4 cup Epsom salt.  Soak for 15 minutes.  Scrub your feet with the mixture, then rinse.

That's all of the beauty tips for now.  However, I have another good tip if you are interested.  This is one I use all of the time as does my son.  If you are like me and despise ironing then this tip is for you!

Homemade Downy Wrinkle Releaser Spray
1/2 capful of Downy (or a cheap Dollar Store version works just the same) liquid fabric softener
1 quart of water

Mix together and put in a spray bottle.  Spray lightly on wrinkled clothing and let dry.  

So there you go my friends.  I hope you've enjoyed this week's segment of tips and can put some of them to good use!  On another note - I realized just this week that I totally and completely missed my 1 year blogoversary - ACK! I can't believe that I let it just slip on by!  Well part of the reason is due to me being in Florida on vacation during that time, but still - it just came and went without me even realizing it.  So...in honor of my belated 1 year blogoversary - I am going to host another giveaway soon.  Since you have all been wonderful and lovely followers and friends and continue to put up with and read my randomness - I want the prize to be something really special, so I have to give it some thought.  But no worries - I will let you know in advance when the giveaway will be.  Thank you all for being such wonderful followers and leaving such sweet comments for me! I wish that I could meet you all IRL and give each of you a giant hug.  If ever you are in my neck of the woods (as Al Roker says) - please feel free to look me up - I'd love to meet you in the Big Apple (or Jersey) and have lunch!

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend my friends and thanks again for stopping by to say hi!

Lots of love and hugs,

Pamper Yourself

Happy Friday my darlins - hope you have all had a wondermous week!  We made it to the weekend - WHEW! My week has been sooooooo sloooowwww and just dragged on that it's made the week seem even longer. *sigh*  Anyway, after all of the other tips I've passed on to you this week, I wanted to end the week with some ways you can pamper yourself very inexpensively!  I'm sure you can tweak these as you go along - probably with essential oils or something to make it even "sweeter". :o)  Enjoy and let me know if you use any of these.  I personally plan to make up a few concoctions this weekend to see how they work for myself.

Gentle Scrub for Fresher Skin - 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Chopped fresh tomato

2 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream

Place the sugar in a small bowl.  Add enough fresh chopped tomato to moisten, then add the yogurt.  Combine and apply to you clean, damp face and use your fingertips to gently massage the formula into your skin.  Allow this to remain on your skin for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Super Soft Skin - Squeeze a tablespoon of lemon juice on a cotton ball/cotton pad; dab the lemon-soaked cotton ball/pad in sugar; rub the cotton ball/pad over your face as you would a facial scrub.  Scrub gently over your face for a minute.  Rinse face after you are done scrubbing and your skin will feel as soft as a baby's bottom!  

The sugar will eventually dissolve, so you can re-dab the cotton ball into the sugar as many times as you want or desire to do so.  However, please note - use this at the most once a week.  If you do this more than once a week, it will cause damage to your skin.

To exfoliate dead skin and diminish the appearance of freckles and age spots - Gently rub a cut lemon and 1/2 teaspoon sugar granules over the skin for a few minutes.  Repeat at least once a week until the darkened areas fade.  (I need to do this one myself to see if it will get rid of my age spots)

Lemon Hair Conditioner - Mix the juice of one lemon with one cup warm water and apply to hair.  Allow to remain for a few minutes, then rinse.  This will add fresh bounce and shine to your hair. 

For smooth, pretty feet -  In a foot bath, combine 1 cup of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 cup milk and enough water to fill the basin. Soak feet for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.  Do this once a week for several weeks for noticeably softer, smoother feet.  (I bet this will be great during those harsh winter months!)

Astringent toner for oily skin -  Combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon distilled water and 1 teaspoon witch hazel.  Apply with a clean cloth or cotton balls to skin, then rinse.  Do NOT use this on broken skin as it will sting!  This will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Honey cornmeal hand softener - 
1/4 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons hemp milk (or milk of your choice)
1 tablespoon honey
1 drop vanilla extract or essential oil (optional)

In a small saucepan, stir in the milk and cornmeal and simmer over low heat until thickened into a loose paste. Remove from heat, allow to cool and stir in honey and extract or oil, if using.  Massage mixture into hands and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.

Green rub for pretty feet -
2-3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons fresh avocado or avocado oil

Mix both ingredients in a small bowl until they form a meal-like mixture.  Place feet on a towel.  Put one  half of the mixture in the palm of your hand, rub both hands together, apply to one foot, working the gritty and emollient meal into calluses and rough spots, and up around the toes.  Repeat with the other half of mixture on the other foot.  Rinse and dry feet thoroughly.  Repeat treatment once or twice a week.

Peppermint Foot Scrub -
1 cup Epsom Salt
1/3 cup almond oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon castile soap
6 drops of peppermint essential oil

Mix all ingredients throughly in a bowl.  Soak your feet first if desired, using 3 quarts of hot water directly from the faucet.  Pour the water into a basin and mix in 1/4 cup Epsom salt.  Soak for 15 minutes.  Scrub your feet with the mixture, then rinse.

That's all of the beauty tips for now.  However, I have another good tip if you are interested.  This is one I use all of the time as does my son.  If you are like me and despise ironing then this tip is for you!

Homemade Downy Wrinkle Releaser Spray
1/2 capful of Downy (or a cheap Dollar Store version works just the same) liquid fabric softener
1 quart of water

Mix together and put in a spray bottle.  Spray lightly on wrinkled clothing and let dry.  

So there you go my friends.  I hope you've enjoyed this week's segment of tips and can put some of them to good use!  On another note - I realized just this week that I totally and completely missed my 1 year blogoversary - ACK! I can't believe that I let it just slip on by!  Well part of the reason is due to me being in Florida on vacation during that time, but still - it just came and went without me even realizing it.  So...in honor of my belated 1 year blogoversary - I am going to host another giveaway soon.  Since you have all been wonderful and lovely followers and friends and continue to put up with and read my randomness - I want the prize to be something really special, so I have to give it some thought.  But no worries - I will let you know in advance when the giveaway will be.  Thank you all for being such wonderful followers and leaving such sweet comments for me! I wish that I could meet you all IRL and give each of you a giant hug.  If ever you are in my neck of the woods (as Al Roker says) - please feel free to look me up - I'd love to meet you in the Big Apple (or Jersey) and have lunch!

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend my friends and thanks again for stopping by to say hi!

Lots of love and hugs,

Household Tips - Day 4

Happy Thursday!  How the heck are ya?  Things are good here - just ready for another wonderful weekend.  Yeah, I know, it's only Thursday, but still... I can dream right?! :o)  Anyway... today we are going to learn about some of the many uses of Salt! :o)  I hope you find some of these useful and again, if you have any other tips to pass along, please feel free to do so! 

SALT

1.  Prevent fruits from browning - Drop your apples, pears, etc. in lightly salted water to help them keep their color.

2.  Remove Odors from hands - Rub your fingers with a salt and vinegar combo to remove bad odors like garlic and onion.

3.  Exfoliating Massage - After bathing and while you are still wet - give yourself a massage with dry salt.  It freshens skin and boosts circulation.

4.  Deter Ants - Sprinkle salt at doorways, window sills and anywhere else ants sneak into your house.  Ants don't like to walk on salt.  

5.  Kill Poison Ivy - Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water (use a gentle dish soap) and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer, avoiding any plant life that you want to keep.  

6.  Tame a wild barbecue - Toss a bit of salt on flames from food dripping in barbecue grills to reduce the flames and calm the smoke without cooling the coals (like water does).

7.  Shell nuts more easily - Soak pecans and walnuts in salt water for several hours before shelling to make it easier to remove the meat.   


8.  Repair Walls - To fill nail holes, fix chips or other small dings in white sheet-rock or plaster walls, mix 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then add enough water (about 5 teaspoons) to make a thick paste.  Use the paste to fill the holes.

9.  Clean a glass coffee pot - Add salt and ice cubes to a coffee pot, swirl around vigorously, and rinse.  The salt will scour the bottom and the ice will help to agitate it for a better scrub.  (This is one of my absolute favs!)


10.  Basic Soft Scrub - Make a paste with lots of salt, baking soda and dish soap. Safe to use on appliances, enamel, porcelain, etc.  (This is my next one to try)

Well I hope that you are getting some good use out of these tips.  Some of them I have used for years and others I am just learning myself.  

Have a great day my friends and thanks for stopping by to say hello!  Stay tuned for tomorrow - where I will give you some ideas to pamper yourself with!  Tomorrow is Friday and the weekend - WOOT! WOOT!! :o)

Lots of love and hugs,

Household Tips - Day 4

Happy Thursday!  How the heck are ya?  Things are good here - just ready for another wonderful weekend.  Yeah, I know, it's only Thursday, but still... I can dream right?! :o)  Anyway... today we are going to learn about some of the many uses of Salt! :o)  I hope you find some of these useful and again, if you have any other tips to pass along, please feel free to do so! 

SALT

1.  Prevent fruits from browning - Drop your apples, pears, etc. in lightly salted water to help them keep their color.

2.  Remove Odors from hands - Rub your fingers with a salt and vinegar combo to remove bad odors like garlic and onion.

3.  Exfoliating Massage - After bathing and while you are still wet - give yourself a massage with dry salt.  It freshens skin and boosts circulation.

4.  Deter Ants - Sprinkle salt at doorways, window sills and anywhere else ants sneak into your house.  Ants don't like to walk on salt.  

5.  Kill Poison Ivy - Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water (use a gentle dish soap) and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer, avoiding any plant life that you want to keep.  

6.  Tame a wild barbecue - Toss a bit of salt on flames from food dripping in barbecue grills to reduce the flames and calm the smoke without cooling the coals (like water does).

7.  Shell nuts more easily - Soak pecans and walnuts in salt water for several hours before shelling to make it easier to remove the meat.   


8.  Repair Walls - To fill nail holes, fix chips or other small dings in white sheet-rock or plaster walls, mix 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then add enough water (about 5 teaspoons) to make a thick paste.  Use the paste to fill the holes.

9.  Clean a glass coffee pot - Add salt and ice cubes to a coffee pot, swirl around vigorously, and rinse.  The salt will scour the bottom and the ice will help to agitate it for a better scrub.  (This is one of my absolute favs!)


10.  Basic Soft Scrub - Make a paste with lots of salt, baking soda and dish soap. Safe to use on appliances, enamel, porcelain, etc.  (This is my next one to try)

Well I hope that you are getting some good use out of these tips.  Some of them I have used for years and others I am just learning myself.  

Have a great day my friends and thanks for stopping by to say hello!  Stay tuned for tomorrow - where I will give you some ideas to pamper yourself with!  Tomorrow is Friday and the weekend - WOOT! WOOT!! :o)

Lots of love and hugs,

Household Tips - Day 3

Happy Hump Day my friends! Hope you are all having a great week so far.  As promised, we are onto day 3 of the household hints I wanted to pass along and share with you.  I hope that you are getting use out of the ideas so far.  We have already had Baking Soda and Toothpaste and today we are on:

VINEGAR:

1.  To Remove Fruit Juice and Berry Stains - blot and dilute the stain, then apply straight white vinegar and then rinse with warm water.

2.  Stemware - If your stemware is cloudy from the dishwasher, wrap the glasses in paper towels soaked in vinegar, let them sit, and the cloudy deposits will rinse right off.

3.  Tile Grout - There's no need to use bleach when you can let vinegar soak on it and then scrub with a toothbrush - Easy Peasey! :o)

4.  Shirts - Spray vinegar onto deodorant-stained shirts before the wash to remove the discoloration.  Spray vinegar directly on mustard, tomato sauce or ketchup stains to get rid of the stain before laundering.

5.  Wash Cycle - Add a cupful of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine to freshen up bright colors and give you cleaner laundry.  Vinegar also acts as a fabric softener, static reducer and mildew-inhibitor.

6.  Chewing Gum - Vinegar will loosen chewing gum that is stuck in car upholstery, rugs or carpeting.

7.  Car Windows - Wiping down your car windows and windshield with a 3 to 1 vinegar-water mixture can keep them frost-free in the wintertime. - This is a great tip that I plan to try this summer and hope it works!  Let me know if you've used this before and if it works or not.

8.  Weeds and Crabgrass - Kill weeds and crabgrass that is growing in your sidewalk cracks and driveway cracks by pouring vinegar directly onto them.  A half and half solution of vinegar and water can kill garden slugs if you spray directly onto them.

9.  Flowers - To extend the life of fresh cut flowers, add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the water in your vase along with a teaspoon of sugar.

10.  Restore Shine to your hair - Vinegar works to restore luster by removing build up from other hair products. It leaves hair smooth and silky and is said by many to remove tangles. Depending on your hair type, you may want to use it once weekly, or as often as three times weekly. It may cause minimal dryness to hair, so some people like to condition first, then use a vinegar rinse. To make a vinegar rinse, add 1 cup vinegar to 2 cups warm water, add a a drop of essential oil if you like, and work into hair.

There you go!  Easy stuff.  Of course, there is a lot more uses for Vinegar like cleaning, etc. but I can't put them all in this one post so.... :o)  I really like the use of vinegar for my hair - it really makes a big difference in the shine of it.  

Well... I hope you have a wonderful day today and thanks for stopping by to say hello.  Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more household hints! :o) 

Lots of love and hugs,