Saturday, November 29, 2014

Unconventional Christmas Decorations...30 second Pointe Shoe Bling

 
I'm leaning towards less conventional Christmas decorations these days.
 
Santas been done to death here, and frankly in this house, we all know that he's a bus driver in Norway. True story. I've seen it on Pinterest ;-)
 
So we're glittering Reindeer silhouettes, and making miniature cameo ornaments (that's those ladies in profile, not the machine thingo), and finding other ways to bling up Chez Mimi.
 
Speaking of that time waster of all time wasters, Pinterest....this idea popped up there before I was addicted. You know, when we all first started Pinteresting, and we kidded ourselves we could walk away from the screen whenever we wanted?
 
Even back then, I knew it was a dead certainty for this household as we have thrice worn Pointe and Demi Pointe shoes up to the wahoo as they say.
 
Diamante neckwear was obtained from an Asian man in the centre of the local shopparama for three lousy dollars well over a year ago. But despite having the shoettes, and the bling, I just haven't found time to stitch the darned things decoratively where they're meant to go.
 
Tonight I just dragged it all out, wrapped both vintage and new rhinestones around thrice worn pointe shoes, and popped them under an upturned Hurricane Lamp.
 
I'm rather chuffed.
 
I think it might stay there well beyond the Silly Season.
 
What do you think?
 

Friday, November 21, 2014

More gift wrapping ideas....

 
A $2 Christmas ornament....
 
 
...adorns a gift wrapped in a lining of marbled A4 paper....

 
...which is then swathed in clear, crackly cellophane...
 
 
....and embellished with white organza ribbon...

 
...oh the sweet anticipation..
 
...Mimi...

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

DIY Christmas Cards for the artistically challenged...

 
We always hand make our Christmas Cards. Who needs another generic Santa or Rudolph swinging from their piece of string across the windows this Christmas?
 
Whilst we'd love to create gorgeous artisanal Scandinavian treasures, that particular talent doesn't appear to be in our genes in this house.
 
Still, what we create with Clag glue, pearlised card stock, organza ribbon and a ballpoint pen, isn't all bad.
 
We're fans of the monochromatic, tone-on-tone style Christmas here, so we figured our hand made cards should reflect that.
 
All you need is:
 
Pearlised card stock
Glue with a brush to apply (Clag is ideal)
Glitter
Star shaped cookie cutter
Organza ribbon
 
Position the cookie cutter on your card. Paint the inside of it with the glue. Sprinkle liberally inside the cookie cutter with glitter. Leave to sit for a minute or two to dry. Tip the excess glitter back into your container.
 
Tidy the edges with a skewer.
 
Tie a lavish bow along the folded edge.
 
Hand write your preferred Christmas slogan on the front.
 
We inscribe the inside simply, adding foil stars and tags with Christmas wishes on them to fly out upon opening. Things like 'Be Merry', 'God Bless', 'Enjoy the Season' and so on.
 
We like our little cards.
 
Made with love.
 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Motherly Advice...Best ever DIY Home Facial....

 
On the topic of looking after ourselves, I thought I'd post my Mums old method for a home grown facial. This costs virtually nothing, can be done at home in about 30 minutes, and is a great pick-me-up when one has....ahem...overindulged.
 
You'll need:
 
Your usual facial cleanser
 
2 towels
 
1 large bowl filled with boiling water, and a kettle of boiling water ready to top the bowl up for the second stage of your 'facial'.
 
1 handful fresh herbs or the contents of a couple of herbal teabags....any kind
 
Cheap thick moisturiser, whether your favourite facial cream or a cheapo like Sorbolene OR mash an avocado or some berries or mix some oatmeal with milk (not rolled oats....too messy) and use that.
The Oatmeal is particularly good for problem skin.
 
A face washer, moistened well and put in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator to chill.
 
A second face washer, wet well, and wrung out, set close by your bowl.
 
Then you:
 
Cleanse your face well.
 
Spread one towel on the table, and set the bowl on it.
 
Fill it about halfway with the boiling water, and add the fresh herbs or contents of the teabags...just rip them open.
 
Put on some gentle music, and sit with your clean face over the steaming bowl, draping your head with the other towel to create a kind of 'tent' to contain the steam.
 
Sit there for as long as you can stand it, and allow the steam to soften your skin.
 
Remove the towel, and set it aside for a moment.
 
Use the wet facecloth to gently mop your face of impurities.
 
Slather your face well with the moisturiser, or the oats or whatever.
 
Resume the steaming for another few minutes, then dunk the facewasher you've just used, into the water, wring it out (careful the water may still be quite hot) and use that to remove the cream or other stuff, from your face.
 
Then use the chilled washer to plop on your face as you lie down for a second to cool off.
Use your usual moisturiser to finish, and you're done :)
 
Go on....tell me you don't love it!

...Mimi...

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Finding 50 and Fabulous...the Supplement debate.

 
What do you think about taking supplements to ward off ills, and hang on to youth?
 
I'm consistently divided. Is that a tautology?
 
Like luxury skin care products vs budget ones, there is much debate surrounding the popping of multivitamins and supplements vs following a normal healthy diet to prolong our looks and good health.
 
I've taken supplements on and off for my entire life. Much as the use of both luxury and budget skin care has been a lifelong practice, I've felt compelled to do so by a Mother who was queen of 'do all you can to stay healthy and live long' proclamations.
 
All I can categorically state is that I believe that had I not done these things, I may look or feel differently to the way I do at the age of 54. I will never know how much impact this practice has had, as it might equally be that I haven't smoked, taken recreational drugs, or consumed other nasty substances.
 
Well....that is to say that I do enjoy a glass of wine, I do eat butter, I do eat sugar. I'm human. And I do not subscribe to current thinking that one or the other of those things is evil. Call me a rebel.
 
I do not eat processed foods if I can help it, and takeaway in all forms is banned in my house. That's just a snobs choice if you will. I cook a better burger than either the M people or the HJ people, and my grilled salmon leaves the one from the takeaway down the road for dead. Although I admire greatly, the addition of 'grilled salmon' to the menu of the local fish and chippery. Perhaps that has helped.
 
I've done a lot of reading and layman's research, and I think overall I prefer to take a few supplements, use organic skin care, and eat sensibly, than risk my health and vastly diminished youth ju-ju (my terminology for whatever happy hormones may be left floating in my body post menopause), than not.
 
Many of these also support organs in the body other than the skin, so that in itself is beneficial.
 
My current list of supplements includes:
 
Magnesium
Co Enzyme Q-10
Fish oil
B Complex
Women's Multi
Antioxidant blend
Chlorophyll liquid
 
I force the first six down with a swig of the seventh in a glass of juice each morning and feel very pious.
 
I recently bumped in to a girl I used to go clubbing with, back in the hey day of the Disco in the 70's and 80's. I wouldn't have recognised her by her appearance. It was her curly hair, her eyes, and some certain mannerisms that jogged my memory. Well...that and her name on her name tag. When I mentioned to The Diva Daughter that the lady had been a friend many years ago, she was incredulous. The poor lady looked fifteen years older than me, and she is in fact two years younger. A victim of the drinking, drugs and debauchery of our era. Sad really. Even sadder was the resignation to her lot in life, her sparkle gone and all traces of the pretty twenty year old I once knew, lost forever. So perhaps much had occurred in the intervening years.
 
Still, part of me wonders how much our respective lifestyle choices, including the taking of nutritional supplements over recreational ones, figured in the difference in our appearances thirty years later.
 
All I can say for certain, is that if you're twenty or thirty-something, and reading this, is....beware....it catches up with you....lol!
 
What do you think?
 
Supplements or no?