The Fickle Hobbyist

Archive for April, 2010

Ok, so Easter has been over for a while now, but if you’re like me, your kids still have a bunch of candy lying around.  (I hate holidays with candy.  They still have buckets from Halloween)  Or maybe you’ve seen the super discounted end caps at Walgreens or your grocery store where you can buy Peeps for like a penny.  Well, here’s an adorable way to use up some of those leftover marshmallow birdies. 

My mom sent me this idea that one of her friends posted on her facebook.  I thought it was too cute that I couldn’t NOT share it.  Thanks breezyontheeyes, for the idea.  (no, I’m not going to link up to her facebook.  lol)

I didn’t use any fancy cupcake recipe, I just made these from a box.  *GASP* 

And the frosting?  It comes from a can.  *double gasp*  A spray can at that! 

For the tails, I just used candy bark, melted it in the microwave in 30 second intervals and added food coloring.  I used a Ziploc baggie to pipe the designs onto a piece of wax paper, and then let them harden.  When they’re ready, just stick them into the frosting and push them into the cake a little bit.  For the Peep itself, I cut the tail section off so it could butt up against the tail, then smooshed it onto the frosting.

The girls thought they were SO cool.  It doesn’t take much to please them sometimes.  (especially if it’s made out of sugar!)  I thought they were pretty cute too, though.

-Autumn

Skin care products containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) have become extremely popular due to their effectiveness in treating many common skin concerns like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne and even dry, flaky skin. But because of such great results and high demand, products containing alpha hydroxy acids can also be very expensive. People pay high dollar at department stores everyday for high end AHA infused skin care products. But did you know that you can make alpha hydroxy acid at home and save money? You can make all natural alpha hydroxy acid for wrinkles, acne, dry skin and age spots that is just as effective as the pricey chemical peels and skin creams sold in stores. Making alpha hydroxy acid from natural sources is not only less expensive than buying commercial AHA products, it’s much better for the health of your skin than using chemically derived alpha hydroxy acids.

Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) skin care products are easy to make at home because they are made of fruit and other ingredients we may have in the fridge or kitchen cupboards.

Fruit acids are great for the skin because they loosen the glue between dead skin cells, and the cells fall away, leaving the face very smooth and soft. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to produce fabulous results for your skin that you would imagine only the most expensive and sophisticated products you could buy could do. Not only that, but AHAs are found in fruit and vegetables you may already have in your kitchen or growing in your garden, so you don’t need to worry about any synthetic chemicals that may cause harm. The famed beauty Cleopatra unknowingly used the benefit of AHAs on her skin when she bathed in milk. Try any of the following fruit acids, but always take care to avoid your eyes. Avoid using these homemade peels if your skin is sunburned, and before going into the sun.

Malic Acid: Apples, vinegar, applesauce, cider

Lactic Acid: Buttermilk, yogurt, powdered skim milk, sour cream, blackberries, tomatoes

Tartaric Acid: Grapes, grape juice, wine, cream of tartar

Citric Acid: Citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, grapefruit, and orange

Glycolic Acid: Sugar cane

All you need is about one half a teaspoon of liquid per face cleansing. You can freshly squeeze the juice of one lemon, for example, and refrigerate the leftovers for the rest of the week. Just dab some of the juice onto your fingers and pat on your face. Leave on for 10 minutes or so before rinsing.

If you are in a rush, just cut a grape or strawberry in half – whatever you happen to have on hand-and rub it over your skin; let the juice set for a few minutes, and then rinse.

Natural alpha and beta hydroxy acids are derived from apples, ginger, oranges, grapefruit, sugarcane, or willow bark, and will gradually peel off the top layers of dead skin.

Hydroxy Acid

The Alphas: One of the alpha hydroxy acids found in cane sugar, sugar beets and unripe grapes, glycolic acid, is an odorless, crystalline compound used to control the acid/alkali balance and also as an exfoliant. It works easily into the skin to break up, and remove, bonds of dead skin cells.

It has been said that loosening, or ungluing, these bonds stimulates the body’s built-in dead-cell elimination, or sloughing off, process, making way for new skin cells to emerge and for fine lines to be smoothed over. The use of these alpha hydroxy acids has also been shown to reduce skin discoloration and to even out pigmentation.

The “hydroxys” have also been shown to help those with oily and acne-plagued skin, since dead skin cells are no longer able to clump up around hair follicles and compromise the natural drainage of the oil-secreting (sebaceous) glands.

Citric acid is another hydroxy powerhouse, one extracted from citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in vitamin C and bioflavonoids, including rutin, which are said to strengthen the small capillaries that provide nourishment to the skin.

According to Reverse the Aging Process of Your Face, the Spanish noble, the Duchess of Alba, would “apply the pulp of an orange [on her face] and leave it on for twenty minutes, like a mask.” Not knowing why it worked, it was most probably because of the vitamin C, a known skin antioxidant and defexider against skin damage.

Lactic acid is another alpha hydroxy, one which comes, in fact, from sour milk. Believe it, or not, but Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk, and to scrape off dirt and excess oil with a special tool.

If you think this is interesting, how about this: in ancient Rome, women would remove the sludge from wine barrels, and apply this sludge to their faces as a sort of inebriated skin pack. It was said to have worked!

In the 19th century, Queen Elizabeth of Hungary would mix lemons, roses, violets, and peppermint leaves in a mineral-rich Hungarian spring. She also used a wine facial treatment, one enriched by an herbal infusion. Not knowing it, of course, but Elizabeth was making use of tartaric acid, another of the alpha hydroxy’s. Other hydroxy acids used include malic acid (taken from apples and bilberries), pyruvic acid and gluconic acid.

The Betas: Salicylic, benzoic and buteric acids — all beta hydroxy acids — are also reported to be excellent exfoliators, and are often combined with alpha hydroxy acids for their synergistic, complementary activities.

Over time, proper use of these compounds will make crow’s feet and fine wrinkles less visible. Some of the most popular lotions on the natural products market contain glycolic acid, which has small molecules that are easy for the skin to absorb. Low-concentration hydoroxy acids are also available at the cosmetics counter of your local natural products store in cleansers and moisturizers.

Since natural acids, as gentle as they are, are, of course, acidic, science looked for a way to buffer this acidity. Chamomile is said to be an excellent buffer. In fact, a November 6, 1995 study by M. Podgia, a researcher in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California-Berkeley, found that “chamomile extract-containing products have anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo.” Chamomile is also known to stimulate and nourish the skin, a perfect complement to any moisturization program.

As you may know, moisturizers do not add moisture to the skin, but they do help your skin retain the water you’ve left on your face and body after washing. If you leave your skin a little damp and apply an hydroxy-acid-containing moisturizer, this will help the product absorb into the pores and sink deeper into your skin.

Instructions: (easy)

1. Make a home glycolic acid peel from raw brown sugar and the juice of unripened grapes. Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid that is most often used to smooth, firm and erase fine lines. Brown sugar is an excellent source of natural glycolic acid and unripened grapes not only contain glycolic acid, but also have natural age defying properties. Mix both ingredients in a natural plant oil such as coconut, jojoba or grape seed oil to make a paste. Apply the peel to your face using an upward, circular massaging motion. Leave it on your skin for 10-15 minutes, then rinse well with warm water. A glycolic acid peel can be used 1-3 times per week and is a very effective treatment for wrinkles, dryness and loss of skin firmness.

2. Use apple cider vinegar to make malic acid facial treatments. Of all alpha hydroxy acids, malic acid is the best choice for people with acne, oiliness and uneven skin tone. Naturally found in apples, malic acid helps to dissolve dead skin cells, decrease oil production, clear black heads and fade dark spots. To make a malic acid treatment at home, simply dilute apple cider vinegar in water, dab a cotton ball in the mixture and apply it to the face 3-5 times per week. For sensitive skin, rinse well with warm water after 10 minutes and follow up with an oil-free moisturizer.

3. Make lactic acid facials to brighten skin tone, soothe dryness and stop skin flaking. Lactic acid is found naturally in milk and is both an exfoliating alpha hydroxy acid and a soothing moisturizer. Famous for her gorgeous skin, Cleopatra’s beauty secret was bathing in milk to keep her skin smooth and supple. You can reap the benefits of this age old secret for beautiful skin by making a simple lactic acid mask. Mix plain yogurt with a bit of organic honey and apply the mask to your face for 10-20 minutes, 3-5 times per week. This homemade lactic acid mask completely eliminates flaky skin and will leave your face smooth, soft and glowing.

4. Treat inflammatory cystic acne breakouts with a natural salicylic acid mask. The most common source of salicylic acid is aspirin, but it can also be found in smaller amounts in aloe and strawberries. Dissolve 1-3 crushed aspirin in a few drops of lemon juice (a great source of another alpha hydroxy acid, citric acid). Add aloe vera gel and 2-3 mashed strawberries to form a paste. Apply the salicylic acid mask to face for 10-25 minutes, 3-5 times per week. Then rinse well with warm water. You can also use the mask as a spot treatment for breakouts as needed. Alpha hydroxy acids, like salicylic acid, can easily be made at home to treat imperfections effectively just like many of the AHA skin products found in stores, but for a fraction of the price.

So the next time you cut open an avocado, take the peel, and rub the inside all over your rough elbows or heals, and sit back and relax while it goes to work. Pineapple rinds, same thing. I would, however, be a little hesitant to use blueberries or blackberries, as they stain.

Tami’s tip of the week:

Now that it is “iced tea season” around most of the country, here is a trick to keep your tea from becoming watered down from the iced cubes, and adding a splash of flavor at the same time. The next time you open a can of pineapple, mandarin oranges, or other fruit, instead of draining the juice off and tossing it down the drain, freeze it in ice cube trays. Use the frozen fruit juice cubes in your iced tea, and as they melt, your tea won’t become watered down, and you’ll notice a nice flavor infusion!! Try it in your glass of ice water, as well.

I’m called the Fickle Hobbyist for a reason.  If you haven’t noticed, I jump from one interest to the next without so much as a passing glance.  This week I seem to be on a sewing kick.  In the last two days I’ve sewn the girls three dresses.  I mean, I know that’s no record, but it’s the most I’ve ever sewn in that amount of time.  Part of the reason I’ve not lost interest yet is that the dresses I’ve been sewing have been SO easy.  I mean, I think I’m going to end up making a closet full of these little shirred dresses before the week is over.

See, this is what happens when you let your 4 (almost 5!) year old choose her own fabric.  You end up with something seriously loud.  But whatev.  She loves it. 

What’s nice about these dresses is that both the girls can wear them.  Because the top is stretchy, it will fit around both of them.  I just have to make sure that when Joss wears it it’s not too short.

Even then, if the hemline gets too high up there, we can just throw a pair of leggings on her and she’ll be good to go.  I <3 leggings.

I can’t wait to post the other two dresses that I made last night and today.  I just forgot to pick up buttons when I bought the pattern.  I swear, I’d forget my head…  Did you know that Joann’s had McCalls patterns on sale for $.99 the other day!!  I need to see if they are still on sale.  I want to go back and get some more.  Stay tuned for the other dresses tomorrow.

-Autumn