Giveaway Winner!

The winner of last week's giveaway is: comment number 50 - Cherilyn!  Congrats, Cherilyn! Your new wristlet clutch will be sent out to you today!

Thanks to everyone who commented!

Wristlet Clutch Giveaway!

*Giveaway Closed*

It's Giveaway Day over at the Sew Mama Sew blog, so I thought I would join the fun!

I'm giving away this cute little wristlet clutch that I made from a vintage bedspread.  It measures about 9 inches across and 5 inches tall.  It's lined with a coordinating periwinkle blue with tiny polka dots, and has a little pocket inside.

It closes with a magnetic snap, and is trimmed with a yoyo flower with a vintage button center.

I thought I would combine this giveaway with a  little bit of market research, so:

To enter to win this little bag, just leave a comment on this post answering this question:  

When purchasing a shoulder bag would you prefer:

A. A long strap to wear the bag messenger style across your body;

B. A regular shoulder strap to wear the bag on one shoulder; or

C. An adjustable strap to wear the bag either way.

Bonus entry: If you are a follower of this blog or my facebook page, leave another comment for an extra entry!

Please make sure I have a way to contact you by leaving your e-mail in your comment.  Only U.S. entries, please (international shipping is so pricey!)

Winner will be chosen on May 10, 2013, by a random drawing using Random.org.

After you enter my giveaway here, you can go to Sew Mama Sew and enter many other fabulous giveaways there!

Clean, Healthy, Beautiful: Homemade Face Wipes and Honey Lemon Sugar Scrub

One of the first "beauty" products I made for myself was homemade face wipes.  I use these every night to take off my makeup. They are convenient, easy and inexpensive, and I know what ingredients I am putting on my face, because I put them together myself! There are great instructions with lots of pictures over at WhiteHouseBlackShutters.com.

Here's how I make my homemade face wipes:

You need:
Select-a-size paper towels (Bounty, Brawny, and Viva are the best)
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 squirt of face wash or mild soap or shampoo
3 drops Lavender essential oil
2 cups water
Container that will fit half a roll of paper towels, with a lid that seals (mine is a Rubbermaid)

Cut the roll of paper towels in half with a large knife. This is easier said than done, but you can do it! Just keep sawing away at it until you cut it all the way through.  Place one of the halves in the container, cut side down. You'll just be using one of the halves now, so save the other one for next time.
Heat the 2 cups of water in the microwave or on the stove until steaming.  Add the coconut oil to the hot water and stir until melted. Add the face wash and essential oil and stir.
Pour the liquid into the container with the paper towels in it.  Put the lid on (you may have to press down and scrunch the paper towels down).  Turn it upside down.
After 5 minutes, take the lid off and remove the inner cardboard roll.  Your wipes are ready to use!

The coconut oil is so good for the skin!  These wipes make my face feel very fresh and soft. They're great for traveling, too. Just take out as many as you will need for your trip and put them in a ziplock bag.
These can also be adapted for baby wipes by using baby wash or shampoo instead of the face wash.  Or you can make cleaning wipes by just using a mixture of water and your favorite cleaner and/or essential oils.

Another homemade face product I recently made is my Honey Lemon Sugar Scrub.  I usually use a face scrub in the shower every morning, and I ran out of my super expensive kind, so I thought I would try making something to replace it.  Here's what I did:

You need:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. honey
3 drops lemon essential oil
olive oil

I mixed together the sugar, honey, and lemon essential oil and added enough olive oil to get the consistency I wanted.  I put it all into a repurposed shampoo container because I didn't want to mess with scooping it out of a jar while in the shower.  So, I just shake it up a little, take off the lid, squeeze some out into my hand, then apply to my face.

A little warning here:  The first time I used this I thought I was going to end up with an icky, sticky mess.  It felt like it wasn't rinsing off. My skin is naturally oily, so I thought it might feel like a sticky oil slick all day.  It did not.  I dried off my face and it felt sooooo very soft! Not sticky and not oily at all!  Oh, and a really cool thing to note: If you leave it on your face for a few minutes, it is much easier to rinse off because the sugar grains dissolve.

This scrub is also great to use on rough elbows and feet. I love this stuff! Apparently my daughter Rebecca does, too, because it's quickly disappearing and I'm going to have to make another batch soon.